Daily Bible Study for Tuesday August
30, 2016
By: Hanny Lynn Stearns
Fish N
Loaves Ministries, Inc.
“Multiplying
God’s Word Around The Globe”
Chapter Reading
for Today: Please read in
your Bible before proceeding. Note that most translations are considered
paraphrases. The Young’s Literal Translation provides a more accurate
translation since he is the one who authored a concordance. Others are helpful
for seeing a different perspective, but we cannot always depend on their
wording. I hope this is helpful to you. If you are studying in another version,
that is fine. I am studying from the KJV, but for the purpose of this study, I
will keep it with the New King James Version.
One final note: I will put the scripture in italics to differentiate from my
own writing. I am adding red to the letters when
it is Jesus talking – just like the Bible. Thank you.
Bible
Gateway Verse of the Day
Ephesians 2:19
Now, therefore, you are no
longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and
members of the household of God,
Psalm
100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His
courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
Song: Come To
Jesus
By: Chris Rice (You Tube)
Psalm 45
Come To Jesus
We begin in the heart of Jeremiah. He was called of God to be
a prophet to His people. In that assignment, He would have to bring them words
from God that many did not want to hear. They were being called to repent. They
were being drawn to godliness and away from the sins of idolatry and rebellion.
As a result, Jeremiah was mocked and laughed at by his fellow Israelites. He
got to the point where he didn’t want to say any more about God. But God had
called Him. The Lord had put His words in Jeremiah’s mouth. His word was
burning inside the heart of Jeremiah. He could not hold back what God had placed
in His mouth to say. This is a picture of God’s love for His people. He came
through Jeremiah so strongly to call His people to repentance before they would
go too far - placing them in captivity because of their sin. Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father;
Thank You for Your amazing love for the people You have
created. Lord, it is difficult for the human mind to conceive Your kind of
love. Your mercy and grace toward the sons of men truly is amazing. You want
everyone to come to the knowledge of the truth. You desire all men to be saved
and to walk in freedom. Thank You for sending Your Son Jesus, the anointed
Savior of the world to be our Bridegroom. In Your Word You said that one day we
will call our Maker our Husband. Father, show us what we can learn from this
lesson in Your precious word today. Father, I ask You to bring people to this teaching
who do not know You from all over the globe. I ask You to draw those who are
backslidden. Bring everyone that needs to hear of Your truth, Your glory, Your forgiveness
and Your message of hope and salvation. Lord I ask You for the anointing and
the utterance to speak Your word with all boldness. Father, like Jeremiah, Your
word is in me like a fire. I must preach the good news of the gospel to the
poor in spirit, to the blind, to the lame and to the sick. Father, I ask You to
cause this message to go out unhindered and unchecked by any outside force or
my flesh. Thank You for always watching over Your word to perform it in our
lives when we trust and obey You. Give glory to Yourself in this message. Father,
we will make it our goal to be doers of Your word and not forgetful hearers.
Thank You in advance for the answer to this prayer in Jesus name. Amen.
Our opening verse is one that has been a long time expression
of my heart’s desire to preach the word of God as He has called me to. It does feel
like a fire that needs to be released. When God’s word is in our hearts and we
see people all around us who are hungry for salvation, those words are burning
to be released.
Whenever I get around someone that He wants to minister to,
it is as if I step aside from my body as Holy Spirit takes over and says what
that person needs to hear. Glory to God! When we know the meaning of salvation,
our hearts indeed flow with the good things of God. When we are filled with His
Spirit, we are overflowing with good tidings for all people. Once we have been
captured by His grace, we are bursting to get it out and share it with others -
hallelujah! Thank You Jesus!
This Psalm is really a picture of the wedding feast of the
Lamb and His Bride – that’s us. Everyone who is born of water and the Spirit is
a child of God and a Bride of Christ, whether male or female. It tells the
story of how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth to be the fairest of all men. He
would become the One blessed by the Father, full of grace and truth because of
His pure sacrifice. Jesus the Christ, the Holy One of Israel is indeed the Mighty
One. He is glory and majesty. He rides on the white horse (of purity)
prosperously because of His truth, humility and righteousness. On His thigh are
written these words…
Revelation 19:16
And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.
All of His right ways teach
Him awesome things. And they teach us awesome things too. His words are like a
sharp arrow in the hearts of His enemies…
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than
any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
People fall under conviction
when they hear the Lord’s words. Is it condemnation? Absolutely not. It is the
knowledge or awareness that one has sinned against God. His word penetrates the
deepest parts of every man’s heart. But the Lord’s words and the conviction of
Holy Spirit is meant to bring people up from a place of darkness to a place of
light. They are never meant to bring judgment and condemnation. Those thoughts
and feelings come from the enemy of our souls. Jesus came to bring life and
light…
John 1:4
In Him was life, and the life
was the light of men.
The throne of God is a place of authority and of righteousness. No
person can enter into the holy place where God is without first receiving Jesus
Christ as their Lord and Savior. The good news here is that every man and woman
has already been saved. Jesus did the work on the cross and went to hell for us
so we would not have to. All that we have to do is accept His free gift of
salvation and we are on our way immediately upon doing so to eternal life –
praise His name forever.
There are many who refuse to accept the free gift and live for Him.
Those are the ones who send themselves to hell. God never sends anyone to hell.
They choose to go there all on their own. It is a terrible tragedy. There are
people who refuse to submit to anyone’s authority, even if it is a good thing.
And God’s authority in our lives is nothing but good! I am a witness to that. Speaking
as one who never had proper authority in my home growing up, I now respect and
appreciate the authority of the Lord in my life. Whether He is correcting me,
teaching me, whatever the case may be, I am grateful for His loving authority.
It brings me security and peace. I know I am deeply loved and cared for. I also
know He would never steer me in a wrong direction.
Everything that the Lord stands for is so good! I woke up this morning
with the song: “God is a Good God” yes He is! Many do not realize how good He
is. He has been given a terrible reputation because the devil has planted lies
in the hearts of people. Satan has worked overtime to “dupe” people into
thinking that all this stealing, killing and destruction in the earth is
somehow the “mysterious plan of God.” Lies, lies, lies! The devil is a thief, a
liar and a destroyer. God is good, loving and the One who brings life and light
to the world. He shines brightly in the darkness. But many loved the darkness
and tried to flee from His light.
Next, we are going to look at Hebrews chapter one in its entirety. This
will remind us of who God is and who Jesus is – the express image of God the
Father, manifested in the Person of His Son – Jesus Christ…
Hebrews 1
1 God, who at various times and in various ways
spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has
in these last days spoken to us by His Son,
whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who
being the brightness of His glory
and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of
His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the
right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become
so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more
excellent name than they.
The Son Is Exalted Above
The Angels
5 For to which of the angels did He ever say:
“You
are My Son, today I have begotten You”?
And again:
“I
will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son”?
6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the
world, He says:
“Let
all the angels of God worship Him.”
7 And of the angels He says:
“Who
makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.”
8 But to the Son He says:
“Your
throne, O God, is forever
and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 9 You
have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has
anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
10 And:
“You,
Lord, in the beginning laid the
foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11 They
will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; 12 Like
a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed.
But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.”
13 But to which of the angels has He ever said:
“Sit
at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool”?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth
to minister for those who will inherit salvation?
God, Jesus and Holy Spirit are called the “trinity” by many across the
globe. Though that word is not written as such in the Bible, its meaning is
true. God is three persons in one. It is like you and me. Think of yourself. If
you are a man, you are a son. Maybe you are a father, a brother or an uncle. You
can be three different things but still be just one person. It is the same with
God. He has numerous names that describe His character and His purposes for us. But He is one God. Jesus is God. Holy Spirit is God. God is God. They
are all synonymous. The names express the same thing – God!
Jesus is the only way to get to the Father. A person must accept the
sacrifice that Jesus came to earth to make for the sin of all mankind to be
saved from an eternity in hell. God wants everyone to be saved. He anointed
Jesus – His Son, with gladness. What does that mean? Oil represents the Holy
Spirit of God. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit when He walked on the
earth and did the works of His ministry. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit
is joy. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will be glad – or joy
filled. Let’s look at what the Father God anointed His Son Jesus to do…
Isaiah 61:1-3
“The Spirit of the
Lord God is upon Me,
because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to
the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To
proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of
vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, 3 To
console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the
oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the
planting of the Lord, that He may be
glorified.”
Friends, this portion of scripture captures the
full essence of salvation through Jesus Christ – the Son of God. When people
are lost, they are spiritually poor. They are also brokenhearted. They are
bound up from their sins and need freedom. Jesus comes to open the doors of our
prisons and set us free – hallelujah! The Lord will take vengeance on our
enemies. Remember that the enemy is satan and all the demons working for him
though people. The Lord comes to comfort us. When we are in prison from our sins,
we are mourning. I know this feeling. It is a terrible place to be.
What looks as if it has been burned up in the
fires of this life will be restored by the Lord and turned into something beautiful.
My life looked like an ash heap when I finally surrendered to Him back in 2005
- glory to His name forever! When we see “the oil of joy”, again, Holy Spirit
is likened to oil in the Bible. When we have Him living inside of us after
accepting Jesus as our Savior, we are full of joy. Again I say hallelujah!
Instead of being depressed, we will be shouting God’s praises! We will be like
a great big tree of righteousness – one that does good things, and bears good
fruit. To bear good fruit in our lives is to do things that show we are the
children of the Most High God.
People are referred to as trees in the Bible.
Jesus gave a lot of illustrations using mountains as leaders and trees as people
to make His point. The Lord is the One who plants the seed of faith in our
hearts and then He waters that seed with His Holy Spirit and finally, we come
to a full harvest when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. It was a
planting of the lord and all the glory goes to Him for it. Hallelujah!
Jesus is full of gladness and when He comes to live in us, He fills us
with gladness.
Psalm 30:11
You have turned for me my
mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with
gladness,
When I was living in sin, I
was spiritually dressed in rags. But when I surrendered my life to the Lord, I
was dancin, shoutin and praisin the Lord! Hallelujah! Now let’s look at the
fragrance of Christ…
Song of Solomon 1:3
Because of the fragrance of your good ointments, Your name is ointment poured forth; Therefore the
virgins love you.
Because of Who Jesus is,
honorable people are His company. In fact, anyone who is not honorable cannot
keep company with Him. He cannot blend in with darkness. Jesus is also the
sweet smelling aroma of our salvation. When people see those of us who are saved,
they should be able to pick up on His fragrance…
2 Corinthians 2:15
For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being
saved and among those who are perishing.
When we get around people,
whether they are saved or lost, they will “smell” the aroma of Jesus on us. It
will just permeate the air. Christians should be the salt and light of the
world and they should be diffusing His aroma everywhere they go. The message of
the gospel can come through so powerfully in ways that are not even expressed
in words.
In verse 10 today, the “daughter”
is called to come away from her natural family into the family of God. The “daughter”
represents all mankind. Usually people are called the “sons of God” whether
they are male or female. In this case, the men are called the daughter right
along with the gals. Once we leave the natural family and join the family of
God, we will have to be separate from fellowship with those who are still
choosing to live in sin…
2 Thessalonians 3:6
6 But we command you, brethren,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who
walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from
us.
Not only are we to avoid close
fellowship with lost sinners, but we must steer clear of people in the church
who are living like the devil. Bad company will corrupt good character. We do
not want them to take us down to where they are at. If we are led to witness to
someone, that is one thing. But to hang around with them and have a close
friendship with them; it is a no-no. When we come to Jesus, we are lifted to a
place of honor and respect. We need to treat ourselves like the righteous
people we are when we get saved. We don’t belong around the “trash bins” of
this life any longer. Once we are saved, we are “clothed in righteousness.” We
just talked about the rags of sin. Now imagine yourself dressed in pure white
from your head to your tow. Jesus just took off those dirty rags and gave you a
garment of white. It is a garment of purity.
Isaiah 61:10
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has
clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Revelation 3:5
He who overcomes shall be
clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book
of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
The Lord created us to be the
Bride of Christ – the church is His bride. When we are clothed and ready for
the wedding feast, we will enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts
with praise. Like a husband and a wife were created to become one on the earth,
so we were created to become one with Jesus in the marriage of the Lamb. Look
at what the Bible says about marriage…
Matthew 19:4-6
4 And He answered and said to
them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and
said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to
his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So
then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined
together, let not man separate.”
Marriage on the earth is a
taste of what it will be when we become wedded to our Maker. We are not to be
separated from Him in any way. When we become born again, we can have “spiritual
children.” What does this mean? It is to tell others about the Lord so they too
can be included in the marriage to the Lamb of God. Our offspring then will be
kings and priests…
Revelation 1:5-6
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from
the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own
blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to
His God and Father, to Him be glory
and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
The more “babies” we have, the
more kings and priests there will be – hallelujah! If we are not telling others
about what the Lord did for us, then we are living like the unsaved world. We
would be likened to a barren woman. Childless. That has always been considered
a disgrace in the Bible times. Now it would be considered a fruitless womb if
we were not leading others to Jesus. It is a good measuring stick to our salvation.
A truly born again Christian will be so grateful for their salvation that they
will want to tell others. It will break their hearts to think of others going
to hell. We just have to be open to the leading of Holy Spirit.
When He prompts us to talk with
someone, we need to step out in faith and start talking. Then He will bring us
the right words to say or the right questions to ask. Other times, we do well
to keep our mouths shut while our “light” is doing all the talking. The key to
miracles is doing what He tells us to do. That is the bottom line. He knows who
is ready to hear and receive. He knows their hearts and the right timing and
the right person to bring across their paths.
The last verse today is an
indication of the name of Jesus. Look at what happened when He was to come into
the world…
Matthew 1:18-25
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows:
After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she
was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then
Joseph her husband, being a just man,
and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away
secretly. 20 But while he thought about these
things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that
which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And
she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from
their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:23 “Behold,
the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name
Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as
the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and
did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And
he called His name Jesus.
Friends, today is a story of
redemption for all mankind. To some who are reading this it will be like a “first
grade class” lesson to them. But that is OK. For those of us who know the way
of salvation, it never hurts to review the facts again and appreciate afresh and
anew the hope of glory that lives in us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Still
others may have called on Him to be saved, but have since turned away from the
things of God and returned to their “vomit.”
There is still hope friends.
If that describes you, there is no time like the present to call on the name of
the Lord and be saved. Ask Him to become your Savior and the Lord of Your life.
Confess your sin. Tell Him (God the Father) that you believe in your heart that
Jesus is Lord…
Romans 10:9
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus
and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved.
And look at this…
Romans 10:13
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
For many years I was saved yet I was a spiritual newborn. I never grew
in the knowledge of God or Jesus until after I turned 50 years old! Up to that
point I had learned religion, not a relationship. Asking Jesus to be our Savior
is the first place to start, but along with that we must make Him our Lord. That
means that we are willing to lay down our lives, our will, our plans and
desires, and take up His plans for our lives. He wants to use us to help others
find their way into the kingdom of God. He needs people to cooperate with Him.
But, the Father will never force anyone. He invites, He does not force…
Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and
knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and
dine with him, and he with Me.
Our lesson
today is a call to come to Jesus. That includes backsliders, the lost – anyone and
everyone. Jesus is calling all people to be His Bride. He wants everyone to
come; taste and see that He is good. Will you come?
Questions:
Is your heart bursting with the desire to speak the words of
the Lord to others, like Jeremiah?
Explain your understanding of God the Father, God The Son and
God the Holy Spirit.
What does the word of God do to the hearts of men?
Explain the oil of gladness as you understand it from this
lesson.
What makes our “garments white?”
Explain the robe of righteousness.
What does it mean to be the Bride of Christ?
How do we have “spiritual offspring?”
What has helped you the most in this lesson?
Who can you share this lesson with?
There are three main points to
consider from today’s study…
Our hearts should be overflowing
with the good news of the gospel
Jesus is the anointed Savior sent by
God the father for the redemption of all mankind
We are meant to be the Bride of
Christ
Let’s
pray…
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the wedding day that we can all look forward
to as the Bride of Christ. Thank You for giving us the oil of gladness through
Your Holy Spirit. Father, my heart is bursting with the good news of salvation.
I am ready to tell anyone that You will bring my way. I know that I am only
Your “fishing net” to catch men. Father, as You bring people my way, I ask You
to lead me with a word of knowledge or wisdom, whatever is needed for each
situation. I will be Your witness and tell others of the great things that You have
done for me. I want to be a “fisher of men” like Jesus was on the earth. Give
glory to Yourself in me Lord in Jesus mighty name. Amen!
In
what ways have you been expressing the good news of your salvation to others?
And God Said… You fill in the blanks.
1
Corinthians 9:19
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all,
that I might win the more;
