WAYNE’S DEVO: Salvation Studies , etc.
WELCOME TO WAYNE’S BIBLICAL DEVOTIONAL STUDIES. Check out his study and let us know what you think on our Guestbook.
FINDING FAVOUR IN GOD’S SIGHT
While wickedness was rampant in the old world, God was determined to get rid of it. After God had declared his intentions to destroy man, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”(Gen. 6:8) It is said of Noah, “These re the generation of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”…….
The steps which we take into Christ are most important. Upon learning of our inadequateness, we should desire to go where there is consolation. As we are surrounded by sinfulness, the logical step is INTO CHRIST. In taking this step, we lay aside so many of the fears, doubts, and insufficiencies.
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP W/ GOD
There is a personal closeness observed between God and many Old Testament characters. This relationship is best illustrated in these scriptures, “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God too him.” (Gen. 5:24)…..As we look closer at the phrase, “walked with God”, there is a clear sounding echo for man to ‘walk with God’. Enoch did those things which pleased God. This is a must for man today. ….It can be pointed out that walking is good exercise, a sure means of travel and is excellent for mental relaxation. ….This walk is one of purpose and reward…..Beloved, take the first step! Deny self! Now, take the next step: Hear God’s word (Heb. 11:6). Believe that God is and Christ is the Son of the living God (Jn. 8:24). Repent of your sins (Luke 13:3). Confess your faith in Christ (Acts 8:37). Be baptized for the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38). Rise to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3,4). Live Faithful to God and his word daily (Rev. 2:10). Add the Christian virtues to your daily life as a new creature in Christ (2 Peter 1: 5-9). Finding Favour In God’s Sight
While wickedness was rampant in the old world, God was determined to get rid of it. After God had declared his intentions to destroy man, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8) It is said of Noah, “These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God’.
There is a place for righteousness today. Just as the old world was ready to crumble under the wrathful hand of God, rightousness was not overlook. Sin is a corroding disease of the soul. It is a wound in society. Even as God saw it during Noah’s time, he will see it today. It is further said of Noah that he walked with God. Enoch, Methuselah, Lamach and Noah have something in common, beside being relatives. It is noted of Enoch’s life that he pleased God. ….When we take this step into Christ we become New Creatures. We take this step into Christ by being baptized into him. We prepare for this step by hearing his word (Rom. 10:17). We are then wiling to rid ourselves of the burden of sin. We can’t take this step into Christ without changing our course and conduct of life. We Repent-turn away fro sin toward God (Acts 1:38; Luke 13:3; Luke 24:47). Thus, we are ready to make that climaxing step into Christ. Note: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Chrst ws raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father , even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3,4). Paul also stated, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (*Gal. 3:27).
Personal Relationship With God
There is a personal closeness observed between God and many Old Testament characters. This relationship is best illustrated in these scriptures: ‘And Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God too him’ (Gen. 5;14). Enoch’s closeness is outlined in this passage. Enoch was the first of only two exceptions ever made by God for man not to die. Enoch was close enough to God that God did not allow him to die. This is an accepted fact among men. Sooner or later we are all going to die (Heb. 9:27)’And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment’……The walk with God is not an endless and fruitless walk. This walk is one of purpose and reward. Enoch had purpose in his association with God. He received his reward for this association. In our walk through life there will be two major steps which will mean the difference in going to heaven or hell. The first step must be (1) out of self, and the second step (2) Into Christ.
…..Note the previous articles about ‘how’ to come Into Christ, please. Be in touch on our Guestbook at his website. Explanations to questions will be written on the explanation page without your name or location attached.
The Bible is Sufficient For Man’s Needs
How often have we heard, “I’d go to a Specialist”!
These words have almost become common language regardless of the situation….God’s Word fulfills the need of :
Teaching (Jer. 10:23, 24) “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his own steps. O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.” 2) Reproof (Titus 1:13) “This witness is true, wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.” 3) Correction (2 Tim. 3:16) “All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for …correction and instruction ..that the man of God might be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work.” 4) Instruction in Righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16).
Our Closing Thought: Speaking of the BIBLE: ‘If you know the author, you will love his book!”
God’s Word Will Not Be Closed at Death
“Here today and gone tomorow” was not spoken of the Bible. When we have gone the last mile of the way, there is one summit before us. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgment” (Heb. 9:27). It has been said, “There are but two things for certain: Death and Taxes. We will agree to teh certainty of both death and taxes, but there is a certainty of Judgment as well.
Paul reasoned with Felix: “And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee” (Ac 24:25). So judgment is not just a figment of our imagination. I like to think of life as a contest. We have the perfect example before us–Jesus Christ (I Peter 2:21,22). “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ey should follow his steps. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” We will never be able to duplicate the example of Christ. We do have his life before us as a motivation and a pattern for us to go on “unto perfection” (Heb. 6:1,2).
God’s Word
Foundation of Hope
You have no doubt heard these words said in low sad tones, “There is no hope for him.” These words…are no comfort to you…..when those words, “There is hope”, our heart skips a beat.
…Without the Bible we have no foundation for hope. “For we are saved by hope; but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth, why yet doth he hope for it.” (Rom. 8:24,25).
Hope is an anchor of the soul. …Note the Hebrew writer, “That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolationi, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us; which hope we have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: (Heb. 6:18,19).
….Even our rejoicing should be hope: “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation continuing instant in prayer,”
(Rom. 12:12).
GOD’S WORD
ETERNAL SOURCE OF LIGHT
The word of God can be described briefly as being eternal….The word of Jesus should make us ever more aware of its eternal nature. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Mt. 24:35)…..We must get back to teh Bible to save this world from a ghastly destruction. Peter states, “But the word of the Lord endureth forever, And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” ( 1 Peter 1:25)…..David knew the value of God’s word. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night (Psa. 1:1,2)….The Bible is God’s lamp to the sinner. Note “And this is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)….In addition to being the source of spiritual light, it is the basis of faith, “So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17)….Our Though For Today: “The great question is not what you make of the Bible, but what the Bible makes of you?”
THANKS TO WAYNE; NOW A FEW MOMENTS
ABOUT THE CHANGES IN PEOPLE
….Aren’t we grateful for these candid, honest and plain thoughts presented by our friend, Wayne? But, oh
my, how thoughts have changed within the minds of people.
There was a time when the Bible would be ‘opened’ and verses would be read aloud over and over for the main ideas to be well planted in the heart. Is that time still with us? Is this spirit of ‘study to show thyself approved unto God'(2 Timothy 3:16,17) with you? These studies are tought-provoking due to the fact these studies are often few and far between in presentations. Let us once again initiate a change—let’s go back to the spirit of ‘study’as we read these devotional thoughts. God bless your study and we welcome you to the fellowship of God’s Will and Word.
PHYSICAL LIFE COMPARED TO SPIRITUAL
….First let us look at the physical.
Man lives by Food. Just suppose we were able to eat all we wanted of any variety of food. Would this assure us of good health and life? By food alone: No! It takes more; yet we live by food. It is not by food only.
We live by Air….We must have water to drink….Man can not life without reasonable exercise….Just as we live physically by the goodness of God, so do we live spiritually. In sin man is dead to the Lord…..We have means by which we live physically. Now, let us concern ourselves with how we can live Spiritually.
1. We are saved by hearing God’s Word….Romans 10:17
2. Faith is essential…Hebrews 11:6
3. We are saved by repentance….Luke 13:3
4. We are saved by confession….Romans 10:10
5. We are saved by baptism…..1 Peter 3:21
…..Just as we had to take all essentials for physical life in combination to give us physical life, so it is with spiritual life: all the things we have mentioned as having a part in our soul’s salvation are essential.
….Our Thought For Today: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).
SALVATION…A DIVINE SYSTEM
God’s Divine system of salvation involves several persons. 1. God Saves. “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.” (1 Tim. 2:3). 2. Christ the Son Saves. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: For he shall save his people from their sins.” (Mt. 1:21). 3. The Holy Spirit Saves. The gospel is God’s power to save. (Rom. 1:16). It was the Holy Spirit who gave it to the apostles to preach. “Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ was in them did signify, when it testified before hand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow unto whom it ws revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.” (1 Peter 1:11,12) Thus, the spirit saves through the gospel which he enabled the apostles to preach. 4. The Apostles Have A Part in Salvation. Note the charge given to Paul from Acts 26:16-18. 5. MAn Is To Save Himself. Note Peter’s words on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:40). 6. We Also Save Others. Listen to Paul’s instruction to Timothy (1 Tim. 4:16).
We are saved by Grace. (Eph. 2:8-9)
We are saved by Blood. (Heb. 9:22)
We are saved by the Gospel. (1 Cor. 15:1-4)
We are saved by preaching. (1 Cor. 1:21)
We are saved by Faith. (Mark 16:15-16)
We are saved by Repentance. (Luke 13:3)
We are saved by Confession. (Rom. 10:10)
We are saved by Baptism. (1 Peter 3:21)
We are saved by Works. (James 2:24)
This is God’s Divine System of Salvation.
Our Thought for Today: “God writes with a pen that never blots, speaks with a tongue that never slips, and acts with a hand that never fails.
GOD’S WAY OF SALVATION
GOD has never looked on salvation as have men. …We
can learn assuredly tht God kew what he was doing when he drove man and woman from the garden. Sin is repulsive to God . It as the darkness of sin which led Jehovah to redeem man. Sin is a zigzag course away from God. Sin is a progressive thing. One sin leads to another unless it is stopped. David, for example. ….It is for this reason that ma is sometimes deceived. God’s opportune plan was to be executed in the realm of God’s rightness. Note Paul’s statement to the Galatian brethren: “But, when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Gal. 4:4,5) It matters not if this method suited man and his expectation: It was God’s method.
THE SAVIOUR’S DESCRIPTION
MAN was created! ….Prophets foretold of the coming Messiah. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign, Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). In the Genesis account of man’s fall, God then sets forth a promise to redeem man. (Please note) “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise his head.” (Genesis 3:15). The pronounced punishment just meted to the serpent in verse 14 was further verified by the account we have just noted. Most reliable scholars see in verse 15 the fist sign of God’s willingness to redeem man.
….Our Lord tried to get the people of his day to reason with the scriptures. He said, “and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39). There was no reason for any to be ignorant of Christ during his life on earth. It is almost ironic that the people who should have known him best, were the ones who knew him least. They even demanded his crucifixion. …The more we read and study the Bible the more vivid the fact that Christ was the central figure in prophecies and their fulfillment.
WHY SHOULD WE STUDY THE BIBLE ?
….To approach such a question implies that there are those who see no value in studying the Bible. Well, there is! Some are satisfied with a second hand gospel. Others are so involved in the material ventures that they have no time for looking into the spiritual mirror. Those who are in sin and have no desire to do better will see no sense in studying. Those who are prejudiced and unconcerned will not see the value of Bible study…..Peter wrote, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” (2 Peter 3:15). This is an appeal to Christians never to falter when attacked by false teachers. Be ready! Let the Lord be such an integral part of your life that you will not refrain from teaching and doing his will. …..(If this were the only reason to study the Bible, it would be a sufficien reason-rdrawson)
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HOW DOES THE BIBLE TEACH?
….Let us notice three principles to guide us in our study of the inspired Word of God. First, and most directly God teaches by DIRECT COMMANDS. For example, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38)…We can not be saved without obeying His Word (Hebrews 5:8-9).
Secondly, is the principle to be considered AN APPROVED APOSTOLIC EXAMPLE ? In Acts 20:7 “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.” This was an apostolic practice as given by the apostles in eating the Lord’s Supper. We learn who was heeding this practice, whe they were observing it, and the apostle setting the precedent.
Thirdly, the Lord instructs us by NECESSARY INFERENCE. This is not just an inference….it is a necessary one to be drawn from the Reasoning of the Lord’s Word….”Moreover, when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites…” (Matt. 6:16). Nowhere in the entire New Testament does the Lord command Christians to fast as an act of worship, but here he does give instructions how to fast…..”And as they went on their way, they came to a certain water: and the Eunuch said, “see here is water what doth hinder me to be baptized?” (Acts 8) Obviously ‘preaching Christ’ includes baptism. This is a necessary inference because the subject of baptism was not dealt with on an individual–singled out basis in Phillip’s discourse.
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STUDY BY SUBJECT
…The object of this study can be seen from the four accounts of the Gospel. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote
about Christ’s life, works, and death. Just because Matthew did not say to preach the gospel to every creature, we need
not conclude that Matthew contradicts Mark. Matthew in recording Jesus’s words stated: “Go ye therefore, and teach
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
Amen.”….Friends, if we study the Bible systematically, thoughtfully and prayerfully we will never make one writer
conflict with another. God does not have to say a thing many times to make it necessary. If God had stated just one
time that we are to believe that would have made it binding. Although he chose to state it many times. This is
true with all that God has said in the Bible. Repentance is used many times, but one time would have made it binding
and essential. Confession of Christ is mentioned more than once. Baptism is mentioned many times in reference to
salvation. Since God has not chosen to leave us in doubt let us Believe and accept his wil on the suject of
salvation. Several things are involved in our salvation. We must not accept only one or a few and ignor the rest.”
WHAT TYPE OF LANGUAGE IS USED
Some of the most unusual and provocative literature ever written has been symbolical in nature. There are times when
symbols can convey an idea better than words(literal meaning, rdr). Now, when we think of figurative language,
our attention is often focused upoln the Master teacher. He spoke in parables. A parable has been described as a
heavenly message in an earthen atmosphere. Jesus was able to get over abundant truths by using parables, figurative
or symbolic language. For example, Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” None of us think of Jesus as being a
literal vine. But how emphatic the lesson is made by Christ having used this symbol to put across this eternal truth.
((WAYNE’S DEVOTIONAL PAGE is filled with his personal, biblical studies. Years of research within the Bible and his own mind mixed with choices of words have come together for these written devotionals. We appreciate his service.
Please check the Scriptural references and conclusions
drawn. Let us know of your studies on our Guestbook,please. THANK YOU. ))
Last Devotional (April 24, 2002)………
THE PRACTICALNESS OF BIBLE STUDY
‘We need to be reminded of the power of the word of God! Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my
words shall not” (Mt. 24:35). The Hebrew writer stated,
“For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper
than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart” (Heb. 4:12)……..The thought of rightly dividing
the Word must be kept before us. There are some things in the Bible that could not possibly have been spoken to us.
This leads us to introduce another rule. Observe when it was spoken. The Bible is naturally divided into three
distinct periods of man’s history. We wish to point out there were three periods: (Patriarchal, Jewish, Christian).
Today, when we are studying the Bible, one standard must be used. Did this happen before the death of Christ or after?
This is a crucial point of understanding the direct application for today. We dare not go back before the death
of Christ to find the fullness of God’s scheme of redemption. It is just as important to ascertain the period
a truth was spoken as to know who spoke and to whom spoken.”
((WAYNE’S DEVOTIONAL PAGE is filled with his personal, biblical studies. Years of research within the Bible and his own mind mixed with choices of words have come together for these written devotionals. We appreciate his service.
Please check the Scriptural references and conclusions
drawn. Let us know of your studies on our Guestbook,please. THANK YOU. ))