EXPLORING GOD’S WORD [61]

After  Spiritual awakening we need a revival to sweep our nation’s, beginning with me. Revival to renewed zeal to obey God. Let’s look at a few Bible verses that tell us things we need to be revived.

1/ 2 Chron. 7:14 tell us we need humility and prayer.

“2 Chronicles 7:14King James Version (KJV)

¹⁴ If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” [also read James 5:16]

2/ Psalms 34:18 states we need a broken heart and contrite spirit.

“Psalm 34:18King James Version (KJV)

¹⁸ The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”

3/ Psalms 66:18 tells us we need confession.

“Psalm 66:18King James Version (KJV)

¹⁸ If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:”

4/ We need to repent.   Read 2 Cor. 7:10 – 14.

5/ we need to tun away from sin.    [ 2 Cor.7:14; 2 Timothy 2:19 ]

6/ we need complete surrender.

” Romans 12:1-2King James Version (KJV)

12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” [also read Acts 9:5-6]

[ prepared by Winston Staples ]

 

EXPLORING GOD’S WORD [60]

topic: SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

As we look around this old world we see a great falling away from God. We see moral de cay everywhere; we need to be given a shake and woke up and get back to the Bible teaching. What must we do to get back on track?

a/ Old Testament when they got astray, one returned to the place of worship.

• Gen.35: And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

  ² Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

  ³ And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

  ⁴ And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

  ⁵ And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

  ⁶ So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.

  ⁷ And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

  [ KJV]

B/ They returned to reading  God’s word.

• 2 Kings 22: ⁸ And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.⁹ And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord.

  ¹⁰ And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

  ¹¹ And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes

  ¹² And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king’s, saying,

  ¹³ Go ye, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

  ¹⁴ So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.

  ¹⁵ And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,

  ¹⁶ Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:   [ also read Neh.8:1-18 ]

  C/ They confessed their sin.

• Ezra 10: 1-17 King James Version (KJV)

  10 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.² And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.³ Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.⁴ Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.⁵ Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.⁶ Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.⁷ And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;⁸ And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.⁹ Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.¹⁰ And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.¹¹ Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.¹² Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.¹³ But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing.

  ¹⁴ Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.¹⁵ Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.¹⁶ And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.¹⁷ And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.

D/ Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

John 7: ³⁸ He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. ³⁹ (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) [also read Acts 2:1- 47 ]

 

[ prepared by Winston Staples ]

 

EXPLORING GOD’S WORD {59D}

*Topic: Ascension of Christ [d]     This is the last blog on this brief study on the Ascension of Christ.

• He descended to prepare a place for His people   John 14:² In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
• His second coming will be in the clouds      Acts 1:¹⁰ And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;¹¹ Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
• His ascension typified     Lev.16:¹⁵ Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:   Hebrews 6:²⁰ Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Hebrews 9:⁷ But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:⁸ The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:⁹ Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;¹⁰ Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.¹¹ But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;¹² Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Christ ascended into Heaven to take His seat at the right hand of His Father and one day soon the Father will say Son go bring your bride home, then He will descend in the clouds and catch us up to meet Him in the air. What a Glorious day that will be!

[ prepared by Winston Staples ]