Christmas 2012

Home Bible Study- Lutz, Florida

Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

2 Timothy 2:15

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1Timothy 2:3-4

Christmas 2012

Welcome back and may I take the time to send the warmest Christmas wishes to you and your families.   May God shower his choicest blessings on you and your loved one this Christmas and in the coming New Year!

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It is customary for our Bible study group to take time off during the Christmas holiday season to spend time with their family and friends. 

I usually end the year with a Bible lesson centered on a Christmas theme.

I chose a Bible verse from the book of Isaiah this year.

Please open your Bible to Isaiah chapter 9.

I want to begin with this comment.

There are only two camps in this “world” Believers and unbelievers.

There is no middle ground or “fence-sitting,” when faith in God is the question.

From Scripture we learn this very important Truth.

Hebrews 11

6: And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must (do what) believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

This is one of the absolutes in Scripture.  It is always true and forever constant!

Isaiah 9

2: The people who walk in darkness

     Will see a great light;

    

Those who live in a dark land,

     The light will shine on them.

O.k. Bible students let’s break this down so we can understand it.

The people = the nation of Israel

who walk in darkness = a general term; meaning –profanity, idolatry, worldly lusts

The light will shine on them = the light is the promised Messiah

Let’s compare Scripture with Scripture. 

Please open your Bible to the book of John, chapter 1.

The book of John was written to a Jewish audience to prove conclusively that Jesus is the Son of God.  A few of John’s brethren believed that Jesus was the promised Redeemer (Messiah) but the majority of the Jews did not. 

John 1

1: In the beginning was the Word, (note the capitalization; this is in reference to deity) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2: He (Jesus Christ) was in the beginning with God.

3: All things (all means all) came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

4: In Him was life, and the life was the (what’s the next word) Light (capitalized) of men.

5: The Light shines in the darkness (same word as we read in Isaiah chapter 2)…,

Now when you enter a dark room and flip the light switch what happens to the darkness?  The light drives it away.  Darkness cannot tolerate the light.

The Light (Jesus Christ) dispels darkness, which stands for evil.

Jesus Christ pierces the darkness of sin and death and conquers them.

John 8

12: Then Jesus again spoke to them (the Pharisees) saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

Let’s return to John chapter 1 and take a closer look at verse 5.

I want to draw your attention to something important.

John 1

5: The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (comprehend means: to lay hold of so as to make it one's own).

This is the first “hint” in this gospel of the struggle between belief and unbelief.

Even after all the miracles, signs, and wonders, which Jesus performed before thousands of witnesses and Jewish religious leaders; the majority of these still would not believe, which prompted Jesus to proclaim:

John 5

37: “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.

38: “You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.”

Point of Truth: people have a problem trusting God. 

To be quite frank they don’t believe God!

There is a big difference between believing in God and believing in what God says.

Think about that.

The simplest definition of faith I know is this.

Faith is simply taking God at His word!   

Mankind is a stubborn lot and then there is the issue of free will also.

Which, in my humble opinion, is one of the reasons God gifted mankind with the printed Word; to help us along with our stubbornness.    

But how do we know for certain the Bible is actually of God?

We can know the Bible is from God, because: 

• It does not have mistakes or contradictions, when it’s Rightly Divided!

• When it has written about future events, (Prophecies) they have always come true, even though some prophecies were written hundreds of years earlier.  There are over 600 prophecies that have come true and no prophecies that have been proven false

• The truth it contains has changed countless lives of many people

• It does not contradict with History, archaeology or true science

•   It has survived through thousands of years, even with great opposition.

  

No other spiritual book or any other book for that matter can claim all these things.

In addition, let’s not overlook the faithfulness of the Creator God!

Numbers 23

19: “God is not a man, that He should (do what) lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said and will He not do it?  Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

And:

1 Corinthians 1

9: God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Approximately 300 Messianic prophesies written hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth which foretold a coming Messiah.  These writings were circulated 430 years before Jesus’ birth.  They mention specific names, dates, and locations. 

Every one of these prophecies was fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ.

Coincidence; I think not.

Supernatural; Most definitely!

And yet the majority of the world continues to walk in darkness and UNBELIEF.

The world and its offerings has become their god.

The Bible warns against this lifestyle.

1 John 2

15: Do not love the world nor the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father (note the capitalization –this is deity) is not in him.

16: For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

17: (Take note :) The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

“The world” would also include man’s speculations, lies, and falsehoods raised up against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). 

Instead of the Creator God, unbelievers devote their lives to human wisdom, human thought, and human ideologies; theory, philosophy, and science.

Mankind’s vain attempts to explain Jesus away or to eliminate Him entirely are not new.  The Apostle Paul addressed this issue when he wrote his letter to the Romans

(Romans 1:18-23).

Man should remember these words of wisdom…

Proverbs 16
18: Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.

*****

O Holy Night

An angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds who were watching their flock on the night of Jesus’ birth.  The angel heralded Jesus’ birth.

Luke 2

10: …”Do not be afraid; for behold I bring you good news (Greek word is Euaggelizo – means “to proclaim.”) of great joy which will be for all people;

11: for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12: “This will be a sign for you (the Jews always demanded a sign before they would believe): you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”

The angel of the Lord “heralded” the birth of Jesus Christ.

That is to say the angel “proclaimed” (Greek word = kerusso) Jesus’ birth and also its spiritual implication.

Note: the angel didn’t stop to discuss or debate Jesus’ birth with man. 

The angel “proclaimed” the message and left (Luke 2:15).

Hang onto that thought as we turn to Acts chapter 17.

Here we find the Apostle Paul waiting for his two companions, Silas and Timothy, in the city of Athens, Greece.  While Paul was waiting, “his spirit was provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols…”  (Acts 17:1)

It has been said there were more idols in the city of Athens then there were people!

They even had had a statue there dedicated to an “unknown god;” just in case…

Acts 17

17: So he (Paul) was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present.

18: And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were saying, “What would this idle babbler wish to say?”  Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer (kerusso) of strange deities,” – because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.

God chose the word “kerusso” (proclaim) to show in the great message (Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection) how He absolutely passes by the intellect of man, and sets aside all his possible reasoning, ability, philosophy, and wisdom – in this amazing way: “by the proclaiming!”

I want you to picture this setting in your mind.

Here comes a small and weak Jew (the Apostle Paul) upon the assembly of the earth’s wise at Mars Hill in Athens: proclaiming (kerusso) Jesus crucified, dead, buried, and resurrected.” 

It is foolishness to these “wise,” “educated,” and stoic philosophers.

Yet “certain men” – including one Mars Hill philosopher, and one prominent woman, and others with them, believe the proclamation, and will spend eternity with God.

(Acts 17:34)

Paul, also a herald, he does not stop to argue – he has a message; the message is left.  Man is set aside!

Therefore, he does not pay attention to Jews who would say to him,

“We have wonderful forms of religion; we have a great temple!” 

No, he proclaims, “a Messiah crucified” and walks on.

And he does not lend an ear to the “naysayers.”

“The educated” who call out to him, “We have a new philosophy to discuss.” 

No; he proclaims “a crucified, dead, buried, and risen Son of God”, and moves on. 

Those who are ordained to eternal life will believe.

Those who are offended or stirred to anger still have options.

Against the backdrop of man’s conceit, we have the wisdom of God.

The Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1

18: For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

19: For it is written,
         “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE,
         AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.”

20: Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

21: For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

22: For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;

23: but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,

24: but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

25: Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

There is no middle ground – you can’t be a fence sitter.

Choose wisely.

The manger was filled

The tomb was empty

Jesus Christ is coming back –

Words of Truth

© Copyright 2011

GJ Heitzman’s Ministry

All Rights Reserved