Worship Call 0806 from Darness into the light

Robert, know your shepherd! Isaiah 40:11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm (z’roah in Hebrew), And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young. John 10:10-11 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. In Israel, we often see goats and sheep roaming the countryside. Driving through rural Israel often involves suddenly stopping to allow a herd of sheep or goats to cross the road. But interestingly, I have never seen “sheep kill" on the side of the road in all the years that I’ve lived in Israel. It’s because sheep don’t roam without a shepherd! The Lord is gathering His lambs with His arm, and carrying them to His bosom. This is not a distant relationship but one of loving care and intimacy with His sheep. He said, "I know my sheep and my sheep know me." [John 10:14]. Then He continued, "..and I lay down my life for the sheep." The most vulnerable time for defenseless animals is at night when they need to sleep. The sheepfold is where they are gathered by the shepherd each night; a stone compound, with rocks stacked high enough to keep out predators, but without a door. Yeshua (Jesus) declared Himself to be the “door of the sheep” [John 10:7-9] because, as a Good Shepherd, He lies where a door would typically be so that nothing could go in or out, without passing by the Shepherd! As evil seems to be rearing its ugly head in every facet of life these days, and greater darkness seems to be looming on the horizon, we need to truly realize the powerful and complete protection that our Good Shepherd provides. Nothing can get to us unless it goes through Him! When the Lord laid down His life for us He also gave us a fortress of protection and safety which is impossible to break. Robert, knowing of the dark days we would be facing Yeshua afforded us a profound sense of safety in Himself so that we absolutely need not walk in fear. Promising never to leave nor forsake us till the end of the age He gave us the security of intimacy with Himself, in and through every trial or danger. We need never doubt...that we can trust Him. Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Going to Christian College in Dallas, Texas) Baltimore, Maryland

And this is another fine day in the Lord

prayers for Michael Hieser

John 5:24 (ESV) — 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

The Default is death. We were all born dead. Remember we said that death means separation. When Adam sinned against God He brought death to all men.

1 Corinthians 15:22 (ESV) — 22 For as in Adam all die,

Romans 5:15–18 (ESV) — 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

It is not that we were born perfect sinned and became separated from God. We were born into a world that is universally condemned.

Always the question is what about the Babies who don’t get a chance? First of All I can’t see how a fair and loving God would cast babies into the pit so we will just leave that in God’s hands the question is what about the ones who hear the gospel and recognize the truth of their fallen condition. They want to bring up the arguments about the babies and the little pigmies in Africa, rather than dealing with the issue of their own lost soul and letting God handle the others.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word,

ἀκούω akouō 428× some list the future active as a middle deponent, ἀκούσομαι, to hear; to hearken, listen to, Mk. 4:3; Lk. 19:48; to heed, obey, Mt. 18:15; Acts 4:19; to understand, 1 Cor. 14:2; to take in or admit to mental acceptance, Mk. 4:33; Jn. 8:43, 47 [191] See hear.

Ephesians 2:8 (ESV) — 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Romans 10:17 (ESV) — 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

In hearing there is the evident work of God the holy spirit working on the heart of the lost soul to make clear that which comes from heaven.

I see this as a miraculous work within itself. That is the fact that to be saved actually, we are asked to believe that some man some two thousand years ago went to the cross and died and came back to life and through the act of trusting that action I am saved and going to heaven….

Well what rational mind would believe that?

And yet multitudes have throughout the generations since. There is a divine calling and the work of the Holy Spirit to make clear the Gospel message that opens the eyes of the heart that one may be brought to the gate of Salvation and may respond by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.

To who is the Gospel foolish to?

Those that are perishing.

1 Corinthians 1:18–31 (ESV) — 18 For the word of the cross is folly 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 discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 20 Where is the one who is wise? 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 did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV) — 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

The Hearing is the work of the Holy Spirit that makes the message clear to those who are being saved.

Now not this

The one who is believing the message is going to receive eternal life but one who is already possessing eternal life. Our life to the age starts at the moment we are believing in the Son that is the “Him,” our eternity starts now. And when we die we step into the next phase of our lives as we become separated from the body and take on a different existence in a new body.

Eternal life – life unto the age.

In the current body we are connected with the world around us. But in regeneration our spirit is made alive and our right connection with God is made complete. We have been made whole.

Born again, Jesus calls it as he spoke to Nicodemus born from above.

While in the body we can enjoy the life to come now in spirit which is harmony with God in Shalom or peace. We hold a future sense of destiny knowing that we are but sojourners on this planet and it is soon for all of us that we will discard these bodies to receive our new bodies to dwell with Christ in eternity.

We have eternal life now. We do not have to wait for it.

and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

Darkness is a default state. You don’t have to do anything to remain in the dark. We were all born into the darkness. Adam and Eve moved out in the darkness and those who are born to them were born into the darkness. If we want to come into the light we must ourselves receive the light which is offered which moves us out from the darkness and into he light. We already have the darkness it is the light we must receive.

John 5:25–32 (ESV) — 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. 30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. 31 If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.

John 5:25–32 (ESV) — 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

Again recognize the repetition that draws our attention to the importance of Hearing.

The Miracle is the fact that the dead will hear God’s voice. How does that happen? How can the dead hear and respond?

John 6:60 (ESV) — 60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”

John 8:43 (ESV) — 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.

John 8:47 (ESV) — 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

And whose voice will the dead hear?

The Son of God.

Acts 4:12 (ESV) — 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The very one who spoke and light shone out of darkness and created the worlds by the power of his word speaks and the trusting heart hears and moves from darkness and into the light.

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