Category Archives: What to Do With Doubt

It Is OK to doubt. It is not OK to search for answers.

Death and Resurrection, What to Do With Doubt

WHAT TO DO WITH DOUBT-(RESURRECTION)

April 9, 2022 Eddie Leave a comment

And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

John 20: 26, 27

The resurrection is not preached and taught enough. It is mostly mentioned at Easter services once a year. So sad! Jesus overcoming death and rising from death was the hope of the Apostles’ letters, preaching, and teaching, especially Paul’s. We should contemplate what that means to us as followers of Christ. There is more here than you might not have considered. Paul said,

“…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attainto the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3: 10, 11

Jesus’ resurrection is not only proof of His divinity, but it also gives us hope of the same when He returns as it did all the disciples. But, If Jesus was not resurrected, our faith is in vain. I didn’t say this; Paul did!

Have you ever thought about the claims of Jesus when he said,

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

John 11:25

For every person, there is death, but we shall all live when our resurrections occur. How important is the resurrection of Jesus? Was it a real event or did Jesus’ disciples just dream it up? What will our bodies be like when we are resurrected? What happens before then?

Doubt is demolished when a person comes to truly believe that Jesus was resurrected and He has the same plan for us when He returns.

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This account is from Thomas, who separated himself from the other disciples after the crucifixion and did not see them again for about eight days after Jesus appeared to them (John 20:24-26).

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Greetings. I am Thomas, one of his original 12 disciples. Jesus commissioned me to do mighty works for the kingdom of God, but I am confused and skeptical, just as you may be. Let me tell you what I know and the timelines. I have not seen the other disciples since the last supper, which was the day before the Preparation Day. You will call it Thursday. Most of us were scattered when He went to trial and was crucified. I think I saw Peter on the other side of the hill weeping on that day.

First of all, I know that Jesus is dead! I saw him beaten, scourged, and eventually nailed to that cruel Roman Cross. He died on the afternoon of the Preparation Day. This is the day you Gentiles call Friday. It is the day us Jews and the converts prepare for the Sabbath, a day of rest and worship. I have always enjoyed the Sabbath, especially with Jesus, but this Sabbath was different. We all retreated to a secret spot to literally rest from the events of the previous 24 hours, but our souls were not at rest. The women had seen the body of Jesus and were resting according to the Sabbath commandment. Their plan was to go to the tomb of Jesus at the rising of the sun on the First Day of the week to prepare his body. (John 20:19 and Luke 23:56)

The Scribes and Pharisees wanted Jesus dead because they said He claimed to be God and that he could tear down the temple and build it again in three days. Often Jesus would say things like this that made little sense to me. But, later, he would explain it to His followers, and we could see its true meaning.

Since the religious leaders didn’t want Jesus and the two thieves hanging on the cross during the Sabbath, they broke the legs of the thieves to hurry the death process. You see, a man hanging on the cross with broken legs is unable to push up against the nails in his feet to get a breath with their legs broken. The diaphragm will collapse in such a way that they smother to death. Such a disgusting and uncomfortable slow death, but since the Sabbath was only a few hours from the beginning, they were fortunate and did not have to suffer for days as have many others. The Romans are so cruel! But, I don’t put all the blame on them. Our own religious leaders pushed and pushed until they finally got what they wanted…the scourging and death of Jesus.

But, when the soldiers came to Jesus, they supposed he was already dead and did not break his legs but rather took a sword and pierced his side just to make sure (John 19: 31-37). Blood and water came forth. I saw it even though I watched from a distance to protect myself from the same fate. It was horrible! It took the air out of me (so to speak) and made me wonder why I followed Jesus in the first place. So, I know Jesus to be dead! Even the women knew He was dead and went to His tomb that Friday afternoon to look at his body and to prepare spices to anoint him early on Sunday morning.

Mary Magdalene, who Jesus had cast out seven demons, said that she had seen Jesus at the tomb with two angels. But I don’t know about her. She did have demons, didn’t she? Jesus cast out several demons out of her, but maybe one was leftover, making her mad. The whole city must be mad because it is reported that many people who were dead were resurrected and appeared to many! (Matthew 27:53) I have not seen any, but I must admit I have not been going out much lately. I feel lost and with no purpose or direction. I just want to rest.

Then I heard that about eight days ago, on the day you Gentiles call Sunday, Cleopas and his friend were on their way to Emmaus and had an encounter with a spirit or something. It was reported to me by the other disciples that a stranger spent a good three hours giving a comparative study of the writings of the Tanakh or the Old Testament as you call it.

As they walked down the dusty road towards Emmaus, the stranger told them about how Jesus could be found all through scripture. As they began to understand from the Tanakh about Jesus, they could see why He had to die on the cross. They said it made their “hearts burn within them.” I remember Jesus saying something about dying and being resurrected, but it was so far from my thinking that I put it out of my mind.

Cleopas reported that they begged him to stay when they reached their destination and tell them more of what he knew. But, the stranger turned out to be Jesus himself! They apparently recognized him as He broke bread, and then He disappeared. Can you imagine that? He just disappeared!

They then raced back to Jerusalem with the news of what had just happened. But the disciples were skeptical as I am. Now the other disciples are claiming Jesus showed up at their meeting and that he also gave them a comparative study from the Tanakh about himself. He then asked for something to eat, and he ate some fish. Does a spirit eat food? Quite unusual.

So that is what I know so far. It is all only rumor and wishful thinking as far as I am concerned. Tragic events like this can lead you to think weird things. So I think I will walk over and see how my friends are doing. The last time I saw them, they were fearful and unbelieving as I am, but something has come over them the last week. They swear they have seen Jesus.

As I walk in, I notice the doors are not shut, and there is a certain confidence and happiness in the countenance of each one. Peter rushes over to me and says,

“We have seen the Lord!”

My response is quick and to the point,

“Unless I see, in His hands, the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

John 20:25

I am serious too. His death has been difficult to both understand and accept. My mind begins to fall back to those final moments before he died. He said,

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Luke 23:34

What did He mean by this? Is there more to this than forgiveness?

As I am thinking about this, I look up, and right there in front of me is Jesus! But….Jesus…you….are… Do I see a spirit? I don’t believe in ghosts! Then I hear His voice and His words:

Thomas…. “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” John 20:27

I take my trembling finger and place it on the place where the nails were…both hands! It is strange to feel a scar where I saw nails piercing his skin only a week or so ago. I reach out and put my hand inside His robe and feel the warmth of His skin and the scar where the sword had been. I then look up at His eyes. I see the kindness and royalty of a wise and gentle king and savior. He IS alive! I fall at his feet and say in remorse and acknowledgment.

“My Lord and my God!”

John 20:28

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“…we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body.”

Philippians 3: 20, 21

How Important is the Resurrection in your life?

How important is it in your experience and understanding of the Second Coming? Why is this so important? Can’t we just believe that he existed and that be enough?

Jesus told Thomas these important words:

“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20: 29

We will never have the experience that Thomas had when he touched the risen and glorified body of Jesus, but we can still find evidence that will result in faith to believe that Jesus is alive and is preparing a place for those who believe and love Him. You see, faith is based on substance and evidence.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Hebrews 11:1

If Christ was not raised, then the disciples are liars. We have no hope. We are not saved from anything. Those who have “fallen asleep” in Christ have perished. And when we sleep in Christ, there is no resurrection for us. If we only have a Christ that died and did not come back to life, He is just like every other person who claims to be God. Follow the logic of Paul’s argument in the following portion of scripture:

“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if, in fact, the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”

1 Corinthians 15: 12-19

Here is the logic:

1.) If Resurrection is not possible, nor important, then Jesus has not been raised.

2.) If Jesus has not been raised, then preaching and teaching is in vain.

3.) If Preaching and teaching are in vain then faith is empty (It has no substance-nor basis).

4.) If faith is empty, then the disciples are false witnesses because they said they saw him alive.

4.) If the Disciples are false witnesses, then Christ has not risen.

5.) If Christ has not risen, then our faith in Christ is futile. All those who have died have perished.

6.) Since there is no hope of a resurrection, we are of men, most pitiable.

Paul told us that he did not want us to be ignorant about the resurrection and those who have fallen asleep (died). If we are ignorant about it, we will sorrow like everyone else that does not have hope. But, the fact that Jesus died and was resurrected gives us the hope of one day coming back to life through the resurrection.

Our hope is that Jesus is all that He claimed to be. He claims to have the keys to the grave and death (Revelation 1:8). He claims to be the resurrection and the life and

“even though we die, we will live again.”

John 11:25

“ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep (died), lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring (resurrect) with Him those who sleep in Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14

Paul goes so far as to provide us with the clearest passage in the Bible about the day when all who have died in Christ will be resurrected. It will happen this way: The Lord will descend from heaven. It will be loud because there is a shout and a loud trumpet. Also, the sky will be lit up with the angels and the glory of Jesus and the Father.

Those in the grave will hear his voice and will meet with those who are alive at the 2nd coming and meet them in the air. This is the start of eternity with Jesus. This picture described by Paul is the comfort for us who are to be resurrected. One day we will all be reunited with those alive at His coming. Not at any other time, but at His second coming:

“For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

I Thessalonians 4:15-18

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works. (Note: our reward is when he comes)

Matthew 16:27

Then the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.

Matthew 25:31

So how important is the resurrection? It is critical to our salvation:

“… 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.”

Romans 10:9

Why is the resurrection not discussed more? It is the bedrock of the faith we follow regarding Jesus.

Many of the writers of the Bible believed in and put their hope in the resurrection. Here is but a few:

Job:

“For I know that my Redeemer lives,

And He shall stand at last on the earth;

And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,

That in my flesh I shall see God,

Whom I shall see for myself,

And my eyes shall behold, and not another.

How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27

Isaiah:

Your dead shall live;

Together with my dead body, they shall arise.

Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust;

For your dew is like the dew of herbs,

And the earth shall cast out the dead. Isaiah 26:19

Daniel:

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2

David:

“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” Psalm 17:15

Abraham:

Of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead Hebrews 11:18

There is no precedence for the resurrection except for Jesus. No other person has raised themselves from the dead. Jesus said this about the resurrection:

Jesus said,

“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”

John 11:25

And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:40

Until the Lord returns, the dead sleep and wait for the last day when Jesus will raise them up. What a day that will be!

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there (heaven), the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

Philippians 3: 20-21

Look again at the resurrection of Jesus and His body. Here you will see what our bodies shall look like. As the verse above, and many others, tell us: We “wait” for that glorious day when He returns and changes us. It is not until that day that we can say,

“Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?”

1 Corinthians 15:55

We cannot say this at a funeral. The context tells us, these words cannot be said until our risen Savior returns and changes our bodies like to his risen body:

“Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

1 Corinthians 15: 51-55

In conclusion, let us not be a doubting Thomas but believe. We are promised a blessing if we believe that Jesus was raised from the dead and that He can do the same for us! He has promised to do that very thing when he returns. Oh, what a day that will be! The great “getting up morning”!

“In that great gettin’ up mornin’ fare the well, fare the well.”

Faith, Reasons to Believe, What to Do With Doubt

WHAT TO DO WITH DOUBT PART 2

January 28, 2020 Eddie Leave a comment

“If you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about me.”

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel… By which also ye are saved… unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, ow that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures”

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

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Have you been able to see Jesus in the books of Moses (Generally accepted as Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)? Have you seen Him in the other books of the Old Testament?

If you haven’t seen Jesus in the Old Testament you have missed 59% of the story about Jesus.

Come with me as we take a walk with two disciples who, after a three to four hour Bible study with Jesus had their lives changed. They went from massive disappointment to solid believers in Jesus. It can do the same for you.

This is written in first-person for a “reality” version of the story. At the end is some additional material which should appeal to your logic.

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It was early in the morning and the sky was getting brighter as I walked the dusty road speaking in low tones with my friend Cleopas about the things which had transpired over the last few days. So many things! All very bad!

It started with the arrest of Jesus in the Garden east of the city. During the night and into the early morning of the Preparation Day (Friday) the soldiers and mob began to move Him between the governor and religious leadership. Then they beat Him to a pulp and eventually crucified our Friend and Leader on a Roman cross on the hill outside of Jerusalem later in the afternoon of the Preparation Day.

I watched from a distance as He hung His head and took his last breath. He said something at the end, but I was unable to hear because I was trying to stay far enough away so that no one would try to connect me with Him . I would certainly be labeled as a fanatic believer in this prophet who the clergy had called a blasphemer. This led to his death. I think I saw Peter off in the distance. He appeared to be on his knees with his face in his hands. His disappointment must be very great!

There had been an earthquake and the sun refused to shine. Darkness took over the land like a thick smothering blanket. Everything seemed out of place…frightening. The large curtain in the temple had been ripped from top to bottom by some unseen hand. There were even reports of people, considered saints, coming out of their graves and appearing to many in the city! (Matthew 27: 51-53)

My personal disappointment is great because I believed everything He had taught. I was amazed at His great miracles and works of kindness. His followers thought Him to be the Messiah prophesied by many of the prophets hundreds of years ago. He was going to set up His kingdom and deliver my people from the iron rule of Rome. We thought He was the coming king upon which hung on all our hopes.

But, it seemed like He did not want the office of king. I had left everything to follow Him and learn His teachings. My commitment all came to nothing on Friday afternoon when He died. Now only doubt, but also sadness and disappointment hung on Cleopas and me like a heavy smelly cloak belonging to someone else. I want an explanation, but the reality of deception was creeping into my thoughts and it made me feel sick and foolish.

On top of everything else, the body of Jesus is missing! The women followers said He was alive, confirmed by a couple of other disciples, but I know better. It is just wishful thinking on their part. No one could have survived the beating, the nails, the loss of blood, and finally the sharp sword in the side. I saw it and refuse to believe anything but what my eyes can confirm. There was no mistaking… the vision of so much blood and the pale appearance of death was real.

It is the first day of the week. Fresh days lie before us as we make our way to Emmaus to start over; a walk of about 8 miles. It will take me the usual 3 1/2 hours or so to walk…maybe longer today because of our conversation and a heavy heart. This will give us plenty of time to try and put all the pieces together….to try to understand and make sense of everything and to decide what to do with the rest of our lives.

All of a sudden, an unexpected stranger walks up from behind and joins us. He asks,

“Why are you so sad and what are you discussing?”

I find these two questions odd in the light of the excitement and well-known events of the weekend. Slightly agitated and amazed Cleopas speaks before I can open my mouth and he answers the question with a question. He throws in some sarcasm for good measure.

“Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem that does not know the things which happened there these last few days?”

I am even more amazed when the stranger asks,

“What things?”

In disbelief, we began to explain to the young manr the events of the weekend. Reviewing everything does not help my disappointment and we rush through them as a courtesy to the stranger.

“These things concern Jesus of Nazareth who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. Then they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but Him they did not see.” Luke 24: 19-24

Then the stranger calls Cleopas and me “foolish ones” and that we are “slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken” This is certainly not so! I have always believed the prophets. I have come from a family who believes in the Tanakh (Old Testament) and I have read it often. The prophets said, that the Messiah would come and deliver Israel from its enemies. But the stranger began to recite the writings of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy) and all the Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Micah, Malachi, etc) of the Tanakh and explain things I had missed in my readings.

The stranger clearly points out passages that were references to Jesus. For the next 3 hours, I am amazed at the knowledge and clarity of the stranger’s words. As I listened to the stranger recite our ancient books, I begin to see that it was necessary for Jesus to die for the sins of the world, but that He would be raised up the third day! How had I missed that? Why had we not believed Jesus when He said it was necessary for Him to die and that he would rise again? It was like I had been reading the scripture the way I wanted it to read instead of letting it talk to me! Indeed, we felt foolish but encouraged by the words of the stranger. My heart burned within me! I wanted to hear more! This was all exciting and new to me!

As we get near the village where we plan to rest, it is almost dark. I don’t want the stranger to go and I look for excuses for Him to stay the night so we can hear more. Thankfully, He agrees to have supper with us. As He breaks the bread, I recognize those hands and the manner in which He breaks it! I finally look across the table into his eyes at about the same time as Cleopas. It is Jesus! As soon as we recognize him, He disappears! We had been talking to Jesus the whole time and we didn’t recognize Him!

With intense excitement and joy, Cleopas and I jump up and run the 8 miles back to Jerusalem! We must tell the 11 who were behind closed doors who share our confusion and disappointment. When we arrive, we find them huddled in a group in fear and disappointment. Out of breath, we begin to tell them what had happened over the last several hours. As we are telling them, Jesus appears in the room!

Everyone jumps back. They think they are seeing a spirit, but Jesus tells them it is Him and that He is not a spirit. To prove it, He invites them to touch Him and He asks for something to eat. They give Him some fish and some honeycomb. After everyone settles down and the scales of their eyes begin to fall away, Jesus repeats the same type of study Cleopas and I heard on the road to Emmaus. This time, He uses the entire Tanakh including the Psalms to explain how He is found all through scripture. All the disciples begin to understand that He had to die, but that He would rise on the third day. How could we have missed this? It was right there!

Then He said to us,

“These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you. that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me. (And He opened our understanding that we might comprehend the Scriptures.”) Luke 24:44

Do we need Jesus to open our understanding of Scriptures? Have we missed Jesus as we have read the Old Testament? What did Jesus teach these two disciples when He explained passages from all the books of the Old Testament? Is the Old Testament not relevant to New Testament Christians? Have we misunderstood Jesus? What does the entire Bible teach about Him?

Next, we will take a look at Jesus through the eyes of one who is a well-known doubter Thomas and attempt to understand why the resurrection of Jesus is an absolute cornerstone of the Christian faith. In fact, without it, Paul says we are most pitiful of all men. But, after we see through the eyes of Thomas we will exclaim as he did:

“My Lord and My God.” John 20:28

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ADDITIONAL MATERIAL

What is the possibility of one man fulfilling only eight of the Old Testament prophecies?

It is 1 x 10²⁸ or 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. Given this and the time span between the writings of the Old Testament and the fulfillment by Christ in the New Testament, the prophecies were either given to the prophets by God, or the prophets just wrote them down as they thought they should be. With Christ fulfilling all eight prophecies, what are the odds the prophets were just guessing?

“Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me”

Psalm 40:7.

“The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”

Revelation 19:10.

“…all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me”

Jesus Christ, Luke 24:44.

“For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.”

Jesus Christ, John 5:46.

“To Him give all the prophets witness”

Acts 10:43.

353 Prophecies Fulfilled in Jesus Christ!

Prophecy

Fulfillment

1. Gen. 3:15	Seed of a woman (virgin birth)	Galatians 4:4-5, Matthew 1:18
2. Gen. 3:15	He will bruise Satan’s head	Hebrews 2:14, 1John 3:8
3. Gen. 3:15	Christ’s heel would be bruised with nails on the cross	Matthew 27:35, Luke 24:39-40
4. Gen. 5:24	The bodily ascension to heaven illustrated	Mark 16:19
5. Gen. 9:26, 27	The God of Shem will be the Son of Shem	Luke 3:36
6. Gen. 12:3	Seed of Abraham will bless all nations	Galatians 3:8, Acts 3:25, 26
7. Gen. 12:7	The Promise made to Abraham’s Seed	Galatians 3:16
8. Gen. 14:18	A priest after the order of Melchizedek	Hebrews 6:20
9. Gen. 14:18	King of Peace and Righteousness	Hebrews 7:2
10. Gen. 14:18	The Last Supper foreshadowed	Matthew 26:26-29
11. Gen. 17:19	Seed of Isaac (Gen. 21:12)	Romans 9:7
12. Gen. 22:8	The Lamb of God promised	John 1:29
13. Gen. 22:18	As Isaac’s seed, will bless all nations	Galatians 3:16
14. Gen. 26:2-5	The Seed of Isaac promised as the Redeemer	Hebrews 11:18
15. Gen. 28:12	The Bridge to heaven	John 1:51
16. Gen. 28:14	The Seed of Jacob	Luke 3:34
17. Gen. 49:10	The time of His coming	Luke 2:1-7; Galatians 4:4
18. Gen. 49:10	The Seed of Judah	Luke 3:33
19. Gen. 49:10	Called Shiloh or One Sent	John 17:3
20. Gen. 49:10	Messiah to come before Judah lost identity	John 11:47-52
21. Gen. 49:10	Unto Him shall the obedience of the people be	John 10:16
22. Ex. 3:13-15	The Great “I AM”	John 4:26, 8:58
23. Ex. 12:5	A Lamb without blemish	Hebrews 9:14; 1Peter 1:19
24. Ex. 12:13	The blood of the Lamb saves from wrath	Romans 5:8
25. Ex. 12:21-27	Christ is our Passover	1Corinthians 5:7
26. Ex. 12:46	Not a bone of the Lamb to be broken	John 19:31-36
27. Ex. 15:2	His exaltation predicted as Yeshua	Acts 7:55, 56
28. Ex. 15:11	His Character-Holiness	Luke 1:35; Acts 4:27
29. Ex. 17:6	The Spiritual Rock of Israel	1Corinthians 10:4
30. Ex. 33:19	His Character-Merciful	Luke 1:72
31. Lev. 1:2-9	His sacrifice a sweet smelling savor unto God	Ephesians 5:2
32. Lev. 14:11	The leper cleansed-Sign to priesthood	Luke 5:12-14; Acts 6:7
33. Lev. 16:15-17	Prefigures Christ’s once-for-all death	Hebrews 9:7-14
34. Lev. 16:27	Suffering outside the Camp	Matthew 27:33; Heb. 13:11, 12
35. Lev. 17:11	The Blood-the life of the flesh	Matthew 26:28; Mark 10:45
36. Lev. 17:11	It is the blood that makes atonement	Rom. 3:23-24; 1John 1:7
37. Lev. 23:36-37	The Drink-offering: “If any man thirst”	John 7:37
38. Num. 9:12	Not a bone of Him broken	John 19:31-36
39. Num. 21:9	The serpent on a pole-Christ lifted up	John 3:14-18, 12:32
40. Num. 24:17	Time: “I shall see him, but not now.”	John 1:14; Galatians 4:4
41. Deut. 18:15	“This is of a truth that prophet.”	John 6:14
42. Deut. 18:15-16	“Had ye believed Moses, ye would believe me.”	John 5:45-47
43. Deut. 18:18	Sent by the Father to speak His word	John 8:28, 29
44. Deut. 18:19	Whoever will not hear must bear his sin	Acts 3:22-23
45. Deut. 21:23	Cursed is he that hangs on a tree	Galatians 3:10-13
46. Joshua 5:14-15	The Captain of our salvation	Hebrews 2:10
47. Ruth 4:4-10	Christ, our kinsman, has redeemed us	Ephesians 1:3-7
48. 1 Sam. 2:35	A Faithful Priest	Heb. 2:17, 3:1-3, 6, 7:24-25
49. 1 Sam. 2:10	Shall be an anointed King to the Lord	Mt. 28:18, John 12:15
50. 2 Sam. 7:12	David’s Seed	Matthew 1:1
51. 2 Sam. 7:13	His Kingdom is everlasting	2Peter 1:11
52. 2 Sam. 7:14a	The Son of God	Luke 1:32, Romans 1:3-4
53. 2 Sam. 7:16	David’s house established forever	Luke 3:31; Rev. 22:16
54. 2 Ki. 2:11	The bodily ascension to heaven illustrated	Luke 24:51
55. 1 Chr. 17:11	David’s Seed	Matthew 1:1, 9:27
56. 1 Chr. 17:12-13	To reign on David’s throne forever	Luke 1:32, 33
57. 1 Chr. 17:13	“I will be His Father, He…my Son.”	Hebrews 1:5
58. Job 9:32-33	Mediator between man and God	1 Timothy 2:5
59. Job 19:23-27	The Resurrection predicted	John 5:24-29
60. Psa. 2:1-3	The enmity of kings foreordained	Acts 4:25-28
61. Psa. 2:2	To own the title, Anointed (Christ)	John 1:41, Acts 2:36
62. Psa. 2:6	His Character-Holiness	John 8:46; Revelation 3:7
63. Psa. 2:6	To own the title King	Matthew 2:2
64. Psa. 2:7	Declared the Beloved Son	Matthew 3:17, Romans 1:4
65. Psa. 2:7, 8	The Crucifixion and Resurrection intimated	Acts 13:29-33
66. Psa. 2:8, 9	Rule the nations with a rod of iron	Rev. 2:27, 12:5, 19:15
67. Psa. 2:12	Life comes through faith in Him	John 20:31
68. Psa. 8:2	The mouths of babes perfect His praise	Matthew 21:16
69. Psa. 8:5, 6	His humiliation and exaltation	Hebrews 2:5-9
70. Psa. 9:7-10	Judge the world in righteousness	Acts 17:31
71. Psa. 16:10	Was not to see corruption	Acts 2:31, 13:35
72. Psa. 16:9-11	Was to arise from the dead	John 20:9
73. Psa. 17:15	The resurrection predicted	Luke 24:6
74. Psa. 18:2-3	The horn of salvation	Luke 1:69-71
75. Psa. 22:1	Forsaken because of sins of others	2 Corinthians 5:21
76. Psa. 22:1	“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”	Matthew 27:46
77. Psa. 22:2	Darkness upon Calvary for three hours	Matthew 27:45
78. Psa. 22:7	They shoot out the lip and shake the head	Matthew 27:39-44
79. Psa. 22:8	“He trusted in God, let Him deliver Him”	Matthew 27:43
80. Psa. 22:9-10	Born the Saviour	Luke 2:7
81. Psa. 22:12-13	They seek His death	John 19:6
82. Psa. 22:14	His blood poured out when they pierced His side	John 19:34
83. Psa. 22:14, 15	Suffered agony on Calvary	Mark 15:34-37
84. Psa. 22:15	He thirsted	John 19:28
85. Psa. 22:16	They pierced His hands and His feet	John 19:34, 37; 20:27
86. Psa. 22:17, 18	Stripped Him before the stares of men	Luke 23:34, 35
87. Psa. 22:18	They parted His garments	John 19:23, 24
88. Psa. 22:20, 21	He committed Himself to God	Luke 23:46
89. Psa. 22:20, 21	Satanic power bruising the Redeemer’s heel	Hebrews 2:14
90. Psa. 22:22	His Resurrection declared	John 20:17
91. Psa. 22:27-28	He shall be the governor of the nations	Colossians 1:16
92. Psa. 22:31	“It is finished”	John 19:30, Heb. 10:10, 12, 14, 18
93. Psa. 23:1	“I am the Good Shepherd”	John 10:11, 1Peter 2:25
94. Psa. 24:3	His exaltation predicted	Acts 1:11; Philippians 2:9
95. Psa. 30:3	His resurrection predicted	Acts 2:32
96. Psa. 31:5	“Into thy hands I commit my spirit”	Luke 23:46
97. Psa. 31:11	His acquaintances fled from Him	Mark 14:50
98. Psa. 31:13	They took counsel to put Him to death	Mt. 27:1, John 11:53
99. Psa. 31:14, 15	“He trusted in God, let Him deliver him”	Matthew 27:43
100. Psa. 34:20	Not a bone of Him broken	John 19:31-36
101. Psa. 35:11	False witnesses rose up against Him	Matthew 26:59
102. Psa. 35:19	He was hated without a cause	John 15:25
103. Psa. 38:11	His friends stood afar off	Luke 23:49
104. Psa. 38:12	Enemies try to entangle Him by craft	Mark 14:1, Mt. 22:15
105. Psa. 38:12-13	Silent before His accusers	Matthew 27:12-14
106. Psa. 38:20	He went about doing good	Acts 10:38
107. Psa. 40:2-5	The joy of His resurrection predicted	John 20:20
108. Psa. 40:6-8	His delight-the will of the Father	John 4:34, Heb. 10:5-10
109. Psa. 40:9	He was to preach the Righteousness in Israel	Matthew 4:17
110. Psa. 40:14	Confronted by adversaries in the Garden	John 18:4-6
111. Psa. 41:9	Betrayed by a familiar friend	John 13:18
112. Psa. 45:2	Words of Grace come from His lips	John 1:17, Luke 4:22
113. Psa. 45:6	To own the title, God or Elohim	Hebrews 1:8
114. Psa. 45:7	A special anointing by the Holy Spirit	Mt. 3:16; Heb. 1:9
115. Psa. 45:7, 8	Called the Christ (Messiah or Anointed)	Luke 2:11
116. Psa. 45:17	His name remembered forever	Ephesians 1:20-21, Heb. 1:8
117. Psa. 55:12-14	Betrayed by a friend, not an enemy	John 13:18
118. Psa. 55:15	Unrepentant death of the Betrayer	Matthew 27:3-5; Acts 1:16-19
119. Psa. 68:18	To give gifts to men	Ephesians 4:7-16
120. Psa. 68:18	Ascended into Heaven	Luke 24:51
121. Psa. 69:4	Hated without a cause	John 15:25
122. Psa. 69:8	A stranger to own brethren	John 1:11, 7:5
123. Psa. 69:9	Zealous for the Lord’s House	John 2:17
124. Psa. 69:14-20	Messiah’s anguish of soul before crucifixion	Matthew 26:36-45
125. Psa. 69:20	“My soul is exceeding sorrowful.”	Matthew 26:38
126. Psa. 69:21	Given vinegar in thirst	Matthew 27:34
127. Psa. 69:26	The Saviour given and smitten by God	John 17:4; 18:11
128. Psa. 72:10, 11	Great persons were to visit Him	Matthew 2:1-11
129. Psa. 72:16	The corn of wheat to fall into the Ground	John 12:24-25
130. Psa. 72:17	Belief on His name will produce offspring	John 1:12, 13
131. Psa. 72:17	All nations shall be blessed by Him	Galatians 3:8
132. Psa. 72:17	All nations shall call Him blessed	John 12:13, Rev. 5:8-12
133. Psa. 78:1-2	He would teach in parables	Matthew 13:34-35
134. Psa. 78:2b	To speak the Wisdom of God with authority	Matthew 7:29
135. Psa. 80:17	The Man of God’s right hand	Mark 14:61-62
136. Psa. 88	The Suffering and Reproach of Calvary	Matthew 27:26-50
137. Psa. 88:8	They stood afar off and watched	Luke 23:49
138. Psa. 89:27	Firstborn	Colossians 1:15, 18
139. Psa. 89:27	Emmanuel to be higher than earthly kings	Luke 1:32, 33
140. Psa. 89:35-37	David’s Seed, throne, kingdom endure forever	Luke 1:32, 33
141. Psa. 89:36-37	His character-Faithfulness	Revelation 1:5, 19:11
142. Psa. 90:2	He is from everlasting (Micah 5:2)	John 1:1
143. Psa. 91:11, 12	Identified as Messianic; used to tempt Christ	Luke 4:10, 11
144. Psa. 97:9	His exaltation predicted	Acts 1:11; Ephesians 1:20
145. Psa. 100:5	His character-Goodness	Matthew 19:16, 17
146. Psa. 102:1-11	The Suffering and Reproach of Calvary	John 19:16-30
147. Psa. 102:25-27	Messiah is the Preexistent Son	Hebrews 1:10-12
148. Psa. 109:25	Ridiculed	Matthew 27:39
149. Psa. 110:1	Son of David	Matthew 22:42-43
150. Psa. 110:1	To ascend to the right-hand of the Father	Mark 16:19
151. Psa. 110:1	David’s son called Lord	Matthew 22:44, 45
152. Psa. 110:4	A priest after Melchizedek’s order	Hebrews 6:20
153. Psa. 112:4	His character-Compassionate, Gracious, et al	Matthew 9:36
154. Psa. 118:17, 18	Messiah’s Resurrection assured	Luke 24:5-7; 1Cor. 15:20
155. Psa. 118:22, 23	The rejected stone is Head of the corner	Matthew 21:42, 43
156. Psa. 118:26a	The Blessed One presented to Israel	Matthew 21:9
157. Psa. 118:26b	To come while Temple standing	Matthew 21:12-15
158. Psa. 132:11	The Seed of David (the fruit of His Body)	Luke 1:32, Act 2:30
159. Psa. 129:3	He was scourged	Matthew 27:26
160. Psa. 138:1-6	The supremacy of David’s Seed amazes kings	Matthew 2:2-6
161. Psa. 147:3, 6	The earthly ministry of Christ described	Luke 4:18
162. Prov. 1:23	He will send the Spirit of God	John 16:7
163. Prov. 8:23	Foreordained from everlasting	Rev. 13:8, 1Peter 1:19-20
164. Song. 5:16	The altogether lovely One	John 1:17
165. Isa. 2:3	He shall teach all nations	John 4:25
166. Isa. 2:4	He shall judge among the nations	John 5:22
167. Isa. 6:1	When Isaiah saw His glory	John 12:40-41
168. Isa. 6:8	The One Sent by God	John 12:38-45
169. Isa. 6:9-10	Parables fall on deaf ears	Matthew 13:13-15
170. Isa. 6:9-12	Blinded to Christ and deaf to His words	Acts 28:23-29
171. Isa. 7:14	To be born of a virgin	Luke 1:35
172. Isa. 7:14	To be Emmanuel-God with us	Matthew 1:18-23, 1Tim. 3:16
173. Isa. 8:8	Called Emmanuel	Matthew 28:20
174. Isa. 8:14	A stone of stumbling, a Rock of offense	1Peter 2:8
175. Isa. 9:1, 2	His ministry to begin in Galilee	Matthew 4:12-17
176. Isa. 9:6	A child born-Humanity	Luke 1:31
177. Isa. 9:6	A Son given-Deity	Luke 1:32, John 1:14, 1Tim. 3:16
178. Isa. 9:6	Declared to be the Son of God with power	Romans 1:3, 4
179. Isa. 9:6	The Wonderful One, Peleh	Luke 4:22
180. Isa. 9:6	The Counsellor, Yaatz	Matthew 13:54
181. Isa. 9:6	The Mighty God, El Gibor	1Cor. 1:24, Titus 2:3
182. Isa. 9:6	The Everlasting Father, Avi Adth	John 8:58, 10:30
183. Isa. 9:6	The Prince of Peace, Sar Shalom	John 16:33
184. Isa. 9:7	To establish an everlasting kingdom	Luke 1:32-33
185. Isa. 9:7	His Character-Just	John 5:30
186. Isa. 9:7	No end to his Government, Throne, and Peace	Luke 1:32-33
187. Isa. 11:1	Called a Nazarene-the Branch, Netzer	Matthew 2:23
188. Isa. 11:1	A rod out of Jesse-Son of Jesse	Luke 3:23, 32
189. Isa. 11:2	Anointed One by the Spirit	Matthew 3:16, 17, Acts 10:38
190. Isa. 11:2	His Character-Wisdom, Knowledge, et al	Colossians 2:3
191. Isa. 11:3	He would know their thoughts	Luke 6:8, John 2:25
192. Isa. 11:4	Judge in righteousness	Acts 17:31
193. Isa. 11:4	Judges with the sword of His mouth	Rev. 2:16, 19:11, 15
194. Isa. 11:5	Character: Righteous & Faithful	Rev. 19:11
195. Isa. 11:10	The Gentiles seek Him	John 12:18-21
196. Isa. 12:2	Called Jesus-Yeshua	Matthew 1:21
197. Isa. 22:22	The One given all authority to govern	Revelation 3:7
198. Isa. 25:8	The Resurrection predicted	1Corinthians 15:54
199. Isa. 26:19	His power of Resurrection predicted	Matthew 27:50-54
200. Isa. 28:16	The Messiah is the precious corner stone	Acts 4:11, 12
201. Isa. 28:16	The Sure Foundation	1Corinthians 3:11, Mt. 16:18
202. Isa. 29:13	He indicated hypocritical obedience to His Word	Matthew 15:7-9
203. Isa. 29:14	The wise are confounded by the Word	1Corinthians 1:18-31
204. Isa. 32:2	A Refuge-A man shall be a hiding place	Matthew 23:37
205. Isa. 35:4	He will come and save you	Matthew 1:21
206. Isa. 35:5-6	To have a ministry of miracles	Matthew 11:2-6
207. Isa. 40:3, 4	Preceded by forerunner	John 1:23
208. Isa. 40:9	“Behold your God.”	John 1:36; 19:14
209. Isa. 40:10.	He will come to reward	Revelation 22:12
210. Isa. 40:11	A shepherd-compassionate life-giver	John 10:10-18
2101. Isa. 42:1-4	The Servant-as a faithful, patient redeemer	Matthew 12:18-21
212. Isa. 42:2	Meek and lowly	Matthew 11:28-30
213. Isa. 42:3	He brings hope for the hopeless	John 4
214. Isa. 42:4	The nations shall wait on His teachings	John 12:20-26
215. Isa. 42:6	The Light (salvation) of the Gentiles	Luke 2:32
216. Isa. 42:1, 6	His is a worldwide compassion	Matthew 28:19, 20
217. Isa. 42:7	Blind eyes opened.	John 9:25-38
218. Isa. 43:11	He is the only Saviour.	Acts 4:12
219. Isa. 44:3	He will send the Spirit of God	John 16:7, 13
220. Isa. 45:21-25	He is Lord and Saviour	Philippians 3:20, Titus 2:13
221. Isa. 45:23	He will be the Judge	John 5:22; Romans 14:11
222. Isa. 46:9, 10	Declares things not yet done	John 13:19
223. Isa. 48:12	The First and the Last	John 1:30, Revelation 1:8, 17
224. Isa. 48:16, 17	He came as a Teacher	John 3:2
225. Isa. 49:1	Called from the womb-His humanity	Matthew 1:18
226. Isa. 49:5	A Servant from the womb.	Luke 1:31, Philippians 2:7
227. Isa. 49:6	He will restore Israel	Acts 3:19-21, 15:16-17
228. Isa. 49:6	He is Salvation for Israel	Luke 2:29-32
229. Isa. 49:6	He is the Light of the Gentiles	John 8:12, Acts 13:47
230. Isa. 49:6	He is Salvation unto the ends of the earth	Acts 15:7-18
231. Isa. 49:7	He is despised of the Nation	John 1:11, 8:48-49, 19:14-15
232. Isa. 50:3	Heaven is clothed in black at His humiliation	Luke 23:44, 45
233. Isa. 50:4	He is a learned counselor for the weary	Matthew 7:29, 11:28, 29
234. Isa. 50:5	The Servant bound willingly to obedience	Matthew 26:39
235. Isa. 50:6a	“I gave my back to the smiters.”	Matthew 27:26
236. Isa. 50:6b	He was smitten on the cheeks	Matthew 26:67
237. Isa. 50:6c	He was spat upon	Matthew 27:30
238. Isa. 52:7	Published good tidings upon mountains	Matthew 5:12,15:29,28:16
239. Isa. 52:13	The Servant exalted	Acts 1:8-11; Eph. 1:19-22, Php. 2:5-9
240. Isa. 52:14	The Servant shockingly abused	Luke 18:31-34; Mt. 26:67, 68
241. Isa. 52:15	Nations startled by message of the Servant	Luke 18:31-34; Mt. 26:67, 68
242. Isa. 52:15	His blood shed sprinkles nations	Hebrews 9:13-14, Rev. 1:5
243. Isa. 53:1	His people would not believe Him	John 12:37-38
244. Isa. 53:2	Appearance of an ordinary man	Philippians 2:6-8
245. Isa. 53:3a	Despised	Luke 4:28-29
246. Isa. 53:3b	Rejected	Matthew 27:21-23
247. Isa. 53:3c	Great sorrow and grief	Matthew 26:37-38, Luke 19:41, Heb. 4:15
248. Isa. 53:3d	Men hide from being associated with Him	Mark 14:50-52
249. Isa. 53:4a	He would have a healing ministry	Matthew 8:16-17
250. Isa. 53:4b	Thought to be cursed by God	Matthew 26:66, 27:41-43
251. Isa. 53:5a	Bears penalty for mankind’s iniquities	2Cor. 5:21, Heb. 2:9
252. Isa. 53:5b	His sacrifice provides peace between man and God	Colossians 1:20
253. Isa. 53:5c	His sacrifice would heal man of sin	1Peter 2:24
254. Isa. 53:6a	He would be the sin-bearer for all mankind	1John 2:2, 4:10
255. Isa. 53:6b	God’s will that He bear sin for all mankind	Galatians 1:4
256. Isa. 53:7a	Oppressed and afflicted	Matthew 27:27-31
257. Isa. 53:7b	Silent before his accusers	Matthew 27:12-14
258. Isa. 53:7c	Sacrificial lamb	John 1:29, 1Peter 1:18-19
259. Isa. 53:8a	Confined and persecuted	Matthew 26:47-27:31
260. Isa. 53:8b	He would be judged	John 18:13-22
261. Isa. 53:8c	Killed	Matthew 27:35
262. Isa. 53:8d	Dies for the sins of the world	1John 2:2
263. Isa. 53:9a	Buried in a rich man’s grave	Matthew 27:57
264. Isa. 53:9b	Innocent and had done no violence	Luke 23:41, John 18:38
265. Isa. 53:9c	No deceit in his mouth	1Peter 2:22
266. Isa. 53:10a	God’s will that He die for mankind	John 18:11
267. Isa. 53:10b	An offering for sin	Matthew 20:28, Galatians 3:13
268. Isa. 53:10c	Resurrected and live forever	Romans 6:9
269. Isa. 53:10d	He would prosper	John 17:1-5
270. Isa. 53:11a	God fully satisfied with His suffering	John 12:27
271. Isa. 53:11b	God’s servant would justify man	Romans 5:8-9, 18-19
272. Isa. 53:11c	The sin-bearer for all mankind	Hebrews 9:28
273. Isa. 53:12a	Exalted by God because of his sacrifice	Matthew 28:18
274. Isa. 53:12b	He would give up his life to save mankind	Luke 23:46
275. Isa. 53:12c	Numbered with the transgressors	Mark 15:27-28
276. Isa. 53:12d	Sin-bearer for all mankind	1Peter 2:24
277. Isa. 53:12e	Intercede to God in behalf of mankind	Luke 23:34, Rom. 8:34
278. Isa. 55:3	Resurrected by God	Acts 13:34
279. Isa. 55:4a	A witness	John 18:37
280. Isa. 55:4b	He is a leader and commander	Hebrews 2:10
281. Isa. 55:5	God would glorify Him	Acts 3:13
282. Isa. 59:16a	Intercessor between man and God	Matthew 10:32
283. Isa. 59:16b	He would come to provide salvation	John 6:40
284. Isa. 59:20	He would come to Zion as their Redeemer	Luke 2:38
285. Isa. 60:1-3	He would shew light to the Gentiles	Acts 26:23
286. Isa. 61:1a	The Spirit of God upon him	Matthew 3:16-17
287. Isa. 61:1b	The Messiah would preach the good news	Luke 4:16-21
288. Isa. 61:1c	Provide freedom from the bondage of sin	John 8:31-36
289. Isa. 61:1-2a	Proclaim a period of grace	Galatians 4:4-5
290. Jer. 23:5-6	Descendant of David	Luke 3:23-31
291. Jer. 23:5-6	The Messiah would be both God and Man	John 13:13, 1Ti 3:16
292. Jer. 31:22	Born of a virgin	Matthew 1:18-20
293. Jer. 31:31	The Messiah would be the new covenant	Matthew 26:28
294. Jer. 33:14-15	Descendant of David	Luke 3:23-31
295. Eze.34:23-24	Descendant of David	Matthew 1:1
296. Eze.37:24-25	Descendant of David	Luke 1:31-33
297. Dan. 2:44-45	The Stone that shall break the kingdoms	Matthew 21:44
298. Dan. 7:13-14a	He would ascend into heaven	Acts 1:9-11
299. Dan. 7:13-14b	Highly exalted	Ephesians 1:20-22
300. Dan. 7:13-14c	His dominion would be everlasting	Luke 1:31-33
301. Dan. 9:24a	To make an end to sins	Galatians 1:3-5
302. Dan. 9:24a	To make reconciliation for iniquity	Romans 5:10, 2Cor. 5:18-21
303. Dan. 9:24b	He would be holy	Luke 1:35
304. Dan. 9:25	His announcement	John 12:12-13
305. Dan. 9:26a	Cut off	Matthew 16:21, 21:38-39
306. Dan. 9:26b	Die for the sins of the world	Hebrews 2:9
307. Dan. 9:26c	Killed before the destruction of the temple	Matthew 27:50-51
308. Dan. 10:5-6	Messiah in a glorified state	Revelation 1:13-16
309. Hos. 11:1	He would be called out of Egypt	Matthew 2:15
310. Hos. 13:14	He would defeat death	1Corinthians 15:55-57
311. Joel 2:32	Offer salvation to all mankind	Romans 10:9-13
312. Jonah 1:17	Death and resurrection of Christ	Matthew 12:40, 16:4
313. Mic. 5:2a	Born in Bethlehem	Matthew 2:1-6
314. Mic. 5:2b	Ruler in Israel	Luke 1:33
315. Mic. 5:2c	From everlasting	John 8:58
316. Hag. 2:6-9	He would visit the second Temple	Luke 2:27-32
317. Hag. 2:23	Descendant of Zerubbabel	Luke 2:27-32
318. Zech. 3:8	God’s servant	John 17:4
319. Zech. 6:12-13	Priest and King	Hebrews 8:1
320. Zech. 9:9a	Greeted with rejoicing in Jerusalem	Matthew 21:8-10
321. Zech. 9:9b	Beheld as King	John 12:12-13
322. Zech. 9:9c	The Messiah would be just	John 5:30
323. Zech. 9:9d	The Messiah would bring salvation	Luke 19:10
324. Zech. 9:9e	The Messiah would be humble	Matthew 11:29
325. Zech. 9:9f	Presented to Jerusalem riding on a donkey	Matthew 21:6-9
326. Zech. 10:4	The cornerstone	Ephesians 2:20
327. Zech. 11:4-6a	At His coming, Israel to have unfit leaders	Matthew 23:1-4
328. Zech. 11:4-6b	Rejection causes God to remove His protection	Luke 19:41-44
329. Zech. 11:4-6c	Rejected in favor of another king	John 19:13-15
330. Zech. 11:7	Ministry to “poor,” the believing remnant	Matthew 9:35-36
331. Zech. 11:8a	Unbelief forces Messiah to reject them	Matthew 23:33
332. Zech. 11:8b	Despised	Matthew 27:20
333. Zech. 11:9	Stops ministering to those who rejected Him	Matthew 13:10-11
334. Zech. 11:10-11a	Rejection causes God to remove protection	Luke 19:41-44
335. Zech. 11:10-11b	The Messiah would be God	John 14:7
336. Zech. 11:12-13a	Betrayed for thirty pieces of silver	Matthew 26:14-15
337. Zech. 11:12-13b	Rejected	Matthew 26:14-15
338. Zech. 11:12-13c	Thirty pieces of silver cast in the house of the Lord	Matthew 27:3-5
339. Zech. 11:12-13d	The Messiah would be God	John 12:45
340. Zech. 12:10a	The Messiah’s body would be pierced	John 19:34-37
341. Zech. 12:10b	The Messiah would be both God and man	John 10:30
342. Zech. 12:10c	The Messiah would be rejected	John 1:11
343. Zech. 13:7a	God’s will He die for mankind	John 18:11
344. Zech. 13:7b	A violent death	Mark 14:27
345. Zech. 13:7c	Both God and man	John 14:9
346. Zech. 13:7d	Israel scattered as a result of rejecting Him	Matthew 26:31-56
347. Zech. 14:4	He would return to the Mt. of Olives	Acts 1:11-12
348. Mal. 3:1a	Messenger to prepare the way for Messiah	Mark 1:1-8
349. Mal. 3:1b	Sudden appearance at the temple	Mark 11:15-16
350. Mal. 3:1c	Messenger of the new covenant	Luke 4:43
351. Mal. 3:6	The God who changes not	Hebrews 13:8
352. Mal. 4:5	Forerunner in spirit of Elijah	Mt. 3:1-3, 11:10-14, 17:11-13
353. Mal. 4:6	Forerunner would turn many to righteousness	Luke 1:16-17

Faith, What to Do With Doubt

WHAT DO DO WITH DOUBT-PART 1

January 12, 2020 Eddie Leave a comment

“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed, Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

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It was the walk with Jesus by someone else that inspired me. Since age 25, I have had a walk with Jesus, but it is a non-physical spiritual walk of faith. In my walk, I can’t see His form, His eyes, His hair, His face, nor hear His kind voice, but there were two disciples who could. Their story is recorded in the new testament for our encouragement and contemplation. (We will look at this story in the next post.) Parts of their 3-hour conversation with Him was recorded because our Creator wants to help us in our walk of Faith. This is not my opinion. Jesus said it!

“…these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” John 20:31

My questions is this: Do I have “life in His name”? Is my experience all about heaven and the hereafter or the “here-now”? May I propose to you that if we are not having a “here-now” experience with Jesus, we won’t have a “hereafter” experience with Him either. It all starts here! Now!

Don’t have this? Your journey can start now….or perhaps it has already started and you just don’t know it. Perhaps, if you have been on your Jesus journey for many years, you don’t have the assurance that you have eternal life.

Jesus said this to Thomas when He appeared to this doubter some 8 days after Jesus’ resurrection,

“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed, Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

Thomas had heard that Jesus was alive from people who would not lie to him i.e., the other disciples who had seen Him. But, Thomas wanted his own experience; not one based on the word of others. He was a doubter despite their convincing words. So, Jesus accommodated him and appeared to him.

But, wouldn’t Thomas have an advantage over us in the faith department because he could actually see and feel the hands and side of Jesus? Is faith built only on what you see? No! In the verse above, it indicates our experience is blessed by believing even though we have not seen. But, how does this work?

Are we going to be like Thomas and say,

“Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” John 20:25

Let’s be real. It is highly unlikely that Jesus is going to appear to any of us in our bedroom and say,

“Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Take your hand, and put it into my side. Stop doubting, and believe.”

John 20:27

Our faith in Jesus comes from three main sources available to everyone:

Creation

The Bible

Other Real People (Not REALigious people)

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Creation:

It is by observing and contemplating the beauty of life….a squirming warm new-born human, calf, puppy, or anything new to the world through the act of birth and procreation…the laughter, smile, and innocence of a small child. (They have more of the image of God at this point than any other time)….the wisdom of a bright-eyed old man who has been there before you….large mountains with a hat of ice and snow…the laughing lapping of the ocean waves against the shore at sunset…the colorful creatures swimming past you in the waters off Cozumel….the intricate detail and webbing of an opening spring flower to receive the life-giving sun rays…the sound of the morning birds outside your window bursting with the praise of its Creator. It is because of the signature of God on Creation that He says we can know Him….even the “invisible” things of Him…things we can’t see!

From the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made. As a result, people have no excuse.

Romans 1:20

Do you catch that? We have no excuse to be an unbeliever. Creation is available for all to see, touch, hear, taste. If we open our minds and be honest and logical, we will not only know there is a Creator, but we will know some things about Him.

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The Bible

This book is no accident. It is not just a collection of 40 different authors separated by hundreds of years and three different continents with an agenda to deceive people. If it had just one author, as do some religions, I would be skeptical too.

It is in the number of different books, authors, and cultures preserved for thousands of years who agree about Jesus, which gives the basis for faith.

Have you failed to see Jesus in the Old Testament? Has your experience been based only on the New Testament? You are missing something…at least 39 books of the 66! That is 59% of the story you are missing if you don’t visit the old testament! It is estimated that there are over 400 prophecies in the Old Testament about the first and second coming of Jesus.

I can say this with confidence because of the story that we will see in the next post. Jesus himself exclaimed to his disciples this very thing when He appeared to them after His resurrection. Once they understood that Jesus was throughout scripture, they went from fearful men hiding behind closed doors on the first day of the week, to week-long believers of Jesus willing to lay down their life for telling the truth about Jesus!

It is a life-giving gospel of love and peace for all people unlike the hatred and control of other religions we are seeing modern times.

It is difficult if not impossible to ignore the word of God during the week and snack on it occasionally and be a solid believer in Jesus. It was written that we might believe Jesus. That Bible given to you by your grandmother with its 66 books is all about Him! Yes, that means Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy…you name it. Here is how I know.

Jesus gave a Bible study to two disciples who had just witnessed his death a few days earlier. They were walking away from the massive head wound of discouragement. Their faith was near death. It was at the pinnacle of their hurt that Jesus showed up and encouraged them. They went from the depths of doubt, despair, and unbelief to their “hearts burning” within them. As I mentioned, we will look at this next time.

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The Experience of other real people (Not REALigious)

It was the experience of these two men that inspired men and continues even to this day. In my life I have seen some miraculous working of God in people’s lives. I have seen atheists turned into believer in Jesus (I am one of them). It is their testimony that is powerful in the dispelling of doubt.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony

Revelation 12:11

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When I was younger, a friend and I received an invitation to give Bib

When I was younger, a friend and I received an invitation to give Bible studies to the mother and daughter of a young African-American man who was now a follower of Christ. He had given up his life as a professional fighter to follow Jesus. He wanted his family to know the beauty of God’s word. This is a powerful story in itself, but I will save it for another time.

On a frosty night in Nashville, Tennessee, I met with my friend to give the first of the Bible studies. We walked into the very poor apartment complex near downtown Nashville wearing our ties and suits (We had just come from work that required us to dress this way.). We carried our Bibles also. Needless to say, we stuck out in our appearance.

As we passed by a group of young men warming themselves by a dumpster, recently set ablaze, one of them asked, “Where are you going?” We told him, “To give a Bible study.” The words came out of my fear-lumped throat, “Come join us!” We had reason to fear because one of them said, “I have a gun.”

One of them showed up as a massive shadow in the doorway to the poor apartment! He sat down quietly and with a threat in his eyes. The massive shadow said nothing when he arrived and nothing when he left, but you could see trouble in his face and the way he carried himself.

As I gave the study about the life of Jesus, the rats scampered about…even under my feet! But, they did not distract from the beautiful story of Jesus’ love for all of mankind. Nevertheless, we never again saw the young man, with the big shadow, at the studies.

Several months later, I sat with my family in church waiting for the service to begin when my friend came up to me and asked me to come back to the vestibule. He wanted me to see something he said I was not going to believe.

I got up respectfully and walked to the back of the main auditorium and through the doors. Standing before me was the massive shadow who we had seen by the burning dumpster! His eyes said it all. I walked up to him and said, “You have Jesus in your life!” You could see in his eyes and face the transformation from a troubled soul to a man of peace because of his Savior who had been welcomed into this man’s life.

Somehow, our little time together on that frosty night led him to search for Jesus and he found Him. His experience reminded me of two great truths. God’s word, will never return to void and if someone searches for Jesus, they will find him.

“My word, which comes from my mouth, is like the rain and snow. It will not come back to me without results. It will accomplish whatever I want and achieve whatever I send it to do.”

Isaiah 55:11

And ye shall seek me, and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

Next time, we will look at the walk with Jesus by the two disciples and how it can help us with doubt in our life, but even more importantly, how it can help us on our Jesus journey.

Blessings my friends.

What to Do With Doubt

Empathy for the Doubter- Part 2-Science, Creation, and Time

March 31, 2017 Eddie 1 Comment

Doubt for most people starts with the first statement in the Bible:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

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God does not take away reasons to doubt and if we choose that path, we will find reason to doubt. However, if we choose to believe, we will find many reasons to believe.

“God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are all established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration. Those who wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the truth will find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith.

Steps to Christ, Page 105

Faith in Jesus is based on substance and evidence much like science. It is not blind faith with which nothing to rest its case:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11: 1

Both the faith of the Atheist in evolution and the faith of the Christian in Creation is based on “evidence of things not seen.” None of us were there at the beginning of life. We can’t observe it, put it in a bottle or test it in the lab. All we can do is interpret the evidence as one would a crime scene.

The atheist and the unbeliever have assumptions regarding passage of time, the fossils, structure of animals, plants, etc, and their own reasoning powers, but it is evidence of things unseen.

In the end, the unbelieving scientists ask us to believe that order, complexity, and designed came from chaos and disorder.

The believer has evidence in the complexity of life; the claims of men who wrote the Bible; and their own reasoning powers. There are intelligent men on both sides. For every scientist that believes in evolution, there are many who do not. There are many who think by things they observe in nature that a 6 day creation is not only possible, but it is the only explanation for the beginning and survival of life.

The unbeliever does not like to include a creator God as a possibility because of the other implications and responsibilities that come with it.

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind…”

Romans 1: 28

Men choose to be willingly ignorant of things they don’t want to accept.

For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

2 Peter 3:5-7

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Many scientists try to separate faith in a Creator God with Science. They set them up as opposing each other exclusively. They try to show that science trumps anything spiritual or Biblical. To believe in a literal 6 day creation defies science and therefore falls into the arena of faith. But, there are many very intelligent and accomplished scientists who believe in a literal 6 day creation. There is a book you can read called,

In Six Days: Why Fifty Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation

There is a idea proposed by Michael Behe, a creation scientist, that makes a lot of sense. It is called Irreducible Complexity. Some scientist dismiss it, because it is a theory just like their grand theory of evolution.

The premise is that life is so complex that it could not evolved slowly and added parts along the way. I once heard the story about the evolution of the porcupine. It quills are reported to have “evolved” over millions of years as they were needed to protect itself from enemies. But, how about all those years it did not have the quills? How did it survive? Why are they not extinct?

Irreducible Complexity states that the porcupine had to have all the elements for life and the quills at the same time.

Another example is your circulatory system of blood, heart, and vessels to carry the blood. Which came first? If the heart, then what did it pump? If the blood, how did it move? If the vessels, what was in it?

All had to be present at once in a body for life to work. The idea of parts being added as needed makes no sense.

Nature is probably the best place to look for the fingerprints of a grand Designer we call God. Paul wrote:

^“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…”

Romans 1:20

We can learn a lot about God by simply observing nature. The verse above says because of God’s creation, we have no excuse for not believing in Him.

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Self defeating statements and the law on non-contradiction.

What does this mean? Often people in haste to minimize or attempt to eliminate truth will say something that is self-defeating and contradicts their statement. Here is an example: Have you ever heard someone say, “There is no absolute truth.”

That is a contradictory statement. To prove it, just ask the person, “Is your statement absolute truth?” If they answer, “yes” then they confirm there is absolute truth. If they answer “no” then they acknowledge that their statement is false and to be ignored.

The world is full of absolute truths. We depend on these to fly planes, drive cars, and complete activities of living. It is an absolute truth that taking all the blood out of body will kill me. It is absolute truth that gravity keeps me from floating away.

Jesus absolute truth statements like this:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 14:6

Jesus claims exclusive right to being the only way, the only truth. He can do this because it is true and He has demonstrated the truth through God’s word and His resurrection.

There is logic behind belief in a Creator God and the power of absolute truth…even in spiritual things. If you would like to learn more on this topic, I recommend the book,

“I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be an Atheist”

by Norman L. Geisler, Frank Turek

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The Routine and Passage of Time Leads to Doubt

The routine and passage of time is difficult for many to wrap their heads around. Billions of people before you were born, enjoyed their youth, lived, dreamed, took on a responsibility of a family and watched their own children grow old. Then they died. This cycle has continued for thousands of years.

It has been about 3,500 years since the opening verse of the Bible was penned. The continuous cycle of life and death creates doubt about the promises of Jesus’ return, and the validity of God’s word. In fact, this exact feeling is held by not only many Christians today, but it was also in the thoughts of those only a few decades after Jesus left earth. Peter wrote these words:

“First of all, you must understand that in the last days some people will appear whose lives are controlled by their own lusts. They will make fun of you and will ask, “He promised to come, didn’t he? Where is he? Our ancestors have already died, but everything is still the same as it was since the creation of the world!””

2 Peter 3: 3-4

This is a direct reference to the promise Jesus made to his disciples and all who would hear their message:

I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am.

John 14: 2-3

Paul wrote words of encouragement to those who thought Jesus was coming during their own life times. But, they watched as fellow believers, friends, and family began to die. It is one of my favorite passages of the Bible, because so much can be learned about the events of the 2nd coming and those who have died, particularly for those who “die in Christ.”

Our friends, we want you to know the truth about those who have died, so that you will not be sad, as are those who have no hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:13

However, today we hear a different sort of hope being offered that does not include the resurrection.

Today’s words of encouragement would be something like this, “Don’t worry, he is in heaven enjoying eternal bliss.” or “He is in heaven with his family now.”

But, this is not the words Paul used:

We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will take back with Jesus those who have died believing in him.

What we are teaching you now is the Lord’s teaching: we who are alive on the day the Lord comes will not go ahead of those who have died. There will be the shout of command, the archangel’s voice, the sound of God’s trumpet, and the Lord himself will come down from heaven. Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first; then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. So then, ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS.

1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18

The words of Paul, an apostle of Christ, used the Lord’s own teachings to give us hope that one day Jesus would return to the sound of loud trumpets. Then those believers who died years ago will be resurrected and if we are alive then, we will rise with them in the air and we will ever be with the Lord. He will take us to where He is now. Those are the words we are to use to encourage one another.

For those who don’t have this hope, life is simply reduced to what they can do in the time allotted to them, whether good, bad, or both.

A sovereign God does not view things or time as we do:

For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 55:8

do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

2 Peter 3: 8

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Conclusion:

There will always be reason to doubt, but this does not mean that you can’t have faith that moves mountains. This faith comes first by searching and wanting to know the truth about Jesus. Next, searching for truth in the book that claims to have have it will build a strong foundation upon which to rest your faith. Finally, by searching for Jesus you will find Him.

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

But, let us never forget, that there are mysteries we might never know this side of eternity.

The word of God, like the character of its divine Author, presents mysteries that can never be fully comprehended by finite beings. The entrance of sin into the world, the incarnation of Christ, regeneration, the resurrection, and many other subjects presented in the Bible, are mysteries too deep for the human mind to explain, or even fully to comprehend. But we have no reason to doubt God’s word because we cannot understand the mysteries of His providence. In the natural world we are constantly surrounded with mysteries that we cannot fathom. The very humblest forms of life present a problem that the wisest of philosophers is powerless to explain. Everywhere are wonders beyond our ken. Should we then be surprised to find that in the spiritual world also there are mysteries that we cannot fathom? The difficulty lies solely in the weakness and narrowness of the human mind. God has given us in the Scriptures sufficient evidence of their divine character, and we are not to doubt His word because we cannot understand all the mysteries of His providence.

Steps to Christ, p. 106 and 107

What to Do With Doubt

Empathy for the Unbeliever-Part 1

March 25, 2017 Eddie 1 Comment

For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?

Romans 3: 3

Unbelief, doubt, mistrust are described throughout holy scripture. It appears in Genesis and is the story of Abraham, Moses, Kings, Prophets, Disciples, and followers.

Doubt and unbelief starts early in scripture. It takes only 3 chapters before they appear in very clear language. Adam and Eve succumbed quickly and apparently easily when they believed Satan and disobeyed a clear command of God.

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 2: 15-17

Notice that this message was heard only by Adam. Eve was non-existent when God gave this command. The verses immediately after Genesis 2: 17 describe the creation of Eve.

It wasn’t long (at least in the order of the passages in scripture) that Satan had the woman alone. He charmed her, contradicted the words of God, and planted the first seeds of doubt.

“Did God really tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?”

Genesis 3:1

Eve knew the restriction. She either heard it from her husband Adam or God told her directly. It makes sense that Adam told her, but regardless of the source of the communication, she knew what God had said.

“We may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden,” the woman answered,“except the tree in the middle of it. God told us not to eat the fruit of that tree or even touch it; if we do, we will die.”

The snake replied, “That’s not true; you will not die. God said that because he knows that when you eat it, you will be like God and know what is good and what is bad.”

Genesis 3:2-4

The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it.

Genesis 3:6

So Eve heard the first contradiction of God’s word and responded through disobedience. She thought it would make her wise and that God was withholding from her something to make her even more happy. Sadly, it had the opposite effect as demonstrated in the characters of the Bible who were also infected with similar doubt, unbelief, and disobedience.

If Adam had been with her, the story might have ended differently. But, Adam loved Eve and did not want to lose her. While she was deceived, he walked quickly into disobedience without doubt and unbelief as the motivator. Adam, in effect, chose death rather than life because of his love for Eve. Sound familiar? Jesus died because of his love for us.

For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

1 Timothy 2: 13-14

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

So doubt about God and the truthfulness of His word is in the genes of mankind from the beginning just as sin has been. In fact, sin is unbelief, doubt, and mistrust:

“…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

Romans 14 : 3

“Indeed, I was born guilty.
I was a sinner when my mother conceived me.”

Psalm 51: 5

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Doubt, unbelief, mistrust, and disobedience go together. You might could say, “Doubt begets unbelief and unbelief begets mistrust, and mistrust begets disobedience.

There are basically two types of people that have doubt regarding God. First there is a follower of Jesus who has a weak experience and demonstrates doubt in his walk with God. Then there is the one who has the basic doubt about the existence of God, Jesus, and his word.

With this basic framework, lets explore further the concept of doubt.

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If you doubt the existence of God, Ask yourself this question, “What would it take for me to believe that God exists?”

Adam and Eve did not have this type of doubt. They knew God, but doubted Him and what was truth about Him.

On the other hand, If you doubt God’s word and promises for the follower, your question would be “What would it take for me to believe God’s promises and His word?”

Before proceeding, answer these questions in your mind. Think about it for at least 30 seconds.

Were your answers a one time event? Maybe a Paul like experience where God appears and talks to you directly would make you a believer. But, would one event be enough to convince you that there is a God ? Would one event be enough to give you complete trust to believe His promises are sure and He is not a liar?

Anyone familiar with the journey of the children of Israel, would know that God gave them many such events and yet they still failed to believe. Miracles were demonstrated daily around them. But, their unbelief kept that generation from entering the Promised Land.

“So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

Hebrews 3:19

I propose to you that even if Christ appeared in your bedroom one night or at your door one morning, doubt would still raise its head after the experience wore off. If God appeared at the Super Bowl and made the announcement, “I am God, there is none like me. I am going to turn everyone purple for the duration of the game as a sign, Many, if not all, would still return to doubt after a period if not right away.

Jesus said of the Pharisees that even if someone were raised from the dead, they would not believe:

“If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.”

Luke 16:31

On a more practical level, I have found that most people want something almost as spectacular before they will believe and put their trust in God. They want God to stop all wars, stop disease, death, and destruction before they believe.” “Give me wealth and security so that I don’t have to worry about food and insecurity of loosing my job, then I will believe” “Explain to me how you could speak the universe into existence.” Satisfy every need in my life and others and I will believe.”

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Actually God promises to do these very things, but it is not to turn everyone into believers, but rather is the reward for those who do believe:

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Revelation 21:4

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You might ask how do I become a believer? How does my weak experience with God become strong and real?

Once there was a man who had a young son that would often have convulsions. The son from his childhood would loose control and would put himself in dangerous situations.

The man brought his son to Jesus because his disciples could not help him. Jesus told him this:

“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Mark 9:23

The man did not understand how to overcome unbelief so in his heart He asked Jesus to help him:

“Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Mark 9:24

This is the cry of many people, Lord help me to believe!

Sadly, many people do not ask to believe. They are content with the life they have made for themselves. Their vision is only for 70, 80, or 90 good years on the earth.

Jesus offers much more, but many do not believe Him.

I came to a point in my own life where I began to search for truth. When I came to Jesus and begin to study the Scripture about Him and listen to his words, it left me with only two conclusions. Jesus was either all He claimed to be or He was the biggest liar and deceiver that ever lived.

My unbelief did not go away easily. It was a journey that continues to this day.

Unbelief is normal, but it is not what God asks of us. He wants us to believe and trust in Him. He will give us reasons to believe if we are willing to search. It will not be a one time event, but rather a continuous journey. After all, it was mistrust of God that got us into trouble in the first place. We have much to learn.

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

Searching and seeking is a continuous journey, but Jesus is at the end of the search.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10: 17

If you want more faith, hear or read more of God’s word. If you want little faith then don’t ever read God’s word.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

The reasons to believe have substance and evidence. Faith is not based on assumption or blindness. Faith and trust and God can be real if:

1.) You are willing to dedicate some time to seeking God.

2.) Seeking in His word is the best place to start

3.) Asking God to help you believe.

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Next week, we will talk in detail about the reasons why people have doubt and unbelief.

May the Lord bless you by bringing conviction to your heart and drawing you to himself. Yield to the pull of God and your life will be better now and forever. Amen.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

God's Will For Us, What to Do With Doubt

Good At Religion

April 25, 2015 Eddie 3 Comments

Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Matthew 7: 22-23

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What would you think of a man’s relationship with God who said things like this?

“I wish I was never born. I want to die.”(3:1)

“Oh that my grief were fully weighed and my calamity laid with it on the scales.” (6:1)

Suppose he said,

“I will complain in the bitterness of my soul“(7:11),

What if he asked God in a group prayer,

“Does it please you (God) to oppress me while you smile on the schemes of the wicked?“ (10:3).

What if he claimed God was responsible for his problems and said,

“All was well with me, but [God] shattered me; he seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has made me his target“ (16:12). “

What if he believed God had wronged him…

“Though I cry, ’I’ve been wronged!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice“ (19:6—7).

If you told them to be patient and they responded:

“Why should I not be impatient?“ (21:4).

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What would you think of a man talking to God like that?

They would have to be somebody with a lousy relationship to God, right?

But, this can be deceiving.

The man who said those things was closer to God than anyone else of his time? Would you believe that the man who grumbled, “Why should I not be impatient?“ has a reputation to this day as one of the most patient men who ever lived? His very name is a buzzword for patience.

Thousands of years after this man lived, it is common to speak of “the patience of Job.“ But we know from reading the story that God was close to Job and He sided with Job when Job’s friends tried to “straightened him out” about his religion and understanding of the great Creator.

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On the other hand, what would you think of the relationship with God who said things like this:

Eliphaz:

Those who sow trouble reap the same (4:9)

Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker?(4:17)

As for me, I would seek God, And to God I would commit my cause. (5:9)

Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects (5:17)

Bildad:

“Your sons have sinned against Him…that is why they died. He has cast them away for their transgression. (8:4).

Isn’t this verse supported by scripture?

“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.

Deut. 24:16.

What if a friend tried to scare him into repentance and said,

“The memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name among the renowned.
He is driven from light into darkness,
And chased out of the world. (18:8)

Zophar

Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? (11:7)

Does not the friends of Job have it right about God and Job is just a depressed doubtful religious person?

These friends did not “speak what was right.” (42:7) Their theology sounded right…it is scriptural, but something was not right with their religion. They are good at it, but something was not right.

God said to them,

“My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends for you have not spoken of Me what is rights as My servant Job has.”

Job 42:7

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What can we learn from the book of Job and the impatience of Job?

As mentioned, Job spoke what was right and his friends did not. But it sounds like Job is struggling in his relationship while his friends are prospering and have all their needs filled.

The one thing Job needed the most during his ordeal was his family and friends to give him comfort and empathy.

“I have heard many such things’ Miserable comforters are you all! Shall words of wind have no end?” (16: 2,3)

“Though I speak, my grief is not relieved”

16;6

His “friends” did not comfort him, but rather sermonized and blame Job for getting what he deserved. They even blamed the sin of his sons for their own death

Your sons have sinned against Him…that is why they died. He has cast them away for their transgression. (8:4).

Let us not be too quick to condemn the friends of Job, because if we are honest with our selves, we often look upon some calamity or death as the result of the “judgment of God.”

We cannot put such events in a nice box by grouping bad things with God’s judgment and good things with God’s favor. To do so is to be disappointed and discouraged when bad things happen to us.

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There are many cases cited in the Bible of people who were “good at religion.”

The Scribes and the Pharisees had religion down pat.

Jesus identified these great religious leaders of the church as hypocrites in Matthew 23. They say one thing, but do another. They could preach it and teach it, but they could not live it. Their interest was in saving their religion and pompous life style

Jesus said these things about them and their religion:

“that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.” V.3

they “shut up the kingdom of heaven against men” V.13

they “devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.”

V. 14

they “travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, (they) make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

V. 15

They made up their own rules, but Jesus said,

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’

V. 16

They followed the letter of the law, but not the spirit:

For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.

V.23

Notice at the end of this verse, Jesus does not release them from the act of tithing:

These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

V. 23

There is nothing wrong with obeying the law, but to obey the law of God without the spirit that displays itself in justice and mercy is being religious and not real.

The Scribes and Pharisees were very exacting in parts of their experience, but very loose in others:

Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

V. 24

Their appearance was great! They dressed nice and had the appearance of being righteous.

For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of deadmen’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

V. 27, 28

They try to make others think they are very committed to the cause:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

V. 29, 30

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Yes, these leaders were good at religion. There is very little difference today. It has been said, “Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you a mechanic.”

Today’s society has made religion about a 1 day event for a few hours in a building. But a real relationship with Jesus changes the heart of an individual. They are born again. They are different. Obedience to God’s word comes from a heart experience and not a religious experience. Jesus said,

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

While the 10 commandments and any other commandments of Jesus have not been eliminated, the old idea of obedience in order to be identified with Jesus and be saved has passed away.

What does an experience that is real look like?

Jesus tells us in Matthew 7 (Our opening verse)

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

Matthew 25: 34-36

If our experience is about 1 or 2 hours on the weekend and not about others during the week, then we might be in danger of being “good at religion.”

Like Jesus, we are called to serve and not be served.

There are many people out there hurting and need the basics of life rather than sermonizing. No doubt, they need to hear truth from God’s word, but before that, they need to see it in action. They need to hear the words, “We are going to help you.” Then they need to see it happen.

Empathy is what the three friends of Job lacked. The same for the Scribes and the Pharisees. Empathy is different from sympathy. Empathy is to feel and understand someone’s pain. Sympathy is to merely feel sorry for the person’s pain.

___________________________________________

In 1967, Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album by the Beatles was released. There is a haunting song on this popular vinyl entitled “A Day In The Life.” The main verses of the song are Lennon’s work, a rather gloomy first-person narrative of going through the motions and observing, in a detached manner, the cruelties and absurdities of the everyday world.
The song came to mind today as I watched CBS news after a hard day at work. John’s read the news was about:

“a man who blew his mind out in a car. He didn’t notice that the light had changed.” He “had to laugh although the news was rather sad.”

“A crowd of people turned away, but I just had to look.”

As I watch the day’s events on the TV, I am overwhelmed. Today, I realized the news was about me.

Today, I died from a poisonous gas attack in Syria. I was only 3 years old.

Today, as a father from Australia, my grieve was so strong that it sucked every ounce of energy from my soul as I fell to the ground… and wept over the body of my 22 year old son who was shot to death while jogging in Oklahoma. Three evil people were bored and wanted to kill someone. They chose my son who loved baseball.

Today, I couldn’t find work for the 12th month. My small retirement account has all been spent and the bills are not getting paid next month because my job was exported overseas.

Today, I am a single mom and my little girl had nothing to take for lunch because I have no money and live in my car. What can I find her for supper tonight? There is a restaurant nearby that throws out perfectly good food every night.

Today, I am a small business owner who will have to lay off some of my employees because the government is forcing me to provide health care.

Today, I lay in my living room unable to get up because I so depressed, all I want to do is sleep. I have no energy.

Today, my family was murdered by ISIS. I am only 35 years old and Muslim.

A bomb blast took away my ability to walk and run the Boston Marathon. I am a female in my 20’s.

Today, I am Egyptian, Black, White, Syrian, Australian, English, and American….I am everyone.

“Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for me.”

Religion is strong, but empathy, compassion, and involvement is dead in many of our churches and in our experience with Jesus.

We are living in the last days, when our consciences are numb.

“…speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.”

1 Timothy 4:2

Truly it has come to pass:

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.”

II Timothy 3:1-5

What will CBS report about me tomorrow?

Are you willing to turn from being good at religion and become real for the kingdom of God?

If you are, join me in this prayer,

Father, forgive me for being good at religion and not real for your kingdom. Please change my mind, my heart, my thoughts and shape it into your will. Give me a ministry to help those in need of food, clothing, comfort, and fellowship. This I ask in Your Son’s name. Amen.

What to Do With Doubt

What To Do With Doubt-Part 4 (The Dirty Dozen)

February 3, 2015 Eddie 1 Comment

It is OK to doubt.

Sometimes the Bible equates doubt with the concept of confusion (both willingly or unwillingly). Let’s explore doubt through this idea and see if it makes sense. If it does, we will also discover what to do with doubt.

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There was a time after Jesus left the earth and early days of the church when God’s spirit came upon the disciples (As Jesus said it would) and they began to preach in the language of the many different people who were in Jerusalem

And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.

Acts 2:5-6

This remarkable event had a purpose. It was to ignite and spread the truth, the good news about Jesus. The early church went from a hand full who had been with Jesus to thousands in one day! It was just the beginning. The new converts (or simply those who had been there) would hear the message about Christ and take it back to their homeland. This migration of the message would lay the ground work for the travels and preaching of the disciples by preparing the hearts of those who would hear the story of Jesus confirmed by those who had been with Jesus. They did a similar work of John the Baptist by preparing their friends and loved ones for the reception of the gospel.

‘“Prepare for God’s arrival!
Make the road straight and smooth”

Isaiah 40:3 (The Message)

But, for now, there was a bit of confusion by those who heard the disciples speaking in their own language. Despite this miracle, there were some who doubted.

And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

Acts 2:12

Since they could not explain what was going on, they were confused and it led to doubt.

Not much has changed over the thousands of years. When man cannot understand or explain something, they doubt. It is OK to doubt, but to refuse to seek answers and truth is a mistake.

If you are having doubts about Jesus, it might be that you have not sought the answers. For this study, let’s try to understand why there is so much confusion regarding the truth about God, Jesus, and our purpose on earth.

________________________________________________________

If you think about it, your religious preference, world-view, denomination, and thoughts about truth are often “preset” for you based where you were born and your parents. If you are born in North America, you are likely a Christian, either Protestant or Catholic. If you were born in the Mid-East, you are likely Islāmic in your beliefs. Are your parents Chinese? Then likely you would subscribe to some sort of Buddhism.

As a child, you were trained up in the preference of your parents. If your parents never attended church or sought truth, then you too likely have done the same.

With all of us, from different backgrounds, confusion reigns. A simple answer is to say that all are just different paths to the same place. Some might say, there is no “path”; there is no “place.”

But Jesus makes a claim that cuts across this:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

John 14:6

Now if Jesus made this claim, He better be able to support it. Either this is an absolute truth or it is an absolute lie. It (and He) cannot be both.

It is tempting to go down the path of talking about the reality of absolute truth at this point, but I will save it for another time. Instead let’s think about the things that would cloud our thinking and bring confusion and doubt about truth.

Here is a list of 12 items that can bring confusion and doubt in a person’s experience. Before you read this list and think about it, know that there is a loving God who does not want us to be “ignorant” about truth regardless of how we got to a state of confusion.

“…I do not want you to be ignorant…”

1 Corinthians 12:1

Family religious ancestry (If Grandma’s beliefs were good enough for her, it must be right!)
Popularity (If the masses believe this way, it must be right!)
Tradition (It has always been believed this way)
Dogma (Blindly following a set of creeds and rules for points with God.)
Shallow study (Not only a cursory approach, but studying to prove a point rather than discovery of truth)
No study (Gathering around us speakers we like and who support our un-researched beliefs.)
Education (Especially denominational education) and Science explained with a humanistic agenda. Remember, God is the author of all science!
Closed-mindedness (Don’t want to know the truth. Might interfere with my lifestyle)
Feelings (My heart tells me what is truth)
Good looking, articulate, entertaining ministers (Someone that is good looking and charismatic can’t be wrong!)
Entertainment and Entertainers (These famous people are smarter than most. Aren’t they?)
Actual deception from Satan himself (Don’t forget, he can appear as an angel of light. II Corinthians 11:14)

Let’s call these the “Dirty Dozen” for future reference. Notice what is missing in all of these: A personal knowledge and experience with God and his word! What do you think would happen if we earnestly asked Jesus, directly, for truth from His word through the work of the Holy Spirit? What would happen if we honestly wanted to know truth, regardless of the presence of the Dirty Dozen? How many Christians do this? How many search like their lives depended on it? Has church attendance become a routine and social event rather than worship and search for truth.

It should not be a surprise that the enemy of mankind can (and does) use the “Dirty Dozen” to keep truth from doing its work of introducing the lost to Jesus; building up the body of Christ; and enriching our experience with God. Is that a fair statement? He is the father of all lies

He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

John 8:44

Actually, the Dirty Dozen is on automatic pilot in a world of sin. Our sinful nature and those 12 items listed above can do their work on their own without Satan being just over your shoulder. He is not omnipresent, like God, is he?

So much to overcome in the pursuit of truth! But, take heart! God is working to draw every person on planet earth towards the one and only true God; towards truth about Him and His life saving teachings! He does not want anyone to perish. That is why the gospel must go to the whole world for a witness. Yes, to the Chinese, the Japanese, the Asians, the Latino, the African, the English, Americans….everyone! Christianity is not an just for King James English speaking people. God and his written word is greater than the dirty dozen and greater than the boundaries of language, space, and culture! He draws every person born onto the planet towards him…inviting us to search for truth. If we search, we will find it!

That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

John 1:9

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”

John 12:32

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

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Most Important Truth

At the very core of every doctrine is the character of God. It is often overlooked that the reason Jesus came to this earth was not only to live a sinless life; pay for our sins by his death on the cross; and to reveal the power of God through his resurrection, but to reveal the true character of God and therefore draw people into salvation. By the time Jesus arrived on the scene, the truth about the character of God had been turned into a lie. Would you agree with that? How had it turned into a lie? Well meaning followers were influenced by the “professional” religious leaders (Scribes and Pharisees) in the interpretation of God’s word and character. There were so many rules and misunderstandings that the creator God, they professed to know, was in their presence and he was not even recognized.

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

John 1:10

Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

John 8:19

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

John 14:8-9

It is so important that we “know” the true character of God the Father and Jesus our Creator, that Jesus equates it with salvation and having eternal life:

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

John 17:3 (New King James Version)

He goes on further in explaining this important concept of knowing God as the basis of salvation. In the following text, he discloses that there are many who think they know God and even have the works to prove it (or do they), but they are lost, because of this lack of knowledge!

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Matthew 7:21-23

Interesting that these people look like Christians and even have some of the spiritual gifts and works, but they practice lawlessness. In other words, they have the form of godliness but deny its power. 2 Timothy 3:5.

If we “know” him, we know not only about him, but we know his character, his motives, and his feelings. We find out about him through: His word, the life of Jesus, other born-again Christians, His work though other people, nature, even through working with him and doing his will. Very important that we are willing to do his biding, because if we are not willing to follow, not only will we fail to get to know him better, but we will become confused about his teaching:

“If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”

John 7:17

The power of the dirty dozen is not to be underestimated. Any one of them can, at the least, can prove to hinder a relationship with Jesus and at the worse lead to making “Christ of no effect” Galatians 5:4 (King James Version). In the end, a true knowledge of God is not just facts or an understanding of his historical actions, but a present personal relationship with him. When you do know him, you will know that he is forgiving, slow to anger, has your best interest in mind, etc.

The only way to overcome confusion is through a personal study and application of the powerful word of God created by a desire to find out the truth about God. In the end, however, it is not how much you know that saves you, but how well you know Jesus. Today, He invites you to:

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Matthew 11:29

How about it? Are you ready to start your Jesus Journey?

Answers From Scripture – A Jesus Journey

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"He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. Colossians 1:28