In the beginning of the 3rd Chapter of J.I. Packer's book "Knowing God"
words to live by !
What were we made for? To know God.
What aim should we set ourselves in life? to know GOD.
What is the "eternal life" that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God. "This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." John 17:3
What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight and contentment than anything else? Knowledge of God "This is what the Lord says: 'Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength, or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me' " (Jere 9:23-24)
For what higher, more exalted goal can there be than to know God?
J.I. Packer ( book : "Knowing God" )
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Ephes 2 :1-10
We have been in Ephesians 2: 1-10 for the last 3 weeks . What great teaching. God saves sinners. One small sentence ; Understanding our past, present and future condition.
Ephes 2:1-2 " As for you , you "were" dead (spiritually dead) in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of the world.
(spiritually dead, the condition of man when we enter the world, our true nature, we are all children of wrath, we are lost in our sin). (Genesis 3 the fall of man )
Ephes 2:3 "All of us lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest we WERE by nature objects of wrath. (AHHHHH) vs 4 "BUT GOD" "because of his great love for us God, who is rich in mercy, vs 5 made us alive, (now spiritually alive! our present condition) with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved. "
1st Corinth 2 :12-14 "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiriually discerned."
John 6:44 "No one can ( has the ablility) come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him,"
God has intervened ! God moves in our lives! God has chosen His people !God has opened our eyes! God becomes bigger and bigger,and we as believers, become smaller and smaller.
This is not about you or me , it is all about HIM. We play no role in salvation. " He" is the Vine and "we" are the branches. He has taken our heart of stone and given us a heart of flesh.
It is not a position of pride and arrogance but of humility and thanksgiving, that God would have mercy on whomever he'd have mercy.
We now understand that we can share the Gospel and evangelize , BUT GOD, has to move in our lives, for anyone to hear it, to open their eyes, to want to Know our Lord and Saviour.
Someone may never respond to the Gospel ,if God does not intervene, God has to enable you, to draw you, "BUT GOD!"
What does a dead person (spiritually ) need...........LIFE ! God has to move in our lives.
Why did I believe the Gospel after years of being in so-called man-made religion, tradition ? it was not because of my bloodline, my effort, or my decision. GOD, moved in my life, as I was seeking to Know Him, and to be KNOWN by HIM. " He "moved in my life. I was blind and now I see! God saved me, in spite of who I am, not because of who I am.
Romans 5: 6-8 "Christ died for the ungodly, very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. BUT God, domonstrated his own love for us in this while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (you may die for a family member, maybe a friend you have known for years, but would you die for an enemy ? someone who hated you, who mocked you, who stoned you, that's what Jesus did . He died for the ungodly.)
something I have been working on :
I spent 2 days looking through the Old Testament at Scripture where, we see, where God's Word tells us about; God's chosen, God's elect, those who are called. I invite you to look at Scripture, look to His Word, and Seek him with all your heart.
Gospel John 6:44, Acts 2:39
Romans 8:28
Gospel John 6:65
Acts 9 whole chapter Pauls conversion
Romans 9:18
Gospel John8:47,
Acts 16: 14, 1st Corin 1:9
Gospel John 10:25-28
Romans 5:5 1st
Corin 1:26-31
1st Corin 2:10-16
Philip 1:27-29
1st Corin 3:6-10
Coloss 1:3-6
2Corin 1:21-22 , Coloss 1 : 21-22
2Corin 3:5-6 , Coloss 1:27-29
2Corin 4:6-7 , Coloss 2:6
2Corin 5:5, 16-21, Coloss 2:13-15
Galat 1:11-16, 1 Thess 1:4-5
Epehs 1:4-15 , 1 Thess 2:3-4
Ephes 2: 1-10 , 1 Thess2:11-13
Ephes 2, 13, 2nd Tim 3:11
Ephes 3 :7-9, 2nd Tim 4:17
Ephes 4:1-7 , Philip p 1:6
Titus 1:1 , James 1:18
Titus 3:4-7, James 2 :5
Hebrews 1:9, James 4:8, 10, 12
Hebrews 2:13, 1st Peter 1: 1,2,3,15
Hebrews 9:15, 1st Peter 2:21-25
1st Peter 2:4,9-10 1st John 3: 24
1st John 2:20-21, 1st John 4 1-3
1st John 3:1-3 , 1st John 4:10, 13,19
1st John 5: 19-20
Ephes 2:1-2 " As for you , you "were" dead (spiritually dead) in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of the world.
(spiritually dead, the condition of man when we enter the world, our true nature, we are all children of wrath, we are lost in our sin). (Genesis 3 the fall of man )
Ephes 2:3 "All of us lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest we WERE by nature objects of wrath. (AHHHHH) vs 4 "BUT GOD" "because of his great love for us God, who is rich in mercy, vs 5 made us alive, (now spiritually alive! our present condition) with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved. "
1st Corinth 2 :12-14 "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiriually discerned."
John 6:44 "No one can ( has the ablility) come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him,"
God has intervened ! God moves in our lives! God has chosen His people !God has opened our eyes! God becomes bigger and bigger,and we as believers, become smaller and smaller.
This is not about you or me , it is all about HIM. We play no role in salvation. " He" is the Vine and "we" are the branches. He has taken our heart of stone and given us a heart of flesh.
It is not a position of pride and arrogance but of humility and thanksgiving, that God would have mercy on whomever he'd have mercy.
We now understand that we can share the Gospel and evangelize , BUT GOD, has to move in our lives, for anyone to hear it, to open their eyes, to want to Know our Lord and Saviour.
Someone may never respond to the Gospel ,if God does not intervene, God has to enable you, to draw you, "BUT GOD!"
What does a dead person (spiritually ) need...........LIFE ! God has to move in our lives.
Why did I believe the Gospel after years of being in so-called man-made religion, tradition ? it was not because of my bloodline, my effort, or my decision. GOD, moved in my life, as I was seeking to Know Him, and to be KNOWN by HIM. " He "moved in my life. I was blind and now I see! God saved me, in spite of who I am, not because of who I am.
Romans 5: 6-8 "Christ died for the ungodly, very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. BUT God, domonstrated his own love for us in this while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (you may die for a family member, maybe a friend you have known for years, but would you die for an enemy ? someone who hated you, who mocked you, who stoned you, that's what Jesus did . He died for the ungodly.)
something I have been working on :
I spent 2 days looking through the Old Testament at Scripture where, we see, where God's Word tells us about; God's chosen, God's elect, those who are called. I invite you to look at Scripture, look to His Word, and Seek him with all your heart.
Gospel John 6:44, Acts 2:39
Romans 8:28
Gospel John 6:65
Acts 9 whole chapter Pauls conversion
Romans 9:18
Gospel John8:47,
Acts 16: 14, 1st Corin 1:9
Gospel John 10:25-28
Romans 5:5 1st
Corin 1:26-31
1st Corin 2:10-16
Philip 1:27-29
1st Corin 3:6-10
Coloss 1:3-6
2Corin 1:21-22 , Coloss 1 : 21-22
2Corin 3:5-6 , Coloss 1:27-29
2Corin 4:6-7 , Coloss 2:6
2Corin 5:5, 16-21, Coloss 2:13-15
Galat 1:11-16, 1 Thess 1:4-5
Epehs 1:4-15 , 1 Thess 2:3-4
Ephes 2: 1-10 , 1 Thess2:11-13
Ephes 2, 13, 2nd Tim 3:11
Ephes 3 :7-9, 2nd Tim 4:17
Ephes 4:1-7 , Philip p 1:6
Titus 1:1 , James 1:18
Titus 3:4-7, James 2 :5
Hebrews 1:9, James 4:8, 10, 12
Hebrews 2:13, 1st Peter 1: 1,2,3,15
Hebrews 9:15, 1st Peter 2:21-25
1st Peter 2:4,9-10 1st John 3: 24
1st John 2:20-21, 1st John 4 1-3
1st John 3:1-3 , 1st John 4:10, 13,19
1st John 5: 19-20
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