Joy In Believing.

 

Believing.

Does believing in a thing always make it reality?  No, absolutely not. You could believe a lie, and because you believe that lie when you realize it was a lie you believed in you comprehend that you were wrong to believe. What you believed in wasn't a reality. People like to have facts to back up their beliefs. People don't want to be caught believing lies. People feel like fools when they've allowed themselves to be duped. To tell someone to believe when you have very little tangible proof, is asking a lot. However… if what someone is telling you to believe is not something that could ever hurt you in any way- to believe-  how are you duped?  But if you don't believe you will be hurt in the worst way ever- do you risk choosing not to believe?

I'm not talking about our temporary life.  Yes, you'll get a lot of people who believe this life is all there is to life and it all ends when they die. My heart goes out to those people because they choose to only believe in a life filled with all kinds of heartache and pain, when it costs them NOTHING to believe in something more.  Some might say it could cost them their life now to believe in that something more, and they're right- people die to believe all the time. Those people who do die, count that cost worth it in order to believe. They believe in hope, in eternal hope, everlasting life, love unending and to believe in such amazing things takes nothing from them, because even if they're called to give their lives for those beliefs, those beliefs give them joy now. 

You've heard of the saying- there is no down side- well, there is no down side to believing in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, none. Joy now in believing, and joy when that belief is realized.

Faith in the joy of salvation in Jesus Christ is in no way foolish.  The only foolish ones are those who do not allow themselves the hope, the joy through believing.  

A.T. Jones- Excerpt-January 17, 1899

Faith is the depending upon the word of God only, and expecting that word only to do what the word says.

Justification by faith, then, is justification by depending upon the word of God only and expecting that word only to accomplish it.

Justification by faith is righteousness by faith, for justification is the being declared righteous.

Faith comes by the word of God. Justification by faith, then, is justification that comes by the word of God.  Righteousness by faith is righteousness that comes by the word of God.

The word of God is self-fulfilling, for in creating all things, "he spake and it was." And when He was on earth, He stilled the raging sea, cleansed the lepers, healed the sick, raised the dead, and forgave sins, all by His word:  there, too, "he spake, and it was."

Now the same One who, in creating, "spake, and it was", the same One who said, "Let there be light, and there was light," the same One who on earth spoke "the word only," and the sick were healed, the lepers were cleansed, and the dead lived--this same One speaks the righteousness of God unto and upon all that believe.

For though all have sinned and come short of the righteousness of God, yet we are "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth . . . to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God."

In creating all things in the beginning, God set forth Christ to declare the word which should cause all things to exist. Christ did speak the word only, and all things were. And in redemption, which is creation over again, God set forth Christ to declare the word of righteousness. And when Christ speaks the word only, it is so. His word,  whether in creating or in redeeming, is the same.

"The worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." Once there were no worlds, nor was there any of the material which now composes the worlds. God set forth Christ to declare the word which should produce the worlds, and the very material of which they should be composed.

"He spake, and it was." Before He spoke, there were no worlds; after He spoke, the worlds were there. Thus the word of God spoken by Jesus Christ is able to cause that to exist which has no existence before the word is spoken, and which, except for that word, never could have existence.

 

In this same way precisely it is in man's life. In man's life there is no righteousness. In man there is no righteousness from which righteousness can appear in his life. But God has set forth Christ to declare righteousness unto and upon man. Christ has spoken the word only, and in the darkened void of man's life there is righteousness to everyone who will receive it. Where, before the word is received, there was neither righteousness nor anything which could possibly produce righteousness, after the word is received, there is perfect righteousness and the very Fountain from which it springs. The word of God received by faith--that is,  the word of God expected to do what that word says and depended upon to do what it says--produces righteousness in the man and in the life where there never was any before; precisely as, in the original creation,  the word of God produced worlds where there never were any worlds before. He has spoken, and it is so to everyone that believeth: that is, to every one that receiveth. The word itself produces it.

"Therefore being justified (made righteous) by faith (by expecting and depending upon the word of God only)  we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. 5:1. That is so, bless the Lord! And feeding upon this blessed thing is cultivating faith.

We Choose. We Are All Given A Measure of Faith.

 God PUT an enmity between man and Satan.  There was no enmity until God put it there. Think about that for a moment. When Eve and Adam took and ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil they aligned themselves with the seducer, Satan himself. To align themselves with Satan meant not aligning themselves with God. They had been in alignment with God from the moment of their creation, they had every advantage of that alignment but the seducer used his formidable wiles to test their alignment with God. Being overcome by the seducer, mankind abdicated their alignment with God and could not get it back of their own accord. That they were ashamed of what they'd done is on record. They knew instantly they'd made a grave error in judgment. Their regret had to be overwhelming. They immediately lost the light of God's pureness, their heavenly covering, a part of their alignment with God. As the veil of purity was wrenched off them, they were horrified by what was revealed beneath the Holy covering. They'd been changed from the sinless, to the sinful instantly, and sin is ugly, sin is an abhorrence. They knew they were different right away and not in a good way.  They knew they'd left the alliance with God and traded it for an alliance with something evil, something shameful. Mankind was NOT created to die. In order to die mankind was instantaneously altered from sinless creations to something awful, sin-filled. Make no mistake the way our bodies are now, are not the way God intended them to be. We made the choice and that choice changed us in ways that have allowed us to decay, to get sick, to be injured, to have deformity and so on. Our mere bodily system of normal functioning can make us ill, we have refuse in us that needs to be eliminated constantly- this was NOT how we were created to be. Sin changed us. The loss of immortality through God's pure light and love, took all that was of God and immortal from us. We became creatures of sin.  

But God didn’t want to lose us eternally. God knew that within us where part of Him dwelt in spirit, a part of Him allowed to remain by His mercy and grace, we could be restored to Him one day. God PUT an enmity between US and SATAN. We would be allowed to choose. Such love! Such awesome LOVE. We each get to choose, every individual capable of deciding can choose. Those incapable of choosing are God's through His mercy, His love and only He knows truly who are those incapable. 

*******

 Excerpt A.T. Jones- January 10, 1899 -

"The knowledge of what the Scripture means when urging upon us the necessity of cultivating faith is more essential than any other knowledge that can be acquired."

Notice that it is the knowledge of what the Scripture means as to the "necessity of cultivating faith"--not particularly having faith but cultivating it.

There is not much said in the Scriptures about any necessity of our having faith, while very, very much is said about our cultivating faith.

The reason of this is that to all people there is given faith to begin with, and all they need to do is to cultivate faith. 

Nobody can have more faith than is already given him without cultivating the faith that is already given.

And there is nothing known to man that will grow so fast as faith, when it is cultivated--"faith groweth exceedingly."

2Th_1:3  We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth

Faith is the expecting that the word of God itself will accomplish what that word says, and the depending upon "the word only" to accomplish what the word says. 

To cultivate dependence on the word of God, "the word only," itself to do what the word says is to cultivate faith.

Faith is "the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8), and that it is given to everybody is plainly stated in the Scriptures.

 "God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." Rom. 12:3.

This measure of faith which "God hath dealt to every man" is the capital with which God endows and starts "every man that cometh into the world," and every man is expected to trade upon this capital--cultivate it--to the salvation of his soul.

There is no danger of ever lessening this capital when it is used; as certainly as it is used at all, it will increase. It will grow exceedingly. And as certainly as it grows, the righteousness, the peace, the joy, of the Lord, are assured to the full salvation of the soul.

Again, faith comes by the word of God. Therefore, it is written, "The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach." Rom. 10:8. Thus faith, the very word of faith, is in the mouth and in the heart of every man.

How is this? Thus: When the first pair sinned in the garden, they wholly believed Satan. They gave themselves wholly to Satan. They were taken completely captive by him. Then there was perfect agreement and peace between them and Satan. But God did not leave it so. He broke up this agreement; He spoiled this peace. And He did it by His word, saying to Satan, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed." Gen. 3:15.

"It is God alone that can continually put enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent's seed. After the transgression of man, his nature became evil. Then was peace between Satan and fallen man. Had there been no interference on the part of God, men would have formed an alliance against heaven, and in the place of warfare among themselves, carried on nothing but warfare against God. There is no native enmity between fallen angels and fallen men. Both are evil and that through apostasy, and evil, wherever it exists, will always league against good. Fallen angels and fallen men join in companionship. The wise general of fallen angels calculated that if he could induce men, as he had angels, to join in rebellion, they would stand as his agents of communication with men to league in rebellion against heaven. Just as soon as one separates from God, he has no power of enmity against Satan. The enmity on earth between man and Satan is supernaturally put there. 

Unless the converting power of God is brought daily to bear upon the human heart, there will be no inclination to be religiously inclined, but men will choose to be the captives of Satan rather than to be free men in Jesus Christ. 

I say God will put enmity. Man cannot put it. When the will is brought into subject to the will of God, it must be through man's inclining his heart and will to be on the Lord's side." Unpublished Testimony.

This enmity against Satan, this hatred of evil, which God puts in every person by His word, causes each soul to long for deliverance, and the deliverance is found alone in Jesus Christ. Rom. 7:14-25.

Thus this word of God, which plants in each soul enmity against Satan, this hatred of evil that calls for deliverance which is found alone in Jesus Christ, this is the gift of faith to men. This is "the measure of faith" which God has dealt to every man. This is the "word of faith," which is in the mouth and in the heart of every person in the world.

This "is the word of faith, which we preach: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Rom. 10:8-10.

Therefore say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven, to bring faith to us? Neither say, Who shall descend into the deep, or, Who shall go far off to find faith and bring it to us? For "the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith, which we preach." Deut. 30:11-14; Rom. 10:6-8.

Say that--and exercise the faith which God has given to you, as to every other person in the world, for "understanding how to exercise faith, this is the science of the gospel."

Evil Is Temporary.

 God cannot lie.

Tit 1:2  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began

We can lie, we do lie, it happens all the time. We lie to ourselves often, and also to others. We call them innocuous lies, but no lie is innocuous, they all have consequences. 

Do you think the Devil tallies up the lies told- all of them from the very first human lie to the lies continuing even now as I write this? He is the father of lies. 

Joh_8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Each lie told is a tally mark for Satan, a sin in need of forgiveness. There are examples in the Bible of men and women of God lying, and their lies had consequences. They needed forgiveness from each and every lie, just as we do. We can't think our lies don't matter. Our words matter, and they are nothing like God's words. God's words do not lie, God cannot lie. God can be trusted. It's we who twist God's words to mean things they do not. We warp the meaning and context and then blame God for our own deception. Sometimes we even deceive ourselves, we begin to believe our own lies and we are allowed to do that because God does not force our hands, God does not stop our bent on evil not in the tiniest form of evil or the most horrific. We wonder why, and claim if we were God we wouldn't let these terrible things happen. We rail against God and say He's no God at all for allowing the evil. We make so many accusations and the truth of the matter is, God's mercy has all the evil, the worst of the worst of evil, as only being temporary. TEMPORARY.  Does that make a difference? Yes, yes it does. Evil would have evil be eternal. God allows things to happen, but He has a gospel of the purest love that tells us all the evil is temporary. As we walk through the valleys of evil against ourselves and against others, against purest innocent, and against other evil, we can BELIEVE it's temporary! This is NOT how it will be forever! This our loving God has made sure of, He's proclaimed this truth and God cannot lie!

(Excerpt)

Faith is the expecting the word of God itself to do what the word says and depending upon that word itself to do what the word says.

When this is clearly discerned, it is perfectly easy to see how it is that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Since the word of God is imbued with creative power and so is able to produce in very substance the thing which that word speaks and since faith is the expectation that the word itself will do what the word says and depending on the word only to do what that word says, it is plain enough 

that faith is the substance of things hoped for.

Since the word of God is in itself creative and so is able to produce and cause to appear what otherwise would never exist nor be seen, and since faith is the expecting the word of God only to do just that thing and depending upon "the word only" to do it, it is plain enough that faith is "the evidence of things not seen."

Thus it is that "through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

He who exercises faith knows that the word of God is creative and that so it is able to produce the thing spoken.  Therefore, he can understand, not guess, that the worlds were produced, were caused to exist, by the word of God.

He who exercises faith can understand that though before the word of God was spoken, neither the things which are now seen nor the substances of which those things are composed, anywhere appeared, simply because they did not exist; yet when that word was spoken, the worlds were, simply because that word itself caused them to exist.

This is the difference between the word of God and the word of man. Man may speak, but there is no power in his words to perform the thing spoken. If the thing is to be accomplished which he has spoken, the man must do something in addition to speaking the word--he must make good his word.

Not so the word of God.

When God speaks, the thing is. And it is, simply because He has spoken. It accomplishes that which He was pleased to speak. It is not necessary that the Lord, as man, must do something in addition to the word spoken.  He needs not to make His word good; it is good. He speaks "the word only," and the things is accomplished.

And so it is written: "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe"--in you that exercise faith. 1 Thess. 2:13.

This also is how it is that it is "impossible for God to lie." It is not impossible for God to lie only because He will not, but also because He cannot. And He cannot lie, just because He cannot. It is impossible. And it is impossible, because when He speaks, the creative energy is in the word spoken, so that "the word only" causes the thing to be so.

Man may speak a word and it not be so. Thus man can lie, for to speak what is not so is to lie. And man can lie,  can speak what is not so, because there is no power in his word itself to cause the thing to be. With God this is impossible; He cannot lie, for "he spake, and it was"; He speaks, and it is so.

This is also how it is that when the word of God is spoken for a certain time, as in a prophecy for hundreds of years to come when that time actually has arrived, that word is fulfilled. And it is then fulfilled, not because, apart from the word, God does something to fulfill it, but because the word was spoken for that time, and in it is the creative energy which causes the word at that time to produce the thing spoken.

This is how it was that if the children had not cried, "Hosanna to the Son of David," the stones would have immediately cried out; and this is how it was that when the third day had come, it was "impossible" that He should be any longer holden of death.

O, the word of God is divine! In it is creative energy. It is "living and powerful." The word of God is self-fulfilling,  and to trust it and depend upon it as such, that is to exercise faith. "Hast thou faith?"

January 3, 1899 A.T. Jones 

The Vine of All Living.

 

In the mists of early morning, in the garden beyond the border, there under the wings of the angels, I peered. 

A beam of sunlight struck the minuscule droplets of water, and in a burst of vapor dissipated the veil before my vision. There in glorious beauty, I beheld the magnificent Vine. 

No ordinary vine was this before me. In all my knowledge-seeking I'd never been able to watch a vine writhing in growth, twisting and bringing forth new shoots even as other shoots withered and began their slow descent to the ground. 

The dying tendrils caught my eye, momentarily distracting me from the myriad of newly budding shoots. Before any of the dying shoots, broken off from the Vine, could touch the mossy floor below they turned to dark, thick dust, and wind swept them away. Not a single withering slip of decay ever touched the earth, it simply vanished.

Quickly my attention returned to the constant new growth, intermingling with the continuous release of the non-viable tendrils and it was a sight unlike anything known to me before.

Nature beyond this angel guarded garden simply had never shown us such a wondrous Vine as this, Vine of all Vines. We'd been allowed glimpses of such wonders. A plant whose flower would bloom only once a hundred years, a plant whose flower opened fully for only a single night, a water shoot growing twelve inches in one day… yet all these marvels could not compare to this Vine. 

This was the true Vine of all living, of all who had ever lived, and all who had ever died. Each offshoot of bearing life kept its promise of living even when it no longer grew- there attached to the Vine in a state of suspended growth- it would never die, rather forever be a part of this wondrous Vine.

Each offshoot of death left its tiny pockmark in the Vine for now, a testament to a life that could have been. 

All the tiny tendrils newly shooting forth were growing either towards life, or towards death. 

As I bore witness to the growing vines I noticed that many of them, if not all, were writhing each in their own almost agonizing way. I longed for a closer inspection of those living tendrils and even as I leaned inward I felt a sudden heat surround me. Daring to look upwards, I gasped as the glowing swords of the angel guardians ignited into flames of the most brilliant fire. I knew instantly this was a mere warning. I would only be allowed to catch glimpses of this majesty before me, not enter within the garden, not cross the border by even a hairsbreadth  

Leaning back, the instant relief from the glowing fire above rushed over me. As sweat beaded down my forehead and dotted my cheeks, I knew how close I had come to my own end should I have dared to move any closer. 

Yet the struggle of the tiny vine shoots beckoned my attention. Those living tendrils branched outwards from the vine pushing from within them something, but what? Were those fruit?! The tiny bits of golden nubs dotting a tiny branch here and there, fruit? Oh, how those struggling shoots were tormented by some unseen force! They struggled as they chose life, clearly longing for something, perhaps a promise of what they would one day become.

A heavy weight dropped upon my heart, but only for the briefest of moments. The weight then lifted, taken from me, as the story's end flashed into realization, a memory from the past.

Being allowed this brief vision of truth I knew that all I'd been told of the Vine long ago would come to pass one day. 

As the lore passed down through time unwound its tale I knew the Vine would not bring forth new shoots forever. One day the last tiny tendril would come forth from the Vine, and then all that would remain would be for each tendril still growing to compete its life cycle- choosing death or life. When the decision for each was made and the very last slip of life was decided, then and only then would the Vine bring into being the everlasting blooms promised of the Vine. All the sleeping branches of the Vine would once more spring to full life obtaining their ultimate end of eternal flowering along with every single living shoot attached to the Vine. Such beauty! Such wonder! How miraculous that would be to behold! 

To see the Vine of All Living. Such a gift I'd been given. As the vision clouded before me and I fought drifting downwards into a deep thought-less sleep, my lips curled in a soft smile, I would remember this dream. And I did.

*******

Joh 15:1  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 

Joh 15:2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 

 Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 

Abide.... do we abide in Christ?  More on this tomorrow by the grace of our Lord and Savior.

The Word Has Power.

 

What Is Faith.

 The Word of God.

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God. 

Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

Joh 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 

Joh 1:5  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 

Joh 1:6  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 

Joh 1:7  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 

Joh 1:8  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 

Joh 1:9  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 

Joh 1:10  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 

Joh 1:11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 

Joh 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 

Joh 1:13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 

Joh 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 

Joh 1:15  John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 

Joh 1:16  And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 

Joh 1:17  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 

Joh 1:18  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. 

Cultivating Faith - What Is Faith?

(Excerpt)

In order to be able to know what the Scripture means when urging upon us the necessity of cultivating faith, it is essential to know, first of all, what is faith.

Plainly, it must be too little purpose to urge upon a person the necessity of cultivating faith, while that person has no intelligent idea of what faith is. And it is sadly true that, though the Lord has made this perfectly plain in the Scriptures, there are many church-members who do not know what faith is. They may even know what the definition of faith is, but they do not know what the thing is. They do not grasp the idea that is in the definition.

For that reason the definition will not be touched now, but rather there will be cited and studied an illustration of faith-an instance which makes it stand out so plainly that all can see the very thing itself.

Faith comes "by the word of God." To the Word, then, we must look for it.

One day a centurion came to Jesus and said to him, "Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof, but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed . . .  When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." Matt. 8:6-10.

There is what Jesus pronounces faith. When we find what that is, we have found faith. To know what that is, is to know what faith is. there can be no sort of doubt about this, for Christ is "the Author . . . of faith," and He says that that which the centurion manifested was "faith"--yes, even "great faith."

Where, then, in this is the faith? The centurion wanted a certain thing done. He wanted the Lord to do it. But when the Lord said, "I will come" and do it, the centurion checked Him, saying, "Speak the word only," and it shall be done.

Now what did the centurion expect would do the work? "The word ONLY." Upon what did he depend for the healing of his servant? Upon "the word ONLY."

Now, brother, sister, what is faith?

December 6, 1898 A.T Jones EXCERPT

Not Our Righteousness.

 Christ's Righteousness saves us! This must be a constant reminder and not a reminder in such a way as we know we sin and are forgiven, so we deliberately indulge in sinful ways without true remorse. We cannot have the attitude of once saved, always saved- this is a ruse of Satan's many have fallen for.  Accepting Christ as our Savior is an ongoing continuous way of life. Christ is part of us, Christ is in us- our hope. Christ is our righteousness in us. We can go an entire day without falling into sin by overcoming our temptations that so easily beset us, but it will still NOT be us who have not sinned and are now are righteous because of that. We CANNOT make ourselves righteous, or find any righteousness in us outside of Christ's righteousness.  IF we do happen to overcome some more obvious and blatant sins we are prone to -we must give all the glory to God for that overcoming. At the same time we have to continue to recognize that our thoughts can also betray us with sin. Our righteousness is forever Christ's righteousness, and never ours. The victory over sin is Christ's victory and we partake of that through His grace! Having such an amazing gift as salvation does not intitle us to presumptuously sin, not ever. If sin ever becomes acceptable to us and not abhorrent we seriously need to seek forgiveness urgently! Forever let us kneel at the foot of the cross, recognizing the sacrifice made for us, and the righteousness of Christ alone- His righteousness in us. All through HIS LOVE!

(Excerpt)

 

"Now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;  even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

Ro. 3:21-23

The righteousness of God is that which every man is to seek first of all. 

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." Matt 6:33 And in the way of righteousness there is life. It is impossible to separate the life of God from the righteousness of God. As certainly as you have the righteousness of God, so certainly you have the life of God.

And "now the righteousness of God is made known." Ro. 1:17 Now is at this time, at this very moment, even while you read. At this very moment, then, the righteousness of God is manifested "unto all, and upon all them that believe." Ro. 3:22  Do you believe in Jesus Christ now, at this moment? Do you? If you say, Yes, then "now," at this very moment, the righteousness of God is made known to you and upon you. Do you believe it? The word of God says that it is; do you say that it is? And if you do not say that it is, then do you believe the word? When the Lord says plainly to you that His righteousness is "now" manifested unto you and upon you and you do not say that it is now manifested unto you and upon you, then do you really believe the Lord? When He plainly says a thing to you and you will not say that that thing is true to you, then do you really believe Him?

The Lord wants you to say that what He says is so; that it is so "now," at this moment, and that it is so to you and in you. "A new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you."  1 Jn 2:8 When the Lord says a thing, it is true, even though nobody in the world ever believes it. It would be true in Him, but not in them. But He wants it to be true in you as well as in Himself. And when you acknowledge that what He says is true to you "now," at this moment, then that thing is true in Him and in you. This is believing God. It is believing His word.  This is having His word abiding in you. And, "If ye abide in me and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." Jn. 15:7

 

Many people are ready to admit, in a general way, that what the Lord says is so; they will admit that it may be so to other people, but that it is so to themselves, just now, they will not say. Such people do not really know that the word of God is true. "Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God." Ro. 14:22 

If you do not have faith for yourself,  faith of your own, you do not have faith at all. If you do not believe the word of the Lord as being true to you personally and now, you do not believe it at all; for as you are not living yesterday nor tomorrow but just now,  while it is now, so if you do not believe now, you do not believe at all. Therefore the word of God is that now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation; 2 Cor. 6:2 and, "Now the righteousness of God . . . is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe." Ro. 3:21,22

Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour now? You can answer that in one moment; you know that you do. Then this moment thank the Lord that His righteousness is manifested unto you and upon you. He not only says it but He gives you witnesses to the fact--it is witnessed by the law and the prophets. That law which you have transgressed, that law that has shown you guilty before God, that very law "now," in view of the manifestation of the righteousness of God, witnesses that you have a just claim to this righteousness and that you are thereby justified through the faith of Jesus Christ. 

The prophets likewise witness to this blessed fact. "The moment the sinner believes in Christ, he stands in the sight of God uncondemned; for the righteousness of Christ is his; Christ's perfect obedience is imputed to him." 

Ro. 4:22-24

Is not this, then, sufficient to cause you to say now, at this moment if never before, that "now the righteousness of God is manifested" unto you and upon you who now do believe in Jesus?

"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,  through the forbearance of God." Ro. 3:25

Would you rather have the righteousness of God now than to have your sins?  You say, Yes. Very good. God has "now" set forth Christ Jesus "to declare" to you "his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past."

Will you let the sins go now, this moment; and take the righteousness which He is set forth purposely to give and which He now, this moment, freely gives? "Being justified freely." Ro.3:24 "Being" is present tense. "Was" is past; "shall be" is future; but "being" is present. Therefore the Lord says to you and of you who believe in Jesus, "Being [now, at this moment] justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus . . . through the forbearance of God."

But the Lord does not drop the subject yet. He emphasizes the present power and blessing of this infinite fact.  "To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness." Ro.3:26 First He says that it is "now" that the righteousness of God is manifested unto all and upon all them that believe; then He speaks of all such as "being justified freely", Ro.3:24 and next He emphasizes it all thus: "To declare, I say at this time his righteousness." Ro.3:26  O poor, trembling, doubting soul, is not this assurance enough that now, at this moment, the righteousness of God is yours? That now you are being justified freely by His grace? that now, "at this time," righteousness is declared to you for the remission of all your sins that are past?

Is not this enough? It is enough to satisfy the Lord, for He says, "To declare, I say, at this time, his righteousness; that he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." Then as it is all-sufficient to satisfy the Lord, is it not enough to satisfy you? Will you now take the fullness of this blessed "gift of righteousness," which is life, so that the Lord, by seeing the fruit of the travail of His soul, shall be satisfied again, and so, by your rejoicing, be doubly satisfied? This is all He asks of you. For "to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Ro.4:5

Here is the word of God, the word of righteousness, the word of life, to you "now," "at this time." "Will you be made righteous by it now? Will you live by it now? This is justification by faith. This is righteousness by faith. It is the simplest thing in the world. It is simply whether the word of God shall be true in you "now" or not. God spoke to Abraham, "Tell the stars, if thou be able to number them. . . . So shall thy seed be." And "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." "Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up our Lord Jesus from the dead; who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

"Now," "at this time," it is true; it is true in him. Now, at this time, let it be true in you.

November 10, 1896 A.T. Jones EXCERPT

The Word.

 

All Powerful Word of God.

 Can you speak anything into existence? No, you can't. You cannot sit there and speak words such as- "Let there be a flower blooming in the empty flowerpot before me."  No, it won't happen.  You can't say, "Let there be a puppy in the empty puppy kennel across the room." No, puppy will appear by your words.  You might say, "Let there be a flower blooming in that empty flowerpot before me." And then someone plants a flower there, or you do so yourself, but your word would not put a flower in that pot any more than your word could produce a puppy instantaneously in that kennel. Your word might cause something to happen by other means, but your word alone would not. This is factual. 

We call speaking and having something appear out of nowhere at all- magic.  We have people called magicians who work tirelessly to perfect slight of hand so it appears as if their words make things happen instantly. We all know that such trickery is just that, someone learning to use deceptions to fool us into thinking something is what it isn't. People go to schools to learn these sorts of illusions. They read books on it, study online sources, and have others pass down their tricks of the trade. 

The truth is, only GOD has ever spoken something from nothing into existence.

The Devil has used trickery to deceive, and the Devil has used his angelic powers to make things seem magical and miraculous, but even the Devil has not spoken a world into existence, or created a sun or moon, or animals, or plants. 

Being able to SPEAK into existence life, is only of God. Is it any wonder God's word is so incredibly all powerful beyond our mere imaginings.

(Excerpt) 

'"As the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Isa 55:10,11

 

The earth can bring forth vegetation only because of the moisture that comes upon it by the rain or the snow from heaven. Without this, everything would fade and perish. So also is it with the life of man and the word of God.  

Without the word of God the life of man is as barren of power and of good as is the earth without rain. But only let the word of God fall upon the heart as the showers upon the earth; then the life will be fresh and beautiful in the joy and peace of the Lord, and fruitful with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ.

Notice, too, it is not you who are to do that which he pleases; but, "It shall accomplish that which I please," You are not to read or hear the word of God, and say, I must do that, I will do that. You are to open the heart to that word, that it may accomplish the will of God in you. It is not you who are to do it, but it. "It", the word of God itself, is to do it, and you are to let it. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you."

This is stated in another place thus: "When ye receive the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."  1Th 2:13  

Thus it is the word of God that must work in you. You are not to work to do the word of God: the word of God is to work in you to cause you to do. 

"Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." Col 1:29 

The word of God being living and full of power, when it is allowed to work in the life, there will be powerful work wrought in that individual. As this word is the word of God, the power, of which is full, is only the power of God;  and when that word is allowed to work in the life, there will be the work of God manifested in the life-it is his power working mightily. And thus it is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Php 2:13 "It shall accomplish that which I please." Let it.

From these scriptures it is plain that we are expected to look upon the word of God only as self-fulfilling. The word of God is self-fulfilling. This is the great truth presented everywhere in the Bible This is the difference between the word of God and the word of men. And this is just the difference emphasized in the passage that says, "When ye received the word of God,...ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."

 

There is no power in the word of a man to do what it says. Whatever may be the man's ability to accomplish what he says, there is no power in the man's word itself to accomplish what he says. A man's word may express the easiest possible thing for him to accomplish, and you may thoroughly believe it, yet it is altogether dependent upon the man himself to accomplish it apart from his word. It is not his word that does it. It is he himself that must do it; and this just as really as though he had spoken no word at all. Such is the word of men.

It is not so with the word of God. When the word is spoken by the Lord, there is at that moment in that word the living power to accomplish what the word expresses. It is not needed that the Lord employ any shadow of any other means than that word itself to accomplish what the word says. The Bible is full of illustrations of this, and they are written to teach us this very thing, -that we shall look upon the word as the word of God, and not as the word of men; and that we may receive it thus as it is in truth, the word of God, that it may work effectually in us the will and good pleasure of God.

"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.... For he spake, and it was." Psa 33:6  "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." Heb 11:3 

At first there were no worlds at all. More than this, there was none of the materials of which the worlds are made. There was nothing. Then God spoke, and all the worlds were in their places. From whence came the worlds, then? Before he spoke, there were none; after he spoke, there they were. Whence, then, did they come? What produced them? What produced the material of which they are composed? What caused them to exist? It was the word which was spoken that did it all. And this word did it all, because it was the word of God. There was in that word the divinity of life and spirit, the creative power, to do all that the word expressed. Such is the word of God. 

"And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you." 1Pe 1:25    

The word of God in the Bible is the same,-the same in life, in spirit, in creative power,-precisely the same, as that word that made the heavens and all the host of them. It was Jesus Christ who spoke the word at creation; it is he who speaks the word in the Bible. At creation the word which he spoke made the worlds; in the Bible the word which he speaks saves and sanctifies the soul. In the beginning the word which he spoke created the heavens and the earth; in the Bible the word which he speaks creates in Christ Jesus the man who receives that word. In both places, and everywhere in the work of God, it is the word that does it.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Receive it, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you. Then, "as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." "To you is the word of this salvation sent." Act_13:26   "And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able [literally, 'full of power'] to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." Act 20:32'

Excerpt - Advent Review and Sabbath Herald A.T. Jones October 20, 1896

Everything Depends Upon the Word of God.

 Would you die for a book?

Would you die for words?

Would you die for letters?

The book would have to be very important to you, very, very important for you to die for it, right? It would have to be your most favorite book, a favored possession above all other- if you are willing to give up your very life for that book.

It sounds ludicrous, doesn't it? Dying for a book. No book should be that important, right? Wrong.

Before this book was put into written form fully, the message of the book was known and told over and over- and people died just because they believed in the message of the book. 

They DIED for a message!

To those who hold the message in contempt and have no attachment to the message or the subsequent book containing the message, consider those who do the opposite- foolish, idiots, stupid, demented, deceived, duped, delusional, and so on. Yet, it wasn't just one who was willing to die for this book, MANY throughout the years have died for it, MANY. 

This book of such importance surely must be worth a fortune and be hard to come by- and guess what- for some it's both, for others they can get the book for free and very easily. Some have to hide the book for fear of their lives should authorities discover the book, others have five or six of this book in and about their homes, maybe even in storage.

This BOOK, this amazing BOOK, is so powerful in the right hands that Satan has tried his best to eradicate it, and then in a change of tactics, he simply lessened its importance and made it seem powerless, and surely not worth studying, or reading daily.  Satan has also had this book translated with words so twisted from their original that it's not the true book, but a widely accepted counterfeit- close to the truth but not the truth. 

Such a BOOK! A book of POWER! 

This book was USED by Jesus Himself to overcome sin! 

POWERFUL beyond imagining.

We are told this-- 2Ti_2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

POWERFUL!

If I told you I knew how to overcome sin, that knowledge would be awesome and you'd want to know how, right? 

Overcome sin. Jesus overcame sin. How did Jesus overcome sin? Through the WORD OF GOD.

Is it any wonder why some people have died and are willing still to die just to have the Word of God?  This word has the power to OVERCOME sin!

Read the following excerpt, it is so incredible in revealing better than I ever could the power of the Book of God, the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures.

Excerpt-

'In the Christian life everything depends upon the word of God. 

It is true that God is able and desires to keep us from sinning, but this must be done through His word. 

So it is written, "By the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer." (Ps. 17:4 ) "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee." 

This is the way that God has appointed and there is no other way to have this thing accomplished.

Psa 119:11  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Nor is this way appointed merely because He arbitrarily chose that this should be the way and then laid it upon men that this must be the way that they should go. His word is the way of salvation and the way of sanctification (Christian living) because this is the way that the Lord does things, because this is the way that He manifests Himself. 

It was by His word that He created all things in the beginning. 

It is by His word that He creates men anew, and it will be by His word that He will recreate this world and all things pertaining to it. 

"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. . . . For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast." Psa_33:6 ,9 

"Being born again. . . by the word of God."1Pe_1:23 

"And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new. . . . And he said unto me, It is done." Rev_21:5 

It is not only that the worlds were created by the word of God, but they are also sustained by the same word. 

"By the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water; whereby  [by the word of God] 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." 2Pe 3:5-7  

So also it is not only that the Christian is created by the word of God, but by that same word He is sustained, nourished, and caused to grow. God holds up "all things" by His powerful word. And the Christian is among this "all things" no less than any or all the worlds.

There can be no question whatever that all the worlds are held up and held in their places by the Lord. But it is not only all the worlds, it is "all things" that are held up and held in place by the Lord. And it is as true of the Christian as it is of any star in the firmament or any world on high. Nor can there be any question that the stars and the worlds are held up and held in their courses by the word of the Lord. And no less than this can there be any question that the Christian is held up and held in his right course by the word of the Lord.

This is to be believed and depended upon by every one who professes the name of Christ. You and I can no more hold ourselves up and in the right way than can the sun or the earth. And as certainly as the worlds are dependent upon His word, so certainly is the Christian to depend upon His word. 

And when this is so, the Christian is kept in the way of the Lord as certainly and as easily as is any planet in the universe. It is written that He "is able to keep you from falling." Jud_1:24

And He says, "I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." 

Isa_41:10 

"Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand." Rom_14:4

O struggling, failing Christian, is not that word which holds up great worlds able also to hold up you? Trust that word. Depend implicitly upon it. Rest wholly upon it, and then you will find rest in it. Trust the Lord to hold you up, just as you trust Him to hold up the sun. His word holds up the sun, and His word is over and over to you,  "Fear thou not; for I am with thee." "I will uphold thee." I will keep thee, thou art mine. Isa_41:10; 43:1 "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." Heb_13:5 I will never leave thee till I have done that thing which I have spoken to thee of.Gen_28:15

"The word of God is quick ['living,' R. V.] and powerful." Heb_4:12  "Powerful" means "full of power." the word of God is living and full of power, to do for you, with you, and in you, all that that word says. Believe that word, trust it, for it is the word of the living God. It is the word of the pitying Saviour.

"Receive with meekness the engrafted word,  which is able to save your soul." Jas_1:21  "I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up."Act_20:32   "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." Col_3:16   You "are kept by the power of God through faith." 1Pe_1:5 

The power of God is manifested through His word and therefore it is His powerful word. Faith comes by hearing the word of God; Rom_10:17 therefore, it is the faithful word, the word full of faith. Therefore when He says, you "are kept by the power of God through faith," it is only saying in another way, You are kept by the word of God, "unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." Believe that word, trust it, and find its keeping power.'

Excerpt - Advent Review and Sabbath Herald A.T. Jones Oct. 13. 1896

Overcoming.

 1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 

1Jn 5:1  Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

We want to overcome the world, don't we? Because overcoming the world is overcoming all the evil of this world.  

Joh 8:23  And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 

Jesus wasn't OF this world.

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 

1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 

They are of the world,

We are not of the world.

We must overcome the world. 

Joh 17:14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 

We are NOT of the world.

Jesus is NOT of the world. 

We must be born of God to overcome the world.

We are born of God when we believe that Jesus is the Christ.

1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God

Jesus Christ CAME IN THE FLESH. 

It's so important to recognize what FLESH Jesus came into our world with. 

People sometimes want to believe that Jesus had special flesh when He was born. What was the point at all of Jesus taking on our humanity if He was going to have special flesh? Why bother taking on our flesh, being born of a dirt created creature if His dirt created flesh was not exactly as ours? He could have simply appeared as He had in the past- in the fire with Daniel- eating with Abraham before Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed. Unless the LORD was going to be born as a babe of a woman -taking from that woman the flesh she was created with, that her mother and father were created with all the way back to the beginning there was NO POINT in His being born as a babe at all! He took on OUR FLESH, He took from His mother all the nutrients He needed to grow in her womb. He was made of the same flesh we were made of, the same flesh. His flesh had the ability to die, just as our flesh. His flesh could bleed, just as our flesh. The part of Him that was from the Holy Spirit that blessed Jesus' mother with the part needed to join with the part of Mary to create the fetus is all a part of the MYSTERY of God.  God who could speak in to being man himself, could speak into existence the bit needed inside of Jesus' mother for the babe to begin and grow within her.  Did that part that was spoken into existence in Mary's womb make Jesus super human, with special flesh unable to be damaged? No. We know it did not, Jesus bled. Jesus' flesh could be cut, His flesh was not made of steel or any supernatural essence that made it impervious to all the things that could harm any human being. 

When the supernature essence merged with human flesh it created a being that was sinless, but sin able. 

When we are born we are born without sin. We DO NOT sin until we yield to temptation, and succumb to that temptation. We are born sinless, but sin able as well.  

The difference between us and our Savior is, ALL of US sin. ALL of Us yield to the temptations and sin! Jesus never yielded to temptation. 

If WE say Jesus had a special one-up on us to keep from sinning then HE could NOT have taken our place, and triumphed over sin. Satan would have accused Him instantly of overcoming under false pretenses. THINK ABOUT IT! REALLY THINK!

If we were in a contest with one of the contestants having special powers that we didn't have would that contest be fair? No! We'd cry foul instantly! 

Satan and our Savior are at war for humanity. Satan wants them as his because they chose his way. Our Savior wants them as his because He created them and know they were influenced wrongly by Satan. In order to save humanity, our Savior came to earth as a human being and proved that a human could live sinless, even if Satan was there to tempt Him.  If Jesus had used some special power that only He had to withstand the temptations of Satan, Satan would have laughed at what Jesus was doing, because it would only have proved that a God could withstand his temptations, not a human being. 

Jesus conquered sin and when He did that, He won the war for humanity. All who would choose, and choose constantly over their lifetime, HIS victory as theirs would be saved by HIM. 

Unlike Adam, Jesus was born with flesh corrupted by many, many years of sin. Adam and Eve were born with flesh never tainted by generations of sin. Jesus had to overcome the history of sinful flesh. Jesus felt every single temptation in forms equal to every temptation any in mankind can experience. Jesus had to overcome all those temptations weighed down by thousands of years of sin. Jesus had to SAVE US by being born with flesh that we are born with, and that is why He was born of a woman and not simply as a newly made from the dust of the ground, man. 

Jesus had to overcome what we are, the humans we are right now.

Jesus had to ENDURE the lure of temptation and He did without EVER succumbing to the lure.  So many people err when they think they've sinned by the lure of sinning. Satan is going to present temptation after temptation, lure after lure, to try and get us to succumb as often as he can. He presented many lures to Jesus, three notable ones when Jesus went to the wilderness after He was baptized. Jesus met each of those monumental temptations with the Word of God. Don't think for one moment that those were the only temptations Jesus had to endure. 

Heb_4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

IN ALL POINTS TEMPTED LIKE AS WE ARE.

We cannot forget this, or deny this! Jesus was TEMPTED LIKE AS WE ARE. And in order for Jesus to be tempted LIKE AS WE ARE He had to be like us! 

So, yes, all must confess that Jesus Christ came in the FLESH, our flesh!

1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God

And we can OVERCOME the world because HE overcame this world!

Our Faith

 1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 

(Excerpt)

'From the list that the Lord has drawn in 2 Cor. 6:1-10, it is plain that there is nothing that can ever come into the life of the believer in Christ but that the grace of God will take it and turn it to the good of the believer and make it serve only to his advancement toward perfection in Christ Jesus. This the grace of God will do always and nothing but this if only the believer will allow the Lord to have His own way in his life; if only he will allow grace to reign. Thus it is that "all things are for your sakes" and this is how "all things work together for good to them that love God." This is grand. It is indeed glorious. It is salvation itself. This is how the believer is enabled "always" to "triumph in Christ."

This however is but half the story. The Lord proposes not only to save him who now believes, but he will use him in ministering to all others the knowledge of God, that they also may believe. We are not to think that the Lord's grace and gifts to us are only for us. They are for us first, that is true. But they are for us first in order that not only we ourselves shall be saved but that we may be enabled to benefit all others in communicating to them the knowledge of God. We ourselves must be partakers of salvation before we can lead others to it. Therefore it is written, "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." And "all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation."

Thus every man who receives the grace of God at the same time receives with it the ministry of that grace to all others. Every one who finds himself reconciled to God receives with that reconciliation the ministry of reconciliation to all others. Here also the exhortation applies, "We . . . beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain."

Are you a partaker of grace? Then "minister the same" to others; do not receive it in vain.  Are you reconciled to God? Then know that He has given to you also the ministry of reconciliation. Have you received this ministry in vain?

If we do not receive the grace of God in vain, if only we will allow grace to reign, the Lord will cause it to be that "in all things" we shall approve "ourselves as the ministers of God." This is the truth. The Lord says it, and it is so. "In all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God." That is, in all things we shall be conveying to others the knowledge of God. And thus the Lord proposes not only to cause us always "to triumph in Christ" on our own part, but also to make "manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place." That is, he proposes to make known to others by us and in every place the knowledge of himself.

We cannot do this of ourselves. He is to do it by us. 

We are to cooperate with Him. 

We are to be workers together with Him. 

And when we do thus cooperate with Him, then as certainly as we do so, so certainly will He cause us always to triumph in Christ and will also make manifest the knowledge of Himself by us in every place.  He can do it; thank the Lord. Do not say, do not even think, that He cannot do this by you. He can do it by you.  He will, too, if only you will not receive His grace in vain.

If you will only let grace reign; if you will be a worker together with Him.

It is true that there is a mystery about how this can be. It is a mystery how God can make manifest the knowledge of Himself by such persons as you and I are, in any place, much less in every place. Yet mystery though it be, it is the very truth. But do we not believe the mystery of God? Assuredly we do believe it. Then never forget that the mystery of God is God manifest in the flesh. And you and I are flesh. Then the mystery of God is God manifest in you and me who believe. Believe it.

Do not forget, either, that the mystery of God is not God manifest in sinless flesh, but God manifest in sinful flesh. 

There could never be any mystery about God's manifesting Himself in sinless flesh--in one who had no connection whatever with sin. That would be plain enough. But that He can manifest Himself in flesh laden with sin and with all the tendencies to sin, such as ours is--that is a mystery. 

Yea, it is the mystery of God. And it is a glorious fact, thank the Lord! 

Believe it. And before all the world, and for the joy of every person in the world, in Jesus Christ He has demonstrated that this great mystery is indeed a fact in human experience. For "as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same." "In all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren." And therefore God "made him to be sin for us." "He hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Thus, in our flesh, having our nature laden with iniquity and Himself made to be sin, Christ Jesus lived in this world, tempted in all points like as we are and yet God always caused Him to triumph in Him and made manifest the savor of His knowledge by Him in every place. Thus God was manifest in the flesh--in our flesh, in human flesh laden with sin--and made to be sin in itself, weak and tempted as ours is.  And thus the mystery of God was made known to all nations for the obedience of the faith. O, believe it!

And this is the mystery of God today and forever--God manifest in the flesh, in human flesh, in flesh, laden with sin, tempted and tried. In this flesh God will make manifest the knowledge of Himself in every place where the believer is found. Believe it and praise His holy name!

This is the mystery which today in the third angel's message is again to be made known to all nations for the obedience of the faith. This is the mystery of God, which in this time is to be "finished,"--not only finished in the sense of being ended to the world, but finished in the sense of being brought to completion in its grand work in the believer. This is the time when the mystery of God is to be finished in the sense that God is to be manifest in the flesh in every true believer, in every place where that believer shall be found. This is, in deed and in truth, the keeping of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

"Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world," I have revealed God in the flesh. Our faith is the victory that has overcome the world. Therefore, and now, "Thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place."'

Excerpt - Advent Review and Sabbath Herald A.T. Jones Sept. 26, 1896

Grace to Save.

 

Satan's Goal- to cause the destruction, the complete and utter destruction of any human being he possible can. 

Jesus's Goal- to save any and all human beings He can from the destruction of Satan, by GRACE.

*******(Excerpt)

'But every believer, by his very profession, says that he has received the grace of God. 

Then if in the believer grace does not reign instead of sin, if grace does not have dominion instead of sin, it is plain enough that he is receiving the grace of God in vain. If grace is not bringing the believer onward toward a perfect man in the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, then he is receiving the grace of God in vain. Therefore the exhortation of the Scripture is, "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." 2 Cor. 6:1.

The grace of God is fully able to accomplish that for which it is given, if only it is allowed to work.

We have seen that grace being altogether from God, the power of grace is nothing but the power of God. 

It is plain enough therefore that the power of God is abundantly able to accomplish all for which it is given--the salvation of the soul, deliverance from sin and from the power of it, the reign of righteousness in the life, and the perfecting of the believer unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ--if only it can have place in the heart and in the life to work according to the will of God.

But the power of God is "unto salvation to everyone that believeth." 

Unbelief frustrates the grace of god. 

Many believe and receive the grace of God for the salvation from sins that are past but are content with that and do not give it the same place in the soul to reign against the power of sin, that they did to save from sins of the past. 

This, too, is but another phase of unbelief. So as to the one great final object of grace--the perfection of the life in the likeness of Christ-- they do practically receive the grace of God in vain.

"We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) Giving no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed." Nor does this word "ministry" refer simply to the ordained ministry of the pulpit. It includes everyone who receives the grace of God or that has named the name of Christ. For "as every man hath received the gift,  even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." 

Therefore he does not want anyone to receive the grace of God in vain, lest that grace and its blessed working be misrepresented to the world and so men be further hindered from yielding to it. He does not want His grace to be received in vain, because when it is, offense is given in many things, and the ministry of grace itself is blamed. Yet when the grace of God is not received in vain but is given the place that belongs to it, "no offense" will be given "in anything," and the ministry will not only be not blamed but will be blest.

And now to show how complete and all-pervading the reign of grace will be in the life where it is not received in vain, the Lord has set down the following list, embracing "all thing," and in which we shall approve ourselves unto God. Read it carefully:

   In all things approving ourselves unto God,

   In much patience,

   In afflictions,

   In necessities,

   In distresses,

   In stripes,

   In imprisonments,

   In tumults,

   In labors,

   In watchings,

   In fastings;

   By pureness,

   By knowledge,

   By longsuffering,

   By kindness,

   By the Holy Ghost,

   By love unfeigned,

   By the word of truth,

   By the power of God,

   By the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

   By honor and dishonor,

   By evil report and good report;

   As deceivers, and yet true;

   As unknown, and yet well known;

   As dying, and, behold, we live;

   As chastened, and not killed;

   As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;

   As poor, yet making many rich;

   As having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

This list covers all the experiences that can ever enter into the life of any believer in this world. It shows that where the grace of God is not received in vain, that grace will so take possession and control of the life, that every experience that enters into the life will be taken by grace and turned to making us approved unto God and building us up in perfection unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain."'

Excerpt - Advent Review and Sabbath Herald A.T. Jones Sept. 22, 1896

The Work of Grace Must Be Believed.

 Frustrating the Work of Grace.

Excerpt- Advent Review and Sabbath Herald A.T. Jones Sept. 22, 1896

Can every believer have grace enough to keep him free from sinning? 

Yes.

Indeed, everybody in the world can have enough to keep him from sinning. Enough is given, and it is given for this purpose. If anyone does not have it, it is not because enough has not been given, but because he does not take that which has been given.  

For "unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." Eph. 4:7. The measure of the gift of Christ is Himself wholly, and that is the measure of "all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." To the fullness of the Godhead there is, indeed, no measure; it is boundless. It is simply the infinity of God. 

Yet that is the only measure of the grace that is given to every one of us. The boundless measure of the fullness of the Godhead is the only thing that can express the proportion of grace that is given to everyone who is in this world. For "where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Rom 5:20

This grace is given in order that "as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord," and in order that sin shall not have dominion over you, because you are under grace. Rom_5:21

It is given also "for the perfecting of the saints." Eph_4:12 

The object of it is to bring each one to perfection in Christ Jesus--to the perfection too, that is fully up to God's standard, for it is given for the building up of the body of Christ, "till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."  Eph 4:13 

It is given to "every one of us," "till we all come" to perfection, even by the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Again, this grace is given to every one where sin abounds and it brings salvation to everyone to whom it is given. Bringing salvation in itself, the measure of the salvation which it brings to everyone is only the measure of its own fullness, which is nothing less than the measure of the fullness of the Godhead.

As boundless grace is given to every one bringing salvation to the extent of its own full measure, then if any one does not have boundless salvation, why is it? Plainly it can be only because he will not take that which is given.

As boundless grace is given to everyone in order that it shall reign in him against all the power of sin, as certainly as ever sin reigned and in order that sin shall not have dominion, then if sin still reigns in anyone, if sin yet has dominion over anyone, where lies the fault? 

Clearly, it lies only in this, that he will not allow the grace to do for him and in him that which it is given to do. 

By unbelief he frustrates the grace of God. So far as he is concerned, the grace has been given in vain.

To be continued.

We are not our own hope, Christ is our hope!

 Joy unspeakable. 

1Pe_1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory

We don't see Christ, but we know Christ. Christ is in us, our hope. 

Col_1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory

Christ in us as our hope is a reality we must latch onto. We are not our own hope!!!

WE ARE NOT OUR OWN HOPE! You and I cannot save ourselves! 

CHRIST IS OUR HOPE! Christ IN US.

Christ has all the power in Him, power given to Him by the Father God. Christ has sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us with the Hope of Christ IN us.

Christ our hope this is joy unspeakable! Christ who we love! Rejoice! All glory to God!

(Excerpt)

'It can never be repeated too often, that under the reign of grace it is just as easy to do right, as under the reign of sin it is easy to do wrong. This must be so, for if there is not more power in grace than there is in sin, then there can be no salvation from sin. But there is salvation from sin. This no one who believes Christianity can deny.

Yet salvation from sin certainly depends upon there being more power in grace than there is in sin. Then, there being more power in grace than there is in sin, it cannot possibly be otherwise than that wherever the power of grace can have control, it will be just as easy to do right as without this it is easy to do wrong.

No man ever yet naturally found it difficult to do wrong. His great difficulty has always been to do right. 

But this is because man naturally is enslaved to a power--the power of sin--that is absolute in its reign. And so long as that power has sway, it is not only difficult but impossible to do the good that he knows and that he would. But let a mightier power than that have sway, then is it not plain enough that it will be just as easy to serve the will of the mightier power, when it reigns, as it was to serve the will of the other power, when it reigned?

But grace is not simply more powerful than is sin. If this were indeed all, even then there would be fullness of hope and good cheer to every sinner in the world. But this, good as it would be, is not all. It is not nearly all.  There is much more power in grace than there is in sin.

For "where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Rom_5:20  

And just as much more power in grace than there is in sin, just so much more hope and good cheer there are for every sinner in the world.

How much more power, then, is there in grace than there is in sin? Let me think a moment. Let me ask myself a question or two. Whence comes grace? From God, to be sure. 

"Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ."  1Co 1:3 

Whence comes sin? From the devil, of course. Sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning. Well, then, how much more power is there in grace than there is in sin? It is as plain as ABC that there is just as much more power in grace than there is in sin, as there is more power in God than there is in the devil. 

It is therefore also perfectly plain that the reign of grace is the reign of God, and that the reign of sin is the reign of Satan. 

And is it not therefore perfectly plain also that it is just as easy to serve God by the power of God as it is to serve Satan with the power of Satan?

WHERE THE DIFFICULTY COMES IN, IN ALL THIS, IS THAT SO MANY PEOPLE TRY TO SERVE GOD WITH THE POWER OF SATAN.

But that can never be done. 

"Either make the tree good and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt." Men cannot gather grapes of thorns nor figs of thistles. The tree must be made good, root and branch.  It must be made new. "Ye must be born again." "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creature."

Let no one ever attempt to serve God with anything but the present, living power of God that makes him a new creature, with nothing but the much more abundant grace that condemns sin in the flesh and reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Then the service of God will indeed be in "newness of life." Then it will be found that His yoke is indeed "easy" and His burden "light."  Then His service will be found indeed to be with "joy unspeakable and full of glory."

Did Jesus ever find it difficult to do right? Every one will instantly say, No. But why? He was just as human as we are. He took flesh and blood the same as ours. "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." And the kind of flesh that He was made in this world was precisely such as was in this world. "In all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren." "In all things!" It does not say, In all things but one. There is no exception. He was made in all things like as we are. He was of Himself as weak as we are, for He said, "I can of mine own self do nothing."

Why, then, being in all things like as we are, did He find it always easy to do right? Because He never trusted to Himself, but His trust was always in God alone. 

All His dependence was upon the grace of God. 

He always sought to serve God, only with the power of God. 

And therefore the Father dwelt in Him, and did the works of righteousness. 

Therefore it was always easy for Him to do right. But as He is, so are we in this world. He has left us an example, that we should follow His steps. "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure,"as well as in Him. 

Php_2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

All power in heaven and in earth is given unto Him, and He desires that you may be strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power. "In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily," and He strengthens you with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith, that you may be "filled with all the fullness of God."

True, Christ partook of the divine nature and so do you if you are a child of promise and not of the flesh, for by the promises ye are partakers of the divine nature.

There was nothing given to Him in this world and He had nothing in this world that is not freely given to you or that you may not have.

All this is in order that you may walk in newness of life, that henceforth you may not serve sin, that you may be the servant of righteousness only, that you may be freed from sin, that sin may not have dominion over you, that you may glorify God on the earth, and that you may be like Jesus. And therefore "unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. . . . Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." And I "beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain."

2Co 6:1  We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.'

Advent Review and Sabbath Herald September 1, 1896   A.T. Jones

Grace

 Does keeping yourself from sin give you power over sin? It would depend upon how you keep yourself from sin, wouldn't it? All our power lies in FAITH in God, in our ability to BELIEVE. Even our ability to believe lies in the comprehension of our existence as creatures of God. If we for one moment do not believe that we are created we have no ability to have faith in God and the power that comes with that faith.

We exist with the ability to reason. With this reason we make choices of belief. You can reason in many ways, but our Creator would have us reason in His truth. Our Creator will not force you to reason towards belief in Him because that would negate the love He is. We cannot reason that we don't exist, not in any form of logic whatsoever. You can argue you exist in different ways, but the fact you exist remains. With that fact you reason how you exist and from there you make your choices. When you make the choice to BELIEVE in the Creator, you've taken a first step towards FAITH in God.

From our FAITH in God we recognize that He took great pains to offer us the ability to keep from sinning. That ability lies at the very heart of faith. Believing that Christ alone can keep us from sinning, that it is the POWER of God that can keep us from sinning. We have NO power of our own. So the question at the beginning, does keeping yourself from sin give you power of sin? Yes, it does, if you keep yourself from sinning by your FAITH in Christ's power to do so in you. 

Should you recognize a temptation blatantly staring you in your face, give that temptation to Christ, give it to His power to overcome.  If you give into that temptation should you despair? No, you still need to TRUST that Christ is working towards your being able to overcome. Satan would have us give up in despair of EVER ceasing from our cherished, hated, habitual, evil sins- once we yield to despair we are dead in those sins. We must earnestly seek forgiveness and cry out to the only ONE who can keep us from sinning, trusting that HE WILL. We may not even recognize when the overcoming occurs, we aren't to take ANY credit for ceasing from our sins. We are to give ALL GLORY to GOD for any overcoming. We are to constantly realize Christ is the power, the glory, the honor forever! We are never to embrace sin, we are to ever abhor our weakness towards it in whatever form it takes. 

Grace comes from our LORD, Grace comes from our GOD. It is by grace we are saved through faith, and NOT of ourselves…

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast

All glory to God!

(Excerpt) Advent Review and Sabbath Herald  A.T. Jones

April 17, 1894

"Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." Eph. 4:7. The measure of the gift of Christ is "all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." This is true whether viewed as the measure of the gift which God made in giving Christ or as the measure of the gift which Christ Himself gave. For the gift that God gave is His only begotten Son, and in "him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Therefore, from this standpoint the measure of the gift of Christ being only the measure of the fulness of the Godhead bodily and this being only the measure of the grace that is given to every one of us, it follows that unto every one of us is given grace without measure, simply boundless grace.

Viewed from the measure of the gift in which Christ Himself gives to us, it is the same, because "he gave himself for us." He gave Himself for our sins, and in this He gave Himself to us. And as in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and as He gave Himself, then the measure of the gift of Christ on His own part is also only the measure of the fullness of the Godhead bodily. It therefore follows that from this standpoint also the measure of grace that is given to every one of us is only the measure of the fullness of the Godhead; that is, simply immeasurable.

Thus in whatever way it is viewed, the plain word of the Lord is that unto every one of us He has given grace to the measure of the fullness of the Godhead bodily; that is, boundless, immeasurable grace--all the grace He has.  This is good. But it is just the Lord; it is just like the Lord to do that, for He is good.

And this boundless grace is all given, given freely, to "every one of us." To us it is. To you and me, just as we are. And that is good. We need just that much grace to make us what the Lord wants us to be. And He is just so kind as to give it all to us freely that we may be indeed just what He wants us to be.

The Lord wants every one of us to be saved, and that with the very fullness of salvation. And therefore He has given to every one of us the very fullness of grace, because it is grace that brings the salvation. For it is written,  "The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." Titus 2:11. 

Thus the Lord wants all to be saved and therefore He gave all of His grace, bringing salvation to all. The marginal reading of this text tells it that way, and it is just as true as the reading in the verse itself. Here it is: "The grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men, hath appeared." 

All the grace of God is given freely to every one, bringing salvation to all.  Whether all or any one will receive it, that is another question. What we are studying now is the truth and the fact that God has given it. Having given it all, He is clear, even though men may reject it.

The Lord wants us to be perfect, and so it is written: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Desiring that we shall be perfect, He has given us, every one , all the grace that He has,  bringing the fullness of His salvation, that every man may be presented perfect in Christ Jesus. The very purpose of this gift of His boundless grace is that we may be made like Jesus, Who is the image of God. Even so it is written: "Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. . . . for the perfecting of the saints. . . . till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." 

Eph 4:7  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 

Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints

Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ

Do you want to be like Jesus? Then receive the grace that He has so fully and so freely given. Receive it in the measure in which He has given it, not in the measure in which you think you deserve it. Yield yourself to it, that it may work in you and for you the wondrous purpose for which it is given, and it will do it. It will make you like Jesus. It will accomplish the purpose and the wish of Him who has given it. "Yield yourselves unto God." "I beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain."

 Rom_6:13  ..yield yourselves unto God

2Co_6:1  … beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

Help Me Learn to Be Content In You, Christ.

 Php 4:11  Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

1Co 4:11  Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; 

1Co 4:12  And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it.

1Co 4:13  Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

2Co 6:1  We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 

2Co 6:2  (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 

2Co 6:3  Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: 

2Co 6:4  But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 

2Co 6:5  In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; 

2Co 6:6  By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 

2Co 6:7  By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 

2Co 6:8  By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; 

2Co 6:9  As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; 

2Co 6:10  As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. 

2Co 8:9  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 

2Co 11:23  Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 

2Co 11:24  Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 

2Co 11:25  Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 

2Co 11:26  In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 

2Co 11:27  In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 

2Co 11:28  Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. 

2Co 11:29  Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? 

2Co 11:30  If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. 

2Co 11:31  The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. 

Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 

Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 

Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 

Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Heb 10:30  For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 

Heb 10:31  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 

Heb 10:32  But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; 

Heb 10:33  Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. 

Heb 10:34  For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. 

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 

Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 

Heb 10:37  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 

Heb 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 

Heb 10:39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. 

Heb 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 

Heb 13:6  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.