Studying God's Word

11. How much the doctrine of the rapture means to us.

I’ve always been enthralled by the doctrine of the rapture. When I study Bible prophecy I love it the most. I’m waiting on it and if I’m suddenly 1500 feet in the air in the twinkling of an eye I won’t be scared. I’m an old ex-paratrooper and I’ve experienced the pop of a T-10 parachute opening, with my shut eyes suddenly flying wide open, and then seeing the ground 1200 feet below and feeling the wind on my face.  I imagine that’s the closest thing to the rapture anyone can experience before it actually occurs.  The difference is you’ll be among millions of other believers in the air and you’ll be seeing Jesus in the center of it all, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, with the trumpet of angels blaring loudly all around. The Bible says there is a special Crown of Righteousness for those who love the rapture and look for it’s coming.  

2 Timothy 4:8 – Finally, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

12. How faithful we are to the Word of God and the flock of God.

We cannot be faithful to something we don’t know so this is an indirect command from God to know the Word of God through personal Bible study and to obey God’s commands. Those who preach the Word of God receive the crown of glory.  Not all of us are called to preach. There are other ways Christians can minister to both believers and unbelievers. Being a Sunday school teacher is one way. Being a Bible study group leader is another. Even doing a Christian blog like I am qualifies me for this crown.  Remember, God is generous and doesn’t look at quantity so much as quality and the condition of the heart. Billy Graham will receive this crown in heaven, and I believe I will too.  Don’t forget the parable about the vineyard workers. It applies here too.

1 Peter 5:2-4 – Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

9. How many souls we witness to and win for Christ.

Proverbs 11:30 – The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

1 Thes 2:19-20 – For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?

Daniel 12:3 – And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

The ultimate goal of reading the Bible is to gain the wisdom of God. The above Scripture tells you he who is wise (has wisdom) can do no better for God than to win souls for the kingdom; to witness for Christ.  This may be number nine on our works list but it’s number one in God’s heart. Everyone in heaven will get some kind of crown (i.e. privileges) but those who win souls will also receive the crown of rejoicing.

10. How we react to temptation.

Rev 2:10 – Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life.

You know, I don’t think the universal crown for all believers is named in the Bible. Maybe there isn’t one. If there is we’ll discover the name of that crown when we get to heaven. I think the crown of life mentioned above will be limited to those brave Christians who, during the tribulation, will be beheaded for refusing to take the mark of the beast.  I believe Christians will be sent to jail for ten days to give them an opportunity to change their mind and reject their faith in God before their sentence is carried out. This crown will be God’s Medal of Honor for bravery. Millions of saints will face this death bravely because the Holy Spirit will increase their faith.

It is only our works done in the flesh that God will judge by fire; our souls are secure. Scripture is explicit in putting our works into one of six categories. The works worthy of God are not destroyed by fire and they are listed as gold, silver and precious stones. Works considered worthless will be consumed by fire and are noted as wood, hay and stubble.  My great fear is having no works that survive the fire. What works qualify for each category? Theologians have come up with a list of works God should reward, although Scripture isn’t specific. Works considered to be positive and worthy of reward include the following:

1. How we treat other believers
2. How we exercise our authority over others
3. How we employ our God-given abilities
4. How we use our money
5. How much we suffer for Jesus
6. How we spend our time.
7. How we run the race God gives us.                                                                                                                  8. How effectively we control the old nature:

1 Cor 9:25-27 – And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

I interpret the above Scripture to mean we must control ourselves so we don’t sin to excess and we must ask for forgiveness immediately when we do sin. We must be single minded of purpose in obeying God’s commands.  We must have a plan for our walk with God; how we will emulate Jesus and how we will share our witness for Christ. We need a personal heavenly rewards plan if we want to maximize our rewards in heaven.

Because of Adam’s fall in the Garden of Eden all men have inherited the sin nature of Adam. Our carnal nature causes us all to sin against God and that included Moses, Paul, David and the prophets; everyone.  Jesus is the only man who ever lived who was sinless, which was why Jesus, and only Jesus, could redeem us from our sins. The justice of God required a human blood sacrifice for the redemption of man and only Jesus was spotless before God.  I make a conscious effort every day not to sin but it’s a losing battle. Lust is my great sin and even if I only lust in my heart it’s still a sin to God. If I have evil thoughts or use hateful speech I sin against God. God knows we are helpless against sin because of our sin nature which is one of the reasons why God promises to forgive us if we ask Him.

Pray every night before bedtime asking God to forgive you of any sins you have committed that day. Never go to sleep with unforgiven sin. Ask God to cover your transgressions with the blood of Jesus Christ, which He has promised to do.  That way you have a clean slate with God before your eyes close. Every man’s eternal destiny is determined when he leaves this life based whether or not he has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Accumulated sin won’t keep a saved Christian out of heaven but why carry that burden when God will forgive your sins if you ask Him?  God loves to be  merciful and gracious to those He loves!

All believers who die will not go to the Great White Throne judgement reserved for those going to hell forever for rejecting Jesus. Instead, believers will go straight to heaven when they die and into the presence of Jesus.  Believers will have to appear before the bema judgement seat of Christ at some point. As believers we have already been gifted eternal life in heaven by a loving God. This judgement is for believers to give an account of their works done in the body and receive from Jesus our reward.  We will be held accountable for our actions on earth from the moment of our salvation until our death. All of our sins committed before our conversion were forgiven when we were saved and God remembers them no more. We are now in God’s family.

Because Jesus died in our place on the cross we have off-loaded our sin and have instead been given the righteousness of Christ. We stand before God spotless in His eyes, adopted sons and co-heirs with Jesus to God’s kingdom. The angels don’t have that privilege. The Bible tells us we will judge angels in heaven. We will be royalty in heaven and therefore when we pray we have God’s ear.

1 Peter 3:12 – For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers.

Isaiah 59:1 – Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.

Psalm 94:9 – He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?

God tells us to be persistent in what we pray for and to wait upon the Lord for an answer which will, in most cases, be much slower than we would like. God always answers if we know what to look for and how to listen for His voice. God has perfect knowledge so His answer to our prayers is never wrong. Remember, God loves us dearly and if God says no He’s looking out for our best interest.  We can talk to the Creator of the universe anytime we want. I suggest we pray at least five times a day, every morning, every night and before each meal. In a perfect world we should be talking to God all day long about everything. God is always interested in anything we have to say. We only use 10% of our brains and I’ll bet we only pray 10% as much as we should, if that much. We have a lot to learn about our awesome God!

The more I study God’s Word the more grateful and thankful I am with what I have. I realize everything on this earth belongs to God and what I have He has graciously given me. Some have more but most have less. I am content. I find myself praying more because I want to praise and worship a God who is good, kind, generous, gentle and loving toward me.  Remember the first time a nurse handed you your newborn child; how careful you were and how gently you held the baby. Do you remember the love you had at that moment and the protective instinct you felt within you? God has that same feeling for us every moment of every day.

Prayers to God:
1. Always confess sin and ask for forgiveness.
2. Ask for God’s protection against evil and anything else that can do harm.
3. Ask for knowledge, understanding and wisdom for what you should do.
4. Praise God’s mercy and acknowledge your trust in Him.
5. Be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God!

1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray continually.

Psalm 100:4 – Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His Name.

James 1:17 – Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.

Psalm 106:1 – Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.

Ephesians 5:20 – Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 4:6 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

1 John 5:14 – This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Mark 11:24 – Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Colossians 4:2 – Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

1 Peter 5:7 – Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares.

In the Bible, from start to finish, the two main themes are the coming of Jesus Christ our Lord and speaking to God in prayer. God is Spirit and you must worship Him in spirit. God has invited us into His presence any time day or night through prayer.  God commands us to pray. Prayer is a great privilege granted to us by God. When we get to heaven one of our greatest regrets will be we didn’t pray enough when we had the chance. In the following verses of Scripture God invites us to pray:

Matthew 11:28 – Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Hebrews 4:16 – Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

John 7:37 – If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.

God invites us to ask for His help:

Romans 8:26 – In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

1 Timothy 2:5 – For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ.

Why we pray to God:

James 4:2 – You do not have because you do not ask.

James 5:16 – The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

We need to make sure we have a clear line of communication with God and that takes study and practice. First, know God’s Word thoroughly which takes daily Bible reading and study, watch preachers regularly on television and read all the religious source material you can including books by well known Bible scholars and preachers. I have a library full of them and they are a source of joy. You will never know enough.  The goal is to stay in God’s Word until the Holy Spirit etches God’s commands into your heart. I want to become so familiar with Scripture they’re like old friends so I know exactly how God wants me to respond to any situation. The continuous journey we are all on should be spent seeking God’s will in our lives, which is called sanctification.

Second, we need to learn how to pray so we can become a mighty prayer warrior for God. We need to know what and when to pray and what resources we have available to help us pray to God effectively. I know one thing, it’s hard to pray effectively if you don’t know God’s Word. So we have to start there.  The Bible tells you how to pray in detail. There is a set process acceptable to God which goes like this: praise, thanksgiving, petition, intercession and confession. Use as appropriate, depending on the type of prayer and what you are praying about. Remember that prayer is just talking to God and He promises to listen because you are a child of God, His child.

Prayer doesn’t have to perfect to get results but the closer we are to the ideal prayer the better. The Lord’s Prayer is the perfect model prayer we are to emulate. Keep in mind the Holy Spirit is indwelt to hep us modify our prayers to God, if needed, so that it is acceptable to God the Father.  Jesus is also at God’s right hand making intercession for us continually. So, we have our own prayer interpreter (Holy Spirit) plus we have our own counselor in heaven (Jesus Christ) to plead our case before the throne of grace. It’s obvious God wants to hear from us in prayer because He has established the perfect framework for us to communicate with Him.  The Bible is God speaking to us and prayer is us speaking to God. God’s Word is perfect. God has established a perfect system to communicate with us.  The problem is man, who is falling down on our end by praying ineffectively or not at all.

In the upper room Jesus made a promise to His disciples:

John 14:16 – And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever.

Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit, a divine member of the triune Godhead, who came to earth at Pentecost to indwell all believers. Once the Holy Spirit indwells a believer he is sealed by God as His own, never to be plucked from God’s hand. I went to church as a child and was saved at age twelve and baptized before the congregation.  I was then a backslider for 40 years and didn’t think I was saved all that time. For many years I was aware that God was pursuing me. I mean, you know when you’re being stalked. You can feel it. God kept throwing godly people in my path to the point it was noticeable. I just assumed God did this to everyone.

When I returned to God I realized I’d had the Holy Spirit inside me the whole time since the age of twelve. God wasn’t trying to save me, God was trying to bring me back into fellowship because I’d drifted away from Him. My question now is does God pursue the unbeliever like I assumed? I don’t think so now. If anyone out there knows different let me know.  I’ve felt the Holy Spirit move in me once which gives me the physical proof of God’s seal to go along with what I know by faith. God doesn’t do this with everyone and I don’t know why God blessed me in that way. I have the peace of God knowing whatever happens in this world I’ll be in heaven someday.

The job of every Christian is to bring along as many to heaven as we can until we leave for home. My only real concern is displeasing God by not witnessing enough. Trust me, you do not want to stand before the bema judgement seat of Christ empty handed in that regard. You still have time. Review all my early blogs which will prepare you to witness for Christ. Go forth among the people searching for a convicted heart ready to receive the gospel message.

The greatest spiritual law in the Bible, and the one that ensures our salvation, is that of imputation. This is the act of one person adding something to another person’s account. All men are born with a sin nature and the wages of that sin is death.  We got our sin nature handed down to us through Adam. In the Garden of Eden, Adam sinned against God and took on a sin nature that was then imputed (passed down) to all men who came after Adam.  So then So then, through the spiritual law of imputation all men have sinned because of Adam’s original sin and therefore come under the judgement of God requiring a death, a blood sacrifice, to atone for that sin. The justice of God requires this.

Since no man was worthy to be that atoning sacrifice for our sins God Himself came down off His throne to die in our place so that we might have our sins forgiven and have eternal life in heaven in fellowship with God. God came to earth as the man Jesus because a human being was required for this sacrifice. Jesus was both fully man and fully God.  Jesus Christ died a horrible death on the cross at Calvary in our place, thereby taking on to Himself the sins of all men, past, present and future. The wrath of God for that sin fell on Jesus instead of us. Jesus died for you and for me.

It’s personal.  By the spiritual law of imputation our sin was imputed (passed down) to Jesus so he could bear it for us. In exchange for our sin, Jesus exchanged or imputed (passed down) to us His righteousness.  When God looks down from His throne at us now He doesn’t see our sin. Our sin was forgiven. In sin’s place God only sees the righteousness of His beloved Son Jesus. We have passed from death to life. This is the greatest swap of all time by the grace of a loving God.

Rom 5:12 – Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.

John 1:14 – And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…full of grace and truth.

Luke 19:10 – For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost.

Mat 26:28 – For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Rom 4:24 – It (righteousness) shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.