Jul. 31, 2009

Stand Firm -- A Bible Study

You either stand for something, or you stand for nothing at all. Naturally, a Christian should always stand for the Word of God. The Word of God is power, strength, love and understanding. Let's begin our study in Exodus. When the going got a little tough, the Israelites moaned and complained. They wanted to go back into bondage to Pharoah. God wasn't happy with them. Exodus 14:12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness." If you always give in, you will probably always be a slave to someone or something. You have got to be willing to stand for the Word, when things get tough.  Exodus 14:13 And Moses said unto the People, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. God will destroy your enemies, if you love and serve Him. If you stand still and listen to the Word of God rather than the murmuring of men, you will always win. Exodus 14:14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 15. And the LORD said unto Moses, "Wherefore criest thou unto Me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: Leave your will and personal agenda out of the equation. It is God's will and plan that is important. When God says, "March!", be ready to march.  Exodus 14:16   But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. Compare the sea here to the flood of Satan's lies in the end times (Rev. 12:15). Trust your Father. Utilize His Word to part the flood of Satan's lies and truth. Be ready to stand on your own two feet for God and His Word. God will always protect and bless you. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians and some of Paul's last warnings to us. 1 Cor. 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like me, be strong.  Be watchmen. Stand fast, and don't waiver. Act like sons and daughters of the Living God. Be strong in the truth. If we will follow Paul's advice, we will be able to stand firm for Jesus Christ. Let's continue our study in the Book of ! Thessalonians. 1 Thess. 3:6 But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you: Paul sent Timothy to check on the Thessalonians to see how they were doing. It was a good report. The church was growing, and the members were standing firm. 1 Thess. 3:7 Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: 8. For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. We live eternally, if we stand fast in the Lord. Things may not always go smoothly. but if you are willing to make a commitment to God, He will always see you through. 1 Thess 3:11 Now God Himself and our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. 12. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: God loves all of His children. We should love all of His children, as well. love is the glue that binds families and the church together. 1 Thess. 3:13 To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.  Don't be deceived. Stand fast right up unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a fake that arrives first. This isn't the only place Paul warns us to stand firm, until the true Jesus returns. Let's turn to 2 Thessalonians. 2 Thess. 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, What is the subject? The second coming of Jesus Christ. Christ is coming here (Acts1:11). We aren't flying away to Him. Don't make this complicated. 2 Thess. 2:3 LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU BY ANY MEANS: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, The falling away is "apostasy" in the manuscripts. the son of perdition is Satan. he is already judged to perish (Ezekiel 28:18-19). Jesus Christ will not return until that man of sin appears first. he is the antichrist. 2Thess. 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as Gos sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Antichrist will appear in Jerusalem claiming to be Jesus Christ. He will be supernatural (Rev. 13:13). Many will be deceived, because they haven't stood firm on the Word of God. They have listened to the traditions of men.  2 Thess. 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6. And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. You know where Jerusalem is. You know what Daniel said about the days of abomination and how it would come to pass. You can't be fooled. You have the truth.  2 Thess. 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. This verse is misunderstood by many. The very in this verse is a transitive verb, and an object must be supplied to it. The subject is Satan, and therefore the object must be Michael who holds Satan (Rev. 12:6-7). When Michael boots Satan out of heaven, that man of sin will be revealed on earth. 2 Thess. 2:8 And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: You may have a part in the destruction of Satan. I hope you are ready to make a stand. I hope you are prepared to utilize God's Word to part Satan's lies from truth. I hope you are fanning the fire of truth that Jesus hoped would be kindled upon His return (Luke 12:49). 2 Thess. 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, Satan will bring about that flood of lies. he will be saying, "you don't have to understand the Book of Revelation, you are going to be gone." Beloved, that is a lie. The word "revelation" means to "unveil or make known". Why would God call the Book "to make known", if you weren't supposed to know it? Cut through Satan's lies with truth.  2 Thess. 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received no the love of truth, that they might be saved. Do you want to perish along with Satan? Some would say, "But you don't understand. All you have to do is believe to be saved." Believe what? Believe on Whom? Those who worship antichrist are Satan worshippers.  2 Thess. 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: If you won't make an attempt to understand His Word, and you aren't willing to make a stand, God will allow you to believe the lie. if you are too busy for God, He is too busy for you. He is your salvation. You had better be willing to make that commitment to Him. 2 Thess. 2:12 That they all might be ****ed who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 13 But we are bound to give thanks aways to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: God's elect have been set apart since the beginning. They know the truth and they are ready to stand against the antichrist. If that is a little more than you can handle, "put her on a shelf and sleep on". Hopefully, we will see you in the millennium. 2 Thess. 2:14 Whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Therefore brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Stand fast and hold to the doctrine of Jesus Christ. In conclusion, turn with me to the Book of Revelation. Revelation 6:12 And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;  Antichrist appears in the sixth seal, sixth trump and the sixth vial. The earthquake is a result of Michael throwing Satan and his angels out of heaven.  Revelation 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. Jesus prophecied of this event in Luke 10:18. These stars are none other than Satan ad his angels. Revelation 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; Why was almost everyone hiding? Revelation 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: They were hiding because they had been deceived into worshipping antichrist. When the true Christ returns, they will realize their mistake and be ashamed. Revelation 16:17 For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"  You are able to make that stand! Why? You have the gospel armour in place so you can stand against the fiery darts of Satan (Ephesians 6). You will stand proudly on that day and have no reason to be ashamed. In His Service, Arnold Murray

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