THE
BIBLE: BOOK OF GOD!
By Pastor Max Solbrekken,
D.D.
“Oh, give me that book. At any price, give me the Book of
God! I have it: here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be a man of One Book.” - John Wesley
Before long, he was preaching to 50,000 people in cow pastures and elsewhere and the Revival swept England, and Methodist Churches were springing up everywhere! Historians now believe that John Wesley's Revivals could well have kept Britain from a similar fate of that which almost destroyed the nation of France!
In his great humility, that mighty man of God wrote, “I am a creature of a day, passing through life, as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God and returning to God. Just hovering over the great gulf; till a few moments hence, I am no more seen! I drop into an unchangeable eternity!
“I want to know one thing, the way to Heaven: How to land safe on that Happy Shore. God Himself has condescended to teach the Way; for this very end He came from Heaven. He has written it down in a BOOK! Oh, give me that Book! At any price, give me the Book of God. I have it: here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be a man of one Book!
Many
religious books were available, but JOHN WESLEY wanted none of them. He was not
in the habit of reading nonsense, false prophecies, mere speculation and
down-right lies! His heart was set on the Holy Bible, which promises a man
eternal life if He seeks God with a true heart and sincere
spirit!
THE HOLY BIBLE IS THAT BOOK!
You cannot divorce Jesus Christ from His Word. He is the Living Word and the Holy Bible is the Written Word! JESUS the Word was incarnated (God in human flesh) to become God's Paschal Lamb and die vicariously for the sins of the world! He was born to die so that we could live. His death was a great victory and His Resurrection was glorious!
Some
people ask: “On what basis have you derived that the Holy Bible is the
inspired, sacred, inerrant Word of God?” I could cite hundreds, but I only
need one. Jesus Christ the Son of God, who is all Wisdom and all Knowledge,
believed it to be the very Word of God and quoted from it regularly!
“For had ye believed Moses: ye would have believed Me; for he wrote of Me. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad... Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 5:45, 46; 8:58); “And have ye not read this Scripture; The one which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner?” (Mark 12: 10)
“But He said unto them, Have ye not read what David did when he was an hungered, and they that were with him and they that were with him... Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the Sabbath days...?” (Matt. 12: 5,6; “Then He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken?” (Luke 24:25)
St. Paul enumerates some of His grandeur, power and attributes: “In Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power.” (Col. 1:2: ,9,10)
The Bible records the historical birth of Jesus of Nazareth in Bethlehem, as was prophesied by Isaiah the prophet seven hundred years earlier. His vicarious death by crucifixion was recorded by Jewish Scribes and officials of the Roman Authority.
His glorious resurrection from the dead was recorded and magnified by the Holy Spirit through the ministries of His Apostles, disciples and followers, who preached the Gospel, healed the sick and cast out devils in His name. The Roman guards who were overcome by the presence of God's angels at the tomb of Jesus, quite possibly secretly spread the news of what happened that morning.
The Roman Centurion who witnessed the earthquake and verified Jesus' death to Pontius Pilate, undoubtedly investigated the damaged temple including the torn veil which had opened the Holy of Holies to public view. Tradition says that the Centurion became a missionary and died as a martyr for Jesus. The Empty Tomb proved that Jesus had risen from the dead on the third day. There was no trace of a body, but His burial clothes and napkin were left behind.
There are three things that humanists, atheists and Christ haters cannot figure out. It almost drives them crazy, namely the Empty Tomb, the Missing body of Jesus and the Conversion of the Saul of Tarsus, the Jewish Enforcer!
JESUS CHRIST THE WORD OF GOD!
Our Saviour stated: “No-one knows the Father except the Son.” (Matt. 11: 27); “My teaching is not Mine, but My Father Who sent Me.” (John 7:16); “Verily, verily I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
“If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to Heaven but He that came down from Heaven, even the Son of man which is in Heaven.
He declared: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3: 11-16)
The reason that
I trust Jesus Christ is because He is the Word of God and the Author of the
Bible. Even though He was incarnated (God in human flesh), He was still
in “the bosom of the Father” (John 1:18) and as verse 13
confirms: “even the Son of man which is in Heaven.” In the
natural, this is beyond human reasoning because the Mystery of the Triune God
is incomprehensible. He does not ask us to understand Him, however, but simply
to believe Him. And that is not difficult!
God still
answers PRAYER! He has not changed His Word or methodology to please some airy-
fairy, arrogant, proud, puny, so-called intellectual academics who parade
themselves as knowing more than the Holy Spirit and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet, the Church
of Jesus Christ has pulled back from the front lines of battle with the Devil. Fear
has overcome faith and secular humanism has trumped genuine spirituality. Some
of God's servants are intimidated by the pervading philosophy of political
correctness, evolutionary theories, and new age teaching.
They have traded
the truth for a lie and bought into the philosophy that God no longer does
miracles and that we must discount the Bible and put our trust in the arm of
flesh. Many preachers have inadvertently been deceived by the phraseology of
the so-called 'Higher Critics' who have cleverly implanted doubts by
parsing certain words in the Bible. They have insidiously driven a wedge
between Almighty God and His Own Word.
SOME TRADED
THE TRUTH FOR A LIE!
How can you
trust God if you cannot trust His WORD in totality? Those men in the interest of
their profession as theologians trained in linguistics, singly or in
concert with colleagues – often make pronouncements, depending on their
own preconceived ideas which often leads to doubts about the meaning of certain
texts.
In his
book, 'God Has Spoken' J.I. Packer writes: “Mesmerized
by the problems of rationalistic criticism, we can no longer hear the Bible as
the Word of God. Liberal theology, in its pride, has long insisted that we are
wiser than our fathers about the Bible and must not read it as they did, but
must base our approach to it on the 'assured results' of criticism, making due
allowance for human imperfections and errors of its authors.
“This insistence has a threefold effect. It produces a new
papalism – the infallibility of the scholars, from whom we learn what the
'assured results' are. “It raises a doubt about every single biblical passage,
as to whether it truly embodies revelation or not. And it destroys the
reverent, receptive, self-distrusting attitude of approach to the Bible, without
which it cannot be known to be God’s Word written.”
There is only
one Word to describe the insidious work of such deceived or deceptive men and
their work and that is “DEVILISH'! The Bible declares: “For the Word
of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb.4: 12).
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all
good works.” (2 Tim. 3: 16, 17); “For prophecy came not in old time by the will
of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2
Peter 1: 21)
JESUS CHRIST: CREATOR OF ALL THINGS!
“Who hath delivered us from the power of Darkness, and hath
translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son: In Whom we have Redemption
through His BLOOD, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
“For by Him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and
that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers: ALL things were created by Him, and
for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is
the HEAD of the body, the Church; Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the
dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence. For it pleased the
Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.
“And having made Peace through the BLOOD of His Cross, by
Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things
in earth, or things in Heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled. In the body
of His flesh, through Death, to present you holy and unblameable and
unreproveable in His sight.” (Col. 1: 13-22)
MOSES stated:
“Ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day
that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven
unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is
or hath been heard like.” (Duet.4:32)
ISAIAH declared:
“For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed
the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain,
He formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord and there is NONE else.
Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together:
“Who hath declared this from ancient time? Who hath told it
from that time? Have not I the Lord? And there is NO God else beside
Me; a just God and a Saviour; there is NONE beside Me. Look unto Me
and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there
is NONE else.” (Is. 26:18, 21,22)
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there
is NONE else; I am God and there is NONE else, declaring the end from the
beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My
Counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.” (Is. 46: 9, 10)
King David
stated: “For ever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in Heaven.” (Ps. 119:89). And
St. Paul commanded: “Preach the Word; be instant in season, reprove,
rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they
heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away
their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Tim.4: 2-4).
NOT ONE WORD HAS FAILED!
King Solomon
stated: “Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto His people Israel,
according to all that He promised: there hath not failed one word of all His
good promise, which He promised by the hand of Moses, His servant.” (1 Kings 8:
56)
As children in Daily Vacation Bible School and church we
used to sing: “Jesus never fails, Jesus never fails; Heaven and earth may
pass away, but Jesus never fails.” We were, of course, saying what God's
Word, the Holy Bible declares: “The promises of God in Him (Christ)
are YEA, and in Him AMEN, unto the glory of God by us. Now He which
stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God. Who hath
also SEALED us, and given us the earnest of the Spirit in
our heart.” (2 Cor. 1:20-22)
Another hymn we
cherished is, 'Standing on the Promises
of God'. Some of the words were: “Standing on the promises of
Christ my King. Through eternal ages let His praises sing; Glory in the
Highest, I will shout and sing. Standing on the promises of God. Standing on
the promises which cannot fall, Listening every moment for
the Spirit's call; Resting in my Saviour as my all in all, I'm
standing on the promises of God.”
The promises of God in the Holy Bible
are sure and steadfast and will be fulfilled, as stated.
The Scripture says: “Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast seen
well: for I will hasten My Word to perform it.” (Jer. 1:
12).
“Blessed be the
Lord, that hath given rest unto His people Israel, according to
all that He had promised: there hath not failed one word of all
His good promise, which He promised by the hand of Moses His servant.” (1 Kings
8: 56)
God is
transcendent, other worldly, above, and beyond. He is omnipotent, everywhere
present at once. He is holy, pure, righteous, infinitely good,
compassionate, and gracious. He is merciful and just and changeless, the
same yesterday, today and forever.
Almighty God kept His Word to Adam. He kept His Word
to Noah. He kept His Word to Abraham. He kept His Word to Joseph.
He kept His Word to Moses. He kept His Word to Jesus. He kept His
Word to Peter, He kept His Word to John. He kept His Word to Stephen.
He kept His Word to Philip. He kept His Word to Paul and He will
keep His Word to us!
THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED!
Repeatedly, the
Bible records that things which happened to our Lord Jesus Christ were
fulfillment of the prophecies given earlier by prophets of God! The Bible says:
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scriptures is of any private
interpretation. For the prophecy came not by the will of man: but Holy men of
God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Peter 1: 20, 21)
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof. For correction, for instruction in
righteousness.” (2 Tim.3: 16, 17); “For the Word of God is quick (alive) and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and the marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12)
Jesus said:
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.” (Matt.
24: 35); “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word
was God. The same was in the beginning with God. And the Word was made flesh,
and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, theglory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1: 1,2, 14)
“Of His own WILL begat He us with the WORD of TRUTH, that we
should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures. Wherefore my beloved
brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive
with meekness the engrafted WORD, which is able to save your souls.” (James
1:18-21)
After His
resurrection, Jesus spoke to His disciples: “And He said unto them, These are
the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things
must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets,
and in the psalms, concerning Me.” (Luke 24: 44)
In his message
to the household of Cornelius, St. Peter stated: “How God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and
healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him...To him
give all the prophets witness, that through His Name whosoever believeth in Him
shall receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10: 38)
PROF. FREDERIC
HARRISON, in a lecture given at Oxford, stated: “The English Bible is the
best that our literature can give us in simple noble prose.” SIR WALTER
SCOTT stated: “In the whole world it is THE BOOK; all other books are
mere leaves, fragments.”
PROF. DYSON
HAGUE said: “Yes, it alone is the universal Book, the eternal Book.
It is a Voice; all others are merely books for the hour. The Bible is the book
of all time. It stands alone; unapproachable in grandeur; as high above all
other books as heaven is above the earth, as the Son of God above the sons of
men.”
MARTIN LUTHER
said: “God writes the Gospel not only in the Bible, but creation itself. O
Lord, how manifold are Thy Works. In wisdom Thou hast made them. The earth is
full of its riches.” (Ps. 104: 24). “Martin Luther lived and
moved in the heart of the Scriptures and this was the secret of his strength.” -
Philip Schaff, noted historian
ST. AGUSTINE
said: “If God is Love, then there must be in Him a Lover, a Beloved and a
Spirit of Love.”. JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU (1712 - 1778)
a French philosopher stated: “Behold
the works of our philosophers, with all their pompous diction, how mean and
contemptible are they in comparison with the Scriptures.”
A REALLY GREAT QUESTION!
“Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and
passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not
His anger forever, because He delighteth in Mercy; He will turn again; He will
have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; And Thou will cast all
their sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7: 18, 19)
The prophet asks
the question: “Who is a God like unto Thee? That is a really great
question. First, no other God exists. There may be imitators,
demon impersonators or man-made gods, but there is only one TRUE GOD! Second,
look at what He does. He is Righteous, Just, Good, Merciful, Long suffering,
Patient, Forgiving, Gracious and Compassionate!
He pardons
iniquity, meaning He has power to forgive Sins. He retains not His anger
forever. He knows our weaknesses. He overlooks our errors when we repent. He
delights in mercy. He does not delight in punishing us because He loves us. He
has compassion on us. He subdues our iniquities by giving us power to overcome
sinful habits. He forgets our sins when He forgives them. He shows great mercy
upon us! There is no god like God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit!
“For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His
mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the East is from the West, so far
hath He removed our trangressions from us. Like as a Father pitieth His
children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He
remembereth that we are dust.” (Ps. 103: 11-14)
“Behold for PEACE I had great bitterness: but Thou hast in
LOVE to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for Thou hast cast all
my SINS behind Thy back.” (Is. 38: 17). The Hebrew word used here refers to the
part of the back between the shoulder blades. It is impossible to see anything
that is behind your back between your shoulder blades!
“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless
His Holy name. Bless the Lord O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who
FORGIVETH all thine iniquities; Who HEALETH all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy
life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender
mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy YOUTH is
renewed like the eagle's. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all
that are oppressed.” (Ps.103: 1-6)
The BIBLE
states: “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of
Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers has sent me unto you;
and they shall say to me, What is His Name? What shall I say unto them? And God
said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shall thou say unto the
children of Israel, I AM hath sent you ... This is My name for ever, and this
is My memorial unto all generations.” (Ex. 3:13-15).
“I AM the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour
... Fear thou not, for I AM with thee...Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord...I
even I, AM the Lord; and beside Me there is none else, there is NO God beside
Me: I girded thee, though thou thou hast not known Me: That they may know from
the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I AM
the Lord, and there is none else.” (Is.43:3,5,10; 45:5,6)
For I AM the
Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Mal. 3: 6);
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever.” (Heb.13:8)
CAN MORTAL MAN DEFINE GOD?
The Character of God: How can mortal
man define it? It is impossible to define the character of Almighty God. How
can mortal man define the Righteous, Holy, Pure, True and irreproachable
character of the Heavenly Father Who offered the inexpressible gift of His Son,
Jesus Christ, to deliver lost humanity?
Incomprehensible
is the word that best lends itself to this most difficult task. Here are some
of the characteristics which we carefully call the attributes of God: justice,
merciful, gracious, love, goodness, holiness, eternal, righteous, sovereignty,
omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, self - existence, transcendence,
immanence, immutability.
Jesus Christ
says: “Come unto Me all ye who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest.” (Matt. 11: 28); “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall
not pass away.” (Matt. 24: 35); “All power is given unto Me in Heaven and on
earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world. Amen. (Matt.28: 18, 20).
LORD, SAVIOUR & FRIEND!
The
God of the Universe is my personal Saviour, Lord and Friend! He is my
Advocate, Physician, and Counsellor. His Name means, ‘The God who saves, the
God who heals, the God who protects and the God who delivers from all EVIL’!
He
is Yeshua ha Mashiach - the Salvation of God and King Messiah - Jesus
the Christ of God! Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father!
(Phil. 2: 10)
I
am His doulos (gr.
love slave) because He owns me, having purchased my eternal salvation at
the cost of His own precious blood. And I will be eternally grateful to Him for
His compassion, love and mercy toward me, a lost and condemned sinner afloat on
the sea of life, filled only with plans for material wealth and worldly
ambition!
NO LONGER ONLY A THEORY!
It was no longer only a theory, but Jesus Christ became a living reality whom I could no longer resist. By following Him, I was offered eternal life instead of having my own way which would end in eternal death! (1 John 5: 10-13)
When He called me, I said, “Yes! I want this.
This is real, not just a figment of the imagination or a set of rules and
regulations, but LIFE in its highest form. I humbled myself to embrace the Life
Giver Himself, the God of Creation, the Lord of lords and the King of all
kings and Ruler Divine, Jesus Christ the Great Physician!
Speaking to His disciples, Jesus said: “Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you.” (John 15: 14,15)
He shared with them His innermost feelings just before going to the Cross. He had prior knowledge. He knew His mission and He shared with His disciples what His Father had told Him; That He had come to earth to die for the sins of the world and rise again in power and great glory in order to redeem Adam’s fallen race!
Jesus healed all who came seeking His merciful touch. He had great compassion for the weak and struggling souls who reached out in their desperation for His holy touch!
GOD’S GRACE, MERCY & LOVE
The Gospel of God's grace, mercy and love: There is nothing like it and never will be! In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus unburdened His heart to His Father as He cried out: “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; Nevertheless, not as I will, BUT AS THOU WILT.” (Matt. 26:39)
Angels came to
minister unto Him in His hour of temptation and we have come to understand that
they are also messengers sent to minister to us in the time of need. (Psalm 34:
7; Heb.1: 14)
He
prayed: “That Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to
comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and
height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might
be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph.
3: 17-21)
No wonder King David said: “The fool (idiot) has said in his heart there is no God.” (Psalms 14: 1). An idiot can say that there is no God. He is an idiot and does not know any better!
After
more than fifty years of study, research and travel meeting people from all
walks of life, I can certainly ascertain that infidels, atheists and New Age
advocates are spiritually retarded, proud and ignorant about the real issues of
life.
By the same token, I can safely say that most of the great men I have studied or met, believed in the God of Creation and His wondrous works! The brutish man has the characteristics of a stupid and irrational person and a fool knows nothing!
King
David was a prophet of God. He stated: “For Thou, Lord hast made me glad
through Thy work: I will triumph in the works of Thy hands. O Lord, how great
are Thy works! And Thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not:
neither does a fool understand this.” (Psalm 92: 5, 6)
ALBERT CAMUS said: “ I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out that there isn't, than to live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is.”
JOB, the oldest patriarch of the Bible stated: “For I KNOW that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter Day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” (Job 19: 25-27)
ST. PAUL, the brilliant theologian, who met Jesus in a blinding light that charred his eyes, and was tutored by Him and even carried into Heaven and saw such things that he was forbidden to reveal, stated: “I believe God.” (Acts 27: 25).
All
Glory, Praise and Majesty be unto to God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost forever
and ever, for He has redeemed us unto Himself for His good pleasure and our
eternal blessedness and joy!
ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED!
The Bible says: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Heavenly places in Christ: According as He hath CHOSEN US in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
“Having predestinated us unto the ADOPTION of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us ACCEPTED in the Beloved
“In Whom we have REDEMPTION through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His Grace. Wherein He hath abounded unto us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the Mystery of His Will, according to His Good Pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself:
“That in the dispensation of the fullness
of times He might gather together in ONE all things in Christ, both which are
in Heaven, and which are on earth, even in Him: In Whom also we have obtained
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh
all things after the counsel of His own will.” (Eph. 1: 3-11).
The call of God still goes out to the lost, sick and suffering: “Come unto Me all ye who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you REST.” (Matt. 11: 28).
DR.
OLE HALLESBY, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Norway (Devotional January 28):
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith,
and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but
also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be cast into the
sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,
believing, ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21: 21, 22)
“Now and often we make discoveries which almost take your breath away, namely, when we see what great powers are present in this realm of the invisible. This is especially true when these powers are put to our disposal, when God performs a mighty miracle simply because we ask Him to do so.”
JOHN WESLEY stated: “Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth.” Amen.
