Daily Bread - Jan 18 2007
1 John 5:11 - "And this is the witness: that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son."
The Holy Spirit Himself has come to give testimony to us and on our behalf that we have received eternal life. The most important dimension of eternal life is the quality of life that we have received. The life that we have been given in Christ Jesus is abundant life.
God's life is joy unspeakable and full of glory, peace that passes understanding, and love that never fails. Confidence and faith in His work of Grace is vital to our salvation. It is essential that we trust with absolute certainty that the blood of Jesus has removed every offence and has brought forth the life of God in us.
We must believe that we have been begotten of the Spirit and that He is leading and guiding us into all truth. We must resign ourselves only to believe what the Word of God says. The lies that would attempt to cast doubt on the eternal life that has been given to us must be cast down as the enemies of God.
God who so desires that we would be convinced of this unspeakable gift has given us the greatest witnesses that He could provide: the witness of the Blood, the Spirit, and the Water. He wants us to be certain of the eternal life that has come to us through the testimony of the Blood of Jesus and the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the water of His Word. The certainty that eternal life has come to us through the blood is witnessed to us by the Spirit and the Word (Heb. 9:12, John 6:54, Matthew 26:27). That we have been begotten of the Spirit has been forever settled by the testimony that God has given to us of His Son (John 3:5-8, Gal. 4:29; 1 Peter 1:23, James 1:20, Hebrews 4:12). All of the witnesses of God, the blood, the Spirit, and the water, are one and they proclaim the message of God to everyone who will hear and believe. This message is that God has given to us eternal life.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
abidingplace.org
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Daily Bread - Jan 17 2007
1 John 3:11 - "Because this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that you should love one another."
The message of God to man is a message that calls all men to the realm of love. This is the message that is behind every message in the Bible. God is love and if we are going to know Him and walk with Him then we must be willing to be obedient to His love (Romans 13:8,10; Matthew 22:40). The message of God's love was delivered to us in its greatest form when Jesus suffered and died for us. John uses this same word when he describes to us that God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).
There should be no greater desire in man than to know this kind of love and this kind of light. How safe our souls should feel that the God of the Universe is so disposed to the nature of unchanging love (1 John 4:7-8; Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17). If you know God then you will learn to walk in His love and in His Light. The principles and choice of your interaction with everyone will have already been made for you; you will love them just as God loves them.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
abidingplace.org
1 John 3:11 - "Because this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that you should love one another."
The message of God to man is a message that calls all men to the realm of love. This is the message that is behind every message in the Bible. God is love and if we are going to know Him and walk with Him then we must be willing to be obedient to His love (Romans 13:8,10; Matthew 22:40). The message of God's love was delivered to us in its greatest form when Jesus suffered and died for us. John uses this same word when he describes to us that God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).
There should be no greater desire in man than to know this kind of love and this kind of light. How safe our souls should feel that the God of the Universe is so disposed to the nature of unchanging love (1 John 4:7-8; Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17). If you know God then you will learn to walk in His love and in His Light. The principles and choice of your interaction with everyone will have already been made for you; you will love them just as God loves them.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
abidingplace.org
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Daily Bread - Jan 16 2007
1 John 3:6 - "Everyone who abides in Him has no sin, everyone that sins has not seen Him nor known Him."
The power to overcome the thirst for sin is only found in knowing God. Jesus gave the woman at the well of Samaria the remedy for her sin. All she needed to do was to receive the gift of God and drink of the Spirit and she would never thirst for the things of the world again (John 4:10,14). Jesus gave us an allegory in John 15 to describe how He desires us to live our lives in Him. We are to abide in Him as a branch abides in the vine. This kind of relationship and dependence upon the life and power of God will result in our constant obedience and success.
We can be certain that by the time that John was addressing the church with this Epistle there were many who had never physically seen Jesus. Yet their was a fellowship that they had with Jesus that John included them in, "we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon" (1 John 1:1b). We know that as far as John was concerned this was literal for He had been with Jesus for at least three years and had many opportunities to do all of these things. But now about 60 years later there would be very few people who would have had and opportunity to literally do this. Therefore, when John uses this word for 'seen' or 'vision' he is using it in a spiritual sense. John is using this phrase to describe those who really know Jesus (1 John 2:4; 4:8).
To believe somehow that God does not expect us to walk in holiness and perfect obedience is nothing more than deception (1 John 3:7; Ephesians 5:6; 2 Timothy 3;13). If men are going to learn to walk in the perfect obedience to God then they are going to have to learn to walk in the Spirit and abide in Christ (Romans Galatians 5:16,25; Romans 8:1,4).
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
abidingplace.org
1 John 3:6 - "Everyone who abides in Him has no sin, everyone that sins has not seen Him nor known Him."
The power to overcome the thirst for sin is only found in knowing God. Jesus gave the woman at the well of Samaria the remedy for her sin. All she needed to do was to receive the gift of God and drink of the Spirit and she would never thirst for the things of the world again (John 4:10,14). Jesus gave us an allegory in John 15 to describe how He desires us to live our lives in Him. We are to abide in Him as a branch abides in the vine. This kind of relationship and dependence upon the life and power of God will result in our constant obedience and success.
We can be certain that by the time that John was addressing the church with this Epistle there were many who had never physically seen Jesus. Yet their was a fellowship that they had with Jesus that John included them in, "we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon" (1 John 1:1b). We know that as far as John was concerned this was literal for He had been with Jesus for at least three years and had many opportunities to do all of these things. But now about 60 years later there would be very few people who would have had and opportunity to literally do this. Therefore, when John uses this word for 'seen' or 'vision' he is using it in a spiritual sense. John is using this phrase to describe those who really know Jesus (1 John 2:4; 4:8).
To believe somehow that God does not expect us to walk in holiness and perfect obedience is nothing more than deception (1 John 3:7; Ephesians 5:6; 2 Timothy 3;13). If men are going to learn to walk in the perfect obedience to God then they are going to have to learn to walk in the Spirit and abide in Christ (Romans Galatians 5:16,25; Romans 8:1,4).
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
abidingplace.org
Monday, January 15, 2007
Daily Bread - Jan 15 2007
1 John 3:2 - "Beloved, we are now the children of God. And it has not yet been revealed what we shall be but when He is revealed we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is."
Father has given us the right to be His children simply by the act of believing on the name of Jesus and then , we have been made heirs and joint heirs with Jesus Christ who is the Only Begotten Son of God (Romans 8:17). Through the miracle of the new birth we were begotten of God, begotten of the Spirit of the Word and of the resurrection (1 John 5:1; John 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 23). Being the sons of God, we are also called the sons of light because we are born of the truth to reveal the glory of God (John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5; Matthew 5:14- 16; Colossians 1:12; 1 Peter 2:9).
Those who are the sons of God have been given the privilege and ability to be guided by the Spirit in their day-to-day activities (Romans 8:14). It is the Father's desire that every son be trained up by the Holy Spirit so that in every way we are conformed to the image of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus (Romans 8:29). God expects us as His sons to be consecrated to the same holiness and purity of Jesus our Savior (2 Corinthians 6:18).
One day when we have received our eternal and glorified body we will see God as He is. Although He dwells in the light which no man can approach unto nor can any man see yet as His sons we will be allowed to see Him as He is (1 Timothy 6:16). This event demarks the time when all things will be made new. The bondage of corruption will be removed from off all creations at the time of the resurrection of all the sons of God. It is for this reason that all creation groans awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God that will be revealed at the time of the resurrection (Romans 8:19).
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
abidingplace.org
1 John 3:2 - "Beloved, we are now the children of God. And it has not yet been revealed what we shall be but when He is revealed we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is."
Father has given us the right to be His children simply by the act of believing on the name of Jesus and then , we have been made heirs and joint heirs with Jesus Christ who is the Only Begotten Son of God (Romans 8:17). Through the miracle of the new birth we were begotten of God, begotten of the Spirit of the Word and of the resurrection (1 John 5:1; John 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 23). Being the sons of God, we are also called the sons of light because we are born of the truth to reveal the glory of God (John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5; Matthew 5:14- 16; Colossians 1:12; 1 Peter 2:9).
Those who are the sons of God have been given the privilege and ability to be guided by the Spirit in their day-to-day activities (Romans 8:14). It is the Father's desire that every son be trained up by the Holy Spirit so that in every way we are conformed to the image of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus (Romans 8:29). God expects us as His sons to be consecrated to the same holiness and purity of Jesus our Savior (2 Corinthians 6:18).
One day when we have received our eternal and glorified body we will see God as He is. Although He dwells in the light which no man can approach unto nor can any man see yet as His sons we will be allowed to see Him as He is (1 Timothy 6:16). This event demarks the time when all things will be made new. The bondage of corruption will be removed from off all creations at the time of the resurrection of all the sons of God. It is for this reason that all creation groans awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God that will be revealed at the time of the resurrection (Romans 8:19).
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
abidingplace.org
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