A PROMISE FULFILLED

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this [Isaiah 9:6-7].

Starting in the days of Adam and Eve, God promised to send a Savior for mankind……. A Redeemer to bring sinful mankind into right relationship with Himself. This Redeemer is Jesus Christ, who came to the world in the human form of a little child but left thirty-three years later as risen Lord and victor over the grave. Old Testament saints had many prophetic promises of how and why the coming Messiah would enter humanity. Let me give you a few with their fulfillment.

His arrival on earth:

As a child…[Isaiah 9:6]…[fulfilled in Luke 2:11] Born of a virgin…[Isaiah 7:14]…[fulfilled in Matt. 1:18-23; Luke 1:26-35] Born in the town of Bethlehem…[Micah 5:2-5]…[fulfilled in Matt. 2:1-6] Firstborn son…[Ex. 13:2]…[fulfilled in Luke 2:7, 23; John 3:16; Col. 1:15]

His family line:

The tribe of Judah…[Gen. 49:8-10; Micah 5:2]…[fulfilled in Matt. 1:1-3; Heb. 7:14; Rev. 5:5] David’s line, as a king…[Isaiah 9:7; 2 San. 7:12-13]…[fulfilled in Matt. 1:1] As the seed of Abraham…[Gen.17:7-8, 26: 3-4]…[fulfilled in Matt. 1:1, 17; Gal. 3:16; Heb. 2:16] As the seed of Isaac…[Gen. 17:19, 21:12, 26:2-4]…[fulfilled in Matt.1:2; Rom. 9:7; Heb. 11:17-19]


His eternal nature:

As the offspring of a woman, yet able to “bruise the serpent’s head”…[Gen. 3:15]…[fulfilled in Gal. 4:4; Heb. 2:14] As the King Eternal…[Isaiah 9:7; 1 Tim. 1:17] As the Alpha and Omega…[Rev. 1:8]

Dear friend, God keeps all of His promises. He is the same yesterday,today, and forever. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU.

POINTS OF GRACE NETWORK

WHEN DIFFICULTIES BOMBARD US

Where can we find strength and confidence when we face troubles? Paul explains: God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose…If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?…Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord [Romans 8:28, 31-32, 35, 37-39].

Dear friend, the only place to go is to Jesus Christ. May I give you four principles from God’s Word I believe will help make a difference when believers face difficulties in this fallen world.

First, whenever you face difficulties, remember that God is in control of all your circumstances. Psalm 103:19 declares, “The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.” This is why believers can be sure that we will overcome every obstacle and problem---because God can handle whatever happens and is responsible for leading us to victory. Though He may not have initiated our trials, He allowed them. That means He can bring good out of them and teach us powerful lessons if we trust Him.

Second, remember that the Lord takes full responsibility for all your needs when you are following Him in obedience (Romans 8:31-32). Paul confirmed this principle when he wrote, “God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” [Phil.4:19]. The Father is faithful to provide for you, even when you cannot see how He will do so (Ps. 37:25). After all, He provided His very best, His only begotten Son to save you from your sins and a Devil’s hell. Of course, this does not mean that God will give you everything you want. Sometimes the things you desire do not fulfill His purpose for your life. But you can be sure that whatever the Lord offers you, and even in what He withholds, He always has your best interest at heart (Matt. 7:9-11).

Third, remember that if you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He is always with you (Romans 8:35-37). You are not alone. No matter where you go or what you go through, God will never forsake you. (Deut. 31:6,8; John 14:18; Heb. 13:5). David testified to this when he wrote, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me” (Ps. 23:4). Others may abandon you, but the Lord won’t. He can’t because as a believer, you are sealed with His Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30). This means you always have the most powerful Friend, Counselor, and Advocate with you to heal, help, and lead when the road of life grows lonely, and confusing.

Finally, remember that the Lord loves you with an eternal, irrevocable love (Romans 8:38-39). You cannot lose God’s love. It is unconditional, sacrificial, without limit, and based on His unwavering character, not on your behavior (Rom. 5:8; I John 4:7-10). That does not mean He condones sin. On the contrary, ungodly behavior is destructive to you, so He despises it. What it means is that His love for you is not bases on what you do or don’t do. In other words you don’t have to earn it or work to keep it. When you fail, you do not forfeit it, and no one could ever convince Him to care for you less. His love is freely given and all you have to do is open your heart to receive it.

We cannot escape the trials of life, but we can have confidence no matter what the circumstances are, our Heavenly Father is in control, provides for our needs, is always with us, and loves us very much. If you belong to Jesus, you are forgiven, you are loved, you are going to live forever, so go out and tell someone today for goodness sake. May God richly bless you is my prayer, in Jesus Name.

POINTS OF GRACE NETWORK

JOHN CALVIN

Since no man is excluded from calling upon God, the gate of salvation is open to all. There is nothing else to hinder us from entering, but our own unbelief.

POINTS OF GRACE NETWORK

PRAYING FOR OTHERS

We have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. [Colossians 1:9-12]

Intercessory prayer is a very important part of a believer’s prayer life. When we intercede for others, we are reflecting God’s love in a very special and powerful way. I hope the following outline on Col. 1:9-12 will be helpful to you.

To intercede for others, ask God that they would…
Be filled with the knowledge of His will (Col. 1:9)
Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord (Col. 1:10)
Bear fruit in every good work (Col. 1:10)
Increase in the knowledge of God (Col. 1:10)
Be strengthened with all power (Col. 1:11)
Joyously give thanks to the Father (Col. 1:11-12)

Remember trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees. May God richly bless you as you pray on the behalf of others.

POINTS OF GRACE NETWORK

PURSUING HOLINESS

See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to everyone else. Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Keep away from every kind of evil [1 Thess. 5:15-22].

In this passage Paul sets forth five principles for Christian living. Note!

(1)…The believer is to be merciful [v-15]…do not pay back evil for evil…(we are to substitute love for vengeance).

(2)…The believer is to be joyful [v-16]…we need to be joyful at all times…(worldly happiness is dependent on outward circumstances, Christian joy is dependent on doing God’s will).

(3)…The believer is to be prayerful [v-17]…Paul says we are to keep on praying, Jesus says in Luke 11: 9-10, “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be open. For everyone who ask, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.”…(living our lives in the spirit of prayer, practicing the presence of God is essential in our walk with Christ).

(4)…The believer is to be thankful [v-18]…no matter what happens we are to demonstrate a perpetual attitude of thanksgiving…(a thankful heart is a joyful heart).

(5)…The believer is to be careful [v-19-22]…the text says we are to be careful not to stifle (quench) the Spirit, and we are not to scoff (despise) prophecy, also we are to test everything that is said, and we are to avoid every kind of evil.

Surely this passage teaches that all Christians are to live lives full of joy, prayer, and gratitude. That doing what is right and good by biblical standards, being open and responsive to the Holy Spirit, Bible study, fellowship with believers who understand grace. All of these things I believe are God’s will for His children and are necessary if one is to pursue holiness. What do you think? Lets have some comments.

POINTS OF GRACE NETWORK

PRINCIPLES OF FELLOWSHIP

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. [1 John 1:5-7]

As light, God both exposes man’s sin and condemns it. If anyone walks in darkness he is hiding from the truth which the light reveals. Jesus said in John 3:19-20; …..“judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.” Since God is light it follows that a Christian cannot truly claim fellowship with God while living in darkness. A believer who says he is in fellowship with God [who is light], but who is disobeying Him [living in darkness] is lying.

John’s point is this; If believers live in the light where God is, then there is mutual fellowship between God and them. May I say child of God, it is significant that John talked about living or walking in the light, rather than according to the light. To live or walk according to the light would require sinless perfection and would make fellowship with God impossible for sinful humans. To walk or live in the light however, suggest an openness and responsiveness to the light.

Three principles: (1)-fellowship with God and other Christians is based on a correct understanding of who Jesus is. (2)-if we claim to be without sin it is a sign that we are living in darkness. (3)-confession of sin allows us to continue to walk in the light.

THE SOURCE

EXPERIENCING GOD'S LOVE

Scripture says that God loves us, in fact Scripture says that God is love, and the cross proves it. Many believers do not experience God’s love. The problem is not with the Lord, but with the individual’s capacity to sense His care. One reason a person doesn’t experience God’s love is the tendency to measure divine love by circumstances. When the Lord allows tragedies and pain, some consider Him uncaring. The age-old question then becomes personal: “How could a loving God allow me or those I care about to suffer?” We will never fully understand His ways, but we can be sure of this: His compassion and concern are bigger that our suffering or the suffering of those we love. In the fullness of time He will make all things right. You can take that to the bank.

Sometimes a sense of personal unworthiness can obstruct the acceptance of God’s love. Focusing on past sins, comparing yourself to others, will lead to guilt and hopelessness. Satan specializes in promoting these self- condemning thoughts and feelings. Jesus never says, “Straighten up, and then I’ll care about you.” Remember that divine love is based on God’s character, not on our performance. The root of all the barriers to experiencing God’s love is unbelief. When we deny His interest and concern for us, we doubt the truth of Scripture.

Let me give you three truths about God’s love…. (1) God’s love is personal. Christianity stands out among all the world religions because our God desires a personal relationship with every man, woman, and child. His care and concern are not limited to just one ethnic group. He loves every individual specifically and desires regular, intimate conversation with each one. (2) God’s love is unconditional. Nothing about your character or behavior can make Him love you less or more. It’s who He is rather than something He does. Nor are His care and concern limited, because He is infinite and eternal. (3) God’s love is available to everyone. In John 3:16, Jesus says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” What a waste it would be to live as though unloved when God’s infinite, eternal love is offered to you. May I say, the Lord wants each of us to experience His great love in a personal, intimate way. Don’t let the Enemy’s lies or life’s hardships steal the enjoyment and security of this great blessing.

THE SOURCE