Rescue From Above

Today we are going to talk about why God had to rescue us and from what. Also what method did He use to rescue us?

The first thing we need to ask is 'Does God really care about me?' In Isaiah it says "Thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee." Isaiah 43:4. And in Jeremiah it says "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love." Jeremiah 31:3.

So it would seem that God does love you and always has. But how did God demonstrate His love for us?

"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 3:16. "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:9, 10.

So because He loved us so much that He sent His son and risk losing Him rather than giving up on us. Maybe you are thinking "How could God love someone like me?" You might feel that you have done some terrible things that you feel are unpardonable.

"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8.

Our sins might be the kind that man would not pardon but with God we can find pardon as long as we ask with sincere hearts.

So what is this about the death of Jesus that is so important to me? Well, God's law says that all sin is punishable by death since sin cannot exist in the presence of God. What God did to resolve this dilemma is send His son to die in our place and take the penalty for our sins.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." 1 John 3:1. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." John 1:12.

You might then ask "How do I receive Jesus and pass from death to life?". You need to admit to three things. 1. I am a sinner "All have sinned." Romans 3:23. 2. I am doomed to die. "The wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23. 3. I cannot save myself. "Without me ye can do nothing." John 15:5.

Once you admit to these then accept the following. 1. He died for me. "That he ... should taste death for every man." Hebrews 2:9. 2. He forgives me. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." 1 John 1:9. 3. He saves me. "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." John 6:47.

In summary what you need to do is ask for, believe in and accept the gift of God, our Lord Jesus Christ.

You are probably thinking then "What must I do to receive this gift?".

"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Romans 3:24. "A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Romans 3:28.

This is good news! The gift is free! We don't need to do anything other then to accept the gift. That is why it is called a gift.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8, 9.

Your next question will probably be "Do I need to change anything in my life?". Well of course! When we love someone we trust that person. And if they tell us to do something we know it is because it is for our best. So we can be happy and healthy. We also do it out of our love for the person.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17.

It will be the same with God. Everything we do is because we love Him. And, of course, we love Him because of what He did for us first. So we are going to start changing to please Him. We are going to try and find out what makes Him happy and do those things.

He will help us through the Holy Spirit to remove from our lives those things that will hurt us and those around us, as well as Him.
(to be cont'd)

Did God Create the Devil? (cont'd)

So, what's the deal with the fruit? Why was it so wrong for Eve to eat the fruit? Why were Adam and Eve expelled from the garden for this?

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:17
Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 1 John 3:4
He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:22,24

God had put only one restriction on Adam and Eve. It was a test of their love and loyalty to Him. So by eating the fruit it was rebellion against God's law and authority. By rejecting God's commandment they allied themselves with Satan and separated them from God (Isaiah 59:2). God had to remove them from the garden or else they would have become immortal sinners.

What does the Bible have to say about the methods Satan uses against us?

• Deceives/persecutes - Revelation 12:9, 13
• Falsely accuses/murders - Revelation 12:10; John 8:44
• Makes war on God's people - Revelation 12:17
• Imprisons - Revelation 2:10
• Works miracles/lies - Revelation 16:13, 14; John 8:44
• Brings disease/afflicts - Job 2:7
• Slanders - "Devil" means "slanderer"
• Quotes/misquotes Bible - Matthew 4:5,6
• Traps/ensnares - 2 Timothy 2:26; 1 Peter 5:8
• Binds/prompts betrayal - Luke 13:16; John 13:2, 21
• Possesses/hinders - Luke 22:3-5; 1 Thess. 2:18
• Appears as angel of light - 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
• Calls fire from heaven - Revelation 13:13

Satan can do many things to deceive. He has all his demons as well which can appear as anyone. This is why it is so important to rely only on the Bible as your one source of truth.

Do we have any example of how powerful are Satan's temptations and strategies? Yes, he was able to convince 1/3 of the angels (Revelation 12:3-9); Adam and Eve (Genesis 3); all but 8 people in Noah's day (1 Peter 3:20). He will make the lost feel like they are saved (Matthew 7:21-23). Almost the entire world will follow him (Revelation 13:3). Few will be saved (Matthew 7:14; 22:14).

It's incredible how successful he is. Before the end he will appear as an angelic being posing as Christ. His deception will be so great that the only safe thing to do is not to go see him (Matthew 24:23-26). If you refuse to look and listen then Jesus will protect you (John 10:29). We will talk more about Jesus' second coming later.

The good news is that the devil will receive his punishment in the end. But what will this be?

Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:40-42.
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where^[a] the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Revelation 20:10
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: Matthew 25:41
“ ...Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. ... And shall be no more forever.”’” Ezekial 28:18,19

As necessary as this is, it will cause God much grief. These are creatures that He created and he loves them. Unfortunately they turned away from Him and these are the consequences. God does not force anyone to love Him since love does not use force.

So what about this problem of sin? How is it finally settled? Will it be a problem again?

“ As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” Romans 14:11 (see also Phillipians 2:10, 11; Isaiah 45:23)
What do you conspire against the Lord? He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time. Nahum 1:9

So here we see that two things will happen. One, all creation including the devil and his followers will bow down and confess that God is fair. Second, God will destroy all sin and sinners so that it will never rise again.

What is it that makes sure that sin never rises again?

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, Hebrews 2:14

Through His life, death and resurrection, Jesus makes this possible.

Did God Create the Devil?

What do you think about the Devil? Do you think he exists? And if you do, what is he like and what does he look like? Have you ever asked these questions? You would be surprised what the Bible has to say about the Devil compared to what is popular belief! So let's start and find out what the Bible says.

So where did sin come from?

"The devil sinneth from the beginning." 1 John 3:8. "That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan." Revelation 12:9.

So it looks like the Devil did it! Did Satan have another name before he sinned? And where was he?

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" Isaiah 14:12. Jesus said, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." Luke 10:18. "Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God." Ezekiel 28:14

So it looks like his name was Lucifer. He is symbolized by the king of Babylon in Isaiah 14 and the king of Tyrus in Ezekial 28.

Where did Lucifer come from? What other information can be found in the Bible about him?

"Thou wast created." Ezekiel 28:13, 15. "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth." Ezekiel 28:14. "Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty ... every precious stone was thy covering ... the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. ... Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." Ezekiel 28:12-15.

We see here hat he was created by God same as all other angels (Ephesians 3:9). We can also see that he was quite a being. He held one of the highest positions that an angel could have.

The question now is what led this angel to sin? What sin did he commit?

"Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness." Ezekiel 28:17. "For thou hast said in thine heart, ... I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: ... I will be like the most High." Isaiah 14:13, 14.

So his sin was pride and jealousy. Discontent and self-exaltation appeared. He wanted the position of God. It all comes down to worship. He wants us to worship him instead of God. Everybody has something that they worship. God says, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:3. So if we worship (give more importance to) anything other than God, He considers us against Him (Matthew 12:30).

As a result of all of this what happened in heaven?

"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Revelation 12:7-9.

Lucifer was able to win over to his side 1/3 of the angels (Revelation 12:3-4). As a result of this God had to expel Lucifer from heaven. This is where the name Satan (adversary) and devil (slanderer) came from.

Where is Satan now? How does he feel about us?

"The Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." Job 2:2. "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." Revelation 12:12. "Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8.

From these passages it looks like he is down here with us on the earth. And he is not very happy. He knows that he is going down and he plans to take as many of us with him as he can. He does not like God and by hurting us he hurts God.

When God created Adam & Eve what did he forbid them to do? What was the penalty?

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Genesis 2:17.

They were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and if they did the penalty was death.

How did Satan deceive Eve and what lies did he tell her?

"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:1, 4, 5, emphasis added.

Satan appeared as a serpent. It is believed that this was the most appealing of the animals that God created. It is possible that it had wings (Isaiah 14:29; 30:6). God later cursed it by having it crawl (Genesis 3:14). Satan told several lies: 1. you won't die and 2. eating the fruit will make you wise. He mixed truth with his lies. He does the same thing today. He is an expert in making sin as attractive as possible. It is his purpose to misrepresent God's character so that we will not turn to Him.

(to be cont'd)

Can You Trust the Bible?

I am sure that there are a lot of people that have this question. Can you trust the Bible? We will let the Bible speak for itself.

The Bible says: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16), "for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:21), "The Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35)

Did Jesus trust the Bible? Here are some of the things that He said...

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)

“It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’” Matthew 4:7

For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” (Matthew 4:10)

"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." (John 17:17)

Jesus often quoted the Bible to make a point. Make note that the Bible which He could refer to was what we call the Old Testament today. The New Testament did not exist in Jesus' time. So the Old Testament is as valid as the New Testament today.

What about bible prophecies? Do they help us trust the Bible? Check out the following verses...

"I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” (Isaiah 42:8-9)

"Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’" (Isaiah 46:9-10)

Here are some examples of Bible prophecy that has been fulfilled.

1. Four world empires that were to arise. (Daniel chapters 2,7,8)
2. Cyrus was named as the one to capture Babylon (Isaiah 45:1-3)
3. Babylon would never be inhabited again after its destruction (Isaiah 13:19,20; Jeremiah 51:37)
4. Egypt would never again have the power it had previously (Ezekiel 29:14,15; 30:12,13)
5. There would be earth shaking calamities and fear toward the end of time. (Luke 21:25,26)
6. Morality and spirituality would diminish toward the end of time. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Does the Bible agree with what science has discovered?

"He hangs the earth on nothing" (Job 26:7) - From the oldest book in the Bible.

"He...sits above the circle of the earth" (Isaiah 40:22) - The bible said that the earth was round long before scientists proved it.

"To establish a weight for the wind" (Job 28:25) - God said air had weight before scientists new.

Do the health principles from the Bible apply to us today?

1. Cover body waste with dirt (Deuteronomy 23:12,13) - Very important to preventing the spread of disease.
2. Don't commit sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 10:8) - Another principle to help prevent disease and abortions of unwanted pregnancies.
3. Don't drink alcoholic beverages (Proverbs 23:29-32) - A principle that if followed 1. no more alcoholics. 2. families reunited 3. broken homes mended 4. lives saved from sober driving 5. leaders making clear minded decisions 6. Money saved to be used for humanitarian purposes.

Are historical statements in the Bible true? In Deuteronomy 7:1 it mentions the Hittite nation, the cities of Ninevah in Jonah 1:1,2 and Sodom in Genesis 19:1. For many years scientists did not believe that these places existed because they are not mentioned in any historical documents. Today modern archeology has proved their existence.

Also, there are people such as king Belshazzar (Daniel 5:1) and Sargon (Isaiah 20:1) that scientists did not believe existed. Again modern archeology has proved that they did exist.

The story of Moses was not thought to be accurate because it mentions writing (Exodus 24:4) and wheeled vehicles (Exodus 14:25) which were not believed to have existed at the time. Today we know better.

There is constantly being discovered things in archeology that prove the Bible.

Consider also that the Bible is composed of 66 books written on three continents in three languages and by about 40 different people. It was written over a period of 1500 years by people which never met for most of the cases. The educational background of the authors varied greatly.

Even with so much disparity all 66 books of the Bible are in harmony with each other.

There are more than 125 prophecies of the Messiah in the Old Testament. All of these are very clearly fulfilled by Jesus of Nazareth.

The popularity of the Bible also shows that it can be trusted. Millions of people have found answers in it to their questions about life. It tells you where you come from, why we are here and what the future holds for us. Lives of people have been changed, and always for the better.

Introduction

Welcome, here we will meet to reason together. Like it says in Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

We will see what the Bible has to say about many topics that everybody has questions about. We will base everything on the Bible and the Bible only. If there is any doubt as to what a passage says we will let the Bible explain itself. At no point will we use our own knowledge.

As a guide to the topics that I will be talking about I will be using Amazing Facts study guides. For Bible passages I will be using the New King James Version.

Next time I will be talking about how trustworthy the Bible is.