 |
THANK YOU FATHER! YOU NEVER FORGET!
Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th
leading cause of death in the United States. More people die from Alzheimer’s
than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. More than 5 million American’s
currently live with Alzheimer’s. Every 67 seconds someone in the United States
develops the disease. 1 in 3 aging adults die with Alzheimer’s or another
dementia. Women are at the epicenter of the Alzheimer’s epidemic. Almost 2/3 of
Americans with Alzheimer’s disease are women. Women in their 60’s are about 2
times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s over the rest of their lives than
breast cancer. More than 60% of Alzheimer’s & dementia caregivers are
women. 15 million people provide around-the-clock support for these
individuals.
- Alzheimer's Association, 2013
If these statistics are not despairing enough, the disease is affecting more and more younger people. Symptoms can be seen in people as early as 30 years of age. It has no racial, cultural or vocational boundaries. Pastors, professors, doctors, and every other walk of life have been effected with Alzheimer’s or dementia. We do not usually think about these things, but I think it is good to prepare ourselves for disease and death. Knowing what we think and knowing what we think we will do is very helpful in planning for old age.
First, the Israelite’s were slaves
of Egypt and Moses was God’s chosen leader to rescue them and lead them out of
that country. Moses, meeting God for the first time, wasn’t sure of himself and
wasn’t sure about who this God is. Moses boldly asks, “Who shall I say sent
me?” In which God responded, “Tell them I AM sent you” (Exodus 3:13-14). “I Am” is a present
tense verb. God is a present action, a present help in time of need. God wasn’t
just Moses’ Great I AM. He is yours and mine as well. He promises to go with
you to the uttermost parts of the earth (Matthew 28). He promises to walk with
you through the “Valley of Death: (Psalm 23).
Second, in Psalm
139:1-12 the Psalmist says, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when
I sit down and when I rise up. You discern my thoughts from afar. You search
out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before
a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know
it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee
from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in
Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the
uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right
hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light
about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright
as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” God can be found in every
situation and circumstance. God can be found in any place no matter how dark
the experience may be.
Third,
God suggests that He sticks closer to you then a mother. “Can
a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on
the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you” (Isaiah
49:15). Can a mother forget her children?
They are not supposed to but Alzheimer’s many times robs a mother of these
memories. But not God, it is impossible for God to forget you or your mother!
Remember, it is easy many times to accept God as Creator. It is equally as easy
to accept Jesus as the God of Heaven and we hope to see him some day. But it is
hardest to believe God is the “Great I AM”. It is hard to believe that God is
walking with you in your current situation, but Scriptures undeniably says otherwise.
Trust God in your circumstances!!
To
trust God in your circumstances; you have to believe God is perfect and good.
Can a perfect God do anything that is not 100% perfect? The religious person
who refuses to accuse God of any wrong doing would suggest He cannot do
anything but what is 100% perfect, but what about this seemingly imperfect
world? If this world doesn’t seem to be perfect to you, and you believe God
cannot create or do anything imperfect, then the only alternative is THIS IS
THE MOST PERFECT WAY TO THE MOST PERFECT PLACE!!
God “subjected
the world to futility in hope” (Romans 8:20), God warned us about the perilous
times ahead (Matthew 10:16-25; 24), Paul said “if you live a Godly life then
you will be persecuted” (2Timothy 2:12), James said to “consider it all joy
when you fall into various trials” (James 1:2), John said in this world “you
will have tribulation; but be of good cheer” (John 16:33), and Peter said,
“don’t be surprised when you are going through fiery trials and don’t accept
persecution as strange fire [or strange worship]”. In fact, Jesus “learned
obedience by what He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8) and if Jesus learned obedience by
what He suffered, then, you should rest assured that you will learn obedience
the same way. I know no other way to get through God’s perfect way to His
perfect place than, to embrace every trying circumstance as a chance to obey in
heartfelt worship to God for allowing you to suffer as Jesus suffered.
In a ministry to the aging you will see the grace of God in families as
they face life’s tragedies with holy boldness. Just as the Disciples wondered upon seeing a man blind from birth, “Rabbi, who sinned,
this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus
answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents,
but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” And what is a work of God
but to believe in him (John 6:29). Within life’s tragedies we see families
believing, trusting, praying, and worshipping. We witness God at work in the
lowest and perhaps loneliest time of a family’s life.
|
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Sunday, June 22, 2014
The God Who Never Forgets
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Sovereign Election - How the Bible Speaks!
The key to understanding election is by holding the definition of God's Sovereignty in the back of your mind. It would be helpful to go back and read my latest blog on "God's Sovereignty and End of Life Struggles". The two most important ideas to remember concerning God's Sovereignty is God is the first cause and yet He is an uncaused cause. What this means is because God is an uncaused cause then nobody caused Him which means God answers to no higher authority. The fact that God is the first cause that caused all other things then He is above all of His creation and has no need of learning from or seeking wisdom or counsel from anyone. Therefore God does as He pleases and nobody gives God counsel or deters His plans.
The next logical question is to answer the Biblical terms of election, foreknowledge and choice. Nobody seems to care about how God made trees or animals. The biggest concern for man is how did God make man and how does He go about choosing them. Therefore I want to deal directly with God's salvation and how He determined to elect or chose people for salvation. How does the bible define election and foreknowledge?
Election is defined as "God Sovereignly choosing those who would become recipients of God's Heavenly blessing". God has created and given all mankind all that He has created. However the Bible teaches that we have sinned and therefore are now under God's justice and must pay the penalty of our sin. But in God's grace, mercy and love He planned to send His Son Jesus Christ to the world to pour out His wrath upon His Son Jesus Christ in our place so that through simply receiving these truth claims we will receive from God not just the world in which we live but a redeemed world that God will remake and we will live eternally with Him in peace and harmony. The most debated and discussed doctrine in all of the Bible is this moment in history where man is saved by an agreement or decision to believe and know Jesus Christ as the Author of salvation. God uses several terms to define this election and by studying how God uses these terms will help us in understanding how the Bible speaks or how God speaks about Himself concerning His election.
The terms used by God to define His election are choose, elect, appoint, ordain, foreknow, foreordain, predestined, purposed, and prepared before hand.
Deut 4:37 “Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them.”
Deut 7:6-7 “The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous.”
2 Thess 2:13
“from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth”
Eph 1:4 “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”
1 Thess 1:4 “we know that he has chosen you” (ASV, “knowing your election”)
1 Pet 1:1 “Peter, . . . to God’s elect”
Acts 13:48 “When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.”
Rom 8:29 “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.”
Rom 11:2 “God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.”
1 Pet 1:1-2 “To God’s elect, . . . who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father”
Rom 8:29-30 “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son. . . . And those he predestined, he also called”
Eph 1:5 “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance to his pleasure and will”
Eph 1:11 “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”
Eph 1:9 “. . . the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ”
Rom 9:23 “the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory”
Eph 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
These verses speak of God's Sovereignty in that God speaks as the one who is in authority. God does not speak as though He is receiving counsel from another. God is not speaking as though there is someone above Him dictating what He must say and do. No, He speaks as though He is speaking from His own authority on the issue. These verses also speak as though He has not received or learned anything from human history. God is the great architect and He has written His blueprint and we are seeing His plan being erected or established. He elects solely on the purpose and pleasure of His Will. He does not find pleasure in our will. He finds pleasure in His will.
The verses that speak on human will leaves no room for man's will to change God's predetermined decision. Redemptive history is solely God's idea and He is the great architect and builder of this plan. When He speaks of choosing someone it is as if the choice has already been made.
He saves those with a precondition: His People.
Matt 1:21 “he will save his people from their sins”
John 17:2 “that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him”
Acts 18:10 “For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city [Corinth].”
Eph 1:11 “the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”
Not the will of man:
John 1:13 “children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God”
Rom 9:16 “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”
Not the works of man:
Rom 9:11, 16, “Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand . . . It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”
Rom 11:5-6 “So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”
2 Tim 1:9 “who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace”
Man Cannot:
Romans 8:7 "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot."
John 6:44 "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day."
God speaks to every issue as the Sovereign God of the universe. He speaks as though nobody is above Him and He speaks as though He has consulted nobody. He is not learning from history or deciding in response to another's actions. No, He is choosing and determining in accordance with who He is - the Sovereign God of the universe.
This is extremely encouraging because God does as He wishes and we should not pray with anything less than the Sovereignty of God in our minds. God has full authority to do anything in the universe He wishes and when He determines to do something it is set in stone forever. The reason that we are saved eternally is we receive everlasting life. The moment one believes He is saved for all eternity. Our hope is not in a prayer card or a prayer. Our hope is in God's Sovereignty. "If He began a good work in you then HE WILL carry it through to completion" (Phil. 1:6). Your salvation this morning or any morning does not depend on your ability to continue to believe but on God's ability to continue to save. When we pray for the lost we need to pray for God to save. Pray that God will intervene and interrupt their desires and will. If God does not draw them away from the direction they are heading they will continue in that direction to their destruction. Our only hope is God and His Sovereignty. There is not one person that God is not able to save. He can save as many as He chooses. Pray for God to save.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Works Sited:
1.) http://wrs.edu/Materials_for_Web_Site/Courses/Theology_3/Chapter_8--Foreknowledge_and_Election.pdf
2.) http://scripturetruths5.tripod.com/pande.html
The next logical question is to answer the Biblical terms of election, foreknowledge and choice. Nobody seems to care about how God made trees or animals. The biggest concern for man is how did God make man and how does He go about choosing them. Therefore I want to deal directly with God's salvation and how He determined to elect or chose people for salvation. How does the bible define election and foreknowledge?
Election is defined as "God Sovereignly choosing those who would become recipients of God's Heavenly blessing". God has created and given all mankind all that He has created. However the Bible teaches that we have sinned and therefore are now under God's justice and must pay the penalty of our sin. But in God's grace, mercy and love He planned to send His Son Jesus Christ to the world to pour out His wrath upon His Son Jesus Christ in our place so that through simply receiving these truth claims we will receive from God not just the world in which we live but a redeemed world that God will remake and we will live eternally with Him in peace and harmony. The most debated and discussed doctrine in all of the Bible is this moment in history where man is saved by an agreement or decision to believe and know Jesus Christ as the Author of salvation. God uses several terms to define this election and by studying how God uses these terms will help us in understanding how the Bible speaks or how God speaks about Himself concerning His election.
The terms used by God to define His election are choose, elect, appoint, ordain, foreknow, foreordain, predestined, purposed, and prepared before hand.
Deut 4:37 “Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them.”
Deut 7:6-7 “The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous.”
2 Thess 2:13
“from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth”
Eph 1:4 “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”
1 Thess 1:4 “we know that he has chosen you” (ASV, “knowing your election”)
1 Pet 1:1 “Peter, . . . to God’s elect”
Acts 13:48 “When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.”
Rom 8:29 “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.”
Rom 11:2 “God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.”
1 Pet 1:1-2 “To God’s elect, . . . who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father”
Rom 8:29-30 “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son. . . . And those he predestined, he also called”
Eph 1:5 “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance to his pleasure and will”
Eph 1:11 “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”
Eph 1:9 “. . . the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ”
Rom 9:23 “the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory”
Eph 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
These verses speak of God's Sovereignty in that God speaks as the one who is in authority. God does not speak as though He is receiving counsel from another. God is not speaking as though there is someone above Him dictating what He must say and do. No, He speaks as though He is speaking from His own authority on the issue. These verses also speak as though He has not received or learned anything from human history. God is the great architect and He has written His blueprint and we are seeing His plan being erected or established. He elects solely on the purpose and pleasure of His Will. He does not find pleasure in our will. He finds pleasure in His will.
The verses that speak on human will leaves no room for man's will to change God's predetermined decision. Redemptive history is solely God's idea and He is the great architect and builder of this plan. When He speaks of choosing someone it is as if the choice has already been made.
He saves those with a precondition: His People.
Matt 1:21 “he will save his people from their sins”
John 17:2 “that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him”
Acts 18:10 “For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city [Corinth].”
Eph 1:11 “the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”
Not the will of man:
John 1:13 “children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God”
Rom 9:16 “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”
Not the works of man:
Rom 9:11, 16, “Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand . . . It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”
Rom 11:5-6 “So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”
2 Tim 1:9 “who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace”
Man Cannot:
Romans 8:7 "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot."
John 6:44 "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day."
God speaks to every issue as the Sovereign God of the universe. He speaks as though nobody is above Him and He speaks as though He has consulted nobody. He is not learning from history or deciding in response to another's actions. No, He is choosing and determining in accordance with who He is - the Sovereign God of the universe.
This is extremely encouraging because God does as He wishes and we should not pray with anything less than the Sovereignty of God in our minds. God has full authority to do anything in the universe He wishes and when He determines to do something it is set in stone forever. The reason that we are saved eternally is we receive everlasting life. The moment one believes He is saved for all eternity. Our hope is not in a prayer card or a prayer. Our hope is in God's Sovereignty. "If He began a good work in you then HE WILL carry it through to completion" (Phil. 1:6). Your salvation this morning or any morning does not depend on your ability to continue to believe but on God's ability to continue to save. When we pray for the lost we need to pray for God to save. Pray that God will intervene and interrupt their desires and will. If God does not draw them away from the direction they are heading they will continue in that direction to their destruction. Our only hope is God and His Sovereignty. There is not one person that God is not able to save. He can save as many as He chooses. Pray for God to save.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Works Sited:
1.) http://wrs.edu/Materials_for_Web_Site/Courses/Theology_3/Chapter_8--Foreknowledge_and_Election.pdf
2.) http://scripturetruths5.tripod.com/pande.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)