Sunday, September 20, 2009

What we believe

What we believe


The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible,
God's infallible written Word,
the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments.
We believe that it was uniquely, verbally
and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit
and that it was written without error (inerrant)
in the original manuscripts.
It is the supreme and final authority
in all matters on which it speaks.

1. There is one true God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics of personality.

2.
Jesus Christ is God, the living Word, who became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. Hence, He is perfect Deity and true humanity united in one person forever.

3.
He lived a sinless life and voluntarily atoned for the sins of men by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone.

4.
He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died.

5.
He ascended bodily into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own.

6.
Man was originally created created in the image of God. He sinned by disobeying God; thus, he was alienated from his Creator. That historic fall brought all mankind under divine condemnation.

7.
Man's nature is corrupted and he is thus totally unable to please God. Every man is in need of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

8.
The salvation of man is wholly a work of God's free grace and is not the work, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness or religious ceremony. God imputes His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justified them in His sight.

9.
It is the privilege of all who are born again of the Spirit to be assured of their salvation from the very moment in which they trust Christ as their Savior. This assurance is not based upon any kind of human merit, but is produced by the witness of the Holy Spirit, who confirms in the believer the testimony of God in His written word.

10.
The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to men. He convicts and draws sinners to Christ, imparts new life to them, continually indwells them from the moment of spiritual birth and seals them until the day of redemption. His fullness, power and control are appropriated in the believer's life by faith.

11.
Every believer is called to live so in the power of the indwelling Spirit that he will not fulfill the lust of the flesh but will bear fruit to the glory of God.

12.
Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, His Body, which is composed of all men, living and dead, who have been joined to Him through saving faith.

13.
God admonishes His people to assemble together regularly for worship, for participation in ordinances, for edification through the Scriptures and for mutual encouragement.

14.
At physical death the believer enters immediately into eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his body to everlasting glory and blessing.

15.
At physical death the unbeliever enters immediately into eternal, conscious separation from the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his body to everlasting judgment and condemnation.

16.
Jesus Christ will come again to the earth - personally, visibly and bodily - to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.

17.
The Lord Jesus Christ commanded all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to disciple men of every nation. The fulfillment of that Great Commission requires that all worldly and personal ambitions be subordinated to a total commitment to "Him who loved us and gave Himself for us."

God Says........


What GOD says...
That you may become blameless and pure, children of God
without fault in a crooked and depraved generation,
in which you shine like stars in the universe.
Philippians 2:15

To present her to himself as a radiant church,
without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish,
but holy and blameless.
Ephesians 5:27

He saved us through the washing of rebirth
and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5

In my integrity you uphold me
and set me in your presence forever.
Psalm 41:12

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
Psalm 119:9

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness,
faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord
out of a pure heart.
2 Timothy 2:22

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress
and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:27

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
John 17:17

Remember

Remember this …



Realize that your inner self is a beautiful, sparkling, colorful,
shimmering pearl full of life, and that God longs to see
that pearl shimmer on the surface.

Ask God every day to cleanse you from everything
that isn't love, pure and good.

Make love your target. Every day of your existence,
because God is love. And if we aim for love,
we will make this our life’s goal to capture it.
Love is the most important thing on earth.

Ask God every single day to be filled and guided by the Holy Spirit,
because the Holy Spirit gives us God's love and truth.

Always allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate your inner self
with the sharpness, the power and the depth of the word of God.
Even when it hurts. Allow God to purify your inner self
from everything you’d rather want to keep a secret.

Be open. Be real. Be honest.

See everyone else's pearl. Pray for them, so they also can be freed
from the filth that covers up their beauty and makes it invisible.

And... always be aware of God's everlasting, never-changing love for you.

Fire

Different Fires!

  • Unquenchable fire?
  • Furnace of Fire
  • Lake of fire?
  • Maggots living in fire?


Two incompatible methods of destruction if taken literally:

Are the wicked eaten by maggots, inside a man-made furnace of fire, which is then set in the middle of a lake of fire?

Unquenchable Eternal fire

Mt 25:41; 13:42; Jude 7; Mk 9:43,45,47; 18:8,9; Mt 3:12; Lk 3:17


Furnace of fire

Mt 13:42,50; Mt 3:12; Lk 3:17 (Dan 3)


Lake of Fire

Rev 19:20; 20:10; 21:8; Isa 30:33


Consumed by Maggots in fire
"to be cast into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched" Mk 9:48

Heaven

Heaven: A place you want to spend eternity!

A boy stood on a windy hillside, flying a kite. He continued to release the string of the kite and it went higher and higher until it was completely out of sight. One of his friends walked up and asked how he knew there was still a kite on the other end. He replied. "I know it's there I feel it tugging on the line." Like the kite, we can't see heaven with our eyes, but we feel it tugging at our souls!

I. Different views of Heaven:

A. PHYSICAL RESTORATION OF EDEN:

  • The garden of Eden was originally intended to be the eternal dwelling place of man. When man sinned against God, Man was cast out of the garden. The entire hope of mankind it to be permitted to live once again in the physical garden paradise. God will restore the garden on a global basis and there "the faithful" will live a physical existence forever upon the earth. Advocates of this view deny that man has a soul. Their physical view of heaven is therefore a logical outgrowth of their doctrine on the soul. (Jw's, Armstrong, Adventists, Christadelphians etc.)

B. CONTINUOUS DIVINE PROGRESSION:

  • The Mormons believe in polytheism and assert that God has flesh and bones like a man. As man is, God once wee as God is, man may become. They teach that at one time God the Father was Just a man like Adam. They also teach that any man can "evolve" or progress to become equal with God. The hope of a Mormon is to be raised from the dead, fly off into some distant galaxy with his many wives, (polygamy) and populate a planet with "Adams" who can become God's. This process is happening right now on thousands of other planets, just like it is now happening on earth. This is "heaven" to a Mormon.

C. BIBLE TEACHING:

  • Heaven is the destination place of the faithful. It is not physical but spiritual, being in the very presence of God. God is a spiritual being that is impossible for human eyes to see. Heaven, also is outside the boundaries and understanding of man as he lives in the physical universe.

II. Where is heaven:

A. Two basic views:

  1. Heaven is physical upon the earth
  2. Heaven is spiritual in the presence of God

B. Heavenly places, lit: "IN THE HEAVENLIES" Used 5X in Ephesians

  1. Eph 1:3 all spiritual blessings IN THE HEAVENLIES
  2. Eph 1:20 23 God made Christ to sit at His right hand IN THE HEAVENLIES
  3. Eph 2:6 Christ raised us up to sit with him IN THE HEAVENLIES
  4. Eph 3:10 God's wisdom made known through the church to the rulers and authorities IN THE HEAVENLIES
  5. Eph 6:10 12 Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness. against the spiritual forces of wickedness IN THE HEAVENLIES.

C. Heaven is not part of physical universe:

  1. Jn 18:36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world . . . this realm"
  2. Heb 9:11,24 Heaven is not of this creation
  3. 1 Cor 15:50 51,44 Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God a. we shall all be changed...we will have a spiritual body

D. Jesus teaches His disciples about the nature of heaven: John 13:36; 14:1 6

  1. Jn 13:36 you cannot follow me now but you will follow me later
  2. Jn 14:2 Father's house has many places, I go to prepare you a place
  3. Jn V3 I will come and receive you that where I am YOU may be also
  4. Jn V5 Thomas asks, "Jesus where are you going?"
  5. Jn 14:6 No one comes to the Father but through Me!

III. Physical symbols/word pictures of heaven

A. A City:

  1. An eternal heavenly city: Heb 11:16; 13:14
  2. a beautiful city: Rev 20:2,10 22:5
    • beautiful and glorious: 21:2,10 11
    • security: Walls and gates V12 14
    • very large: V15 17
    • Finest, most valuable materials used to construct: V18 21
    • Various other things: V22 27

B. SABBATH REST: Heb 3:12 4:11

  1. God has rested from creation to present: 4:3,9 10
  2. This is not the 7th day Sabbath: Col 2:14
    • Heb 3:17,18 + Ps 95:8 11 (All Jews kept 7th day Sabbath in wilderness)
    • Heb 3:19 4:6 Unbelievers could keep the 7th day Sabbath: Ex 20:10 23:12
    • Heb 4:11 must strive to enter this rest/7th day rest: merely cease work
  1. Rev 14:13

C. NEW HEAVENS AND EARTH:

1. 2 Pe 3:5 7

  • The flood destroyed the earth only with water
  • Present heaven and earth will be destroyed with fire: V10
  • God will create a new heaven and earth: V13

2. The present physical universe is "uncreated" or eliminated:

  • Rev 20:11
  • Rev 21 :4b The old things hove passed away
  • Heb i3:14

3. Rev 21:1.5 I make all things new

  • We will watch God create the new heavens and earth!

D. RESTORED GARDEN PARADISE: Gen 2:8 10

  1. Rev 2:7 Tree of life in the paradise of God
  2. Rev 22:2,3 Uncursed tree of life

E. "HOLY OF HOLIES" or "MOST HOLY PLACE" of the Jewish tabernacle:

  1. Represented heaven: Heb 9:11,24
  2. Jesus entered into the veil: Heb 6:19,20
    • Jesus our "forerunner", Military term, like spies sent into Jericho
    • We have confidence to enter the holy place: Heb 10:19,20

F. OTHER PHYSICAL PICTURES AND SYMBOLS:

  1. Eternal day: Rev 21:25 ~ 22:5
  2. Physical comfort:
    • no hunger, thirst or neat: Rev 7:16
    • no death or pain: Rev 21:4
  1. Emotional comfort: No morning or crying: Rev 21:4

Conclusion

A. Overall heaven is described:

  1. Mt 5:11 as a great reward
  2. Rom 8:18 present suffering not worthy to be compared with future glory
  3. 2 Cor 4:17,18 eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison
  4. Eph 2:7 surpassing riches of His grace towards us
  5. Eph 3:20 beyond all we could ask for or even think of

Hell

Hell


Not A Pretty Place

Touch: Pain from burning fire

Taste: Dry mouth, extreme thirst, blood from gnashing teeth

Smell: Rotting garbage-Gehenna; rotten eggs-brimstone

Sight: smoke-fire; corruption-gehenna or black darkness

Sound: Moaning, weeping, crying, screaming