THE
TRUTH
John 1:4 "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."
John 8:32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 14:6
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through Me."
MONTHLY LESSONS DESIGNED TO CONVERT.
April, 2019 - NEW KING JAMES VERSION
“THE HOST WITH THE MOST!”
The idea of
a Host conjures up images of
invitations, rsvp’s, and guests arriving at a pre-disclosed location.
To appreciate this concept of a
Host, and God as the ultimate
Host, consider that God has
provided at the expense of His Son a way by which He has offered to
Host all those who come to Him
through Jesus Christ.
This
special demonstration of hospitality in love also carries with it the
understanding of transforming those who heed the invitation, note:
Acts 26:18
“to open their eyes, in order to turn them
from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they
may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are
sanctified by faith in Me.’”
In
addition, the invitation is full of hope and great and precious promises.
1 Peter 1:3-5
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a
living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4
to an
inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you,
5
who are
kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in
the last time.”
2 Peter 1:2-4
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of
God and of Jesus our Lord,
3
as His
divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and
godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
4
by which
have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through
these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust.”
All this
constitutes the understanding of God’s grace. This is the free gift offer of
God that would create, where man could not, a way to God regardless of the
worthiness of man. This is the universal message of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ (the invitation sent out to the entire world –
Matthew
28:18-20;
Mark 16:15-16).
Acts 4:12
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no
other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””
This is
God’s part as the Host! He has
created the venue, eternal salvation in an unbroken relationship with Him
through Jesus Christ. He has sent out the invitation,
“Go into the world and preach the
Gospel” –
Mark 16:15. Finally, He has given
every man the opportunity to rsvp our willing participation in this
demonstration of His love; “He that
believes and is baptized shall be saved” –
Mark
16:16.
Many years before the coming of the Lord; king David, knowing and trusting
in God as a Host, asked the
all-important question, note:
Psalm 15:1
“Lord,
who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in
Your holy hill?”
David
realized and knew that although God would offer to
Host all, there would be many
who would reject the invitation of God. As such, David was seeking to answer
the universal question of what would be the character of those who would
dwell with the Lord (to rsvp the invitation).
The answer:
Psalm 15:2-5
“He who walks uprightly,
And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in
his heart; 3
He who does not backbite with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
4 In whose eyes a vile person
is despised, But he honors those who fear the
Lord;
He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 He
who does not put out his money at usury, Nor
does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who
does these things shall never be moved.”
Loves
God with All His Heart –
A walk is
simply a way of conducting your life. To walk uprightly is to walk in such a
way as to see well and be seen by others. The fact that it is established in
righteousness is the very reason this can be done. This individual has put
his trust in God and directs himself accordingly!
READ:
Romans
1:16;
6:3-4;
17-18;
Hebrews
11:6;
1 Peter 3:15;
1 John
2:3-6.
Loves
His Neighbor as Himself, His brethren better than Himself –
The
remainder of David’s answer concerning those who may dwell with the
Host, deals with how man treats
his fellow man. We are not to engage in slander at the back of any, or be
the repeater of unproven accusation (slander). To avoid at all costs being
vile or filthy morally and all such behavior should be held beneath the man
who is good enough to enter the house of God. These worthy individuals do
not use their fellow man for individual gain, or are excessively harsh.
This was
the instruction of our Lord to His disciples, and through them to you and
me, note:
John 13:34-35
“A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one
another.
35
By this all will know that
you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.””
READ:
Romans
12:9-21;
Galatians 6:10;
Philippians 2:3-4;
1 Timothy 2:1-7.
There
can be little doubt that God is the Host with the Most!
His
offering of Himself (His Son) is a demonstration of love beyond the
expression of words; yet, something greater than anything we know as
valuable. His grace permeates through the Gospel message, as the only
provider of the Way for us to achieve life with Him.
As the
Gospel went out into the world, starting on the Day of Pentecost, we see the
free will offer, and the rsvp response of those whose character would see
them dwelling with the Great Host,
note:
God’s
Part
–
Acts 2:36-38
““Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly
that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37
Now when
they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and
the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38
Then Peter
said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit.”
Our
Part
–
Acts 2:40-42
“And with many other words he testified and exhorted
them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”
41
Then those
who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three
thousand souls were added to them.
42
And they
continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the
breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
Have you Answered the Invitation Yet?
We invite you to worship and learn with us:
Sunday Morning Bible Study – 10 A .M. (Classes for all ages)
Sunday Morning Worship – 10:55 A.M.
Sunday Evening Worship – 5 P.M.
Wednesday Evening Service – 7 P.M.
Visit our web site at:
plvcc.org