Most Read Bible Verses---#13---Acts 18:9-11

Acts 18:9-11 (NLT)

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.  For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”  So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

Have you ever experienced the Lord speaking to you in a vision?  We can be very skeptical of people who claim that God spoke to them personally.  Televangelists commonly make this claim.  It’s impossible to know if they are telling the truth, or if they are delusional, or if they are lying in order to leave the impression that they have special connections with the Almighty that no one else has.  Cult leaders are notorious for claiming that God told them to do this and that.  Indeed, beware of anyone who claims that he/she has received a special revelation from the Lord.  People who boast of this proclamation most likely are self-centered, unstable psychologically and aim to deceive others.   

However, God does speak to us through the listening part of our prayers and especially through His Word (which, of course, people in biblical times did not have so God by necessity needed to speak to them through visions until His Word was written down).  You certainly can be praying over some fear/anxiety and be reading biblical passages/verses that speak about not be afraid and, like Paul’s vision, you will feel like God is speaking to you personally.  The Bible is totally sufficient in providing guidance to you without the need for any special vision from God.  God has revealed His will for you through His Word and no longer needs to speak to people through special revelations.

God revealed to Paul and now reveals to you in this passage several truths that you should never forget:

·  Do not be afraid—The Bible is very clear that you should never fear anyone (Hebrews 13:6) nor anything (Isaiah 41:10).

·  Do not be silent—This is in reference to being bold in declaring your faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ (II Timothy 1:7)

·  God is with you—You do not need to pray “God, be with me”.  He always is with you even if you don’t “feel” like He is.  You must rely on your faith that He is always with you (Joshua 1:9, Hebrews 13:5)

·  No one is going to attack and harm you—I admit that this promise sometimes is difficult to believe.  We know of many examples where God’s anointed followers (e.g. missionaries) have been physically harmed/killed. Even this promise to Paul did not last.  Yet there also are many more examples where Christians have been miraculously protected from harm and Paul was protected until he had achieved God’s will for his life.  When you think about what a dangerous world we live in (crime, terrorism, natural disasters, accidents, illnesses, etc.) it is very reassuring to believe in God’s truths that He protects you from most/all of these dangers (Proverbs 1:33, 12:21, 18:10, Psalm 91, Isaiah 41:10).

You’ve heard the old saying, “the closer you are to the Shepherd, the farther you are from the wolf”.  Trust in the Lord that His presence in your life will protect you.  Do not fear anyone or anything except fear (reverence) in the Lord.  Whatever fears and worries you have right now, lift them up to the Lord and ask Him specifically to guard and protect you.  Also ask for sufficient faith that will enable you to trust in His Word that promises to keep and protect you and your loved ones.  Amen.

Most Read Bible Verses--#14---Galatians 2:20

Galatians 2:20 (NASB)

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

This verse speaks of your body being crucified with Christ.  What does this mean?  Crucifixion, as horrible as it was, was the act of God through Christ to destroy completely, totally and finally the influence of Satan and sin in the lives of people who accept this act of sacrifice. Crucifixion is not something that you have to do, it is something that Christ did for you.  You just have to believe that this is truly what He did for you.  You do not need to rely on your own ability to overcome your old self with all its sinful, selfish, and prideful ways and habits.  You cannot do this on your own anyway.  Christ can do it through you.  He won the battle over sin, you did not and cannot, but through faith you can relinquish your will and life to Him.  The statement above, ”who loved me and gave Himself up for me” summarizes the love of God through His Son and His sacrificial death by crucifixion in order that you can be saved from your sins and sin nature.  This not only gives you the assurance of eternal life (I John 5:11-12), but also gives you an abundant life (John 10:10) that you could never enjoy apart from the influence of the Lord in your life 

True/sincere Christianity is the voluntary willingness of an individual to abandon his/her desires of the flesh, eyes, and boastful pride of life (I John 2:15) and replace them with the character and Spirit of Christ.

That is why Paul further states that “it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me”.  He is stating that he has removed his old habits and preferences in his former life and has replaced these with complete filling and control by Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.  The second sentence further describes what this means.  He still lives in the same body, but no longer trusts his own decisions and limited thinking, but now trusts in the guidance of Jesus.  Where does the guidance of Jesus come from?  Through His Holy Word and through the remembrance and application of His Word by the Holy Spirit filling your life (John 14:26).  Your faith comes from hearing and you hear/learn from the Word of God (Romans 10:17). 

Pastor Rob Morgan preached a sermon[1] that proclaimed that out of the 31,102 verses of the Bible, the best choice you could come up with for a life verse, for a verse to be engraved on your tombstone, or a verse that someone else would use to describe your aspirations and experiences as a Christian is this verse—Galatians 2:20?  Do you agree with him?  Do you see his logic?  Think about this and whether or not this verse can very well describe you?

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[1] http://www.donelsonav.org/pocket/pp-000123.html

Most Read Bible Verses---#15---I John 1:9

I John 1:9 (NLT)

But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 

There are several key words in this famous passage.

If

God’s forgiveness comes with a condition.  In fact, most of the promises in Scripture come with a condition using the qualifying word, ‘if”.  He will forgive if you confess.  You have to take the initiative to ask for His forgiveness.  This means that you have to admit that you have committed sins.  Pride often prevents humans from admitting that they commit sins. 

Confess

The word for confess here means “to agree with”.  Confessing sins mean that you agree with God that you have sinned.  How do you know that you have sinned?  By learning God’s Word and having the Holy Spirit in you who will convict you when you sin.  In the previous verse John refers to the truth.  John 17:17 says “Thy word is truth”.   

Sins

John is writing to believers.  So he is not talking about confessing your sin nature, but talking about individual sins committed as a Christian.  Your sin nature was who you were before believing in and accepting Christ as your Savior and Lord.  That is past.  What is present are the sins you commit as a Christian.  Again the previous verse says that if you say you do not sin, you are deceiving yourself and the truth is not in you, i.e. you refuse to accept the truth found in the word of God and in Christ Himself.

Faithful and just

The Bible contains many affirmations of the faithfulness of God (e.g. Lamentation 3:22-23, Psalm 36:5, 119:90, I Corinthians 10:13, II Timothy 2:13, many others).  You are always safe to believe that what God promises, He will remain true to that promise.  Indeed, He will forgive you when you confess your sins.  God is also just, meaning that He cannot let any sin go unpunished.  Yet, because He is also merciful, He sent Jesus to accept punishment and die for your sins.

Forgive

I cannot find a better description for forgiveness than what is written in the Life Application Study Bible.  At conversion all our sins are forgiven—past, present, and future.  Yet even after you become a Christian you still sin and need to confess.  This kind of confession is not offered to gain God’s acceptance, but to remove the barrier to fellowship that your sin has put between you and Him.  God is willing to forgive when you confess your sins.

Cleanse

To cleanse means to remove.  When you confess your sins, God not only forgives you, He also removes the sins you’ve committed from His remembrance.  It took the blood of Christ to cleanse God’s people from their sins.  Before Christ, it took animal sacrifices to cleanse people of their sins.  The shedding of blood, like it or not, is God’s way for Him to forgive sins.  Remember these two truths:  “All things are cleansed by blood; without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22).  “For I will forgive their sins and remember them no more” (Jeremiah 31:34, Isaiah 34:25). 

What wonderful, indeed almost unbelievable promises in this verse.  All Christians can claim it.  Confess your sins every day and you will be viewed as righteous before almighty God.  That is what Jesus Christ did for you through His life and sacrificial death. 

And don’t forget, as you feel so good about being forgiven, you need to forgive others too.