Daily Bread - August 31, 2019 (The Seventh Day - Genesis 2:1-3)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Saturday, 31 August 2019 08:29

1 John 4:2 - By this we know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is from God. Part 1 ~ Christ Jesus Has Come In The Flesh The doctrinal test distinguishing between those who are true and those who are not is the confession: God, Christ Jesus, has come in the flesh. Similarly, Paul said no one can say Jesus Christ is Lord (referring to the fact He is God) except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). The confession of Jesus Christ being our Lord is participating with the Holy Spirit in the new birth experience, for with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10). This is more than a historic fact, but a confession of His current status. Christ Jesus not only came into the flesh, historically, on the day God was incarnated into a human and earthly body, but He has also come to dwell in us so we can say, "greater is He that is in [us] than He that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). By the Holy Spirit, we confess Christ is in us (Colossians 1:27). This confession is not a mere superficial acknowledgment or mental affirmation, but a witness of the Spirit that we have been born of God through Him. The Greek word used here is 'eleluthota' (ἐληλυθότα), which is the perfect active participle of 'erchomai,' (ἔρχομαι) and may be translated in several ways, but by far the best and most agreed upon way is, "come," with respect to "come in the flesh," which once again refers to His current status. The act of incarnation, although of supreme importance, is not the only point of this passage. Jesus Christ is alive, living in us, and dwelling among us - for He died, was buried, rose again, ascended to the Father, and has come to make His abode with us (John 14:23, Galatians 2:20).

 

Daily Bread - August 30, 2019 (The Sixth Day - Genesis 1:24-31)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Friday, 30 August 2019 05:08

1 John 4:1 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Part 2 ~ The Plumb Line Of Righteousness Today, false prophets may not necessarily lead people to worship other gods, but rather they preach and teach things that lead men away from God by accepting sin and iniquity as being justifiable. Yet when we consider such a practice, we must also recognize that sin is an act of participating with the demonic, which is service to the god of this world (1 John 3:8). The plumb-line between truth and lie, light and darkness, and God and Satan, is found in living in righteousness and holiness and refusing evil. The witness that we are of God is that Christ Jesus is in us, and we do what is pleasing in His sight (1 John 2:5-6, 27-28, 3:6, 24, and 4:4, 13-16, 5:20).

 

Daily Bread - August 29, 2019 (The Fifth Day - Genesis 1:20-23)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Thursday, 29 August 2019 05:16

1 John 4:1 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Part 1 ~ Identifying False Witnesses After establishing that keeping the commandments of the Lord is the testimony of oneness with the Lord and the indwelling Holy Spirit, John warns us to try the spirits. There are those who bear false witness of Who God is and what He has willed. Their testimonies do not agree with the Word of God, and they must be identified and refused. The false prophet is someone who supposedly carries a word from God, but the word is false and so is the spirit by which they are speaking. These false witnesses appear to be sincere, but they are wolves dressed in sheep's clothing. They may even be able to do miracles, signs, and wonders, but if their words to not line up with Scripture, we know that they are false. Moses warned of such false prophets and said, "If one appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder that he has spoken takes place, and he says, 'Come let us follow other gods (gods you have not known), and let us worship them,' you must not listen to the words of the prophet or dreamer" (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). We should also be able to recognize the similarities between these false prophets and those Jesus spoke of when He referred to the ones who had worked signs and wonders in His name, but practiced iniquity (Matthew 7:21-23). There are those who believe that Satan and those who serve him cannot do miracles, but they can. The man of sin who is also called the Antichrist will deceive the nations by the power, signs, and lying wonders that he will do (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9).

 

Daily Bread - August 28, 2019 (The Fourth Day - Genesis 1:14-19)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Wednesday, 28 August 2019 05:10

1 John 3:23-24 - And this is His command: that we believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us. And he that keeps His commands dwells in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He dwells in us: by the Spirit that He has given. Part 2 ~ The Unspeakable Gift Of The Mystery Of The Fellowship The fruits, or proofs, of the Spirit are the witnesses that union with Christ Jesus took place when we were born again. Chief among these fruits is the love of God manifested through our lives. The love of Christ Jesus revealed through us is the proof that He dwells in us, and we dwell in Him (John 13:34-35, 15:9-10, 12, 16:27; Romans 8:9). Jesus Christ is bodily seated today at the right hand of the Father; yet He lives within us, and the Holy Spirit is proof. He does not live within us by an endearing memory and commitment that we have to Him. He lives in us because we are His dwelling place, a tabernacle built for Him when we were born again and made a new creation (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16). The coming and indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the subject of chapters 14, 15, and 16 of the Gospel of John. Now, there are two dimensions by which the Holy Spirit has come to us. Firstly, He has come to dwell alongside of us, lead us, guide us, and glorify Jesus. Secondly, the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in us, because God has put His Spirit in us (Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26-27; John 3:6, 14:16-17, 23). The indwelling of God in us is further emphasized by the promise Jesus made of how both He and the Father would come and dwell with us (John 14:23). So, while it may be understood that they dwell in us through the Spirit that has been given to us; still, there remains an interaction and dwelling going beyond just having their corporeal presence communicated by the indwelling Spirit of God (John 14:21, 23). Many may wonder how is this possible; yet through the new birth, the mystery of the fellowship has brought to pass this unspeakable gift -our lives have been integrated together with the everlasting God, Christ Jesus living in us!

 

Daily Bread - August 26, 2019 (The Second Day - Genesis 1:6-8)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Monday, 26 August 2019 07:00

1 John 3:19-22 - And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. Because if our heart convicts us, God is greater than our heart and knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not convict us, then we have confidence before God. And whatever we ask of Him, we receive, because we keep His commands and do what is pleasing in His sight. Part 3 ~ Doing What Is Pleasing In His Sight In this place of fellowship and union with God, we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. We can be certain that asking Father and receiving our request is central to what God desires for our life. Jesus said He had called us and ordained us to bring forth fruit, and that our fruit should remain, "that whatsoever you should ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you" (John 15:16). Yet, equally important, we must also remember we can do nothing without Him. We must recognize our lives were consecrated by His blood and by the Holy Spirit to dwell in Christ Jesus (John 15:5). If we are willing to accept all God has done for us and agree with His Word, even in the face of the multitude of assailing thoughts and circumstances, we will walk in the faith that overcomes the world (1 John 3:23, 5:4). If we will come to rely upon the Holy Spirit and allow Him to continually fill us, then we will continue to walk in His Word and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. If we fail and sin, all we have to do is immediately turn to Jesus and take His blood for our cleansing. Then, we ask the Holy Spirit to fill us and strengthen us to always do those things that please the Father -and He will!