Daily Bread - July 17, 2019 (The Fourth Day - Genesis 1:14-19)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Wednesday, 17 July 2019 11:04

1 John 3:7 - Little children, let no one deceive you: he who does righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. Part 4 ~ Representatives of Righteousness Jesus Christ, Who came to redeem men and set us free from the power of Satan, is greater in power and influence if we will simply follow Him. The power of God is greater than Satan's, and the obedience of Christ Jesus is greater than the disobedience of Adam (Romans 5:12-21). If we will put on Christ Jesus, then we will give no opportunity to the lust of the flesh (Romans 13:14). We have been given the authority to be sons of God, and as many as are sons will walk in the Spirit - no power of sin will have authority to snare them (Luke 10:19; John 1:12; Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:16; 2 Peter 1:10; 1 John 5:18). We are to be the ministers of righteousness, held up as the testimony of God's changing power, and shine with the radiant glory of the Lord to all of the world (2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Matthew 5:14-15). God's mercy is so great that He is dedicated to help us no matter how much we fail. If we sin, He is there to intercede on our behalf (1 John 2:1). If we will confess our sins, He is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). God is longsuffering, not willing that anyone perish, but we must be willing to be taught the ways of life and say no to evil (Psalm 119:33-40; 133, 86:11; Proverbs 8:13; Isaiah 7:15; Romans 12:9; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

 

Daily Bread - July 16, 2019 (The Third Day - Genesis 1:9-13)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Tuesday, 16 July 2019 08:12

1 John 3:7 - Little children, let no one deceive you: he who does righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. Part 3 ~ Drawing the Line Against Sin and Rebellion The line must be drawn in the heart of those who have called upon the Name of the Lord Jesus. These things must be understood about sin: - to participate with sin is to participate with the works of demon spirits (1 John 3:8); - everything about sin is opposed to the work of Jesus, Who was manifested to destroy the works of the Devil (1 John 3:5, 8); - everyone that is born of God has been called to overcome the wicked one (1 John 2:13-14; 4:4-6; 5:18-21); - Satan was and is a rebel against God, and any participation with his influences is a act of that same rebellion (Isaiah 14:9-17; Ezekiel 28:12-14, John 8:44, 49); - and finally, all who follow his rebellion (sin) are opposing God, and will ultimately suffer his fate: eternal damnation (Revelation 20:10-15; 21:5-8).

 

Daily Bread - July 15, 2019 (The Second Day - Genesis 1:6-8)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Monday, 15 July 2019 12:07

1 John 3:7 - Little children, let no one deceive you: he who does righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. Part 2 ~ The Righteousness God Desires There is a power of deception at work right now that has an ever-increasing influence among men. These seducing spirits are at work in the Church and will ultimately lead men into the great apostasy (Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; 2 Timothy 3:13; Revelation 12:9). One of the things Satan attempts to do is deceive God's people into thinking they can continue in sin and still have fellowship with God (1 John 1:6, 2:4). Paul, giving witness to this most important subject, underscores the fact that those who hold onto sin in their life are unrighteous and will not inherit the Kingdom of God: "Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived - neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor abusers of themselves with mankind" (1 Corinthians 6:9; Ephesians 5:6). All sin begins with participation with a satanic influence (John 8:44; Ephesians 2:2-3; 1 John 3:8). But the righteousness God desires comes out of the realms of His holiness, proceeding from the heart, like a wellspring out of a new nature (Romans 6:18, 22; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10; 1 John 1:9, 2:29). There are many today who want to continue in sin -they just want to be forgiven for it! However, Jesus died to set us free from sin and to give us a right and true heart before God that desires to be delivered from every unholy influence. The cry of the Spirit is to awake unto righteousness and sin not (1 Corinthians 15:34).

 

Daily Bread - July 13, 2019 (The Seventh Day - Genesis 2:1-3)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Saturday, 13 July 2019 11:53

1 John 3:7 - Little children, let no one deceive you: he who does righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. Part 1 ~ Participating with the Righteousness of God The Spirit of God only does righteousness. We have been born of the Spirit to live and walk in the Spirit. The fruit the Holy Spirit will produce in the lives of those who been born of God is the righteousness of God. If we are under the direction and rulership of the Spirit, then we will obey Him and let Him move through our lives with His glory and virtue: His righteousness. The Kingdom of God is to be revealed through our lives in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17). The blood of Jesus has cleansed us from all sin that we might live unto righteousness (1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:9). We are made righteous (justified) by faith in Jesus Christ alone (Romans 5:1, 9; Galatians 2:16). This righteousness, by the faith of Jesus Christ, is the righteousness that operates in our life through the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11; Romans 14:17; Galatians 2:16). When we received the righteousness of God, we were empowered to live righteously (Romans 3:21-22, 10:3-10; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21). This is not our own righteousness, one taught by man, or one produced from human effort, but the righteousness of God that comes from the heart by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, because it is the righteousness of God we are participating with, we are righteous even as He is righteous. Oh, thank God for righteousness, otherwise we would be unacceptable to God!

 

Daily Bread - July 12, 2019 (The Sixth Day - Genesis 1:24-31)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Friday, 12 July 2019 17:49

1 John 3:6 - Everyone who abides in Him does not sin. Everyone that sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Part 7 ~ The Power To Overcome Sin: Knowing God The power to overcome the thirst for sin is only found in knowing God. Jesus gave the woman at the well of Samaria the remedy for her sin. All she needed to do was to receive the gift of God and drink of the Spirit, and she would never thirst for the things of the world again (John 4:10, 14). Jesus gave us an allegory in John 15 to describe how He desires us to live our lives in Him. We are to abide in Him as a branch abides in the vine. This kind of relationship and dependence upon the life and power of God will result in our constant obedience and success. We can be certain that by the time that John was addressing the Church with this Epistle, there were many who had never physically seen Jesus. Yet, there was a fellowship that they had with Jesus wherein John included them, "we have seen with our eyes ... we have looked upon" (1 John 1:1b). We know that as far as John was concerned, this was literal, for He had been with Jesus for at least three years and had many opportunities to do all of these things. But now about 60 years later, there would be very few people who would have had an opportunity to literally do this. Therefore, when John uses this word for "seen" or "vision," he is using it in a spiritual sense. John is using this phrase to describe those who really know Jesus (1 John 2:4, 4:8). To believe somehow that God does not expect us to walk in holiness and perfect obedience is nothing more than deception (Ephesians 5:6; 2 Timothy 3:13; 1 John 3:7). If men are going to learn to walk in the perfect obedience to God, then they are going to have to learn to walk in the Spirit and abide in Christ (Romans 8:1, 4; Galatians 5:16, 25).