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NBM_05-Cross

The Cross is one of the primary symbols of Christianity because of Jesus's crucifixion. The Roman empire put many thousands to death on the cross. It was a tool for killing people painfully while subjecting them to extreme humiliation in front of their society. Though not the same, the electric chair would be a good modern example in that it is a tool to carry out death sentences.

What make's Jesus' death on the cross different is what we study this week. I'd like to share what St. John Damascene (c. 675-749), who was the last of the Greek Fathers, wrote in his "What happened on the Cross."*

By nothing else except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ has death been brought low:

The sin of our first parent destroyed, hell plundered, resurrection bestowed, the power given us to despise the things of this world, even death itself, the road back to the former blessedness made smooth, the gates of paradise opened, I wIwi our nature nature seated at the right hand of God, and we made children and heirs of God.

By the cross all these things have been set aright...

It is a seal that the destroyer may not strike us, a raising up of those who lie fallen, a support for those who stand, a staff for the infirm, a crook for the shepherded, a guide for the wandering, a perfecting of the advanced, salvation for soul and body, a deflector of all evils, a cause of all goods, a destruction of sin, a plant of resurrection, and a tree of eternal life.

If you understand the implications of Jesus' death on the cross, your life will change. Mine did.

When Jesus Christ was put to death by being nailed to a wooden cross, the Jews and others thought they were just executing a man who was disturbing their way of life. They did not realize that the Cross was planned by God from the beginning of the world.

A. GOD DEALS WITH ALL SIN

Through His Son's death on the Cross, the great Creator God was dealing with every person's sin, suffering and sorrow. Jesus was dying in the place of every individual in the world. Receiving personally what He has done on the Cross brings the answer to all our needs.

1. God Reveals His Power Through The Cross

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1Cor 1:18) See also Romans 1:16.

2. God Shows His Love On The Cross

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8).

3. God Removed Our Sorrows On The Cross

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted" (Isa 53:4).

4. Jesus Took The Punishment For Our Sins On The Cross

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed... We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa 53: 5,6). See also 1 Peter 2:24).

B. NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH THE CROSS

Because God is so holy and righteous, sin separates us from Him. No one with sin in their hearts is able to be in His presence.

So, not only by dying on the Cross did Jesus suffer for our sins in our place; but also He made it possible for us know God personally and to experience the love, peace and joy which fellowship with Him brings.

1. We Become Acceptable To God Through the Cross

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:21).

2. We Receive Forgiveness Through The Cross

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Col 1:13,14). See also 1 John 2:1,2.

3. We Become Members Of God's Family Through The Cross

"Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, 'I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praise"' (Heb 2:11,12). See also John 1:12

4. Racial Barriers Are Broken Through The Cross

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations.

"His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility" (Eph 2:13-16).

C. FREEDOM THROUGH THE CROSS

Jesus' death on the Cross was a great victory for us. Because God dealt with our sin on the Cross, it means also that all the misery and suffering which is a result of sin was also dealt with.

The Cross has won great freedom for us!

1. Freedom From Satan

"And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the Cross" (Col 2:15). See also Colossians 1:13.

2. Freedom from Past Sins

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36). See also Colossians 2:13.

3. Freedom From Present Sins

"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law,but under grace" (Rom 6:14)

4. Freedom From Sickness

"This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: 'He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases'" (Matt 8:17).

5. Freedom From The Curse

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree'" (Gal 3:13)See also Deuteronomy 28:15-68.

6. Freedom From The Judgment

"Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment " (Heb 9:26,27)

7. Freedom From Everlasting Death

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

D. LOVE AND JUSTICE MEET AT THE CROSS

The Cross is the place where the love of God and the righteous judgment of God meet. His righteous judgment demanded the death penalty for sin - the shedding of blood. His love met His own demands and Jesus, the Son of God, died in our place.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Rom 5:8-11)

E. THE CROSS IS THE CENTER OF HISTORY

The Cross of Jesus Christ is the center point of mankind's existence on earth. From the moment the first man and woman sinned (see Genesis 3), it was pre-planned by God that Jesus would die on the Cross.

From that time on, people looked forward in faith to what God promised. He would do on the Cross to save them. Today we look back and, by believing what Jesus has done for us on the Cross, receive forgiveness and new life.

MY COMMITMENT

Today I put my whole trust in what God was doing for me when Jesus died on the Cross. I believe He took the punishment for my sin. I receive the forgiveness that God is offering to me. And I thank Him for the relationship this now gives me with Him. I make a decision today that I will live each day in this personal relationship with God and commit myself to share this truth with others.

*Excerpted from Orthodox Faith 4

NBM_04-Jesus

This week's scriptures are on Jesus. Before I met Him, I had many thoughts on who Jesus was. From Messiah to a long haired hippy, almost everyone I met had a take on Jesus.

Now, to me, it does not matter who thinks what anymore, Jesus is who he is and it is up to you and I to choose where we stand on what He said.

A. JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD

Two thousand years ago a man appeared on the scene of history. He was born into the world and grew up into manhood just like every other person, but this man was different to anyone else. He was no ordinary man.

A virgin conceived by the Holy Spirit to bring Him to birth. He was God, Himself coming to the earth in human form. He was the "Son of God" (Luke 1:26-35).

"In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the word was God... The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:1,14).

B. JESUS CAME TO THE WORLD FOR A SPECIAL PURPOSE

1. To Rescue Mankind From Satan's Power

"For the son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10) See also Colossians 1:13.

2. To Give His Life As A Ransom to Buy Us Back

"...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matt 20:28).

3. To Destroy The Works Of Satan In Our Lives

"He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.”

"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work" (1 Jn 3:8).

4. To Give Us Eternal Life

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 Jn 5:11,12). See also John 3:16,17 and John 10:10

5. To Give Us New "Birth" Into The Family Of God

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God" (John 1:12). See also 1 John 3:1,2.

6. To Restore Our Fellowship With God The Father

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ" (1 Jn 1:3).

C. JESUS CAME TO SHOW US WHAT GOD IS LIKE

"If you really knew me [Jesus], you would know my Father as well. From Now on, you do know him and have seen him....Any one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father"?

"Don't you, believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me ..." (John 14:7-11), see also John 1:18.

1. He Showed Us God's Love

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 Jn 4:9,10). See also romans 5:8.

2. He Showed Us God's Power

1. He Healed the Sick, The Lame And The Blind. News about him spread all over Syria and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, the epileptics and the paralytics, and he healed them" (Matt 4:24). See also John 9:1-7.
   
2. He Cast Out Evil Spirits. "And Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was" (Mark 1:34). See also Mark 5:1-17).
   
3. He Performed Miracles. "A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped ...[Jesus] got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm ... [His disciples] were terrified and asked each other. ' Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!'” (Mark 4:37-41]. See also John 6;1-21.
   
4. He Raised The Dead “... Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes and let him go'” (John 11:43,44).

D. JESUS SHARED OUR SUFFERINGS IN HIS LIFE.

During His life on earth Jesus experienced all the troubles of life that we face, and so understands how we feel.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin" (Heb 4:15). See also Mathew 8:17.

E. JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS FOR US

Wicked men took the Lord Jesus and executed Him by nailing Him to a wooden cross like a common criminal. He could have save Himself, but He did not, for it was through His death on the Cross that God was going to save the world. Jesus died for us! (Read Mark 15:16-39.)

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (1 Pet 2:24). See also Isaiah 53:5,6.

F. JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD FOR US

After three days in the tomb God raised His Son from the dead! (Read Mathew 28). This, too, was for us!

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ ... God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus ..." (Eph 2:4-6, see also Romans 6:4

G. JESUS OPENED THE DOOR OF HEAVEN FOR US

When His work on earth was completed, Jesus returned to Heaven to be with God, His Father. But this, too, was for us ... for He opened the way into God's presence for us, where we can live now and forever!

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body...

"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.." (Heb 10:19-22). See also John 14:1-3.

MY COMMITMENT

It is never too late to be saved and reconciled to God, but we need to choose to give up our rebellion against God and acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God and that He came into the world to meet our great need of a Savior. No matter how far or distant God might seem to you, you should know that God Loves You!

If you want Jesus in your life, believe and declare this out loud:

Father, God in heaven, it is written in Your word that if I say it out with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from the dead, I shall be saved.

I need Jesus right now, to come in and take over as my life and set things right, now and eternally. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that you raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with satan and close the door to any of his devices.

I thank You for forgiving me all my sin. Jesus is my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new, in Jesus' name. Amen.

This is what is generally known as a “Prayer of Salvation”. If you have prayed this, or if you have any doubts, I would love to hear from you!

NBM_03-Man_And_Satan

An old song I remember starts with "There's something wrong with the world today". I have not found anyone who has disagreed with that. Things just seem to get worse everyday. Attached is the 3rd GoodNewsLetter. This week, we look into who Satan is and how he deceived mankind into rejecting God and accepting his way of death and destruction. We need to know this to know what is wrong with the world today. This is the 1st step in setting things right. Jesus said in John 8:32 that "... you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." When we walk in that freedom, we can stand our ground and say to Satan what Neo said at the end of Matrix: "I'm going to hang up this phone, and then I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you in control."

A. MAN - THE IMAGE OF GOD - MADE TO HAVE DOMINION

God had a very real reason for creating man (male and female). He had a wonderful plan and purpose for them. Because God is love. He desired to have beings of like-mind and like-heart with whom He could share His life... all that He is and all that He is involved with ... who would rule the heavens and the earth with Him like sons. So He created man - in His own image.

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Gen 1:26,27).

B. LUCIFER

God created many wonderful things before He created the heavens and the earth. Among them were the angels - spirit beings whose purpose is to fulfill God's will. Angels worship God and serve Him continually (Rev 5:11-14).

However, when Lucifer, one of the great leading angels, understood about God's plan to create man, he rebelled against God. He wanted to be above God's Throne. He wanted the position and authority God had planned for mankind. He wanted to rule all creation from above God's Throne in Heaven

When Lucifer rebelled, God cast him out of Heaven. At the same time, one-third of the angels joined in his rebellion and were cast out with Lucifer (Rev 12:4).

"How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star (Lucifer), son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!

"You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High" (Isa 14:12-14).

Lucifer was cast to the earth, where he is now known as 'Satan' or 'The Devil'. Separated from the glory of the Creator God, he lost the beauty and light he had once had (Eze 28:11-17) and became evil and full of darkness

The angels who fell with him also lost their glory and became evil spirits, in God's newly created world. But Satan's evil ambition did not change and so he set about with another plan to try and usurp (unlawfully take) God's Throne - he went after the man God had created.

C. THE TEMPTATION

God gave His first man and woman (Adam and Eve) authority over all the earth, and told them to keep it under His dominion.

To keep them safe from Satan and his evil spirits, God planted two special trees in the garden where Adam and Eve lived. God called them 'The Tree of Life' and 'The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil' (see Genesis 2:9,17).

The Tree of Life represented the Life and Authority of God Himself - so in eating its fruit, Adam and Eve would be filled more and more with God's strength and love and glory.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil represented Satan's life and authority, and as long as Adam and Eve did not eat its fruit they were safe from the evil spirits which filled the earth. The dominion of the whole Creation would always be theirs if they obeyed their loving Creator God (Heb. 2:8).

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man.

"You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die" (Gen 2:15-17).

However, Satan deceived Eve. He told her the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil wasn't really bad - rather it would make them like gods. She believed the lie and ate the fruit of the Tree. Adam, although he knew it was a lie, also ate of the tree (1 Tim 2:14).

"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it" (Gen 3:6).

D. THE RESULT

Through that one act of sin, man lost the glory and image of God and the dominion over the Creation. Satan then took the throne vacated by Adam and Even and exercised his dominion over the earth, and death filled the world (Heb 2:14,15).

"....sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because [in Adam] all sinned.... (Rom 5:12).

All the generations following Adam and Eve have inherited their fallen nature. All have come under the power and dominion of Satan.

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath" (Eph 2:1-2).

People's hearts, everywhere, are now filled with:

1. Idolatry

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave their thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles" (Rom 1:21-23).

2. Immorality

"Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised Amen.

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.

Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion" (Rom 1:24-27)

3. All Kinds Of Wickedness.

"Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.

They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of theose who practice them" (Rom 1:28-32).

E. GOD'S GREAT PLAN TO RESTORE

God did not give up man because of his sin. No! Instead, He put into action another great plan - the plan to save mankind from Satan's power and to restore him to His original plan of being His sons and sharing His Throne. He began to prepare the world for the coming of the Savior - Jesus.

"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive" (1 Cor 15:22). The New Testament records the story of Christ, the One Who would come to save us from our sins.

NBM_02-God

God is far too great for us to fully understand. He has no beginning and He has no end. There is no place where His presence is not felt. The Bible asks in Job 11:7:

1. Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
   

2. “Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?”
   

3. God lives in Heaven and He rules over the whole earth. The Bible tells us:
   

4. This is what the Lord says: ‘Heaven is my throne and the earth is my foot stool..” (Isa 66:1).
   

5. “God reigns over the nations: God is seated on his holy throne” (Ps.47:8).
   

In this study we are going to be looking at special truths about God. These are facts about God’s unchanging character. Through these you will understand more of what God is like. You will come to understand god and how He cares for you personally.

A. WHAT IS GOD LIKE?

1. God Is The Creator Of Everything.

You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.” (Neh 9:6).

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb”(Ps.139:13).

2. God Is All-Powerful

For who hath resisted his will? Hath not the potter power over the clay..? “(Rom 9:19-21).

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all” (1 Chr 29:11).

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, accordingly to his power that is at work within us” (Eph 3:20).

3. God Is All-Knowing

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb 4:13).

“..God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything” (1 Jn.3:20).

4. God Is Holy

“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God” (1 Sam 2:2).

5. God Is A Spirit

“God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth”(John 4:24).

6. God Is A Person You Can Know

“Come near to God and he will come near to you…¶” (Jas 4:8).

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth”. (Ps.145:18).

7. God Is A Loving Father

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are…¶” (1 Jn3:1).

B. GOD IS TOO GREAT TO LIVE IN TEMPLES

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earthy and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else…¶’For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring’”. (Acts 17:24,25,28).

C. WE ARE:

1. Created By God

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.

“When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Ps.139:14-16).

2. Owned By God

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Cor 6: 19,20).

3. Called To Worship God

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Rev 4:11).

D. MAKE A DECISION

Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt 22:37).

The Bible tells us about a man called Joshua. He was a great leader of the nation of Israel.

The people had been wandering for forty years in the wilderness, without a land of their own. Joshua, under God’s direction, led them in victory against the evil nations living in Canaan, and possessed their land for the homeless nation of Israel.

Joshua then challenged all the people to make a decision:

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. BUT AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSEHOLD, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD”(Josh 24:15).

The same challenge comes to each of us. Will you make the same commitment as Joshua this day?

MY COMMITMENT

This day I give my worship to the only true God of heaven and earth, and surrender my will, my life and possessions to Him. From this day I determine never to worship any other gods. My worship is for Him only, and I will teach others the truths about God.

A FINAL WORD

Remember the law of multiplying the Kingdom of God. It is your turn to teach someone else about God and teach them to teach another person.

NBM_01-Bible_is_the_Word_of_God

The Old Testament has 17 Historical, 5 Poetical, and 17 Prophetic books in it.

The New Testament has 4 Gospels, Acts, 21 Epistles, and Revelation in it.

The Bible contains 1189 chapters.

The Old Testament has 929 chapters and the New Testament has 260 chapters.

A. GOD'S SPECIAL BOOK
The Word of God – the Holy Bible – is God’s special Book. It is not like other books, but is a supernatural Book. It was written by many different people, who wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (see 2 Timothy 3:16).

The Bible is the world’s best seller. It consistently outsells any other book.

The Bible has been translated into more languages than any other book in the world. It was originally written in three languages – Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. The Bible you have has been translated by dedicated people so that you can have God’s words, thoughts and plans.

The Bible is also one of the oldest books in the world. The most ancient portions of the Bible date back almost 4,000 years. Yet it is still the most modern book in the world today; for in it we find the answers to life’s greatest questions:

1. •“Where did I come from?”
   

2. •“Why am I here?”
   

3. •“Where will I go?”
   

Even though the Bible is made up of 66 smaller books, it has only one central theme: God’s loving plan to rescue mankind.

At the front of the Bible you will find a list of the 66 books that can be found in the Bible.

The Bible is divided into two sections:

The Old Testament and The New Testament.

The Old Testament tells us about God’s work with His people before the birth of Jesus.

The New Testament tells us about Jesus’ birth, His life, His great ministry of healing and forgiveness for sick and sinful people, His death on a cross, His being raised from the dead and His ascension (going back to Heaven).

It also tells us about the continuation of His healing, forgiving ministry through those who saw Him after His resurrection. Those who follow Jesus’ teaching do many miraculous works just as He said they would (see John 14:12)

The teaching of those who saw Him after He was raised from the dead is contained in the Epistles (Letters). These were written within the first fifty years after Jesus’ resurrection. These make up about half the New Testament.

B. STUDY THE BIBLE

The most important relationship you can have in this life is with God. Through reading the Bible you come to understand what God is like – His thoughts, His plans and His promises for you.

The list (index) in the front of the Bible will help you find the page number of the part of the Bible you may wish to study.

To help you find specific parts of the Bible, the translators organized the text into:

1. •Books.
   

2. •Chapters within the Books, and
   

3. •Verses within the Chapters.
   

For instance, if you see a reference like “Genesis 3:15”, this would mean

1. •The BOOK of Genesis,
   

2. •CHAPTER three, and
   

3. •VERSE fifteen.
   

C. HERE IS THE WORLD’S GREATEST PROMISE

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”(John 3:16)

D. THE PURPOSE OF THE WORD OF GOD

“… the Holy Scriptures …. are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:15, 16).

“His divine power has given us every thing we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that trough them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by even desires.”(2Pet 1:3,4).

E. THE WORD OF GOD PRODUCES LIFE

“… The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63).

1. It Is Creative

By the WORD OF THE LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth… For he spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm” (Ps.33:6,9). See also Hebrews 11.3.

F. THE WORD OF GOD IS LIKE WATER

1. It cleanses

We start life in the Kingdom of God totally “washed clean” by the Word of God.

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you” (John 15:3). See also Ephesians 5:25-27.

2. It Keeps Clean

The Word of God, planted in our hearts, keeps us free from sin.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word…

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Ps.119: 9,11).

G. THE WORD OF GOD IS LIGHT FOR OUR LIVES

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Pet 1:19).

1. It Gives Understanding In A Dark World

.. the commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes”(19:8)

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path….The entrance of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Ps.119:105, 130)

H. THE WORD OF GOD IS SPIRITUAL FOOD

Jesus answered. It is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4).

I.It Causes Spiritual Growth

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly-mere infants in Christ. I gave milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it…” (1Cor.3:1:2).

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation (1 Pet 2:2).

God’s aim for each of us is expressed in Ephesians 4:12-15:

“that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

I . THE WORD OF GOD IS SEED

In Luke 8:14, 15, Jesus told His disciples the parable of the sower.

In verse 11 He said: “The seed is the word of God” God’s will for our lives is fruitfulness (Ps.1:3).

“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness”.(2 Cor.9:10)

J. THE WORD OF GOD IS LIKE A SWORD

Take…. The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17). See also Hebrews 4:12.

Note how Jesus used the “sword” against Satan in His temptation in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-14)

K. THE WORD OF GOD HELPS US TO PRAY

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you”(John 15:7).

‘Ask whatever you wish’ literally means to ‘ask as one who has the right – with authority (to command)’. Now the creative word is in OUR MOUTH!

L. THE WORD OF GOD IS STRONG IN US

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain come down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundations on the rock” (Matt 7:24, 25). See also verses 26, 27.

Jesus said that the wise man who built his house on the rock was a picture of those who hear His Word and obey it. The word of God builds inner concrete within our lives so that no matter what may come against us we will stand strong.