[From Exploring God's Word Bible study]

 

John the Baptist

    John's baptism is the first baptism mentioned in the New Testament. God sent John to prepare the way of His coming. John the Baptist did this by preaching and baptizing with the baptism of repentance. John the Baptist’s message is that we need to prepare the way for Jesus in our life by turning from our sins and turning to God. His baptism was strictly for preparation for Jesus. When Jesus was revealed as the Christ at His baptism, John the Baptist’s ministry was accomplished; Jesus began baptizing. (John 3:22).

"And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose." - Acts 13:25 KJV

Isaiah prophesied of the mission of John the Baptist: to prepare the way of the LORD God - Jesus Christ.

"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." - Isaiah 40:3-5 KJV

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:" - Matthew 3:11 KJV

Before Jesus could pour out the Holy Ghost, it was necessary that He die for the sins of the world. Only Jesus, the Creator of the universe revealed in flesh, could pay the requirement of a sinless, holy sacrifice, which was the price for our sins. Jesus is the Lamb of God, the perfect, holy sacrifice of the Father Himself revealed in a human body.

"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water." - John 1:29-31 KJV

Jesus - Name Above Every Name

 "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." - Isaiah 45:22-23 KJV

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:9-11 KJV

"Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me." - Hosea 13:4 KJV

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." - Luke 2:11 KJV

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6 KJV

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." - Matthew 1:21 KJV

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." - Acts 4:12 KJV

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. ... 

“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 

“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." - Acts 2:38, 41-42 KJVe³

From the Old Man to the New Man

 

When we obey the gospel we repent of our sins, are baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of our sins, and receive the gift of His Spirit, the Holy Ghost. Our old life is gone; our new life has begun! (Acts 2:38).

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." - 2 Corinthians 5:17

[photo from Exploring God's Word Bible study]

 

Is it necessary for salvation to forgive

Jesus told a story of a servant that owed the king ten thousand talents. He could not pay the debt, so the king ordered him and his family to be sold for payment. 

The servant fell down and worshipped him, asking for patience and promising to +pay all. 

The king was moved with compassion, loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 

The same servant went to a fellowservant, which owed him an hundred pence: he laid hands on him, took him by the throat and said, “Pay me what you owe.”

The fellowservant fell down begging him, asking for patience and promising to pay all, but he threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 

When his fellow servants saw this, they were very sorry, and told the king all that was done. 

Then the king said to him, “You wicked servant, I forgave you all your debt, because you asked me. Shouldn't you also have had compassion on your fellowservant, even as I had on you?” 

And the king was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 

"So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." - Matthew 18:35 KJV 

[See Matthew 18:23 – Matthew 18:35 for the complete Bible text of this story that Jesus told.]

When we could not pay our debt of sin, Jesus our King had compassion on us and forgave us. Our sins have been forgiven and washed away by the blood of Jesus when we repented and were water baptized in the name of Jesus. 

Because Jesus forgave us, He expects us to forgive others.

"And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." - Mark 11:25-26 KJV

"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." - Colossians 3:13 KJV

Victory in the Blood of Jesus

 

When is the blood of Jesus applied?

We apply the blood of Jesus to our life when we are water baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of our sins. (Revelation 1:5, Acts 10:43, Luke 24:47, Acts 2:38, Acts 20:28).

What is the victory?

The victory is that one more soul is saved from hell.

Jesus told His disciples the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church. (Matthew 16:18). 

When we apply the blood of Jesus by baptism in the name of Jesus, the gates of hell can no longer keep our soul captive. We have been set free! There is victory. (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Jesus came to set the captives free by the gospel. (Luke 4:18-19, Acts 2:38).

When we obey the gospel that Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, the blood of Jesus is applied and there is victory:

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." - Acts 2:38

God Appoints Man

God appoints men to determine where to ‘draw the line’ on His commandments. 

When the Lord brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, they came to Mount Sinai. There God told Moses to put a boundary on the mountain. God told Moses to tell the people to not go up into the mountain, or touch the border of it. Whoever touched the mountain, would be surely put to death. (Exodus 19:12).

It was up to Moses where to draw the line on the mountain to put the boundary. It was a matter of life and death. 

When God made Adam, He gave him a commandment.

"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." - Genesis 2:16-17 KJV

After this, God made woman. (Genesis 2:18, 22).

Adam must have been careful to set the boundary around the tree of the knowledge of good and evil for Eve, to be certain she wouldn’t eat of it and die. It appears Adam must have concluded she would be safe if he told her not to touch the tree. 

"And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." - Genesis 3:2-3 KJV

It seems Adam was watching for his wife’s life when he gave her God’s commandment, but Eve was deceived by the devil and did not obey. Adam chose to eat of the tree, and sin and death passed upon all mankind.

Today, God gives us pastors to teach us and to set boundaries. God appoints pastors to ‘draw the line,’ watching for our souls, knowing our falling into sin will destroy us. 

"Obey them that have the rule over you [your spiritual leaders], and submit yourselves [do what they say]: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." - Hebrews 13:17 KJV

"And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." - Jeremiah 3:15 KJV

Church!

 Why should I go to church? 

I should go to church to HEAR the GOSPEL. 

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the GOSPEL which I PREACHED UNTO YOU, which also YE HAVE RECEIVED, and WHEREIN YE STAND; By which also YE ARE SAVED, IF ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, UNLESS YE HAVE BELIEVED IN VAIN. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS according to the scriptures; And that HE WAS BURIED, and that HE ROSE AGAIN the third day according to the scriptures:" - 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV

We hear the gospel at church through PREACHING of the DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS. We are SAVED BY THE GOSPEL, UNLESS we believed in VAIN. In other words, if we RECEIVE the GOSPEL, but we don’t OBEY THE GOSPEL,  we will have BELIEVED IN VAIN.

"For whosoever shall CALL upon the NAME of the LORD shall be SAVED. How then shall they CALL on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they BELIEVE in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they HEAR without a PREACHER? And how shall they PREACH, except they be SENT? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that PREACH the GOSPEL of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! BUT they have not all OBEYED THE GOSPEL. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?" - Romans 10:13-16 KJV

I should go to church to OBEY the GOSPEL.

How do we OBEY the GOSPEL? How do we OBEY Jesus’ DEATH, BURIAL, and RESURRECTION?

REPENTANCE is DEATH to sin; WATER BAPTISM IN THE NAME OF JESUS is BURIAL of old nature; HOLY GHOST INFILLING is RESURRECTION to new life!

Peter PREACHED THE GOSPEL OF JESUS on the Day of Pentecost - the DEATH, BURIAL, and RESURRECTION of JESUS.

When asked, “What shall we DO?” Peter replied how to OBEY THE GOSPEL.

"Then Peter said unto them, REPENT, and BE BAPTIZED every one of you in the NAME of JESUS Christ for the REMISSION OF SINS, and ye shall RECEIVE the gift of the HOLY GHOST." - Acts 2:38 KJV

Time to go to church!

I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel

                      What is the gospel?

Christ died for our sins, He was buried, He rose again the third day. (1Corinthians 15:1-4)

How are we saved by the gospel?

We are saved by the gospel when we follow Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Repentance is our death to sin. Water baptism in the name of Jesus is burial of our old nature. Holy Ghost infilling is resurrection to new life in Christ. (Romans 6:1-11)

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 

“And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 

“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. ... Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." - Acts 2:38-42, 47 KJV

Jesus

 

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." - Acts 2:38 KJV

"And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." - Acts 22:16 KJV

Acts 2:38

 Acts 2:38

Heavenly Places

The Holy Ghost truly is a gift from God!

By the gift of God's Spirit in us, we can sit in heavenly places.

"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" - Ephesians 2:6 KJV

And this is just the earnest of our inheritance!

"Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." - Ephesians 1:14 KJV

God promises He will give us this precious treasure of His Holy Ghost in our humble, human, “earthen vessel.” It is beyond comprehension to think that God Almighty would live within us! 

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." - Acts 2:38-39 KJV

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." - 2 Corinthians 4:7 KJV

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." - Acts 1:8 KJV

Redeeming the Time

 

Is there someone you haven't forgiven, even if they haven't told you they were sorry (Luke 23:34, Acts 7:60)?

Do you have family, friends, loved ones, that you haven't told you love them?

Is there something the Lord has put on your mind to do for Him that you have ignored, delaying by “putting it on the back burner,” and haven't done it?

"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." - Ephesians 5:16-17 KJV [Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.]

The Joy of the Lord

 

When we turned our life to Jesus, started a new life baptized in the name of Jesus, Jesus gave us the promise of His Spirit. When we received His Spirit, the Holy Ghost, we received the joy of the Lord in our soul. The world didn't give us this joy, Jesus did, and the world can't take it away. 

We have God's joy no matter how bad the circumstance, no matter how hard the trial. The joy of the Lord is our strength. When we hold on to His joy, and praise Him in our tribulation, it opens the door to great miracles. 

Acts 16:23-24 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

Acts 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

Acts 16:26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

Acts 16:27-28 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

Acts 16:29-30 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

Acts 16:31-32 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

Acts 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

Acts 16:34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

The Blood of Christ

 The blood of Christ is applied by baptism in "JESUS" NAME. (NOT by TITLES "Father", "Son", and "Holy Ghost"!!!).

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." - Acts 2:38 KJV

"And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." - Acts 22:16 KJV

Sons of God

 

What does the Bible say about sons of God?

We become sons of God when we are born of God (John 1:10-13). We are born of God when we are born of water and of the Spirit (John 3:3-6), water baptized in the name of Jesus and baptized with the Spirit, which is the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38). 

As sons of God, we are full of God’s Spirit. God’s name of salvation which is above every name – "Jesus" - is called upon us. (James 2:7). Just as Christ as the Son of God is the body of God, when we become sons of God, we become the body of God. (1 Corinthians 6:20, Ephesians 4:4, Ephesians 1:22-23). [Body of Christ].

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." - Galatians 4:4-7 KJV

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not [But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s sons because they don’t know him]." - 1 John 3:1 KJV

"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken [give life to] your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you... 

“For if ye live after the flesh [dictates of your sinful nature], ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify [put to death] the deeds of the body [your sinful nature], ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." - Romans 8:11, 13-14 KJV

Rain is a Blessing

 There is a portion of a verse that is often quoted using it to describe that God causes misfortune for the just as well as the unjust. God "sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

When put in context, this portion of scripture means quite the opposite. It is actually saying that God is merciful to both the just and the unjust and Jesus wants us to be merciful as well.

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." - Matthew 5:43-48 KJV

There are many verses in the Bible that speak of rain being a blessing. Here are just a few verses that speak of rain as a blessing:

"The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow." - Deuteronomy 28:12 KJV

"Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month." - Joel 2:23 KJV 

"Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." - Acts 14:17 KJV

(Also: Hebrews 6:7, 1 Kings 8:35-36/ 2 Chronicles 6:26-27, James 5:7)