January 2008 Log
Jeremiah 31:33-34
But I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel after I plant
them back in the land," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them
and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be
My people. No longer will a man teach his neighbour, or a man his
brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from
the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive
their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."**


The law/letter given on Sinai was written on stone
None could perfectly obey it and be saved
This law/letter of stone brought condemnation and death
The Spirit of the living God brings life
Christ as mediator for His people has come and perfectly obeyed the Law
The Spirit gives life
Open your hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ
Allow the Spirit to write this same law upon your hearts
Allow the Spirit to remove your heart of stone --Ezk 36:26
The law is not new
For Christ did not come to abolish the law -- but to fulfill it!

Allow the Spirit to give you a new heart
So by the work and grace of the Spirit
With this new heart you will be able to obey
For obedience brings blessing
To obey is better than sacrifice. (1 Sam 15:22)

With His law written on your hearts
You'll become a living letter
All will read and see
Christ's glory shining forth from a transformed heart
Ever-increasing glory
Shining forth
A living letter
A letter of Christ
That brings life.



2 Corinthians 3:1-11, 17-18
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some,
letters of commendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our
letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. Being
manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not
with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but
on tablets of human hearts.

Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are
adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but
our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a
new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but
the Spirit gives life.

But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with
glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of
Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the
ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? For if the ministry of
condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness
abound in glory. For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory
because of the glory that surpasses it. And if what was fading away came
with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
...
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect[a] the Lord's glory,
are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which
comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Matthew 5:17-20
"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not
come to abolish but to fulfill. "For truly I say to you, until heaven and
earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law
until all is accomplished.

"Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and
teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of
heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in
the kingdom of heaven. "For I say to you that unless your righteousness
surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the
kingdom of heaven.

Proverbs 4:3-4
When I was a boy in my father's house,
still tender, and an only child of my mother,
he taught me and said,
"Lay hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands and you will live. "

This particular scripture has been used on me in the past.

Letter kills but the Spirit gives life! --2 Cor 3:6

Regularly those who test teaching or claims for special manifestations of the Spirit by the Word are charged with allowing the 'letter' of Scripture to kill the 'Spirit'. I'm not talking about using Scripture in a legalist fashion. I'm talking about using it under the Spirit's direction to contend for the faith (Jude) -- not to condemn anyone -- but to restore and preserve the unity of sound faith! Tituis 1:13 makes this clear -- it even instructs to rebukes sharply!

Often the following Scripture is used to 'prove' that the Letter kills.

When the law was written on tablets of stone, 3000 people died. --Ex 32:28

When the law was written on the hearts, 3000 got saved. -- Acts 2:41

Lets take a look at the 3000 who died when the law was written on
tablets of stone. What were they doing?

They were worshipping a golden calf!
Exodus 32

It wasn't the Letter that killed those 3000 people -- it was their choice to
worship other Gods! This will always bring death.

So how about those 3000 who were saved at Pentecost? They were saved
by the Spirit -- the Spirit gives life!

Again it was those 3000 who were saved that chose -- they chose to
allow the Spirit to write the new covenant (Jere 31:33-34**) -- on their
hearts.

Paul does NOT say that Scripture kills but the Spirit gives life!

What he has said is that the Law/Letter "on tablets of stone" in the Old
Covenant brought condemnation and death -- because man on his own
can not keep it. But where the Spirit writes that same Law/Letter
on the "tablets of human hearts" - it brings life.

The Spirit works through the letter/law to bring life. Word & Spirit
belong together and are NOT to be separated. Although the
letter/law/Word alone condemns the sinner - when the Spirit writes that
Law on our heart through the Gospel that same letter/law/Word brings
eternal life. We are not to separate the two. Those who contrast letter and
Spirit are in danger of rejecting the letter, and thereby losing the means
of gaining and maintaining true life in the Spirit, and avoiding deception!

1 John 2:27
As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and
you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you
about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it
has taught you, remain in Him.

____________________________________________________________
____________
** Netbible Footnote Jeremiah 31:33
sn Two contexts are relevant for understanding this statement. First is the
context of the first or old covenant which was characterized by a law
written on stone tablets (e.g., Exod 32:15-16; 34:1, 28; Deut 4:13; 5:22;
9:10) or in a “book” or “scroll” (Deut 31:9-13) which could be lost (cf. 2
Kgs 22:8), forgotten (Hos 4:6), ignored (Jer 6:19; Amos 4:2), or altered
(Jer 8:8). Second is the context of the repeated fault that Jeremiah has
found with their stubborn (3:17; 7:24; 9:14; 11:8; 13:10; 16:12; 18:12;
23:17), uncircumcised (4:4; 9:26), and desperately wicked hearts (4:4;
17:9). Radical changes were necessary to get the people to obey the law
from the heart and not just pay superficial or lip service to it (3:10; 12:2).
Deut 30:1-6; Ezek 11:17-20; 36:24-28 speak of these radical changes.
The Lord will remove the “foreskin” of their heart and give them a
circumcised heart, or take away their “stony” heart and give them a new
heart. With this heart they will be able to obey his laws, statutes,
ordinances, and commands (Deut 30:8; Ezek 11:20; 36:27). The new
covenant does not entail a new law; it is the same law that Jeremiah has
repeatedly accused them of rejecting or ignoring (6:19; 9:13; 16:11;
26:4; 44:10). What does change is their inner commitment to keep it.
Jeremiah has already referred to this in Jer 24:7 and will refer to it again
in Jer 32:39.
7 sn Compare Jer 24:7; 30:22; 31:1 and see the study note on 30:2.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of
Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,
and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They
perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For
this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe
the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth
but have delighted in wickedness.

It follows that seeking to test teachings and practices by Scripture it is not
using the 'letter to kill'. Indeed, the Spirit Himself commands us to
do this! (1 Jn 4:1;Acts 17:11;2 Tim 3:16-17;Deut 13:1-5;1 Cor 14:29-
33)



1 John 2:3-6
By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His
commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does
not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but
whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been
perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who
says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He
walked.

Keep His commands thru the Spirit's grace
Abide in Him
Walk in His truth
Thru the Spirit's work and grace in your heart
THEN you will be a living letter!
A letter that brings life!

Psalm 56:8
You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.

The Lord Jesus sees every tear that falls, each one is recorded.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. --Mt 5:4

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. --Lk 6:21

When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. --Ps 34:17-18

He will never leave or forsake those who trust and seek Him. --Ps 9:10
Hearts that trust in the holy name of Jesus Christ our Lord
Hearts that wait in hope for the Lord will rejoice
Weeping may endure for a night
... but joy comes in the morning. --Ps 30:5

Psalm 33:18-22
But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him,
... on those whose hope is in His unfailing love,
to deliver them from death
... and keep them alive in famine.
We wait in hope for the LORD;
... He is our help and our shield.
In Him our hearts rejoice,
... for we trust in His holy name.
May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
... even as we put our hope in You.

He Knows My Name -- click to listen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXsiWoyjw60&feature=related Jeremiah 17:5-8
Thus says the LORD,
"Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
... And makes flesh his strength,
... And whose heart turns away from the LORD.
"For he will be like a bush in the desert
... And will not see when prosperity comes,
... But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
... A land of salt without inhabitant.
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD
... And whose trust is the LORD.
"For He will be like a tree planted by the water,
... That extends its roots by a stream
... And will not fear when the heat comes;
... But its leaves will be green,
... And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
... Nor cease to yield fruit.

Deepen the roots in Christ and the tree stands strong producing good fruit,
resistant to wind, storm, heat, drought ...

Even if this tree is cut down or pruned --
as long as the roots remain
-- there is hope ...

Job 14:7-9
For there is hope for a tree,
When it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And its shoots will not fail.
Though its roots grow old in the ground
And its stump dies in the dry soil,
At the scent of water it will flourish
And put forth sprigs like a plant.

Submit your heart to the pruning hand of the Father
That you may be even more fruitful
Bearing fruits worthy of (in keeping with) repentance.

John 15:1-2, 5
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Matthew 3:8-10
Bear fruits worthy of (in keeping with) repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

The Spirit of the Lord rests on the Branch prepared by the hand of the Father -- the master gardener.

Isaiah 11:1-3 -- The Branch From Jesse
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
... from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
... the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
... the Spirit of counsel and of power,
... the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
... He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
... or decide by what he hears with his ears;

Obadiah 1:3 (NLT)
You are proud because you live in a rock fortress and make your home high in the mountains. ‘Who can ever reach us way up here?’ you ask boastfully.
Don’t fool yourselves!

Just before takeoff on an airplane flight, the stewardess reminded Ali to fasten his seat belt. "Superman don't need no seat belt," replied Ali.

"Superman don't need no airplane either," retorted the stewardess.

--From "I Am the Greatest: The Best Quotations from Muhammad Ali"
by Karl Evanzz 2002

Has the pride of your heart deceived you?

What are you trusting in?

In your own strength? position? wisdom? wealth? skill? works? beauty? goodness? humility?

In your alliances? People/ friends/ influential contacts?

Are you trusting in your ability to display the power of the Lord Jesus Christ's name?

Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ --Mt 7:22-23

"Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." --Mt 7:21

Humble yourself and hold your heart up to the light of God's word.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two–edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
--Heb 4:12


Abide in Him, apart from Him you can do nothing. --Jn 15:5
Walk in the light of His word
Practice and obey His truth thru the Holy Spirit
For He dwells in the humble, repentant heart. --Isa 57:15

John 14:23
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."

1 John 1:5-10

Walking in the Light

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.



***

Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. --Job 28:28

Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart. --Ps 119:2

Your word, O Lord, is a lamp unto my feet,
And a light unto my path. --Ps 119:105

You are my lamp, O LORD; You turn my darkness into light. --2 Sam 22:29
 
Establish Your word to Your servant, as that which produces reverence for You. --Ps 119:38

Remove me from the path of deceit! In mercy, graciously teach me Your law. --Ps 119:29

Establish my footsteps in Your word, and do not let any iniquity have dominion over me. --Ps 119:133

Give me a heart that is totally devoted to You, O Most High
A heart enlarged by Your hand,
... that I may run the way of Your commandments! --Ps 119:32
Let me press on to acknowledge Your Holy Name
For as surely as the sunrises You will appear. --Hos 6:3
.
For those who revere Your name, the sun of righteousness will rise
With the rising of the Son comes His light, His truth, His life
He rises with healing in His wings. --Mal 4:2
.
The fear of the LORD established by Your word
... is the key to this treasure.

Isaiah 33:6
He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.

Matthew 7:24-27
The Wise and Foolish Builders

 "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 came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."