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Striking in the ot is an event in which evil
rulers are turned back in dismay. It is the same desire in the elect to
see God reign and rule. So we look back and we see the salvation of our
God as we are made to be kings and priest before our God. Why do we want
men to be dismayed? Because when men grow powerful they take advantage
of the poor and oppressed. They are creators of evil. They create evil
through their teaching. So David as king considered as his main
objective as his one desire was for God to destroy all of His enemies.
Because David desired to rule under the ruler-ship of Jehovah.
This
is why David praised God with his whole heart. Because when he looked
back at his victories he saw all his enemies turned back and then
destroyed. David calls this paradigm the wonders of God. So David in
using this ot word for miracles actually gave God all the glory for
Davids military victories as if they were miracles.
What did these
memories lead David to do? To sing praises to God Most High. Now this is
a very important and direct use of a word that has passion written all
over it. God Most High.
What was David talking about in this name? He
was distinguishing His God with dead idols. You see the reason that
David saw all of his enemies destroyed as his one desire was because in
declaring their independence from God they were defying the authority of
God in how they spread their image to other men. In other words
declaring independence from God is the same thing in the kings mind as
wanting to do harm to ones neighbor. What was the problem? It was that
men declare independence from God in order to establish themselves as
god.
So this defined Davids life ..fighting against the people who
had the disease of destruction. We see then that David used the image of
striking evil rulers. Now we go to revelation and we see that these
armies who are evil nations actually are used by God like scorpions.
What do they have..they have striking venom. Anytime you see this poison
of these striking creatures the ot are pointing to the wicked but
mostly the kings who have the power to punish. So we see that David was
going to war with the nations to protect the poor and helpless from the
evils of the powerful. David saw the victory and praised God then saw
another victory and praised God and singing to the Most High. David in
looking back over the path of his life had his heart enlarged by this
success. This is the paradigm of striking men so they know that are just
men.
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1714
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Forums / Theology Forum / A Few Sighs from Hell;JOHN BUNYAN
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on: January 19, 2012, 08:43:10 AM
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Luke 16:19-31.
"There was a certain
rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared
sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus,
which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with
the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came
and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was
carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and
was buried; And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and
seeeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and
said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may
dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am
tormented in this flame. But Abraham said,
Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and
likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art
tormented.
And, beside all this, between us and you there is a
great gulf fixed; so that they which would pass from hence to you
cannot; neither can they pass to us that would come from thence. Then he
said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldst send him to my
father's house; For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto
them,lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto
him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said,
Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will
repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead."
This
Scripture was not spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ to show you the state
of two single persons only, as some, through ignorance of the drift of
Christ in his parables, do dream; but to show you the state of the godly
and ungodly to the world's end; as is clear to him that is of an
understanding heart. For he spake them to the end that after generations
should take notice thereof, and fear, lest they also fell into the same
condition. Now in my discourse upon these words I shall not be tedious;
but as briefly as I may, I shall pass through the several verses, and
lay you down some of the several truths contained therein. And the Lord
grant that they may be profitable, and of great advantage to those that
read them, or hear them read.
The 19th and 20th verses also, I
shall not spend much time upon, only give you three or four short hints,
and so pass to the next verses; for they are the words I do intend most
especially to insist upon.
The 19th, 20th, and 21st verses run
thus:– 'There was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and
fine linen, and fared' deliciously or 'sumptuously every day. And there
was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of
sores.'
First. If these verses had been spoken by Jesus Christ,
and no more, all the world would have gone near to have cast a wrong
interpretation on them. I say, if Jesus had said only thus much, 'There
was a certain rich man' which 'fared sumptuously daily, and a certain
beggar laid at his gate full of sores'; the world would have made this
conclusion of them–the rich man was the happy man; for, at the first
view, it doth represent such a thing; but take all together, that is,
read the whole parable, and you shall find that there is no man in a worse condition than he; as I shall clearly hold forth afterward.
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1715
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Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Reformed Doctrine
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on: January 19, 2012, 08:35:56 AM
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"The sobering reality of an eternal hell
should break our hearts for the lost. May God open our eyes to
humanity's desperate condition that we might more willingly and
prayerfully declare the grace of God in Christ to those God has placed
in our midst."
"And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen,
white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes
a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule
them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the
wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name
written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
- Revelation 19:14-16
Jesus
is Lord [over all] and he will soon be invading with His armies. He is
offering pardon in advance of His invasion and should you receive the
pardon and ally yourself with Him now before He invades, when he comes
you will be considered His ally and He will raise you to Kingship. The
alternative is to be under the wrath of the king. It is not some kind of
religious option. It an announcement that a new king is on the throne
and he'll be invading. The gospel is not an invitation to an array of a
buffet style choices, it is a command. Will you heed the command? Jesus
is Lord, repent and believe.
-William Wilder
The greatest
judgment which God Himself can, in this present life, inflict upon a man
is, to leave him in the hand of his own boasted free-will.
-AUGUSTUS TOPLADY
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1716
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Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Sola Scriptura Chapter 7.... J. Calvin
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on: January 19, 2012, 08:14:20 AM
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Still, however, it is preposterous to attempt,
by discussion, to rear up a full faith in Scripture. True, were I
called to contend with the craftiest despisers of God, I trust, though I
am not possessed of the highest ability or eloquence, I should not find
it difficult to stop their 72obstreperous mouths; I could, without much
ado, put down the boastings which they mutter in corners, were anything
to be gained by refuting their cavils. But although we may maintain the
sacred Word of God against gainsayers, it does not follow that we shall
forthwith implant the certainty which faith requires in their hearts.
Profane men think that religion rests only on opinion,
and, therefore, that they may not believe foolishly, or on slight
grounds, desire and insist to have it proved by reason that Moses and
the prophets were divinely inspired. But I answer, that the testimony of the Spirit is superior to reason.
For as God alone can properly bear witness to his own words, so these
words will not obtain full credit in the hearts of men, until they are
sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit.
The
same Spirit, therefore, who spoke by the mouth of the prophets, must
penetrate our hearts, in order to convince us that they faithfully
delivered the message with which they were divinely entrusted. This
connection is most aptly expressed by Isaiah in these words, “My Spirit
that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not
depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of
the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for
ever,” (Isa. 59:21).
Some worthy
persons feel disconcerted, because, while the wicked murmur with
impunity at the Word of God, they have not a clear proof at hand to
silence them, forgetting that the Spirit is called an earnest and seal
to confirm the faith of the godly, for this very reason, that, until he
enlightens their minds, they are tossed to and fro in a sea of doubts.
5. Let it therefore be held as fixed, that those who are inwardly taught by the Holy Spirit acquiesce implicitly in Scripture;
that Scripture, carrying its own evidence along with it, deigns not to
submit to proofs and arguments, but owes the full conviction with which
we ought to receive it to the testimony of the Spirit.7373
The
French adds, “Car jacoit qu’en sa propre majesté elle ait assez de quoy
estre reuerée, neantmoins elle commence lors à nous vrayement toucher,
quand elle est scellée en nos coueurs par le Sainct Esprit.”—For though
in its own majesty it has enough to command reverence, nevertheless, it
then begins truly to touch us when it is sealed in our hearts by the
Holy Spirit.
Enlightened by him, we no
longer believe, either on our own Judgment or that of others, that the
Scriptures are from God; but, in a way superior to human Judgment, feel
perfectly assured—as much so as if we beheld the divine image visibly impressed on it—that it came to us, by the instrumentality of men, from the very mouth of God.
We ask not for proofs or probabilities on which to rest our Judgment, but we subject our intellect and Judgment to it as too transcendent for us to estimate.
This, however, we do, not in the manner in which some are wont to
fasten on an unknown object, which, as soon as known, displeases, but
because we have a thorough conviction that, in holding it, we hold
unassailable truth; not like miserable men, whose minds are enslaved by
superstition, but because we feel a divine 73energy living and breathing
in it—an energy by which we are drawn and animated to obey it,
willingly indeed, and knowingly, but more vividly and effectually than
could be done by human will or knowledge. Hence, God most justly
exclaims by the mouth of Isaiah, “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord,
and my servant whom I have chosen, that ye may know and believe me, and
understand that I am he,” (Isa. 43:10).
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1719
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Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Spiritual Experiences
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on: January 17, 2012, 07:39:41 PM
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Congratulations,
s.l. Reminds me of the many times our Dad has
drawn/convicted/enlightened me to reconcile what i thought were
irreconcilable differences with others. Especially with wives...
And,
yes, mbG, i love those "hugs from God" times. Wish they happened more
often, but maybe i get a little too busy to feel them. And sometimes i
think they were more dramatic-feeling when i thought/feared He was far
away, and needed temporary assurance, but now that i know He's right
inside there's a more "permanent hug" going on, i believe.
Kk..
i agree with you..i always have this overflow of pleasure but its not
like the illumination of these special times. But i pray the psalms as i
am going through my day. I pray them when i am working. I always get
power from the inner man when i pray them. This has been going on for 15
yrs so i have a standard of spiritual awareness that i cannot remember
when i was that other person. The normal enjoyment of consistent
mediation gives me a freedom that has become natural to me. So i find in
this release from my old ways like being overly self aware or not being
drawn to other people because of this overflowing love that i
experience ...is my normal experience. I can remember being really upset
one time in the last yr of which i believe i was very wrong. I was
physically in pain and it was very difficult for me to handle the things
that normally are easy for me. But my normal experience is not to go
very long without praying a Psalm mostly in my mind. And when i am alone
then out loud. I have a reputation being caught making hand motions
while i am working of talking to myself. But i think every one knows
whats going on now. I havent spent more than 10 minutes in the day time
of not meditating. This has become so normal in my life that i
sometimes wake up and in my light sleep i am meditating on a scripture. I
can retreat into my head and be at such peace in the most noisy places.
I really am never alone even when i am in company because there is not
enough time to go in and out of this world. If i pray to Him i get loved
and if i am enjoying anothers company i have that enjoyment. The most
enjoyable thing is to interact with people when i am literally busting
out inside. Sometimes the fire gets so hot that i am like a little kid
in a candy store enjoying the party. Its very important to me
to get wisdom. I believe if we are still and our souls are soft then He
will speak to us. Its like a natural flow of our expressions and its
just Him giving us a word of knowledge or wisdom that we can apply in
the day time. But this is in the experience of this overflowing power or
love. So we are experiencing His power in this overflow and He is
speaking to us in how we apply that overflow. Its a level of deep
awareness that we grow to out of a need to be free.
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1721
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Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Sola Scriptura Chapter 7.... J. Calvin
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on: January 17, 2012, 08:54:08 AM
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4. It is necessary to attend to what I lately
said, that our faith in doctrine is not established until we have a
perfect conviction that God is its author. Hence, the highest proof of
Scripture is uniformly taken from the character of him whose Word it is.
The prophets and apostles boast not their own acuteness or any
qualities which win credit to speakers, nor do they dwell on reasons;
but they appeal to the sacred name of God, in order that the whole world
may be compelled to submission. The next thing to be considered is, how
it appears not probable merely, but certain, that the name of God is
neither rashly nor cunningly pretended. If, then, we would consult most
effectually for our consciences, and save them from being driven about
in a whirl of uncertainty, from wavering, and even stumbling at the
smallest obstacle, our conviction of the truth of Scripture must be
derived from a higher source than human conjectures, Judgments, or
reasons; namely, the secret testimony of the Spirit. It is true, indeed,
that if we choose to proceed in the way of arguments it is easy to
establish, by evidence of various kinds, that if there is a God in
heaven, the Law, the Prophecies, and the Gospel, proceeded from him.
Nay, although learned men, and men of the greatest talent, should take
the opposite side, summoning and ostentatiously displaying all the
powers of their genius in the discussion; if they are not possessed of
shameless effrontery, they will be compelled
to confess that the Scripture exhibits clear evidence of its being
spoken by God, and, consequently, of its containing his heavenly
doctrine. We shall see a little farther on, that the volume of sacred
Scripture very far surpasses all other writings.
Nay, if we
look at it with clear eyes, and unblessed Judgment, it will forthwith
present itself with a divine majesty which will subdue our presumptuous
opposition, and force us to do it homage.
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1722
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Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Sola Scriptura Chapter 7.... J. Calvin
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on: January 17, 2012, 08:52:57 AM
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Unfortunately,
perhaps, the same arguments calvin gives for the Bible being the Word
of God could be given by muslims for the koran being the word of god.
So,
as we saw in the testimony of the muslim scholar who has converted to
Christ (In "The Dark Side of Islam" topic), there are two distinguishing
aspects of the Bible which the Spirit will often use to validate it in
comparison to other religious texts.
One is the great number of
prophecies which were fulfilled, specially with respect to the Life and
Ministry of Christ, and the other is the very beauty of character and
goodness of Jesus, especially when seen in contrast to the other
founders of religion. (Although i agree that Believing in Jesus Christ
is really an intimate relationship of union with Him, receiving His
righteous Life internally, rather than a "religion of good works" done
by self to please God or to imitate the religion's founder.)
Calvin
is saying that God speaks before anything exist. In this way every
institution that God establishes on this earth is a borrowed power. The
only authority they can exercise is what the bible teaches. So in this
sense all men stand before God and His word as equals. There is no real
authority exercised outside of Gods revealed revelation. And yes our
will is under a forced compulsion.
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1724
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Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Spiritual Experiences
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on: January 15, 2012, 10:15:45 AM
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Kk
ignores my points. I was saying that illumination is an act by which we
receive wisdom. Kk just ignored it as if it has nothing to do with
obedience. I tell him that our goal as the apostle says.. I want to
know Christ and the power of His resurrection. The apostle was going
further than the word on a page. But Kk completely ignored this because
the end of his faith is principles. \
I said that Christ was
physically present in heaven. Kk said no He is in us. If Christ was
physically in us that would be funny. lol But Kk ignored my point about
this invisible aspect of our faith and narrowed it down to obedience. He
only obeys what he acknowledges and not the whole counsel. Kk cant
acknowledge the more weightier matters of the law which are all
inanimate experiences of Gods communication... like love, mercy and
compassion.
When we receive the "mind of Christ" we
receive wisdom. Yes, that is illumination, and it leads to obedience,
since we love Him more the more we know Him. We want to know Christ and
the power of the Resurrection, for it His power which transforms us in
preparation for our Home. Jesus Christ is seated at the right
hand of the Father, and He lives in every Believer according to
Scripture. And His love, mercy and compassion are what move us to keep
His Commandments as He writes the Law of love on our hearts and minds.
And as we return more of His love for us to Him, we naturally grow in
conformity to His Image, albeit slowly and falteringly, as little kids
of the King.
Two things we can glean from Kks doctrine.
That God and Us share in growing and we can obey as we meet His
requirements. There is no teaching of who God is other than a power of
persuasion. There is a clear denial that enmity exist between this God
an all men.
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