Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Book of Galatians, Chapter 4

 Chapter 4


Sons and Heirs

1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Paul's Concern for the Galatians

8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 They make much of you but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Example of Hagar and Sarah

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;

    break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!

For the children of the desolate one will be more

    than those of the one who has a husband.”

28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

Sunday, May 11, 2025

The Five Steps of an Anointed Life, Predestination

 Predestination


Welcome, today. Let us pray. 

“Oh Heavenly Father, Lord God, please be with us as we gather in your name to read your Word and to learn and grow in Spirit. Please allow your Word to feed our spirit and take a firm hold in our spirit so that we may be fertile soil to bring forth a mighty harvest for you and the Kingdom's sake. Please, Father, give us eyes to see, and ears to hear, with a spirit to understand what you want us to know. In Yeshua’s name, Amen!”

We are currently discussing the five steps of an anointed life. You can find them here in Romans 8
“For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” Romans 8:29-30
The first three steps are part of everyone’s life.

Foreknowledge- God foreknows you before you are even conceived.
Predestination - God sets up a plan and a purpose for you and your life.
Calling - God calls you out of the world and to Himself.

That is where you come in. Then, if you say “Yes,” then you have two more steps.

Justification - God takes time to prepare you and form you into the child of God He wants you to be.
Glorification - In the end, He will save you, bring you through death into life, and give you rewards for your faithfulness and obedience.

If you say "No," you cease to heed the call. You can live your life on earth however you choose, but in the end? Well, it may not end well for you. I'm sorry, but that's simply the truth. Let's not get ahead of ourselves; we are only on step two.

Predestination.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
This is not just Jeremiah. This is you, me, everyone, whoever has been born. Turn to Acts 17:26
“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, for
'In him, we live and move and have our being';
as even some of your poets have said,
"'For we are indeed his offspring.'” Act 17:26-28
God determined the optimal time and place for you to exist in His creation. He placed you here with a purpose already set. It is important to understand that you are not an accident. God created you exactly as He intended. He established a purpose and a plan for you and your life to serve in His Kingdom. If you have your Bible, please turn to Ephesians 1 and start at verse 3.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:3-6
There is a reason God created you the way He did, when He did, and where He did. You are part of God's plan to serve a specific purpose.
“In Him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he outlined in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” Ephesians 1:7-10
Look how Yeshua, or Jesus as translated, says it to us.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” John 15:16
You did not “find Jesus.” You did not “find God.” You would not even know where to look. You would not even know that you needed to look if God did not draw you out. If God did not call you. More on this step next time. Read that again if you have to. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you.”

Back to Ephesians 1. Verse 11
“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:11-14
It is all about Him. We read this in John 1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:1-3
Yeshua was there in the beginning, and “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” That includes you. Me. All of us. Look how Paul puts it in his second letter to Timothy.
“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he can guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.” 2 Timothy 1:8-12
Read that part again. I do not want you to lose sight of this truth. “who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,” This is all of us. Yes. We are not all called to be Preachers or Apostles. However, we all do have a plan and a purpose.
“The LORD has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.” Proverbs 16:4
Turn to Colossians 3. Start at verse 8
“But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
We are no longer of this world. You have heard the saying before, “in the world, not of it.” This is us. We are in the world, but we are no longer of the world. At least we should not be.
“Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.”
We should, as children of God
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Remember, Yeshua gave us a new command.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” John13:34-35
Back to Colossians 3 verse 14
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
Not just a day a week. But ALWAYS. Daily. Be thankful for everything from life to life everlasting and all things in between.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:8-17
Now that God has created you. He predestined you. The next step is where you come in. He calls you. This is what we will discuss next time.

For today. I will assume you said “Yes.” You said this prayer.

“Oh, heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Yeshua's sacrifice for me. I believed He rose from the dead. I repent of my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Yeshua, Amen!"

And you have indeed
"have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."Colossians 3:10
Then the most common question is, “How do I know? How do I know what God’s plan and purpose is in my life?” All believers are called to the purpose of loving God and loving others.

Prayerfully reflect on how your love for God, as well as your love for others in your home or the world, can grow and be expressed more fully in words and actions. All believers are called to the purpose of making disciples. Yeshua told His disciples,
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
Consider how the attitudes, words, and actions others see in you are a witness to the new life available to them through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All believers also have the purpose to grow in Christlikeness and bear fruit to God’s glory. Yeshua said this.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:5,8
Are you bearing little or no fruit? Are you seeking God’s direction and power to begin to grow and act according to His will? Have you even tried to ask Him? Read His Word? Grow? Now, having said all that, there is also a general purpose specific to you and your daily life. All of us, as children of God, must intentionally focus on fulfilling God’s will in various areas of our daily lives. This is a general purpose for all believers, but the path you take to reach it will be specific to you, your family, and your life situation.

We often overlook how our daily choices, tasks, and interactions can glorify God, benefit our interests, or seem insignificant. The state of our spirit, heart, and mind not only affects our influence on others but also shapes their perception of God. Various aspects of our lives can impact our ability to reach our goals and fulfill God’s purposes for us in different ways.

Pray. Spend time with God. Read this {Holding up the Bible}. Spend time with God. Be quiet. Slow down. Listen. Seek. Ask. Knock. God is waiting for you. He is ready to love, teach, nurture, and care for your every need.

One last point here. Be honest with yourself. Do you already know? Seriously, do you already know what God wants from you and your life? Do it. If God truly is calling you for a specific plan or purpose, and He is, then why would He not tell you? Chances are, He already has.

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Yeshua is Lord!

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Book of Galatians, Chapter 3

 Chapter 3


By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

The Law and the Promise

15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.



Sunday, May 4, 2025

The Five Steps of an Anointed Life, Foreknowledge

 God foreknows you before you are conceived


Good morning. Welcome, today. I want you to be sure of this one thing. You are not an accident. You are not a happenstance. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. To be fearfully and wonderfully made includes everyone from life to life everlasting as human beings who bear the image of God. 

Each of us began as an idea in God’s mind at some moment outside of time. He formulated this idea, and as we see in Psalm 139, He even wrote this idea down. He liked this idea—the idea that was you. God then uniquely designed you by and according to God’s will.

Turn if you will to Psalm 139. Starting at verse 13
“For you formed my inward parts;
You knitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
In your book, you wrote every one of them,
the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

How precious to me are your thoughts,
O God! How vast is the sum of them!” Psalm 139:13-17
This is what we will be discussing today. Let us pray. "Heavily Father, we give you all the Praise and glory for all things, both here in this world and in this time, and the time that is to come. Thank you, Father, for allowing us to know Your secrets and Your ways for us through Your Word. As we enter into and study your Word today, we pray for eyes to see, ears to hear, and a spirit to receive and understand your Truth and revelations. We ask this in Your Holy name, Amen!"

Before your earthly daddy and mommy even met, Got knew you. Look what He tells Jeremiah.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
Now we will get into the whole predestination thing next time. But this is not just Jeremiah. This is you, me, everyone, whoever has been born. Turn to Acts 17:26
“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, for
"'In him, we live and move and have our being';
as even some of your own poets have said,
"'For we are indeed his offspring.'” Act 17:26-28
He determined the optimal time and place for you to exist in His creation. He placed you here with a purpose already prepared. Again, we will get into that more next time, but it is important to know that you are not an accident.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” Ephesians 2:10
God had an idea of who and what you should be. He wrote down your purpose and plan in His book, and then you were fashioned exactly the way He chose. Are you blonde? You have brown hair. You are 6’7" or 4’11". Every aspect of you was planned. Yes, that includes whether you are male or female. God does not make mistakes. Yeshua, or Jesus, as translated, told us that even our very hairs are numbered.
“Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7
Go back to Psalm 139 for a few.
"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
“My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
In your book, you wrote every one of them,
the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
God has a plan, and you are in it. You are His creation. If you have accepted Yeshua, then you are His child as well. If this is true, you are off to a great start. Now get to know your Father and your God.

“Fearfully made” suggests there is a mysterious and awe-inspiring aspect to the process of bringing an individual into existence. Each of us is created in God's image and uniquely designed to fulfill the specific purpose that God has planned for us. David was in awe of this reality.
“How precious to me are your thoughts,
O God! How vast is the sum of them!

If I were to count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.”
David is in absolute awe, and we should be too, that the Creator of the entire universe cared so much about every one of us, that He created us the way He did. Isaiah puts it this way.
“But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah 64:8
If you choose to listen to the world. They will tell you lies. They will tell you that a man can be a woman. People can choose what they want to be on any given day. The World will tell you that Homosexuality is ok and healthy. They will tell you that abortion is not the murder of the most innocent, but simply a medical procedure to “correct an error.”

The world often claims that we are all here by accident or coincidence, disregarding the fact that a purely evolutionary perspective without God is scientifically and physically impossible. They assert that there is nothing after our time on earth and that death is final. This belief leads many to live life solely for their pleasure, arguing that we should make the most of our only life.

Sadly, this is not the case. Sadly, these folks will find out too late that there is so much more. The word tells us this.
“For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Romans 14:11
Also here.
“So that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10-11
Whenever I’m asked, “What if you are wrong? What if there is no God?” My answer is always the same. “If there is no God, what did I lose? I try to be a good person and do good work for others, and then I lie down and die. If there is nothing, then what? I simply cease to exist. However, what if you are wrong? What will you do when you find yourself standing before the living God? I would rather believe in God and come to nothing than believe in nothing and come to God. As it is written,
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:31
Why? Because then it is too late. Then your time has come, and He will not be open to your apologies or excuses. Yeshua said that on that day, there will be great distress.
“While the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:12
We will be looking into this passage in depth.
“For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” Rom 8:29-30
So here are the five steps of an anointed life.

As we discussed today, God foreknows you before you are even in the womb. Then?

Predestination
Calling
Justification
Glorification

You are not here by accident or happenstance. God created you. Join us next time as we discuss step two, predestination. God has a purpose and a plan for every one of us. Do you know what His plan is for you?

Have you been adopted? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be, say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us pray.

"Oh, heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Yeshua's sacrifice for me. I believed He rose from the dead. I repent of my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Yeshua, Amen!"

That's it. It is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, You shall be saved." Romans 10:9. You need to find a Church that God leads you to and be baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A New Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."Colossians 3:10

The email, if you wish to contact me, is truthbygod1@gmail.com

May the comfort of the Holy Ghost and the peace of our Lord Yeshua, be with you all. May God bless and be with you always.

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Yeshua is Lord!

Book of Galatians, Chapter 4

  Chapter 4 Sons and Heirs 1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everyth...