Bible Studies

 Three Transforming Events In your Life"

December 6, 2020

We live in a changing world but we have an unchanging God who desires to change us.  The world has always been changing and it appears to be changing faster now.  Maybe it is because of technology and everything is brought to our attention hourly or by the minute.  However, it is even more relevant than that, we and all of creation are changing every moment.  Just as we watch a flowing river change before our eyes so are we changing in a changing world.  Yesterday is gone, today soon will be and we have no promise of tomorrow.  Today is not like yesterday and tomorrow will not be like today.

So today what matters most to you? The opinions of the business world? The opinions of the political world, The opinion of the writers, the books you read? I had to read a few books when I was in management and they all proclaimed success for you.  But each one had a flaw, success could not be guaranteed, because their measure of success is temporal. Mar_8:36  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?Mar_8:37  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

It comes down to whose opinion matters most: a changing world or the opinion of an unchanging God. His measure of success is the Eternal. The greatest book you can read for success is the book of Proverbs and the other sixty-five books. 

We have the LORD who does not Change, We have His Word that does not change.  His mercies are new every day, Lam 3:22  It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. Lam 3:23  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

It is His opinion that matters. There must be eternal principles that guide us and they are found in His Word.  The scriptures cannot be broken.  Are they important? Jesus said, " it is written". David said of His Word: I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. Psa 138:2  I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.  His Word is truth, and He has magnified His Word above all His name.

The writer of Hebrews said,  Heb 6:13  For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Heb 6:14  Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. Heb 6:15  And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Heb 6:16  For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Heb 6:17  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Heb 6:19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Heb 6:20  Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 

How great is He? He is the Unspeakable Gift.  How could you describe Him except from a heart of gratitude and utter dependence upon Him?

It is in Him that God came into our world as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the World.  So long ago as He took coats of skin and clothed Adam and Eve, Gen 3:21  Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. He was saying, I am coming one day as the Lamb of God.  When Abraham stood before Isaac in Genesis 22:7-8  As Isaac asks, "Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? "  " And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering:"  And He did in the person of Christ who tasted death for every person, Heb_2:9  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

It is by Him That the World was created,  He spoke it into existence and all things are held together by the Word of His Power. Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Three things through Him and by Him I want us to consider today.

1 ) Without Him you would not be here today.  He brought you into existence.  Had He not formed you in your mother's womb you would not be here today, Psalm 139:13  For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. Psa 139:14  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psa 139:15  My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. Psa 139:17  How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! Psa 139:18  If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

He created you with color. beauty. He created you with design, He has a purpose for you.  And it is important to find that purpose.  You are unique in every way. Every snowflake is different but yet they all form a beautiful blanket of snow. [ so be careful about how we speak concerning God's creation]

How unique are you?  There are 107 million cells in your eye.  How many cells in the Human body: 30 -40 trillion but no one knows the exact number. [1]Virtually every cell in your body contains DNA or the genetic code that makes you, you. Amazingly, if all of the DNA in the human body was unraveled, it would reach the sun and back more than 300 times. 

[2]If you go back to V13, For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.

That word covered woven or knit together.  He put you together, curiously wrought means you are colorfully made as a weaver of colored cloth or an embroiderer of colored thread, a craftsman who decorates cloth with colorful patterns using a needle.[3]

There is no one just like you.  He designed you for His honor and glory – you need to see today your connection with your Creator who is also your Saviour, and discover His purpose for you.  Why were you born? You are not where you are by chance.

We often hear, "dust to dust and ashes to ashes" but that is never said of the soul only of the body.

2  ) When you were saved, you find that He has always been looking for you.  He looks, He forgives, Luk 15:20  And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 

Luk 15:21  And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Luk 15:22  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: Luk 15:23  And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: Luk 15:24  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 

The story of Dwight Barrows, he was from Romina living in the time of great oppression and devised a way of escape. Got to Vienna to see the American Ambassador who refuses to see him,  But he stays until he finally saw. And he told the Ambassador he wanted to go to America.  After a bit, he agreed to give him a visa and he said here are two books I want you to read.  One the Life story of Dwight L Moody and the other the Bible.  After getting to Detroit his life went downhill with drinking and one night he drove by a stadium with thousands of people coming out.  He decided to go in and see what was going on.  As he wanders around someone called to him and asks if he can help him.  The man was stacking chairs he was Cliff Barrows.  After telling him about the crusade, Cliff told him about Christ.  And so this Romina changed his name to Dwight Barrows.  A few years later he was found studying for the ministry.  I tell the story from what I remember hearing – I believe that story is found in Cliff Barrow's biography.  Do you think things are by chance?  

In 1945 he met Billy Graham and the two became friends, rooming and ministering together during a 1946 YFC evangelistic tour in Europe

In his 1996 memoir, Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith, Templeton recounted a conversation with Graham in Montreal before entering seminary:

All our differences came to a head in a discussion which, better than anything I know, "explains" Billy Graham and his phenomenal success as an evangelist. In the course of our conversation I said, "But, Billy, it's simply not possible any longer to believe, for instance, the biblical account of creation. The world was not created over a period of days a few thousand years ago; it has evolved over millions of years. It's not a matter of speculation; it's a demonstrable fact."

"I don't accept that," Billy said. "And there are reputable scholars who don't." Who are these scholars?' I said. "Men in conservative Christian colleges?"

"Most of them, yes," he said. "But that is not the point. I believe the Genesis account of creation because it's in the Bible. I've discovered something in my ministry: When I take the Bible literally when I proclaim it as the word of God, my preaching has power. When I stand on the platform and say, 'God says,' or 'The Bible says,' the Holy Spirit uses me. There are results. Wiser men than you or I have been arguing questions like this for centuries. I don't have the time or the intellect to examine all sides of the theological dispute, so I've decided once for all to stop questioning and accept the Bible as God's word."

"But Billy," I protested, "You cannot do that. You don't dare stop thinking about the most important question in life. Do it and you begin to die. It's intellectual suicide." I don't know about anybody else," he said, "but I've decided that that's the path for me." Their trajectories had been chosen.

Fifty years later, Lee Strobel had an opportunity to interview Templeton, who had just a couple of more years to live. He was in his 80s and suffering from Alzheimer's, but still a clear conversation partner. In his book, A Case for Faith, Strobel recounts the ending of their wide-ranging conversation.

"And how do you assess this Jesus?" It seemed like the next logical question—but I wasn't ready for the response it would evoke.

Templeton's body language softened. It was as if he suddenly felt relaxed and comfortable in talking about an old and dear friend. His voice, which at times had displayed such a sharp and insistent edge, now took on a melancholy and reflective tone. His guard seemingly down, he spoke in an unhurried pace, almost nostalgically, carefully choosing his words as he talked about Jesus.

"He was," Templeton began, "the greatest human being who has ever lived. He was a moral genius. His ethical sense was unique. He was the intrinsically wisest person that I've ever encountered in my life or my readings. His commitment was total and led to his death, much to the detriment of the world. What could one say about him except that this was a form of greatness?"

I was taken aback. "You sound like you care about him," I said. "Well, yes, he is the most important thing in my life," came his reply. "I . . . I . . . I . . . ," he stuttered, searching for the right word, 'I know it may sound strange, but I have to say . . . I adore him!" . . .

" . . . Everything good I know, everything decent I know, everything pure I know, I learned from Jesus. Yes . . . yes. And tough! Just look at Jesus. He castigated people. He was angry. People don't think of him that way, but they don't read the Bible. He had righteous anger. He cared for the oppressed and exploited. There's no question that he had the highest moral standard, the least duplicity, the greatest compassion, of any human being in history. There have been many other wonderful people, but Jesus is Jesus….' "Uh . . . but . . . no,' he said slowly, 'he's the most . . ." He stopped, then started again. "In my view," he declared, "he is the most important human being who has ever existed."

That's when Templeton uttered the words I never expected to hear from him. "And if I may put it this way," he said as his voice began to crack, 'I . . . miss . . . him!" With that tears flooded his eyes. He turned his head and looked downward, raising his left hand to shield his face from me. His shoulders bobbed as he wept. . . .Templeton fought to compose himself. I could tell it wasn't like him to lose control in front of a stranger. He sighed deeply and wiped away a tear. After a few more awkward moments, he waved his hand dismissively. Finally, quietly but adamantly, he insisted: "Enough of that."

It is said that shortly before he died, he went to see his friend, Billy Graham. Their conversation is mostly private but I sure some people know.  But I am reasonably sure they talked about, where will I spend eternity.

What happened to  Charles Templeton? He walked away from the Word of God and Christ.  Do not walk away from Him: Who created you, Who saved you, and Who prepared a place for you.