House Church Talk - Every word of God proves true

[goodword at bresnan.net]

Here's something the Lord has been showing me this all week long.

The Bible says:
"Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in 
him."  Proverbs 30:5

And that's a powerful truth that time and eternity both bear witness to.

Whoever trusts in God is banking on His Word -- all His wonderful promises --to 
be true.  They are depending on Him.  And this is the right thing for us to 
do.  Why do you suppose the devil fights so hard to make us doubt God, to doubt 
His words, and all His promises?  Satan wants to rob us of our confidence in 
Jesus Christ because that confidence in Jesus is our life (see Colossians 1:21-
23a, & 2:8; and also Hebrews 3:6). 

But God does not even begin to leave us alone.  He works powerfully in our 
lives every day to strengthen us in every way (1 Corinthians 1:4-9, 10:13,  and 
1 Thessalonians 5:23,24; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Hebrews 10:23).  And in our 
everyday lives, believers can see the hand of God at work as He proves Himself 
true again and again.  He answers prayer, just as He said He would.  He saves 
lost souls and heals broken lives, just as He promised.

In fact, whatever God says always proves true.  Even when we sin we soon see 
that the words of God in Scripture concerning sin all prove true.  Every word 
of God proves true.

And the same is also true for the unbeliever who rejects God's offer of eternal 
life.  Only God has the way to life eternal.  Only Jesus Christ is that way.  
And all who reject Him will soon discover that the wages of sin is death -- and 
that the second death (eternity without God) is no picnic.

We all have a choice.  We either allow God to rescue us from the death and hell 
that we all deserve, or we remain under the wrath of God, and wait to be judged 
for the sins we have all committed in this life.

John writes, concerning the revelation of Jesus Christ given to him on the Isle 
of Patmos:
Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the 
heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them.  And I saw the 
dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also 
another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according 
to their works, as recorded in the books.   And the sea gave up the dead that 
were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were 
judged according to what they had done.   Then Death and Hades were thrown into 
the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and anyone whose 
name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of 
fire.  (Revelation 20:11-15)

All will be judged according to the sins they have committed while living on 
this earth.  And all have sinned (Romans 3:23 -- "for all have sinned and fall 
short of the glory of God").  So that means that we are all scheduled for this 
day of judgment (" ...as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this 
the judgment..." -- Hebrews 9:27). 

The only ones to escape, according to the Scriptures (such as in the passage 
above, in Revelation) are those whose names are written in the "book of life".  
But how does one get his or her name written into the book of life?  (The book 
of life makes an interesting study throughout he Scriptures, by the way, 
starting way back in the Law of Moses.)

Jesus said this:
"Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me 
has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death 
to life."  (John 5:24)

Did you get that?  Go ahead and read it again, very slowly.  Whoever hears the 
message of Jesus, and believes the God who sent Him, has -- owns and possesses -
- eternal life.  Jesus goes on to say that they will *not* come under God's 
judgment, because they have passed from the penalty of death to the free gift 
of life.  ("For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life 
in Christ Jesus our Lord." -- Romans 6:23)

Jesus said that we must believe God, the one who sent Him.  What has God said 
that we must believe?  

Scripture says this:
"Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son 
of God?     ....  If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is 
greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.  He 
who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not 
believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that 
God has given of His Son.  And this is the testimony: that God has given us 
eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who 
does not have the Son of God does not have life.  These things I have written 
to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you 
have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son 
of God."   (1 John 5:5, 9-13)

Every word of God proves true.  

And the Scripture reminds us:
Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, 
the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the lust of 
the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of the Father 
but is of the world.   And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but 
he who does the will of God abides [remains, continues, lives] forever.  (1 
John 2:15-17)

And Scripture also says:
"...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart 
that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart 
one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto 
salvation.  ....  For 'whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be 
saved.' "  (taken from Romans 10:9-13)

As the promise of God above says:  "He who has the Son has life; he who does 
not have the Son of God does not have life."  (1 John 5:12)

So, for those of us who know and trust in Jesus, we have life everlasting.  But 
for those who refuse to surrender to Him and admit their need of Him, they have 
only judgment and hell itself to look forward to.   

"Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in 
him."  Proverbs 30:5

Jim