"The First Post-Resurrection Interview"

 

John 20:11-18 "But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping; and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of JESUS had lain. And they say unto her, Woman why weepest thou ? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my LORD, and I know not where they have laid HIM. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw JESUS standing, and knew not that it was JESUS. JESUS saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou ? whom seekest thou ? She, supposing HIM to be the gardener, saith unto HIM, Sir, if thou have borne HIM hence, tell me where thou hast laid HIM, and I will take HIM away. JESUS saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto HIM, RABBONI: which is to say MASTER. JESUS saith unto her, Touch ME not; for I AM not yet ascended to MY FATHER; but go to MY brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto MY FATHER; and your FATHER; and to MY GOD, and your GOD. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the LORD, and that HE had spoken these things unto her."

     The compassionate character of JESUS CHRIST is not only evident during the three years that HE ministered on the Earth prior to HIS death, but it is manifest even in HIS first conversation as the resurrected SAVIOR. GOD the SON is a GOD of love, grace, compassion, and mercy. Consider the comments by the late G. Handley Moule as he analyzes the words of today's text: "In this [JESUS'] first interview after the resurrection, HE deals in the solitude of private intimacy with a soul apart. HE meets it, not in a consecrated temple, but in a quiet garden. I gather from this short history that CHRIST offers HIMSELF to each of us as the individual FRIEND. In times when perhaps you are literally alone, or alone as to heart sympathy, your LORD offers to be the FRIEND WHO comes closer than any other individual SPIRIT can come to yours. HE comes to call you by name, to hear what you have to say in the deepest confidence to HIM, to bless you with the friendship of HIMSELF. Wonderful thought ! HE rises in majesty from the dead, and what does HE first do with HIS victory ? HE comforts the solitude of a woman's broken heart, by showing HIMSELF to her as her SHEPHERD, HEALER, and FRIEND. The risen JESUS offers likewise to be your individual COMFORTER, your understanding PASTOR. And HE has all the gracious leisure of an endless life in which to attend to you that not only when we are worshiping in the house of prayer, but out under the sky of the common day, 'JESUS is there,' the unseen, inseparable COMPANION." Yes, because JESUS arose, HE continues today as our personal SAVIOR, COMFORTER, and FRIEND. MDC

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.

Used  with  permission.    www.featoday.org

https://www.fivestarchristianministries.com/salvation

"The Cleansing of the Leper"

 

Leviticus 14:1-9 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, This shall be the Law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: and the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: and the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: as for the living bird, he shall take it and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: and he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days. But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean."

     In the Scriptures leprosy is a type, or picture, of sin. This dreaded disease had no known cure, and all who were unfortunate enough to have contracted it were carefully examined and pronounced "unclean" by the priest and excluded from the congregation of Israel. However, the Mosaic Law allowed for the leper who was miraculously healed of the disease to be examined again by the priest, to have offerings brought up before the LORD on his behalf, and to be pronounced "clean" once all the terms of the Law had been satisfied. In like manner, GOD's holiness requires that the disease of sin be judicially expunged. As with leprosy, it takes a miracle to heal the sin-sick soul, and only the LORD JESUS CHRIST has the power to do that (Luke 17:11-19).

     Notice the unique offering of the "two birds" (vv.4-7) in connection with the healing of leprosy. Here is another typological reference to the death and resurrection of CHRIST and to the fact that the resurrection is integrally connected to the cleansing of all sin. CHRIST's resurrection from the dead bore powerful testimony to the fact that HE had indeed provided the complete and finished offering of HIMSELF for sin and that GOD the FATHER had accepted CHRIST JESUS' substitutionary sacrifice as "payment in full." The slain bird typifies GOD's judgment upon sin (death) while the living bird signifies CHRIST's resurrection. The miracle of healing (GOD's forgiveness) takes place when the sinner places his faith in JESUS CHRIST alone (vv.2-3). "By HIS OWN blood HE entered in once into the Holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Hebrews 9:12 pictured above). In our risen and glorified SAVIOR, we have full provision for our eternal cleansing. DWC

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.

Used  with  permission.    www.featoday.org

https://www.fivestarchristianministries.com/salvation

"HE Lives !"

 

2nd.Kings 11:1-16 " And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the King's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land. And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and showed them the King's son. And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the King's house; and a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down. And two parts of all you that go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the LORD about the King. And ye shall compass the King round about, every man with his weapons in his hand: and he that cometh within the ranges, let him be slain: and be ye with the King as he goeth out and as he cometh in.

And the captains over the hundreds did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and they took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that should go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give King David's spears and shields, that were in the temple of the LORD. And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, round about the King, from the right corner of the temple to the left corner of the temple, along by the altar and the temple. And he brought forth the King's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him King, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, GOD save the King. And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the LORD. And when she looked, behold, the King stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the King, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets: and Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason. But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the ranges: and him that followeth her kill with the sword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the LORD. And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by the which the horses came into the King's house: and there was she slain."

     Athaliah, the wicked daughter of Jezebel, typifies the Devil's efforts from the very beginning to destroy the "SEED" of the woman (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6) -- the prophesied LAMB of GOD WHO would, through HIS death and resurrection, provide atonement for sin (Romans 5:11) and forever defeat Satan, the originator of sin. If Athaliah had actually succeeded in destroying "all the seed royal" (v.1), that is, all the rightful heirs to the throne of King David, then she would, indeed, have usurped the right to reign -- she would have won the war ! For a while the queen and nearly everyone else thought she had triumphed (vv.2-3). No doubt similar joy existed among the fallen angelic host when JESUS died on the cross and lay three days in the tomb -- the "SEED royal" had finally been wiped out, or so they thought. Queen Athaliah reigned for a season (v.3b), just as Satan, the prince of this fallen world, currently holds sway; but the rightful heir to the throne (young Joash) was not dead as Athaliah had thought. Godly Jehoiada, a type of the HOLY SPIRIT, cared for him during the crisis and presented him to the faithful of Israel (v.4). "The King is not dead; he lives !" -- surely this proclamation must have been the triumphant cry heard throughout the land as news spread concerning the failure of Athaliah's evil plot. The fact that the rightful heir to the throne was alive caused great jubilation among the people (vv.12-14). So, too, the glorious fact that JESUS CHRIST lives causes tremendous rejoicing among the redeemed today. The death and resurrection of CHRIST proved Satan's defeat (vv.13-16 cf. Revelation 20:10 pictured above) and assures eternal victory over sin for all who are in CHRIST (Romans 6:4-11). DWC

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.

Used  with  permission.    www.featoday.org

https://www.fivestarchristianministries.com/salvation

"Aaron's Rod That Budded

 

Numbers 17:1-9 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod. And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers. And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you. And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from ME the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.

And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod."

Numbers 16:31-35  "Judgement on Korah"

     Today's text prefigures JESUS CHRIST's resurrection and shows how it bears testimony to HIS absolute power and authority to be the only SAVIOR and MEDIATOR between GOD the FATHER and mankind. In the previous chapter, Korah's rebellion was an undisguised attack leveled against Aaron. Korah and his cohorts claimed that Aaron did not have the right to be the only high priest, the only one allowed to minister before the LORD in the sanctuary (Numbers16:1-3). The Israelites were questioning the mandate of Moses and Aaron to be their leaders and representatives before GOD. However, the LORD's dramatic judgment of Korah and his followers removed any question as to the ALMIGHTY GOD's estimation of this rebellious upheaval (Numbers 16:31-35).

     It was vitally important for the rest of the congregation of Israel to understand exactly why Korah had been so severely judged, they needed to realize that questioning the exclusive right of GOD's anointed to serve as high priest amounted to the complete denial of GOD's way of salvation. By causing Aaron's rod to miraculously bud, the LORD revealed that Aaron was the one whom HE had chosen (v.5). Moses showed all the children of Israel the divinely given sign of the living blossoms and fruit growing out of a dried-up, dead wooden staff (typifying the resurrection); the LORD wanted them to know unequivocally that Aaron was HIS anointed. And, "concerning HIS SON JESUS CHRIST our LORD . . . declared to be the SON of GOD with power, according to the SPIRIT of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:3-4 pictured above) -- JESUS CHRIST is GOD's CHOOSEN, HIS ANOINTED. JESUS' resurrection attests to HIS impeccable credentials. DWC

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.

Used  with  permission.    www.featoday.org

https://www.fivestarchristianministries.com/salvation

"CHRIST the Firstfruits"

 

Leviticus 23:4-14 "These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD. And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your GOD: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings."

     The Feast of Firstfruits followed the Passover. Symbolizing CHRIST's future sacrifice, the paschal lamb secured the payment for sin; the firstfruits taken from the ripening fields in the Promised Land signified the fruit of the new life of redemption provided by GOD (vv.4-10). On the first day of the week (Sunday, the day of CHRIST's future resurrection, v.11), the priest offered the "wave sheaf," a shock of grain waved toward Heaven. This action recognized GOD's faithfulness in providing a bountiful crop. Notice, however, that the harvest had not yet been reaped -- the wave sheaf of grain was just the first of what would be gathered later. By faith, Israel was thanking GOD for what HE would supply in the full harvest yet to come (v.10b).

     The Feast of Firstfruits is a wonderful type of what CHRIST's resurrection means for the believer. JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF was the wave sheaf, or "the firstfruits." HE was the first to be raised from the dead unto eternal life, and because HE lives, all who believe on HIM will also be raised from the dead in resurrection power at the appointed time (1st.Corinthians 15:20-23 pictured above). The fact that JESUS rose bodily from the grave assures the believer of future resurrection glory: "HE that raised up CHRIST from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by HIS SPIRIT that dwelleth in you" (Romans 8:11 pictured above). Those who are saved will be part of GOD's "harvest." Like Old Testament Israel, we can, with thankful hearts, look forward in faith to our resurrection and gathering into GOD's heavenly storehouse as the result of what HE has already accomplished in raising JESUS from the dead. Our future is certain: Because CHRIST lives, we shall live forever with HIM. DWC

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.

Used  with  permission.    www.featoday.org

https://www.fivestarchristianministries.com/salvation

"HE Rose Again . . . According to the Scriptures"

 

Luke 24:13-32 "And behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, JESUS HIMSELF drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know HIM. And HE said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad ? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto HIM, Art THOU only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days ? And HE said unto them, What things ? And they said unto HIM, Concerning JESUS of Nazareth which was a PROPHET mighty in deed and word before GOD and all the people: and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered HIM to be condemned to death, and have crucified HIM. But we trusted that it had been HE which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulcher; and when they found not HIS body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that HE was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulcher, and found it even so as the women had said: but HIM they saw not. Then HE said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ought not CHRIST to have suffered these things, and to enter into HIS glory ? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, HE expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning HIMSELF. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and HE made as though HE would have gone further. But they constrained HIM, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And HE went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as HE sat at meat with them, HE took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew HIM; and HE vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while HE talked with us by the way, and while HE opened to us the Scriptures ?"

     At the core of the Gospel message is the resurrection of JESUS. The Bible declares that JESUS CHRIST "died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and . . . was buried, and . . . rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1st.Corinthians 15:3-4). The risen CHRIST showed "in all the Scriptures the things concerning HIMSELF" to the two disconsolate disciples on the road to Emmaus (vv.25-27 pictured above). These "things" included the many passages in the Old Testament wherein the resurrection as well as the substitutionary death of CHRIST were prefigured or foretold. The Old Testament Scriptures came alive in a way never before imagined. An understanding of the WORD turned sadness into rejoicing for these two travelers (vv.15-17). In like manner, our own hearts also will "burn within us" (vv.31-32 pictured below) when we see CHRIST in the Scriptures as they did that day. We have the same WORD and the same HOLY SPIRIT to open our understanding of GOD's WORD. We will study a few of these texts in the following days.

     The Gospel message that we declare to the lost must contain the historic fact of the LORD JESUS CHRIST's bodily resurrection from the grave. Why is this so important ? It is the resurrection that attests to HIS deity, HIS perfect provision for sin through HIS finished work of Calvary, HIS present intermediary ministry before GOD the FATHER, and HIS promised return that will occur in the same manner in which HE ascended into Heaven. Many people claim to believe in the resurrection of CHRIST, but unless they hold to the glorious, fundamental implications of JESUS' resurrection, then their profession is deficient. We must proclaim JESUS CHRIST crucified and risen again ! DWC

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.

Used  with  permission.    www.featoday.org

https://www.fivestarchristianministries.com/salvation

"From A Prisoner To A Preacher"

 

A Prosperous Boy.

My life started in 1928, on a cold day on December 28th. That was a year of prosperity in America just before the '29 crash. I grew up in a poor family financially, but a family of high morals with no drinking, dancing, or anything unclean. My daddy was a hard worker who had some small produce trucks. Every summer I was on one of them learning how to sell produce and make money. The desire to work and make money always had me. When I was eleven years old, I had a horse and wagon and was peddling from house to house in Houston. I saved every dime, and when I was seventeen, I left home with a good truck that was paid for. Two years later I got my second truck. Then my trouble started.

A Prisoner of the Devil.

Since the age of seventeen, I had smoked marijuana, but not to excess. At eighteen, I took a few shots of dope, but this didn't satisfy me. I wanted some trucks, a pocketful of money, and a gang of hoodlum friends. Never did I want to be chained to some habit. At the age of twenty, heroin took her awful hold, and all I could do was not enough to shake it. I quit, left town, prayed, and asked preachers to pray for me, but I was chained by the Devil.

The years from twenty to twenty-five were the most horrible years of existence I had ever known or read about. My family was gone, the trucks were gone, and friends were gone. What was once a good kid was now a hopeless drug addict. After being in jail for vagrancy, theft, felony theft, burglary, and possession of heroin, I decided to take "a cure." I spent forty days in a hospital, however, two days after I was out, I had a needle in my arm. There was no cure. The federal man said, "Lady, forget this boy. There is no hope for him. Once a drug addict, always a drug addict. He is chained !"

A Problem to Everyone.

The city I lived in never wanted me. Many times, some policeman would say, "Jack, go somewhere else." I was often in trouble or in jail for robbing, stealing, and writing bad checks. I was a real problem to everyone. One day my daughter came into the house and told my mother that the little girl next door could not play with her anymore, because her daddy was a dope fiend. Yes, "no man liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself."

I decided that maybe the U.S. Army could help me. After nearly one year, with only eight-three good days spent in service, I was discharged with an undesirable discharge. Written across the bottom of the discharge were the words: "Reason for discharge - NARCOTIC." The army took me in handcuffs to a JCPenney store, bought me a suit of clothes, gave me a train ticket, and sent me back to Texas.

Pardoned by JESUS CHRIST.

When I was in jail and the army stockade, I would read the Bible. Many times, I went to a chaplain or preacher for help. I attended a Catholic church and later joined a Baptist church. I tried everything I knew. I prayed every day for GOD to help me be free from this habit. When I moved from Texas to California, my mother wrote a letter to me telling of a friend who had been saved and was now Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Cypress, California. Out of curiosity, I went to this church. The Pastor told me what GOD had done for him. I went regularly for a month to see if GOD could do the same for me. 

On October 12th. 1953, I went down to the altar, and on my knees, I asked CHRIST to save me from drugs, death, and hell. I was not made perfect, but that day my load of sin was lifted, and a desire was put in my heart to live for JESUS.

A Preacher of the Gospel.

I had only been saved about three weeks, when I knew that GOD wanted me to preach. I walked down the same aisle where I was saved and surrendered my life to JESUS for service. For twenty-two plus years I've tried to preach and live for HIM. It has not been a bed of roses, nor has it been glamorous. The rocks in my way have been many, but GOD has brought me on. This same thing can happen to you if you are willing to let JESUS CHRIST take over your life which you have wrecked. - J.W.

GOD'S SIMPLE PLAN OF SALVATION

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of GOD;" (Romans 3:23)

"For GOD so loved the world, that HE gave HIS only begotten SON, that whosoever believeth in HIM should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to HIS mercy HE saved us. . ." (Titus 3:5)

". . .except ye repent (a turning to GOD from your sin), ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13:3)

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)

". . .Believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and thou shalt be saved. . ." (Acts 16:31)

"But as many as received HIM, to them gave HE power to become the sons of GOD, even to them that believe on HIS name." (John 1:12)

"Therefore if any man be in CHRIST, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new." (2nd.Corinthians 5:17)

If you would be willing to turn to CHRIST in repentance and faith, pray this simple pray of salvation:

LORD, I know that I am a sinner, and I believe YOU died and rose again for me. I am trusting YOU to forgive me. Come into my heart and save me. Help me to live for YOU always. In JESUS' name I pray, AMEN.

The LORD JESUS said, ". . .I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish. . ." (John 10:28). Everlasting life is ours when we receive CHRIST as our personal SAVIOR.

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

https://www.fivestarchristianministries.com/salvation