A Better Understanding Of The Bible Religion Essay

Rub the surface of Scripture wherever you like and you will bring out a piece of life. That ‘s why we call this programme Word Alive.

If you ‘re looking for a better apprehension of the Bible, Word Alive is for you.

If you want a greater intent and way for your life, Word Alive has that mark in its sights as good.

This is a Good News Broadcasting production having Bible Teacher and Communicator Dr. Derek Stringer.

Derek has an international Bible learning ministry. Through the old ages he ‘s seen many times that while other books inform us and some reform us. The Bible is the 1 that can transform us.

This current series is based on the much misunderstood Song of Solomon.

I hope that you ‘ll remain with us because there ‘s a batch here to assist us populate a fulfilled life.

I ‘ll be back from clip to clip to read a Bible or do a brief remark.

But, here ‘s Derek.

Darmstadtium

Thankss Brenda. And thank you for fall ining us today as we explore more in the Song of Solomon.

Jeff was a Bible Translator in Papua New Guinea. One eventide he sat speaking with a local helper. He pointed at the Moon and asked: “ What is it? ” The adult male gave the tantamount word. “ No, ” said Jeff, “ I truly intend, what stories do you hold about the Moon? ” His friend smiled and said, “ Well, there is a narrative we tell about a mighty warrior who carved a great lance and flung it into the air. What you see is the terminal of the lance. What stories do you state in America? ”

“ I do n’t cognize about narratives, but we talk about a large metal bird being fired from Earth into infinite. It landed on the Moon. A door opened. A small auto came out and some worlds roamed around for a piece on the Moon ‘s surface. They so got out of the auto and back into the infinite capsule and returned to Earth. ”

Smiling, his helper said, “ Do you intend to state me that you left a absolutely good auto up at that place? ” “ Yes ” , said Jeff, “ and with the authorization of the United States I hereby give you that auto. ” “ Thank you. . . but how do I acquire it down. ” Jeff said, “ It ‘s your auto, you work it out. ”

Have you of all time felt that manner about the Christian life? The promises of God are astonishing. But frequently it ‘s tough doing them work. We unfeignedly want a Christian life which is existent and reliable. Sometimes we look at what Jesus had to state about coming into this universe that we might hold life, and conclude that it ‘s non truly working all that well for us. We ‘re non about to give up on our Christian life, but we would wish so much more than what we have.

The consequence is that we get frustrated. We read about ‘knowing Christ ‘ and ‘growing in Christ ‘ . . . but we feel it ‘s like seeking to acquire to the Moon for our auto.

GNB

Now, why is it we are so discontented?

Darmstadtium

The reply might surprise you. It comes from God himself.

In Romans 8:20 we ‘re told “ the creative activity was subjected to defeat. ” When adult male chose to travel his ain manner, God said, really good, you want to move independently of Me. I will allow you see how you do when I take My Hand off some things and allow you seek to be your ain God. God ‘s hope was that world would halt searching in the incorrect topographic points for the right things. And like the Prodigal Son, realise that they would be better off back with the Father. The calamity is that God keeps trusting against hope but adult male still prefers the hog trough.

A instruction technique of Paul was to bring on defeat. He would compose to a Church and say something like this: “ You know, the good that I want to make I truly struggle to make. The selfish things I do n’t desire to make, make you cognize what happens? I end up making them. ” Reading that a truster would believe, “ Not merely you Paul but me excessively! Did you find a manner out? ” And Paul would explicate how he did. Paul understood that defeat gets our attending. It makes us look for aid beyond ourselves.

The bible utilizations many images to pass on how that aid comes. One important image is that of a TREE.

Did you know that there are around 200 mentions to trees in Bible. The Bible names at least 19 different types of tree.

The Bible Begins and coatings with the Tree Of Life. It goes out in the few chapters of our Bible in Genesis and returns in the last few in Revelation. Israel is described as an ‘Olive Tree ‘ for God. The Psalms Begin with the image of a individual acquiring their roots down deep and booming like a tree.

Adam in his noncompliance hid behind a tree.

Elijah in his depression hid under a tree.

Nathaniel in his contemplation sat beside a tree.

Zachaeus in his wonder about Jesus was up a tree.

Judes in his self-destruction hung from a tree when Jesus was nailed to a tree.

Five different New Testament passages refer to the Cross as a TREE. It would be the Cypress wood.

King Solomon ‘s wisdom is legendary. Make you cognize how the Bible amounts it up?

GNB

“ He described works life from the cedar of Lebanon to the Hyssopus officinalis that grows out of walls. ”

Darmstadtium

The Song of Solomon pictures a relationship between a adult male and a adult female. We ‘ve noted that we can larn a batch about human relationships through these vocals. In add-on to that, we can larn about our religious relationship. How we can link with Christ and turn in deepness of relationship. The image of matrimony is used in the bible as an illustration for this religious relationship.

Checking through the Songs you will happen mentions to TREES, peculiarly the Cedars of Lebanon.

Look at Chapter 1:17,

GNB

Solomon says, “ The beams of our house are cedars ; our balks are firs. ”

Darmstadtium

Then in Chapter 3:9, Solomon ‘s passenger car is described:

GNB

“ King Solomon made for himself the passenger car ; he made it of wood from Lebanon. ”

Darmstadtium

Traveling on to Chapter 5 and the terminal of poetry 15, the adult female says:

GNB

“ His visual aspect is like Lebanon, pick as its cedars. ”

Darmstadtium

In Chapter 8 and the terminal of poetry 9, the immature sister of the Bride is described:

GNB

“ If she is a door, we will envelop her with panels of cedar. ”

Darmstadtium

Looking at other vocals in the Bible, there ‘s Psalm 92:12, which is a vocal for public worship. Think about the image used at that place,

GNB

“ The righteous will boom like a thenar tree, they will turn like a cedar of Lebanon. ”

Darmstadtium

Solomon ‘s temple took seven old ages to construct. His castle took 13 old ages. The cedars of Lebanon were used for the foundations, model and trappingss.

Back so God had a Temple for his people. Now He has a people for His Temple. We are to be so related to Him that as single rocks in the universe, with Jesus as the Chief Cornerstone, we are appropriately framed together. But clearly, we are non to be au naturel rock and merely half finished. Paul uses this image when composing to the Ephesian Church where He is depicting all the resources and wealths we have as trusters in Christ. We are meant to populate well-furnished lives.

Merely as the twosome in the Song of Solomon could depict their relationship in footings of the cedars of Lebanon. You did n’t see au naturel rock around Solomon ‘s castle or temple. It was good furnished. So was the relationship between the adult male and adult female in the Songs.

I want to speak about the three ‘cedars ‘ God still uses to turn His people into the well furnishes places he delights to brood in.

First: Helium WANTS US TO BE FIRE CEDARS.

They still grow in Lebanon today. Shepherd ‘s lit a fire at dark utilizing the ‘fire ‘ cedars because they burn through the dark. God still wants to utilize fire cedars today.

Think of the 120 Disciples meeting in Acts 2. Suddenly the fire of God comes upon them and 3,000 believe.

By Chapter 3, it ‘s 8,120.

By Chapter 5, they are make fulling Jerusalem.

By Chapter 17, they have ‘turned the universe upside down. ” Of class, that depends upon whether you think the universe is right side up in the first topographic point.

By A.D.110, one out of every 12 people in Asia Minor belonged to the Church. Set on fire by the Holy Spirit they were Fire Cedars for God.

GNB

John Wesley was asked why big crowds listened to him prophesy. He replied: “ I set myself on fire, and the people come to see me fire. ”

Darmstadtium

Fire cedars would light from merely a flicker because they are saturated in oil. Make you gain that every spot of furniture used in the Temple was anointed? Human endowment is a fantastic thing, offer it to God. But without the Oil of the Spirit it will amount to small.

Eloquence is non words but a burning bosom. You speak about what you know but you communicate what you ‘ve got. Thank God for instruction, but it ‘s “ non by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord. ”

All that fire cedars need are a flicker. And we are called to be on fire for the Lord.

Make you cognize our job? We put out the fire.

We are unbelieving trusters. We do n’t anticipate much to go on around us. So, think what? It does n’t! We grieve the Spirit by bitterness or resentment. We quench the work of the Spirit in our lives when we drift into religious inanity.

The devotional supplication of the modern adult male is:

“ Lord speak to me!

You have sixty seconds! ”

Writing to seven Churchs in the Book of Revelation, the cardinal phrase that is repeated to each Church is this ;

GNB

“ Hear what the Spirit is stating to the Churches. ”

Darmstadtium

By the clip Jesus gets to the 7th Church at Laodicea He is looking for merely one individual who will open their bosom door and allow Him in. If a Church is non what it could be, merely one individual can do a difference. It does n’t hold to be a Church leader.

Merely one person who will so allow Jesus be what He wants to be in and through them, so that He can walk into a Church through that one individual. But we must all hear what the Spirit is stating to us.

A positive thing to make as the consequence of today ‘s broadcast will be to compose out one word and set it in your Bible. The following clip you open you Bible to read it you will first see this word. It ‘s the word LISTEN. Do you retrieve what God said to Samuel? He needed to listen to the Lord. So do we.

Now, I am leery of people who speak excessively easy about God holding said things to them. I ‘ve heard some eldritch things that God has supposed to hold said. It ‘s contradicted what God has already said in His Word. He ne’er does that. However, we should anticipate God to state things to us. He is a chatty Supreme being!

The topographic point to get down is with the Bible. B.I.B.L.E. . . . that ‘s basic information before go forthing Earth! I do n’t necessitate to inquire God the clip when I have a ticker! There are many things I do n’t necessitate a particular Word from God on when I have His written Word. If I work from the general of His written Word to the personal into my life, it becomes safer. I wo n’t be slaking the fire to readily.

And ‘Fire-Cedars ‘ listen to the Spirit continually. That means we ask inquiries of God. What do you believe about this Lord? What should I make next?

If you feel prompted to compose or do a call to person. If you can and it ‘s a positive thing to make anyhow, do it! This manner you can larn how to fan the fire of the Spirit through your life.

I had a phone call the other twenty-four hours from a adult male who attended a Church I was the Senior Pastor of before fall ining Good News Broadcasting. He barely of all time attended Church. He came to a Christmas Service and said he liked it and would return at Easter. He did n’t come back at Easter but did come a hebdomad subsequently. I was prophesying from the Book of Exodus and touched on the figure ’40 ‘ . I merely found myself brooding more on it than I had intended. I spoke of it as a Bible figure for ‘endurance ‘ . I surveyed transitions throughout the Bible where the figure ’40 ‘ figured as of import and finished on the note, “ Life begins at 40! ” I did n’t cognize that it was his 40th nuptials day of remembrance. I had the great joy of taking him to Christ.

Practice listening to God in little affairs. That can assist us to listen for the bigger 1s.

Fire attracts attending. Is n’t that the image on the Day of Pentecost? I use to hold the image in my head that the Fire of the Holy Spirit came upon the adherents. They rushed into the street and affected the crowd. That ‘s non what happened. They did n’t travel anyplace. The crowd came to them. When there is a fire crowds come to watch. We read in the Acts that Peter merely stood up and explained what was go oning.

And we are called to be “ fire cedars ” so that this dark universe can be lit up. And this cold universe can be warmed up.

SECONDLY: WE ARE TO BE LITTLE CEDARS.

I noticed when going through Minnesota small cedars were used as fencing stations to maintain the animate beings in.

You can set a batch of small cedars on the dorsum of a truck and they wont fall off. You may go over unsmooth terrain but they hang together. Old ages of pastoring Churches has led me to gain this. Part of my occupation as a Church Pastor was running after the truck to pick up the people who had dropped off. It was great seeing new people coming through the Church Front Door. What worried me were the people traveling out the Back Door for no good ground.

Question: What is the difference between a ‘winner ‘ and a ‘loser ‘ ? The reply is, the same difference between a ‘have ‘ and a ‘have non ‘ , or a ‘did ‘ and a ‘did non ‘ .

Strong Christians are built on two words: “ Holy Habits. ” Christians who do n’t fall off the truck have built some good day-to-day modus operandis. Show me how you treat the gift of 24 hours and I will demo you what you will be 20 old ages from now.

‘Fence-Post Cedars ‘ are non extremely polished but they do hold stick-ability. They do the occupation they have to make. They are consistent.

Make you cognize what habits they have? They have a well-ordered life. We will ne’er go ‘little cedars ‘ if we are insouciant about our religious wonts. Much as a immature vine needs a treillage, we need a construction for our religious relational growing.

Remember how Paul puts it to the Colossians?

GNB

“ Whatever you do, in word or title, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. ”

Darmstadtium

We need to inquire, “ How make I wake up in Jesus name? How make I travel through a twenty-four hours in His name. ”

It ‘s truly what the Shepherd said to the adult female in Song of Solomon Chapter One. She wants to cognize about him. He says, “ Merely following in the paths of the sheep and you will. ” In other words, “ Merely set one pes in forepart of another staying in touch with me and you will cognize more. ”

Go through a twenty-four hours thinking and speaking it through with Christ. There are two ways to get down a twenty-four hours. You can state: “ Good forenoon Lord. ” Or, “ Good Lord, it ‘s forenoon! ” One is a good trade more positive than the other.

I know our familial wiring is different. Person asks my married woman: “ Do you wake up grumpy? ” She may answer, “ No, I let him kip. ” Actually, our first ideas in the forenoon are frequently of import. We all choose a scheme to populate by even if its by default when we do n’t intentionally do the right pick.

“ Good forenoon Lord what are WE traveling to make today? Where are WE traveling? ” Then at the terminal of the twenty-four hours, reexamine it. “ What did WE do today. ” And where you know it went incorrect. “ Lord, I did n’t make THAT with you did I? ” Confess and learn from it. “ Thank you Lord for a new twenty-four hours with new chances. Habits like this will maintain us following.

Let me advert a truly of import rule at this point. There is a immense difference between seeking difficult to populate the Christian life and swearing Christ to populate it through you.

Peoples say, “ If at first you do n’t win seek, seek, seek once more. ” No! If it ‘s more forbearance that you need seeking to acquire it wont work. Jesus is all patient. He lives in you by His Spirit. Ask Him to be patient through you. The same goes for love, joy, peace, self control and so much more. Religious transmutation is n’t ‘trying much harder ‘ it ‘s ‘trusting more to the full ‘ . Thank Christ for who He is and let Him to reproduce His character through yours. In this manner you do what Paul calls developing “ yourself in godliness. ” Knowing the difference between preparation and seeking is the key.

God ‘s inquiry is this: “ How much will this individual allow me what I want to be through them? ” He wants ‘little cedars ‘ . Peoples who do n’t fall off the truck and why? Because they have developed holy wonts.

GNB

And there ‘s one more thing if our relationship with Christ is to be more than bare rock but good equipped.

Darmstadtium

And it ‘s this:

WE NEED TO Be A HUMMING CEDAR.

When the air currents blew threw the subdivisions of the cedars on the mountain and hills of Lebanon it was like listening to a choir. Legend has it that David tuned his harp to the cedars of Lebanon.

Make you cognize the difference between a humming cedar and other trees? You do when the storm blows. Paul and Silas were ‘humming cedars ‘ . In prison at Philippi they sang despite the fact the were in stocks. God must hold enjoyed the vocal because he joined in by tapping His pes! There was an temblor and the Jailor came to Christ.

The greatest enticement most of us have is that we want to be hot house workss. God does n’t ever handle us that manner. He allows the storms. But. . . something good can come out of them.

A School Teacher wants pupils to turn. Problems are set non with the hope that the student will neglect but with the desire that they will go through. Comfort will frequently maintain us from growing, tests will assist us turn, merely every bit long as we ask God for wisdom so that we do n’t blow the test.

God is looking for ‘humming cedars ‘ . Where other people get uprooted by the storm, we get our roots down and facing tests of many sorts we know that the testing of our religion develops doggedness. And doggedness must complete its work so that we may be “ mature and complete, non missing anything. ”

Cedars were a luxury in Solomon ‘s twenty-four hours.

GNB

First Kings 10:27 says Solomon “ made cedar every bit plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. ”

Darmstadtium

It was really lavish. And, do you cognize something? There ‘s got to be more to the Christian life than what we frequently experience. Time and once more we ask: “ Why do n’t more people respond to the Gospel? It ‘s such good intelligence. ” The reply may floor you. We do n’t hold sufficiency of the presence of God in our lives.

Ezekiel 3 uses the image of the cedars of Lebanon. Back tracking to the Garden of Eden the trees are pictured as covetous of the cedars of Lebanon. “ If merely we could be like them. ”

I do n’t cognize about you but I know this about myself. I ‘m tired of utility-looking life. I want a life that is well-furnished for my Lord to populate in. I do n’t desire people to cognize I ‘m here, I want them to cognize that God is here. I want to walk into a room and for people to be more cognizant of Jesus than they are of me. I ‘m non at that place, but I want to be, do n’t you?

It ‘s clip for us to go “ Fire Cedars ” so that we light up this dark universe and warm up this cold universe.

It ‘s clip for us to go a “ Small Cedar ” and have the stick-ability which comes from holy wonts. Thinking upon Christ ‘s presence in our lives to make through us what He wishes.

It ‘s clip to go a “ Humming Cedar ” , so that when the air currents of hardship blow it does n’t strike hard us down and out. We get our roots deeper and His glorification is revealed progressively through us.

Jesus is non about minimum entryway demands to heaven.

Merely as the twosome in the Song of Solomon had a rich relationship, Christ wants that for us. He truly does.

And nil can actuate us more than cognizing that nil will be wasted in our experience to travel us in that way.

GNB

You are listening to Word Alive, a Good News Broadcasting production with Derek Stringer, and my name is Brenda Critchley.

Dr. Stringer will be back in a minute to round off today ‘s broadcast.

This is portion of a series of five messages from the Song of Solomon. We have them available on Cadmium, cassette, and the transcripts are besides available. I ‘ll give you reach inside informations in merely a few minutes.

Derek has been speaking about a well-furnished life. We ‘re non meant to be a place for God but merely bare rock. We ‘re to be well-furnished.

Darmstadtium

And the Old Testament Song of Solomon has some fantastic images to assist us happen out what that means and how it works.

It ‘s all summed up truly in hold oning how broad and long and deep is the love of Christ and to cognize this love that surpasses cognition.

GNB

So, allow ‘s circular things off by concentrating on that shall we.

Darmstadtium

Okay.

Let me state you of three things that God ‘s love will ne’er make.

G.O.D. for GOD.

God will ne’er allow you Travel.

He will ne’er allow you OFF.

And He will ne’er allow you DOWN.

GNB

God ‘s Love Will Never Let Us GO.

Darmstadtium

God loves us no affair what. Those of you who are parents may really good understand. You love them merely because they ‘re yours, do n’t you? Now other people may hold prettier or smarter kids, but you love yours more than any other kids in the universe — because they ‘re yours. They do n’t necessitate to make anything to do you love them. You take them merely the manner they are.

God feels the same manner about us. He loves us because we are his and non because of anything we have done. In fact, no affair how much we may transgress, God is still willing to take us back in. Because his love ne’er lets us travel.

Have you of all time done something incorrect and made person truly huffy? You think about it subsequently and gain you ‘ve made a awful error, so you go back to apologise. But they wo n’t speak with you ; they wo n’t so much as stay in the same room with you. But that ‘s non the manner God is.

God does n’t merely love those who love him! God does n’t merely love people when they act with his blessing. He loves all of us. And even when we sin against him, even when we break his bosom, his love wo n’t allow us travel. He still cares about us.

J. H. Jowettt, a great sermonizer of old, one time put it this manner: “ [ God says ] ‘I love thee more ardently than thou hast loved thy wickedness. ‘ I know how I have loved my wickedness. And nowaˆ¦my Lord says to me: “ I love thee more than 1000 hast loved thy wickedness. ”

God ‘s love will non allow us Travel.

GNB

But besides, God ‘s love will non allow us OFF!

Darmstadtium

True!

God ‘s Love Will Not Let Us OFF

There are a batch of people who have the thought that since “ God is love ” , he would ne’er train anybody. But the love of God does n’t intend that he condones every kind of incorrect with no outlook of penitence.

God would prefer for us to be disciplined through His Word. We read it and gain there are things to make because if it. If we do n’t larn that manner, because He loves us He will step in and utilize other agencies. But ever with the loving intent of us acquiring the best. . . lives that are well-furnished.

GNB

God will non allow us Travel.

He will non allow us OFF.

Darmstadtium

And He will non allow us DOWN.

There will come times in our lives when our friends will let down us. Even people that we truly look up to and believe the universe of. There will be times when they let us down. Peoples are human. They ‘re traveling to do errors ; they ‘re traveling to let down us. And if our felicity depends on how people treat us, there are traveling to be times that our universe will fall in. While people around us may allow us down, our God will ever still be at that place.

George Matheson was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1842. As a kid he had merely partial vision, and his sight became increasingly worse, until it resulted in sightlessness by the clip he was 18. Despite his disability, he was a superb pupil and graduated from the University of Glasgow. He subsequently became a sermonizer, working with several folds in Scotland, including a big church in Edinburgh, where he was greatly loved and respected. After he had been engaged to a immature adult female for a short piece, she broke the battle, holding decided she could non be content married to a unsighted adult male. Some people believe it was this painful letdown in romantic love that led Matheson to compose the beautiful anthem that we sometimes sing:

O love that wilt non allow me travel,

I rest my weary psyche in Thee.

In Hebrews this promise is repeated as “ [ God ] himself has said, ‘I will ne’er go forth you nor abandon you. ”

I heard one time about a 4-year-old male child who fussed at the dinner tabular array because he did n’t desire to eat his peas. So his female parent sent him to his room. Later, when she went back to look into on him, she found him sitting in forepart of the mirror singing “ Jesus Loves Me ” .

There are times you may experience like that. Times it feels like cipher in the universe truly cares about you, times you feel really much alone.

Take comfort cognizing that Jesus promised to be with you.

GNB

Thank you Derek.

If we can be of aid to you spiritually, we have a squad of people who pray every hebdomad twenty-four hours forenoon. Please acquire in touch.

Darmstadtium

Word Alive will be back following clip with another message in this current series. I want us to look at the image of Mountains in the Song of Solomon. There ‘s a batch there which can assist catch clasp of the quality of life that Christianity is all about.

GNB

That ‘s following clip here on Word Alive.

I ‘m Brenda Critchley with Derek Stringer.

This is a Good News Broadcasting production.

Good-bye for now and God bless you.