Weekly Bible Study – March 27, 2017

Dispensation of promise. Jacob.

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: the “Logos Reftagger” scripture links are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), when finished reading, hover your cursor off the scripture reference link. If the Reftagger pop-up doesn’t show all the verses, left click on the “More” button in the Reftagger pop-up window and it will take you to the online bible. If RefTagger pop-ups don’t work on your computer, that’s OK, try left clicking the link if it’s highlighted which should open the verse at the Biblia.com website; or if that doesn’t work, you can always use your Bible to look up the verses. Word or Phrase definition links may not have a website that opens. If you are running PCMatic, the pop-ups may not work, I’ve notified PCMatic to see if they can fix that problem.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]; we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. REBOUND

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-15, 16, 17, 18, says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday

Alphabetical Listing of Terms & Abbreviations used:

STUDY TITLE:

Dispensation of promise. Jacob.

As we have seen ¬Jacob is now on the way back home to his promise land of Canaan and immediately he will bump into Esau who has an army of 400 men and has been very successful in cheating people and robbing people, etc. We will begin with the main passage in Gen 32:1, Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. These angels were sent by God to Jacob to make him conscious of the heavenly presence and to assure him of divine protection.

Gen 32:2, And Jacob said when he saw them [that is the angels], “This is God’s camp or army.” So he named that place Mahanaim. Mahanaim means that Jacob recognizes that the angels had been there with him all the time even though he could not see them. Remember that according to the word of God, we have certain angels who have been assigned to us as Heb 1:14 says, Are they not all ministering spirits [angels], sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? Although they are invisible under normal conditions, God’s angels are none the less real and powerful.

Gen 32:3-4, Then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. He also commanded them saying, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: ‘Thus says your servant Jacob,” I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now;

Make sure you understand something, when Jacob comes back, he brings a lot of wounds and scars with him including four wives and eleven children. Now, by sight, the odds seem to be overwhelming and it will look like Jacob is going to be destroyed by the 400 man army of Esau. Jacob is still relying on human viewpoint and human solutions which are no solutions or really a waste of our time. Notice in verse 4, that Jacob sent servants and instructs them, saying, “When you get to Esau my brother, say to him, “Thus you shall call him my lord Esau and say I am his servant Jacob,”

Notice Jacob says for his servants to call Esau ‘My lord Esau.’ And then he has them refer to himself as “his ser¬vant Jacob.” That’s not the way Jacob had spoken before. He had manipulated Esau for the birthright and had stolen the blessing. He had been a deceiver and a liar but now he is trying to come across as if he has changed. The point is, he’s still relying on human power and human gimmicks…he’s still operating like a phony!

Then in Gen 32:5, Jacob tells his servants to make sure that they tell his brother Esau that Jacob has oxen and donkeys and flocks and male and female servants; and that he has sent them to tell his brother Esau so that he may find favor in his sight.” Jacob’s mind did not dwell on God, instead he remembers Esau’s threat to kill him and therefore he decided to use some human viewpoint solutions to try and solve his problems. The mention of his wealth was intended to imply that he no longer wanted anything from Esau! All he wanted was to find favor in Esau’s eyes.

Jacob is like so many people today, they hurt and lie to others and then when those same individuals are no longer of any use to them, then they want to be at peace with them. In other words, “I got what I wanted from you, let’s just have peace now!” However, in Gen 32:6, And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”

The messengers returned with terrible news according to Jacob’s human viewpoint thinking. Now, Jacob had just escaped from one company of his enemies, Laban and his family, now another was advancing to meet him, namely, Esau with his four hundred men. Esau, on his part, had apparently heard that Jacob was migrating back to Canaan. And though his anger against Jacob had long since cooled off, he didn’t know what Jacob’s intentions might be. For all he knew, Jacob might be coming with a large body of fighting men to claim his promised boundaries and possessions and to overcome or defeat Esau.

So Esau learned of Jacob’s approach toward Canaan, he assembled an army of his own and marched forward to meet Jacob, prepared for whatever eventuality might come. In other words, we have two men thinking evil about each ones motivation and plans. The real problem here is not that Esau is coming with 400 men, the real problem is that Jacob’s mind is racing in many different directions and he is filled with fear! How do we know that?

Gen 32:7, Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed;

This is the main problem which is fear, a mental attitude sin, characterized by panic especially when you are in a dangerous situation. Every time fear comes into your life, you know you are not living the Christian way of life. If you have personal love for God the Father and you understand His integrity, you don’t need to claim specific promises for every situation, you simply just need to rest on the divine essence that He possesses and His integrity as God. If you love God, you therefore know God.

Therefore, once you have become matured in virtue-love, and by that I mean once you are confident how much God truly does love you, you’re not afraid of anything whereby you need promises, for now you know the One who makes the promises. You understand God’s integrity, and therefore, you are dependent on Him. We never start by loving God. God starts by loving us! We didn’t find God! God found us!

John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you!”

Our relationship with God begins by truly understanding the impersonal unconditional love that God had toward us! God’s love for us is based upon who God is not who we are. Never forget that God loved us before the foundation of the world. And that’s why in Acts 2:23, the Trinity held a council,

Acts 2:22-25, “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”

This was the plan of God from eternity past that delivered up TLJC on the cross for us. Do you remember the “for us” passages I gave years ago?

Rom 5:8, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 8:26, the Spirit Himself intercedes for us. Rom 8:31-2, If God is for us, who is against us? He delivered Him up for us.

All of these “for us” passages and many others (1Co 10:6, Gal 3:13, Eph 5:2, 1Th 5:10, Heb 9:24, 1Jo 3:16) are based upon His love for us, All of these, and many others. Therefore, His love for us was not based upon something we did or didn’t do, Eph 1:3-4, tells us that! And what does Eph 1:3-4, say?

Eph 1:3-4, Worthy of praise and glorification be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He elected us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.

God loved us billions and billions and billions of years ago and not only elected us to be His children but also blessed us with the most fantastic blessings even imaginable. As the Apostle Paul said in Eph 3:20…He is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.

God loves all believers! Winners and losers! This is why even though God knew in eternity past who would be a winner and who would be a loser He still blessed losers. Which is why losers have rewards that God ordained for them to have and “willed” for them to have but in 1Co 3:15, they suffer loss of those rewards. Why? Plain old NVTD! Losers have an escrow or an eternal savings account! Losers have equal privilege and equal opportunity!

Just like Winners have an escrow or eternal savings account! Winners have equal privilege and equal opportunity! Now, how can God love losers? How can God love Jacob? How can God love the carnal believer? The same way He loves winners and the same way He loves the immature believer……with an impersonal unconditional love! Why? And How?

Well Psa 11:7 says, For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteousness; Psa 33:5, He loves righteousness and justice;

All losers and winners have the perfect righteousness of God given to them at the moment of salvation and God’s loves His righteousness. And God blesses us; He keeps us alive; He gives us some measure of prosperity; All from His love which loves His righteousness in us! This is very vital for you to understand! You must understand WHY God loves you! And why does God love you? Because you possess His righteousness and therefore His justice is free to love you with an impersonal unconditional love.

So in Gen 32:7 which says, Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; And as we noted many times before, if you have personal love for God the Father you will understand His character and His integrity. And if you love God, that means that you “know” God.

Now, this is why the apostle John wrote 1Jo 4:16 which says, And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Notice the phrase “we have come to know” is the per-act-ind of ginosko which means to know, to perceive, to become aware of or to comprehend intellectually, to see things as they truly are. The perfect tense describes a completed action of knowing God. It doesn’t mean that you know everything that you need to know, it simply means that you have been faithful in taking in doctrine. The active voice says that you produce the action of the verb which means that you have made daily decisions to take in doctrine. The indicative mood points to the fact that this is a reality in your life, in fact, the most important thing to you. This means that you are a fanatic when it comes to your daily relationship with God…fanatic is where get the word fan from. And what is the verb that is in view?

It is “have believed” which is the per-act-ind of pisteuo meaning to believe, to be convinced, to have confidence about something, or to metabolize doctrine. You must come to know and come to believe how much God truly loves you! And that’s Jacob’s problem! He hasn’t been learning doctrine on a consistent basis!

1Jo 4:16, And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Our relationship with God begins by truly understanding the impersonal unconditional love that God had toward us!

So, when Psa 33:5 says, He loves righteousness and justice; it simply means that all losers and winners have the perfect righteousness of God given to them at the moment of salvation and God’s loves His righteousness.

And God blesses us, He keeps us alive, He gives us some measure of prosperity. All from His love which loves His righteousness in us! This is very vital for you to understand! You must understand why God loves you! And why does God love you? Because you possess His righteousness and therefore His justice is free to love you with an impersonal unconditional love. And when you understand Why God loves you, you will be free! Free from guilt! Free from worry! Free from condemnation! Free from self-introspection!

You will realize Rom 8:38-39, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So, we must come to know and believe the love which God has for us! And that’s why all those things about Jacob are pointed out to us by God the Holy Spirit so that we will be encouraged to keep going. If a man like Jacob can make it so can you!

1Jo 4:16, And we have come to know and have believed the love which God not has but keeps on having for us.

And I say “keeps on having” because in verse 16 when it says, the love that God has for us…the word “has” is the pres-act-ind of echo which means “He keeps on having love for us.” The present tense means this is habitual…when is it present? Right now!

By what verse 16 says when it says “the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” By that, something happens!

1Jo 4:17, By this, love [impersonal unconditional virtue love] is perfected or matured with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment;

Now there is a purpose in all of this and the purpose is given next. This is what separates the winner from the loser! The subjunctive mood of the word confidence says maybe you will have confidence, maybe you will not.

1Jo 4:17, By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment or evaluation, because as He is, so also are we in this world.

He has made available to us everything He is, in this lifetime. Now, in verse 18, we see the antithesis of impersonal unconditional love which is fear. What is the antithesis or the opposite of God’s love? It is fear! Which is why 1Jo 4:18 says, There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

The nominative singular noun phobos can refer to many types of fears. This of course we get the various phobias from. For example, claustrophobia is a fear of being confined in a room or a small space. Acrophobia is a dread of high places. Zoophobia is a fear of animals. Agoraphobia is fear of open places. Social phobia is the experience of intense anxiety when an individual is presented with a social situation.

Many people live in fear because they subject themselves to idiotic periodicals or idiotic television programs that are always anticipating the worst. Like nuclear warfare and everyone going to die! Or the markets going to crash. Bible doctrine will keep you straight on all of this! Certainly there are always going to be future disasters just as there have been past historical disasters but the amazing thing is that a believer with doctrine is a survivor! If you have no confidence in God you will constantly have certain fears which verse 18 says “involves punishment” which means that it torments you!

And that’s what it does to Jacob in Gen 32. Fear constantly manufactures the most awful torture in the world! Awful because most of the things people fear never happen but they go through these things as though they did happen. Fear is nothing more or less than a system of self-torture and frightened people are constantly torturing themselves! So, you need to ask yourself a question that only you can answer! “Do you entertain a lot of fear in your life?” “Do you entertain a little fear?” “Are you frightened by what the future holds?”

Everywhere we turn today fear is prevalent! And it is a marvelous device by that creature genius Satan to confuse and distract the human race from reality. As far as the Christian way of life is concerned there is really no excuse for being frightened about anything!

So, when Jacob starts to come back into the land and bumps into Esau’s army, he falls back on human viewpoint and tries to use his smarts again. However, I think if he had learned to wait upon the Lord a divine solution would have become manifested again and he would not have had to use human viewpoint and carnal thinking as the solution to solve his problems,

For as Isa 40:31 says, Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

The issue is do we believe this principle or not!

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Internet Church Service –– March 26, 2017

EMBEDDED VIDEO SERMON in HD –NOTES
The Doctrine of Heaven. Part 4. The pulpit and gate of Lazarus. Do you have a gate?

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to
Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name and Praise the Lord
in our Hearts and Minds.

ALL ARE WELCOME

from - Romans 8:38-39

Hymn #1

Hymn #2

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is— you have trusted in Him for eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to take-in God’s Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately directly to God the Father. This will assure that you are in fellowship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry, also called the convincing ministry will then be able to teach you as the Holy Spirit is the real teacher and the pastor’s message is the vehicle the Holy Spirit uses to convince you what you are learning is true or not.

1 John 1:9 says—“If we confess [simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins].” NKJV (New King James Version)

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins to God; the issue for you is to believe by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life and you will be saved the very second you believe in Him:

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” NKJV

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have”; it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it (it’s really just that simple), and it can never be lost or taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for learning God’s Word, if there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Our Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church
and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Terms used by RMBM

Doctrinal Statement

This ministry is non-denominational and is dedicated to
teaching the Word of God from the original languages and
making it available at no charge throughout the world.

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

Sermon

NOTES

Unlike the bible study, these notes are not just for reading without watching the video. These notes are more designed to follow along during the sermon and to bring up the “hover pop-up scripture references” (some websites may require to left click the link, if that doesn’t work then look them up in your Bible) when the Pastor asks everyone to turn to that passage in their bibles.

The Doctrine of Heaven. Part 4. The pulpit and gate of Lazarus. Do you have a gate?

Lazarus demonstrates the principle of being happy or content without having anything at all.

Luke 3:14b says “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Secondly, are you content with handling problems with people?

2Co 12:10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Thirdly, what about the situation that you are in right now, are you content?

Phi 4:11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Number four – what about money, not just your wages but money?

Heb 13:5 Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,

In verses 27-29, we have a second dialogue and the second call for help from the rich man.

Before the rich man was pleading for mercy, now the rich man is begging.

The rich man thinks that Lazarus should and would have been able to testify to the reality of this unseen world and the need to believe on TLJC, which he and his brothers had probably mocked together.

The rich man should have taken notice of Lazarus, enduring all that suffering and not complaining.

Lazarus being tossed at the gate of that mansion was the last call for salvation to the rich man and probably his family.

Second prin-In effect, Lazarus was the evangelist at their gate.

Many people will walk in and out of your life,
But only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.

Lazarus’ pulpit was that gate.

During his lifetime, the rich man should have taken notice of Lazarus, enduring all that suffering, and not complaining.

Prin-Lazarus being tossed at the gate of that mansion was the last call for salvation to the rich man and his family.

Second prin- In effect, Lazarus was the evangelist at their gate.

Some of you have the gift of mercy or exhortation so that you can minister and are there for others.

The word repent is the future active indicative of metanoeo which means to change your thinking or mind about Christ.

A messenger from the dead could say no more than what is said in the scriptures, nor say it with more authority.

We do read of one in Acts 2, when Peter taught the word of God.

The scripture is now the only powerful way of God making known His mind to us, Heb 4:12.

1Pe 1:23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.|

In Acts 20:10-12, when Eutychus was raised to life, the people that were present continued to listen to the apostle Paul teach doctrine because they did not become preoccupied with the miracle of raising someone from the dead.

“Talking” is dia legomai, it does not mean to preach on Sundays….. a verbal analysis or teaching.

Apparently he fought this because being fallen into a deep sleep is a pres-pass-part of the word kataphero, which means to carry a burden down.

When Paul went down he did something that Elijah and Elisha did – known as resuscitation.

Elijah did it in 1Ki 17:21.
Elisha did it in 2Ki 4:34.

He did exactly the same thing that Elijah did in bringing the widows son back to life and the same thing that Elisha did.

2Co 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight

Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Parables never mention proper names.

The narrative in Luke 16:19-31 is a true story, which can be entitled “Dead men tell tales.”

This true story describes the first and second compartments of what is known as Sheol or Hades during the dispensation of the Hypostatic Union.

HYPOSTATIC UNION = In the person of TLJC are two natures, inseparably united without mixture or loss of separate identity, without loss or transfer of properties or attributes, the union being personal and eternal. Since the incarnation, Jesus Christ is true humanity and undiminished deity in one unique person forever.

(1) the perspective of life, verses 19-21.
(2) the perspective of death, verse 22.
(3) the perspective of Sheol or Hades after death, verses 23-31.

Verse 19 introduces a wealthy unbeliever.

Verse 20 introduces a suffering believer.
Lazarus was normal; and he still had normal desires.

Because he was starving, Lazarus was normal and had an intense desire for foods.

Are you ready for this?……bosom.

John 1:18 No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Bosom actually connotes acceptance and welcome into someone’s presence.
The only friends Lazarus had were dogs who had much more compassion than the rich man and his friends or the mob and their cruelty.

Lazarus was suffering for blessing, a suffering which glorified God to the maximum; a suffering that makes Lazarus one of the great all-time believers, recognized as such by our Lord.

Lazarus was totally isolated from any form of human companionship or human compassion.

Doctrinal orientation, grace orientation, personal love for God, impersonal love for all mankind who treated him so cruelly, +H (sharing the happiness of God), a personal sense of destiny, and occupation with the Person of Christ.
The fact that he was in great pain did not in any way slow down his appetite.

a. He had a lack of basic necessities of life: he had no food, no shelter, and virtually no clothing so that his skin was exposed for all to see.
It’s amazing how dogs can be so compassionate and sympathetic toward people who are suffering, whereas rational people, in the cruelty and vile evil of their old sin nature, have absolutely no compassion.

b. Lazarus had loss of health, and real pain.

c. Lazarus was cut off from any form of love, friendship, or compassion.

People ostracized him, rejected him, and ridiculed him.

Lazarus was a mature believer and realized the importance of his suffering.

He would demonstrate to both mankind and angels the importance of eternity compared to time.

In contrast, the rich man was demonstrating daily that to him, only time was important; eternity didn’t matter.

1Co 10:13, “No testing has overtaken to you but such as is common to mankind. but god is faithful, who will not permit you to be tested beyond what you are able to bear, but with the testing, he will also provide a solution, a way of escape, so that you may be able to endure it.”

Lazarus was a believer who had nothing, but he was very happy with +H.

Lazarus demonstrates the principle of being happy without having anything at all.

For while Lazarus had nothing, he had the problem solving devices, like +H, and used them.

The very fact that he had an appetite indicates he was functioning under the Ten Problem Solving Devices.

His desire for even crumbs from the rich man’s table indicated how normal he was, having an appetite in spite of suffering.

The fact that Lazarus was hungry not only indicated that he was normal, but that he was handling his situation through the use of the problem solving devices.

Lazarus suffered to demonstrate the importance of eternity compared to time.

Time is just a drop in the bucket compared to eternity, according to Jam 4:14.

James 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

Time is the only opportunity to have eternal life, 2Co 6:2 “Now is the time to accept Christ; now is the day of salvation.”

It takes only one second in time to believe in Jesus Christ, yet the rich man didn’t even take that one second to do so; Lazarus did.

We do not know the original status quo of Lazarus; we only know what he faced before he died and entered into a compartment in Hades or Hell called Paradise.

Time is the special opportunity for the believer to glorify God, and to demonstrate to the angels the greatness of God’s justice, wisdom, and grace policy.

Phil 4:11 “Not that I speak on the basis of want, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances may be.”

“Lazarus, how do you feel about your suffering at the rich man’s gate and the abuse you took prior to that?”

“It was nothing. Time is just a drop in the bucket compared to eternity. Now I have billions and billions of years to enjoy the most indescribable and fantastic blessings of the eternal state.”

“Rich man, how do you feel about your lifetime of wealth, influence, power, and pleasure on earth?”

“I regret every second of my prosperity and power, for it blinded me to my need of eternal salvation, a relationship with God, which I could have had both in time and eternity. And yet I must take the responsibility for my own decisions and my own perspective.”

He was a mature believer, and therefore he departed from his body under the principle of dying grace.

The garbage heap outside of Jerusalem was called Gehenna, a large area where garbage was burned.

These were special angelic officers in the Angelic college of Heralds.

The rich man’s soul was sent to torments, the second compartment of Hades.

en plus basanois meaning in torture, torment, great pain, guilt, disgrace and shame.

Kolpois which means chest, bosom, or breast. = used for a place of honor at a meal.

This indicates that Lazarus died as an invisible hero.

Lazarus was carried into a place of honor, called Abraham’s bosom, the place of the Old Testament believers.

Abraham is the father of the new racial species called the Jew, therefore, Abraham is designated as the place of honor.

Jesus Christ is called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are the regenerate descendants of the new racial species.

“Today, you will be with me in paradise,” Luk 23:43.

That which was once his glory, is now the very reason why his guilt is so intensified.

Abraham is the father of the entire Jewish race, and in that sense the rich man was right in calling him “father Abraham.”

Augustine – “The proud man of time, the beggar of hell.”

A place described as a place of torment,
Luk 16:28.

A place where desire is never met, Luk 16:24.

A place of unspeakable misery indicated by the term, everlasting fire, Matt 25:41.

Where the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched, Mark 9:44.

The lake (which many believe to be a liquid form of Lava) burns with fire and brimstone, Rev 21:8.

The place of eternal suffering is also called;

A bottomless pit, Rev 9:2

Outer darkness, Matt 8:12

Fire unquenchable, Luk 3:17

Furnace of fire, Matt 13:42

Blackness of darkness, Jud 13

Rev 14:11, that “the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever and they have no rest day or night”

Hymn #3

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Weekly Bible Study – March 20, 2017

Dispensation of promise.
Seven Myths of the doctrine of Forgiveness.

IF YOU’RE NEW
PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: the “Logos Reftagger” scripture links are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), when finished reading, hover your cursor off the scripture reference link. If the pop-up doesn’t show all the verses, left click on the “More” button in the Reftagger pop-up and it will take you to the online bible. On older computers, some word definition or message hover popups may not work unless you are using an up-to-date Chrome browser (Firefox no longer supports Java hover popups) – some of the latest versions of other popular browsers that require Windows 10 work well also. If you don’t have an up-to-date Chrome Browser on your XP, Vista, Win 7, Win 8.1 or other operating system, that’s OK, try left clicking the link which will open the verse at the Biblia.com website; or if that doesn’t work, you can always use your Bible to look up the verses. Word or Phrase definition links may not have a website that opens.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]; we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. REBOUND

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-15, 16, 17, 18, says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday

Alphabetical Listing of Terms & Abbreviations used:

STUDY TITLE:

Dispensation of promise.
Seven Myths of the doctrine of Forgiveness.

There is a tremendous difference between the doctrine of rebound and the doctrine of divine retribution. Rebound deals with the principle of the individual agreeing with God and admitting that he or she was wrong and wanting to get back in fellowship with God and willing to take the responsibility for doing so. Whereas divine retribution deals with God bringing divine discipline upon the individual for the decisions that he has made.

One says “I have sinned” while the other says “I accept the responsibility of my actions”. In rebound, we confess our sins, in retribution we reap the consequences of our sins. However, and it’s important to note, and that is the fact that there never was a believer who named a known sin to God privately, without any system of human works, or human power, or gimmicks, who was not immediately forgiven. However, and this is important to note, “forgiving your sins does not mean forgetting your sins.”

When the Lord says in Heb 8:12, “For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more.” In Heb 10:17, “Your sins and iniquities I remember no more,” that it is an anthropopathism ascribing to God a human characteristic such as memory so that we can identify His attitude toward our sins.

Of course, God has omniscience or “all knowledge” and He can remember all things but…He desires for us to understand His attitude toward our sins and our iniquities…that is He treats us as if He doesn’t remember our sins. He wants us to recognize His forgiveness toward our sins.

For example, the greatest illustration of divine forgiveness is found in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

God forgave all the sins of the human race and He doesn’t remember them anymore BUT forgiveness of sins does not mean that every member of the human race will go to heaven. And so, when I say it is an anthropopathism, it does not mean that God does not or cannot remember anything, it means that — that is how He wants us to view His divine attitude.

On our part, there must be repentance and a change of mind and a viewpoint on the part of us who have sinned living as those whose sins have been forgiven. This is why our Lord said in Matt 3:8, “Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance;”

Matt 3:1-8, Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet, saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’ Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair, and a leather belt about his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea, and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore, bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance;”

As the AMP versions says Matt 3:8, Bring forth fruit that is consistent with repentance [let your lives prove your change of heart]; A lot of individuals want to be forgiven for what they have done to others but they live their lives as though they have not sinned or failed. No matter how great the sin or sins, God is faithful, God is just, and God is dependable but that does not mean that one has the right to live in self-justification concerning what they have done to others.

One of the most misunderstood verses in all of Scripture has to be Matthew 6:14-15, where the Lord said the following: Matt 6:14-15, “For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” This is one of those verses that you’ll never see on a t-shirt, coffee mug, or desktop screen-saver with roses in the background.

This is not a popular verse because it digs deep into the uncomfortable areas of our lives and deals with some difficult actions on our part. It teaches us that if we’re going to be the recipients of God’s grace, then we must give grace to others, and that is true. The Lord gives the challenge that if you don’t forgive others it may be proof that you’ve never truly received God’s forgiveness yourself. Or, in a positive glorious way, He is teaching us that the most practical way to show the world that we understand the Gospel of forgiveness is by showing the world that we know how to forgive. Forgiveness is trusting God to be the ultimate and perfect judge which means that He knows how to settle our disputes much better than we do.

So, what is forgiveness?

One of the best definitions on forgiveness comes from—of all places—the Wikipedia dictionary, where it is described as “the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense and lets go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well.”

True forgiveness is not just “letting go” of anger, bitterness, and resentment, but, it’s also wishing well for the one who hurt you. Are you truly able to pray to God for someone? Not just praying and informing God of their transgressions but actually asking the Lord to bless that person. Now, that is extremely difficult, isn’t it? Let’s be honest.

Most of our unforgiveness and bitterness is caused by some really silly and trivial situations. However, there are stories that involve true heartbreaks, letdowns, and victimizations. In these kinds of stories, forgiveness can only come from God because it takes a God-sized forgiveness. And, it’s in stories like these that myths about forgiveness seem to handicap us, confuse us, and keep us from truly experiencing victory.

So, this evening I have decided to identify some of the myths about forgiveness, and call them what they are: myths.

Myth #1: Forgiveness means you have to forget. Unfortunately, we don’t have a memory to be erased. Memories are very real, especially if they’re memories wrapped in hurt AND ABUSE. They may always be there. However, this is a wonderful opportunity to operate in a lifestyle of saying, “I have NOT been able to forget but in Phil 4:13, I can forgive.” I remember it very well, and yet by God’s grace I still choose to forgive.”

Myth #2: Forgiveness means that you’re condoning and understanding their actions.

Many times we feel that choosing to forgive is saying that in some cases I can understand what a particular person did to us and it was okay. However, this is a myth. Forgiveness is trusting God to be the ultimate and perfect judge. He knows how to settle our disputes much better than we do. After all, He’s the expert at dealing with sinners and sinful actions, not us. Let’s not forget how He has perfectly dealt with our sinful actions towards others.

Myth #3: Forgiveness means you have to be a doormat for others.

Often, we are reluctant to forgive because we are afraid that we will be hurt and taken advantage of all over again. However, forgiveness doesn’t mean that I have to subject myself to being continually abused and used.

Nor does forgiveness mean that I have to like someone and be with them again, it means I have to love them but I do need to have fellowship with them – illustration – John 3:16. In fact, I could become guilty of enabling a person to continue in their carnality if I allow them to continue to treat us as their doormat.

As Pro 27:6 says, Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. Forgiveness means that I’m going to protect and free myself from you by not carrying bitterness within me.

Myth #4: Forgiveness means you have to have fellowship with others and accept them as your friends.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you have to continually be close or friends with someone. Sometimes, the healthiest thing for two people is separation or distance. Now, we are commanded by Scripture to forgive, love and be kind to others. But that does not mean that we must do that or we have not truly forgiven them.

Eph 4:32, we read that we are to be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

However, nowhere in Scripture are we commanded to be friends with them and have fellowship and contact with them. For example, in Eph 4:22-5:2, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Myth #5: Forgiveness comes from an apology.

Sometimes we think that the two words, “I’m sorry” are supposed to heal all wounds. Esau did that! True forgiveness cannot come from an honest statement from someone, but rather, an all-powerful God. In Heb 12:15-17, See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it may be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

God must first forgive the one who is doing the forgiving; then the forgiving one must truly experience and enjoy God’s forgiveness. Then and only then can that person be in a healthy place to allow God to grant forgiveness through them to the transgressor. In short, forgiveness comes from God, not us.

Myth #6: Forgiveness is based on the other person’s actions.

Often people will say, “I will forgive that person when they ask me for it and start doing things to deserve my forgiveness.” However, this is a myth because we’re commanded to forgive, whether someone asks for it or not. Victory in this area is going to come from obedience to God and not other people’s actions. Remember, grace is giving something to someone, even when they don’t deserve it.

Myth #7: Forgiveness is easy.

Sadly, and truthfully forgiveness is not easy, it is impossible but with God all things are possible, but many times true doctrinal forgiveness means true doctrinal separation without holding a grudge.

John 13:1, Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

That included Judas Iscariot.

The same one that John wrote about in John 13:2, And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,

The same one who in John 13:18 we read, “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’”

He loved the same one who in John 13:21, When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.”

He loved Judas, even though Judas was betraying Him, but he exposed Judas, he didn’t just say, I’ll let Judas betray Me again, He told His disciples that Judas was going to betray Him. Moses did the same thing to the musicians who attacked his ministry, Korah, Dathan and Abiram. He forgave them but he did not cover them! Paul did the same thing when he exposed Hymenaeus and Alexander, he didn’t expose them, he forgave them but he also exposed them.

1Ti 1:18-20, This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered over to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

It was the apostle who said in 2Ti 4:14, Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

I did not say what the apostle John said in 3Jo 1:9, I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Internet Church Service –– March 19, 2017

EMBEDDED VIDEO SERMON in HD –NOTES
The Doctrine of Heaven, Part 3

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to
Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name and Praise the Lord
in our Hearts and Minds.

ALL ARE WELCOME

from - Romans 8:38-39

Hymn #1

Hymn #2

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is— you have trusted in Him for eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to take-in God’s Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately directly to God the Father. This will assure that you are in fellowship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry, also called the convincing ministry will then be able to teach you as the Holy Spirit is the real teacher and the pastor’s message is the vehicle the Holy Spirit uses to convince you what you are learning is true or not.

1 John 1:9 says—“If we confess [simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins].” NKJV (New King James Version)

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins to God; the issue for you is to believe by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life and you will be saved the very second you believe in Him:

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” NKJV

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have”; it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it (it’s really just that simple), and it can never be lost or taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for learning God’s Word, if there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Our Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church
and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Terms used by RMBM

Doctrinal Statement

This ministry is non-denominational and is dedicated to
teaching the Word of God from the original languages and
making it available at no charge throughout the world.

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

Sermon

NOTES

Unlike the bible study, these notes are not just for reading without watching the video. These notes are more designed to follow along during the sermon and to bring up the “hover pop-up scripture references” (some websites may require to left click the link, if that doesn’t work then look them up in your Bible) when the Pastor asks everyone to turn to that passage in their bibles.

The Doctrine of Heaven, Part 3

The narrative in Luke 16:19-31 is a true story, which can be entitled “Dead men tell tales.” verse 20 introduces a suffering believer.

Lazarus demonstrates the principle of being happy without having anything at all.

Being in torment is not a verb but it is a prepositional phrase with a noun, en plus basanois meaning in torture, torment, great pain, guilt, disgrace and shame.

As Augustine says: “the proud man of time, is now the beggar in Hell.”

As a mature believer, he accepted the events of his life as being exactly what God wanted for him.

Here’s an adult man but he’s called a child, why?

An adult man is called “child” because he was divorced from reality, because of his unrealistic expectations.

Lazarus was “comforted here” means he was given a special place of honor in eternity.

Evidence testing isn’t something you can explain to your family or friends.

What kind of message comes forth from your pulpit or your life?

The prin-To many, prosperity and pleasure becomes a hindrance to their spiritual growth and produces forgetfulness of God.

Prin-There is no hope in eternity for those who reject Jesus Christ in time.

Heb 9:27 It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

1Jo 5:11-13 “And this is the deposition: that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His son.

He who has the Son has this eternal life; he who does not have the Son does not have this eternal life.

These things I have written to you who believe in the person of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Before he was pleading for mercy, now he’s begging.

The rich man believes that Lazarus would have been able to testify to the reality of that unseen world and the need to believe on TLJC, which he and his brothers had probably mocked together.

Prin-Lazarus being tossed at the gate of that mansion was the last call for salvation to the rich man and his family.

Second prin-In effect, Lazarus was the evangelist at their gate.

Ten principles to consider in closing:

1. Hell or Hades is no place for loved ones and old friends to have a pleasant reunion.

2. Hell is a place of agony and suffering, only intensified at the end of human history by the transfer to the Lake of fire.

3. So terrible is the perpetual agony of the unbeliever beyond the grave that he desires that the gospel be presented to loved ones left behind so that they might believe in Christ and have eternal life and avoid the place of torments.

4. The same wealthy estate which distracted the rich man now distracts his five brothers who had inherited the family fortune.

5. Wealth and prosperity often causes the rich to ignore or avoid the reality of the eternal state after death.

6. If these five brothers reject the biblical testimony regarding Jesus Christ, they will “not” accept the testimony of one who returns from the dead.

7. The testimony in the bible is much more powerful than the testimony of someone coming back from the dead.

8. If people will not accept the gospel message found in the bible, they will not accept the testimony of someone brought back from the dead by a miracle.

9. A miracle is the easiest thing for God to perform because it does not require the volition of mankind, but only the sovereignty and omnipotence of God.

10. In the Tribulation Period, two Jews, Moses, and Elijah, will be brought back from the dead to witness in Jerusalem. Yet their message will be rejected.

Hymn #3

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Weekly Bible Study – March 13 2017

Dispensation of promise.
The true Biblical story of Jacob, his victories and defeats.

IF YOU’RE NEW
PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: the “Logos Reftagger” scripture links are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), when finished reading, hover your cursor off the scripture reference link. If the pop-up doesn’t show all the verses, left click on the “More” button in the Reftagger pop-up and it will take you to the online bible. On older computers, some word definition or message hover popups may not work unless you are using an up-to-date Firefox browser – some of the latest versions of other popular browsers that require Windows 10 work well also. If you don’t have Firefox on your XP, Vista, Win 7, Win 8.1 or other operating system, that’s OK, try left clicking the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or if that doesn’t work, you can always use your Bible to look up the verses. Word or Phrase definition links may not have a website that opens.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]; we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. REBOUND

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-15, 16, 17, 18, says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday

Alphabetical Listing of Terms & Abbreviations used:

STUDY TITLE:

Dispensation of promise.
The true Biblical story of Jacob, his victories and defeats.

We have noted that Isaac had the moral courage to stand by a right decision no matter how much pressure or ridicule he was going through. You can bet that Esau did everything in his power for 43 years to remind his dad that he had been deceived by his wife Rebekah and his other son Jacob. However, even though his own personal feelings and love was hurt and wounded, it did not hinder Isaac into reversing a correct and doctrinal decision which was to give the family blessing to Jacob and not to Esau. Doctrine resident in his soul was stronger than personal love and stronger than the pressure of ridicule.

That is why Heb 11:20 says, By means of doctrine resident in the soul Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.

The “things to come” refers to those things we noted on Friday evening, the four unconditional covenants: the Abrahamic Covenant which defines the race, the Palestinian Covenant which defines the land, the Davidic Covenant defining the dynasty, and the New Covenant which defines the restoration of the client nation Israel.

So, Isaac the man of failure emerges as Isaac the supergrace hero, the spiritual champion with noble courage as a man of doctrine. The wimp is gone and the spiritual man emerges because doctrine became more real to Isaac than anything else in life. Nothing better could ever happen to a former wimp.

So, with that in mind, we are now ready for Heb 11:21, and our introduction to how Jacob became a winner believer, By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

This seems to be another one of those verses that doesn’t seem to mean much or which refers to some great accomplishment but as we will see, it means a lot. So we‘re ready for Heb 11:21 where we no longer have a wimp like Isaac but a chiseler known as Jacob and how a man can go from being a con-artist to spiritual maturity and visible heroship in one lifetime.

Heb 11:21, By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

Now, here again we see how a man as he was dying glorified God. So, we must begin with a profile of Jacob so that you will know something of his background and life. First of all, Jacob was the son of Isaac, and the twin brother of Esau and an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was nicknamed Jacob because, at the birth of the twins, “his hand took hold of Esau’s heel”, Gen 25:26.

This is why we read in Gen 25:21-26, And Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So, she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her, “Two nations [which are really not nations but individuals who will represent two nations who are about to clash with one another] are in your womb; And two peoples [Jews and Arabs, namely Iraq] shall be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger.” When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. Now the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau. And afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob; and Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them.

Notice that it says that “his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel”,

According to the accounts in Genesis, Jacob continued to “take hold of” the possessions of others, such as his brother Esau‘s birthright, GEN 25:29-34, his father‘s blessing, Gen 27:1-29, and his father in law‘s flocks and herds, Gen 30:25=43; GEN 3:1

You often heard that the name Jacob means supplanter or swindler. Do you know what the word supplant means? Webster’s Dictionary says it means, to overthrow by force or treachery or deception. So, they named Jacob “one who overthrows”! From his birth, he seems to have that ingrained trait to outdo his brother or anyone else who was in his path. Jacob had a nasty habit of deception and he handled it magnificently with the habit of lies. His family traits that he picked up from his father and grandfather made him a good liar.

Jacob also is known for purchasing his brother Esau’s birthright and blessings for just one bowl of beans. And, as we will see, he waited for an opportunity and then seized it. Be careful of those in your life who are opportunists, like Judas in Mat 26:16, And from then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Him. Remember what the apostle Paul said concerning Satan and the KOD in Eph 4:27, and do not give the devil an opportunity. What happened with Esau is that he came in from hunting one day and he was starving so much so that he thought he was going to die, so he said the heck with my future blessings I want something NOW! Therefore, like so many believers he sold out to satisfy his flesh.

Therefore, Jacob took advantage of his brother’s time of weakness and then he deceitfully obtained his father‘s blessing.

Then when Esau found out that Jacob had taken advantage of him and deceived his father Isaac, Esau then sought to kill Jacob and so Jacob ran and escaped to Paddan aram. Paddan-aram represents the place of pride and arrogance while running away from the plan of God. There God turned a curse into a blessing and Jacob received the vision of what many call Jacob’s ladder where God confirms the covenant of Abraham to Jacob. This was one of the most dramatic moments in Jacob’s life which occurred at Bethel in Gen 28:10 22.

Gen 28:10-13, Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. And he had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.

Notice there’s a promise given to Jacob as it was given to Abraham and Isaac. And this is why the Lord Jesus Christ says as one of his greatest titles that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Gen 28:14-16, “Your descendants shall also be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

Jacob said this after he had taken advantage of his father Isaac and his brother Esau and ran away from the place of God.

Gen 28:17-21, And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” So, Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on its top. And he called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God.

There goes Jacob again – trying to make deals with God.

Gen 28:22, “And this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house; and of all that Thou dost give me I will surely give a tenth to Thee.”

This experience at Bethel, which means the house of God, occurred when he left the family home at Beersheba to travel to Haran, the residence of his uncle Laban. And so on the way, as he stopped for the night at Bethel, he had a dream of a staircase reaching from earth to heaven with angels upon it and the Lord above it. He was so impressed by the words of the Lord, promising him inheritance of the land, and his descendants “as the dust of the earth” that Jacob dedicated the site as a place of worship, calling it Bethel (literally, House of God). Now, many may be impressed but remember Jacob was always known for making deals!

Next, he lived in Haran with his uncle Laban for over 20 years. There he served his uncle Laban for fourteen years for Leah and Rachel, the two daughters of Laban. That’s the passage where he wanted to marry Rachel so bad that he said to Laban what can I do to get her? Laban said, “Be my servant for 7 years and you can have her at the end of the seven years.” Jacob said, “All right and then seven years later uncle Laban gave him the surprise of his life on his wedding day, he tricked Jacob and behind the wedding veil was his homely daughter Leah and not Rachel. Jacob was reaping what he sowed!

So Jacob aid “I’ll serve you another 7 years for Rachel, and he did and finally received her. Now, don’t feel sorry for Jacob, he was like the Irish, he didn’t get mad, he got even. After being deceived by Laban concerning his first daughter, he deceived and stole all of uncle Laban’s flocks and herds. In fact, he took almost everything that uncle Laban had with the exception of his tent and a pillar. So then he became dissatisfied with Laban’s treatment of him and he returns to the land of Canaan. You see, Laban was just like him! As the saying goes, what goes around comes around!

However, on his way back to the promise land Canaan, he dreads meeting his brother Esau so he sends ahead presents to try and buy him. Wait to you see the order of the presents. He will still try and connive his elder brother. Then on his way back to Canaan, he wrestles with the Lord Jesus Christ and his name is then changed to Israel. It was at night, and he found himself suddenly engaged in a wrestling match in the darkness. This match lasted until the breaking of the dawn. In this match, the socket of Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he struggled with this mysterious stranger, but he refused to release his grip until he was given a blessing. And for the first time in the narrative of Genesis, Jacob had been unable to defeat an opponent. When asked to identify himself in the darkness, he confessed he was Jacob, the heel grabber.

But Jacob’s struggling earned him a new name. For his struggle “with God and with men” in which he had prevailed, his name was changed to Israel, literally, Prince with God. In return, he gave a name to the spot that marked the change; it would be called Peniel which means “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved,” Gen 32:30. Well, look at the passage in case you don’t believe me.

Gen 32:24-30, Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. And when he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” So, he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” And he said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”

Now, for those of you who may be wondering is this a contradiction in the word of God because the Bible says in Exo 33:20, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” That is talking about our Lord’s deity not his humanity or when he appears in the Old testament as a Theophany!

Then we will see Jacob’s reconciliation with Esau. Then his daughter, Dinah, is raped. Then there is the incest of his son, Reuben, with his concubine, Bilhah. He then loses his favorite son Joseph and his grief over the loss of Joseph causes him to age. Then he hears that Joseph is still alive so he moves to Egypt. Pharaoh then receives him, and is blessed by Jacob. The land of Goshen is assigned to Jacob and there he prospers. The point is like all of us, Jacob had his ups and downs…but he didn’t quit. So, my friends that is a quick profile on the life of Jacob!

What I want you to see once again is that God works all of these things together for good for Jacob because one way or the other, Jacob finally learned to love God. Remember that all believers are commanded to love God in Mar 12:30, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” However, if Bible doctrine or the words of Christ are not abiding in you, you do not have love for God, this is according to Joh 5:38-42.

Joh 5:38-42, “And you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life. I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.”

Notice very carefully what He said. In verse 38 you do not have “His word” abiding in you. In verse 42, therefore, you do not have the love for God “in” yourselves. So if a believer really loves God, it will be manifested by his desire to hear God‘s doctrines, Joh 8:47.

Joh 8:47, “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason, you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

Not only will you hear doctrine but “if you love the Lord” you will keep His doctrines, Joh 14:15.

Joh 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commands.”

This means to watch over carefully, to keep, to hold, to preserve and to pay attention to, therefore to retain! And this is something that you should do and you should never take the communication of doctrine for granted! And this is a constantive aorist tense which means that you guard or keep His word by making continual decisions to hear doctrine and not to quit! And it is doctrine abiding in Christians, not works, that reveals to the Father how much we love Him.

Joh 14:21-23, “He who has My commands and guards them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will guard My doctrine; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.”

Therefore, if you guard or keep God’s Word in you, God‘s love will be in you, John 15:10.

John 15:10, “If you keep My commands, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commands, and abide in His love.

Your capacity to love depends on your intake of doctrine. In fact, having God‘s mind or Bible doctrine is that which produces God‘s love in the local assembly, Phi 2:2, make my happiness complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. So, keeping doctrine is the only way to love with God‘s love,

Loving God is also revealed with impersonal love toward one another, 1Jo 4:7, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

So loving God and His people can only come through knowledge of doctrine.

1Jo 4:16-21, And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

The mature believer isn’t afraid of anything. God the Father expects you to love God the Son as much as He does. That is the divine standard, but it is only possible through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit and the intake of Bible doctrine. Since God is invisible and the object of category one love, we must see and love Him through doctrine in the soul. We can only see God and love Him through His Word. The reversionist doesn’t love God because he is under Satan’s policy of evil. The immature believer doesn’t love God because he too lacks Bible doctrine in the soul.

You cannot love God unless you know God, and you cannot know God unless you have metabolized enough pertinent doctrine, 1Pe 1:8, EPH 3:18-19, HEB 6:10, 2TI 1:13-14, COL 3:1-2. For example, 1Pe 1:8 says, and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe Him,

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.