« December 2002 | February 2003 »
Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 28:2-4 (NKJV)
And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.
Angels are magnificent creatures. God created them to do his bidding. We read about Gabriel and Michael the archangels. They are powerful; the Lord sent a single angel one evening who cut down every mighty man and captain in the army of Assyria. Just
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Posted by David Carroll
Psalm 34:8 (NKJV)
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
I can witness, argue, persuade and otherwise plead with you to put your trust in the Lord, but there comes a point in which you must find out for yourself that He is everything the Bible says He is. You don't have to believe me, try it yourself and you will find out.You have heard it said: "The proof of the pudding is in the eating of it." The world says, "I'll believe it when I see it." The bible says the
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Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 27:27-31 (NKJV)
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him,
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Posted by David Carroll
Psalm 33:6 (NKJV)
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
Psalm 33:9 (NKJV)
For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
The word of the Lord is awesomely powerful. Even inanimate matter obeys His word. The picture I get from these verses is the instant obedience of the stars to begin their existence and to take their positions in space. Come to think of it, there is really only one thing that does not instantly obey the Lord God. And that is us--Man.Judges 21:25b
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Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 26:52-54 (NKJV)
But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"
Whenever I read this passage, I find myself wishing Jesus had just gone ahead and called down this twelve legions of angels. Certainly Jesus had no need for a pitiful band of disciples with swords as His defense. A Roman legion
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Posted by David Carroll
Exodus 29:15-18 (NKJV)
You shall also take one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the ram; and you shall kill the ram, and you shall take its blood and sprinkle it all around on the altar. Then you shall cut the ram in pieces, wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and with its head. And you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord; it is a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.
When I read
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Posted by David Carroll
Exodus 28:34-35 (NIV)
The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.
The instructions God gave to Moses for the construction and operation of the Tabernacle were very specific. The high priest had to wear a robe with bells around the hem. He had to perform every task in a very particular way when he would enter the Holy Place. This
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Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 25:30 (NKJV)
And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This is the end of the parable of the talents. The master gave one five, another two and another one talent. The ones with five and two talents doubled their master's money. The one with one talent buried his not putting it to work for his master. He was called wicked and lazy.A talent is a large sum of money so by being given only one, the third servant was not slighted in anyway. Many today are living without Christ and many
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Posted by David Carroll
Exodus 23:20 (NKJV)
"Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
This was a promise given to the Israelites after they had been delivered out of Egypt and before they had come in to the promised land. As a born again Christian, I have been delivered out of "Egypt" an idiom of the world. But I don't consider myself to have arrived at where God wants me yet. I believe God has prepared a place for me and he has put an angel before me to
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Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 24:24 (NKJV)
For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
When you begin to see wonderful things, be very careful. Test everything against the Word of God.Even Pharaoh's magicians were able to perform many of the miracles that Moses performed.
I've seen some very impressive magic shows but an entertainer magician will always say that they are using slight of hand in their "magic."
Notice that Jesus says these signs and wonders will "deceive."
They not the real thing; they are deceptive. But it will be a very strong form of
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Posted by David Carroll
Psalm 28:4-5 (NKJV)
Give them according to their deeds, And according to the wickedness of their endeavors; Give them according to the work of their hands;
Render to them what they deserve. Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, Nor the operation of His hands,
He shall destroy them And not build them up.
I was discussing with a friend of mine this morning the abortion industry and all the doctors who perform abortions.
We discussed the issue of whether those who kill abortion doctors are justified in their actions.
I believe that such retaliation is reprehensible murder and does terrible damage to
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Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 22:37-40 (NKJV)
Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
An expert in the law had asked Jesus, of all the laws (the Pharisees had lots of them), which was the greatest. I love the way Jesus answered. Instead of showing him which one command was the most important, he gave him two commandments
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Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 22:29 (NKJV)
Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.
The Pharisees had tried to trip Jesus up with a question about the resurrection and this was Jesus' reply. Whenever we are confused about something related to God, we should remember this verse. The way to avoid error is to know the Word of God and believe it. More importantly, believing God's word takes an appreciation of His awesome power. So many things just cannot be explained without it.Matthew 19:26 (NKJV)
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men
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Posted by David Carroll
Exodus 14:13a (NKJV)
And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today.
God was about to part the Red Sea. The Israelites were driven to the sea and were hemmed in by the Egyptians. People say "don't just stand there, do something." God says "don't just do something, stand there." A general once said "I am surrounded on all sides by the enemy, thank God, because now we must depend on Him to get us out of this mess." No matter what the situation God
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Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 21:22 (NKJV)
And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
We talk about how God always answers prayer and go on to explain that sometimes his answer is "not yet" and sometimes his answer is "no." This is how we rationalize the fact that we don't get what we ask for in prayer. We say that we must not have been asking for the right thing. But we need to understand what unimaginable power is available through faith in Jesus Christ.John MacArthur said: "Mountain-moving faith is unselfish, undoubting, and unqualified confidence in God. It is believing in God's
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Posted by David Carroll
Exodus 12:7,13 (NKJV)
And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
The instructions for the first Passover supper must have seemed strange to the Israelites, but they dared not question what God had said he was going to do--they had already
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Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 19:25-26 (NKJV)
When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Jesus was talking to the rich young ruler who had asked Him this question and Jesus, knowing what was in his heart, had answered him by telling him to keep the commandments and to sell all he had and come follow Him. All of this seemed impossible to his disciples which is exactly the point Jesus wanted to drive home. Man cannot save
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Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 19:4-5 (NKJV)
And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
This is an interesting verse from the perspective of creation. Really, the context is about why divorce is wrong. You can see here an assumption Jesus had about his views on creation and the two chapters of Genesis. He says that man was made at the beginning. If there
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Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 18:10 (NKJV)
"Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
In the kingdom of God, all are important, even the least. I love the way this verse depicts the importance of the "little ones." Their angels have direct and continual access to God. Jesus even praises God for having hidden the secrets of the kingdom from the wise and learned having revealed them rather to babes. I don't know whether this "little ones" refers to children
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Posted by David Carroll
Exodus 3:13-15 (NKJV)
13 Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?"
14 And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " 15 Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The Lord God of your fathers, the God of
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Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 16:24-25 (NKJV)
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Many think that taking up your cross means living with a little discomfort. They will say: "Well that is just my cross to bear." Think about what it meant to Jesus and to those who lived during his time. It meant nothing less than death. The follower of Jesus Christ is to die
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Posted by David Carroll
Psalm 20:7 (NKJV)
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
All this talk of war and terrorism is unsettling. We depend on our government to protect us with its military might. Does this verse mean we should not defend ourselves? No, of course not, but our trust should go beyond what we can do to the One who can answer prayer. Ask God to protect you, to bless you, to bless our leaders, and give them wisdom.Psalm 127:1 (NKJV)
Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build
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Posted by David Carroll
Psalm 19:1-3 (NIV)
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Do you marvel at the beauty of the night sky? Do you wonder what awesome power could have hung them out there in space so far away? With the naked eye you can see about five thousand stars. With my eight inch telescope, I can see about two million. The Hubble telescope can see billions of galaxies, and each
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Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 14:17-20 (NKJV)
And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."
He said, "Bring them here to Me." Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.
I have always never had a problem believing in Jesus' miracles. So whenever I am considering
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Posted by David Carroll
As a Christian, we use terminology that is sometimes foreign to those who are not Christians like the word Salvation. A person might ask, "Are you saved?" Of course, the reply will probably be "Saved from what?" That is a great question. We might skip over the bad news and just appeal to the idea that being a Christian means to have the abundant life full of joy. For certain, following our Lord in obedience has great rewards in this life. But that is what we are saved to. People don't like to hear or talk much about hell. Jesus
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Posted by David Carroll
Hebrews 11:9-10 (NKJV)
By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God
Abraham was known as a tent dweller. He had a brother named Nahor who was mentioned in the bible as a builder of cities (Gen 22:23, 24:10). Abraham never built a city. The only permanent things Abraham ever built was altars. If you are a child of God, don't set your roots down too deep
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Posted by David Carroll
I love you Lord...
John 3:16 [NKJV]
For God so loved the world
... because you first loved me.
Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 12:31-32 (NKJV)
"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
Is there a point of no return in rejecting God's offer of salvation? This verse strongly suggests that there is. The good news in this verse is the incredible extent to which forgiveness of sin is available.
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Posted by David Carroll
Psalm 15 (NKJV)
Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness,
and speaks the truth in his heart; he who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord;he who swears to his own hurt and does not change; he who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.He who does
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Posted by David Carroll
Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Jesus is amazing, on the one hand he says that He is the only way, the only solution. If someone were to say the kinds of things Jesus said about himself today you would say he was an egotistical maniac. But then Jesus says that he is
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Posted by David Carroll
Psalm 13:1-3 (NIV)
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.
Despair is a terrible feeling. When we walk through these times we feel like God is ignoring us. We wonder how long must we wait for Him to answer our prayers. It is perfectly alright to feel
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