Day 83 Reading the Bible in 90 Days

Welcome to day 83 and happy Sabbath day to you. We are going to dive right into our reading today because there is a lot to read.

Galatians Chapter 4

Paul opens this chapter letting all of us know that we have become sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and if we are sons then we are eligible for the same inheritance our big brother and Lord has received. That is eternal life in the God family.

⁷Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

⁸Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.

⁹But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

¹⁰Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

These verses, I use to think, abolished the keeping of feast days commanded by the Lord in Leviticus 23. Then when I carefully studied this, you can see that Paul is not referring to the feast of the Lord; but rather to man made "holiday" that were never commanded to keep. Before when we did not know the truth of God, with understanding, we did service to them that were not gods; like Xmas, Easter, Halloween, etc. However, now that Paul has taught the Galatians about God how can they turn again to weak beggarly elements observing these days, months, times, and years? This question was posed to the Galatians who are Gentiles.

¹⁶Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? This happens to many people when they tell the truth of God to people who don't want it and despise the truth; they become an enemy.

We Are Not to be Servants of the Flesh

²²For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

²³But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

³⁰Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.

Wanting the things of this world is fleshy and we become children of the bondwoman and not the free woman who the promises were ordained to.

Galatians 5

⁴Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

If you are still killing animals to forgive your sin or going to a confessional booth to confess your sins to a man; Christ has become none effect to you because you are still under the law of animal sacrifice for sins, and have fallen from grace. Why? Because you lack the faith in Jesus Christ who once for all sacrificed His body for your sins.

¹⁴For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. This is all the Ten Commandments were trying to do for people; show us how to love one another. The commandments are love as Paul said so they must be kept because if you have no love, God has no use for you.

Walk After the Flesh & No Kingdom For You

¹⁶This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

¹⁷For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

¹⁸But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

²⁰Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

²¹Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Walking after the flesh breaks the commandments of God and shows no love.

Walk After the Spirit & the Kingdom is Yours

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

²³Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

If I stop at stop signs, don't speed, obey red lights, don't steal, kill, lust after my neighbors wife, these are not laws to me anymore; they are a way of life. They become laws when they are broken and not desired to be kept.

Galatians 6

¹Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

This is a conclusion chapter for Paul telling us to be meek, considering to others, baring the burdens of others as Christ did. Did not Christ bear all our burdens? We should think of our fellow brothers and how to help them help themselves into the kingdom of God. We are not to think we are so big, wise, strong, but to be humble before our God with all gentleness to each other; because the kingdom of God is at hand.

Ephesians 1

¹Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

²Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul greets the main two again, leaving out the Holy Ghost again. When Paul gets into the kingdom "God the Holy Ghost will not even shake Paul's hand to congratulate him on overcoming.

Paul thanks God for the gift of life through His Son Jesus the Messiah and encourages us to pray in thankfulness to the Father in Jesus name as well (v16-17).

Ephesians 2

¹And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

We are to be thanking the Father who has made us alive when were dead in our sins. We were subject to all the rudiments of this world walking as children of disobedience. However as verse four points out, the Lord rich in mercy and love made us alive with the Anointed One, with this grace we have a chance to accept His redemption and live in heavenly places with Jesus Christ (v2-6). Heavenly places refers to thing done in heaven rather than what's being done on earth. We already know Christ is returning to the earth forever.

⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

When Adam sinned, we were all doomed to death, but Jesus Christ has given us hope and grace as a free gift, that if we have faith in Him and do His will; we will be saved. We can't say we keep all the commandments so we don't necessarily need Christ. Our works alone won't do it; faith and works is what will save us.

¹²That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: ¹³But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

The Gentiles should remember that before Christ they were aliens to the commonwealth of being called children of Israel. They had no part in the promises and that basically means they had no hope in the world. But in Isaiah when the Father said it is a light thing to recover Israel; but He had another task for Jesus to do, recover and bring to Him the Gentiles. Now they are taking part in the blood of Christ.

¹⁹Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; ²⁰And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Gentiles are just like the children of Israel, fellowcitizens with the saints and the household of God, which was built on the foundation of the apostles AND prophets, with Jesus Christ at the Head!

Ephesians 3

¹For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If Paul did not do all this work for the Gentiles to be recovered; he would have had a sore life. If he ran from it as Jonah did; something would have swallowed him up and perhaps not spewed him out as Jonah was blessed to do. Because a calling is without repentance; why do we think the children of Jacob are still the priest of God? God will still beat you up until you do your job he called you to do.

⁹And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: Wait a second, Jesus Christ created all things that God commanded? That's right, reread Genesis one and two and you'll see it say in chapter 1, God said let there be light, but after chapter two when the action was being carried out, it referred to the Lord God doing it.

Ephesians Chapter Four

³Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

⁵One Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. ⁷But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Paul's message is that of unity. There is One God, One Lord, faith, and baptism. This also gives us an idea that we should not have all these denominational churches we have, and even more we should not have all the faiths also in Jewish, Christian, and Islam.

¹⁷This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

¹⁸Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

Vanity of their mind; "I have the biggest house and car" syndrome. It means nothing, we are to be one, walk in oneness of Christ in one body, Chris the head.

²⁵Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

²⁸Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

³¹Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

These are commandments Paul is telling us and the Ephesians to continue to keep.

Ephesians 5

¹Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

⁵For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no man deceive you with vain words, because when one does these things, the wrath of God comes upon them for disobedience. Whore monger sleeps with a lot of people and commits adultery, unclean person eats unclean foods, an idolater worships objects and elements, these break the commandments of God and have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ nor the Fathers. ⁷Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

²⁰Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

The way Jesus taught us to pray was to give thanks to God in the name of Jesus Christ.

Husbands & Wives

²¹Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

²²Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

²³For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

²⁴Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Men are suppose to love their wives and nourish her just as he nourishes and loves himself.

³¹For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

³²This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

³³Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

As it is written in Genesis, the wife, which is the church, will be married to Jesus, and will be submitted to Him and have reverence to Him. Paul says it is a great mystery concerning the marriage union, our marriage should be as the Lord's to His people, His church.

Ephesians 6

¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. ²Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; ³That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

⁴And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Paul covers it all, for children, for parents not to be provokers of their children but to teach, nurture, and warn them of the Lord. Employers are suppose to treat their employees fairly, and remember that you have a chief Employer (Master) in heaven. People use to think this referred to slavery, even as in the Americas. Master was someone who hired servants to work. If you work a job to day you are a servant; and if you are in jail or do menial work; it can be considered slavery.

The Armor of God to Stay Ready

Put on the full armor of God because we are not fighting against men as we see. The man we see is tangible; but what spirit is in him is what you are up against.

¹⁴Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

¹⁵And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

¹⁶Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Many of us have the breastplate of righteousness, we are decent human beings, we treat people fair. We have the shoes of preparation of the gospel of peace; we are peaceful and ready to tell the good news. We have faith as our shield; blocking off things that distort our faith, death in the family, poor, lack of fulfillment, we block it off saying we know there is a great God working on our behalf. We even have the helmet of salvation, we know the God and His name is Jesus, but the one thing we forget and don't strengthen is the sword of the Spirit. Our understanding of the word of God is not where it should be. There is no point going to war with all defensive clothing on; you have to be able to fight.

Remember Jesus, He resisted Satan with the sword of the Spirit. He cut Satan up and Satan left the battle to look for weaker people who could not handle the sword. Eventually the body armor could wear down if you do not fend off your adversaries. You need a little bit of offense to go with your defense. Who is more remembered, Bill Russel or Michael Jordan? The defensive player of the year or the league MVP and scoring leader?

Do not leave your house without your sword!

We need to stay in prayer and watch for the wiles of the devil who will come upon us at any time; be armored and prepared and he will flee away from you.

Philippians 1

²Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul is writing a letter to the Philippians and he does his customary greeting from the Father and from Christ, no acknowledgement of the Holy Ghost.

²³For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

Paul comments on the fact that he is torn between dying and resting waiting on being with Christ or staying with the people, the people needed him and his teaching guidance more. It's funny because that has crossed my on occasions; and it's not a suicidal thought it is a we know goodness is on the other side thus we can't wait to be a part of it (if we be so worthy and bless to take part).

Philippians chapter 2

Paul tells us to take on the humility that Christ has and had and that we should have this mindset moving forward: ⁵Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

⁶Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

When Jesus was in His Godly state, He did not believe He was taking anything away from the Father by saying He is His equal. I do not think I'm taking anything away from Barack Obama or the Pope of Rome by saying I am their equal. I have respect for them as they have high ranking positions; but at the end of the day we are all men; and part of the man family. They are no better or worse than the homeless man in the street. Jesus is God just like the Father is God; He is not taking anything away by saying they are equal.

⁸And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus humbled Himself to be made as a man, then humbled Himself to be scrutinized by His own creation, obedient to the death on a cross. And the Father has lifted Him up, exalted Him above all that is.

¹⁰That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

¹¹And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We saw Isaiah say this of the Lord; now we are clear, which Lord Isaiah was speaking on; the Lord Jesus. This is why we must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Our mothers, fathers, cousins, and pastors cannot save us. Only we can save ourselves through faith in Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3 ³For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Paul tells us to have no confidence in the flesh; but if you want to stack up your fleshly credentials Paul tells us to go for it and see if we can beat him.

⁵Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

⁶Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

He has some credentials coming from the priest nation, a Hebrew of Hebrews, concerning the law, he was a top-notch Pharisee; so most people do not have anything on Paul concerning the flesh. But Paul says all of that means nothing; absolutely nothing because he did not have Christ. This is comparable to scoring 81 points in a game and losing the game. All your efforts went into the trash. The same thing with the keeping all the laws but not having faith in Jesus Christ as the Jewish people do today; all that effort will go directly into the lake of fire, God's trash.

¹⁴I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

We all need to press towards the mark for the prize of eternal life.

Philippians 4

³And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

Rejoice in the Lord always, and rejoice if you are doing what it takes to have your name in the book of life. The Lord told the disciples to rejoice because their names were written in heaven; and not because they had power to cast out demons. We are in this thing to get eternal life.

⁶Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. I just like this verse; that we are to take everything in prayer and request to be made known to the Lord.

Moving into Colossians Paul does his customary greeting that avoids God the Holy Spirit

Colossians 1

²To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

God Wants Us to Increase in Knowledge of Him

⁹For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

¹⁰That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Jesus the First Born From the Dead

¹⁵Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: Jesus has the very same look or image of the invisible God we have never seen or heard His voice; and Jesus is the firstborn of every creature.

¹⁶For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

¹⁷And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. Jesus has preeminence over all things; this is why family and friends should not be put ahead of Jesus.

Colossians 2

¹For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; ²That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; ³In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

This is a fascinating few verses; as Paul preaches about opening the riches of understanding to the acknowledging of the mystery of God, which is in the Father and the Messiah. In these two being, are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. WOW! If you want any kind of wisdom or knowledge you have to seek God.

⁸Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Watch and pray on this matter because many men as Jesus said will come and attempt to spoil you through philosophy. They will through a zeitgeist movie at you or joke to the extent of Bill Maher with no knowledge, that if you read the bible you'd know exactly where they error at. Remember what Jesus constantly responded to the Pharisees; "have you never read the bible," or "you error in the scriptures..."

Do not follow the traditions of men, the Christmas, the Easter bunny, and other rudiments of the world all while not following Christ. It will only spoil you.

¹⁶Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

Wrong reading of this verse can lead you to think the feast days are no more; but Paul is warning the Christians keeping the feast not to be lured and discouraged from keeping their dietary commandments, and respected holy days, new moons, and Sabbaths; as they are commandments from the Lord.

Colossians 3

¹If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. ²Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

This is not to say that you want to go to heaven; but that you are thinking about God always who is in heaven. If you thinking about Him constantly; you will do the things He commands.

Colossians 4

Paul gives wise words and warnings to us as he ends this letter to the Colossians who are learning to do with the Lord's will.

⁵Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

The Lord said His elect are the salt of the earth; so we are to be seasoned and ready to help our fellow brother with the Word and all things as they need.

This concludes our reading for today; grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ. AMEN

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Due

Day 82 Reading the Bible in 90 Days

Welcome to the long and winding road as we continue our stretch. Today we're going to finish Corinthians and also go into Galatians.

1 Corinthians 15

¹Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

²By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

The statement many people ask you concerning Christianity often times is, is one saved. "Are you saved," they ask as they are evangelizing. This is awkward questioned if you are not knowledgeable and inappropriate question if you are. The verse above adds to what Jesus said in Matthew 24, "he that endures to the end shall be saved." Paul says the preached to us the gospel and we are saved if we keep in memory all that he has preached over the years. You have to constantly be doing what Paul teaches, which is ultimately what Jesus taught in order to be saved. If you stop, if you do not endure to the end; you will not be saved. So is there a once saved, always saved? No, you can always fall from grace.

Paul tells us that everything said about Jesus is true; that He died and rose on the third day, and was seen by many, then finally seen by Paul like one born out of due season (v8). Jesus was born into the God family ahead of the appointed time, which is to be at the seventh day. In terms of God birth, He was like a premature baby .

People in Paul's day did not believe in the Resurrection, and many today do not; however, these same people attend church and keep faith in the scripture. This is backwards; if there were no Resurrection I must be perfectly honest, there would be no reason to sit and read 12 chapters a day for the last 82 days. There is no great reward in this life to look towards, and no damnable punishment to fear; so it would be a free for all. Paul says if there is no resurrection then Christ wasn't raised. If Christ wasn't raised, we are still in our sins and doomed for death. All our loved ones who died and finished, never to be seen again and everything we do in serving God is in vain. In vain means for nothing.

²⁰But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. ²¹For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. ²²For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

However, Jesus did rise from the dead, the first fruits of them that slept or died. In the feast of weeks; you are to wave your first fruits to the Lord, this represented Christ. Every man will be made alive in order, first Jesus, then all who died in Jesus Christ, and they will be raised at His coming. There is no man in heaven right now; but we already knew and confirmed that in the Old Testament.

Death Destroyed

²⁶The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Paul also explains that we will have the same looking body; but it will not be of flesh and blood. However, we must sow or plant this body in order to get a new body (v32-50). We are made of earth now; so we are earthy; but when we are resurrected we will have a heavenly body. When a seed is planted, you just don't get the fruit; you get a tree bearing fruit; so our resurrection or change will be glorious.

The Last Trumpet

⁵¹Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

⁵²In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Not all will die; but all will be changed into bodies that are incorruptible. In a twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet blown, which is the seventh trumpet. Then death will be put away.

⁵⁵O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? ⁵⁶The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

This great sting of death will be removed out of the righteous existence. Death is stinging; not only to the one who died; but more to the close family and friends the dead left behind. It is a sting that reminds us or should remind us rather of the painful decision to listen to Satan rather than God in the Garden of Eden. Every time someone dies, especially those close to us, it should remind you of the destruction sin has made on the earth. Hopefully, it sobers one to focus on God and Christ and avoid sin.

1 Corinthians 16

Paul is making plans, his travel plans with the saints and he is still keeping the feast of the Lord. ⁸But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost. We will not move into the second book of Corinthians

2 Corinthians 1 Paul is still only greeting the Father and the Christ. I think Paul is a bit arrogant towards God the Holy Ghost. He has not greeted him in none of his letters as of yet.

²Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. ³Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

Paul tells us in this letter that we will have tribulations as he had great afflictions from God. He was near death plenty of times, and we read some of them in the Acts; but God delivers.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 2

Paul, being heavy of heart writes that we should all be forgiving people. Just as the example Jesus gave to forgive, we should always keep that in mind to forgive our brothers and sisters so that we can obtain mercy from the Father in Heaven.

2 Corinthians 3

Paul speaks on the glory of the New Covenant. If during the administration of death, which we are living in today, Moses was able to shine with the glory of God among the children of Israel, then certainly in the administration of life, which is to come and is with Jesus, the shine will be more glorious. Moses had to use a veil; but when we see Christ in His glory, we will not have to use a veil and Christ we will see in His full glory.

2 Corinthians 4

We share the gospel freely Paul adjures, we hold nothing back; if someone does not have it, it is because they are lost and refused it being blind to the ruler of this world, the devil. They did not want the gospel of truth that is in Christ, who is the image of God.

¹⁴Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

¹⁷For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

¹⁸While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We are working hard each day of our lives to show ourselves approved of God, and we know God raised up Christ from the dead. So the hardships we go through in this life are just for a moment; it seems hard now; but the reward or eternal life and abundant life is not to compare to the few minutes of hardship we are having now. The key is verse 18; to look towards the things not seen; what is seen, the new car, is temporal, but what is not seen, the house of many mansions is eternal.

2 Corinthians 5

¹For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

This chapter is not meant to confuse but it can do a good job of it if you don't have a good understanding. Our body is our tabernacle, that is why on the Feast of Tabernacles, you dwell in temporary booths for seven days, then on the eighth day you get out of that booth. The seven days represents the 7 days you have in the flesh as a man (or woman). On the eighth day, you become God, if you've lived according to His ways, or you go into destruction. Same things with the circumcision, 7 days you have the foreskin representing flesh, then on the eighth day you are to circumcise the child representing the rolling off of flesh, being man, into becoming God.

So when we speak of a earthly house, we are indeed speaking of this body we are in now. It is not to say when we die, we leave this body and go to our heavenly body; but rather we will be changed into that body. Paul is speaking it as a metaphor, which make people thing they have a new body waiting for them; as if they look like Margaret Thatcher now, but when they receive their new body they will look like Cindy Crawford. That is not the case! What you have now, is what you'll have in the kingdom, except with more glory and shine.

⁶Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

While we are in the flesh, we are no good to the Father. He created us to be perfect beings to live forever. We search and found a way to die and so while we are in the flesh we are absent from the Lord.

¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

We all will have to and we are doing so now; if you do so righteously now; you will avoid standing in judgment but will judge. Therefore we must continue our work as ambassadors for Christ. We should seek to get as many into His kingdom as possible.

2 Corinthians 6

¹We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

¹⁴Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

¹⁵And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

People usually take this and run with the globe thinking it is pertaining to marriage. They believe this gives them a reason to divorce their spouse because they are baptist and their spouse is Lutheran. It does not; rather Paul is saying don't spend quality time with unbelievers who refuse to believe. Remember, one spoiled apple can ruin the entire bag; this is why Jesus had a message of destroy evil out of Israel because it is cancerous. Before long you will have to kill the entire nation because you did not kill the two or three rebellious people.

Now the message is spare them, love them, take care of the evil people. Let the wheat grow with the tares, and they will be separated at the end of the the harvest because evil and good are intermingled like a black and white in the United States. Be careful in your engagement to unrighteous people, keep your guard and edge and purpose to attempt to shed light on them and not allow them to respread their darkness onto you.

2 Corinthians 7

¹Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

With all the promises of eternal life, rulership, no tears, no sorrow, we should rid ourselves of all filthiness and perfect our walk with the Lord. Why risk missing out on all of His goodness He has stored for us?

2nd Corinthians chapter 8

Being generous towards one another is goal of the godly to keep and establish. ⁹For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

Jesus made Himself poor just so He can serve us; so we should constantly be thinking of giving and being generous towards one another.

2 Corinthians 9

¹For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you:

⁶But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

⁷Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Although this is a preachers favorite line, "God loves a cheerful giver" it is a true line. Keep your tithes if you are unhappy to give it. Have you ever been bugged by someone about an item, then finally you say, "fine you can have it, take it!" Does the person take it? If they really needed the item, they will, but where I grew up they usually say something to the effect of, "I don't even want it anymore."

If you are not happy to give to God and to your fellow human, simply do not give then.

2 Corinthians Chapter 10

Paul is defending his ministry. Obviously some men had problems with how he was spreading the word of God; so Paul just takes measured steps to show that his work has been after the Lord.

¹⁸For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth. The bottom line is that we need not approval from men; but from the Lord only.

2 Corinthians 11

¹Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.

²For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

³But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

⁴For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Paul feared that after all his teaching, people will be subtly tricked into another doctrine that does not belong to Jesus yet it uses His name all the day long. So we have to be aware if someone comes to us preaching about another Jesus who Paul and the disciples have not preached about. We have to be aware of someone who comes with a spirit we have not heard. If they do, we should bear with them, or deal with them.

What do you mean another Jesus, I didn't know there were two? We read that it was Jesus custom to go into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and read and teach. We read Paul and the disciples doing like their Master as well. How often do we go to the church on the Sabbath day and read or be taught or teach?

Jesus said He has long time desired to come to the earth to Jerusalem. How often have you desired to be raptured into heaven to be with the Lord?

Jesus said He will raise up all that was given to Him on the last day. How often have you looked to heaven and thought about your loved one smiling down on you? You see, this is Jesus, and the other is the other Jesus that Paul is warning us to look out for and when we see that other Jesus we need to straighten him out.

¹³For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

¹⁴And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

¹⁵Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

There were false prophets in the days of the children of Israel, so even there are false apostles in this day working deceit making themselves to be apostles of Jesus Christ. This is not amazing because they get it from Satan who made himself an angel of light. Satan couldn't trick anyone if you walked in the building and he said, "welcome to the house of Satan." I think anyone looking for Jesus would run. However, if Satan welcomed you in the name of Jesus, then proceed to share his doctrine cloaked under the name of Jesus, unless you read for yourself you would not know you are being hoodwinked.

Paul Boasts Boldly

²¹I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.

²²Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.

Paul let's us know that he went through the ringer in serving the Lord. We read about some in Acts; but there is more (v23-28). He let's us know again that he is a Hebrew Israelite of the seed of Abraham just like the Pharisees and any other teacher of the bible.

Sometimes, it is good to read someones credentials.

2 Corinthians 12

Paul Reflects on the Day He was Blinded

¹It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

²I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

³And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)

This is thought to be his famous out of body experience that movies have been based on; but it was simply the way he described it and a bit of lack of knowledge by people that has caused this. Paul knew a man Christ about 14 years ago, if Christ was in the earthly body or in His heavenly body, Paul could not tell only God knows. Paul said Christ was like someone caught up to the third heaven. This let's us know that there are three heavens; but more important to our fact is that Paul could not tell if Jesus appeared to him physically or was He in the third heaven shouting down to Paul. Paul could not know because light shined on him and blinded him to the ground.

Paul did not go to the third heaven, and he did not have an out of body experience. Whatever happened to Paul that day, he could not tell what it was, so how can we?

⁴How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Here Paul is speaking of Jesus and not himself.

2 Corinthians 13

¹This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

Jesus said the same thing and Moses wrote it that in two or three witnesses is a fact established.

⁵Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

⁶But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.

¹⁴The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

Okay the Holy Ghost is mentioned but not in the capacity of God. Jesus also already told us that the comforter is the Holy Ghost, He will send in His name to comfort us. So we just have to find out what it is exactly and we will read about it soon.

Galatians 1

¹Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

²And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: ³Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,

Paul was made an apostle by Jesus Christ, and not ordained by men. He greets us again by the Father and by Christ.

¹²For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁷Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.

¹⁸Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

Paul was separated by Jesus to teach the nations. It says Gentiles a lot because the Gentiles (Romans) were ruling at the time and are now; but Paul was the apostle to the nations, the heathens and not just the Gentiles. He was not taught by man; after he was blinded he went into Arabia, then to Damascus for roughly three years, reading the scriptures over to get the solid understanding to be an able teacher of Christ. Then he came back and met with Peter about his mission.

¹⁹But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. When we see or saw James the son of Mary; this is referring to Jesus brother in the flesh that Mary had after Jesus among other children. James is also the author of the book of James we will read shortly. With Paul's conversion; many people glorified God. We know how it is to see a guy who is good for nothing change his life and we immediately have to give God the glory for this.

Galatians Chapter 2

Paul was given a hard time after his conversion; but was ultimately accepted by the apostles. ⁷But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

Paul was sent to teach the heathen or what the Jews called the uncircumcision, just as Peter was sent to the lost tribes of Israel or the circumcision to teach the gospel.

Paul confronted Peter however, because he and the other apostles were not doing right. They ate with Gentiles secretly; but when other Jews came they would separate themselves as if they had no dealings with the Gentiles. Paul was not happy with this because, if Peter being a Jew is compelling Gentiles to live as the Jew; why was he acting like a Gentiles; one who is respecter of persons.

²¹I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Our faith in Jesus is what will keep us; not our deeds of the law. Which law?

Galatians Chapter 3

So do we have faith in Jesus as our sacrifice or do we continue to keep the law of animal sacrifice? This is what this chapter is saying while leaving words out. Do we have faith in Jesus or do we keep the law? It is obvious, some Jews in Galatia had reverted back to killing and sacrificing animals to God. Doing this voids Jesus and puts no faith in His death and resurrection as our passover lamb.

¹³Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

¹⁴That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law of animal sacrifice. After we sinned; we had to go get a goat or lamb and kill it to make atonement of our sins. It was pointless because the animal didn't sin, we did, so it didn't even remove our sin. Paying a speeding ticket doesn't remove it from your record. Paying bail doesn't remove being arrested from your record. Getting a pardon and a forgiveness removes those from your record. Jesus pardoned us; and removed the curse of killing animals as was law to do; and instead we find grace through Him.

Jesus tells the Father to forgive him, he didn't mean to do it. That is how we get grace from our High Priest, Jesus Christ.

¹⁷And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

Genesis 17 is the covenant; and Jesus confirmed it; now this covenant came 430 before the law of animal sacrifice. Animal sacrificial law cannot dis annul the promise that God made Abraham.

¹⁹Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

The law was added because of sins. So we know for a fact this is animal sacrificial law. The wages of sin is death; so instead of man dying, God implemented a temporary law to slow down sinning. It was not in the laws of the world to go to jail for murder. It was added for those who broke the law and murdered someone.

²⁴Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. The law of animal sacrifice was to let us know what Jesus was for us; a sin offering. When we sinned and an animal took our place in dying we were suppose to see that this is exactly what Jesus was going to do in place of the animal for us. Instead we just continue to enjoy the great taste of roasted lamb and goat, and even brought other unclean animals into the mix.

²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

²⁹And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Once you have faith in Jesus and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, we become one, no longer Jews, Gentiles, rich, poor, men, women, but are one in Jesus Christ. We still must keep the commandments of the Lord but not the animal sacrificial commandment, which He nailed to the cross when the veil ripped in the temple when He died.

This concludes our reading today; we will see again tomorrow.

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