“The Prince of Peace” - Peace from what?

• Peace from the Guilt of Sin - All who are “under the law” are unsaved, and they will face God’s judgment unless God saves them by His grace. The Greek word for “guilty” in Rom 3:19 is a compound word meaning “under judgment”: ... “all the world may become guilty before God”. This judgment is also spoken of in 2 Thess 1:9, where it depicts the awful punishment of those who remain in their sins – guilty – and under the wrath of God. Those who are guilty are likewise still “in the flesh”, or “carnally minded” – in other words, they are unsaved. God gives His Spirit to those whom He saves – that is, those whose sins have been forgiven and who have been clothed with the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. These most blessed of all human beings have been justified by the sovereign will of the Triune God, as Rom 5:1 asserts.

Rom 3:19 “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

2 Thess 1:9 “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;”

Rom 8:6-9 “For to be carnally minded is death [which refers to Hell]; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal [unsaved] mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

Rom 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

• Peace from Spiritual Death - Eph 2:1-5 is a clear illustration of the incomprehensible salvation which God has so lavishly bestowed on unworthy sinners. As this passage affirms, man is spiritually dead in his soul, which is housed in a body that is physically alive. The reason we know this applies to all individuals who were born after Adam and Eve sinned. In order for Christ to save anybody He had to become their “peace”.

Rom. 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned ...”

Eph 2:1-5 “And you hath he quickened [made alive spiritually], who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”

Eph 2:14-17 “For he [Christ] is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.”

• Peace from Hell - Lastly, we want to discuss the peace from Hell. Who are the “wicked”, and why does God say they have “no peace” in Isa 57:20-21? The Hebrew word for “troubled” is the same as for “cast up”. Those waters “cast up mire and dirt”, signifying total filth and pollution. That’s an accurate picture of man’s total sinfulness – which is why he deserves eternal damnation in Hell. The “pit” – like the “sea” – are pictures of Hell itself. In fact, in the New Testament Hell is referred to as a “Lake of Fire”. Both in body and soul, unsaved man is a picture of turbulent degradation. The Bible maintains that the reason man is “wicked” – the reason he is in the “sea” of God’s wrath – is because he has violated the Bible, God’s Law Book, time and time again. Wonderfully, today is still the day of salvation! We can still cry out to God and read His blessed Word, the Bible, to find His everlasting peace.

Isa 57:20-21 “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”

Psa 40:2 “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock [rock is Christ], and established my goings.”

Does Prayer Change God? or Me?

• Does Prayer Change God? - It is a very common belief that if men shower God with prayer for a particular request that the volume and sincerity of the prayers will move God to grant those petitions. Many look at Mark 11 as scripture to justify their position. This verse certainly appears to say that if we have enough faith in God we can motivate Him to do as we request. It seems that if God does not answer our prayer it is because we do not have enough faith. We therefore have fallen short in some way and we need to strengthen our faith and continue in prayer to God. God would then listen and grant us our request when we come to Him filled with faith. This deceitful logic of man is based on the idea that God must wait upon man to come to Him with faith and only then can God act. These ideas suppose that man changes God and that more prayer by more people with more faith is the commodity that God requires to act upon prayer. Let us examine these ideas in light of the whole Bible. Considering these scriptures, is there anything—anything!—we can tell Him that He does not already know? Is there anything about our lives that He has not already thoroughly considered in light of what He wants to produce for our good?

Mark 11:23-24 “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

Isa 40:13-14 “Who hath directed the Spiriof the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? 14With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?”

Psa 139:1-7 “O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. 7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?”

• Does Prayer Change Me? - God shows us many times that God changes man through prayer. God will respond to prayer that is according to His will. How can a man pray according to the will of God? How can a dead sinner become a saint that prays according to the will of God? This happens only by the sovereign act of God in salvation. As the sinner prays to God for salvation, God changes the man, according to His will. He justifies them from all of their sins so they will not stand for judgment. He looses them from Satan's power and draws them lovingly into His Kingdom. He disciplines, chastises, and pities His children, all to bring them into His glory and know His love. As God molds the man, the man more and more prays according to the will of God. God answers his prayers because they are according to the will of God. God does not stand by helplessly waiting for man, but works within man to the benefit of the saints and His own glory. Once saved, God works sanctification in the man to produce the fruit of the Spirit. One of the most astonishing facts is that the Holy Spirit lives [indwells] within the believer and assists him or her as he or she prays. The Spirit of Christ, dwelling in the believer, prays to the Father of things that are beyond the understanding of man. God does not leave His people alone, He assists them with prayer.

Psalm 69:13 “But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.”

Col 1:9 “For 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;”

Jam 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed [Spiritual healing/Salvation] . The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Dan 10:12 “Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.”

1 Thess 4:3 “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:”

Rom 8:26-28 "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

• Nevertheless, Not My Will, but Thine be Done - Although God knows our requests even before they enter our minds, we are to express them to our Heavenly Father. In doing so we realize afresh our absolute dependency on Him for every physical and spiritual need of ours and qualify all our petitions, with the very important statement (and attitude) “nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done”. All too often our attitude in prayer about something emphasizes what we feel is our or somebody else's need rather than focusing on God's will. Which is more important? what this perfect, great God considers from His perspective or what we desire from our position of nearly blind ignorance of what is really needed? The Lord's Prayer is the model prayer, indicating that we should not pray with the idea that we are bringing something new to God. It also introduces the thought that the purpose of prayer is not to overcome God's reluctance to answer and give but rather to lay hold of His willingness to help us toward His perspective, the fulfillment of His purpose, and into His Kingdom. The overall emphasis in our requests, then, must be inclined toward His purpose and will. Prayer is not to change God's Will but rather to align ourselves with God's Will.

Psa 88:1 “O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry.”

Psa 73:25 “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.”

Matt 6:7-8 “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”

1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

• God's Will concerns the Work of the Gospel in this World - The Father works eternal redemption for His children at the price of the life of His Son. He brings salvation to the elect, judgment on the unsaved, and many other acts and purposes according to His eternal wisdom and counsel. Jesus is our example and we are to follow Him in all things. Christ labored in prayer before His Father. Fellowship with the Father was a supreme priority in the life of Christ. John 17 is the magnificent High Priestly prayer for His Children.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Heb 10:7-10 “Then said I [Lord Jesus Christ], Lo, I come(in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Heb 5:7 “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;”

Luke 22:42 “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,”

John 6:39 “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”

• Pray Earnestly, Without Ceasing - We might recall that in I Kings 17:1, about the physical famine in Elijah's day: “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word”. This famine occurred in Israel when the wicked man Ahab who was married to the exceedingly wicked Jezebel was reigning over Israel. This famine continued for three years and six months. In Jam 5:16-18 we learn that the famine was brought by Elias, when he prayed earnestly: “... The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit”. This verse makes the point that Elias was a sinner like you and me, yet it declares, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”. Then the question is how was Elias found “righteous” in the eyes of God? Before salvation, there is none righteous, no not one. Neither Noah, nor Job, nor David, nor Moses, nor Zechariah the father of John the Baptist, nor Elias, nor anyone else in himself was righteous. The robe of Christ’s righteousness [given in Salvation] is absolutely needed in order for one to be found righteous. One can be made Righteous only “through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith”. God looks upon a person whom He has saved as “righteous” because his sins have been paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross. God's Spirit worked in Elijah and caused him to pray according to the Will of God, as a result of his salvation. May God grant His mercy and grace to mold and shape His people that they will pray according to the will of God, especially in these last days. Focus of our earnest prayers should be on our Salvation and for the Salvation of family and friends and the spiritual needs, the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.

Matt 6:31-33 “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Luke 11:5-8 “And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.”

1 Pet 4:7 “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”

1 Thes 5:16-18 “Rejoice evermore. 17Pray without ceasing. 18In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

When does God Hear my Prayers?

• God hears the humble - For each child of God, humility is not an option but a way of life. Humble yourselves and cast your cares on him. Publican as an example of humbleness. Humility is an evidence of Salvation.

2 Chr 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Isa 57:15 “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

Psa 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

Luke 18:13-14 “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

1 Pet 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Jam 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

• Lord Jesus Christ, an ultimate example of humility.

Php 2:5-11 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

• God hears Righteous - Righteous are those who are saved. Righteous only because of covering of Christ’s robe of righteous.

1 Pet 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”

Jam 5:16b-18 “… The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”

Rom 3:10-12 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."

Rom 4:6 "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,"

Php 3:9 “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith…”

• God Hears his redeemed children.

Psa 69:13 “But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.”

1 John 3:18-23 "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.19And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 20For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 22And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 23And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment."

John 15:7 "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."

Psa 19:13-14 “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”

• God Hears his children because Lord Jesus Christ is their intercessor.

Hebrews 7:25-27 "Wherefore he (Jesus) is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 26For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;27Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself."

Hebrews 4:14-16 "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

Luke 22:31-32 "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren."

• God hears his children because Holy Spirit is their intercessor.

Eph 2:18 “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

Rom 8:26-27 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

What will Hinder my Prayers?

• Sin hinders our prayers - If we confess our sins before God, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

Jam 4:2-3 “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

Isa 59:1-2 "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."

Pro 28:13 "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

• We are sinners by birth - I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Sin is the “whole” sinful nature. We are born sinners into Adams nature, Which is why we need Salvation and new nature of second Adam “Christ”. Our sins need to be payed for by Christ for us to be sinless before God and our prayers be answered.

Psalm 51:1-19 "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. 16For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 18Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. 19Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness [sacrifice of Christ] , with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar."

Psa 103:3-4,12 “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 12As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."

Heb 10:16-18 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.”

Psa 32:1-2 “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.”

• Bitterness against brother/neighbor hinders prayers - first be reconciled to thy brother. Forgive one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Eph 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

Mark 11:25 "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

Matt 5:23-24 "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."

Luke 11:2-4 "And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3Give us day by day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."

• Bitterness against wife hinders prayers - Love and Honour your wife.

1 Pet 3:7 “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

Col 3:19 "Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them."

Eph 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;"

• Pride hinders prayers - Pharisee as an example of pride.

1 Sam 2:3-4 “Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.”

Pro 6:16-19 “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”

1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Luke 18:10-12 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.”

Why Does Prayer Of A Righteous Man Availeth Much?

• God hears the prayer of Righteous

1 Pet 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”

Jam 5:16b-18 “… The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”

• The question is who are these "Righteous"? The one and only "righteous by law" is our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ and he is our intercessor.

Rom 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:"

John 15:10 "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I [Jesus Christ] have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love."

1 Pet 1:19 "But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:"

Hebrews 7:25-27 "Wherefore he (Jesus) is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 26For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;27Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself."

• Example of Jesus praying for Peter:

Luke 22:31-32 "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren."

• Righteous are those who are saved [born-again], and they are righteous only because of covering of Christ’s robe of righteousness

Gal 2:16 "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

Php 3:9 “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith…”

• God hears our prayers because of the indwelling Holy Spirit given in Salvation, who makes intercession for us according to the will of God.

1 John 5:14 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:"

Eph 2:18 “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

Rom 8:26-27 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

How Did Jesus Preach to the Spirits in Prison?

• Is this verse teaching that there is a possibility of Salvation even after a person dies? Does it teach the doctrine of Purgatory? The Bible clearly teaches that following death, there comes judgment.

1 Pet 3:18-20 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."

Heb 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"

• Who are the Spirits in the Prison? every human being born into this world is in the prisoner in the kingdom of Satan until God translates them into the kingdom of his dear Son. Their own sins are wrapped about them, like cords, holding them fast. They are prisoners to sin and to Satan. We all are in the bondage of sin and servants (slaves) to sin. Our Savior gave the Gospel of Grace to us and redeemed us by his precious blood.

John 8:32-34 "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin."

Isa 42:6-7 "I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house."

Luke 4:18-19 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me [Jesus Christ], because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 9To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."[Isa 61:1]

Acts 26:18 "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

• How did Jesus Preach in the days of Noah? Well, let us also go to Galatians 3, and we are just going to look at a verse that is going to help us understand. As we see in Gal 3:8, the Scripture preached unto Abraham. It was God’s Word that these things were declared to Abraham. Jesus preached to the “spirits in prison,” and how did He do that? Through the Scripture, through the Word of God. So Jesus preached or the Scripture preached; it is all one and the same: He is the Word of God. As we see in 2 Pet 2, through Noah, who was a preacher of righteousness, these things were declared to the people of the world of that day, that God would destroy the world with a flood and time was running short. He did this through Noah, which is the same way that this works out today because we are “ambassadors for Christ.” We beseech others “in Christ’s stead” and on His behalf and in His place, “Be ye reconciled to God”; and so Noah would have been building the ark, constructing this ship, and preaching. This physical illustration of building the ship itself, that was preaching to the people of the world.

John 1:1,14 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

2 Tim 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

Gal 3:8 "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed."

2 Pet 2:5 "And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;"

Heb 11:7 "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."

• How then were they condemned? They were condemned because the building of the ark was for a reason. The reason was because of man’s sinfulness. Due to man’s sinfulness, God intended to destroy them, to bring judgment upon them, to complete the condemnation that was already accomplished by His Word. Any unsaved person is already condemned. The Word of God has pronounced the judgment, “For the wages of sin is death,” and people will be condemned if they remain unsaved. So the construction of the ark, especially as it began to take shape and form and people could see what it was more and more, was a constant reminder of their sinfulness and of the fact that God’s wrath was upon them for it and that they would be destroyed.

Heb 11:7 "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."

John 3:17-18 "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

What Is The Rod To Beat A Child With?

• Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child. We are all born sinners. Foolishness is the condition of an unsaved heart, indicative of the absence of God's Wisdom.

Proverbs 22:15 "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him."

Psalm 58:3 "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies."

• The rod of correction shall drive it far from him. The rod and reproof give wisdom.

Proverbs 22:15 "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him."

Proverbs 29:15 "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame."

Pro 15:31-32 "The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise. 32He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding."

Pro 29:1 "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."

Pro 15:10 "Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die."

Proverbs 23:12-14 "Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. 13Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. 14Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell."

• Rod of correction is the Word of God. Physical rod can only modify a Child's behavior but the Word of God has the power to transform the Child inside out and can deliver the Child's soul from hell. Chastisement is an act of love.

2 Tim 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

Psalm 23:4 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

2 Tim 3:15 "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

Heb 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Rom 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Why Did Jesus Speak in Parables?

• By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand - Contrary to the popular belief that Jesus spoke in parables to make his teachings easy to understand, Jesus spoke in parables to hide spiritual truths and make them difficult to understand. Doing so, he only reveals the Spiritual truths whom he choose to reveal by giving them ears to hear and eyes to see because we are all spiritually blind. A parable is an earthly story [or an earthly historical event] that teaches heavenly spiritual truth. This verse from Isaiah is repeatedly quoted in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, and 1 Corinthians.

Matt 13:10-12 “And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.”

Isa 6:8-10 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. 9And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.”



Matt 13:13-16 “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 16But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.”

Matt 13:34 “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: 35That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.”

Rom 11:7-8 “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election [Gods' elect including both Jews and Gentiles, remnant chosen by God's Grace] hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.”


2 Cor 4:3-4 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

2 Thess 2:10-13 “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 13But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:”

• I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old - Not only Jesus (Word in flesh) spoke in parables, but the whole Bible is written in parables. The whole Bible contains many verses that have a deeper spiritual meaning, written as parables and allegories and figures in simple historical or moral statements. Every historical and moral statement of the Bible is still absolutely true, but we can learn even more by looking at the symbolic Spiritual message of these verses. The Bible testifies of itself that it is filled from beginning to end with the message of Jesus, the Gospel of Salvation, and that many Old Testament stories are actually historical parables which symbolically point us to Christ or to some aspect of the Salvation work of Christ.

John 1:1,14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Job 27:1 “Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,...”

Job 29:1 “Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,...”

Psa 78:1-2 “Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:”

Num 20:10-11 “And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.”

1 Cor 10:1-4 “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”

Gal 4:21-26 “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 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. 24Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”

Gen 22:15-18 “And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

Gal 3:16 “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”

Heb 11:8-10 “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10For he looked for a city [New Jerusalem, Rev 3:12] which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

Heb 11:15-19 “And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16But now they desire a better country [heaven], that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. 17By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac [Isaac is figure of Christ] shall thy seed be called: 19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”

• How is it that ye do not understand? - Jesus had to rebuke His followers, and Pharisees alike for trying to take His words literally when He meant them symbolically (with a deeper spiritual meaning). For eg; in Luke 24, Jesus says that the Old Testament Scriptures wrote that Christ had to be killed and resurrected the third day. However, that is not explicitly written anywhere in the Old Testament—this is only stated allegorically in Jonah. Christ points to this Old Testament verse, showing that it is allegorically describing His resurrection in Matthew.

Matt 16:6-8,11 “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? 11How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?”

John 4:10-11 “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water [She mistook literal water for spiritual, living water]?”

John 3:3-4,10 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?10Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?”

John 11:11-13 “These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.”

John 6:51-53, 60-61,66 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.… Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?… From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.”

Luke 24:45-46 “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:”

Jon 1:17 “Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights”

Matt 12:40 “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Luke 17:12,14-17 “And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests [This was a reference to ceremonial laws in Lev 14]. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him [the Great High Priest] thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?”

Lev 14:2 “This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest.”

Heb 4:14 “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.”

Who Wrote the Bible?

• All Scripture is Given by Inspiration of God - 2 Tim 3:16 declares: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”. The Old English word “inspiration” literally means “God-breathed”. It comes from a Greek word which is made up of two words: “theos”, meaning “God” (from which we get our English word “theology”), and “pneustos”, which comes from a word that means “to blow”. God “breathed”, or “blew”, out His Word, by using believers that he had chosen to pen every word He gave to
  the human race. Different books of the Bible were written by different prophets like: Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, etc.; Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible; David wrote many of the Psalms; Solomon wrote Proverbs and Ecclesiastes; the Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; Paul wrote much of the New Testament following the Gospels and so on. These men were instruments in the hands of God. God used them as a pen, like we would use a pen and we would write down our note, well, that's how God used these men and sometimes they didn't even know what they were saying, they didn't know what they were writing down. They had no real understanding sometimes. Like Daniel, was given visions and he had no clue what they meant. He was troubled by the visions he had received because he had no real understanding of what God was saying to him.

2 Tim 3:16 “All scripture [note the singular not plural] is given by inspiration of God [or God-breathed], and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

Dan 12:8-9 “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”

2 Pet 3:15-16 “…even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest [twist], as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”

• Holy Men of God Spake as they were Moved by the Holy Ghost - We learn from 2 Pet 1:21 that the Bible was written as “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost [Spirit]”.  “Holy men of God” [they are Holy only because they were saved and granted the Christs robe of Righteousness], wrote the scriptures under God's inspiration, and we would never want to forget that. Who wrote the book of Jeremiah? Baruch was the scribe. Baruch is the one who recorded “the word that Jeremiah the prophet spake unto Baruch”. So Baruch is not the author of the Book of Jeremiah. What if I asked you, who wrote the epistle of Romans? what would you say? Well, Apostle Paul wrote Romans. Did he? Did he? Tertius, wrote this epistle: “I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom 16:22). As Paul dictated it to Tertius, Tertius was the actual person who wrote it down. Do we say Tertius wrote the book of Romans? No, because we give no credit to the scribe... We give no credit to the one who is being dictated to... but it's the one whose mind it comes from. He is the author... Paul wrote the epistle of Romans, not Tertius... Well, no. Paul didn't write the epistle of Romans. Did he? He was dictated to. He was not the author of the book... but God himself is the author and we always have to keep that in our minds. God is the author. It is His Book. It is His Word. It comes forth from the mouth of God. Once again we are reminded of how God wrote the Bible – it sets forth His Words that came out of His “mouth”. It is perfect and complete, and He has preserved it for thousands of years. It is the only place where we can find absolute truth and God’s will for us and for this world.

Jer 36:1-4 “And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day. 4Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book.”

2 Pet 1:20-21 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.21For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

How to Study the Scriptures?

• Holy Men of God Spake as they were Moved by the Holy Ghost - The Scriptures were not written by men nor did they come by men just dreaming or thinking things up. In other words, even though there are many physical authors of the Bible, as far as the different books of the Bible—the prophets: Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, etc.; Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible; David wrote many of the Psalms; Solomon wrote Proverbs and Ecclesiastes; the Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; Paul wrote much of the New Testament following the Gospels—yet all of these men spoke how? They spoke as the Holy Spirit moved them. So, first and foremost, this Bible is the Word of God. It is God’s Word that has been delivered to mankind. It is God’s gift to mankind of His message, His revelation to people. How did the Holy Ghost speak? He spoke through these men. Men were moved by the Holy Ghost, the Bible said.

2 Pet 1:20-21 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

• The Holy Ghost Teacheth; Comparing Spiritual things with Spiritual - But how does the Holy Ghost then teach us as we read the Scriptures 2,000 years after most of the New Testament was penned and even more thousands of years later than when Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible? How does the Holy Ghost teach us? - “comparing spiritual things with spiritual”. The Holy Ghost is the author of the Bible and now the Holy Ghost is going to be a teacher of the Bible, too. Since there is one author, the Holy Spirit, there is oneness and cohesiveness in God's Word. “Comparing spiritual things with spiritual” means finding things that are similar and alike, comparing them, and then seeing how they all fit together. This is the beauty of studying the Word of God and coming to truth as we compare spiritual with spiritual. In other words, Bible is its own dictionary.

1 Cor 2:12-14 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Cor 2:7 “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:”

Isa 28:9-10 “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”

• How to Compare Spiritual things with Spiritual - Let us take a look at an easy passage to show an example of this. In the Gospel of John, we have a beautiful example. This one might be easy, although people at the time who heard this did not think that this was easy, maybe you will. I hope that you do. So can you see that this is challenging language, to a degree? This is because Jesus is speaking about bread but He is not talking about a wafer or about wheat bread. He is talking about something different. He is saying that if you eat the bread that comes down from Heaven, you are not going to die. what the bread is that He was talking about when He said that if you ate it you would not die? It is the Word. The bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life...., the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life..., the Word was made flesh.... Now how do you understand “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you”? We need to be forgiven by washing of our sins by the blood of Christ and new life has to be given to us by the Holy Spirit by blessing the Word to our hearts.

John 6:48-63 “I am that bread of life. 49Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 59These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. 60Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 61When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

John 1:1,14 “1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Matt 6:9-11 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread.” 

Matt 4:3-4 “And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Heb 9:22 “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission [forgiveness].”

Lev 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

Heb 10:12 “But this man [the Lord Jesus], after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.”

Rev 1:5 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.”

Rev 13:8 “... the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

What is "One Thing Thou Lackest" ?

• what shall I do that I may inherit Eternal Life/Saved?

Mark 10:17-27 "And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 23And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."

• Does that mean, if the rich man went and sold everything and gave it to the poor, would he have been inherited Eternal Life/Saved? Does it mean that this poor widow is Saved because she cast in all that she had? She is able to cast in all she had because she is a Saved individual.

Mark 12:41-44 "And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."

Gal 2:16 "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

Eph 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"

2 Tim 1:9 "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,"

• Let us see another conversation which explains clearly how is one Saved.

John 3:1-8 "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water [typifying Word of God] and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8The wind [Spirit] bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."

• what is the above conversation teaching us? It is teaching us this vital principle "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also". The rich man "was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions". His Heart is set on the Treasures of the World. The poor widow gave all she had because her Heart is set on the Treasures of Heaven.

Matt 6:19-21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Luke 12:33-34 "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

• How is one's heart before Salvation? desperately wicked. What can it treasure up? Wrath of God.

Jer 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Rom 2:5 "But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;"

Luke 6:45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."

Acts 5:1-10 "But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 6And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. 7And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 8And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. 9Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.10Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband."

• When does our Heart brings forth Good Treasure? God has to take away our Heart of Stone and give us a Heart of Flesh. This is what happens when God makes one Born-Again.

Eze 36:26-27 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."

Luke 19:5-10 "And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of man [Lord Jesus Christ] is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

What Does "Esau Despised His Birthright" Signify?

• Esau Despised His Birthright - Esau [typifying all the unsaved] traded Eternal Inheritance for the Temporal Worldly Need. What was wrong with Esau? A simple meal? He despised his birthright over a simple meal? Yet, you know what? This is not so unusual. This is not out of the ordinary at all. All kinds of people, if not every single person left to themselves, all kinds of people would rather have the physical things of this world. They lust and they desire and they crave the least things of this world. They go contrary to the Bible by going after the least of things. God has blessed the world with many blessings, physical blessings, like life and food and clothing and things. There are just many wonderful things that God has provided for people in this world. But, really, when we come down to it, the ultimate blessing—and, finally, the only significant blessing—is Salvation. It is the gift of Eternal Life that God gives to His people.

Gen 25:29-34 "And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 30And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 31And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. 32And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright."

Gen 27:34 "And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father."

Heb 12:14-17 "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau [typifying non-elect], who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright [traded Eternal Inheritance for Worldly need]. 17For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the [eternal] blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears."

Matt 5:6 "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

• Why is Esau called fornicator and profane person? He is a spiritual fornicator, in the sense he is a friend of the World. If we are unsaved, we are still married to the Law, and any unfaithful act against the Law of God makes us an adulterer. When we are saved, we become dead to the law and married to our Lord Jesus Christ. Esau profaned by despising his Birthright. He exchanged his soul for one meal.

Heb 12:16 "Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau [typifying non-elect], who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright [traded Eternal Inheritance for Worldly need]."

Matt 16:25-26 "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Rom 7:1-4 "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. 4Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him [Lord Jesus Christ] who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."

Jam 4:4 "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

Gen 25:32-34 "And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright."

Phil 3:18-19 "(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)"

• On the other hand Jacob [typifying all the Elect of God] coveted earnestly for the best gift of eternal life. He wrestled with God for the Eternal Blessing.

Gen 32:24 -29 "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there."

• Left to Jacob himself, he would go the same path as Esau. Both were given the Gospel by Isaac. Only because of God's Sovereign Grace, Jacob was drawn to God and his eyes are set on the things above.

Gen 25:19-28 "And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begat Isaac: And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. And Isaac entreated JEHOVAH for his wife, because she was barren: and JEHOVAH was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of JEHOVAH. And JEHOVAH said unto her, Two nations [God's Elect and non-Elect] are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. "

Rom 9:10-15 "And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

Heb 11:20 "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come."

Col 3:1-2 "If 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."

Rom 8:1-8 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death [if we are saved, we are free from our husband "the Law of God" to be married to Christ]. 3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."

Mal 1:2-3 "I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, 3And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness."