Category Archives: The Bible

The Bible

In The Beginning – God and Man

God’s Purpose for Man

Let’s talk a little about what happened in the beginning, and more importantly, to show how what happened in the beginning has something to do with you. In the beginning there was the earth, the plants, the animals and man. What is all this for? Why are we here? These are some universal questions. In the beginning God had a purpose in mind for all things. What is this purpose, and what does it have to do with you?  We need to look at the very beginning of the Bible, where God’s purpose for man is revealed. God’s purpose for us can be summarized in two words; image and dominion. In the beginning of the Bible, the beginning of the record, right in the first chapter, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image after Our likeness, and let him have dominion over the fish in the sea, the cattle, the birds and the whole earth.” So we have those two key words that describe why God made man.  Let’s write this on the board. First of all we have the word, “image”. Secondly, we have the word, “dominion”. This verse in the beginning of the Bible reveals to us why God created man.  We were made in the image of God and we were created to have dominion. What do these two words mean? First of all we have the word, “image”. What does image mean? Image is like a photograph. If you look at a photograph of a tree you see the color, the form and the shape of the tree. You could say the photograph expresses or represents the tree. So, image means to express. We were created in the image of God so we could express God.  Let’s write this down—to express God.  Then “dominion” means to represent God. So there you have it.  We are to express God and represent God. These two words at the beginning of the Bible reveal to us why God created man.  He created us in His Image to express Him, and He created us to have dominion or to represent Him.

This is taken from a Bible study, some of these study video’s are on  Drew’s YouTube channel.

Why did God Create Man?

Why did God Create Man

In the beginning there was the earth, plants, animals and there was man. What is all this for and why are we here?  These are some universal questions. In the beginning God had a purpose in mind for all things, but what is this purpose and what does this have to do with us? When we look at the beginning of the Bible, the first book of the Bible and the first chapter of the Bible the reason why God created man is laid out for us. It says, there, that God created man in His image and in His likeness, and He wanted man to have dominion over the fish, the cattle, the birds, over the whole earth and over the creeping things. In that passage the two key words are “image” and “dominion”. These two words describe the reason why God created you and created me—imagine and dominion.

Now what do these two words mean? An image is like a photograph. If I have a photograph of a tree, you see an image of the tree; you see the attributes of the tree. For instance, most trees are green, so you see green. You see the form of the branches, the shape of the leaves and so on. Well, in the same way, you and I were created in the image of God that we might express the attributes of God.  For instance, a tree is green, so a photograph of a tree expresses that attribute, the color green. You and I were created in the image of God. Now one attribute of God is love. Others include joy, peace, patience, honesty, telling the truth and so on.  These are all attributes of God.  When we express these attributes we express God’s nature, and this is why you and I were created.

Now let’s break this down a little bit.  You and I were made in the image of God to express God, to express what God is. One of God’s attributes is love. When you read the whole Bible, from beginning to end, you discover how God’s love is unconditional.  But yet, a lot of times our human love that we try to live with is conditional. It is fickle. One day we like people, and the next day we are grumpy. Some people we like; some people we don’t like. Yet God’s love is not this way. For instance, even we Christians (I am a born-again Christian) have a problem. Sometimes we only like people who are Christians but we don’t like people who are not Christians.  We think they need to join our club, so to speak, or be like exactly like us. But yet when you read the Bible you find out that God loves every single human being, even the ones who are not Christian. How do you like that?  Then, even among Christians there is a failure to love.  Brand X Christians don’t like Brand Y Christians?  Why?  Because they do not believe exactly like I do, or they don’t practice things exactly the way I do.  Of course the Brand X Christian have their Bible verses to prove that what they are doing is the best.  But you see that is not the expression of God.  We were created to express God, and we were created to represent God on this earth. When we express what God I s, which is love, unconditional love, which means we accept anybody, under any condition. When we do that, we express God Himself.

So let’s go back to why God created man. God created us in His image to express Him.  Secondly God created man to have dominion because God wanted man to represent Him on this earth. I hope you can remember those two words:  image and dominion, because these two words describe the reason why God created man.

Who is Jesus?

How do we talk about this Jesus who lived on the earth about 2000 years ago in the land of Israel?

Jesus Christ is perfect God and perfect man in one person.  Jesus,  the Son of God,  was sent by God to deal with the problem of sinful man. Without Jesus, sinful man has no way to approach the holy God.  To the Christian,  Jesus Christ is the Redeemer, Savior, Healer, Comforter, Teacher, and the example of a perfect human life.  He is also the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  (John 1:29)   The important highlights are: His birth, human living, 3 year public ministry, death on the cross for sinners, resurrection from the dead, ascension and His still anticipated Second Coming.

The Bible has two great sections that talk about Jesus Christ.
1. the Old Testament – which foretold or prophesied about the coming of Jesus Christ.
2. the New Testament – which talks about His birth, life, teaching, disciples, death, resurrection and the growth of the Christian church.
Both Old and New Testament sections talk about His anticipated Second Coming.

It is a difficult concept to understand that He is both fully perfect God and perfect man, and all in one person.  There are many verses in the Bible to show this.

Jesus Christ is God – Colossians 2:9 For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,    Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Jesus Christ is man –  Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary…    Luke 24:39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

Tell Me About God

Let’s talk a little about God.

God has a plan for your life and has made a way through Jesus to make sinners like you and me right with God.

Let us consider several facts about God. First, God is love. Not everyone sees God as the God of love.  This at first may seem a little different than what people think about God.  Some think that God is out to “get” people, but the Bible says God is love. God is also righteous and must judge sin.  To deal with the sin problem, God sent His son Jesus Christ.   Romans 8:3-4. … God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Consider these brief eleven points about God:

1. God exists – Romans 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.

2. God loves and is love – He loves people. John 3:16  “For God loved the world in that: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.  1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

3. God Created everything from nothing  – He created the universe, Genesis 1 – In the beginning God created the  heavens and the earth.

4. God can be known – John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

5. God is eternal – Jude 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.

6. God is Spirit – John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

7. God is perfect and beautiful – Jesus tells us in Matthew 5: 48, “Your heavenly Father is perfect.”    Psalm 27:4  …to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

8. God knows and understands all things. 1 John 3:20  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

9.  God is good — Luke 18:19   And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

10. God is Holy (and man is sinful)  Psalm 99:9 Exalt the Lord our God,  and worship at his holy mountain;  for the Lord our God is holy!

11. God is righteous — Romand 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

There are many, many other aspects of God that could be talked about.  The word “God” is mentioned over 3000 times in the Bible.

So when someone says “Tell me about God“, now you have something to describe this wonderful God.  God is love, He is the creator and He exists.

The Two Great Prayers in Ephesians

The Two Great Prayers in the book of Ephesians

There are two great prayers in the book of Ephesians that Paul prays.

  • Ephesians 1:15-23 – a prayer that God would grant the believers  a spirit of wisdom and revelation.  This prayer is so we believers could see what God sees.  God’s perspective is from heaven and not from earth.  From the heavens God sees Christ far above all the crazy stuff (sin) happening on the earth.
  • Ephesians 3:14-19  – a prayer for spiritual strength so that Christ could dwell in our hearts through love. This prayer is so that the riches of the vision could be practical in the believers lives.  It is Christ living in us that allows the high vision of the book Ephesians to be lived out in us. This practice is described in details in chapters 4 through 6.

Ephesians Overview – Vision and Practice

Quick Overview of Ephesians

The book of Ephesian was written by Paul the apostle. The six chapters can be divided into two parts.
1.  Chapter 1-3 Vision as God sees it from the heavens (not from earth)
2. Chapter 4-6 Living the Christian Life – Application and Practice

Top Keywords in Ephesians:  Jesus Christ, God, purpose, glory, church, inheritance, economy.

God’s goal for the Church 

  • Christ has broken down walls between Jews & Gentiles, making peace and removing hostility (2:14ff)
  • Jews & Gentiles fellow citizens of heaven & members of household of God (2:19)
  • Jews & Gentiles are fellow heirs in Christ  (3:6)
  • Edify itself in love (4:16)

The Two Great Prayers in Ephesians

  • Ephesians 1:15-23 – a prayer that God would grant the believers  a spirit of wisdom and revelation (so we believers could see what God sees)
  • Ephesians 3:14-19  – a prayer for spiritual strength so that Christ could dwell in our hearts through love (so that the riches of the vision could be practical in the believers lives)

Relationships among Christians in the early Church

  • Members together of the family of God (brothers and sisters in Christ)
  • Body of Christ
  • Marriage being a type of Christ and the Church (chapter 5)
  • Faithful service, exemplified by Tychicus (6:21)
  • Comfort and encourage one another (6:22)
  • Peace between brothers (6:23)
  • Recipients of God’s grace (6:24)
  • Mutual love resting on their mutual faith
  • Top “Church” keywords:  church, Body of Christ, family, household, brother, marriage, husband and wife, members,

Who you are in Christ

  • Blessed with every spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ (1:3)
  • God has had a plan (purpose) for me since eternity past (1:4)
  • Adopted son of God (1:5)
  • Accepted in the Beloved (1:6)
  • Redeemed from slavery to sin (1:7)
  • Forgiven (1:7)
  • Recipient of His rich grace (1:7)
  • Can understand the mystery of His will (1:9)
  • An heir of God (inheritance)
  • Sealed in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, therefore eternally secure (1:14)
  • I am the beneficiary of His great power (1:19)
  • Because He was raised from dead, I will be too (1:20)
  • Made alive together with Christ (2:1; 2:5)
  • I am in Christ positionally—security (2:6)
  • Saved from wrath of God by grace through faith (2:8)
  • Have boldness of access to God with confidence (3:12)

The believer’s mission 

  • Gospel presentation (bold ambassador for Christ) (6:20)

How you should behave in light of your identity 

  • I should live to the praise of His glory (1:13)
  • Have love for all the saints (1:15)
  • I should do the works God has prepared for me to do (2:10)
  • Walk worthy of the calling I have in Christ (4:1ff)
    • Lowliness
    • Gentleness
    • Longsuffering
    • Bearing with one another in love
    • Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
  • Speaking the truth in love (4:15)
  • Exercise the spiritual gift God has given me to edify the Church (4:12ff)
  • Do my share to help edify the body in love (4:16)

 How you become able to live as God wants

  • Strengthened with might through His Spirit in inner man (3:16)
  • Through Christ dwelling (being at home) in my heart through faith (3:17)
  • By being  rooted and grounded in love (3:17)
  • He does the work according to the power in us (Holy Spirit) (3:20)
  • Know God’s Word so I am not tossed about by every wind of doctrine , and subject to the trickery of men (4:13ff)
  • Put on whole armor of God (6:10ff) – warfare
    • Truth (6:14)
    • Practical righteousness (6:14)
    • Gospel of peace (6:15)
    • Shield of faith (6:16)
    • Helmet of salvation (6:17)
    • Sword of the Spirit (Word of God) (6:17)
    • Praying in the Spirit (6:18)

Prayer – lots is needed

  • Praying always in the Spirit (6:18)
  • Watchful in prayer (6:18)
  • Perseverance in prayer (6:18)
  • Make supplications for all saints (6:19)
  • Pray for open doors for the gospel (6:19)
  • Pray for boldness for those who are ambassadors of Christ (6:20)

The Spirit said to Philip

In the desert, the Spirit is speaking. He spoke to Philip in Acts chapter 8. Verse 26,  Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place…..8:29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” The result of this glorious sovereign circumstance is that Christ is preached, taught and exalted. The person riding on the ancient vehicle learned about and was brought to Christ. The passage in Isaiah was used by the Spirit to exalt Christ. We should always trust the Spirit to bring circumstances for Christ to be made known.