Orange Moon Saturday, December 3, 2022 “According To Thy Word”

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

    

              "According To Thy Word"     

  

      "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us" (I John 1:1-2).

   The Apostle John begins his first epistle by affirming his hearing, seeing, and touching the Lord Jesus Christ not to confirm the fact of the Savior, but rather to combat a heresy.

    "Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world" (I John 4:2-3).

    Known as Gnosticism, a group of deceivers during the days of the early church sought to promote the notion that the Lord Jesus had only appeared to have "come in the flesh."   They based their error on the belief that only spiritual things are actually real.  All other things are merely appearance according to this notion, and thus bear no substantive reality.  This was not true, and John wrote his first two epistles to combat the false teaching.  "Many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.  This is a deceiver and an antichrist" (II John 1:7).

    All this to say that John did not mention his eye, ear, and hand witness of Christ to serve as the basis for the faith of others.  John did not thereby expect others to believe because of his experience, but rather by his testimony and teaching of truth.

    "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17).

   "And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead, and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ" (Acts 17:2-3).

   Like John, the Apostle Paul had seen the risen Christ and heard His voice.  However, to lead people to faith in the Lord Jesus, He "reasoned with them out of the Scriptures."  This we do as well.  Our testimony of the Lord's working in our lives doubtless serves as a powerful witness to the truth.  It is not, however, the truth itself.  Thus, we always seek to bear witness to the living Word, the Lord Jesus, in light of the written Word, the Bible.  The Spirit of God enlivens and empowers such communication, gracing the Word He inspired and the Word we speak with "the power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1:16).

   While none of us have ever physically had contact with the Lord Jesus, we do have personal experience of Him by His presence and working in our lives.  We do well to share this with others.  However, to lead hearts to Christ, we must lead them to what the Scriptures declare about the Savior and His salvation.  Thankfully, this does not requires volumes of verses, but rather a relatively consise selection of Scriptural passages that bear simple, but powerful witness to the saving grace of God in Christ.  Indeed, our Heavenly Father inspired the message of His redemption in terms so simple a child can understand and respond.  He also made the message so simple that even the newest of believers can quickly hide the Gospel within their hearts in order to be ready to "reason with them out of the Scriptures."

"Let Thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even Thy salvation, according to Thy Word."

(Psalm 119:41)

Weekly Memory Verse   

   "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth…. Be clothed with humility."

 (III John 1:4; I Peter 5:5)

  

  

     

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Orange Moon Friday, December 2, 2022 "The Book"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

    

              "The Book"     

  

      "Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart" (Jeremiah 15:16).

    What might be our reaction if all literature and printed material ceased to exist except for the Bible?

    Disappointment would be a proper response.  God Himself has certainly played a role in the voluminous library of human literature that exists. Thereby, illumination, inspiration, information, encouragement, entertainment, comfort, and strength grace our minds through countless volumes. We cannot conceive the history of humanity without its literature, or fathom our own lives apart from the impact of the printed word.  Thus, we might initially feel a sense of sadness if the human library ceased to exist.

    On the other hand, born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ would also have cause for joy if one book, the Book, became our only source for reading material. We would doubtless approach Scripture with an attitude of greater appreciation, gratitude, and perhaps keener attention to detail since all reading would flow to and from one literary river.  It is hard to imagine that we would be the worse in such a scenario, although we reiterate that the existence of many books rather than just one has a place in God's purposes.

    In a sense, there is only one book. Indeed, Scripture occupies such a vital and eternity-consequential place in our lives that we must give it a place no other literature can occupy. There are books, and then there is the Book.  While other volumes may shed light upon our lives, the Bible is light. We open the sacred Volume in the awed knowledge that the Divinely breathed and inspired Word of God graces its pages from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:20. We do so in confidence of a perfection that no other literature possesses, and we recognize that the Bible is the Word of God in print, just as the Lord Jesus is the Word of God in person.  Furthermore, we understand that Scripture will illuminate, encourage and challenge our hearts, always resulting in change for the better as we respond to its truth.  "Thy Word hath quickened (enlivened) me" (Psalm 119:50).

   There are books, and then there is the Book. We rightly thanks for the former and they blessings they are.  However, we fall to our knees and faces before the latter, realizing the singular place of grace and truth occupied by Scripture alone.  We open its pages with absolute assurance of discovering the very heart and mind of its Author.  Of no other literature can this be said, and if we were left with the Bible alone, we would not the poorer for it.

"I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth: for Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy name."

(Psalm 138:2)

"Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart."

(Jeremiah 15:16)

Weekly Memory Verse   

   "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth…. Be clothed with humility."

 (III John 1:4; I Peter 5:5)

  

  

   

   

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Orange Moon Thursday, December 1, 2022 "Held Fast. Hold Fast"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

    

              "Held Fast.  Hold Fast."     

  

 The chairman of deacons visited his pastor in the hospital after the preacher had minor surgery.  "Good news, Brother George" said the chairman.  "The deacons voted 12-7 to pray for your recovery!"

   The pastor of the church I first attended after becoming a believer told that story more than 40 years ago.  It has stuck with me through the years, which leads me to wonder, "How well have the far more important truths I have learned during the days of my Christian life stuck in heart and mind?

    "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus" (II Timothy 1:13).

   We must "hold fast" because spiritual enemies fight hard to tempt the loosing of our grasp on "those things which are most surely believed among us" (Luke 1:1).  We cannot lose our redeeming relationship with God through the Lord Jesus, which He secures as the intercessor who "ever liveth" for as at the right hand of God (Hebrews 7:25).  We can, however, fail to "lay hold of eternal life" in the sense of not experiencing the vibrant presence and working of the Spirit of Christ (I Timothy 6:19).  We can "neglect so great salvation" by failure to avail ourselves of the truths that lead us to know, love, trust, obey, and represent our Lord along the pathways of our walk with Him (Hebrews 2:3).

    The possibility certainly keeps us in the Word of God.  It certainly leads us to pray for spiritual growth rather than atrophy.  It certainly motivates us to fellowship with other believers who can serve as encouragement and challenge in our determination to "hold fast."  And it most certainly draws us to "look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith," the only One who can enable us to maintain the encouraged heart that leads to a trusting and obedient heart (Hebrews 12:2).  He is the Keeper.  We hold fast in response to the realization that He holds us fast.  Indeed, all the truths we hope will abide in our hearts rest in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus.  Keeping rapt focus and attention on Him as we read, pray, fellowship, and look will go far in our remembrance and response to "those things which are most surely believed among us."

"Consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."

(Hebrews 12:3).

"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

(Colossians 2:6-8)

Weekly Memory Verse   

   "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth…. Be clothed with humility."

 (III John 1:4; I Peter 5:5)

  

  

   

   

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