KINGDOM FOCUS. Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness -Matthew 6:33 CHRISTIAN BIBLE FELLOWSHIP MONTHLY PUBLICATION

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1 KINGDOM FOCUS Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness -Matthew 6:33 CHRISTIAN BIBLE FELLOWSHIP MONTHLY PUBLICATION Sharing and Caring with the Community of Believers April 2018 Who is Worthy to Open the Book - Standing on the Promises of God Memory verse for April 2018-Revelation 5:5 One of the elders said to Me, do not weep, behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to undo its seven seals.

2 YOUR OPEN INVITATION TO The Sights and Sounds of Heaven An open door, an open book, here s Heaven s invitation to come and take a look at the sights and sounds of Heaven revealed within God s word; on each and every page, inspired voices can be heard. As each of us is diligent to seek those things which are above, there is boundless revelation of our God s amazing love! Col. 3:1-2 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Who is Worthy to Open the Book? By Linda Timco Deut. 29:29 The secret things (things not yet revealed) belong unto the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever that we may do all the words of this Law. Eph. 4:30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. We have such a casual attitude about the importance of reading, understanding and obeying the bible, God s word. We need to make it a part of our daily routine. Is the word of God an open or closed book in your life? Have you ever asked yourself that question? The Apostle John had such a desire for an open book which only Jesus can give us by the Holy Spirit that he began to weep profusely. Revelation 5:4 says, I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it. John wanted revelation and understanding of the contents of the sealed book which was in the right hand of the God of Heaven. Revelation 5:1 tells us about this book, I saw in the right hand of Him (God) who sat on the throne, a book written inside and on the back, sealed (closed) up with seven seals. A strong angel then proclaimed with a loud voice in Revelation 5:2, Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals? Only Jesus, the Lamb of God who overcame can impart revelation by the work of the Holy Spirit.

3 You may ask, what is revelation? Revelation is disclosure or manifestation. It also means to take the cover off of. Do we have the same desire John had to receive the truth of God s word and revelation that only Jesus can give through the Holy Spirit from the word of God? Jesus said in John 6:63b, The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. Paul tells us that all who do not have a love for the truth will be sent a strong delusion by God and they will fall for the Lie which the enemy is always ready to seduce us with. He wants to pervert and defile the Truth (God s Word). As believers in Jesus, we do not belong to ourselves. God has set His seal of ownership upon us. Ownership means to have the right of possession. 1Cor. 6: confronts us with this fact, Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and that you re not your own. For you have been bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are His. We are not to defile the temple of God, our spirit, by ingesting the lies of the enemy. We need to pray continually for wisdom and discernment as we diligently consume God s word. This Lenten season we remember with gratitude, not only Jesus death on the cross, but we also celebrate with joy an empty tomb! Jesus arose triumphantly. Death could not hold Him in the grave! Salvation through Jesus is a free gift to whosoever will. The price Jesus paid to redeem us from sin was costly. It was a price that caused the heart of God, the Father to agonize with amazing love! Eph. 1:7 says, In Him (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace. Jesus is the truly worthy One! God s seal of approval and ownership is revealed through the Holy Spirit who lives in believers and leads us into all truth. Every true believer commits to knowing and obeying God s commands. This is explained to us in 2Cor. 1: 21 and 22, Now He who establishes us with you is Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Holy Spirit as a pledge. (A pledge is something that secures and makes safe.) In bible times a seal was used by kings or other people with great power. The seal was an emblem of the person s authority and was always carried on the person or worn around the neck. When a king sealed a document, it could not be changed or altered. Without a seal the message sent was not authentic. The seal confirmed that the message was closed to the prying eyes of someone it was not intended for. Something that was sealed was perfect and complete. At this point the question remains; is the bible a closed (sealed) or open book for you? Go daily to the only One who is worthy to open the book and give understanding of its contents, Jesus Christ. The bible is not just another holy book. It is filled with the inspired words conveyed to us by the Sovereign God of eternity. It contains words than can renew our minds and change us from within. Jesus told us, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by

4 every word that comes from the mouth of God. -Matthew 4:4 DO YOU WANT THIS IN YOUR LIFE? In conclusion, do you have a love for the truth of God s word? Do you cry out for revelation from the Holy Spirit? The Apostle John did. He wanted the book and the revelation it contained opened and accessible. Only Jesus, the worthy One, can open the words of scripture to us. We need to pray daily for wisdom and understanding and then take the book and consume its contents and obey its truths. In Rev. 10: 1 and 2 we see a strong angel (messenger) who holds an open book in His hand. The bible calls this angel the angel of no more delay. Rev. 10: 7 declares, But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets. The word finish in this verse is the Greek word teleo from the root telos. It means to complete, execute, conclude, accomplish and perform. The idea of the root word is to set out for a definite point aimed at as a limit or conclusion. In Matthew 13:11 Jesus made a promise to His disciple and all true believers who will take the book, search for its hidden treasures and consume its teachings; to you it has been granted to know or understand the mysteries of the kingdom. - Mark 4:11. This promise was not given to everyone. Its fulfillment requires desire, discipleship, diligence and determination. We are promised an open or unsealed book! THOUGHTS OF A REPENTENT SINNER By Russ Timco As we go through life, we encounter many difficult circumstances we need to deal with. It is not wise to ignore problems that are not going to go away if they are not addressed. Some problems are more serious than others, but all of them combined can accumulate and are a heavy burden to live with. It is at times like this when we are feeling a heavy load that we need a rock to stand on. Jesus is our rock and we need to bring to remembrance what He has promised in Matt. 11: It tells us, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

5 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light. The world tends to constantly increase our burden. By standing on God s promises, He lightens our load and not only makes it bearable, but light. In 1 Peter 5:6-7 we are told to humble ourselves under God s mighty hand. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. We need to realize that we are not depending on a weak God who cannot keep His promises. He is the Almighty God who is capable of bringing to pass everything He says He will do. He cares for us and knows our short comings. However, He is always there to forgive our sins if we are willing to ask. He wants to take our burden on Him and make our life better. Have you ever heard the expression, take a load off and put the load on me? That s what He wants to do for each and every one of us who are believers in Him. There is more. In due time He will exalt us (lift us up), that we can overcome the world (sin), because of the work He has done in us. 2 Peter 1: 2-5 shows us that because of our knowledge of who God is and our faith in His promises, we can have God s grace and peace in our life. This is possible because of who we are in Christ. Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus, our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires He has given His promises so that we may participate in His divine nature. We are in Him and He is in us. John 15:5 tells us how we can participate in His divine nature. I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. By abiding in Jesus, and He in us, we are able to escape the corruption of the world around us and the evil desires of the fleshly body we inhabit. Jesus can only abide in us if we make room for His presence. The more room you give Him, He will occupy. He will not force His way on us. By submission and obedience to Him He will fill us. It is His desire to abide in us. The bible tells us of God s many promises. He is able to keep them all. We need to have faith in Him that He will keep them. If we hold on to His promises, He will hold on to us. As Hebrews 10:23 promises, Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Long ago the psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:14, Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them; and in Psalm 119:149, My eyes stay open through the watches of the night that I may meditate on your promises. We sang this song in church one Sunday morning. It summarizes everything I am trying to say. God s promises never change, and they do not fail. They are the foundation of our faith and we will stand on them throughout eternity!

6 STANDING ON THE PROMISES Standing on the promises of Christ my King, through eternal ages let His praises ring, Glory in the highest; I will shout and sing, Refrain: Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of God my Savior; Standing, standing, I m standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, By the living Word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises I now can see Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me; Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free, ONE LAST THOUGHT People who believe in a wise Creator have a sense of purpose and direction in life not available to those who believe otherwise, and the person who is convicted of the Holiness of God has a clearly developed sensitivity to righteousness and morality quite different from the person whose standards have no such solid and unchanging base. The Fruit of the Spirit -By Stuart Briscoe Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, Bound to Him eternally by love s strong cord, Overcoming daily with the Spirit s sword, Standing on the promises I cannot fall, List ning every moment to the Spirit s call, resting in my Savior as my all in all, WE SERVE A RISEN SAVIOR! RUSSELL K. CARTER (1886) BASED ON 2 PETER 1: 2-4 AND HEBREWS 10:23