E.p.i.c. Word Of Truth

Introduction to a new series of podcasts on End Times Bible prophecy. This will not be your normal study on the book of Revelation. This will be an in-depth study of the End Times Bible prophecies found throughout the Bible. We need to lay a lot of groundwork before we jump into the Book of Revelation. This is an important and timely series to listen to and learn from. 

We are in a spiritual battle and it's foolish to think otherwise. But this is certainly not to suggest that we are helpless victims in this battle. We have all the resources necessary to win. But we have to choose to use those resources. We have to use those resources that are provided to us. We are never promised automatic protection from spiritual warfare. We are never promised automatic protection from the Devil and his attacks just because we are Christians. We are never promised automatic victory. We have to live by faith. We have to walk by faith. We have to trust the Lord by faith. We have to obey the Lord by faith. We have to put our spiritual armor on by faith. We have to get in the battle by faith. We have to go through spiritual warfare against us by faith.

Everyone can have a new beginning in Christ no matter their background, no matter their past - everyone can have a new beginning with Christ. 

We need to pray. We need to take prayer seriously. We have not because we ask not. Let's become better at praying. We need to pray more. We need to faith more. We need to trust God more. We need to get busy praying. 

Our prayers are precious to the Lord. He wants us to bring all things to Him in prayer (Philippians 4:6a - Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication). We should not take our prayer life for granted. We need to pray; we need to be praying always for everything. God answers our prayers; sometimes the answer might be “not yet”, or even “no”, but He will answer. We need to also understand that faith is a great and significant aspect of successful prayer. Never quit, never give up on your faith in God. Faith tested is faith that is strengthened. All things in our life, including our prayers should be built upon faith. Faith knows there will be delays. Faith accepts God’s conditions and timing. If faith is exercised and holds fast through the waiting, the delays, the trials – the answer to our prayer, when it comes, will be that much sweeter and miraculous. Faith is taking your eyes off of self, not trusting in your own abilities, and placing your gaze exclusively on God and totally tru

The One who died for my sins, and died for your sins, the One who died a painful and bloody death on the cross. That is our one way to Heaven – through Him – He is the Door. Belief in Christ, faith in Christ, trusting in His life, His death, His burial, His resurrection for our salvation is the key - that is the one way to Heaven. That is the offense of the cross. The offense of the cross is that your wisdom, is that your righteousness, is that your integrity, is that your good works – are all in God's sight as a pile of filthy rags. That is what can be offensive to the unsaved person. That is what can be offensive to the person that is not a Christian. We need to put ourselves on the altar, and we need to put Christ on the throne of our life. We need to accept the cross gladly, and as we do, we should die to self as we magnify Christ.

Has someone hurt your? Has someone close to you hurt you or let you down? How we react to that hurt is very important. Do we react with brotherly kindness? Do we react with love? In our relationships do we demonstrate the Christian characteristic of brotherly kindness - even if someone has greatly wronged us? Bitterness can grow and can be stoked when we do not have brotherly kindness in our spirits and in our actions. We need to freely forgive all offenses, instead of planning revenge. Do not waste another moment thinking about self and dwelling on the offense - instead demonstrate the grace of God  by forgiving, by loving, and by displaying Christian brotherly kindness. 

We need to enter into the rest that only God through Jesus can provide us. There is rest available to the weary and burdened soul: rest for your spirit, the rest of salvation, the rest of submission and the rest of service. All this is available to the Christian who just seeks to acquire it. Faith in Christ should equal rest in Christ; but this is not always the case. Too many times Christian do not progress in their walk with Christ. We need to be very careful and diligent about not missing out on the rest that is available to every Christian if we would only pursue to acquire it. We need to choose to enter into this rest with Christ. We should not just be content to be saved from Hell, but we should be choosing to live for Heaven.

This Word of Truth is about our care in the handling of the Word of God. We must make sure we are getting it right. We must make sure we are not elevating the teaching or the tradition of men over God's Word. Jesus speaks very strongly against putting traditional teaching on a pedestal higher than God's Word. It is extremely important that we interpret Scripture carefully and correctly. We must compare Scripture with Scripture. It is a terribly sinful thing to teach and preach tradition that is in conflict with the Word of God. We must study out and own doctrine and own standards and own convictions for ourselves, and not just because it has always been taught that way. We need to make sure we are being Biblical, and not traditional in our thinking and in our application of Scripture. 

What the Bible teaches us is of utmost importance in our life. We need to determine to live by its teaching and principles. We need to "hearken... to do them." We need to hearken to live out God's will in our life. We need to hearken to live out the word of God in our life. As part of this hearkening we need to have an understanding of the word of God, and that understanding needs to be growing and maturing. We also need to make sure we have the pure word of God, not a corrupted version of it, but the pure word of God in our life. In order for us to have true freedom we need to live under the authority of God and His word. We need to hearken to His authority in our life and to His sovereignty in our life. 

We have all been, like Joshua, given a charge from the Lord for our life. Are we living out that charge? Are we living out God's will for our life? Are we living out the charge of being witnesses for Him? Are we living out the charge of bringing others to Jesus? Are we living out the charge of sharing the gospel to the world? We have all been given a specific charge for our life as well - are we living out that charge from God? 

In our passage Paul will be coming again to Corinth, but he tells them he will stay at Ephesus until Pentecost because there is a great door opened there for ministry as well as many adversaries. Paul is being sensitive to the Lords timing and opportunities the Lord is giving him to minister. He tells the Corinthians to not despise his “son in the ministry” Timothy who would be coming to them. Paul gives them in this passage some final words regarding their labor in the Lord, regarding living rightly in the Lord, and loving rightly in the Lord.

In this message we are going to look at the ultimate closing remarks of Paul, in that we will be examining the closing statements of the book of II Timothy and Paul’s last written words. The Marked Significance of These Remarks The deathbed statement of any individual has an importance that is not attached to other remarks. This is what lends much significance to II Timothy. It is the final written communication of Paul; it is his final message. It has a note of sadness that is not detected in his other epistles. Nevertheless, there is the overarching tone of triumph, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” Paul wrote his own epitaph in chapter four of Second Timothy verses 6-8.

In this passage of Scripture you may start to recognize many of the names Paul mentioned in these closing remarks and start thinking how Paul’s ministry was not just Paul going it alone, but there were many people involved in his great ministry every step of the way. Paul got the headlines. He was the main preacher. He drew the crowds but he also had an amazing, faithful and special team of people behind him, supporting him, praying for him, and doing their part for Christ and His Gospel.

Whose eyes are your actions right in? In whose eyes are your decisions right in? Whose eyes is what we do or actions we take right in? Is it right in our own eyes? Is it right in our friend’s or family’s eyes? Is it right in the world’s eyes? Or is it right in the Lord’s eyes? – We need to make sure our decisions and actions we take are always right in the Lords eyes! For that is what ultimately counts.

It is impossible to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord without this character trait of temperance or self-control. Temperance is the power of God to do what you know you should do. A life that is lived with little or no temperance is a life that is filled with guilt and regret. That is why the Apostle Peter urges us to develop this character trait of temperance. We must learn to exercise self-control, we must learn to say "no" to many things in order to have the time and ability to say "yes" to the things that matter. Temperance can change our life from a life of impulse decisions to a life of purposeful deliberation. 

We see a sorrowful picture of two blind men. They were poor, blind, and helpless. Then came a passing opportunity, followed by an earnest prayer. In this prayer they demonstrated boldness, faith and wisdom. There was also present a rebuking crowd along with a willing Saviour, who extended them a gracious offer and granted them a perfect cure. We may by blind ourselves, have a seemingly insurmountable problem, but we too have a willing and compassionate Saviour, if we have called on Him to save us from our sins, that we can take all our needs to as well. 

We need to be committed to prayer. We need to be committed to praising God. How marvelous are the answers to prayer, when we are committed to praying, committed to trusting, and committed to waiting on the Lord for the answer. In this episode are many illustrations of commitment to prayer and the miraculous answers that come as a result of being committed prayers. 

We need to learn to live and to pray in the eternal presence of God. The Apostle Paul said "God is above all, and through all, and in you all." We need a good comprehension of the omni-presence of the Lord as we pray and as we go through our life. Someone once referred to this aspect of God, His eternal presence, as the Eternal Now; God is always present, He is always with us, He is always everywhere. Learn to pray and live with the awareness of the eternal presence of God. 

Jesus Cares! A different take on this passage about the church at Smyrna. We are looking at only practical and applicable truths from this passage we can use and apply to our everyday life. Yes Jesus does care. He cares about our situation, He cares about our trial, He cares about our problems, He cares about our poverty, He cares!