Christ Our Wisdom and Power Ministries

1 Cor 1: 24, 30 .... Jesus Christ is our Wisdom, Power, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption

You are here: Home / Archives for Bible Study

Bible Study

Good and Bad Conscience

by Leave a Comment

GOOD AND BAD CONSCIENCE:

BY

DAVID AGBI

Text: Matt. 4:1-11                                                                    

INTRODUCTION

 There are 2 types of conscience in your body. Those are the good and bad conscience. The good conscience listens to God and the bad one listens to the devil. Imagine you are falling off a building. Something is holding you back and that is your good conscience. At the same time something is pushing you forward. That is your bad conscience. It is left there for you, but which one will you choose? It is a tough choice. Let this study give you some tips in Jesus’ name. Amen.

OUTLINES:

WHEN YOU LISTEN TO GOOD CONSCIENCE

WHEN YOU LISTEN TO BAD CONSCIENCE AND CONSEQUENCES

HOW YOU RESIST YOUR BAD CONSCIENCE

WHEN YOU LISTEN TO GOOD CONSCIENCE [Read more…] about Good and Bad Conscience

God’s Grace On Vessels Fitted For Destruction

by Leave a Comment

God’s Grace On Vessels Fitted For Destruction

4Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 5But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 7To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 8But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 11For there is no respect of persons with God. Romans 2:4-11

Other References: Ex 33:11-23, Romans 6:1-2, Titus 2:11-14

One attribute of God, our heavenly Father is that He is gracious. In scriptural context grace means unmerited favour. If we do a word count of Grace in the King James Bible, grace is mentioned some 150 times – about 50 in the Old Testament and 100 in the New Testament. Gracious and graciously are mentioned additional 35 times. Godly men of all ages have found grace in the sight of God, some of which were Noah, Abraham, Moses and Apostle Paul (Paul’s Epistles contained the word ‘grace’ than other books of the bible combined). Each of these people had a special connection with God – they feared God and in return enjoyed God’s grace. Is God partial? No. Ungodly people also find grace if they accept their sinfulness and repent. Even in the Garden of Eden, after the fall of the first man Adam, it was grace that made God to fashion a way for man’s redemption.

You can enjoy God’s grace in a wicked world if you separate yourself unto God. Noah enjoyed God’s grace when God destroyed the inhabitants of the earth in his days because he stood righteous in the midst of wickedness around him.

“5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” [Genesis 6:5-8].

We see that it was grace that made the difference between those that were destroyed and Noah who survived, because theirs was like the TV show Survival. It was a case of survival of the fittest in the sight of God. For a hundred years Noah preached to everyone, repent for the destruction of the earth is at hand. Nobody took Noah seriously and they all perished. Noah survived the deluge. Throughout the 100 years drama, Noah moved with godly fear mixed with faith and ultimately, his obedience preserved the continuity of the human race. To the believers, how do we take God’s assignment? Noah took his spiritual assignment seriously and was rewarded by a new covenant from God. “20And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” [Genesis 8:20-22]

Today how do you handle the grace of God on your life? Do you trivialize it or think God’s grace will last forever while you continue in your sins? No! We cannot continue in sin and expect God’s grace to abound. God is merciful and gracious but he is also a righteous judge. He was willing to show Moses his back parts but was also quick to prevent him from physically entering the Promised Land. Imagine, the great Moses whom God used to part the Red sea, God allowed him to see the land from a mountaintop but told him you will not enter because you disobeyed me at the waters of Meribah. There is a great teaching on this but suffice to say Moses lived his full 120 years on earth, was buried by God himself, an archangel had to contend for his body to rescue him from Satan who thought he had finally killed a great lion for meat. Moses ended up in heaven. [Num 20:1-4; Num 20:9-13; Deut 34:1-6; Jude 1:9]. Did he step on the promised land, yes he did but only by the grace of Jesus Christ. How? Lets read:

1And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 4Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. [Matthew 17:1-4]

To those who have not connected with him by repenting of their sins, know that God’s grace is like a tension cord. He continues to forbear but it is for you to repent because there is a day of judgment awaiting everybody. In the midst of wickedness Noah found grace in the sight of God because he feared God. Moses enjoyed God’s grace even in death because of his faith and godly fear of choosing the reproach of Christ as greater riches than inheriting the throne of Pharaoh. 4By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; 25Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: [Hebrews 11:23-26a]. This was the reason why Moses finally made heaven despite his disobedience at the water’s of Meribah. God graciously buried him and transfigured him later on the mountain of transfiguration. He saw the promised land with his eyes in Deuteronomy 34 but only stepped on it after he was glorified in Matthew 17.

In conclusion everyone should take the grace of God seriously. Enjoy the grace of God that is in Jesus Christ.

PRAYER OF FAITH

  1. Oh Lord let your grace abound towards me. I purge my heart from every dead work and reconcile with you whole-heartedly in Jesus Name.
  2. Oh Lord strengthen my faith. I move with godly fear. I refuse to be overcome by the wickedness of the world. I esteem the reproaches of Christ as my greatest riches. I have my inheritance in heaven because of the grace that is in Jesus Christ. Thank you Lord in Jesus Name. Amen.

Bible Nuggets 0702/2010

by Leave a Comment

BIBLE NUGGETS 0207/2010 [2 Kings 2:9-10, James 5:17-18 KJV]

 

DOUBLE MIRACLES

 

Elijah and Elisha were two outstanding prophets in the area of signs, wonders and miracles. In the public ministry of these two mighty men of God, their ministry was power-packed with one miracle after another. Counting individual miracles, Elijah had 21 miracles on record and Elisha 41 (in his lifetime). This does not add up mathematically [21×2=42] because Elisha was a servant of Elijah and he, Elisha, asked for a double portion of the spirit of Elijah before Elijah’s translation to heaven. Elijah said this is a hard thing for me to give you but if you see me go to heaven in a chariot of fire, then you will get the double portion. Elisha stuck fast to Elijah. He knew what he wanted and was not going to be discouraged by the fellow prophets. They all were witnesses to what God did through the life of Elijah and even knew from Elijah that it was his last day. He repeatedly told them, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. [2 Kings 2:9-10]

 

 9And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.  10And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

 

The mighty miracles in Elijah’s ministry include: multiplying food like Jesus did with the case of 5 loaves & 2 fishes, feeding 5000 men excluding women and children, with baskets left over. In the case of Elisha, they [the sons of the prophet and Elisha], all heard of the miracles of their master Elijah such as the case of the widow of Zarephat [I King 17: 10-24] who had barrels and barrels of oil to sell and feed from because she believed the man of God who had asked from her a cruise of oil. Elijah also raised her dead son like Jesus did in the case of Lazarus. The 3 years drought resulting from the prayer of Elijah for his pronouncement as a result of the sins of King Ahab was also an outstanding miracle. Elijah and Elisha were men of like passion, having good hearts ready to be used of God. God honoured Elijah’s word because he spoke them by faith – unshakable and solid faith like a rock. After 3 years when He called back rain, it did not appear it would rain. He was not even moved, telling his servant Gehazi to go look 7 times before the servant saw rainy clouds in what appeared to be the hand of a man [1 King 18: 41-46]. Elijah had just completed the disgrace of 400 prophets of Baal, by calling down fire to consume their sacrifice. The triumph of his faith is recorded in the New Testament.

 

James 5:17-18

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. 18And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

 

God performed 41 miracles in the lifetime of Elisha. However, recall that he had received a double portion of Elijah’s spirit who performed 21 miracles. This seeming discrepancy was finally solved when Elisha had died, God empowering the dead bones of Elisha after his death to revive a man who died.

 

2 kings:13:20-21.

20And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year.   21And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.

 

The word of God is yea and amen and since it cannot return to God unfulfilled, he will bring to pass his promises and blessings upon your life in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

PRAYER OF FAITH

1.       Oh Lord, fill me with a double portion of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Name.

2.      Let your Holy Spirit rest upon me after the order of Elijah and Elisha in the mighty Name of Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

Living Bread Nuggets 0103/2010

by Leave a Comment

CHRIST OUR PASSOVER LAMB [VI]

 

Living Bread Nugget 0103/2010 [2 Kings 22 & 23; 2 Chronicles 35; 2 Kings 23:21-23]

 

A Young Godly King who Revives the Passover

There was a wise godly king, Josiah by name who ascended the throne at 8 years old and reigned for 31 years. Of him the Bible records in 2 Kings 22:1-2

1Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.  2And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

Josiah pleased God because he did not follow the footsteps of his father and forefathers who had introduced strange gods in the land of Judah and Israel. 18 years in his kingship, he had an encounter with God through the Word that had been left to rust on the shelf in the temple. He determined he would implement the Word of God in the land, read the laws of Moses to the people, and embarked on the mission of cleansing the land of all idolatrous practices. For this, he was commended by the Lord through the Prophetess Huldah and the kingdom enjoyed peace, at least during his reign [2 Kings 22:18-20]. When the righteous are in power, indeed the people rejoice.

 

Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

 

The King embarks on a righteous Mission

The king made specific commitment to obey the Lord and also made his subjects to commit themselves to do so. [2 Kings 23:1-3].

 

3And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.

 

The righteous mission of this king included the following: he stopped the idolatrous sacrifices by fire of children [2 kings 23:10]; destroyed the high places of all foreign gods in the land, confiscated and commanded their vessels, books and charms to be burnt, destroyed the houses of the sodomites; and put sorcerers, witches and wizards out of business. Read the detailed description of this king’s righteous mission in 2 kings 23.

 

The Passover Celebrated [2 Kings 23:21-23]

Since the king committed himself to obeying the word of God, in obedience to God’s commandment that the Passover after the first Passover (feast of unleavened bread) should be remembered as memorial feast [Ex 12:14, Lev 23:1-8], the feast was celebrated the way it should be, having cleansed the people and land from the evil which dominated before his reign. Just as the first Passover during the time of Moses broke the backbone of the gods of Egypt [Ex 12], King Josiah’s capped his Godly mission by celebrating the Passover [2 Kings 23:21-23].

 

21And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the LORD your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.  22Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah;  23But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the LORD in Jerusalem.

The King celebrated the Passover the way it should be, exceeding the celebration of the feast by other Kings (including King David) and judges who had ruled Israel and Judah before him. What a glorious commendation to him in scriptures, all because he decided to please God which was not popular because of the evil perpetuated in the land by most kings who had reigned before him!

 

Did the king embark on this mission alone or without sound spiritual counsel? No! As a young king, he surrounded himself with the very best of the wise priests, prophets and counselors [2 Kings 22:12]. Prophet Zephaniah was among the people who helped this godly king in re-focusing the people’s attention to God during the prophet and the king’s lifetime [Zephaniah 1:1]. The prophet pronounced judgment on the false gods of Moab, Ammon and on people and cities that refused to heed God’s word [read Zephaniah chapters 1 & 2]. The prophet’s message and the King’s Counsel corroborates the word of God that says in [Proverbs 11:14].

 

14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

 

PRAYER OF FAITH & FOR MERCY 

 

1.  Pray for Kings and those in authority that the fear of God will be planted in their hearts and they rule the land in righteousness and that righteous laws be enacted by our lawmakers in government.

2.  Ask God to shed His glorious light on the land in our lifetime in Jesus Name.

 

 

 

by Leave a Comment

CHRIST OUR PASSOVER LAMB [IV]

 

Living Bread Nugget 1201 [Mark 14:22-25; Exodus 12:1-14]

 

Jesus Established the Eternal New Covenant

Mark 14:22-25 22And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.  23And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.  24And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.  25Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God [also, Matthew 26:26-30].

Jesus did away with the Jewish Passover by giving himself up to God as a perfect lamb, a clean offering to God for meeting the conditions of atonement by our Holy heavenly Father. As Jesus partook of the Passover, he pronounced a new covenant that is a better sacrifice acceptable to God. Jesus explained to them the big event they were witnessing; unfermented wine representing the blood of the New Testament which replaces the Old Testament blood of clean bulls and goats, and the bread representing his body broken for us. Hence the bible says his body and blood is a better testament laid on better promises. Therein lies the way for salvation; the blood of Jesus superseded and replaced the Jewish Passover for the redemption of the soul of man and his body was broken so that we can be made whole and partake with him in heaven with a resurrected body, the marriage supper of the lamb. Jesus had a heavenly body of flesh and bones when he appeared to his disciples before his final ascent to heaven.

Luke 24:39-40 39Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.   40And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.

Notice that the fruit of the vine will be the symbol of remembrance at the marriage supper of the lamb and no bread would be broken as was done before the crucifixion and as is symbolized during Holy Communion. However, the bread is our symbol now because Jesus’ body was broken (he underwent pain and agony) for us to restore our health. Bread is not symbolized then because he is not going to die the second time.  Moreover, there will be no more people to be rescued from the cures of sin imposed by Adam’s transgression. All that are rescued would have been rescued and all that have experienced the second death would have experienced death and eternal damnation to hell fire. Also, there will be no more curse, neither will there anymore be sickness as we would have eaten of the tree of life which gives everlasting life, renewing our health always in the new kingdom. Would you not want to be a part of this great assembly?

 

Rev 22:1-3 1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.  2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  3And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

Prayer of Faith

1.  Lord let me be a partaker in the marriage supper of the Lamb. I want to drink the fruit of the vine with you in your eternal kingdom in Jesus Name.

2. Lord I receive wholeness for my body, soul and spirit as I have partaken in previous Holy Communion and I as partake in future with my family and with your saints in the mighty Name of Jesus.

 

 

 

https://christwisdom.org/1608

Living Bread

by Leave a Comment

CHRIST OUR PASSOVER LAMB [ I ]

Living Bread Nugget 1115 [Exodus 12:1-14; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8]

 

Origin of the Passover

The Passover was instituted by God himself as a final solution to the deliverance of the children of Israel from their taskmasters, who had kept them in a prison without walls for nearly 400 years. The Webster’s dictionary defines it as the Jewish spring festival commemorating the liberation of the children of Israel from slavery. It was held from the 7th day to the 21st day of the month Abib, the first month in the Jewish calendar [i.e. March – April in the Gregorian calendar, today’s universal calendar]. God himself pronounced it as the beginning of months for the liberation of Israel from slavery. It was their own freedom festival. They had to be delivered before they would have privilege of granting freedom to others. The Passover involved animal sacrifice, each family or a family group was to use a Lamb without blemish. It became an annual memorial after the events of Ex 12. In the plan of God for salvation, the Passover is a typology of the sacrifice of Christ for our sins and deliverance from the enemy of our souls, the devil.

 

Exodus 12:1-2

1And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying,  

 

2This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

 

A lamb was the animal of choice for sacrifice. Their blood was valuable in cleansing the sins of the people, because without the shedding of blood there can be no remissions for sins [Heb 9:22]. Why the choice of a young lamb? Why not a mature sheep or goat, which to the human sense seems to be the right thing to do? Young lambs are at peace even if they are on their way to the butcher’s table. A lamb sheep or goat at infancy, only a year old would bleat, but their bleating is that of submission. They are totally at the mercy of the owner. The sprinkling of the blood of a clean animal was sufficient in purifying the flesh of sins in the Old Testament. [Heb 9:13].

 

Instructions from God on the Passover

 

Read the account for yourself in Exodus 12:3-14

3Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:  4And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.  5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:  6And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel

shall kill it in the evening.  7And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.  8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.  9Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.  10And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.  11And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s passover.  12For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.  13And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.  14And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

 

Some points as it relates to this scriptural passage are:

1.     Every soul was to be accounted for in the sacrifice. A lamb for a family or part thereof if the family is too small to consume the lamb in one night [v3-4]

2.     The lamb was to be without blemish, a sheep or a goat not over a year old [v5].

3.     All families were to kill their lambs at an appointed day and in the evening and the blood was used as an Identity by marking doorposts [v6-7].

4.     The flesh should be eaten roasted not raw with bitter herbs, and waste should be burned with fire [v7-10].

5.     They were to eat it in haste and ready to leave Egypt in a hurry.

6.     God himself was going to do the separation of the living from the dead by way of the Passover, the blood of the Lamb being the token or cover from the divinely sanctioned death [v11b-v12].

7.     The Passover is a memorial, an ordinance forever [v14]

 

So we see that the Passover was a very important biblical covenant [Ex 12 v 1- 14 a] of the deliverance from Egypt.  God himself made this plan for their redemption, not Moses — it is the LORD’s Passover V11b.  In our next nugget we see how this covenant relates to the eternal covenant we now have, a perfect covenant secured by the blood of Jesus compared to this Passover in Ex 12 secured by animal sacrifice.

 

Prayer of Faith

Lord thank you for freedom and liberty from the slave market of sin. Thank you for liberating my soul from bondage. Let the precious blood of the Lamb cleanse me and make me every wit whole. I make my heart an altar of sacrifice to you in Jesus Name. Amen.