26 “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end. 27 He rescues and he saves; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” 28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrusthe Persian.
Daniel 6:26-28
This Scripture passage reveals six characteristics of God that are important to Believers in any age. Think upon these attributes of the Lord and be blessed, Child of God. Joy results from knowing God and His ways.
**The God of Scripture is the Living God—26
**The God of Scripture is the Powerful God—26
**The God of Scripture is the Eternal God—26
**The God of Scripture is the Saving God—27
**The God of Scripture is the Miracle Working God—27
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Matthew 7:24-29
Jesus’ final illustration in this Scripture asks us this question. Upon what are we building our lives? Those who hear and obey Jesus’ teaching will be able to stand and persevere when the storms of life come upon them. Because their lives are built upon the foundation of Christ, true believers will endure till the end.
Those who hear the message and refuse to obey it will suffer the consequences. Since their lives are built upon the temporary foundation of this world, their lives will suffer destruction when troubles and trials overtake them. When the foundation is lacking, the structure will eventually fall.
The end of Jesus’ teaching spark two reactions from the crowd. First, they were astonished. No one had ever taught and captivated an audience like the Lord Jesus. His teaching is simple and yet powerful and life-changing.
They were also impressed by Jesus’ authority. He did not appeal to the authority of others. He grounded what He taught in the fact that He is the final judge and authority. No other authority was needed.
True saving faith will result in change. Your desires will be changed, your life focus will be changed and your salvation will result in right living. Believers will not be perfect. But, true Christians will seek faithful obedience to the Word of God.
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
2 Peter 2:1-3
False teaching is a constant danger that Christians face in our day. Often times, the false preacher sounds right and orthodox and his message can be very appealing. Nevertheless, once the student of the Bible digs deeper into the teaching of certain “teachers” they find that the doctrine of these false prophets is wrong and filled with error.
How can we know who to trust in times like these? Peter gives two signs to watch for that often mark the teaching of false prophets.
**False teachers deny the divinity and power of Jesus. False teaching often portrays Jesus as merely a prophet or teacher. However, He is the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, the Messiah, and our only Hope and Savior. To teach anything less than the robust proclamation of Jesus found in Scripture is to teach a false Jesus.
**False prophets deny and disbelieve the Bible. They will ignore certain Scriptural teachings or even have the temerity to claim that what the Bible plainly says is not true. False teachers often have their own statements, books, and writings as their authority and not the Holy Bible.
Be careful, dear Christian. Study the Word of God so you will know the truth. Know the Bible so you can refute the error that pervades our society.
“You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You.
Nehemiah 9:6
God is sovereign. The one, true God is transcendent and all-powerful. He rules and controls this universe.
The Almighty rules over all creation. He created and sustains all aspects of His world and God rules and governs the affairs of men. He turns the hearts of Kings to do His will though His power and might. (2 Chronicles 36:22-23) Humans have free will. Yet, human agency is always subserviently worked out through the sovereign power of God who controls the cosmos with the power of His word.
What is the practical application for Believers as we study and learn of the sovereignty of God? It is simply this—we can trust God. If he truly rules and reigns over this universe then we can trust God and follow Him by faith. The Lord also promises that He will use everything in our life for ultimate good. (Romans 8:28) Christians can live in assurance that God will bring us through and that we will arrive safely into His presence. The path may be rough but we can press on trusting God at every turn.
Let us give thanks to God for His rule over this universe. May we always remember that He sees and hears us and that His purposes for us will always prevail. God is great and greatly to be praised! (Psalm 48:1)
mrtonyfrench 