Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 55

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - SEEK AND COME

 SEEK and COME

Many times in the Bible  certain words are frequently used to convey a certain need or purpose. In the Old Testament, we are told, in a manner indicating a serious request or even a command, to seek, or go in search of God. Although we have the free will to do so or not, it is what we are requested to do. 

…If you seek Him, He will be found by you;

…If you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

(2 Chronicles 15:2)

…whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel

was to be put to death… 

(2 Chronicles 15:13)

But as for me, I would seek God…

(Job 5:8)

…For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

(Psalm 9:10)

…those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

(Psalm 34:10) 

Therefore,

Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek His face evermore! 

(Psalm 105:4) 

For as it is said about King Asa:

…Asa became diseased, and his malady was severe,

Yet in His disease he did not seek the Lord…

(2 Chronicles 16:12) 

So evidently:

God looks down from heaven upon the children of men,

To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

(Psalm 53:2) 

And if no one understands,

They will call on me [wisdom], but I will not answer;

They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

Because they hated knowledge

And did not choose the fear of the Lord… 

(Proverbs 1:28-29) 

This is why we are told to:

…seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,

and all these things shall be added to you. 

(Matthew 6:33)

But more than just being requested to go, we are also invited to come; to come and see because, if we do seek God, then we will find Him and be exposed to all the wonders involved.

Come and see the works of God; 

He is awesome in His doing… 

(Psalm 66:5)

If David, who wrote these words, was awestruck when he said:

How awesome are Your works!

Through the greatness of Your power…

(Psalm 66:3)

Then, how much more would David be astonished if he knew then what we know now? He could probably see about five to ten thousand stars at night; nowhere near the estimated two trillion galaxies identified today. And, how would he have any idea of the power of our own little star, the sun, giving off enough energy in one second to provide, if it were all utilized, over one million times all the earth’s needs for one year.

It would seem much preferable to seek God now and to receive His invitation to come and see the greatness of His works than to be told, as in Revelation, to come and see as the seals are opened in heaven and to go through the tribulation as it unfolds around us.

“Seek God and come to Him” is really the Bible’s message.

It is something to think about.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 54

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - PROGRESS or PROPHECY? One

 

PROGRESS or PROPHECY? ONE

In Matthew, it is said that Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and:

…showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 

And he said to Him, “All these things I will give to You 

if You will fall down and worship me.”

(Matthew 4:8-9)

Now Jesus did not accept Satan’s offer in the dessert, but overall, have we? It seems that we have embraced more of what Timothy states when he writes:

…in the last days perilous times will come: 

For men will be lovers of themselves, 

lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, 

disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, 

unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, 

despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, 

lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…

(2 Timothy 3:1-4)

In many ways, it does seem that man has won control of the world but has lost control of himself. Take heed of some of the following observations that have been made.

Over the past while, we have been able to build taller and taller buildings
but have also developed shorter and shorter tempers.

We have created wider and easier to use freeways, but at the same time seem
to have accepted narrower and more rigid viewpoints.

As a society, we tend to spend more, but actually have less and although we do buy
more we seem to enjoy all of it less

Part of what we spend more on is in the building of bigger and more expansive houses
even though we have smaller and smaller families.

And in those houses, we place more and more conveniences, but more than ever
seem to have less and less time.

Our education provides us with more advanced knowledge and degrees
but we seem at the same time, to have less common sense than ever.
And although more knowledge, less and poorer judgement.

We have more experts on more subjects, but more problems then previous and in the
same vein, more and better medicine, but ever less wellness. 

We often spend too recklessly, 

laugh too little, drive too fast, anger too easily, 

stay up too late, get too tired, 

read too little, watch TV too much, 

pray too little, talk too much, 

love too seldom, and lie too often. 

We have multiplied our possessions

 but reduced our values,

 we have learned how to make a living 

but not a life. 

We have added years to life 

but not life to years.*

In essence, we have received the world’s kingdoms by bowing to Satan rather than following Christ and as a result have, in large part, proven the words of Timothy to be true.

There’s even more than this but that’s enough for now to think about. 

* Adapted from an unknown writer as reported in Dr. Jeremiah’s Bible Study on Romans 

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 53

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - A DAY FOR MOTHERS

 A DAY FOR MOTHERS

The modern celebration of Mother's Day as we know it formally begun in 1907 by Anna Jarvis as a tribute to her own mother, and it has been celebrated since then in many countries of the world. But there was a day to celebrate mothering long before that and it extended back into pagan times when festivals were held in Greece and Rome to honour the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele.

Mothers, however, should not be honoured on just one day but really on every day of the year. In the first commandment regarding interpersonal affairs, God said:

Honour your father and your mother, 

that your days may be long upon the land 

which the Lord your God is giving you.

(Exodus 20:12)

It was a commandment given at a time when women, including mothers, were not held in high respect by society. It gave, in essence, a statement of the equality between man and woman. And honour was not only to be given when the individuals were alive, but it was implied that this was to be for all time, and not only in words but in deeds also.

When the Pharisees questioned Christ and His followers about transgressing the tradition of the Jewish people, He replied by saying:

Honour your father and mother; 

[for] He who curses father or mother, 

let him be put to death. 

But you say, ‘whoever says to his father or mother, 

Whatever profit you might have received from me 

is a gift to God; then he need not honour his father or mother.’

(Matthew 15:4-6)

In the time of Christ, some people used the reasoning that if they, as adults, said that all their possessions were gifts to God, then they could say that none of their belongings were available to help their parents. Therefore, Christ said that anyone who deprived their parents of necessities by declaring that all their possessions were to be given to God really did not honour their parents at all. Honouring them by word, and not deed, was not giving them honour at all and was in effect a curse. This is why He followed by saying:

Hypocrites!…These people draw near to Me with their mouth, 

and honour Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.

(Matthew 15:7-8)

It’s nice to give flowers or cards or something similar on Mother’s Day, but it’s what we do all year long in our time and considerations that really count. Honouring our parents with words on one day and not following through with deeds the rest of the year is the same as giving God praise with our lips and not with our actions.

So honour your mother (or if is the case, her memory) with your actions and not just sentiments in the same way God is honoured by what you do and not just by what you say.

It’s just one more thing to think about.  

Pastor Dave MacLean May 14, 2023

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 52

Service on May 14, 2023

 

Our next service will be this Sunday on Mother's Day (May 14th) at Summer Street at 6 PM.

Guest speaker will be Pastor Dave MacLean.

Master's Hand Singers will be leading worship.

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - COMMUNION

 COMMUNION

Anyone who has ever gone to church should be familiar with the celebration of communion. But sometimes the true meaning may become lost “in the translation.” Some people actually refer to it as being cannibalistic in nature because of our eating the “body” of Christ and drinking His “blood.” They evidently do not see the symbolic nature of the event at all. Christ said, after taking bread and breaking it, “…'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’” Likewise, He took the cup and said: “…‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’” (1 Corinthians 11:24-25)

It must be noted that this is done “in remembrance,” as a symbolic event. By eating a bread like substance and drinking from the cup we honour the death of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:28 says: “…[L]et him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” (Although wine is presumed to be the liquid, it is not specifically mentioned.)

It means that in Christ we have spiritual life, and in the symbols of communion we have both spiritual and human existence. Bread (i.e.: food) is the substance by which we all survive. But Christ said that He was “the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger” (John 6:35). John also said that: “In the beginning was the Word…and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:1,14). Jesus also said that: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) Therefore, taking the bread represents the sustenance of life, both human and spiritual, in that Christ is the “Bread of life” and “the Word made flesh.”

Similarly, the cup represents the fact that: “…the life of the flesh is in the blood…it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” (Leviticus 17:11) Thus, when Jesus refers to the cup, it is assumed that the cup contained wine, since that was the common drink in His day, however, it should be noted that it does not specifically say so. It is the meaning, and not the actual liquid, that matters. Although wine is often used in some places, other locations use grape juice or fruit juice. Other substitutes, which have been used as the drink at communion, include: coconut milk, soft drinks, or even tea or coffee. It is not the actual liquid which is important but the sincerity, honesty, and understanding which accompanies the commemoration. It represents the atonement and to do it with any liquid and a right heart is preferred over not doing it in remembrance at all.

The only required aspect of communion is that it is done with sincerity. The Bible states, in 1 Corinthians 11:29-30: “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself…for this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.”

But by taking communion in the proper manner, one takes into themselves the “Bread of life,” the “Word made flesh,” and the “atonement for the soul.” There certainly is a lot contained in the bread and the cup.

And It really does give one something to think about. 

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 51

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - AGE BEFORE BIRTH?

 AGE BEFORE BIRTH?

It may seem rather unusual to question how old one might be before that person is born. The obvious answer would be probably that your age begins at birth; but then again, there are many who would say that life begins at conception. So, when you’re born is that really day one or are you already nine months old when birth occurs?

The true answer may depend on how we view ourselves. If we consider ourselves to be a body with a soul and spirit than we may well look at things differently than if we consider ourselves a spirit, temporally inhabiting a human body that has a soul. Are we human or are we really spirit?

In the Bible, it states that: “…God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him…” (Genesis 1:27). The Bible also says that: “God is Spirit” (John 4:24). So, if God is Spirit and we are made in God’s image then it is not unreasonable to consider ourselves primarily spirit rather than human.

In the same way, God, as Jesus, is Spirit who became human for a period of time and came to earth as man. But when Jesus was questioned regarding His age, He replied “…before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). John also said in Chapter 1, verse 1 that: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” By saying this, John was certainly stating that Christ existed long before His physical birth, and therefore, His true age was, and is, eternal.

Now, if we are made in the image of God, and therefore spirit, did we also exist before our human birth? It does say is Psalms 139:16 that: “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.” And Jeremiah states: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you…thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) Do these words only refer to us in human form or is there a more subtle meaning?

In the book The Eternal Journey* reports are mentioned of people having sustained near death experiences (NDEs). These individuals reported circumstances which indicate that conception may not be the beginning of existence. It has been reported that everyone on earth had expressed a desire to be here. Some have even chosen the family they wished to be born into, and the length of time they wished to be on earth. It may sound unbelievable, but there are many such incidences reported.

Besides, we often talk of “going home” when we die and may have heard the phrases “the earth is not my home” or “ home is where the heart is.” How can we talk of going home if we’ve never been there before? It’s only after you’ve lived in a place that you can call it “home” and refer to returning as “going home again.”

So how old are you before birth? It may not be such an unusual question after all.

At the very least, it certainly is an intriguing subject to think about. 

*The Eternal Journey Chapter 15 by Craig R. Lundahl, Ph.D Chairman Emeritus, Dept. of Social Studies and emeritus professor Western New Mexico University and Harold A. Widdison Professor of Medical Sociology, Northern Arizona University