Week #

Date

Verse

In Depth

20

05-12-2008

Luke 18:27

But He said," The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."

In Depth Reading

19

05-05-2008

Jeremiah 29:11,12,13

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

In Depth Reading

18

04-28-2008

Romans 10: 9,10

 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

In Depth Reading

17

04-22-2008

1 John 1:8,9

I John 1:8, 9 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If  we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In Depth Reading

17

04-21-2008

1 John 1:8,9

I John 1:8, 9 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If     we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In Depth Reading

17

04-21-2008

1 John 1:8,9

I John 1:8 & 9 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Context:  “About half a century after Christ ascended to heaven, the Spirit moved one man, John the Elder (See ‘Going Deeper 7’), to write the last five New Testament books (a gospel, three epistles, Revelation).  The other twenty-two had been written and distributed from about A.D. 45 to the years just prior to the fall of Jerusalem (A.D. 70).

          John’s experience as the writer…was unique.  (He) had the blessed privilege of meditating long on the wonderful truths of Jesus’ life.  He recorded his reflections under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit…”  ^

Definitions:  Sin – “A missing of the mark…it is the most comprehensive term for moral obliquity…concrete wrong doing…an organizing power acting through the members of the body…”^^

                    Truth –  “Objectively signifying ‘the reality lying at the basis of an appearance; the manifested, veritable essence of a matter…He (Jesus) was the perfect expression of the truth…”^^

                    Confess –  “to speak the same thing…to assent, accord, agree with..to declare openly by speaking out freely…’to confess by way of admitting what one is accused of…’”^^

                    Forgive –  “…the remission of the punishment due to sinful conduct, the deliverance of the sinner from the penalty divinely,…the complete removal of the cause of offense…”^^

                   Cleanse -  “to make clean/pure…” by way of a specific cleansing ceremony which sometimes involved blood as the cleansing agent…or “by physically removing the objects of defilement…”^^

Commentary:  “We must beware of deceiving ourselves in denying or excusing our sins.  The more we see them the more we shall esteem and value the remedy…the denial of our sins not only deceives ourselves, but reflects dishonor upon God.…He has abundantly testified of…the sin of the world.  (Christianity) is the religion of sinners, of such as have sinned, and in whom sin in some measure still dwells.  The Christian life is a life of continued repentance, humiliation for and mortification of sin, of continual faith in, thankfulness for, and love to the Redeemer, and hopeful joyful expectation of a day of glorious redemption in which the believer shall be fully and finally acquitted, and sin abolished for ever.**

Personal Application:  As a young Christian, I heard my pastor say this passage at every service.  It helped to remind me over and over of a fact we all need drilled into us.  No matter how unlikely it seems, God will forgive us our sins when we confess them to Him…period…end of story.  The first step in becoming saved is realizing and confessing our sins.  Once saved, we continue to confess our sins, not to become saved again, but to remain in fellowship with God until that day that we join Him.  If you have sins in your heart/mind/life (and we’ve seen that’s true of us all), confess them right now to God and He will forgive you, restoring you to fellowship with Him.

*      Archaeological Study Bible, Zondervan, 1984

**    Matthew Henry's Commentary,  MacDonald Publishing House

***  KJV Bible

****Nelson Study Bible (NKJV), Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997

^      Jensen's Survey of the New Testament, Moody Press, 1981

^^    Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996

^^^  The Dead Sea Scrolls, A New Translation, Harper San Francisco , 2005

^^^^When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook On Bible Difficulties,  Norman Geisler,et.al., Baker Books,  1997

In Depth Reading

16

04-14-2008

2 Corinthians 5:21

 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

In Depth Reading

15

04-07-2008

Isaiah 59:2

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden his face from you,

In Depth Reading

15

04-07-2008

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In Depth Reading

14

03-31-2008

John 3:16,17

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

In Depth Reading

13

03-24-2008

Proverbs 1: 5,6

A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, to understand a proverb and an enigma, the words of the wise and their riddles.  

In Depth Reading

12

03-17-2008

Proverbs 17:27,28

He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.  Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.

In Depth Reading

11

03-10-2008

Proverbs 17:22

A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. 

In Depth Reading

10

03-03-2008

Proverbs 22:1,4

1: A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.  4: By humility and fear of the LORD are riches and honor and life.

In Depth Reading

9

02-25-2008

Proverbs 31:10,20

10:  Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.  20:  She extends her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 

In Depth Reading

8

02-18-2008

Proverbs 3:11,12

My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor detest His correction; for whom the LORD loves He corrects; just as a father the son in whom he delights.

In Depth Reading

7

02-11-2008

Proverbs 17:14

The beginning of strife is like releasing water; therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.

In Depth Reading

6

02-04-2008

Proverbs 13:11

Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminised, but he who gathers by labor will increase.

In Depth Reading

5

01-28-2008

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a chld in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

In Depth Reading

4

01-21-2008

Proverbs 3:5, 6

Trust in the LORD with all you heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. 

In Depth Reading

3

01-14-2008

Proverbs 2:6,7

For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;

In Depth Reading

2

01-07-2008

Philippians 3:13,14

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

In Depth Reading

20

05-14-2007

Romans 6:12

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.  And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

In Depth Reading

19

05-07-2007

John 13: 34,35

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. 

In Depth Reading

18

04-30-2007

Deuteronomy 6:4,5,6,7

Hear, O Israel:  The LORD our God, the LORD is one!  You  shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. 

In Depth Reading

17

04-23-2007

2 Timothy 3:16,17

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

In Depth Reading

16

04-16-2007

Philippians 2:5,6,7

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

In Depth Reading

15

04-09-2007

Acts 4:12

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

In Depth Reading

15

04-09-2007

1 Peter 3:18

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.

In Depth Reading

14

04-02-2007

Ephesians 2:8,9

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

In Depth Reading

13

03-26-2007

Colossians 1:15,16,17

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

In Depth Reading

12

03-19-2007

John 1:1,2,3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

In Depth Reading

12

03-19-2007

1 John 5:7

For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

In Depth Reading

11

03-12-2007

Romans 10:9,10

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

In Depth Reading

10

03-05-2007

1 John 1:8,9

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In Depth Reading

9

02-26-2007

2 Corinthians 5:21

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

In Depth Reading

8

02-19-2007

Isaiah 59:2

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you,

In Depth Reading

8

02-19-2007

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In Depth Reading

7

02-12-2007

John 3:16,17
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

In Depth Reading

6

02-05-2007

Psalms 119:11
Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

In Depth Reading

6

02-05-2007

Psalms 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

In Depth Reading