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As Creator
Pharoah responded to Moses’ request to let the people go from
Egypt by saying, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice
to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel
go” (Ex. 5:2). Who is the Lord? He is
Creator.
God Created. A reading of Genesis 1:1 reveals, “In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The
greatness of God is clearly seen and revealed in His creation.
The Hebrew writer penned, “By faith we understand that the worlds
were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were
not made of things which are visible” (Heb. 11:3). Moses
affirmed “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the
earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh
day” (Ex. 20:11). This does away with the theories of men
and the belief that the present world evolved or was formed over
millions of years. A design demands a designer, a creation a
creator! Consider the following: It takes roughly 365 days
for the Earth to go around the Sun once. This means that the Earth is
rushing through space around the Sun at a rate of about 67,000 miles
per hour! At the equator, where the circumference of the earth is
greatest, the speed is about 1,038 miles per hour, giving us 24 hour
days. Creation did not “just happen”, the things
created were a result of a Great and Intelligent Designer, God!
Evolution, the theory that all things began in a single non-sex cell
and that all phases, forms, and grades of life that now exist evolved
and developed from a single cell over millions of years, is contrary to
all Biblical teaching! It has been said that it actually requires
more faith to believe in evolution than God. Evolution has its
own system of belief, it is a false religion! Nehemiah said,
“You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, The heaven of
heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas
and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven
worships You.” (Neh. 9:6). The Psalmist rightly declared,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows
His handiwork” (Ps. 19:1).
The greatness of God is seen in that “He said” and it was
so (Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28, 29). The Psalmist
said, “Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and
they were created” (Ps. 148:5). Have you ever tried to
speak something into existence? “By faith we understand
that the worlds were framed by the word of God…” (Heb.
11:3). God’s greatness and power is demonstrated as He
“upholding all things by the word of His power” (Heb.
1:3). The Psalmist plainly stated, “By the word of the Lord
the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His
mouth. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood
fast” (Ps. 33:6;9).
The greatness of God was also demonstrated when He said, “Let Us
make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” (Gen.
1:26). In what sense was man created in the likeness of
God? Jesus said, “God is Spirit” (Jn. 4:24).
The Bible reveals man is more than just body (1 Thess. 5:23). Man
bears the image of God in spirit (Heb. 12:9). No animal or thing
was created as man was (Ps. 8:3-6). God Himself chose to have a
special relationship with man. The Bible reveals the origin of
man (Gen. 1:26-28; Ps. 139:14-15). Evolutionist would have folks
believe man evolved, however, the Bible and the human body indicates
that an Intelligent and Great Designer was behind it all.
Consider the human circulatory system, accident or design? The
Circulatory system consists of arteries, veins and capillaries which
serve as a major pipeline. If all of the human body’s
pipelines were connected end to end, it is estimated that it would
stretch out from between 60,000 to 100,000 miles. (The Human Body
Accident or Design, Wayne Jackson, pg 47). The heart muscle is
involuntary and beats about 100,000 times a day and
pumps about 1,800 gallons of blood a day and the heart beats and beats.
(The Human Body Accident or Design, Wayne Jackson, pg 44). The
skin system, skeletal system, muscular system, digestive system,
nervous system, the brain, the eye, the ear, respiratory system,
excretory system, endocrine system, reproductive components and the
healing process by design are further evidence of the greatness of God
and that man is a result of an Intelligent designer! Who is the
Lord? He is Creator!
Miracle Worker
Peter made mention of the greatness of God as Miracle Worker in
his sermon on the day of Pentecost saying, “Men of Israel, hear
these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by
miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst,
as you yourselves also know” (Acts 2:22). Johnny Stringer
in his Truth Commentary stated regarding Acts 2:22, “These
supernatural works are called “miracles” because of the
power by which they were performed, “wonders” because of
the wonder or amazement they produced in the hearts of those who saw
them and “signs” because they were signs signifying that
the one who performed them was from God.” The Bible record
is filled with “true miracles” performed by God Himself or
done by individuals to whom God gave the ability to do such.
Vines Expository Dictionary defines miracle as “works of a
supernatural origin and character, such as could not be produced by
natural agents and means.” Many folks today have wrongly
applied the term “miracle” to any unusual occurrence,
something coincidental, things unexplainable or the providence of
God. Consider the following event: On January 18, 1989, Don
Piper, Baptist minister, was hit head on by a semi that crossed the
center line. According to his book, 90 minutes in heaven,
“Paramedics reached the scene of the accident within
minutes. They found no pulse and declared me dead” (pg. 13)
and the story goes on to allege Mr. Piper was able to view heaven for
90 minutes. “Ninety minutes after the wreck, while a
minister prayed for him, Piper miraculously returned to life on earth
with only the memory of inexpressible heavenly bliss” (back cover
of “90 Minutes In Heaven”). According to
donpiperministeries.com “He walks only as a result of
miraculous and in some cases medically unexplainable
circumstances.” This is just one example regarding
the misuse of the term “miracle.” Piper did not die
and come back to life (Heb. 9:27). Is it not possible the
paramedics did not feel a pulse because the pulse was too weak and
Piper was alive? This book and information is a “human
testimonial.” Many such extreme accidents have occurred
only to see the injured to make a recovery. Just because the
situation seems to contain “unexplainable circumstances”
does not make it a miracle. John Isaac Edwards in his book,
Answering Religious Error, rightly stated, “Calling a thing a
miracle makes it a miracle, no more than calling a dog a hog makes it a
pig!”
Miracles were wrought in every age recorded in the Bible. During
the Patriarchal Dispensation God without the use of preexisting
materials, created out of nothing, all things (Heb. 11:3). Adam
was formed from dust (Gen. 2:7) and Eve from the rib of Adam
(Gen. 2:21-25). During the Mosaic Dispensation God called Moses
from a burning bush which was not consumed (Ex. 3:1-3), Moses turned
his rod into a snake before Pharaoh (Ex. 7:8-10), the Israelites
miraculously crossed the Red Sea on dry ground (Ex. 14:15-29).
The Gospel Dispensation was ushered in by “miracles, wonders, and
signs.” A blind man was healed a Bethsaida (Mk. 8:22-26), Jesus
healed a paralytic (Mk. 2:1-12), 5000 were fed with five loaves and two
fish (Mt. 14:13-21), the dead were raised (Lk. 7:11-17; Jn. 11:1-44),
the sea was calmed (Mt. 8:23-27) and demons were cast out (Mt.
8:28-34).
There are perhaps three primary reasons regarding the purpose of
miracles: (1) To provide evidence of Divine power. Moses went to
Pharaoh requesting permission to go and sacrifice to God. What
evidence could be given Pharaoh that Moses was from God? Moses
cast his rod to the ground and it turned into a snake (Ex.
4:1-3). (2) Regarding the purpose of miracles being
performed Jesus said, “that you may believe” (Jn.
20:30). (3) To confirm the word spoken (Mk. 16:20; Heb.
2:1-4). Folks in the first century did not have the complete
written word as we have it today and therefore miracles confirmed the
word spoken by the Apostles.
There is a difference between modern day faith healers and miracles
recorded in the Bible. Bible miracles were immediate (Acts
3:7-8), public (Acts 4:16), undeniable (Acts 3:16; 4:9), faith was not
required (Lk. 7:11-17; Acts 13:11-12), done despite the presence of
unbelievers (Acts 13:10-12), all were healed (Mt. 4:23-24; Acts5:16),
expectation not required (Acts 3:2-7), done despite protest (Lk.
4:33-35), not advertised by the one performing (Mk. 3:7-12; 7:31-37;
8:22-26), not done for money (Acts 3:2-7), presence was unnecessary
(Acts 19:11-12) and involved complete healing (Acts 3:16; 4:9).
These things cannot be said of modern day alleged miracles.
Miracles have served their purpose and are no longer necessary (Jn.
20:30; Jude 3 1 Cor. 13:8-10). Many today are alleging to be able
to work miracles. Foy E. Wallace Jr. once said, “As goes
the proposition, so must go the demonstration.” Truly the
“Greatness of God” is seen as Miracle Worker!
SAVIOR
Pharaoh, King of Egypt, asked, “Who is the LORD, that I should
obey His voice?” (Ex. 5:2). Pharaoh, He is Savior.
Man alone cannot save himself from sin, thus the need for a savior
(Jer. 10:23).
Man needs a plan and a Savior because sin separates man from God (Is.
59:1-2). Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden when
they sinned, thus being separated from God (Gen. 3:22-24). Sin is
committed when folks violate God’s law (1 Jn. 3:4). The
first promise of a Savior is mentioned in Genesis 3:15 following the
sin of Adam. Man needs a plan and a Savior because the wages of
sin is death (Rom. 6:23). The death spoken of here by Paul is
eternal separation from God when the disobedient are cast into
hell. The greatness of God as Savior can be appreciated when
folks understand the seriousness of Man’s need for a plan to save
from sin. Man needs a plan and a savior because goodness alone
will not save man (Acts 10:2; 11:14). Cornelius was a devout, God
fearing, prayerful and giving person who had to hear words by which he
could be saved. After reading the obituary section in any local
paper clearly folks believe that goodness alone saves. However,
it’s just not so! Man needs a plan and a savior on the
simple basis of because God said so. Jesus declared, “Not
everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Mt.
7:21). Sometimes the answer to a Bible question is “because
God said so!” A reading of Hebrews 5:9 reveals, Christ
“became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey
Him.”
What Must I Do To Be Saved?
Greatest question one could ever ask! The Jews of Acts 2 asked,
“Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37).
Saul asked, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” (Acts
9:6). The Philippian Jailor asked, “Sirs, what must I do to
be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Perhaps you are asking the same
question and are in search for some answers. “What Must I
Do To Be Saved” is a biblical question and has a biblical
answer. The importance of this question can be further
appreciated when the value of the soul is studied. Jesus asked,
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and
loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his
soul?” (Mt. 16:26).
The greatness of God as Savior has been made known by the things He has
already done to make salvation available.
- God gave His only begotten Son (Jn. 3:16).
- God bestowed His grace (Eph. 2:8-9).
- Jesus shed His blood (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14).
- The Holy Spirit revealed God’s will to man (Eph.
3:3-5).
A reading of Titus 2:11 reveals, “For the grace of God that
brings salvation has appeared to all men.” God has done his
part in making salvation available. It is now up to man fulfill
his responsibility in order to be saved. Man must:
- Hear the Gospel (Rom. 10:17; Mt. 17:5; Acts 2:40 –
Acts 19:5).
- Believe (Jn. 8:24; Heb. 11:6; Mk. 16:16).
- Repent of sins (Lk. 13:3; Acts 17:30; 1 Cor. 6:9; Acts
2:38).
- Confess Christ as the Son of God (Acts 8:37; Rom. 10:9-10;
Mt. 10:32-33).
- Be Baptized (1 Peter 3:21; Mk. 16:16; Acts. 2:38 –
Acts 19:5; Rom. 6:3-4).
- Live Faithful (Rev. 2:10; 1 Cor. 15:58; Titus 2:12).
The greatness of God as Savior is essentially the theme of the Bible,
as you read from Genesis to Revelation you read
about the story of redemption. “Who is the Lord that I
should obey His voice?” He is Savior!
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