Your Word for Today

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“then said one unto Him, Lord are there few who be saved? And He said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able (Lk. 13:23-24).

The Lord has just given several Parables, all which stress the fact that few would be saved.

In essence, the Lord ignored the man who asked the question of Verse 23, but seized the opportunity suggested by the question to address an earnest appeal to all standing around Him, to let nothing prevent them pressing through the narrow door of conversion which alone gave entrance into the true Kingdom of God. For directly the Master of that house shut the door, they would vainly seek to enter (13:25-28). When that door is shut, multitudes will repent too late, and believe too late, and sorrow for sin too late, and begin to pray too late.

Earth is the only place in creation where there is infidelity. There is no unbelief in Hell. These Verses (13:24-28) destroy the theory of repentance and salvation after death.

Men may ask religious questions and so flatter themselves that they are religious; further, they may have an ecclesiastical relation to Christ (13:26), and yet be shut out from Heaven. To be shut out from Heaven is to be shut into Hell, with its hopeless weeping of remorse and its hopeless gnashing of despair. Here, as everywhere, Christ’s teaching conflicts with almost all modern thought.

There is only one way of Salvation, and that is by Faith and Trust in Jesus and what He did for us at the Cross (Jn. 8:32; 14:6).”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“then drew near to Him all the Publicans and sinners for to hear Him. And the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying, This Man receives sinners, and eats with them (Lk. 15:1-2).

The point of the three Parables in this Chapter, “The Parable of the Lost Sheep,” “The Parable of the Lost Coin,” and “The Parable of the Prodigal Son,” is God’s joy over repenting sinners. They unveil the sentiments of His Heart and not those of the repentant sinner, as is usually taught. He did not sit still in Heaven pitying sinners, just as the shepherd, the woman, and the father did not idly bewail the lost sheep, the lost silver, and the lost son. The word “found” (15:24) reveals the Divine activities in secret in the conscience and heart of the prodigal. Christ left the starry crown of Heaven for the thorny crown of Earth in the activity of the love that seeks the lost till it is found.

The shepherd rejoiced, the woman rejoiced, and the father rejoiced. Such is the joy of God when sinners come to Jesus. This Grace is a Grace that seeks and a Grace that receives. The first two Parables describe the former; the third Parable, the latter. Grace convicts the conscience, but attracts the heart.

The measure of that Grace is the measure of the love that begets it. The son’s reception and position were decided by the energy of that love, and not by the measure of the son’s repentance. The father’s position decided that of the son. All was measured by the sentiments, not of the prodigal’s heart, but of the father’s heart.

The stupidity, the insensibility, and the depravity of the sinner are expressed in the three Parables. If the doubling of the dream to Pharaoh (Gen. 41:32) assured its certitude, how much more does the trebling of this Parable make certain the attitude of God’s heart to lost man!

(The information on the three Parables was derived from George Williams.)”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“and He said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living (Lk. 15:11-13).

The Parable of the Prodigal Son portrays the only time in Scripture that God, personified in this Parable by the Father, is pictured running. In that for which, and to which, He ran, provides a fitting example of Who God is and What God is. He is love!

The spiritual declension of the son took place while he was in his father’s house. He fell from the moment he desired the father’s goods without the father’s company; and it only needed a few days to find him in the far country. Backsliding begins in the heart and very soon places the feet with the swine.

His only occupation was the degrading one — to a Jew — of a swine-herd, and his only food the husks that the swine did eat. No man gave to him; for in the Devil’s country, nothing is given, everything must be bought, and bought at a terrible price.

First of all, the Prodigal “came to himself” (15;15); then he “came to his father” (15:20). Such is the action of the Holy Spirit first upon the conscience and then upon the heart. While the boy was a great way off, the father saw, had compassion, ran, fell on his neck, kissed him, and said to the servants, “Bring . . . ” (15:20-22). All these activities express the grace and love that welcome true Repentance.

Grace ran to kiss the Prodigal in his rags; Righteousness hasted to dress him in its robes; for he could not sit in his rags at the father’s board. The Prodigal had not to provide the best robe, the ring, the sandals, and the fatted calf. They were provided for him, and they declared that his Repentance had been accepted; for servants were not thus arrayed and feasted. We must understand that there were no reproaches, rebukes, or reproofs for the past, no irritating admonitions for the future, because the Father and His Joy are the subjects of this story rather than the moral condition of the son.

The elder brother pictured the Pharisee. He neither understood nor shared in the Father’s joy. On the contrary, he was covetous and refused to sympathize, although his Father entreated him to do so. Self-righteous, he claimed to have given a perfect obedience. But his desire to make merry with his friends showed that morally he was as much lost to his Father as was his brother.

Christ, as “The Way,” is symbolized in the robe, the ring, the sandals, and the fatted calf, for He is Righteousness (II Cor. 5:21), Eternal Life (Jn. 11:25), Sonship (Jn. 1:12), and Peace (I Cor. 5:7-8). The death of the sinless calf was a necessity ere the feast could be enjoyed. Had the Prodigal refused this raiment and claimed the right to enter the Father’s house in his rags and nakedness, he, like Cain, would have been rejected. His was true Repentance, and so it accepted these gifts, assuring purity, perpetuity, position, and provision.

This Parable, in fact, destroys the argument that no Atoning and Mediating Saviour is needed between God and the sinner.”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“there was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores (Lk. 16:19-20).

No one ever spoke so plainly about Hell as the Lord Jesus. The illustration given, regarding the rich man and Lazarus, is not a Parable, as claimed by some, but actually the portrayal of a literal happening. From this illustration, we draw several conclusions about Hell. They are:

1. Hell is a locality. It is a place, actually in the heart of the Earth (Mat. 12:40).

2. At death, the rich man instantly went to Hell, which tells us what immediately happens to the unconverted when they die. On the other hand, Lazarus, upon death, was immediately taken to Paradise by Angels.

3. The rich man went to Hell, not because he was rich, but because he failed to accept the Lord. Lazarus went to Paradise, not because he was a poor beggar, but because he had made the Lord his Saviour (Lk. 16:31).

4. This illustration given by Jesus completely blew to pieces the thinking of most Jews. They reasoned that financial blessings translated into Salvation, while poverty translated into that which was otherwise. Jesus tells them here that neither thing, riches or poverty, has anything to do with Salvation.

5. We learn from this illustration that all who die, whether they are in Hell or Heaven, maintain intelligence through their soul and spirit. The rich man is represented as having eyes, ears, a mouth, a tongue, and a tortured body, i.e., “in spirit form.”

6. We learn here that the fires of Hell are real.

7. We learn that all those in Hell are in torment.

8. We learn that Hell is eternal, for the rich man asked that Lazarus might be sent to his five brothers. He did not ask this grace for himself, for he knew that he was eternally entombed. It is easy to step into Hell, but impossible to step out.

9. We learn that there are no unbelievers in Hell, nor is there any Salvation.

10. We learn that the rich man repented, but it is too late. There is no Salvation after death. The Lord Jesus here destroys that doctrine.

11. We learn from this illustration that the Scriptures contain all that is necessary to Salvation. A person who would return from the dead could add nothing to the Scriptures; and a man who will not listen to the Bible will not listen to a multitude if raised from the dead (16:31).”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“take heed to yourselves: If your brother trespass against you, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to you, saying, I repent; you shall forgive him (Lk. 17:3-4).

The Lord warns His Disciples here not to think only of the sins of the Pharisees, but also of their own, especially of the sin of an unforgiving spirit. The repentant Brother was to be forgiven seven times “in a day”; and when Peter, on another occasion, asked the Lord (Mat. 18:21) if he were to stop at seven times, Jesus said, “No; not until seventy times seven,” i.e., four hundred ninety times. This is an important number in the history of God’s moral government of sinning Israel. It means endless forgiving.

Only twice prior to Pentecost do we read of the Apostles, as a body, asking the Lord for spiritual energy. Here they ask Him to increase their faith; on another occasion, they begged to be taught how to pray.

The searching doctrine of Verses 1 through 4 made the Apostles conscious that something higher than fallen human nature alone could obey such teaching. The Lord replied (17:6) that Faith was a power so real that its smallest provision could remove the greatest moral obstacles. He used a tree as an example. The removal, in fact, of trees and mountains were proverbial figures of speech among the Jews at that time, expressing the overcoming of great difficulties.

Then in order to forewarn the Apostles about flattering themselves that they would be entitled to admiration if they lived without injuring others, if they practiced perpetual forgiveness, and if they worked wonderful miracles, He now adds that, having fulfilled all these conditions, they would be no better than unprofitable servants (17:7-10), that is, they would, in no way, have benefited their Master. This is a fatal blow to the doctrine of Salvation by works.

From this we learn the following:

The Disciple is to say, “I am an unprofitable servant.” The Master will then say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Mat. 25:21).”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“and as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed (Lk. 17:26, 30).

The Doctrine of 17:23-37 strikes against the expectation of many that the world will grow morally better and ultimately become the Kingdom of God. But here the Lord gives a fearful picture of the state of the world and the professing Church at the time of His Second Coming.

More than once Jesus pointed to Noah and the state of society in his day (Mat. 24:37) as prefiguring the condition of the nations when He shall appear. The Second Coming will contrast with His First. The First Chapter of II Thessalonians describes the Second Coming. It will not be local, obscure, or with great humility, but universal, powerful, and glorious. The glories of that day will have a relation to, and will be the result of, His Atoning Sufferings at Calvary. It will find the world as indifferent and corrupt as in the days of Noah and of Lot (17:26-30). All will perish, who, like Lot’s wife, have their hearts in Sodom, though, like her, they make a profession of having left it, as also will all those who put any interest, even life itself, above the claims of Righteousness. The Second Coming will be, in fact, the most cataclysmic event in the history of mankind.

When the Lord comes the second time, He will not come to be mocked, criticized, jeered, and rejected. He will not come to be beaten and nailed to a Cross. Instead, He will come as “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:16). Every Saint of God who has ever lived, all the way up through the First Resurrection, will accompany Him at that glorious time. Then the very creation will rejoice, because the Saviour of men is at last coming to take control. And take control He shall! (Isa., Chpt. 11).”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“and He spoke this Parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the Temple to pray; the one, a Pharisee, and the other a Publican (Lk. 18:9-10).

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, as given by Christ, proclaims, in no uncertain terms, the rudiments of relative righteousness, works righteousness, and imputed Righteousness; only the last one is acceptable to the Lord.

The Pharisee projected, first of all, “relative righteousness.” In other words, he measured his supposed righteousness by comparing himself with others. Those who rely on such always select those who they think are worse than they themselves; somehow, this seems to make them feel better. God, however, can never accept relative righteousness.

The Pharisee also was relying on “work righteousness,” which spoke of his twice-weekly fasts and his paying tithe on all that he possessed (or at least this was his claim). Millions in the world today, like this Pharisee of old, trust in “works righteousness,” which God also will never accept. The two, “works righteousness” and “relative righteousness,” are the two types of supposed righteousness which are claimed by most of the world.

The “Publican, standing afar off,” which meant he was probably in the Court of the Gentiles, began to pray, but would not so much as “lift up his eyes unto Heaven.” He felt his acute unworthiness, and conducted himself accordingly. When the Scripture says, “he smote upon his breast,” it means that he kept doing this over and over. When he said, “God be merciful to me a sinner,” the original Text actually says, “the sinner,” meaning that, in his own eyes, he felt he was the greatest sinner in the world.

Every afternoon at 3 o’clock, the evening lamb was offered up as a propitiation for the sins of that day. The Publican pleaded forgiveness and acceptance because of the merit of that atoning blood. It foreshadowed the atoning death of the Lamb of God, Who was Himself the Propitiation, i.e., the “Mercy Seat.” As a result, the Lord imputed unto him a perfect Righteousness, all made possible by the atoning death of the Lamb of God.

“Imputed Righteousness” is Righteousness that we do not earn, and cannot earn, and neither can we merit such. It is freely given to the believing sinner upon confession of Faith in Christ. It is the only type of Righteousness that God will accept, because it’s based on the perfect Righteousness of Christ. It is obtained by evidencing Faith in Christ and His Perfect Sacrifice of Himself.

The Scripture says that this man “went down to his house justified rather than the other.” In other words, he was declared a righteous man. The Pharisee was not justified at all. There are no degrees in Justification. The Verse does not mean that the Pharisee was partly justified and the Publican fully; it means that the one was wholly justified and the other, not at all.

In reference to all of this, the Lord said, “For every one who exalts himself shall be abased; and he who humbles himself shall be exalted” (Lk. 18:14). The Lord evidently repeated this frequently (Mat. 23:12).”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“and the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not: and when you are converted, strengthen your brethren (Lk. 22:31-32).

Simon Peter now faces the greatest trial of his life. It is primarily because of his boasting, as evidenced in 22:33. It seems that Satan had asked permission to tempt Peter and had evidently been given permission. Such permission, however, was not to please Satan, not at all, but rather as a lesson for Simon Peter. Satan can only do what the Lord allows him to do.

The Lord said to Peter, “I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not.” We must ever realize that every attack by Satan against us, whether it’s in the realm of the physical, financial, domestic, or spiritual, is always but for one purpose, and that is to completely destroy our faith, or at least seriously weaken it. Satan’s attack is always delivered against Faith, for if that fails, all fail.

So Satan said to Eve, “Has God said?” When that doubt had done its work, he boldly added, “You shall not surely die.”

Jesus told Peter that He would pray for him. He never said anything like that concerning Judas. He knew there was no hope for Judas, and He also knew that Peter would pull through.

The appointed time contemplated in this prayer was not the moment of Peter’s denial, but the dark moment of despair when he went out and wept bitterly. Then Satan, no doubt, must have whispered to him: “You have committed spiritual suicide. Now are you mine!” But the Lord’s look (22:31) was the means that upheld his faith, and so Christ’s prayer was answered, as all such like prayers are always answered!

Jesus said, “And when you are converted, strengthen your brethren” (22:32). The word “converted,” as used here, does not mean to get saved again, as it normally does, but rather “to come back to the right way.” Peter most definitely would do that; then he was also able to “strengthen his brethren.”

Did Peter fall?

No! He failed, but he did not fall. To “fall” is to lose faith, thereby to quit believing. This is what happened to many of the Hebrew Believers, which occasioned Paul to write the Book of Hebrews (Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26-29). They had quit believing in Christ and the Cross.

As long as one keeps believing in Christ, and what Christ did at the Cross, while there might be failure, there will not be a Fall.”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“and He came out, and went, as He was wont, to the Mount of Olives; and His Disciples also followed Him (Lk. 22:39).

Here in the Passion of Christ is the great lesson of surrender taught. It comes, in essence, in three stages. They are:

“The place of surrender”: The Scripture said, “And when He was at the place, He said unto them, Pray that you enter not into temptation” (22:40).

1. Before a Believer can surrender totally to the Lord Jesus Christ, he has to first come to the “place of surrender.” There is a Gethsemane for every Believer. The problem of self-will is acute in the hearts and lives of all, even the best of Christians. There is only one way for self-will to be conquered, and that is for the person to come to the “place” where they understand that the Cross of Christ is the only answer.

Jesus died on the Cross, not only to save us from sin, but also to save us from “self.”

2. “The price of surrender”: What is the price? Jesus tells us what it is.

He said, “Father, if You be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My Will, but Yours, be done” (22:42).

The price of surrender is our personal wills being swallowed up in the sweet Will of God. The Cross is the only means by which the will of the individual can properly acquiesce to the Will of God. If the Believer attempts to pay the price himself, instead of looking to the One Who has already paid the price, this will only breed self-righteousness. Making the Cross the Object of one’s Faith, and the Cross alone, will have the effect of us looking to Christ, and only Christ!

3. “The peace of surrender”: Once that surrender was made, “There appeared an Angel unto Him from Heaven, strengthening Him” (22:43).

This didn’t mean that the struggle grew less intense, for, in fact, it increased; however, the extra strength provided by the Angel was sufficient. Angels also ministered to Him in the Temptation (Mk. 1:13).

All want the “peace of surrender,” which is a peace that passes all understanding, but many do not want to come to the “place” or pay the “price.” There is, however, no other way! (Jn. 14:27).”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“and He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Lk. 9:23).

In this short Passage, we have before us that which the Lord expects in our proposed serving Him and service to Him. There are three things that must be done. They are:

1. The individual must deny himself: Self-denial, which is demanded here, is not asceticism, as many think. Incidentally, asceticism is the denial of all things which are pleasurable or comfortable, etc. So, many think if they make things abnormally hard for themselves, then this denotes some type of holiness, etc. It doesn’t!

The denial of self of which Jesus here spoke refers to one denying one’s own strength, ability, and prowess, i.e., “the flesh.” This is, in fact, one of the greatest hindrances to the Child of God. The Believer attempts to do for himself that which he cannot do, and which, in fact, the Lord has already done.

2. Take up the Cross: As many people misunderstand self-denial, they also misunderstand the taking up of the Cross. Most think it refers to suffering. In fact, it does. It is not, however, the suffering of the individual that here is demanded, but rather the Suffering of Christ.

The idea, as here presented, pertains to the Believer understanding that Christ is the Source and the Cross is the means; consequently, we are speaking of the benefits of the Cross; such benefits include everything man lost in the Fall. That’s what Jesus meant by taking up the Cross. That is altogether different from what most people think. Taking up the Cross is the understanding that everything we receive from the Lord comes by way of the Cross.

3. Daily: The idea lends toward a daily renewal of Faith. It is somewhat like the Manna of old. There would be a fresh supply each day; the Children of Israel were to enjoy what was given that day, and trust the Lord for the next day.

Satan is ever vigilant. That’s the reason we have to watch and pray. We must not take the great Redemption process for granted. We must every day make the decision to look solely to Christ, which means to trust Him for what He did for us at the Cross, and Him Alone!”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[Christ_empowered]

i've thoroughly enjoyed your posts in this thread, iLove. This one hit a chord, more so than some of the (equally excellent) ones. Thanks.

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“and he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, Today shall you be with Me in Paradise (Lk. 23:42-43).

The conversion of the thief is peculiar to Luke. It is one of the most remarkable conversions in the Bible. In one flash of light, the Holy Spirit revealed Christ to him and taught him of the Lord’s future Kingdom of Glory, though, at the moment, He was hanging in shame and agony on the tree.

The thief did not ask for any physical relief to his pain, but only for a remembrance in the future Kingdom. They were in the same condemnation — he justly, but the Lord only as a Sin Offering — and He prayed that they might be together in the same Glory. So the Precious Blood, then flowing for his sins, cleansed him so effectually that it made him at that moment as fit to enter Paradise as Christ Himself.

The Divine Nature of the thief’s Repentance was evidenced
by six steps:

1. His concern about his companion (23:40).
2. His confession of his own sinfulness (23:41).
3. His confession of Christ’s innocence (23:41).
4. His faith in Christ’s Power and willingness to save
him — he called him Lord, and declared his belief that He
had a Kingdom (23:42).
5. He prayed to Him (23:42).
6. He asked for no great thing, but only to be remembered; this was humility.

The thief’s short prayer embodied a great creed; he believed:

A. That his soul lived after death;
B. That the world to come would be one of felicity or misery;
C. That a Crucified Jew was the Lord of Glory;
D. That His future Kingdom was better than this present world;
E. That Christ intended to have pardoned sinners in that Kingdom;
F. That He would receive into it the truly penitent;
G. That the key of that Kingdom was hanging at Christ’s girdle, though He Himself was hanging naked on the Tree; and,
H. That by resting his soul for eternal Salvation upon this dying Saviour, he had that Kingdom assured to him.


The thief’s spiritual intelligence seemed to exceed that of most all of the Apostles prior to Pentecost.

Near the Cross of the dying thief stood the Apostle John, the Virgin Mary, her sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. But to none of these exalted Saints did the malefactor turn for help. He turned from them and prayed directly to Jesus, with nothing and nobody between his sin-stained soul and the sin-atoning Saviour.

He did not cry, “Oh Holy Mother of God! Refuge of sinners, pray for me! I put my whole trust and confidence in the power of your intercession.” Nor did he appeal to her sister, as being the Holy Aunt of God, nor to John, as being the Beloved Apostle of God. Had he trusted any one of these great Saints, he would have perished, for Salvation is in Christ and in none other. He is the One and only refuge of sinners (Acts 4:12).”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“then He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His Glory? (Lk. 24:25-26).

Verses 13 through 53 are peculiar to Luke. He Who walked on the road to Emmaus was “this same Jesus” (Acts 1:11), but “in another form” (Mk. 16:12). It is impossible for us to realize what were the powers of the Lord’s Glorified Body after the Resurrection.

Like Joseph’s action with his brothers, so the Lord did not discover himself to these two Disciples until He had brought them into a fitting condition of soul. When Jesus used the words, “Ought not,” it meant “Was it not necessary, because it was predicted?” This emphasizes the word “all” in Verse 25. These two Disciples had confined their Bible study to that which the Scriptures promised respecting the Messiah’s Glory and Kingdom, but they had been blind to the multitude of types and Prophecies foretelling His Sufferings as an Atoning Saviour.

Jesus then directed these two men to the Bible, which then was the Old Testament. In a sense, He divides it into two parts, “the Law” and “the Prophets.” This makes the Bible, because it is inspired, the supreme authority as to Faith and Doctrine. Its subject is the Sufferings and Glories of Christ — His Sufferings as Sin Bearer, i.e., Sin Offering (Phil. 2:6-10); His Glories as Sin Purger (Heb. 1:3). The story of the Bible is the story of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. If we understand it as we should, we will see that everything ultimately points to Him and His Sacrifice of Himself.

Concerning all of this, it might well be said that Christ went, Bible in hand, into death, and that He came out, Bible in hand, from among the dead. He insisted that it predicted His Death and Resurrection in relation to sin and its judgment. So, immediately prior to His Death and immediately subsequent to His Resurrection, He made more than thirty quotations from the Inspired Word.

If the Word was the Light to Christ, it most definitely must be our Light as well (Ps. 119:105).”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“o you sons of men, how long will you turn my glory into shame? how long will you love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah” (Ps. 4:2).

In this Verse, David refers to the sin of Absalom, which characterizes the sin of all men.

THREE SINS LISTED

There are three sins listed in this Second Verse, which, in fact, are universal sins. They are:

1. Turning God’s Glory to shame (Rom. 1:22-32). God’s greatest Glory is His Creation of man; however, due to the Fall, man has turned after the ways of unrighteousness, thereby turning the Glory of God into shame. Other than the few hours Adam lived righteously before the Fall, the only True Man Who has ever truly lived is the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. Unredeemed man loves vanity (Rom. 8:20; Eph.4:17; II Pet. 2:18). Vanity stems from pride, which, within itself is the foundation sin of the human race (Prov. 6:16- 17; I Jn. 2:16).

3. Leasing: This word means “lying” or “falsehood” (Prov. 17:4; 19:22). Satan is the father of lies; consequently, all of his children are liars. Actually, almost the entirety of the human race, in its pursuit of life outside of Christ, is based on a lie.

The sins listed in Verse 2 are the reason that Absalom rebelled against his father; the Scribes and the Pharisees rebelled against Christ; and all men rebel against God.”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“and when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus said unto Him, They have no wine. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His Glory; and His Disciples believed on Him (Jn. 2:3, 11).

The First Miracle that Jesus performed in His earthly Ministry was the changing of water to wine in the little village of Cana of Galilee. Why did the Holy Spirit want this, the changing of the water to wine, to be His very First Miracle?

From the description, this family evidently was poor. If they had not been poor, they would not have run out of wine. Incidentally, this was not an intoxicating beverage, but rather grape juice. The Greek word used here for wine is “oinos,” which means either fermented or unfermented wine. This was the unfermented variety.

The Holy Spirit desired this to be the First Miracle of Christ in order that all may know and understand that Jesus can change things. He can change sorrow to happiness, sickness to health, sin to Salvation, death to life. That is His Business, to change things, and, above all, to change men, which He Alone can do!

Four hundred and fifty years had now elapsed since the last public miracle of the Old Testament. It was that of Daniel, Chapter 6. As an aside, many point to this incident in support of the doctrine of the value of the intercession of the Virgin, for Mary went to Christ and told Him of the depletion of the wine. But the answer of Christ given to her, “What have I to do with you,” destroys that hypothesis. The answer to His question is “Nothing.”

In every instance, the contrast is between the carnal nature, which is sinful, and the Holy Spirit. The Spiritual Kingdom has no contact with the carnal. There is an impassable abyss between them. There could, therefore, be no union between the sinless nature of Christ and the sinful nature of Mary. Nor could He admit her authority. This is declared in the words, “My hour is not yet come.” That is, “the moment for Me to act will be revealed by My Father, and His Voice is the only one to which I hearken.”

Mary, to her credit, recognized her error, stepped at once aside from between these needy people and the Almighty Giver of every good and perfect gift, telling the servants to turn from her to Him. When she was out of the way, He spoke directly to them, and, in a moment, the water was wine!

We learn from this First Miracle that Jesus can change things — anything! We also learn that we are to appeal directly to Him, and not to an intermediary.”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto Him, Rabbi, we know that You are a Teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that You do, except God be with Him (Jn. 3:1-2).

We learn from this Chapter that entrance into the human family is by natural birth and into the Divine Family by Spiritual Birth. As it is impossible to enter the human family except by birth, so is it impossible to enter the Divine Family. This is the great Doctrine of this Chapter.

Nicodemus was an important man in Israel. Not only was he rich, but he also was a member of the vaunted Sanhedrin, the ruling body of Israel. Jesus ignored the statement made to Him by Nicodemus, promptly telling him, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (3:3).

Jesus then told Nicodemus how the Born-Again experience is brought about. He said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: That whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have Eternal Life” (3:14-15).

Man demands a reasonable faith, based on evidence and scientific demonstration. The way of life preached to Nicodemus must, therefore, be unacceptable to them, for how could looking at a piece of copper heal disease, i.e., the serpent being lifted up on the pole in the wilderness? (Num. 21:9). Copper contains no healing properties discoverable by science. Therefore, how could a look to the Saviour on Calvary’s Tree effect a New Birth? Both are impossible to the fallen intelligence of sinful man.

Christ at once raised the moral question with Nicodemus. He immediately stopped a religious discussion by telling this most religious man and professed Believer that he was so sinful, so hopelessly corrupt and fallen, as to be incapable of reformation, so darkened morally that he could neither recognize nor experience spiritual phenomena unless born from above. This fundamental truth is obnoxious to man, for it humbles him.

In this discussion, the Lord unveiled what man really is. He is a sinner, having responsibility, but no life. He is lost; he must seek life and pardon outside of himself, that is, in Christ, Who meets his failure in responsibility and gives him Eternal Life.

Unfortunately, the modern Church, borrowing the ways of the world, seeks to reform man. It cannot be done! While the message of morality, i.e., “self-improvement,” sounds good to the carnal ear, and thereby appeals to the flesh, such is impossible, even for a Believer.

In all of this, by noting the lifted up serpent in the wilderness, Jesus leads Nicodemus, and all others, for that matter, to the Cross. The problem, whether for the unredeemed or the redeemed, is sin. The only answer for sin, as evidenced here, is the Cross. Fallen man must be miraculously changed, which can only come about through the Born-Again experience. The Cross made that possible. The Believer must be cleaned up! This can only be done by Faith in Christ and the Cross. As the Cross is the only answer for the unredeemed, it is also the only answer for the redeemed, as evidenced in this Chapter.

Incidentally, Nicodemus, despite being very religious, was unsaved. It would take the Cross to change that (Jn. 19:38-42).”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again: For whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into Everlasting Life (Jn. 4:13-14).

This scene at Jacob’s well is one of the most amazing in human history. The dread Judge of the quick and the dead and one of the vilest of sinners are met together. But He is there not to condemn her, but to seek and to save her. The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, was sitting, weary and thirsty, by a well, but had no means even to quench His thirst. He, as Man, was dependent on an outcast woman for a little water.

His Grace and Love, rejected by Israel, now pour out their fullness upon an impure Samaritan — for Love is pained unless enabled to act. The floodgates of Grace lifted themselves up to bless the misery which Love pitied. Man’s heart, withered with self-righteousness, cannot understand this. Thus, sinners respond to the Grace which Pharisees proudly refuse; for Grace flows in the deep channels dug by sin and misery.

These two isolated hearts met — His, isolated by Holiness, for He was separate from sinners; hers, by sin, for she was separate from society — and this encounter of Holiness and sinfulness resulted in the Salvation of the sinner, for Jesus is “the Saviour.”

Apparently ashamed to come with the other women in the cool of the morning to draw water, she was obliged to come alone in the burning heat of the noonday sun. As with Nicodemus, so with the Samaritan, the Lord hastened to raise the question of sin in the conscience. Nicodemus was highly moral and the Samaritan, grossly immoral; yet was there no difference between them. Both were sinners needing cleansing and Salvation. But how different was the Lord’s method with each of them! The moralist was at once met with the abrupt word, “You must be born again,” but to the sinner, and One Who knew she was a sinner, He said, “Give Me to drink”!

A profession of faith in Christ which ignores the question of sin, the Holiness of God, the spirituality of worship as distinct from sacerdotal ceremonies, the need of pardon, and the condition of trust in an atoning and revealed Saviour — such a profession is worthless.

We learn from all of this that the Holy Spirit seeks people (16:13-15); the Father seeks worshippers (4:23); and the Son seeks sinners (Lk. 19:10).

Jesus did not pointedly reveal Himself to Nicodemus, but He did reveal Himself to this Samaritan woman.

Why not Nicodemus?

The sinner, exampled by the woman, accepts such, but self-righteousness, exampled by Nicodemus, could never accept such! Merit, in the one case, did not admit into Eternal Life, and demerit, in the other, did not exclude from it.

When Jesus, concerning the Messiah, said to the woman, “I am He!” — she was then saved by that Revelation (Mat. 11:27); for intelligence in Divine things comes by conscience and revelation and not by intellect.

Upon accepting Christ, “The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and said to the men (religious leaders of the city), Come, see a Man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” (4:28-29). This woman, who had been married five times, thus became the first Preacher of the Gospel to the Gentiles. So effective was her preaching that it caused a Revival. She became a vessel to receive and then to minister the gift of life.

And so can all who make Jesus the Saviour and the Lord of their lives."

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”:
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“the nobleman said unto Him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus said unto him, Go your way; your son lives. And the man believed the Word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way (Jn. 4:49-50).

Someone has well said, “Desperation always precedes revelation.” More than likely, that is more true than not. This individual was a “nobleman,” which means that he was wealthy; however, his wealth didn’t stop the difficulties of life, such as the near death of his son.

Living in Capernaum, actually the Headquarters of Jesus, he heard that Jesus would be in Cana, which was approximately 10 miles west. So he went to Jesus and “besought Him that He would come down, and heal His son: for he was at the point of death.”

The Holy Spirit evidently informed Christ as to the thinking of this man, for Jesus said unto him, “Except you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The Lord’s seemingly rough answer to the nobleman’s request, similar to that addressed to Nicodemus, was designed to test and deepen his faith; for Jesus knew his heart, its unbelief, and its demand for signs and wonders. Strengthened by this rebuke, the cry of anguish burst from him: “Lord, come down ere my child die!”

Jesus simply said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” That was it!

So the man had a choice. He could believe the Word of the Lord, or not believe it.

That’s all that he had, the “Word” given him. One can well imagine the consternation that filled his heart. According to what Jesus had said to him, he may have thought that Jesus would come with him to Capernaum. After all, he was a very wealthy man. Or, there would be some type of demonstration that instantly would make obvious the great Power of Christ. He had, however, only the simple word, “Go your way; your son lives.”

To be frank, that is enough! That is what every single person in this world has, the Word of the Saviour, i.e., “The Word of God.” Do we believe it, or do we not believe it?

Evidently, the nobleman believed. He probably had to stay the night in Cana, departing the next morning to go back to Capernaum. What would he find when he arrived home? It seems his servants were some distance on the road toward Cana, awaiting his coming. For they met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives,” actually, the identical words that had been used by Christ.

What joy must have filled this man’s heart! He asked his servants about the exact time the boy began to get better. They replied, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” That was the same hour that Jesus had pronounced the boy’s healing. His Word as enough!

The Scripture says that the nobleman believed, as well as the entirety of his house, which, of course, meant the entire family. This man had the “Word” of the Lord, and he found that it was enough. Today, we have the Word of the Lord. And I, as well as millions of others, can assure you, “That is enough!”’

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“after this there was a Feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water (Jn. 5:1-3).

The Sabbath, the Passover, and the Feast of Tabernacles, as forms and witnesses, were fulfilled when Christ, Who ordained them, appeared. Man had degraded them so that they became merely “Feasts of the Jews”; their impotency to give life is contrasted here with Him Who is Life. Sadly and regrettably, men cling to forms and festivals all the more strongly when lacking the life which these forms and festivals symbolized under the First Covenant of works; they used these forms to fight against Him of Whom the forms witnessed.

We will find that the healing of the impotent man contrasts the quickening Power of Christ with the powerlessness of the Law. It demanded strength on the part of the sinner in order to obtain the life it promised. But man is without strength (Rom. 5:6). So what the Law could not do because of the weakness of that upon which, and through which, it was to act, i.e., the carnal nature of man, Christ, as sent by God, effected, for He brought with Him the power to accomplish that which Grace willed. A single word from Him sufficed.

Jesus asked the man, “Will you be made whole?”

That is, in effect, the same question that the Lord is asking all. Man is undone, impotent, wandering as a lost sheep, all because of sin. So, down through the ages comes the cry, just as potent today as it was then: “Will you be made whole?”

And yet, it is so hard for men to believe.

The man answered Christ, saying, “Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool.”

In those words, we have the plight of the entirety of the human race. They are looking to other men, but the other men to whom they are looking are just as impotent as they are. While some men definitely may have this world’s riches, still, that which man really needs cannot be supplied by man. If we look to man, we always will be disappointed.

Jesus said to the man, “Rise, take up your bed, and walk.” This man had been sick for 38 years, the same period of time that Israel spent in the wilderness. All of this time, the impotent man vainly sought life in the Pool of Bethesda, just as Israel had vainly sought life in the Law. In both cases, strength was required on the part of the person who sought what was promised, but they found that they could not receive.

Upon the Word of Christ, “immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked.” What a day that was for him! He was a picture of helpless humanity, unable to help himself, and finding no one who could help him.

But Jesus came. . .!

The man not only now could walk, he also carried his bed, that which once had carried him. More still, it was sin that had caused the sickness in the first place. To be sure, sin is the cause of all problems. So Jesus told him, “Behold, you are made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (Jn. 5:14).

While we should relish that which the Lord did, and rejoice thereby, still, we must also not fail to take in the lesson that continued sinning brings continued judgment.”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His Blood, you have no life in you. Whoso eats My flesh, and drinks My Blood, has Eternal Life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My Blood is drink indeed. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you Twelve, and one of you is a Devil? He spoke of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was who should betray Him, being one of the Twelve (Jn. 6:53-55, 70-71).

The question is often asked, “Why did Judas do what he did?” How could he have been personally chosen by Christ, walk with Him for some three and a half years, witness the greatest array of miracles the world had ever known, and then betray the Master? The answer is found in the last half of this Sixth Chapter of the Gospel of John.

Judas did not appreciate the Message of the Cross, for that’s what the Message here was. Judas, in fact, totally rejected God’s Redemption Plan, which was the Cross of Calvary.

When Jesus spoke about “eating His flesh” and “drinking His Blood,” He was speaking of the Cross, i.e., the Sacrifice He would make there. He would offer up His Perfect Body as an Atonement for sin, thereby, in the giving of His Life, pour out His Precious Blood. This was the price that God demanded, and this was the price that Jesus would pay.

In this Message, more particularly Verses 53 through 56, Jesus proclaims the fact that the believing sinner must so embrace the Cross of Christ, that is, what Jesus did there, that he, in essence, and by Faith, becomes a part of Christ and what Christ did. It could be explained no better than Jesus, when He said, “He who eats My flesh, and drinks My Blood, dwells in Me, and I in Him” (6:56).

Whether Judas that day totally understood what Jesus meant, we cannot know; however, he most definitely came to understand what Jesus meant, and he fully rejected it. That’s why Judas betrayed the Lord! He did not want the Cross, nor any part of the Cross, just as millions presently follow the same path.

Regrettably and sadly, the far greater majority in the modern Church have also rejected the Cross. As Cain of old, they see no need for a Sacrifice. They are willing to accept Jesus as a great Prophet, a great Statesman, even a great Miracle Worker, but the Cross? No!

However, the following should be noted:

1. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:6).
2. The only way to Jesus Christ is through the Cross (Lk. 9:23).
3. The only way to the Cross is by and through a denial of self (Lk. 9:23).
4. The only way to deny self is by looking to Christ and the Cross (Rom. 6:3-5).”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”
Donnie Swaggart