THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS
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A pastor was very proud of his new "loose-leaf" Bible. He decided to use it as he began preaching his new series from Genesis.
On the second week of his series, he was reading his text. "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, ......"
As the pastor turned the page, he looked a little puzzled for a few seconds. Then he said, "Hmmm - it looks like a LEAF is missing..."
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Matt 22:23-29
23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:
26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
27 And last of all the woman died also.
28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
(KJV)
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I guess lots of people have "loose-leaf" Bibles. They seem to extract pages that contain information they don't want to believe, and add pages they do want to believe.
The Sadducees were a group of people that didn't believe in the final resurrection. Now, they claimed to believe in God; but they didn't want to believe that God would ultimately raise all people for judgment and eternal disposition. They didn't WANT to believe in an eternal hell, so they COULDN'T believe in an eternal heaven. The question might be raised, "How could they believe in an eternal GOD?"
I guess they were "LOOSE-LEAF" Christians.
Today, some 2000 years later, we still have the same problem. People claim to believe in God, but sometimes the same people say they:
don't believe that homosexuality is an "abomination" to God,
don't believe marriage is for only "a man and a woman,"
don't believe that gambling is sin,
don't believe that abortion is murder,
don't believe that Christians are expected to grow and mature in faith and action,
and I could go on and on.
But someone might say I'd quit preachin' and gone to meddlin'.
Jesus said that the "err" was in "not knowing the SCRIPTURES or the POWER of God" (Verse 29 above). God's WORD displays His POWER. It is by God's WORD that He created the universe. It is by God's WORD that the universe is sustained even today.
And it is by God's WORD that men shall be judged and their eternal disposition decided. It is by the written Word of God that we find condemnation for our sin. And it is also by the written Word of God that we find salvation from our condemnation!
Christ, the LIVING WORD of God, referrred to the written Word of God for the basis of living. Shall we not follow His leadership?
Let us not be LOOSE-LEAF Christians!
Love ya,
Bruce