Word of Grace Studies Podcast

Word of Grace Studies

Word of Grace Studies

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Word of Grace Studies is a church in Monroe, WA, dedicated to changing the lives of believers through equipping them to live out who they are in Christ by edifying the body of the Christ (the Church). sermons.wordofgracestudies.org

1d ago

Why Jesus Came | Kingdom of the Heavens vs Kingdom of God

Continuing in the book of Matthew, the distinctions between the Kingdom of the Heavens and the Kingdom of God are essential to avoid confusion. The book of John focuses predominantly on the Kingdom of God and contains seven signs that point to aspects of salvation, beginning with turning water to wine by His word alone, illustrating that salvation comes by His word. The Kingdom of the Heavens is the realm where Israel is in the land and Christ is visibly ruling over the earth—the kingdom promised specifically to them. After John the Baptist was put into prison, Jesus began to proclaim the Kingdom of the Heavens, as recorded in Matthew 4:17. Prior to this He was already preaching the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God focuses on all saved people, while the Kingdom of the Heavens is specifically for Israel as the nation that is blessed through it. Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of the Heavens was restricted to the Jews. He stated that He was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). His ministry relating to the Kingdom of God was not restricted and involved Gentiles at times. When He sent the disciples, He restricted them to Israel when the message was the Kingdom of the Heavens, but He did not restrict them when the message was the Kingdom of God (Mark 6:6–11; Luke 9:1–6). During His earthly ministry He proclaimed two distinct messages, seen in signs, wonders, and miracles. Acts 2:22 records that Jesus of Nazareth was attested by God to Israel by miracles (inherent abilities), wonders, and signs. His miracles and wonders manifested His right to be king and focused on Israel. The signs showed His deity, often through healing, and were also directed to Israel. The purposes of Christ’s ministry include revealing God to man. No one has ever discerned God at any time; the only begotten (one-of-a-kind) Son who is in the bosom of the Father declares Him (John 1:18). God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by a Son, the brightness of His glory and the express image (character) of His person (Hebrews 1:1–3). He came to display His love for the Father. The Father loves Him because He lays down His life that He may take it up again; no one takes it from Him, but He lays it down of Himself, having received this commandment from the Father (John 10:17–18). He came to bring an end to the Mosaic Law by nailing it to His cross. A covenant cannot be broken unless the one who made it dies; God the Son made the covenant of Law with Israel and therefore had to die to end it. He did not come to destroy (loose or release) the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill (fill up where something is lacking) them. Until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or tittle will pass from the Law until all is fulfilled (Matthew 5:17–18). In His flesh He abolished the enmity that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from Jew and Gentile, thus making peace (Ephesians 2:14–15). He came to judge the meaningless traditions of religious practices, especially those of the Pharisees who manipulated the Law according to the traditions of the fathers. For judgment He came into the world that those who do not see may see and that those who see may become blind; those who claim to see remain in their sin (John 9:39–41). He came to divide disciples from their families. He did not come to bring peace on earth but a sword, setting a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, so that a man’s enemies are those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Him is not worthy of Him, and he who does not take up his cross and follow after Him is not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:34–37). Taking up the cross related to Jews who believed He was the Messiah and therefore had to follow Him, potentially losing family relationships; it does not apply to the Church, for Christ bore the cross and the Church cannot literally follow Him in the same manner. He came to learn obedience through the things He suffered in His human nature so that He could serve as a faithful high priest (Hebrews 5:8). Being in the form of God, He did not consider it robbery to be equal with the Father but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men; being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:5–8). Having suffered being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted (Hebrews 2:18). He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He came to witness the truth, specifically the freedom from the sin nature (John 18:37). You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. The one who characterizes committing sin is a slave to the sin (the sin nature). A slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides into the age. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:32–36). He is the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). He came to offer the Kingdom to Israel, beginning to herald with authority, “Change your mind, for the Kingdom of the Heavens is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). He came to speak the words of the Father. If anyone hears His words and does not believe, He does not judge him, for He did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects Him and does not receive His words has that which judges him—the word which He has spoken will judge him in the last days—because He has not spoken of His own but the Father who sent Him gave Him the command what He should say and what He should speak (John 12:47–49). He came to prove that He is deity through His sign miracles. The beginning of signs He did in Cana of Galilee manifested His glory (John 2:11). These signs are written that one may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing one may have life in His name (John 20:30–31). He came to give His life a ransom for the many; the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for the many (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45). He came to fulfill the commandments of the Father by laying down His life and taking it up again (John 10:17–18). He came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). He came to bring eternal life, which is God’s quality of life, not everlasting existence (all humans possess everlasting life; the question is whether one lives eternity with God or separated from God). God loved the world in this way, that He gave His one-of-a-kind unique Son, that all the ones believing in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). He came to destroy (loose or release) the works of the devil; the Son of God was manifested for this purpose (1 John 3:8). These distinctions clarify why Christ came. Some purposes relate to the Kingdom of God and salvation for all; others relate to the Kingdom of the Heavens and Israel. As the teaching moves into the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is proclaiming the Kingdom of the Heavens, so the information given relates directly to Israel and is not to be misapplied to the Church. After Israel’s rejection of the Messiah the focus shifts. The Millennial Kingdom could have begun if Israel had accepted their Messiah (the Tribulation period, already prophesied, would still have occurred and Christ would have returned seven years later to set up the Kingdom), but He is now performing the work of grace until that work is complete; then He will return and fulfill the promise. Thanks for reading Word of Grace Studies! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sermons.wordofgracestudies.org
1d ago

Love One Another: 1 John 3:11-18 Not as Cain

Pastor Billy Myron continues in 1 John chapter 3, focusing on love. He reads 1 John 3:4–18: whoever commits sin also does lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness. Christ was manifested to take away sins and in Him is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin; whoever sins has not seen or known Him. Do not be deceived: he who does righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. The one doing sin is of the devil, for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever is born of God does not do sin because His seed abides in him and he is not able to sin because he is born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: whoever does not do righteousness is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother. This is the message heard from the beginning that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and slew his brother because his own works were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not marvel if the world hates you. We know we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren; he who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We perceive the love of God because He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Whoever has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need and shuts up his compassion from him, how does the love of God dwell in him? Little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Love is part of the fruit of the Spirit and is not something human beings generate on their own or manifest while carnal. In Galatians 5, believers are called to liberty; do not use liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but through love serve one another. All the law is fulfilled in loving your neighbor as yourself. Walk by the Spirit and you will not fulfill the desire of the flesh. Being filled by the Spirit enables the fruit of the Spirit, including love. Hating a brother means not caring what happens to that person. In 1 John 2:9–11, he who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness; he who loves his brother abides in the light. In 1 John 4:20, if a man says I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? Warnings against not loving indicate it is possible for Christians; the new commandment does not happen automatically and requires being spiritual and taking it seriously. Examples of not walking according to love include Romans 14, where differences over eating all things or herbs and esteeming days must not lead to despising or judging one another, for God has received him. If a brother is grieved with your food, you do not walk in love. Eating must be from faith; whatever is not from faith is sin. In James 2, partiality favoring the rich over the poor is sin. If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food and one says depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but does not give the necessary things, what does it profit? Faith produces works and is not dead being alone. In Ephesians 4:14–16, speaking the truth in love, the body is fitly joined together and builds itself up in love. Loving one another relates to knowing we have passed from death to life, perceiving the love of God, knowing we are of the truth and assuring our hearts, and having confidence toward God while keeping His commandments to believe on the name of His Son and love one another. Thanks for reading Word of Grace Studies! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sermons.wordofgracestudies.org
4d ago

Armor of God: Feet Shod with the Gospel, Shield of Faith, Helmet of Salvation

Pastor Billy Myron continues the Christian Life series addressing Satan’s attacks, focusing on the armor of God in Ephesians 6. The passage is reviewed: be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might; put on the whole armor of God to stand against the wiles of the devil; wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies; take the whole armor to withstand in the evil day and, having done all, to stand. Stand therefore having loins girt with truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching with perseverance for all saints. Previous teaching covered the belt of truth (seeing things as they really are, not being deceived) and the breastplate of righteousness (righteousness in Christ, not self-generated). Tonight covers the next three pieces: shoes, shield, and helmet. Feet are shod with the preparation or readiness of the gospel of peace. This is not merely the shoes of the gospel of peace but of its preparation. The gospel is declared in 1 Corinthians 15: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and was seen by witnesses including Cephas and the Twelve. This is the gospel through which believers are saved if they keep in mind what was preached. Dangers exist of another Jesus, a different spirit, or a different gospel (2 Corinthians 11:4). In Galatians 1:6–9, some are removed from the grace of Christ unto a different gospel, which is not another of the same kind; if any preach any other gospel, let him be accursed. The Galatians struggled with law and failed to understand what Christ accomplished and their changed relationship to law. Accuracy matters: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose the third day. The gospel involves peace. In Ephesians 2:11–18, Gentiles in the flesh were once without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God. Now in Christ Jesus those far off are made near by the blood of Christ. He is our peace, having made both one and broken down the middle wall of partition, abolishing in His flesh the enmity (the law of commandments and ordinances) to make in Himself of two one new man, so making peace. He reconciles both to God in one body, having killed the enmity, and gospelized peace to those far off and those near. Through Him both have access by one Spirit to the Father; believers are no longer strangers but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. In Romans 10:11–15, whoever believes will not be ashamed; there is no difference between Jew and Gentile; the same Lord is rich to all who call upon Him; whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How shall they call without believing, believe without hearing, hear without a preacher, or preach unless sent? How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings. In Romans 5:1, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This piece counters spiritual cowardice: situations may arise where one is led to give the gospel, yet fear of reception or others laughing leads to missing the opportunity and privilege of sharing. All should be ready. Put on the whole armor of God, including this piece, not only when a situation seems to require it. Walking is difficult without shoes; these are necessary for giving the gospel and dealing with attacks. Do not reserve preparation only after realizing a need; the whole armor works together. The shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16) enables quenching all the fiery darts of the wicked one. In 2 Corinthians 5:6–8, while at home in the body we are absent from the Lord; we walk by faith, not by sight, and are willing to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. In Romans 14:13–23, do not judge or put a stumbling block; nothing is unclean of itself, but to the one who reckons it unclean it is unclean. Do not destroy with food one for whom Christ died. Have faith to oneself before God; the one doubting is judged if he eats because he does not eat from faith, for whatever is not from faith is sin. Doubt (not being convinced something is right, yet doing it anyway) is sin. Satan attacks with doubt applied to many areas of mind and attitude. Christians act out of faith and do not do what they do not believe is right. Growth may be needed where prior teaching conflicts with Scripture (nothing unclean of itself; Christians not under Mosaic law), yet act from faith. Satan uses circumstances as fiery darts to induce doubt about what is proper. In 1 Thessalonians 3, Paul, having left Thessalonica amid beginning persecution and receiving no word, sent Timothy to establish and comfort concerning faith lest the tempter have tempted them and labor be in vain. He had foretold tribulation. Timothy brought a good report of their faith and love. Job illustrates extreme circumstances used by Satan. The shield counters doubt and fiery darts; faith is part of the fruit of the Spirit. James 1:2–3 says count it all joy when falling into various temptations (testing with intent to trip), knowing the testing (for approval) of faith works patience. Victory, not failure, produces endurance. The shield is large, providing coverage over other pieces. The armor works together as a whole; five of six leaves openings Satan will exploit. Put on the entire armor. The helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17) reminds of the security of salvation. Romans 4:23–25 addresses imputation of righteousness; Christ was raised because of our justification (same root as righteous; we are righteousified). Resurrection is essential to the gospel; if Christ is not raised, we are still dead in our sins (1 Corinthians 15). Romans 5:1–5 and 10 state that being justified by faith we have peace with God, access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God; we glory in tribulations knowing tribulation works patience, experience, and hope, which does not make ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad by the Holy Spirit. If when enemies we were reconciled by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled we shall be saved by His life. In Revelation 12:7–10, war in heaven results in the dragon (old serpent, devil, Satan, deceiver of the whole world) and his angels being cast out; a voice declares salvation, strength, the kingdom of God, and the power of His Christ, for the accuser of the brethren is cast down who accused them day and night. This differs in dispensation yet illustrates accusation (as with Job, who was pointed out for righteousness yet undermined). Hebrews 7:24–28 shows Christ continues forever with an unchangeable priesthood, able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession. He is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, higher than the heavens, and offered Himself once. Salvation is guaranteed; nothing anyone does can change it. It is past (we have been saved), present (ability for victory in the Christian life addressed in this series), and future (guaranteed). Satan would have believers doubt past salvation, present ability, or God’s provision and plan. Mentally putting on these truths counters his attacks. God plans believers to be with Him forever and continually provides means for present-tense salvation. First Thessalonians 5:8 presents a different breastplate of faith and love and helmet of the hope of salvation in the context of living soberly as children of the day, watching for the Lord’s return, not specifically the armor against Satanic attack. Believers are … This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sermons.wordofgracestudies.org
4d ago

Revelation 11: Two Witnesses & Great White Throne

The teaching continues from the two witnesses in Revelation 11, identified as two olive trees and two lampstands in connection with Zechariah 4. They are two Jews: Elijah, as stated in Malachi, and a modern-day Jew. Claims that the apostle John is one of the witnesses, based on John 21:22, are rejected. Jesus did not say John would not die; the saying that circulated among the brethren was incorrect, and Scripture itself clarifies the point. There is no promise of living into the age without death. The witnesses possess authority. If anyone desirously wills to harm them, they can cause such people to be destroyed by fire coming from their mouths, which signifies authority. They can shut the heavens and strike the entire earth with plagues for as long and as many as they desire. When their ministry is finished, the beast that came out of the abyss—after his resuscitation—kills them. Their bodies lie in the street of the city spiritually called Sodom and Egypt for three and a half days. People from every tribe, tongue, and nation see the bodies, refuse burial, and rejoice. After three and a half days the Spirit of life, that is the Holy Spirit, enters them and they stand. A great earthquake destroys a tenth of the city and kills seven thousand people as the witnesses ascend. This occurs near the end of the Tribulation, just before Christ returns. The narrative then jumps forward. The seventh trumpet sounds at the end of the Millennial Kingdom. The kingdoms of the world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign into the ages of the ages. The twenty-four elders, representing the Church, worship, giving thanks to the Lord God Almighty who has taken His great inherent ability and has reigned. The nations were angry (past tense) and the wrath has come. This places the scene between the end of the Millennial Kingdom, the destruction of the present universe, the Great White Throne, and the new heavens and new earth. Revelation 11:18 speaks of the time of the dead that they should be judged. The dead are the spiritually dead, the unpersuaded—those who were given opportunity or evidence yet did not believe. Creation itself reveals the Creator (Romans 1). They are judged according to their works, not their sins. Christ sent sins away; He did not merely cover them. The Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11–12) is therefore judgment, not a manifestation of wrath. The dead stand before God, indicating they possess some form of life; all humans are resurrected, some unto life and others unto destruction. This is the second resurrection. There is no place for the present earth and heavens. Hades functions as a temporary holding place (like a local jail); the lake of fire is the permanent destination. No believers remain in Hades. At the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom the sheep-and-goat judgment (Matthew 25:31–46) ensures that only those who belong to Christ enter the kingdom; unbelievers do not. During the Millennium, judgment for scandal or trespass is immediate and results in casting into Gehenna (the lake of fire). Those judged in the Millennium are not later resurrected for the Great White Throne. Christians are not appointed to wrath. Present judgment is child-training (1 Corinthians 11:32). Mature love casts out fear of judgment (1 John). The Church is already resurrected, presented pure and blameless, and seated with Christ, actively engaged in priestly service as seen in the twenty-four elders of Revelation 4–5. The Church will even judge angels. At the Bema seat (1 Corinthians 3:12–15) works are tested by fire for approval; enduring works receive reward, while those burned up result in loss of reward, yet the person is saved. Self-effort works have no value. The focus is on building according to God’s desirous will. The rewards mentioned in Revelation 11:18 for servants, prophets, and saints refer to Millennial Kingdom prophets and saints. The Church has already been judged and is reigning. Tribulation saints are resurrected and rewarded at the start of the Millennium (Revelation 20:4). Pre-Church saints are also resurrected at the beginning of the Millennium. Only Millennial Kingdom saints remain to be rewarded at this point. Joel 2:28–31 speaks of the Spirit poured out on all flesh after the people of Israel are no longer put to shame, which occurs once the saved of Israel are in the Millennium following the sheep-and-goat judgment. Sons and daughters prophesy, old men dream dreams, and young men see visions. This is not restricted to the Tribulation. The Church alone has the unique relationship of the Holy Spirit indwelling each member, teaching how to abide in Christ. Before the Dispensation of Grace and after it, saints do not have this indwelling; they require prophets. In the Millennium the Spirit is poured out (anointing), not indwelling. The word “saint” (hagios) means holy one, one set apart to God; it is not restricted to Christians. There have been and will be saints in other dispensations. Millennial saints fear the Lord and thereby obtain wisdom; the Church obtains wisdom by asking (James) and has no fear of judgment because of mature love. These rewards relate to eternity and the new earth. The promise that Abraham would be heir of the world (Romans 4:13) is through the righteousness of faith, not the law. Genesis 15 gave the specific land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates; Genesis 17 establishes an everlasting (age-long) covenant to be God to Abraham and his descendants, relating to the new heavens and new earth—the land of the merchants, a description of the earth itself. Specific details of the rewards are not given. “Those who destroyed the earth” refers to the nations that rise against Jerusalem at the end of the Millennium (Revelation 20:7–10). Satan is released, deceives the nations (Gog and Magog), and surrounds the camp of the saints and the beloved city. Fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them. Only their bodies are destroyed; they are judged at the Great White Throne. This differs from Millennial judgment, in which the unsaved are cast alive into the lake of fire (Gehenna). The beast and false prophet are also cast into the lake of fire alive. The seventh trumpet sounds at this final manifestation of wrath. Revelation 11:19 belongs with chapter 12. The teaching has moved to the edge of eternity; chapter 12 returns to supply further details. The Temple of God is opened in heaven and the ark of His covenant is seen, indicating that God is again dealing with the nation of Israel. Thanks for reading Word of Grace Studies! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sermons.wordofgracestudies.org
Oct 25

Kingdom of the Heavens vs Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of the Heavens is the royal reign of the heavens over the kingdoms of men through the watchers, while the Kingdom of God is the sphere of authority God personally wields relating to the saved and unfallen spirit beings in every dispensation. Jesus first proclaimed the Kingdom of God before beginning to proclaim the Kingdom of the Heavens after John was imprisoned. Pastor Luther Walker reviews the immersion of Jesus in Matthew 3:13–17. Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to be immersed by John so that all righteousness is fulfilled, setting Him apart for the three years of ministry to Israel. After the immersion He is tempted in the wilderness for forty days and nights. He begins to proclaim the Kingdom of the Heavens in Matthew 4:12 once He hears that John has been put in prison. John had carried that message; Jesus had begun with the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of the Heavens is the royal reign from the heavens over the earth and the final judge regarding man and the kingdoms of men. Daniel 4:17 and 4:26 show this with Nebuchadnezzar: the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He wills by the decree of the watchers. The watchers are angels given duty over the kingdoms of men—both holy unfallen ones and fallen ones. 1 Kings 22:19–23 records a lying spirit sent into the mouths of prophets, and 1 Samuel 16:14 records a distressing spirit sent upon Saul after the kingdom is taken from him. The heavens, not human desire, determine who occupies the thrones of men. The Kingdom of God is the sphere of authority God personally wields in relation to salvation for the saved and for unfallen spirit beings across all dispensations. Psalm 103:17–22 presents the mercy of the Lord from age to age, His throne established in the heavens, and His kingdom ruling over the earth, with angels and hosts blessing Him. Salvation is by faith in every dispensation: Abraham was saved because he believed God concerning the seed as the stars; today one is saved by believing that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. The content of the promise differs; the manner of taking God at His word remains the same. Jesus therefore proclaimed the Kingdom of God before He proclaimed the Kingdom of the Heavens. The Gospel of John focuses primarily on the Kingdom of God. In John 3:3 Jesus tells Nicodemus that unless one is born from above he cannot discern the Kingdom of God. The same word anōthen appears in John 3:31 and is correctly rendered “from above.” What Gentiles now possess in Christ was first offered to Israel; it is received because Israel rejected it. Signs are for the Jews (1 Corinthians 1:22). Romans 9:4–5 lists the placement of sons, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, the promises, the fathers, and Christ according to the flesh as pertaining first to the Israelites. Seven signs in John point to aspects of the salvation that arrives in the Dispensation of Grace: * John 2:11, water turned to wine by a simple utterance, points to salvation coming by the word of God (Romans 10:17). * John 4:54, the nobleman’s son healed at a distance when the man believed the word spoken, points to salvation by faith—taking God at His word (Romans 3:21–22; Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 11:1). * John 5:1–15, the paralyzed man at the Sheep Gate healed without knowing who healed him, points to salvation by grace, a benefit given without regard to merit (Ephesians 2:8). * John 6, the feeding of the five thousand with a lad’s small meal, points to God using a human as the agency by which the gospel reaches others in this dispensation (1 Corinthians 1:17). * John 6:16–21, the disciples struggling in the storm until Jesus steps into the boat and they are immediately at land, points to being kept by the inherent ability of God (1 Peter 1:5). * John 9:1–41, the man born blind receiving sight, points to spiritual sight that is not possessed by natural birth (Ephesians 1:18). * The raising of Lazarus points to life that is not possessed by natural birth—being born from above by the Spirit after the resurrection (John 3:3; Titus 3:5; 1 John 3:2). After John’s imprisonment, Jesus begins to proclaim in Matthew 4:17: change your mind, for the Kingdom of the Heavens is at hand. Thanks for reading Word of Grace Studies! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sermons.wordofgracestudies.org
Oct 25

Born of God: Regeneration & Why the World Hates You

Continuing in 1 John chapter 3, the previous focus was verses 4–10 concerning sin. The passage does not teach that believers never sin. It distinguishes between one who continually practices sin and one who, once saved, has something working against that pattern. Present tenses describe ongoing, characteristic action. The one abiding in Him is not sinning. Whoever is sinning has not seen Him nor known Him, the perfect tense indicating a past event whose result does not continue into the present. The one doing righteousness is righteous even as He is righteous. The one doing sin is of the devil, for the devil sins from the beginning. The Son of God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil. Whoever is born of God does not commit sin, for His seed remains in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: whoever is not doing righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. The structure of 1 John is cyclical. Topics are revisited and expanded. The focus moves to being born of God and regeneration, together with what is said about the world. Six occurrences of being born of God appear in 1 John. In 2:29, everyone doing righteousness is born of Him (the Father). In 3:9, everyone born of God is not doing sin because His seed abides in him and he is not able to sin because he has been born of God. In 4:7, everyone who is loving is born of God and knows God. In 5:1, whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. In 5:4, whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world—our faith. In 5:18, whoever is born of God is not sinning; he who is begotten of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. These realities—righteousness, love, faith, and the inability to continue indefinitely in sin—come from God and are not self-generated. In John 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that unless one is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God. Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. This is a new concept for Israel. Titus 3:5 states that God saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. The Father is the one who saved according to His mercy. First Peter 1:3 declares that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to His abundant mercy, has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. First Peter 1:23 states that believers have been born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever. Second Peter 1:4 speaks of becoming partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Regeneration is essential for entering the kingdom of God and produces these effects. The message heard from the beginning is that we should love one another, not as Cain, who was of the wicked one and slew his brother. Cain killed Abel because his own works were evil and his brother’s were righteous. Marvel not if the world hates you. John 3:19–20 states that light has come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their works were evil. Everyone doing evil hates the light and does not come to the light lest his deeds be reproved. The world does not agree with God about right and wrong and does not desire to do so. Its standards change, yet the underlying opposition remains. Luke 11:47–51 records that the blood of all the prophets, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, shed from the foundation of the world, will be required of that generation. After Cain killed Abel, God sentenced him to wander, yet he founded a city, the opposite of wandering, and organized society began to coalesce around that. First John 5:19 states that the whole world reposes in the wicked one. A friend of the world constitutes himself an enemy of God. John 15:18–19 states that if the world hates you, know that it hated Him before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own, but because you are not of the world the world hates you. Being born of God produces works, righteousness, and love that differ from those of the world. The world recognizes this difference. Believers are not to look exactly like the world or conform to it. The difference is purposeful because God provides what the world cannot provide. Thanks for reading Word of Grace Studies! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sermons.wordofgracestudies.org
Oct 23

Armor of God: Belt of Truth & Righteousness | Ephesians 6

Pastor Billy Myron continues the Christian Life series on Satan and demons, shifting from specific attacks to victory through the Armor of God in Ephesians 6:10–18. The session introduces the passage, focusing on verses 10–13 and the first two of six pieces of armor. Believers are to be empowered and enabled in the Lord and in the power of His might; the ability to withstand satanic attack comes from God. This matches James 4:7: submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee. The command is to put on the whole armor of God in order to stand against the wiles, methods, and craftiness of the devil. This is repeated because the armor works as a unit. Attacks are typically multifaceted and multi-pronged; a single piece is insufficient against an intelligent enemy who can change tactics, as seen in the varied pressures on Job and in Peter’s cowardice leading to lying. The struggle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies—the ranks of angels from whom the demons fell. Attacks may come from Satan or his demons. Neither is omnipresent, so personal confrontation with Satan is unlikely. The armor analogy addresses mental realities rather than physical combat. Paul urges taking the whole armor so that one may withstand in the evil day and, having done all, stand. This aligns with 1 Peter 5:8–9: be sober and vigilant, for the adversary the devil walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour; resist him steadfast in the faith. Standing presupposes that the armor has already been put on. One stands having girded the loins with truth, having put on the breastplate, and so on, while praying. The armor is the means of successful resistance. The first piece is the belt of truth: stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth. There is no definite article; the reference is to truth in general—seeing things as they really are. This counters Satan’s frequent use of deception. Examples of error include those destitute of the truth who suppose gain is godliness (1 Timothy 6:3–5); Hymenaeus and Philetus, who erred concerning the truth by teaching that the resurrection is already past and thereby overthrew the faith of some (2 Timothy 2:15–18); and those who give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, forbidding marriage and commanding abstinence from foods while failing to know the truth (1 Timothy 4:1–5). In 1 John 1:5–10, claiming fellowship with God while walking in darkness means one is not doing the truth, and claiming to have no sin means the truth is not in that person. Walking in the truth is commended (3 John 1–4; 2 John). Ephesians 4:20–27 calls for putting off the old man, putting on the new man, putting away lying, and speaking truth with one’s neighbor, and not giving place to the devil. This directly counters lying and gossiping. The account of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) shows Satan filling the heart to lie to the Holy Spirit by retaining part of the sale price. Peter points out that the property remained under their own authority; they could have kept part openly. Fear of peer pressure led them to lie. The belt of truth addresses both the lie itself and the failure to see the situation accurately. The image of girding the loins indicates readiness for work, comparable to rolling up the sleeves so as not to be encumbered. Mentally it means taking the matter seriously and preparing to labor, not leaving an incorrect view of reality in place. This corresponds to 1 Peter 1:13: gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end. The second piece is the breastplate of righteousness. This is not one’s own righteousness but the righteousness of God received through faith in Christ. Romans 3:20–28 shows that no flesh is justified by the deeds of the law; the righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ, and justification is free by grace, with boasting excluded. In 1 Corinthians 1:27–31 Christ is made to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that no flesh should boast. 2 Corinthians 5:21 states that He was made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Philippians 3:9 speaks of the righteousness which is through faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Believers are positionally righteous in Christ, independent of present behavior. This counters pride and independence from God, for one cannot produce righteousness apart from Him and has no ground for boasting or self-sufficiency. The pieces are meant to be worn together as a single unit; partial use leaves the believer vulnerable to multi-pronged attack. Thanks for reading Word of Grace Studies! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sermons.wordofgracestudies.org
Oct 23

Revelation 11: Two Witnesses, Temple Measured & Seventh Trumpet

The teaching continues from the parenthesis in Revelation 10. The mighty messenger is God the Son, who claims the earth with the little scroll as title deed, roaring as a lion toward Israel. There is no more delay. The mystery of God is finished at the seventh trumpet after the millennial kingdom, when all things are brought together under Christ. John eats the scroll, sweet in the mouth and bitter in the stomach, because more prophecy remains. The narrative returns to the mid-tribulation period. John is given a reed like a measuring rod and told to rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there, but to leave out the outer court given to the Gentiles, who will tread the holy city underfoot for 42 months. This places the timeline in the last half of the tribulation, the close of the times of the Gentiles. Luke 21:24 contains a large gap: the first clause records the fall by the sword and scattering among the nations at the destruction of the temple in AD 70; the second records Gentile control of Jerusalem until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled at the end of the tribulation. After the Church is removed and the restrainer is gone, Israel is brought back in God’s fury, not by choice, and builds the tribulation temple. God is not dealing with Israel as a nation in the present dispensation; current events are not that regathering. Two witnesses are given power to prophesy 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth. They are the two olive trees and the lampstand standing before the God of the earth. Zechariah 4 supplies the dual reference: the two olive trees are the two anointed ones who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth, identified as Jews. One is Elijah, sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord at the second coming (Malachi 4:5). The other is a modern Jew. They are the only two Jews remaining in Jerusalem after Israel flees. If anyone desirously wills to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies; that one must be killed in this manner. The fire is not literal flame from a human mouth but the authority of their word that causes the enemy to be burned, with supernatural discernment of desirous will in the mind. They have authority to shut heaven so that no rain falls, to turn the waters to that which has the quality of blood (congealing, stinking, and rotting), and to strike the earth with every plague as often as they desire. At mid-tribulation the mark of the beast is introduced when the man of lawlessness sets himself in the temple as God. It is a clear, visible mark of worship of the one in the temple, unrelated to any modern technology. Those who take it will not be forgiven. When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit makes war against them, overcomes them, and kills them. This beast had died; it is the man of lawlessness after resuscitation. Humans do not go to the abyss, only spirit beings. God permits a demon from the abyss to retrieve the soul and spirit and sustain the physical body. Their bodies lie in the street of the great city, spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where the Lord was crucified—Jerusalem, now characterized by perversion and the following of false gods. For three and a half days the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations see the dead bodies and do not allow them to be put into a grave. Earth-dwellers—those who have settled down believing they belong on the earth, the unbelievers—rejoice, make merry, and send gifts to one another because these two prophets tormented them. The tribulation tests those who dwell on the earth (Revelation 3:10). They are the ones who have no problem with the harlot’s killing of the saints (Revelation 6:10). The three woes are directed at them (Revelation 8:13). The beast’s signs cause them to marvel (Revelation 17:8). People know it is God who is acting, yet they reject Him and want the earth. After three and a half days the Spirit of life from God enters them. They stand on their feet, and great fear falls upon those who see them. This is the Holy Spirit, who reunites spirit and soul with the resurrected body (Philippians 3:21; Romans 8:11). A loud voice from heaven says, “Come up here.” They ascend to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies see them. Their mission is complete; they go up to meet Christ. In the same hour a great earthquake destroys a tenth of the city, kills 7,000 people, and the rest are afraid and give glory to the God of heaven—a proper opinion recognizing His authority. The second woe is past; a third remains. The seventh angel sounds. Loud voices in heaven declare that the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign into the ages of the ages. This begins with the millennial kingdom and extends into eternity, when Christ delivers the kingdom to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24–28). The feminine “all” in verse 24 refers to all kingdoms; the neuter “all” in verse 28 refers to all things. When the Son has subjected everything, He Himself is subject to the One who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. Positions of submission among the persons of the Godhead cease because the plan is complete; equality is manifested. Grace continues as the attitude that gives benefit without regard to merit and is unrelated to sin. The scene stands between time and eternity, the place of the Great White Throne judgment of unbelievers—judgment for works, not wrath, which is finished. The twenty-four elders who sit before God on their thrones fall on their faces and worship God, giving thanks to the Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come, because He has taken His great inherent ability and has reigned. The title Lord God Almighty refers to the Son as the One who manifests the authority of the Godhead (Revelation 1:8; Matthew 28:18). The nations were angry (past tense): the Gentiles raged at the crucifixion (Psalm 2; Acts 4:24–28) and again in the tribulation (Revelation 16:8–9). Wrath has come and is complete. The time of the dead has arrived that they should be judged, that servants the prophets and the saints should be rewarded, and that those who destroy the earth should be destroyed. Wrath ends when God destroys the enemies at the close of the millennial kingdom. The Great White Throne is pure judgment. Thanks for reading Word of Grace Studies! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sermons.wordofgracestudies.org

Word of Grace Studies is a church in Monroe, WA, dedicated to changing the lives of believers through equipping them to live out who they are in Christ by edifying the body of the Christ (the Church). sermons.wordofgracestudies.org

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