Don’t Harden Your Heart

Jesus in Luke 4:4 said that man is to live “by every word of God.” He taught that the wise will build his life on the foundation of obedience to the word of God (Matthew 7:24-25).

God’s word judges us. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). “Discerner” is from the Greek κριτικός, an adjective that means able to judge or discern (Greek-English Lexicon, Bauer, Arndt and Gringrich). The English word “critic” is derived from the Greek word used here. Kριτικός is a cognate of κριτής (kritēs), a judge, and κρίνω (krinō), a verb meaning to judge or distinguish or decide. God’s word judges us, and in a sense is our critic. It penetrates beyond the surface to our innermost being. In the final analysis, everyone will be judged by God’s word (John 12:48).

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Will You be in the First Resurrection?

Is God looking for an excuse to exclude you from his kingdom? Or does he want to grant salvation to you as an heir in his kingdom? And what must you do as you live your life as a Christian, to do your part to assure your place in God’s kingdom when the time of the first resurrection occurs?

“Will You be in the First Resurrection” a message by Rod Reynolds, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

cogmessenger.org

Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA

Question: Wheat or Tare

During his earthly ministry, Jesus often used parables when addressing his audiences. He used parables to illustrate important spiritual principles having to do with the kingdom of God and our relationships with God and with one another. He did not often explain the full meaning of the parables to his audiences, but it wasn’t because he wanted to “hide the meaning,” nor because he was “lying,” as some have imagined. It was because of their hardness of heart. But he did explain the meanings to his closest disciples, whom he told to explain it to others (Matthew 10:27). This is explained in more detail in our article “Does God Lie?

One of the parables of Jesus is the one featuring seeds sown of wheat and tares, lessons from which are explored in this message.

“Question: Wheat or Tare” a message by Rod Reynolds, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

cogmessenger.org

Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA

Don’t Harden Your Heart

Israel failed as a nation to fulfill their calling because they refused to hear and obey God’s word, and their hearts were hardened. Mankind as a whole has followed the same course. We are warned not to follow that example. Learn more as you listen to this important message.

“Don’t Harden Your Heart,” a message by Rod Reynolds, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

cogmessenger.org

Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA

God as Creator

We live in a world teeming with a vast assortment of living creatures. There exist the one celled microbes, such as bacteria and protozoa, invisibly small microscopic creatures that nevertheless under powerful magnification show complex and intricate design. On the other end of the scale are huge blue whales which may be 100 ft. long and weigh as much as 115 tons. The earth is home to birds that soar miles above sea level and also to creatures that live in the deepest parts of the ocean. There are plants which produce flowers of exquisite beauty and fragrance, and others that look and smell like rotten meat. From space earth looks like a shimmering blue and white jewel. The earth, unique among planets, is perfectly suited for life. Its uniqueness has been further highlighted by the Mariner, Viking and Voyager spacecraft probes which have shown the other known planets to be completely hostile and forbidding to life.

Why is the earth a uniquely living planet? Why is there such a teeming abundance and variety of life on earth? Is it an accident? Or is it planned and is there a purpose behind it? If there is a purpose, what is it? These are some of the questions I want to explore with you today.

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