In the Bible are found many names and titles for God. The faithful who abide in God’s word are called by his name (Jeremiah 15:16). The true Church bears the name of God. It is said of the Philadelphia era of the Church in part “you…Have not denied my name” (Revelation 3:8). He who overcomes bears the name of God. Those dwelling in the new Jerusalem shall have the name of God on their foreheads (Revelation 22:4), symbolic of having engraved in their minds the knowledge of the inherent meaning of God’s name and the spiritual and intellectual likeness of God which his name expresses.
Category: New Sermons
The Kingdom of God in the Old Testament
When Jesus Christ began his ministry of three and a half years nearly 2000 years ago, he went about preaching the Kingdom of God. “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14-15). Later, when he sent his disciples out he commanded them to preach, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7).
The good news concerning the establishing of the Kingdom of God was the focal point of Christ’s ministry. The underlying theme of the entire Bible is in the establishment of the world ruling government or Kingdom of God. All of God’s true servants have looked forward to the establishment of God’s Kingdom. It has been a subject of primary concern to all of them, without exception, from the very beginning (Hebrews 11:13-16). These all sought the promise — the same promise every Christian should seek, an inheritance in God’s Kingdom (Hebrews 12:28).
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How to Study and Understand the Bible (part 2)
Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed” (John 8:31). The “word of God” has been preserved in the Scriptures, the Holy Bible. In it are found the words, the teachings, of Jesus Christ, and the words of God sent to the prophets and others and which together make up the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Paul wrote to Timothy, “… from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:15-17). If we are to abide in God’s word, if we are to be indeed the disciples of Christ, if we desire the salvation spoken of in the Bible, we need to diligently study the Bible so we can learn of its teachings and apply them in our lives as our knowledge of God and genuine godly faith grows. The second part of the message “How to Study and Understand the Bible”, providing keys to help guide listeners to effective Bible study is posted here.
Copyright © 2025 by Messenger Church of God
Unless otherwise noted Scripture taken from the New King James VersionTM
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA
How to Study and Understand the Bible (part 1)
The word disciple is often used of the followers of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. “Disciple” in English versions of the New Testament is translated from the Greek mathētḗs, which means a learner, student. “A ‘disciple’ was not only a pupil, but an adherent; hence they are spoken of as imitators of their teacher” (Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). Jesus commanded “Learn from me” (Matthew 11:29). The Greek word from which “Learn” is translated in this verse is in the imperative mood, the mood of command. Jesus Christ is our teacher (Matthew 10:24-25), we are commanded to learn from him, to be his students, and adherents, learning and following his teachings.
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Mysteries of the Bible
Though the most widely distributed book in history according to guinnessworldrecords.com, the teachings of the Bible are properly understood by, relatively speaking, only a handful of people. Many specific truths are revealed in the Bible, that are themselves mysteries, even though they are explained clearly in the Bible. Why is the Bible so little understood? Is there a key — or keys — which will unlock the mysteries of the Bible?
Copyright © 2025 by Messenger Church of God
Unless otherwise noted Scripture taken from the New King James VersionTM
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA
cogmessenger.org