The Story of the Good Samaritan

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"And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee." Luke 10:30-35

Six Parties in the Story
* Careless (Helpless) - a certain man
* Cruel (Heartless) - thieves
* Cold (Harsh) - a certain priest
* Curious (Hardened) - a Levite
* Compassionate (Honourable) - a certain Samaritan
* Caring (Helpful) - the host of the inn

Demands of Discipleship

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"And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head. And He said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:57-62

First man - Too forward looking
Second man - Too afterward looking
Third man - Too backward looking

Discipleship demands
* Resolution (lacking in first)
* Readiness (lacking in second)
* Resignation (lacking in third)

Consider the
* Cost of discipleship
* Claims of discipleship
* Conditions of discipleship

Threes in the Book of Ruth

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Three Rich Men
* Elimelech - not wise
* Unnamed Kinsman - not willing
* Boaz - both wise and willing

Three Poor Women
* Orpah - Poverty of Return
* Naomi - Pathway of Restoration
* Ruth - Progress of Redeemed

Four Pairs in Ruth Chapter One

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1. Elimelech and Naomi (Ruth 1:1)
- Two people departing from God's promised land

2. Mahlon and Chilion (Ruth 1:4)
- Two men disobedient to God's precept

3. Ruth and Orpah (Ruth 1:14)
- Two woman deciding for God's provision

4. Naomi and Ruth (Ruth 1:19)
- Two pilgrims delighting in God's path

The Rapture

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"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

One call but three aspects *
1. Shout : The authority of it - the believers' response
2. Voice : The dignity of it - the believers' regard
3. Trump : The clarity of it - the believers' readiness

One command with three perspectives
1. With a Shout : The gravity of it
2. Voice of the Archangel : The grandeur of it
3. Trump of God : The greatness of it

*The absence of the Greek definite article before "voice" and "trump" make them qualifiers instead of being distinct.

Brief Outline of Ruth

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Perspective from Ruth
Ruth 1 : Ruth's widowhood and her resolve
Ruth 2 : Ruth's works and her resources
Ruth 3 : Ruth's way and her request
Ruth 4 : Ruth's worth and her reward

Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6.

Flows of Divine Truth Part 3

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Read Part 1, Part 2.

"Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?" 1 Corinthians 14:6

- Revelation by intuition
- Knowledge by testimony
- Prophesying by perception
- Doctrine by reflection

"Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ." 1 Corinthians 1:12

Testimony - "I am of Paul" (testimony of Paul received)
Reflection - "I of Apollos" (teaching of Apollos reflected)
Perception - "I of Cephas" (token of Peter regarded)
Intuition - "I of Christ" (truth of Christ revered)

Seven Principles of Sacrifices

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The First Mention Principle is that principle by which God indicates in the first mention of a subject, the truth with which that subject stands connected in the mind of God. Examining the passages in Genesis and Exodus that deal with sacrifices yield the following principles.

1. The Skin Principle (Gen 3)
- Covering provided
- Character of the sacrifice transferred to the beneficiary

2. The Selection Principle (Gen 4)
- Chief sacrifice to be given to God and costly

3. The Sweet Savour Principle (Gen 8)
- Contentment of God upon the offering

4. The Splitting of Victims Principle (Gen 15)
- Covenant established by the sacrifice

5. The Substitution Principle (Gen 22)
- Change of victim

6. The Sharing of Meal Principle (Gen 31)
- Communion effected based on the offering

7. The Shedding/Sprinkling of Blood Principle (Exo 12, 24)
- Consecration and confirmation of the offerers

DG

Brief Outline of Daniel

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Dan 1-6 The Historic Night
Daniel's purpose in divine vigilance and devotion

Dan 7-12 The Prophetic Light
Divine purpose in Daniel's visions and dreams

Men that were filled with or full of the Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles

Three Groups
1. The Twelve (Acts 2:4) - Filled with the Holy Spirit in their speaking
2. The Early Church (Acts 4:31) - Filled with the Holy Spirit in their supplications
3. The Disciples (Acts 13:52) - Filled with the Holy Spirit in their strength

Four Individuals
1. Peter (Acts 4:8) - Filled with the Holy Spirit in his message
2. Stephen (Acts 6:5, 7:55) - Filled with the Holy Spirit in his martyrdom
3. Barnabas (Acts 11:24) - Filled with the Holy Spirit in his ministry
4. Paul (Acts 9:17, 13:9) - Filled with the Holy Spirit in his mission

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man .... And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ." 1 Cor 2:14-15, 3:1

Three types of Men
* Natural Man - The unregenerate man (unsaved)
* Carnal Man - The unruly man (saved but unsanctified)
* Spiritual Man - The unctioned man (saved and sanctified)

Examples from John 13
* Judas - natural man
* Peter - carnal man
* John - spiritual man

Very strange but interesting examples from Acts
* Ananias (Acts 23:2) - natural man
* Ananias (Acts 5:1) - carnal man
* Ananias (Acts 9:10) - spiritual man

Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Carnally Minded

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"to be carnally minded is death... the carnal mind is enmity against God" Romans 8:6-7

1. Doubtful mind (Luke 12:29)
2. Evil mind (Acts 14:2, Col 1:21)
3. Reprobate mind (Rom 1:28)
4. Carnal mind (Rom 8:7)
5. Blinded mind (2 Cor 3:14, 4:4)
6. Corrupted mind (2 Cor 11:3, 1 Tim 6:5, 2 Tim 3:8)
7. Vain mind (Eph 4:17)
8. Earthly mind (Phil 3:19)
9. Fleshly mind (Col 2:18)
10. Shaken mind (2 Th 2:2)
11. High mind (2 Tim 3:4)
12. Defiled mind (Tit 1:15)
13. Faint mind (Heb 12:3)
14. Double mind (James 1:8, 4:8)

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" 2 Cor 10:5

Spiritually Minded

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"to be spiritually minded is life and peace" Romans 8:6

1. Right mind (Mark 5:15, Luke 8:35, Phil 4:8)
2. Ready mind (Acts 17:11, 2 Cor 8:19, 1 Pet 5:2)
3. Humble/lowly mind (Acts 20:19, Rom 12:16, Col 3:12)
4. Spiritual mind (Rom 8:6)
5. Renewed mind (Rom 12:2, Eph 4:23, Phil 2:3)
6. Fervent mind (2 Cor 7:7)
7. Willing mind (2 Cor 8:12, 9:2)
8. Single mind (Phil 1:27, Eph 6:5)
9. Peaceful mind (Phil 4:7)
10. Heavenly mind (Col 3:2)
11. Sound mind (2 Tim 1:7)
12. Sober mind (Tit 2:6)
13. Enlightened mind (Heb 10:16)
14. Pure mind (2 Pet 3:1)

Flows of Divine Truth Part 2

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Read Part 1.

The outline given in Part 1 provides an useful framework to analyze the synthetic structure of many passages in the Holy Scriptures. For example, we can synthesize the four Gospels using this framework.

Matthew's Gospel (Reflection)
- Euphrates, north border of the millennial kingdom (Genesis 15:18)

Mark's Gospel (Perception)
- Hiddekel means swift, immediate and straightaway all through Mark's Gospel

Luke's Gospel (Testimony)
- Only the writer Luke mentions Ethiopia (Acts 8:27)

John's Gospel (Intuition)
- Gold, the deity of Christ, bdellium, the humanity of Christ and onyx stone, the high priestly ministry in the upper room

Christ Died According to the Scriptures

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"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: and that He was seen..." 1 Corinthians 15:3-5

One Efficacious Factor
Christ (the majesty of His Person)
died (the mystery of His Passion)
for our sins (the marvel of His Provision)

Two Essential Factors
* Christ died according to the Scriptures
* Christ was raised according to the Scriptures

Two Establishing Factors
* Christ was buried signifying that He died
* Christ was seen signifying that He was raised

The Passover

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The word "passover" occurs 49 times in the Old Testament, 28 times in the New Testament and a total of 77 times in the Holy Bible.

The Historical Passover of the Scripture
1. The Egyptian Passover (Exo 12) - Rescue from Slavery
2. The Wilderness Passover (Num 9) - Remembrance of Deliverance
3. Joshua's Passover (Jos 5) - Reassurance of Victory
4. Hezekiah's Passover (2 Chr 30) - Restoration from Backsliding
5. Josiah's Passover (2 Chr 35) - Recovery based on the Word
6. Zerubabbel's Passover (Ezra 6) - Return from Captivity
7. The Saviour's Passover (Luke 22) - Redemption for the World

Descriptive Names for an Assembly

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1. Church of God (1 Cor 1:2) - its purpose
2. Tillage of God (1 Cor 3:9) - its planting
3. Building of God (1 Cor 3:9) - its pattern
4. Temple of God (1 Cor 3:16) - its praise
5. Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27) - its provision
6. Chaste Virgin (2 Cor 11:2) - its purity
7. Little Flock (Acts 20:28) - its pathway
8. House of God (1 Tim 3:15) - its principles of rule
9. Pillar and Ground of truth (1 Tim 3:15) - its proclamation and preservation of truths
10. Golden Lampstand (Rev 1:20) - its profession

Adapted from Norman Crawford's outline in Assembly Truth

Assembly Indestructible Quadrangle

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"And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." Acts 2:42

Doctrine calls for study.
Fellowship calls for separation.
Breaking of bread calls for self-examination.
Prayer calls for sanctification.

Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9.

Gathering unto His Name

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A local church which believers are comfortable with and have confidence in is one that is sacrificially marked, scripturally made and spiritually minded.

"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20

* The Assembly - where two or three (composition)
* The Association - are gathered together (congregation)
* The Authority - in My name (constitution)
* The Attraction - there am I (character)
* The Assurance - in the midst of them (confidence)

It is always the Person of the Lord in consideration, not the people, nor the principles, nor the practices.

Read Part 1, Part 2.

The Local Churches in Acts

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The local church at
* Jerusalem (Acts 2) - its formation (baptized believers)
* Antioch (Acts 13) - its feature (gifted believers)
* Iconium (Acts 14) - its fidelity (steadfast believers)
* Lystra (Acts 16) - its fellowship (exercised believers)
* Berea (Acts 17) - its feeding (discerning believers)
* Troas (Acts 20) - its function (gathered believers)
* Ephesus (Acts 20) - its fullness (developed believers)

Flows of Divine Truth

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"And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates." Genesis 2:10-14

Andrew Jukes wrote, "It may be said in general that there are four sources of truth, and but four, which are accessible to men, which are like rivers, in the fertility they produce upon their banks, and in the glorious power they all possess of reflecting heaven; first, intuition, by which we get an acquaintance with moral or spiritual things, which are not objects of sense; second, perception, through the senses by which we only get an acquaintance with material things and their properties; third, testimony, by which we learn what others have found out through perception or intuition; fourth, reasoning or reflection, a process of the understanding, by which we unfold what is contained or implied or suggested by the perceptions, intuitions, or testimony."

Pison - Intuition
Gihon - Testimony
Hiddekel - Perception
Euphrates - Reflection

The Three Threes of the Tree

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The Declaration in Three Languages
Complete proclamation of Sovereignty
Read The Superscription

The Darkness of Three Hours
Complete propitiation for Sin
Read The Separation

The Destinies of Three Crosses
Complete personalities in Salvation
Read The Stigma

Judgment Seat of Christ

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The Bema of Christ with regards to

My attitude towards my brethren
"But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." Rom14:10

My addition towards the building
"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." 1Cor 3:11-13

My assessment and others beliefs
"For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God" 1Cor 4:4-5

My action with my body
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." 2Cor 5:10

Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

God, the Father of

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God's Character
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17

God's Calling
"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." Ephesians 1:17

God's Care
"A Father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in His holy habitation."
Psalm 68:5

God's Chastening
"Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" Hebrews 12:9

God's Consolation
"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort" 2 Corinthians 1:3

God's Control
"One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Ephesians 4:6

Togetherness in Ephesians

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Recovery - "He might gather together in one all things in Christ" Eph 1:10
Restoration - "hath quickened us together with Christ" Eph 2:5
Resurrection - "hath raised us up together" Eph 2:6
Rest - "made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" Eph 2:6
Renovation - "fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord" Eph 2:21
Reuniting - "builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit" Eph 2:22
Reciprocation - "the whole body fitly joined together" Eph 4:16

Read Fullness in Ephesians, Perfection in Ephesians.

Leprosy Part 2

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Read Part 1.

"When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy" Leviticus 13:2

Rising - Sin of Pride (Naaman)
Scab - Sin of Jealousy (Miriam)
Bright Spot - Sin of Covetousness (Gehazi)

Rising - Pride of Life
Scab - Lust of the Flesh
Bright Spot - Lust of the Eyes

The Scripture

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The Scripture
"foreseeing" (Gal 3:8) - Foresight of God's Word in its Precepts
"hath concluded" (Gal 3:22) - Finality of God's Word in its Pronouncement
"cannot be broken" (John 10:35) - Faithfulness of God's Word in its Promises
"might be fulfilled" (John 17:12) - Fullness of God's Words in its Prophecies
"may be fulfilled" (John 13:18)
"should be fulfilled" (John 19:36)
"must needs have been fulfilled" (Acts 1:16)

The Shepherd Psalms Part 5

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Psalm 22 - Cry of Christ (Misery)
Psalm 23 - Comfort of Christ (Mercy)
Psalm 24 - Conquest of Christ (Majesty)

Psalm 22 - He died (Yesterday)
Psalm 23 - He lives (Today)
Psalm 24 - He is reigning (For ever)

Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

Five Principal Offerings

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Trespass Offering - Payment of a Debt
Christ died on account of our trepasses (Rom 4:25; 5:15)

Sin Offering - Punishment for Sin
Christ died on account of the sin of the world (John 1:29)

Peace Offering - Pardon for Sin
Christ died to bring us to God (Col 1:20-22)

Meal Offering - Perfection of the Lord
Christ died as a perfect man (2 Cor 5:21, 1 John 3:5, 1 Pet 2:22-24)

Burnt Offering - Preciousness of the Lord
Christ died in devotion to the Father (Eph 5:2)

Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

The Stigma

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"And with Him they crucify two thieves; the one on His right hand, and the other on His left. And the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And He was numbered with the transgressors." Mark 15:27-28

"But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?" Luke 23:40

Saviour : The Cross of Love (Christ)
Saint : The Cross of Life (Penitent Thief)
Sinner : The Cross of Loss (Impenitent Thief)

Saviour - No sin in Christ but sin on Him
Saint - Sin in him but no sin on him
Sinner - Sin in and on him

Saviour - Redemption
Saint - Repentance
Sinner - Rejection

Leprosy

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Leprosy - The type of sin in its finality
Twenty-one (21) Lepers in the Bible
Nine (9) references to them
Nine (9) lepers in the Old Testament
Nine (9) lepers did not return to the Lord

1. Moses (Exo 4:6)
2. Miriam (Num 12:1)
3. Naaman (2 Kgs 5:1)
4. Gehazi (2 Kgs 5:20)
5. The Four Lepers (2 Kgs 7:4)
6. Uzziah (2 Chr 26:21)
7. The Worshiping Leper (Matt 8:2)
8. Simon, the Leper (Matt 26:6)
9. The Ten Lepers (Luke 17:12-19)