"And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God." Rev 4:5

William R. Newell described "thunderings, voices and lightnings" as powers of nature made intelligent to man in judgment.  He further expounded that "the seven lamps of fire ... which are the seven Spirits of God" as the complete active discernment of all matters and affairs in judgment.  Hence, the Holy Spirit then is taking the role in governmental administration and not as the Comforter of saints and as the Revealer of Christ to sinners as of now.

The throne then is no longer the throne of grace as of now, but of judgment
Thunderings - Awakening to Judgment
Voices - Attention on Judgment
Lightnings - Apprehension of Judgment

Seven Seals judgment - thunderings (Rev 6:1)
Seven Trumpets judgment - voices (Rev 8:5, 11:15)
Seven Vials judgment - lightnings (Rev 11:19)

The Condition and Condemnation of Hell
1. unbearable reality - in hell he lift up his eyes, being in tormented (Luke 16:23)
2. unquenchable fire -  I am tormented in this flame (Luke 16:24)
3. unsettled memory - remember ... in thy lifetime (Luke 16:25)
4. unremitting pain - and thou are tormented (Luke 16:25)
5. unbridgeable separation - a great gulf (Luke 16:26)
6. unanswered prayer - I pray thee (Luke 16:27)
7. utter hopelessness - lest they come into this place of torment  (Luke 16:27)

"We preached Christ crucified" 1 Cor 1:23

We - the messengers
Preached - the method
Christ - the Messiah
Crucified - the message

We preached - inform lives
We preached Christ - conform lives
We preached Christ Crucified - transform lives

Peace in the Cross (Col 1:20)
Pardon by the Cross (Col 2:14)
Preservation through the Cross (Col 3:3-4)
Preaching of the Cross (Col 4:3)

The ninth hour of Darkness (Matt 27:46, Mark 15:34)
The ninth hour of Deliverance (Acts 3:1-2)
The ninth hour of Devotion (Acts 10:2-3)

1. The Person who sent it - a rich man (Luke 16:22)
2. The Place from which it was sent - hell (Luke 16:23)
3. The Punishment that prompted it - I am tormented  (Luke 16:24)
4. The Prospect that necessitated it - a great gulf fixed (Luke 16:26)
5. The Petition contained in it - send to my father's house (Luke 16:27)
6. The People for whom it was intended - five brothers (Luke 16:28)
7. The Purpose in recording it - that men may repent (Acts 17:30-31)

The Message was
1. one of Concern - testify unto them
2. one of Caution - lest they also come into this place
3. one of Confession - if one went from the dead, they would repent

Archibald Naismith

The Perfect Branch
"In that day shall the Branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel." Isaiah 4:2

The Prophetic Branch
"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots." Isaiah 11:1

The Prosperous Branch
"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth." Jeremiah 23:5

The Princely Branch
"In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land." Jeremiah 33:15

The Prominent Branch
"Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth My Servant the Branch." Zechariah 3:8

The Priestly Branch
"And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the Man whose name is the Branch; and He shall grow up out of His place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD." Zechariah 6:12

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." Romans 3:10-12

1. Righteousness of God - there is none righteous
2. Revelation of God - there is none that understandeth
3. Repentance to God - there is none that seeketh after God
4. Responsibility to God - there is none that doeth good

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

Three Post-Exilic Prophets
Haggai - Prophet of Faith
Zechariah - Prophet of Hope
Malachi - Prophet of Love

Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Person of God
Our Father which art in heaven,

Petitions God-ward
1. God's Prominence - Hallowed be Thy name
2. God's Power - Thy kingdom come
3. God's Purpose - Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven

Petitions Us-ward
1. Present Diet - Give us this day our daily bread
2. Past Debts - And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors
3. Future Direction - And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

Praise of God
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil" Matthew 5:38-29

Regarding
1. Social rights - insult: whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also
2. Legal rights - injustice: if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also
3. Political rights - inconvenience: whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain
4. Financial rights - indigence: give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away

David Gilliland

"But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry." Luke 15:22-23

The Father's
1. Announcement - but the father said to his servants
2. Apparel - bring forth the best robe, and put it on him
3. Authority - and put a ring on his hand
4. Advancement - and shoes on his feet
5. Atonement - and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it
6. Appreciation - and let us eat, and be merry
7. Applause - For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found

"And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." Luke 15:20

The Father's Reception
1. Attention - his father saw him
2. Attitude - and had compassion
3. Action - and ran
4. Acceptance - and fell on his neck
5. Affection - and kissed him

1. Reflection - and when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare
2. Realization - and I perish with hunger
3. Resolution - I will arise and go to my father
4. Repentance - and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee
5. Recourse - and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants
6. Return - and he arose, and came to his father
7. Reception - but when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him
8. Remorse - and the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son
9. Restoration - but the father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet
10. Rejoicing - and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry

1. Demand - give me the portion of goods that falleth to me
2. Division - and not many days after the younger son gathered all together
3. Departure - and took his journey into a far country
4. Debauchery - and there wasted his substance with riotous living
5. Depletion - and when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land
6. Destitution - and he began to be in want
7. Desertion - and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country
8. Degradation - and he sent him into his fields to feed swine
9. Depravity - and he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat
10. Devastation - and no man gave unto him

Luke 15

God is pictured in three ways
1. The Son - the Lord Jesus as the shepherd seeking the lost sinner
2. The Holy Spirit - the figure of the woman searching for souls
3. The Father - welcoming them home

The Son suffering; the Spirit seeking; the Father singing
The Saviour; the Seeker; the Satisfier

The sinner is picture in three ways also as
1. A silly sheep
2. A soiled piece of silver
3. A self-willed son

As a sheep in the distance; silver in the dust; son in disgrace
Lost to safety; lost to service; lost to sonship

August Van Ryn

He who hates his brother has
1. No divine Light (1 John 2:9,11), abides in Darkness
2. No divine Life (1 John 3:15), abides in Death
3. No divine Love (1 John 4:20), abides in Delusion

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

Hebrews 11 : Indispensability of Faith
Hebrews 12 : Importance of Hope
Hebrews 13 : Imperative of Love

"Matthew is the only one of the four Gospel narrators who uses 'kingdom of heaven', there are five places where he switches to 'kingdom of God'; and all five show that he uses the two terms convertibly, as practical equivalents." J. Sidlow Baxter

The following list of references is set out for easy comparison. Every aspect of the kingdom suggested previously, is tabulated, first, with the expression, "Kingdom of the heavens" as found in Matthew; secondly, with the term "Kingdom of God" as given in the other Synoptic Gospels. This comparison will enable the reader to see that the terms are largely interchangeable.

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" 2 Timothy 3:1-4

1. Lovers of their own selves
2. Covetous
3. Boasters
4. Proud
5. Blasphemers
6. Disobedient to parents
7. Unthankful
8. Unholy
9. Without natural affection
10. Trucebreakers
11. False accusers
12. Incontinent
13. Fierce
14. Despisers of those that are good
15. Traitors
16. Heady
17. Highminded
18. Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God

1. Past : Kingdom in Person (Mark 1:14-15) - Christ on earth
2. Present : Kingdom in Patience (Acts 14:22, Rev 1:9) - Christ on high
3. Millennium : Kingdom in Power (Rev 20:6) - Christ reigning
4. Perpetuity : Kingdom in Perfection (1 Cor 15:24-28) - God all in all

1. Rebellion
"forsook the Lord" Judges 2:12,13, 10:6
"the children of Israel did evil" Judges 2:11, 3:7, 3:12, 4:1, 6:1, 10:6, 13:1

2. Retribution
"He sold them" Judges 2:14, 3:8, 4:2, 10:7
"against Israel" Judges 2:14,20, 3:8,12, 6:2, 10:7, 11:4,5

3. Repentance
"the children of Israel cried unto the Lord" Judges 3:9,15, 4:3, 6:6,7, 10:10

4. Restoration
"the Lord raised up" Judges 2:16,18, 3:9,15
"the land had rest" Judges 3:11,30, 5:31

1 John 3:2 – Coming of the Lord
1 John 3:21 – Confidence towards God
1 John 4:1 – Caution against false prophets
1 John 4:7 – Commencement of Love
1 John 4:11 – Conclusion of Love