The Arm of the Lord

Oh, Oh, at long last WINTER has arrived! Brrr....

In the book of Isaiah chapter 53:1-6, we read the following prophecy about our Lord Jesus Christ, and also how it relates to every human being.

“Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep, have gone astray, each one of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Dear friends, this portion of prophetic Scripture clearly refers to our Lord Jesus Christ and His incarnation. We would like to suggest that each one of you reading this message would take time to read the entire chapter of Isaiah 53, because each and every one of us is included in this prophecy.

To begin with, our Lord Jesus is referred to as the Arm Of The Lord. The Lord mentioned here is God, the Father Himself. Therefore, whatever happened to the Son of God in this prophecy, was in accordance with the will of the Heavenly Father. That, however, does not mean that Jesus was not in agreement, and that the Father obligated Him to be humiliated and treated in such a scandalous manner at the hands of men.

By no means, because there are other Scriptures that clearly tell us that the Lord Jesus willingly, and motivated by love, took upon Himself the shame and the punishment which each and every one of us deserved. In Hebrews 10: 5-7 we read the following words: “ Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am – it is written about me in the scroll – I have come to do your will, O God.’”
So, Jesus is called “the Arm of the LORD” in Isaiah 53:1. Throughout Scripture the arm of the LORD represents the strength, power, and authority of Almighty God. The Lord Jesus received authority from the Father to do the work that He came to do in the world. To be sure of this we ask each one of you who are reading this message to read John chapters 5 & 6 completely, as well as the 17th chapter of John.

In Luke 4:17-19, we can see Jesus reading from the Book of Isaiah the following words:
“The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”’
Then Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. While the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Here the Holy Spirit is called the “Spirit of the Lord” and that is the Lord , who anointed Jesus with the Spirit to preach the Good News, etc. In the Book of Acts, chapter 10, the Apostle Peter, in a vision, guided by the Holy Spirit, was sent to take the Gospel to a Roman Official called Cornelius. Beginning with verses 38 – 43 we read these words:

“ You know …..how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went about doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him, from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen – by us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. All the prophets testified about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Considering all the Scriptures we have mentioned, and there are many more, we can understand why JESUS is called the “ARM of the LORD” in Isaiah 53:1-6. It is through Him, that God, the Father provided forgiveness and eternal life for every one of us who repents and believes and receives Him as our personal Savior.
Written and prepared by Bicento and Betty Henriquez

The New Birth - continued

Bicento meditating on our balcony!

On the 1st of November we discussed the subject of the New Birth, and why it is important, and now we can experience it. Today, November 11th, we want to continue our discussion on what the Bible teaches about the New Birth. It is important for each person who has repented of his or her sins and believed in the saving grace of the Gospel, to KNOW and UNDERSTAND that the new birth does not mean the entering a second time into his mother’s womb to be born again!

Our father and our mother are responsible only for our birth as a human being. Being born again has to do with the spiritual, and that takes place when a person hears the Gospel, and is convinced by the Spirit of God of his or her sin, repents, and accepts Jesus Christ as his or her personal Savior.

There are various ways to express this same truth about faith in Christ, but it is at that time that this transformation takes place. It is at the moment when a sinner believes, that he passes from death to life, from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God. From that moment, a sinner admits his or her sin and culpability, and believes in the One who carried his or her sin in His body on the cross, that he or she becomes a son of God, and co-heirs with Christ. From that moment, he is a new creature in Christ, and becomes a member of the body of Christ, which is called the Church. This church has nothing in common with the edifices or structures called churches today. There is only one church in the world today, of which Jesus Christ is the Head, and every true believer is a member of that body. However, it is this truth we desire and urge every believer in the Gospel to understand clearly and be in agreement with.

In the first place comes FAITH. According to the Scriptures it is impossible to please God without Faith. And how can we receive this faith? We read in Romans 10:17 “Consequently faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” Continue to read the entire passage of Romans ten, which explains this in details.

In the second place we must know that a person who obeys this message and believes becomes a new creature, but he or she is not born a mature person. When a person believes the Gospel, this person is like a baby who has to have spiritual milk that he might grow and become mature. Read Ephesians 4:1-16 and also 1 Peter 2:1-3.

Speaking about babies, they are born with an appetite especially for milk. They cry and scream until they get the proper nutrition, which is milk. A person who is born anew has an ardent appetite for the spiritual milk of the Word of God so that he or she may grow in the faith. And as they understand and grow in the faith, they will need nutrition, that is more complex and compound from the Word of God. The Scripture calls it “meat” instead of “milk”. This is very necessary for the new believer: it will help him resist against the tests and trials that will surely come to him or her. All our tests actually come mainly from three sources, and they blend.

These three sources are:
Satan,
the world system
and the flesh ( the sinful carnal nature in every person).

Each one of us should be aware of these forces, because we are daily exposed to each one of these sources in one way or another.
But just as the Scriptures and experience disclose our principal enemies, in the same manner the Scriptures reveal to us, from where we can get the authority to daily resist and overcome our enemies.

The Bible tells us that when a person believes the Gospel, he or she is sealed with the Holy Spirit, Who was promised by Christ before He ascended into Glory to be with His Father. This Spirit is as a Guarantor of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession. The word redemption mentioned here speaks of the Resurrection Day, when all who trusted in Him will receive glorified bodies and to live forevermore. (Read Ephesians 1:13,14 and 4:30, as well as 1 Corinthians 15:35-58)

According to the Scriptures, if a person does not have the Spirit, he or she does not belong to Christ. (Read Romans 8: 1-17, or better still read to the end of the chapter.) Now bringing this topic of the New Birth to a conclusion, we have seen that it is a work of God, when a person believes the Gospel. The Gospel simply means: the Good News that Christ died for our sins, and that on the third day, God the Father raised Him from the dead, glorified Him, and gave Him the Name above all other names. We have already mentioned earlier, that the new birth is part of the life of faith.

According to the Scriptures, “the just shall live by faith”. (Romans 1:16,17). But this faith can only come by hearing: read again Rom.10:17. Therefore, we urge you who are reading this message, read your Bible daily, and ask the Lord to help you understand His Word and help you to obey it.

Friends, the doctrine of the new birth is equal to a new creation, and it is only the God Almighty Who can do this. However, if we do not believe or care or have no interest or refuse to believe in the Son of God, Who gave Himself for us; then the Father will not perform that work of regeneration in us. He cannot deny Himself. Believe, today in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved; you and your house. (Acts 16:31)

Kico ke men "Nacemento di Nobo?"

Laga nos descuti ront e mesa kico ke men "Nacemento di Nobo".

Den Beibel tin un versiculo masha stima y aprecia pa tur hende cu ta kere e Evangelio di henter nan curason. Y e ta bisa lo siguiente:

“Pasobra Dios a stima mundo asina tanto cu El a duna Su Unico Yiu pa tur cu kere den djE, no bai perdi ma tin bida eterno.” Juan 3:16

Mescos cu tur otro Scritura, esun aki tambe mester wordo studia den su contexto. Y esey ta nifica cu nos mester lesa y studia of pensa riba e otro cosnan cu a wordo bisa hunto cu e declaracion ey. Ademas nos mester ta conciente di loke e resto di Scritura ta siña tocante e mes un topico aki. Pa cuminsa nos mester lesa for di versiculo uno te na versiculo 21. Haciendo esey nos por mira cu henter e porcion aki tin di haci cu Jesus Su mensahe of siñansa na un Fariseo cu yama Nicodemo.

E Nicodemo aki ta wordo menciona mas despues, con e, hunto cu un otro homber, kende tabata un miembro den e consilio , a percura pa e curpa morto di Jesus, por a haya un entiero digno. (Lesa Juan 19:38-42; y Mateo 27:57-61 y Marco 15:42-47 y Lucas 23:50-56). Ta na e Fariseo aki cu yama Nicodemo, Jesus a cuminsa siña e doctrina di nacemento di nobo ora cu El a bis”e: “Mi ta bisa bo e berdad, ningun hende por mira e Reino di Dios, si e no bolbe nace.” Manera nos por lesa, Nicodemo no por a comprende e declaracion straño aki di Jesus, y p’esey El a contesta cu e pregunta aki: Con un hende cu ta bieu caba por bolbe nace? Sigur cu e no por drenta den barica di su mama pa di dos bes, pa e bolbe nace! Jesus Su contesta tabata esaki: “Ami ta bisa bo e berdad, ningun hende por drenta e Reino di Dios si e nace di awa y di e Spirito….. no keda sorprendi cu Mi a bisa bo, boso mester bolbe nace. E biento ta supla unda cu e kier. Bo ta tende su zonido, ma bo no por bisa ta di unda e ta bini, of unda e ta bai. Asina e ta cu cada uno cu nace di e Spirito.” Nos ta lesa cu Nicodemo a keda mes sorprendi.

Anto el a puntra Señor Jesus: Con esaki por ta? Jesus Su contesta e biaha aki tabatin cierto reprendemento tanto na Nicodemo como pa nos awe. “Bo ta e Maestro di Israel, y bo no ta comprende e cosnan aki?” E Nicodemo aki, por representa tur e siñadornan religioso cu ta biba awe, cu apesar di nan titulo como maestro, no sabi nada tocante e doctrina aki di nacemento di nobo. E declaracion aki di Señor Jesus Su mes ta di sumo importancia pa cada persona cu ta biba aki den Antiyas y den e resto di nos mundo; pasobra ni un di nos por drenta e Reino di Dios, si nos no a nace di nobo.

Awor ta keda e pregunta aki: Kico nacemento di nobo ta? Kico e ta nifica?

Prome, laga nos mira loke e no ta. Nacemento di nobo no ta boutismo di awa sea di un baby of un adulto. E no ta pa ta miembro den un religion, of den un asina yama Iglesia. E no ta nifica pa carga e nomber “Cristian”. Un hende por tin tur eseynan, pero sinembargo no a nace di nobo, y lo bai perdi si e no kere manera e versiculo tan stima ta bisa.

Amigonan stima, nacemento di nobo ta obra di e poder di Dios. Ta Dios e Tata todopoderoso so por haci esey. Nacemento di nobo ta igual cu un creacion nobo, y Dios so por haci esey. Nacemento di nobo ta igual cu bida eterno, y ta Dios solamente por duna un hende mortal bida inmortal. Laga nos bolbe na e versiculo cu nos a cuminsa cu ne, esta Juan 3:16. Lesa e versiculo cu un curason habri pa Dios obra den bo. Aki e ta bisa nos, cu Dios a stima mundo asina tanto cu EL a DUNA Su Unico Yiu, PA TUR CU KERE den djE, no BAI PERDI, ma tin BIDA ETERNO. Den esun versiculo aki ta inclui Dios Su amor pa cada uno di nos, apesar di nos picanan. Den e palabra: “DUNA”, ta inclui: e incarnacion di nos Señor , y Su bida di sufrimento ora cu El a wordo tenta dor di Satan y hende; y Su morto ariba un crus. Ma tambe ta inclui Su resureccion for di morto y Su glorificacion. P’esey cu e frase cu ta bisa: “Pa tur cu kere den djE” no ta nifica pa kere ku E ta existi y cu El a wordo mata y cu El a resucita so. Ma pa kere den Señor Jesus ta inclui cu El a muri pa mi, y den mi lugar pa motibo di mi picanan. Ta nos picnan El a carga den Su curpa riba e crus …. Y pa medio di Su heridanan nos a wordo cura.

Ta awe y awor cada uno di nos mester repenti di nos picanan, y pone nos fe den Esun cu a muri y a resucita pa nos.

Amigonan stima pa Dios y pa nos Señor Jesus; no sigui tarda mas, dobla bo rudianan awe pa nos Señor Jesus, den berdadero repentimento, y asina ricibi pordon y bida eterno.

Si e mensahe aki a toca bo curason, of ainda bo tin pregunta ariba e topico aki, lo bo tuma tempo pa tuma contacto cu nos? Siguramente esey lo ta un encurashamento pa nos, y alabes nos por sigui yuda bo segun cu bo ta refleha y tuma decision ariba si of no bo a nace di nobo. Nos adres di email ta: bbhenriquez@shaw.ca

Y na Libreria Victoria na Elleboogstraat 25 na Oranjestad, bo por cumpra Beibel, si ainda bo no tin un pa bo mes. Aserca nan libremente pa esey, y otro tractadonan y buki.