INSIGHTS & NOTES FROM
Insights From "Church, Read The Book Of Acts, & Get Ready!" by Donnie Swaggart - Chapters 27 & 281/28/2021
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Insights From "Church, Read The Book Of Acts, & Get Ready!" by Donnie Swaggart - Chapter 261/27/2021 "THE DAY OF PENTECOST"
Acts 2:1-4 "THE INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT AN OPTION BUT A COMMAND" "In Acts, Chapter 1... 1. He 'commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, said He, you have heard of Me' (Acts 1:4). 2. 'For John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence' (Acts 1:5). 3. Then, in Acts 1:8, our Lord said, 'But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you; & you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, & in all Judea, & in Samaria, & unto the uttermost part of the earth.'" "So, one can see the importance the Lord placed upon His followers being filled with the Holy Spirit." "...we today should take heed to His command." "THE DAY OF PENTECOST" "Pentecost means 'fiftieth,' & that feast occurred 50 days after the Feast of Passover." "It's interesting to note that on the very first Pentecost observed, which was in the wilderness 50 days after the first Passover in Egypt, the Bible says that 3,000 men of Israel were killed due to Israel's sin with the golden calf. The second chapter of the book of Acts records that on the day of Pentecost 3,000 men were saved." "ONE ACCORD" "This phrase, 'one accord,' means, 'to be like-minded.'" "...like-mindedness with the Lord & His Word. He desires to form us into the image of Christ in word & deed. The Holy Spirit is always in perfect agreement with Christ & His Word." "SUDDENLY" "...'an unexpected occurrence,' as in you never know when the Holy Spirit is going to move." "It can happen during your prayer time or during your Bible study. It can happen in service during the praise & worship." "While we might not know when He is going to move, He does, & when He does move, what a change He brings." "A SOUND FROM HEAVEN" "...'something which is heard,' or another meaning is 'echo.' The Holy Spirit desires to be heard in our hearts & our services." "...we become an echo of only what the Word of God has to say. "RUSHING MIGHTY WIND" "Wind is one of the 5 symbols of the Holy Spirit, & it speaks of the power of the Holy Spirit. The mighty power of the Holy Spirit is greater than the forces of darkness that war against us. The power of the Spirit is what our churches need - power to see souls saved, sick bodies healed, believers filled with the Spirit, demons cast out, & broken hearts mended." "FILLED" "This word filled means 'to furnish.'" "...the Holy Spirit is the one to furnish what we need, such as grace, anointing, faith, power, wisdom, guidance, etc. The word also means 'to finish.' Whatever the Lord starts, the Holy Spirit finishes. It also means 'to dwell in.'" John 14:17 "CLOVEN" "The word cloven means 'to separate' or 'to divide.' The idea is that if we let the Holy Spirit have His way in our hearts, He will separate or divide us from that which is false & not of God." "FIRE" "Fire is another symbol of the Holy Spirit, & it speaks of purity." Matthew 3:11-12. "SAT" "The word sat means 'to hover over.' The idea of this word is that the Holy Spirit not only dwells within us, but He also hovers over us. He saturates us. He covers us in His mighty power." Church, Read The Book Of Acts, & Get Ready!, by Donnie Swaggart, pgs. 197 - 204. Insights From "Church, Read The Book Of Acts, & Get Ready!" by Donnie Swaggart - Chapters 24 & 251/26/2021 CHAPTER 24
"7 STEPS TO RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT" I Corinthians 14:39 ESB "...prophecy, tongues, & interpretation of tongues ...the vocal gifts" "...revelation gifts: word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, & the discerning of spirits" "...power gifts: the gift of faith, the gift of healing, & the gift of the working of miracles." "There is a difference in the gift of tongues & the tongues one receives at the moment of his infilling. All who are filled with the Spirit baptism will speak in tongues, but not all who speak in tongues have the gift of tongues. Likewise, one who has the gift of prophecy is not necessarily a prophet." "A message in tongues does the church no good if there is no one to interpret it." "SPEAKS UNTO GOD" I Corinthians 14:2 "Tongues are always a language known somewhere in the world. It is not babble or gibberish as some detractors say." "Linguists state that there are 6,809 distinct languages." "Tongues are not meant to be understood by men unless it is intended by the Holy Spirit to be interpreted." "THE BIBLE EVIDENCE OF THE BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT" "...5 recorded instances ...Acts 2:1-16, Acts 8:14-18, Acts 9:17, & Acts 10:44-46." I Corinthians 14:18 "IS IT NECESSARY TO SPEAK IN TONGUES?" "For salvation, no..." "...but if ...one should want to speak with other tongues exactly as the Bible says." "7 STEPS TO RECEIVING THE INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT" "1. You must be born again." "Salvation now prepares one for the Holy Spirit to come & live & work in a new & dynamic fashion." "2. You must decide that it is scriptural." "3. You must have faith. Everything we receive from the Lord is always by faith." Hebrews 11:6 "4. You must not fear." Luke 11:11-13 "5. Expect. You are to expect the Holy Spirit to put supernatural words (tongues) into your spirit & then for the Holy Spirit to move upon your vocal organs. The Lord will not force you to speak in tongues. He will give the utterance, but we have to speak." "6. Yield. ...'I am asking You, Lord, to fill me with the Holy Spirit, & by faith I now receive.' We are not to beg, for the infilling of the Holy Spirit is a free gift" "7. Receive." "...the only thing one is to do respecting a gift is to receive it." CHAPTER 25 "I WILL POUR WATER UPON HIM WHO IS THIRSTY" Isaiah 44:3-4 "...the spirit of the text can definitely apply to us today" "THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD'S GREATEST GIFT TO THE CHURCH" "As salvation is God's greatest gift to the world, the mighty infilling of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues is God's greatest gift to the Church. Everything done in the church & in our lives today is done through the person, office, & work of the Holy Spirit." "I WILL POUR WATER UPON HIM WHO IS THIRSTY" "There is a thirst in man that cannot be satisfied outside of the person & indwelling of the Holy Spirit." John 14:16-18 "Water, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, speaks of life." "...the Lord said, 'I will,' an emphatic statement meaning that nothing can stop Him from doing what He says He is going to do." "Satan cannot stop the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon those who hunger & thirst after righteousness." "...the Holy Spirit desires ...to overflow us, saturate us, & literally consume us in the water of the Holy Spirit." "AND FLOODS UPON THE DRY GROUND" "The world & religion are dry ground, parched & starved, but there are floods of living water available to us." Ezekiel 47:5, 9 "When the Holy Spirit begins to flow, the dry ground becomes a veritable ground of life & harvest." "I WILL POUR MY SPIRIT UPON YOUR SEED, & MY BLESSING UPON YOUR OFFSPRING" "...blessing not only to us, but to our offspring as well." "AND THEY SHALL SPRING UP AS AMONG THE GRASS, AS WILLOWS BY THE WATER COURSES" "There's a river of life flowing out from me, Makes the lame to walk & the blind to see, Opens prison doors, sets the captives free, There's a river of life flowing out from me. Spring up a well within my soul, Spring up a well & make me whole, Spring up a well & give to me, That life abundantly." "...Isaiah 44:3: 'I will pour water upon him who is thirsty.'" Church, Read The Book Of Acts, & Get Ready!, by Donnie Swaggart, pgs. 183 - 196. Insight From "Church, Read The Book Of Acts, & Get Ready!" by Donnie Swaggart - Chapter 231/25/2021 "THE FUNCTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT"
Genesis 1:1-2 "...the moving of the Holy Spirit is the first sign of life." "We were all born into sin & darkness, but the Holy Spirit moved & brought the light of Jesus Christ into our lives." "THE CREATION STORY" "Genesis 1:1-2... the creation of the world, but, as well, we see how the Holy Spirit functions in the world, the church, & in the lives of all believers if they truly allow Him to have His way." "OPERATION" "When the Spirit moved, that which was of no form & void of life immediately changed. Order came out of chaos & light out of darkness." "He wants to operate, He wants to move, & He wants to bring life, faith, power & victory." "If the Holy Spirit is not allowed to have His way in our churches, then there is no reason to have church, for His operation changes lives, heals the sick, mends the brokenhearted, & satisfies man's heart." "ILLUMINATION" "Genesis 1:3... It is the job of the Holy Spirit to bring illumination to our lives. He illuminates truth, He gives guidance, & He shows us the right path by illuminating Jesus Christ. His job is to shine the light of truth upon Christ." "SEPARATION" "Genesis 1:4... It is the function of the Holy Spirit to bring about separation from the world & from self." "Darkness speaks of sin & error while light speaks of righteousness & truth, who is Jesus Christ. We are to be separated unto Him & Him alone." "CREATION" "Genesis 1:21... The Holy Spirit creates a new life in us." "He creates something out of nothing; He creates order out of chaos, life out of death, & prosperity out of poverty. The Holy Spirit creates." "MULTIPLICATION" "Genesis 1:28... He multiplies to us more than we could ever hope for: Justification, sanctification, & blessings from above." Luke 5:4 "The Holy Spirit wants to multiply in our lives that which we need." "The Holy Spirit moved; let Him move in you & through you. Let Him move in our churches as in days of old. Let Him operate, let Him illuminate, let Him separate, let Him create, & let Him multiply your loaves & fishes." Church, Read The Book Of Acts, & Get Ready!, by Donnie Swaggart, pgs. 169 - 182. CHAPTER 3
"Those whose souls love Jesus Christ will continue to seek him even in silence & solitude: their reins instruct them to do so, even in the night season." "Those that seek Christ, must not startle at difficulties." "We must search the scriptures, be much in prayer, keep close to ordinances, & all with this upon our heart, Saw you him whom my soul loveth?" "Those that continue seeking Christ shall find him at last, & when perhaps they were almost ready to despair of finding him. Psalms 42:7, 8; 77:9, 10; Isaiah 54:7, 8. Disappointments must not drive us away from gracious pursuits." "Those that have laid hold on wisdom must retain her. Proverbs 3:18. Those that hold Christ fast in the arms of faith & love shall not let him go; he will abide with them." "Those that rest in Christ not only dwell at ease (many do so who yet are in the greatest danger) but they dwell in safety. Their holy serenity is under the protection of a holy security." "The church is well guarded: more are with her than against her" "Our danger is from the rulers of the darkness of this world, but we are safe in the armour of light." "Look with pleasure upon Christ in his glory. Look upon him with an eye of faith, with a fixed eye." "There is joy in heaven over repenting sinners; the family is glad whne the prodigal son returns. Go forth & behold Christ's grace towards sinners, as his crown, his brightest glory." CHAPTER 4 "Those that honour Christ he will honour. I Samuel 2:30." "Wisdom & knowledge are the eyes of the new man; they must be clear, but not haughty, not exercised in things too high for us." "Christ called his disciples & ministers a little flock." "All our good works & good words must be washed in the blood of Christ, dyed like the scarlet thread, & then, & not till then, they are acceptable to God." "Prayer is compared to incense, & Christ will meet his praying people & will bless them." "There is a marriage-covenant between Christ & his church, between Christ & every true believer." "All that have by faith come to Christ must come with Christ, in holy obedience to him & compliance with him. Being joined to him, we must walk with him." "...come out from among them, & be you separate. Come from under the dominion of your own lusts" "The church shall be delivered from her persecutors, in due time; though now she dwells among lions (Ps. 57:4), Christ will take her with himself from among their dens." "Christ's heart is upon his church" "His treasure is in it; it is his peculiar treasure" "Love & obedience to God are more pleasing to Christ than sacrifice or incense." "If what God speaks to us be sweeter to us than the honey & the honeycomb (Ps. 19:10), what we say to him in prayer & praise shall also be pleasing to him" "In the word of God there is sweet & wholesome nourishment, milk for babes, honey for those that are grown up. Christ is well-pleased with those that are full of his word." "We ought therefore to wait upon the Spirit of grace for his quickening influences, to pray for them, & to lay our souls under them. God has promised to give us his Spirit, but he will for this be enquired of." CHAPTER 5 "The great work of man's redemption, & the riches of the covenant of grace, are a feast to the Lord Jesus & they ought to be so to us." "Those only that are Christ's friends are welcome to his table" "He fills the hungry with good things; there is enough for all, there is enough for each" "We ought to take notice of our own spiritual slumbers & distempers, & to reflect upon it with sorrow & shame that we have fallen asleep when Christ has been nigh us in his garden." "He knocks, to awaken us to come & let him in, knocks by his word & Spirit, knocks by afflictions & by our own consciences" "Those whom he loves he will not let alone in their carelessness, but will find some way or other to awaken them" "When we are unmindful of Christ he thinks of us, & provides that our faith fail not." "Frivolous excuses are the language of prevailing slothfulness" "When Christ has wrought powerfully upon a soul he leaves a blessed sweetness in it, which is very delightful to it." "Those that open the doors of their hearts to Christ, those everlasting doors, must meet him with the lively exercises of faith & other graces, & with these must anoint him." "There are those who have a true love for Christ, & yet have not immediate answers to their prayers for his smiles; but he gives them an equivalent if he strengthens them with strength in their souls to continue seeking him." "Carnal hearts are nothing excellent or extraordinary in the Lord Jesus, in his person or offices, in his doctrine or in his favours; as if there were no more in the knowledge of Christ, & in communion with him, than in the knowledge of the world & in its conversation." "Experienced Christians, who are will acquainted with Christ themselves, should do all they can to make others acquainted with him." "There is that in Christ's countenance which is amiable in the eyes of all the saints, in the least glimpse of him, for the cheek is but a part of the face." "Who can but love him who is so lovely?" "...to see one that is thus lovely, & to see him as ours, is a complete satisfaction." "Those that make Christ their beloved shall have him their friend" "Others may do as they please, but this is my soul's choice, my soul's rest, my life, my joy, my all; this is he whom I desire to live & die with." CHAPTER 6 "Those that undervalue Christ do so because they do not know him" "Those that would find Christ must seek him, seek him early, seek him diligently; & it is best seeking Christ in concert, to join with those that are seeking him." "Our communion with God is very much maintained & kept up by the frequent renewing of our covenant with him & rejoicing in it." "The saints by faith overcome the world (I John 5:4)" "When we are calling to God to turn the eye of his favour towards us he is calling us to turn the eye of our obedience towards him." "When the church preserves her purity she secures her honour & victory; when she is fair as the moon, & clear as the sun, she is truly great & formidable." "Christ & believers are pleased with the beauty of the church." Matthew Henry's Commentary: Job To Song Of Solomon, Mac Donald, pgs. 1068 - 1091. CHAPTER 11
"Give freely to the poor, though it may seem thrown away & lost, as that which is cast upon the waters." "God is rich in mercy to all, to us, though unworthy; he gives liberally, & upbraids not with former gifts, & we must be merciful as our heavenly Father is." "If by charity we trust God with what we have, we put it into good hands against bad times." "If we stand thus magnifying every little difficulty & making the worst of it, starting objections & fancying hardship & danger where there is none, we shall never go on, much less go through with our work, nor make any thing of it." "Those that will be deterred & driven off by small & seeming difficulties from great & real duties will never bring any thing to pass in... (covenant-love relationship w/ God) ...for there will always arise some wind, some cloud or other, at least in our imaginations, to discourage us." "God's work shall certainly agree with his word, whether we see it or no." "Be not weary of well-doing, for in due season, in God's time, & that is the best time, you shall reap. Galatians 6:9." "There is judgment to come. We must every one of us be brought into judgment" "We shall be reckoned with for all our carnal mirth & sensual pleasures in that day." "The evil of sin will be the evil of punishment" "...these flowers will soon wither, & those blossoms fall; let them therefore be knit into good fruit, which will continue & abound to a good account." CHAPTER 12 "A call to young people to think of God, & mind their duty to him, when they are young" "...the royal physician's antidote against the particular diseases of youth." "...remember thy Creator." "Call him to mind when thou art young, & keep him in mind throughout all the days of thy youth, & never forget him. Guard thus against the temptations of youth, & thus improve the advantages of it." "...old age being thus clogged with infirmities, it is the greatest folly imaginable to put off that needful work till then, which requires the best of our strength" "How can we expect God should help us when we are old, if we will not serve him when we are young? Psalms 71:17, 18." "God takes no pleasure in the legs of a man (Ps. 147:10), for their strength will soon fail; but in the Lord Jehovah there is everlasting strength; he has everlasting arms." "Some old people bear up better than others under the decays of age, but, more or less, the days of old age are & will be evil days & of little pleasure." "Let us not therefore indulge the appetites of the body, nor pamper it (it will be worms' meat shortly) nor let sin reign in our mortal bodies, for they are mortal. Romans 6:12." "All true penitents are convinced of the vanity of the world, for they find it can do nothing to ease them of the burden of sin." "Ministers should study, not for big words, nor for fine words, but acceptable words, such as are likely to please men for their good, to edification. I Corinthians 10:33." "The truths of God prick men in the heart. Acts 2:37." "From that one Shepherd all ministers must receive what they deliver, & speak according to the light of the written word." "Every word of God is pure & precious, but some words are worthy of more special remark" "Fear God, that is, worship God, give him the honour due to his name, in all the instances of true devotion, inward & outward." "Wherever the fear of God is uppermost in the heart, there will be a respect to all his commandments & care to keep them. In vain do we pretend to fear God if we do not make conscience of our duty to him." "There is a judgment to come, in which every man's eternal state will be finally determined." "Every work will then be brought into judgment, will be enquired into & called over again." "Even secret things, both good & evil, will be brought to light, & brought to account in the judgment of the great day (Romans 2:16); there is no good work, no bad work hid, but shall then be made manifest." Matthew Henry's Commentary: Job To Song Of Solomon, Mac Donald, pgs. 1042 - 1052. Insights From "Church, Read The Book Of Acts, & Get Ready!" by Donnie Swaggart - Chatper 221/20/2021 "WHAT ABOUT THE WIND & THE FIRE?"
Acts 2:1-4 ESB "1. Q: In I Corinthians, Chapter 14, isn't the apostle Paul telling us that tongues are not that important & is actually forbidding to speak in tongues during a service? A: No, that's not what he is saying. ...in vs. 39 he says, 'Forbid not to speak with tongues.' Paul is dealing with order in a local assembly ...He is telling us that it does the body no good for a message in tongues to be given if there is no one there to interpret. ...Everyone who is filled with the Spirit will speak in tongues, but not everyone who speaks in tongues has the gift of tongues, one of the gifts of the Spirit." "2. Q: Do I need to speak in tongues to go to heaven? A: No. Salvation is by faith through grace, & it is afforded to everyone who repents & asks Christ into their hearts." "3. Q: You Pentecostals say you are continuing the Acts 2 experience & that it is for today, so why don't we feel the mighty rushing wind & see the tongues of fire? A: Since this is the question we probably receive most often, allow me the remainder of this chapter to answer it. On the day of Pentecost, two important & outstanding events took place: 1. The Holy Spirit was given. ...The evidence of the Spirit being given was the wind & the fire. Both were the announcement that now the Holy Spirit could be given to man in a way that was not possible in the old covenant. ...There is no need today for us to see the fire or feel the wind, for on Pentecost He came & has never left. Praise God the Holy Spirit has been in our midst & in the hearts of untold millions for nearly 2,000 years. He is here, & He's not leaving. 2. The Holy Spirit was received. ...received, with the evidence - believers speaking in tongues." "The first event - the Holy Spirit given - was a specific act at a specific time for all believers of every generation, & it was never to be repeated. However, the Holy Spirit being received happened not only then, but also now, & until the end of all ages for all who will believe." "Thank God, the Holy Spirit was given, & thank God, I have received Him." Church, Read The Book Of Acts, & Get Ready!, by Donnie Swaggart, pgs. 169 - 175. Insights From "Church, Read The Book Of Acts, & Get Ready!" by Donnie Swaggart - Chapter 211/15/2021 "THE RIVER"
Psalms 46:1 - 4 "...it is possible that it was written by the prophet Isaiah during the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrians (II Chronicles, Chapter 23; II Kings, Chapter 18; Isaiah, Chapters 36-39)." "...it pertains to the siege of Jerusalem by the Antichrist (Zech. 14:1-13) when the Lord will defend Jerusalem & defeat the Antichrist in a great victory." "TROUBLE" "...we as believers face trouble in our own lives. In the Hebrew the word trouble means 'distress, a situation of extreme discomfort, affliction, or anguish.'" "There is no such thing as a life of ease & comfort as a believer, though we can have peace in the midst of trouble. Still, trouble & affliction are going to come our way." I Peter 4:12. "We are in a spiritual war, & Satan is not going to let up. His attacks cover every aspect of one's life & living - spiritual, physical, financial, emotional & domestical." "...our biggest problem is us. We make foolish decisions; we listen to people with their bad advice. We don't seek the Lord, & we let our flesh rule, but believe me, the flesh must be fed, & it's never good." "The Lord also allows trouble to come our way to teach dependence, trust & faith, & even more so to teach us how fallible we are. Deuteronomy 8:2." "'With the believer, everything is a test. How will we acts? How will we react?" "REFUGE" "The word refuge means a 'place of safety & protection, security & a place of hope.' He is the one; we are to run to Him, & we are to place our trust in Him. His refuge is complete & secure. His refuge provides for us everything we need during the time of trouble." "STRENGTH" "Strength in the Hebrew means 'power & might,' & the greatest expression of His power & might was His victory over Satan on Calvary's Cross & His glorious resurrection." "A VERY PRESENT HELP" "...the Lord is our help now. He is a now God:
"WE WILL NOT FEAR" "...we need not fear, for the Lord is working for us, fighting for us, providing for us, & interceding for us." "THE RIVER OF GOD" "This river is the river of God. It refers to the great river that will flow out from under the sanctuary in the coming kingdom age." "The river is a type of the Holy Spirit, of which water represents the Holy Spirit as life." "The only true life there is, is the life which flows from the Holy Spirit. The river will sustain you, the river will bring joy & gladness of heart, & the river can take that which is barren & bring forth life." "The river - the Holy Spirit - is the strength & power of the believer & the church. We must get into the river, & we must let the river get into us, for that is where we find true life." Church, Read The Book Of Acts, & Get Ready!, by Donnie Swaggart, pgs. 161 - 167. CHAPTER 7 "...the honour of virtue is really more valuable & desirable than all the wealth & pleasure in this world." "We were born to uncertainty, but a good man does not die at uncertainty. The day of our birth clogged our souls with the burden of the flesh, but the day of our death will set them at liberty from that burden." "That is best for us which is best for our souls, by which the heart is made better, though it be unpleasing to sense." "By faith see what the end will be, & with patience expect it." "We must be clothed with humility" "We must put on patience, bearing patience, to submit to the will of God in the affliction, & waiting patience, to expect the issue in God's due time." "We must govern our passion with wisdom & grace" "He therefore that would approve himself so wise as not to give place to the devil, must not let the sun go down upon his wrath. Ephesians 4:26, 27." "God has been always good, & men always bad" "Wisdom is good of itself, & makes a man useful" "The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, & that is life; it prolongs life." "...true wisdom will give spiritual life, the earnest of eternal life; so much better is it to get wisdom than gold." "Wisdom strengthens the wise, strengthens their spirits, & makes them bold & resolute, by keeping them always on sure grounds." "...every work of God is wise, just & good, & there is an admirable beauty & harmony in his works, & all will appear at last to have been for the best." "In a day of prosperity (& it is but a day) we must be joyful, be in good, be doing good, & getting good, maintain a holy cheerfulness, & serve the Lord with gladness of heart in the abundance of all things. When the world smiles, rejoice in God & praise him, & let the joy of the Lord be thy strength. In a day of adversity (& that is but a day too) consider. Times of affliction are proper times for consideration" Haggai 1:5. "...consideration is necessary also to our comfort & support under our afflictions." "Wisdom will teach us how to construe those dark chapters of Providence so as to reconcile them with the wisdom, holiness, goodness, & faithfulness of God." "There is a judgment to come, which will rectify this seeming irregularity, to the glory of God & the full satisfaction of all his people, & we must wait with patience till then." "Govern thyself steadily by the principles of... (covenant-love relationship w/ God), ...& thou shall find that he that fears God shall come forth out of all those straits & difficulties which those run themselves into that cast off that fear." "Wisdom will teach us how to conduct ourselves in reference to the sins & offences of others, which commonly contribute more than any thing else to the disturbance of our repose, which contract both guilt & grief." "It is the character of just men that they do good; for the tree is known by its fruits." "Wisdom teaches us not to be quick-sighted, or quick-scented, in apprehending & resenting affronts, but to wink at many of the injuries that are done us, & set as if we did not see them" "We must show all meekness towards all men, for we ourselves were sometimes foolish. Titus 3:2, 3; Matt. 7:1, 2; James 3:1, 2." "It is necessary to our repentance for sin that we be acquainted with the evil of it, as it is necessary to the cure of a disease to know its nature, causes, & malignity." "...as there is a wickedness in folly, so there is a folly in wickedness, even foolishness & madness. Wilful sinners are fools & mad-men; they act contrary both to right reason & to their true interest." "Lust gets strength by being gratified" "Those that are kept from this sin must acknowledge it is God that keeps them, & not any strength or resolution of their own, must acknowledge it a great mercy" "Man, instead of resting in what God had found for him, was for seeking to better himself, like the prodigal that left his father's house to seek his fortune." "Vain man would be wise, wiser than his Maker" "Those that forsake God wander endlessly." CHAPTER 8 "The wise man is the good man, that knows God & glorifies him, knows himself & does well for himself; his wisdom is a great happiness to him." "No man without grace, though he be learned, or noble, or rich, is to be compared with a man that has true grace & is therefore accepted of God." "Though we may by surprise be drawn into an evil thing, yet we must not stand in it. but recede from it as soon as it appears to us to be evil." "God has, in wisdom, concealed form us the knowledge of future events, that we may be always ready for changes." "Death is an enemy that we must all enter the lists with, sooner or later" "The most subtle wickedness cannot outwit death, nor the most impudent wickedness outbrave death." "It is sad with a people when those that should protect their... (covenant-love relationship w/ God) ...& rights aims at the destruction of both." "Sentence is passed against evil works & evil workers by the righteous Judge of heaven & earth, even against the evil works of princes & great men, as well as of inferior persons. The execution of this sentence is often delayed a great while, & the sinner goes on, not only unpunished, but prosperous & successful." "Sinners herein deceive themselves, for, though the sentence be not executed speedily, it will be executed the more severely at last. Vengeance comes slowly, but it comes surely, & wrath is in the mean time treasured up against the day of wrath." "Wicked people prosper, & prevail, for a time, the curse is as sure to them as the blessing is to the righteous: It shall not be well with the wicked, as others think it is, who judge by outward appearance, & as they themselves expect it will be; nay, woe to the wicked; it shall be ill with them (Isa. 3:10, 11); they shall be reckoned with for all the ill they have done" "The wicked man's days are as a shadow, not only uncertain & declining, as all men's days are, but altogether unprofitable." "Our present life is a life under the sun, but we look for the life of the world to come, which will commence & continue when the sun shall be turned into darkness & shine no more." "God's ways are above ours, nor is he tied to his own former ways, but his judgments are a great deep." CHAPTER 9 "What we are to declare we should first consider; think twice before we speak once" "The righteous & the wise, & their works, are in the hand of God, under his special protection & guidance; all their affairs are managed by him for their good; all their wise & righteous actions are in his hand, to be recompensed in the other world, though not in this." "The righteous are clean, have clean hands & pure hearts; the wicked are unclean, under the dominion of unclean lusts, pure perhaps in their own eyes, but not cleansed from their filthiness. God will certainly put a difference between the clean & the unclean, the precious & the vile, in the other world, though he does not seem to do so in this." "While there is life there is hope." "If the heart be full of evil, & madness be in it, yet while there is life there is hope that by the grace of God there may be a blessed change wrought; but after men go to the dead it is too late then; he that is then filthy will be filthy still, for ever filthy." "While there is life there is an opportunity of preparing for death" "The living know they shall die; it is a thing yet to come, & therefore provision may be made for it. The dead know they are dead, & it is too late" "Let us relish the comforts of life while we live, & cheerfully take our share of the enjoyments of it." "We must enjoy ourselves, enjoy our friends, enjoy our God, & be careful to keep a good conscience, that nothing may disturb us in these enjoyments." "Our first care must be to make our peace with God, & obtain his favour, to do that which he will accept of, & then, Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy." "Whatsoever thy hand finds to do do it with thy might." "Serving God & working out our salvation must be done with all that is within us" "The grave is a land of darkness & silence, & therefore there is no doing any thing for our souls there; it must be done now or never. John 12:35." "We are often disappointed of the good we had great hopes of" "...if we succeed, we must give God the praise (Psalms 44:3)." "We know not what troubles are before us, which will take us off our business, & take us out of the world, what time & chance will happen to us, nor what one day, or a night, may bring forth." "Private interests & personal resentments must always be sacrificed to the public good & forgotten when the common welfare is concerned." "It is well that useful men have a God to trust to, who will be their bountiful rewarder" "A man may by his wisdom effect that which he could never compass by his strength, & may overcome those by out-witting them who are able to overpower him." "If God be for us, who can be against us or stand before us?" "...there is a day coming when wisdom & goodness shall be in honour, & the righteous shall shine forth." "...many a good project, well laid for the public welfare, has been destroyed by some one subtle adversary to it. The wisdom of some would have healed the nation, but, through the wickedness of a few, it would not be healed." CHAPTER 10 "True wisdom is true honour, & will gain a man a reputation, which is like a box of precious ointment, pleasing & very valuable." "Let wisdom direct to gentle methods & forbear violent ones." "Wisdom will direct how to sharpen & put an edge upon both ourselves & those we employ, not to work deceitfully (Psalms 52:2), but to work cleanly & cleverly." "...the lips of a fool not only expose him to reproach & make him ridiculous, but will swallow up himself & bring him to ruin" "It is not strange if those that begin foolishly end madly" "Many who are empty of sense are full of words" "...the happiness of a land depends upon the character of its rulers" "The people cannot but be happy when their rulers are generous & active, sober & temperate, & men of business. The land is then blessed. When the sovereign is governed by principles of honour, when the king is the son of nobles, actuated & animated by a noble spirit, which scorns to do any thing base & unbecoming so high a character." "By much slothfulness & idleness of the hands, the neglect of business, & the love of ease & pleasure, the building decays, drops through first, & by degrees drops down." "God sees what men do, & hears what they say, in secret; &, when he pleases, he can bring it to light by strange & unsuspected ways." Romans 13:3, 4. Matthew Henry's Commentary: Job To Song Of Solomon, Mac Donald, pgs. 1016 - 1042. |
AuthorCross Preaching Pentecostal Pastor. Husband to Tonia, Father to 3 beautiful girls, Monica, Zoe & Briana, & Grandfather to Wesley & Elliott Archives
September 2023
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