And he that was dead came forth!

The life-giving voice to the dead
John 11:43 And when he thus had spoken,
he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44 And he that was dead came forth, 
bound hand and foot with graveclothes: 
and his face was bound about with a napkin. 
Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

ONLY after the dead has been raised, 
the Lord directed His disciples to assist the risen. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/4256426284378
January 22, 2013

When did God save you?
Have you believed the gospel of your salvation or some horrid lies!
Many LIARS teach that it is when you hear their preaching and decided to heed their call to believe in Jesus, then God saves you.

That is VERY BAD NEWS - if God has to wait for you to believe in order to save you, you will never be saved! By nature, it is absolutely impossible!
The Scriptures say these about you plainly:
- when you WERE without strength, i.e. IMPOTENT to believe!
- when you WERE ungodly, i.e. CONTRARY to God's will!
- while you WERE yet sinners, i.e. in the STATE of sin and death!
- when you WERE enemies, i.e. WARRING against God!
- when you WERE dead in trespasses and sins, WITHOUT spiritual life for spiritual activities like perceiving and believing spiritual things.

It was when you were still in such pathetic and miserable condition:
- Christ DIED for you, the ungodly! He didn't wait till you believe!
- God COMMENDED His love towards you! He didn't wait till you believe!
- Christ JUSTIFIED you by His blood! He didn't wait till you believe!
- Christ SAVED you from the wrath to come! He didn't wait till you believe!
- Christ reconciled you to God by His death in your stead (when you have no real existence yet, except in the mind of God, and your names were already in the Book of Life!)
- The Holy Spirit quickened you; you were born of God by His free grace.

 Sing F Lau
Romans 5:
6 ¶ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Nilo del Mundo
To some, He died for them after their deaths. Those are the saints from Adam up to John the Baptist time.

CorpuzValdemor
Very true indeed. Eph 1:4-6
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Joey Candelaria
O.T. & N.T. Children of God were given in Christ BEFORE the foundation of the world... Before the world began, God saved us...

2 Timothy 1v9 "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,"

Blood of the Everlasting Covenant... Manifested at the cross of the Calvary, by and through faith of our Saviour Jesus Christ...

Joey Candelaria
Four thumbs up Pastor Sing F Lau!!! (y) (y) (y) (y)

Sing F Lau
A man's believing EVIDENCES that:
- Christ has DIED for him!
- God has COMMENDED His love towards him!
- Christ him JUSTIFIED him by His blood!
- Christ SAVED him from the wrath to come!
- Christ has RECONCILED him to God by His death in his stead!

These PRIOR divine activities, wholly by grace alone, ENABLES a man to believe WHAT IS ALREADY TRUE!

LG Rob
Now that's the true Gospel! Salvation is of the Lord

Nilo del Mundo
These truths are believed at the time God opens a man's heart

LG Rob
Amen

Joey Candelaria
Therefore conclude, faith is given to man in order to KNOW the truth.... And the truth is, God saved His people BEFORE they believed...

Barry Clint
No opinionated views here, but the mind of God!

Sing F Lau
Regenerating a dead man to bring him to eternal life, and opening the heart of a regenerated man to understand the truth of his salvation by God's free grace needs to be carefully distinguished!

Robert Cook Sr.
True bro Sing regeneration gives faith to be used to believe something about God either revealed by what he has made or by the preaching of His word by men, but he is already heaven-bound before he hears or understands anything if chosen in Christ! Romans 10:18 - most make Romans 10 an eternal requirement but it is a temporal or for our conscience, the truth purifies our conscience but trusting the blood shed for us, therefore having confidence in Him for our acceptance with our Father!!!!

Sing F Lau
Regeneration gives eternal life to a DEAD man.
The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of adoption, given to dwell in a child of God WORKS all saving graces in a child of God, including the grace of faith... this grace of faith ENABLES a child of God to believe.

Are we saying the same things?

Robert Cook Sr.
Yes, my brother you just are more eloquent.

Robert Cook Sr.
I speak of the personal results of our knowing the truth and the peace we realize is ours with God by His grace, My guilty conscience is gone the lamb took it away!!!

Sing F Lau
No more eloquent... just stating the truth a little less loosely!

Robert Cook Sr.
I'll get my tools out a 9mm should be big enough!

Sing F Lau
Robert, make sure it is the 6mm please! <LOOOOOOOOOL>

This is something NEW under the sun!

Whatever has gone wrong, a reformed man making statements like these:

"Old Testament saints were not regenerated and Spirit filled, even though declared righteous by God... Indewelling was not till Pentecost... No person was born again of the Spirit before Pentecost... Abraham was never a new man as are the new testament saints."

Have you heard such things before? 

Sing F Lau
Here is the complete quote... just to be sure that I am not accused of quoting out of context:

"Old Testament saints were not regenerated and Spirit filled, even though declared righteous by God.

The Spirit would come upon them and sometimes remain... for some time, but was never an indewelling entity. Indewelling was not till Pentecost, although John the Baptist seems to be an exception. No person was born again of the Spirit before Pentecost. Jesus breathed on Peter and some of the other disciples and said receive the Holy Spirit, but they were not born again until Pentecost.

In Romans 5 and 6, Paul describes the process of being born again from an objective point of view. Therefore having been justified by faith, this is the very first step. Then he follows step by step through chapter 6.

Abraham was never a new man as are the new testament saints."
----------

The author claims to be a reformed man.
This is something NEW under the sun!
Have you read such things in the Holy Scriptures? 

Alan Lloyd
why then does David say in Psalm 51 take not thy Spirit from me if he was not being continually indwelt, people need to deal with the junk their taught in seminaries. 

Ashley Juliot
I know of a "reformed" pastor who said this very thing to me a few weeks ago... He is also a dispensationalist. 

Charles Page
I knew he was in trouble when he commented that to your post! LOL 

Jerry Chapin
" Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." Mt.15:14 

Jerry Chapin
@Sing, Pretty soon they'll be addressing each other as, Reformed Reverend So and So. 

Sing F Lau
I begin to think that the label 'reformed' is very fashionable, and men love to label themselves 'reformed' to give themselves an air of 'superiority' and 'scholarship'.

PERHAPS [sic] that may be why EVEN a donkey of a man would also want to have the elitist 'reformed' label. 

Alan Lloyd
or they just like to avoid the stigma attached to calvinism maybe! 

DJ Keesee
Apparently, Old Testament saints will not see the Kingdom? 

Alan Lloyd
thought they were already in it. 

Sing F Lau
ALL SAINTS - i.e. separated from their native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation - WILL BE IN HEAVEN.

Many OT saints did not see the kingdom of heaven inaugurated by Christ's coming. The 'kingdom of heaven' is chiefly a term used to contrast the new covenant kingdom of heaven against the old earthly theocratic kingdom of Israel.

Some OT saints were in the old earthly theocratic kingdom of Israel. They did enter the kingdom of heaven.

Many of God's saints were neither part of the old earthly theocratic kingdom of Israel nor the kingdom of heaven.

'... end of the world' and 'the new heavens and new earth'

Subject: '... end of the world' and 'the new heavens and new earth'
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 13:00:28 +0700

Brethren,
Please help me
Mt 24:1-3 read, "And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

The Lord Jesus made a momentous statement concerning the complete destruction of the temple. That statement caused Peter to ask among other things, about the end of the world.

Is there a direct connection between Christ's statement of the destruction of the temple and Peter's question on 'the end of the world'? Which world did Peter had in mind - is it the end of the Jewish world, or the end of the world at the end of time?

Peter asked about the coming of Jesus - is this about Christ's second coming, or the coming of the risen Lord to execute His judgment which resulted in the obliteration of the temple and the cessation of the theocratic Jewish nation? Is this coming of Jesus the same as 'the day of judgment and perdition' and 'the day of the Lord' spoken of in 2Pet 3:7,10.

Are Peter's word of exhortation to the fellow Jews in his second epistle (3:10-13) related to the answer he received from Christ in Mt 24?

sing
xinglau@myjaring.net

Brother Sing,
In answer to your question, I submit the following:

In a post written by Elder Bernie, he quotes from Hassell's History as follows:"In reference to the highly important discourse of Christ in Matthew 24; and 25, it is to be observed that Christ is answering three distinct questions of His Apostles: 1st, When the temple and city of Jerusalem were to be destroyed; 2nd, What were to be the signs of His coming; and 3rd, What was to be the time or the sign of the end of the world (Matt. 24:3). The questions, perhaps, amounted to but one in the minds of the disciples at that time, because they probably supposed that these three events were to be simultaneous. It is in accordance with the entire analogy of Scripture prophecy to understand that these predictions had a primary and lower fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem, but will have a final and higher fulfillment in the destruction of this sin-polluted world. So the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah were intended to foretell, not only the deliverance of national Israel from Babylonian captivity, but also the far more important redemption of spiritual Israel from the bondage of sin and Satan."  (Hassell’s History, Page 261)

God bless,
Allenne

Dear Brother Sing,
You have asked some very interesting questions.  Please tell us what you think and believe about this passage.
Desiring to learn from you, Ed

Dear Brother Sing,
It  is not my intention to enter into a full discussion of the difficult points of the questions being raised relative to Matthew, chapter 24.

 
I would merely mention that the phrase  "end of the world" which appears in Matthew 24:3 is the same as the phrase that appears in Hebrews 9:26.  

Since I have been away to the Philippines, it is entirely possible that this thought has already been offered but I have not had time to read every post since my return.  However, I am trying to catch up and do want to eventually read every email to FGF while I have been gone.

This is, indeed, an interesting subject and I will continue to read all reponses on this subject.

Your little brother,
Gene

Dear Gene,
I am so pleased that you took the rigorous trip to the Tagalogland so well. I had wanted to ask you to extend your trip and hop over to visit us here. but wifey said that would be a 'cruel' and unkind thing to do. 

Thanks for bringing the Heb 9:26 passage to attention. The same passage was also upon my mind... as expressed in a separate post...
I look forward to the thought of my teachers on this list.
sing

Brother Allen,
Thanks for the pre-packed nugget.
I like something fresh... like raw fish with fresh garlic <grin>.
Perhaps we need to put ourselves into the shoes of the Jewish disciples and think AFRESH to momentous statements of Christ  and its effects upon them. 

I am just thinking... and would like something fresh to think about. My poor and weak stomach does not take pre-packed food well.
Thanks. sing

Brother Ed,
I learn by asking and listening to the thoughts of my teachers.|
I don't know yet what I ought to think of the passage... you give your thoughts to my questions and I would be pleased to learn from you.

eager to learn,
sing

 

By Grace are Ye saved

"Even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace ye are saved)."
You were saved by grace when you were dead in trespasses and sins.
When you were dead in trespasses and sins, you were incapable of believing.

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10215414596093577

January 8, 2020 

#By_Grace_are_ye_Saved_through_faith?
#Prejudice_Blinds
#Soundbytes_Deafens

Ephesians 2
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)...
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Verse 8 is loved and quoted often; nearly every Christian is willing to affirm "by grace are ye saved" even though their idea on the subject repudiates the truth of salvation by the grace of God. Why do I say that?

Their idea of "by grace are ye saved" includes the instrumentality of their act of believing; "through faith" is understood as the believing act of those saved. They necessarily understand "the gift of God" as referring to the faith which is given to those not saved, still dead in sins, for them to utilize the gift, i.e. to be saved through faith.

Such ideas are just plain irrational, i.e. lacking common sense, yes, stupid. The ideas blatantly contradict the plain statement of verse 5, "Even when we were dead in sins, [God] hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)"

It declares that "by grace ye are saved" happens when we were dead in sins, by the quickening activity of the Spirit of God. "By grace are ye saved" happens when we were INCAPABLE of faith, when we were dead in sins; we were in our native state of condemnation and death.

"Through faith" declares the basis of that gift of salvation freely bestowed. Salvation is through the faithfulness of Christ in His work of redemption. Instead of rejoicing in the complete and perfect faithfulness of Christ, so many are obsessed with their faith and then twisting the word of God further by insisting that the gift is the faith.

No, the all-wise God does not give the gift of faith to the dead in sins and expects them to utilize the gift. Let God be true but every man a liar; He quickens the dead instead by bestowing the eternal salvation to them - that is the gift given to the dead at the point of quickening from the dead. The gift is the salvation bestowed freely by God's grace.

Stop believing lies.

p/s: faith is NOT a gift; faith is one of the saving graces worked within a SAVED man by the indwelling Spirit, even the Spirit of adoption. 

If ye shall still do wickedly...

 

BUT if ye shall STILL do wickedly…

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/144014145652214

1Samuel 12
22 For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.
23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
25 BUT if ye shall still do wickedly…

a. But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
Note:
1. Eternal salvation is by the LORD's free and unconditional grace. Once made His people by His free and sovereign grace, forever His people. None can undo that.... not EVEN the LORD Himself... for He has sworn... 'for His great name sake.'

2. Temporal salvation is conditioned upon the obedience of God's people. If they do learn the good and right way, fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth... they will enjoy many blessings. But if they don't... they shall suffer severe temporal judgment here and now.

 

b. 25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.

The LORD's people are quite capable of DOING WICKEDLY!
And what constitutes doing wickedly?
- Will not learn the good and the right way of the LORD,
- Will not fear the LORD,
- Will not serve in truth will all the heart,

We do wickedly if we don't respond appropriately in GRATITUDE to all the great things the LORD has done for us.

c. 25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.

The LORD's people are quite capable of DOING WICKEDLY!
And what constitutes doing wickedly?
- Persist in the bad and wrong ways we have inherited...
- Fear men and pleasing women
- Serve yourself first, then serve the LORD with the left-overs, and grudgingly and quarter-heartedly.

Predestination - Single versus Double

https://www.facebook.com/notes/sing-f-lau/there-is-a-distinct-difference-are-you-aware/10152138323323484/

The WCF on God's Decrees
3. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death.

The Calvinists teach Double Predestination - election (God actively predestinated some to eternal salvation) and reprobation (God actively foreordained the rest to eternal damnation.) Reformed Baptists, being Calvinists, believe this lie too.

The 1689 on God's Decrees
3. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated, or foreordained to eternal life through Jesus Christ, to the praise of his glorious grace; others being left to act in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of his glorious justice.

The Calvinistic Baptists teach Double Predestination - election (God actively predestinated some to eternal salvation) and reprobation (God actively predestinated the rest to eternal damnation.)  Reformed Baptists, being Calvinists, believe this lie too.

The Old Baptists teach Single Predestination - election. (God actively predestinated some to eternal salvation, and preterition (the rest are passively by-passed and left to their just condemnation). The Old Baptists were no Calvinists! They were distinctly Old School Baptists!

On Brutality and Hypocrisy - he is mac!

These geese are grand and graceful birds.
They bellow loud and clear;
and this may offend and annoy many.
I love them! It is music to the ears!

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10204056715193653

 "Truth without love has no decency; it's just brutality. On the other hand, love without truth has no character; it's just hypocrisy." ~ John Mac

==============

Truth, in and of itself is beautiful, however it is packaged and delivered. But there will always be people who can't deal with the truth and they will kick up all sorts of scruples. To many, the truth, however well packaged and delivered in the most winsome way, is still hateful to them.

The opposition to Jesus Christ and His ministry - marked by both truth, and love in their absolute purity - is a classic proof of that.

Love without truth is NOT hypocrisy, it is just sentimentalism.

To say love without truth is hypocrisy is a horrid slander against the loving who couldn't care less about the truth. They are sincerely loving, and sincerely thoughtless of the truth.

Truth is never decent to those who love darkness.

Those who find scruples against the truth because of its messenger are certainly indecent themselves!

A Church like a Headless Chicken

 

Many churches are headless like this chicken

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock..."

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10215398423609275

#Locking_Out_the_Head
#A_Church_like_a_Headless_Chicken

Sometimes, brave and prudent wives lockout their mad husbands for good reasons.

Not infrequently, even churches lock out their Head, the Lord Christ Jesus. Just look at a church that actually did such a heinous act,  Rev 3:14-22. BEHOLD, and tremble at the devastating effects, despite all the impressive appearance to the contrary!

The headless church's assessment of herself:

"I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing." So well-off, respectable, and self-sufficient; she's impressed with herself.

Dr. Faithful's diagnosis of her:
"... Knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."

How to explain such delusion and self-conceit; why is she so mistaken about herself? What has brought her down to such a tragic state?

The answer is found in these solemn words, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

She has locked out her Head; in doing so, she has become like a headless chicken - "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" - but still impressive in her own eyes and in that of the world.

Some wives/mothers wisely lock out their husbands because their husbands have turned abusive and beastly; they did it for safety and well-being.

But why would churches lock out their Lord and Saviour? That heinous wickedness has happened before, is still happening, and will yet happen. And the devastating effects have been spelled out.

BUT what is manifested at the corporate level has first occurred at the individual level.

The Lord and Saviour  says, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Rev 3:22