Can God’s Word be Trusted?

 

Can God’s Word be Trusted?

March 6, 2021

 

 

Many years ago, we put this Scripture on our house, so all could read it.  It is the last part of Joshua 24:15, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

 

Is it foolish to put your trust in what God has told us in the Bible, and if so, who can you trust?  This paper is addressing those who are called Christians, who claim they believe in Jesus Christ, that He was the only Son of God, and came to earth as a baby, being placed in Mary’s womb by God’s Holy Spirit, who had never known a man, and was a virgin.  They also will tell you that Jesus died on a cross for the sin of the world, for their sin, and that because of their faith in him they will go to heaven.  They also claim Jesus not only conquered sin, but also death and the grave, and is sitting at the right hand of His Father.

 

I must confess, I also believe that to be true, at the age of 27, in a hotel room in Victoria, Texas, I read the following: “If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.   For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10) Over many years of being a follower of Christ, I’ve come to understand that it was not my faith, but faith God gave me to trust Him; and by His grace, I've acted on that faith, and I entered into God, and He entered into me, and He is my life, the old Bob died that day.  For 27 years, I had learned how to get my needs met outside of Christ; those sin habits and the world's desire to mold me into its plan have taken many years to reshape my mind to not trust in man but in God.

 

So, if that is true, then how can you who go by the title of Christian ignore the rest of God’s word?

 

Proverbs 19:23

 

“The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.”  We are also told that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.   Fear is not a new thing to me; I was taught it like one teaches a bird dog to fear at an early age.  The Scriptures are clear that fear is not bad if centered on the Fear of the Lord.  Fear of anything else is not of God and comes from the enemy of our soul, the one Jesus called the thief in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  

 

Why is this subject so dear to me? Why am I asking you to ponder on Truth?  It began when I saw a man-made virus; President Trump called it correctly the China Virus; that was where it was designed.  It brought fear all over the world, and I witnessed it; not many voices called the Christian community to call its members to pray, seeking God, but instead, I saw them look to science, to government, but not to God.  In no way am I stating that some did look to God, but many in leadership did not.  

 

As I prayed and looked to the Scriptures, I kept getting the same message: fear not, for I am with you.  Isaiah 41:10 states the following: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”  It was Proverbs 19:23, where I believe the Spirit of God who lives in me asks me these questions: will you trust Me to be your vaccine; will you trust Me over doctors, over science, and over being thought a fool?​  And I said, Yes, Lord, Jesus, yes. 

 

It became clear that, as my dear friend, John Davis, often says to me when it comes to Scripture, you cannot teach it round and square; it is either all true or it is not.  Now that is what you need to give a lot of thought to: the Jesus you are trusting for eternal life claimed in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

 

If everything the Bible says about Jesus is true, my answer is 100%; then why are you running to any source but God?  Has He not told us He cares for us? Has He not told us that His Father and ours knows when a sparrow dies, and we are much more valuable than sparrows?  And lastly, does not Jesus call us friends, not the Facebook kind of friend, but the real deal that is there 24-7.  He loves you, and so do I, or I would not be writing this paper, which I know many will not understand.  I went into the hospital because I  tested positive for COVID, but was feeling great; once more I listened to the wrong source and allowed a treatment of some stuff to be put into my body, which depleted my sodium, and when I got to the hospital my sodium was below 100.  The lesson I learned was: Listen to My Son. God the Father said that.

 

A Truth-seeker

​From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

 

 

Listen To Him

 

Matthew 17:5 “He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

 

When Jan and I have the privilege of giving advice to a young couple, I always tell the young lady if your husband has his face in the TV watching some sport team, it may not be the best time to tell him something that is important.  He may look right at you, and yet the noise of what happening on the game, has his attention.  

 

The same thing holds true with you hearing from God, it requires you to listen, to turn off the noise, and be still and it has to be a priority, for much of the time we are not still and waiting for God.  Plasm 46:10, He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

 

Sunday September 6, 2026

The Scripture John 10:27

^“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

 

To know someone’s voice, it requires knowing them, being familiar, spending time with them.  Do you know that you have two voice that speak to you, one sounds just like your voice, and it often uses this line, you deserve that, or you deserve better that that.  That voice that sounds like you may also tell you have little value, and your family and friends would be better off without you.   That is the voice of the evil one, and both of those are lies.  If you got what you deserve it would not be forgiveness and grace, but in that God love you He has given His only Son, Jesus to take your place, and Jesus pay for your and my sins.  So, you have great worth to your Creator.

 

The reason so many who go by the title of Christian do not hear Jesus speaking to them is that they have never got familiar with Jesus; they never

ask the Holy Spirit to open their ears; they have never sought Him in His Written Word.   Or, they have never asked Jesus to be the authority of their life.  2 Corinthians 13:5, maybe where you need to begin.  “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” 

 

Pastor Ray: seven points

Question one must ask about the Voice they are listening to.

 

1.   It is consistent with God’s Word?

2.   It is conforming to the image of Jesus?

3.   It is confirmed by other Jesus followers?

4.   It is consistent with the way God has spoken in the past?

5.   It is concerning my responsibility?

6.   It is calling me to freedom and not shame?

7.   It is causing peace in my Life? 

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Making the Altar of Burnt Offering

 

Exodus 38:1-8

 

November 16, 2024

 

Making the Altar of Burnt Offering

He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. Five cubits was its length, and five cubits its breadth. It was square, and three cubits was its height.  He made horns for it on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze.  And he made all the utensils of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its utensils of bronze.  And he made for the altar a grating, a network of bronze, under its ledge, extending halfway down.  He cast four rings on the four corners of the bronze grating as holders for the poles.  He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze.  And he put the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it with them. He made it hollow, with boards.

Making the Bronze Basin

He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.

My first thought was more of how God designed the items that went into the Tabernacle.  But the Scripture came into my mind, “Be still, and know that I am God.  So, after doing so, I ask: what can one learn from this teaching to help in our daily walk?

The Altar was for the outer court, where the people could bring sacrificial atonement and consecration; it was not a one-time thing; it had to be done over and over.  It was a place to atone for sin and gain favor from the Lord. The worshipper would sacrifice an animal without blemish as a gift to God.

So, as a follower of Christ, do I need an altar to go to for the forgiveness of my sins?  We are told in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that Christ became our sin offering.  “For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  In 1 Peter 2:24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds, you have been healed.”  Hebrews 9:27-28, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Once we enter Christ and are sealed by the Holy Spirit, we will choose not to sin. When we do, it should break our hearts, and often, that is a great time of worship and being thankful for God’s grace and forgiveness.  

But worship should take place each day of our lives, with praise and worship.  I find great peace in the early morning, getting into the Word, and getting time to allow God's Spirit to give me an understanding of how to go about the day.

Worship also occurs when we share all that God has blessed us with as a family or a nation. It takes place when we do anything for others with the right heart; serving others puts us in good company with our Lord.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

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Bob Rice

Canyon Lake, Texas

Making the Table

 

 

Exodus 37:10-29

 

November 15, 2024

 

Making the Table

He also made the table of acacia wood. Two cubits was its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.  And he overlaid it with pure gold and made a molding of gold around it.  And he made a rim around it a handbreadth wide and made a molding of gold around the rim.  He cast for it four rings of gold and fastened the rings to the four corners at its four legs.  Close to the frame were the rings, as holders for the poles to carry the table. He made the poles of acacia wood to carry the table and overlaid them with gold.  And he made the vessels of pure gold that were to be on the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and flagons with which to pour drink offerings.

Making the Lampstand

He also made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it.  And there were six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it;  three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand.  And on the lampstand itself were four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers,  and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out of it.  Their calyxes and their branches were of one piece with it. The whole of it was a single piece of hammered work of pure gold.  And he made its seven lamps and its tongs and its trays of pure gold.  He made it and all its utensils out of a talent^[c] of pure gold.

Making the Altar of Incense

He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit. It was square, and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it.  He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And he made a molding of gold around it,  and made two rings of gold on it under its molding, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it.  And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure fragrant incense, blended as by the perfumer.

 

Bezalel made all of this, and most of us who go by the title of Christian would not remember his name, much less how God's Spirit gave him the skill, talent, and knowledge to do so.

 

We, you, and I, live in a culture that acknowledges the skill of sportspeople to the point of acting as if they accomplished the skill and understanding all by themselves.  The election of our President of the USA is now over, and I see many who act as if he has the power to change the hearts of people; he does not.  Only God can do so. President Trump will need the hand of God on him, guiding him, and all who know God, asking for mercy and grace to bring us out of the evil that is at the center of our problems.  I feel the need to remind each of us what God's Word has to say on the subject.  Ephesians 6:10-12,  ^“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

 

If you are in Christ, then His Spirit is living in you, and it is going to require you and me to pray for our leaders, to first seek God, and then to pray that God will lead us out of the control of Satan, and into victory.  We will not do that any other way.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Making the Ark

 

Exodus 37:1-9

 

November 14, 2024

 

Making the Ark

 

Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.  And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold around it.  And he cast for it four rings of gold for its four feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side.  And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.  And he made a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.  And he made two cherubim of gold. He made them of hammered work on the two ends of the mercy seat,  one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat, he made the cherubim on its two ends.  The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.

 

In past papers, we have shared that a cubit was about 1.5 feet, which would be about 3.75 feet in width and about 21/4 in height, and overlaid with pure gold inside and out.  It was always to be moved by the gold poles.  Both it and the mercy seat.

 

In this passage, the artistry and craftsmanship that went into the construction of the tabernacle are highlighted. The specific details about the cherubim, their wings, and their position over the mercy seat show the importance of symbolizing God's presence and the sacredness of worship practices among the Israelites.  (taken from the internet)

 

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

Lord is a God of perfection

 

 

Exodus 36:20-38

 

November 13, 2024

 

Then he made the upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood.  Ten cubits was the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame.  Each frame had two tenons for fitting together. He did this for all the frames of the tabernacle.  The frames for the tabernacle he made thus: twenty frames for the south side.  And he made forty bases of silver under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons.  For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame and two bases under the next frame.   For the rear of the tabernacle westward, he made six frames.  He made two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear.  And they were separate beneath but joined at the top, at the first ring. He made two of them this way for the two corners.  There were eight frames with their bases of silver: sixteen bases, under every frame, two bases.

He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle,  and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle at the rear westward.  And he made the middle bar to run from end to end halfway up the frames.  And he overlaid the frames with gold, and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.

He made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it, he made it.  And for it he made four pillars of acacia and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four bases of silver.  He also made a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework,  and its five pillars with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals, and their fillets were of gold, but their five bases were of bronze.

As you read this, it must be talking about the worker. If I were there today, I'd give this credit to Moses.  I say this because when a leader of our nation orders the death of an evil man who has killed our people, they give him the credit, not the Navy SEALs that did the job.

But let us not miss the amazing detail, the precision of the work, and that our Lord is a God of perfection.  When we are about our ministry, should we not ask at each turn for the Spirit that lives in us to be the best at what we do? 

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The only He worthy of worshio is Jesus

 

 

Exodus 36:8-19

 

November 12, 2024

 

And all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains. They were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked.  The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size.

He coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another.  He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain of the first set. Likewise, he made them on the edge of the outermost curtain of the second set.  He made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set. The loops were opposite one another.  And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to the other with clasps. So, the tabernacle was a single whole.

He also made curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle. He made eleven curtains.  The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains were the same size.  He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.  And he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other connecting curtain.  And he made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together that it might be a single whole. And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams' skins and goatskins.

 

If you are like me in wanting to know who the “he” is referring to, it seems God's Word is silent on that fact.  It was one of the workers, but is that what one should get for a deeper understanding of how to live life on planet Earth?  

 

Could it be that the obedience of each person God has called for a task to honor His holy name?  First, they needed a man who brought them the word of God, and that was Moses.  Then they needed what verse one tells us: “Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the Lord has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded.”  

 

Then they needed the resources to do the work, and God put the same desire in the people's hearts to do this with a generous heart.

You and I also need these same things each day, if we hope to walk in victory.  God has not changed, but we are so blessed to have the veil of the Temple torn, and no longer need anyone but Jesus and the Holy Spirit to look to, to run to when the world system tries to mold us into its patterns.

 

Jesus makes this clear in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

 

My prayer is that you and I will not worry about the “he” in Scripture, but that we will be doers of Truth, for Jesus is the Truth, and the Holy Spirit will lead us into Truth.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice