Creation Nugget #1: Irridescent Light Basics

God's Creation

Scripture Typer Verse Library

God the Father



 Deuteronomy 7:9 ESV

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.
 1 Kings 8:60 ESV

That all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.
 Psalm 46:10 ESV

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
 Psalm 145:8-9 ESV

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
 Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
 Isaiah 64:4 ESV

From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.
 Jeremiah 9:24 ESV

But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.
 Zephaniah 3:17 ESV

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
 Romans 11:33 ESV

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
 James 1:17 ESV

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
 Revelation 4:8 ESV

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"
 Revelation 4:11 ESV

"Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

Define Grace; what is grace?

Define Grace; what is grace?
Specifically, what is God's Grace?
And what's the difference between justice, mercy, and grace?


Grace is much different than Justice and Mercy:
Justice is getting exactly what we deserve. (which in our case is death)
Mercy is not getting the bad that we deserve. (again, death)
Grace is getting the good that we do not deserve. (eternal life, NO death)


But simply put, GRACE can be defined as unearned favor.  Specifically, God's grace is something God does for the benefit of His people just because He loves them, not because of something they have done to earn it.  Grace is a gift and can never be earned.  It's always totally free.  ("Cheap Grace" is a counterfeit of God's amazing free grace.  "Cheap Grace" claims to accept the benefits of God's Grace without accepting the change in the way we behave.  "Cheap Grace" requires no repentance and so there is no need to live like God asks us to live.)

God's justice, mercy and grace can be compared to the pardon that a governor of a state can give to a guilty prisoner who is facing execution (the punishment of death) for something that he or she actually did.  JUSTICE will be served and they will be killed unless the governor has MERCY and pardons (forgives) the prisoner.  But if the governor goes on and gives that prisoner not only a pardon, but also total freedom, a huge mansion to live in, and unlimited resources then he has given that guilty prisoner both MERCY & GRACE.

JUSTICE - If we only received justice from God we all would be dead because all of us have sinned Romans 3:23, and the "wages of sin is death" Romans 6:23, yet we have been given a “stay of execution” for now.

MERCY - During this "stay of execution" God offers us a pardon.  He wants to forgive us and set us free from the results of sin, and He has the legal right to do this because His Son and our Creator, Jesus, willingly came and died so that we would not have to die.  Jesus died for us so that we could live, but His death can only be our salvation if we accept it.  Just like the prisoner above, we can turn it down or we can accept this pardon that God offers; it is our choice.  John 3:16.

GRACE - If we accept the pardon that God offers us, not only will we not die, He then gives us a life that will never end.  He continues by giving us an awesome room in His own home to live in, unlimited resources, and total freedom.  That is God's AMAZING GRACE!

God's Grace is "the power of God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves".  And the fact is, we cannot do anything for ourselves.  Jesus says, "...without me ye can do nothing."  John 15:5

The Bible gives us a beautiful example of what grace is and does.  When Moses took the Children of Israel out of Egypt and into the desert the people soon became thirsty, but there wasn't any water to be found, especially not for 2,000,000 people, plus their herds of animals.  God told Moses to strike a specific rock and He (God) would give the people water. (see more on this example)

The water that came out of that rock demonstrates the grace of God flowing out to all who would drink.  It also caused the parched and barren land to blossom which in turn gave the people and animals something to eat.  Without this water, without God's grace supplying the needs of the people, the people would have died.  Christ is the Rock; He is also the Living Water.

Without God's mercy and grace, without the pardon that God gives us and all the blessings we receive every minute, we would die.  Everyday God supplies us with the light of the sun, air to breath, and something to eat and drink. In fact, when you stop to think about it, without the materials that God has provided for us we cannot even create electricity on our own to make light, or create oxygen, or even create food.  God supplies all we need, but we must choose to accept His gifts, or to reject them.  We have the option of refusing to eat or drink.  We have the option of closing ourselves up in an air tight, waterproof and darkened room, but it will kill us.  We need God’s mercy and grace just to live.

And God's grace does not stop with just our physical needs either.  He has supplied what is needed for our spiritual well-being too.  If we will only read and hide it in our hearts, God's Holy Word, the Bible contains all that we need to be happy, gain total freedom and have eternal life.  The Bible tells us who God is and what He is like.

In addition to the Bible, the Father allowed His Son, Jesus, to come and show us who He (the Father) is and what He is like.  Jesus gave His life so that you and I do not have to die.  God's justice, mercy and grace are all wrapped up in Jesus.

God's grace is all around us.  He wants us to live forever and be happy, but we have a choice to make.  We can accept some of His grace during this “stay of execution” period and live here on earth for a few years, or we can accept ALL His grace and live forever with Him!

Accept the grace that God offers through Jesus, and live!

Does God Really Exist?

How Can I Know That God Is Real?


Christianity is a logical faith.
You don't commit intellectual suicide when you believe the Bible!
 
God has put Himself on record so that we can test and prove Him.  He does not expect us to follow Him blindly!  The Bible's book of Isaiah gives us God's way for us to test, or prove, that He does exist.  It is true that God was talking about stone and wood gods at the time, but if this is His way for us to tell if something is a "god" then we can also use it to test for a "GOD" as well.

This test is not just Biblical, it is very logical too.  Even though it is a test that God Himself gave for us to use, because it also stands to reason we can be assured that it is a very valid test.

OK, here's the test.  It's found in Isaiah 41:22,23 :

The KJV reads like this:
"Let them bring [them] forth, and show us what shall happen: let them show the former things, what they [be], that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.  Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye [are] gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold [it] together."

The NIV puts it this way:
"Tell us, you idols, what is going to happen.  Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome.  Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods.  ..."

The NLT puts it this way:
“Let them try to tell us what happened long ago so that we may consider the evidence.  Or let them tell us what the future holds, so we can know what’s going to happen.  Yes, tell us what will occur in the days ahead. Then we will know you are gods."

The above verses show that prophecy (being able to accurately tell the future) is the test that God really wants us to use.  Telling us ahead of time that a very specific event will take place at a very specific time is God's way of proving that He really does exist.  As stated before, this is a very logical test.

Many times in the Bible God has said something like, "I'm telling you this now so that when it happens you will know that ... I AM."



Here are just two examples:
Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I [am] the Lord GOD.  Ezekiel 24:24
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure  Isaiah 46:9,10
The Bible is full of prophecies that have been fulfilled.  For example:

The Daniel 8 & 9 Timeline shows that the Prophet Daniel predicted over 500 hundred years before Jesus, exactly when Jesus would be baptized, when He would be killed, and if that was not enough he told us when things on this earth would begin to drastically change as far as the amount of knowledge we have.

The Daniel 2 Timeline is a simple illustration of how God has shown us ahead of time what the kingdoms of this world would look like.  We can now look back and see how this prophecy was fulfilled to the letter.

There are over 300 OT prophecies speaking specifically of Jesus Christ.  Read the astonishing article of how Mathematics & Astronomy Professor Peter W. Stoner proves that Jesus is who He says He is.

"Unbelief will ever find excuse for doubt, and will reason away the most positive proof."  
The Desire of Ages, page 386

"God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are all established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration. Those who wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the truth will find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith."  
Steps to Christ, page 105

God does exist!
He is saying, "I AM...I am really here and I care about you".



Further study:
Was/Is Jesus really the Messiah?  Or was He just a liar and a fake?  Click here for mathematical proof.
Is there an argument outside of the Bible for the existence of God?  Here is an unaffiliated web page.
And here is an ABC News page that claims God's existance can be proven using a laptop.

Jesus' Baptism and Anointing (God audibly speaks to Jesus the first time.)

Jesus' Baptism and Anointing - (God audibly speaks to Jesus the first time.)

Matthew 3:13-17
Mark 1:9-11
Luke 3:21-23
John (none found in John)
(Also see Acts 10:37, 38)


Matthew
3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer [it to be so] now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Mark
1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
1:10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, [saying], Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Luke
3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was [the son] of Heli,

For further study read:
The Baptism
Also read:
What is Baptism?

The Ministry of Jesus

The Ministry of Jesus



One purpose of this timeline is to show that all 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) are in complete harmony with each other even though they were written from 4 totally different perspectives, but the most important purpose is to show how much God really loves us.

The healing and preaching ministry of Jesus lasted only 3 1/2 years.  (This was predicted in the prophecy of Daniel 9 and is shown on the Daniel 8 & 9 Timeline.)  The Devil had falsely accused God of being unfair, unkind, unloving and unjust.  Jesus' focus was to show God's true character to everyone; to show that God's character was very fair, very kind, very loving and very just.

"It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross."
The Desire of Ages, page 83

"Many of the words and acts of Jesus appear mysterious to finite minds, but every word and act had its definite purpose in the work for our redemption; each was calculated to produce its own result."
The Desire of Ages, page 393
"When the Savior began His ministry, the popular conception of the Messiah and His work was such as wholly unfitted the people to receive Him. The spirit of true devotion had been lost in tradition and ceremonialism, and the prophecies were interpreted at the dictate of proud, world-loving hearts."
Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, page 1

All of Jesus' ministry was spent for the good of people.  Even when He drove the animal dealers and "money changers" from the Temple, He was doing it for the good of all people, even for the good of those He drove out.  (They were just interested in money, but He wanted to give them something far better; eternal life and real happiness.)

"Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.' 1 Corinthians 3:11. 'Upon this rock,' said Jesus, 'I will build My church.' In the presence of God, and all the heavenly intelligences, in the presence of the unseen army of hell, Christ founded His church upon the living Rock. That Rock is Himself,--His own body, for us broken and bruised. Against the church built upon this foundation, the gates of hell shall not prevail."

"For six thousand years, faith has built upon Christ. For six thousand years the floods and tempests of satanic wrath have beaten upon the Rock of our salvation; but it stands unmoved."  (Quotes from the book The Desire of Ages, page 413.)

Another purpose of this timeline is to assist you as you try to "visualize" when one event happened in relation to another.  Of course, only a few of the events in the ministry of Jesus are on this timeline, but there are enough to help us see a little of God's love and to help us realize a little of what Jesus went through just to save us from the results of sin.

(To read about the life of Jesus from birth to resurrection and ascension in a story format read it free here: The Desire of Ages.  Many people feel that this is the best book on the life of Christ that has ever been written.)