“Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.”— Hosea 7:8

A cake not turned is uncooked on one side; and so Ephraim was, in many respects, untouched by divine grace: though there was some partial obedience, there was very much rebellion left. My soul, I charge thee, see whether this be thy case. Art thou thorough in the things of God? Has grace gone through the very centre of thy being so as to be felt in its divine operations in all thy powers, thy actions, thy words, and thy thoughts? To be sanctified, spirit, soul, and body, should be thine aim and prayer; and although sanctification may not be …

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God Is Present in Dark Times

Before we can understand God’s plan for our suffering, He often wants us to trust that He’s working all things for good. GENESIS 39:1-23 1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. 2 The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3 Now his master saw that the LORD was with him and how the LORD caused all that he did to …

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Waiting on God

Psalm 37:1-9 37 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for …

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From Fugitive to Monarch

2 Samuel 2:1–7 David Anointed King of Judah After this, David asked the Lord, “Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah?” “Yes,” the Lord replied. Then David asked, “Which town should I go to?” “To Hebron,” the Lord answered. 2 David’s two wives were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. So David and his wives 3 and his men and their families all moved to Judah, and they settled in the villages near Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came to David and anointed him king over the people of …

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Parable of the Mustard Seed

The parable of the mustard seed encapsulates the entire corpus of the Kingdom from its inception being introduced by one man (Jesus), then being dramatically spread around the world bringing people into it and finally in its fully developed form controlling the entire earth with the God Man Jesus ruling as was prophesied. The mustard sees was used by the Lord Jesus because of its dramatic change from a small seed to a large plant in a relatively short period of time. The Kingdom which one man Jesus offered to His chosen people the Jews ultimately spread around the world …

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How is the Term Israel Used in the New Testament?…by Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum

Covenant and reformed theologians believe that New Testament believers, including saved Gentiles, are the true Israel of God. Is it really Biblical to refer to Gentile believers as Israelites? Has God created a “new Israel” that is composed of believing Jews and Gentiles of this present age?   Let us search the Scriptures to see if these things be so. We will examine the 73 times in the New Testament where the term “Israel” is used. How does the New Testament use this term? Is it ever used of the church in general or saved Gentiles in particular?   The …

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