Exodus 19:5-6 (KJV) A Kingdom of Priests

Exodus 19:5-6 (KJV)

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

In a Daily Visit with God out of Exodus 19:5, dated December 6, 2011, I wrote, 

“God has a peculiar treasure among His treasures; in the Old Testament God laid upon Israel a condition; “If ye will obey“. The New Testament does away with the condition and declares as a fact that the believer is a peculiar treasure to the Lord. 

· We are that treasure because we are in Christ
· We are that treasure because of our love for the One God loves

But we ARE that treasure.”

We are God’s treasure, a peculiar people not because of our obedience but because of our faith. We are what Israel never became, “a kingdom of priests.” Every born again, blood-bought child of the Lord is a New Testament priest. 

• 
  
  We stand between men and the Lord. 
• We Intercede to God on behalf of men. 
• We testify the Word of God to men. 
• We serve as salt and as light in this dark and corrupt world. 

We are a kingdom of priests. There are no non-priestly Christians. There are only less active, less visible, less effective ones. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
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Exodus 19:5-6 (KJV) A Kingdom of Priests

1 Timothy 2:6 (KJV) All Men May Be Saved

1 Timothy 2:6 (KJV)

Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

There are those whose minds are bent, mostly because of the things they have been taught, into believing that God chooses some to be saved, but not everyone. I am aware that most of them can present Scriptures they believe clarify this passage and confirm their conviction. This passage lays to rest, I think once and for all, the notion of partial election.

First, we are instructed to pray for all men
No exclusions are offered for our: supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks. Pray for all men.

Secondly, God will have all men to be saved
This is not meant to mean that all men are saved regardless of faith or background. Such a notion renders all Scripture meaningless. It means that God’s will would be for all to be saved. Every individual has a God-given vote concerning their salvation. God is willing for all to be saved. Not all are willing to be saved. 

Thirdly, Jesus died to ransom or to save all 
The price has been paid. The debt has been satisfied. Once and for all Jesus died for all. 

No person has ever lived outside the possibility of salvation. No one whose debt isn’t paid. No one whose sins haven’t been forgiven. No one God will not accept. 

There are only people who, for whatever reason, have not come to and called upon the name of the Lord. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

1 Timothy 2:6 (KJV) All Men May Be Saved

Exodus 15:13 (KJV) God’s Holy Habitation

Exodus 15:13 (KJV)

Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.

The promises represented by God’s dealing with Israel are encouraging and heartwarming. 

• He is merciful 
• He has redeemed 
• He is strong
• He gives guidance 

It is vital that we see where He guides. Those He has mercifully redeemed are directed, not into a better, more successful version of their own plan, but to God’s holy habitation. His plan, His will, is not merely to free us from those obstacles to the destination of our choosing, but to clear a path, through the Red Sea when necessary, to the destination He ordained before the world began.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Exodus 15:13 (KJV) God’s Holy Habitation

Exodus 14:15 (KJV) Forward. Only Forward

Exodus 14:15 (KJV)

And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

The Lord knew exactly where He was taking Israel. 

He did not lead them the shortest route, through Philistia. There would surely have been war there. And there would have been the possibility of retreat.

By the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, God led them to the Red Sea’s edge, over against Baalzephon. It was a location that afforded no retreat and no alternative when Pharaoh chased after them. There was only one way to go; forward, into the Sea. 

It wasn’t that God set them up for destruction. God set them up for a miracle, one of the most significant in the history of Israel. 

“Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward.” I tell you that is the only course God gives His children. It is also the only message God gives His preachers. 

• Forward through the difficult 
• Forward through the hardships 
• Forward through the impossible 
• Forward to victory 

Forward. Only forward. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Exodus 14:15 (KJV) Forward. Only Forward

Exodus 12:30 (KJV) Hard Hearted Leadership

Exodus 12:30 (KJV)

And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

Someone may accuse me of splitting hairs, but I don’t think God hardened Pharaoh’s heart against God but against the Jews. Consider Nebuchadnezzar. God used him to judge Israel but also gave him the opportunity to come to know the Lord. Though it appears Pharaoh never came to God, I think he had the opportunity had he chosen it. God determined to use Pharaoh to grow Israel. That does not mean Pharaoh could not have repented concerning God. 

How heartbreaking it is that Pharaoh’s choices eventually led to this great cry in his land. One hardship after the next grew increasingly difficult, not on Israel, but upon the Egyptians. Finally, the judgment hit home, and the firstborn of every family died. Leadership on a government level led to weeping on the family level. God used it to deliver Israel, but the price in Egypt was huge.

I am afraid we’ll see the same in our nation. Leaders today have hardened hearts toward their own people. They make one decision after the other, sacrificing jobs, increasing the cost of living, approving the killing of babies. How long before the cry of the people rises up before these leaders? How long before the unbelieving world has had its fill of government leaders who have no regard for them?

God’s people will surely be delivered. But the cost to the unbeliever will be immense. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Exodus 12:30 (KJV) Hard Hearted Leadership

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (KJV) Answer the Challenge to Pray

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (KJV)

Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:
That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is no foregone conclusion that those who have come to trust Christ as Saviour will:

• Walk worthy of this calling 
• Fulfill the good pleasure of His goodness
• Fulfill the work of faith with power or
• Glorify the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

Therefore, Paul said he “prayed always” for them that these would be the outcome of their faith. 

I’ve witnessed a lot of people who have: 

• Made professions of faith, 
• Gotten baptized, 
• Taught Bible classes and even 
• Served in the ministry as a pastor, missionary, or wife of one, 

who fall short of the ideal or sometimes turn away completely. 

With every profession of faith, with every baptism, and with every surrender to the Lord, the burden to “pray always for you” grows. 

May we answer the challenge and pray all the more. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (KJV) Answer the Challenge to Pray

1 Thessalonians 5:6 (KJV) Maybe Today

1 Thessalonians 5:6 (KJV)

Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

The chapter begins by insisting the audience is perfectly aware that “the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” It is in that context we find our passage. 

Some have fallen asleep 
They have left off watchfulness. They are no longer sober and mindful of the sudden and unannounced coming of Jesus. 

The Bible urges those who will hear to stay awake, stay watchful, stay sober

And it’s no small feat. There are so many “false alarms.” There are so many world history events that look to us to be perfect opportunities for the Lord’s return. But it hasn’t happened yet. Perhaps it won’t happen in our lifetimes? Maybe it won’t even happen in our children’s lifetimes? If that be the case, what value is there in watchfulness? Do we not look wild-eyed and even contribute to the slumber by preaching Jesus’s return?

The Bible gives us no leave for excuses. It merely points out that some have fallen asleep and that we must not. 

So, don’t. Let us not sleep, as do others. Let us watch, let us be sober, and let us preach passionately that Jesus Christ is coming. 

Maybe even today. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

1 Thessalonians 5:6 (KJV) Maybe Today

1 Thessalonians 4:8 (KJV) At Odds With God

1 Thessalonians 4:8 (KJV)

He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

I see in this verse both a comfort and a warning, depending upon the audience. 

There is an encouraging word to the embracer and preacher of the Word of God, a comfort intended here. 
Those who reject your faith, your words, and you as a result of it have ultimately and realistically rejected not you but God. Isn’t it true that you would more likely agree with the despiser rather than the believer if it were not for God? Then it is God who has convinced you, and it is God with whom those that despise you have their problem. 

To the despiser, there is this warning here. 
You may take your despite flippantly. You may think yours to be

simply one’s opinion against another’s. In matters of earthly affairs, this might be true. Opinions are as many as there are people. They can, therefore, very often hold no weight whatsoever. They are what they are to the holder, and that is all. 

Things of God take on a different level because, in this, we deal not with opinion but with the standard. God and His Word are the foundation and standard of truth. To despise His Word is to hate God Himself. It is to deny the conviction of the Holy Spirit. It is to place one at odds with God. 

• For the unsaved, this will result in ultimate doom 
• For the believer, this will result in the unrest of spirit and soul

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

1 Thessalonians 4:8 (KJV) At Odds With God

Exodus 5:22 (KJV) The Test of Faith

Exodus 5:22 (KJV)

And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?

It’s a bit surprising to see Moses’s reaction since God had told him Pharaoh would not listen. This is simply human nature. We tend to ignore those things we would rather not hear. We tend to focus on those things we would rather not go through. Moses disregarded God’s word about Pharaoh but blamed God when things got hard. 

That old adage “it may get worse before it gets better” is very often true. It was quite true in Israel’s case. They believed when they heard the Lord had visited them[1] , but they complained when they found out the consequences.[2]

This is often the test of faith.

• We have hope for a cure
• We discover the cure is very trying 
• We complain about the cure and forget the disease

Trust God through the troublesome times. He has a grand cure when it’s over. 

---

[1] Exodus 4:31

[2] Exodus 5:20-21

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Exodus 5:22 (KJV) The Test of Faith