E-pistle for May 16, 2008
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E-pistle
Dr. Dan Hite, President FreeWay Foundation May 16, 2008
Peter's Letter To Spiritual Pilgrims
(I Peter 1:1-25)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. Peter sent his greeting to the elect pilgrims, vv. 1-2.
2. Peter assured them of their heavenly inheritance, vv. 3-12.
3. Peter urged them to live holy lives because God is holy; he reminded
them that they had been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, vv. 13-21.
4. Peter wrote of their being born again through the word of God which lives and
abides forever, vv. 22-25.
II. Observation: on spiritual pilgrims . . . God's elect, vv. 1-3
1. Elect (chosen) according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, v. 2.
2. Sanctified (growing toward spiritual maturity) by the Holy Spirit, v. 2.
3. Sprinkled by the blood of Jesus, for forgiveness and cleansing, v. 2.
4. Blessed spiritually according to God's abundant mercy, v. 3.
III. Meditation: on God's bountiful and merciful blessings, vv. 3-7
1. They include a living hope, through the resurrection, v. 3.
2. They include an eternal inheritance reserved in heaven, v. 4.
3. They include the assurance of security through the power of God, v. 5.
4. They include the ability to rejoice through times of temporary suffering
(grief in trials), vv. 6-7.
IV. Revelation: on a pilgrim's response to the revelation of Christ, vv. 8-9
1. Love the Lord Jesus, although we have not seen Him in the flesh.
2. Believe in Him, although we have not physically seen Him.
3. Rejoice with inexpressible joy over His majestic glory.
4. Receive through faith His full salvation:
(1) PAST – salvation from the penalty of sin;
(2) PRESENT – salvation from the power of sin;
(3) FUTURE – salvation from the presence of sin (in heaven).
V. Applications: as a Christian (pilgrim), I need to . . .
1. Prepare my mind for spiritual action; exercise self-control, v. 13.
2. Establish my hope on the grace to be given when Christ is revealed, v. 13.
3. Do not conform to evil desires; rather be obedient children, living holy lives
because God is holy, vv. 14-16.
5. Live on this earth as strangers or foreigners (our citizenship is in heaven,
Philippians 3:20) . . . with fear and reverence for God the Father, v. 17.
Signs Which Follow Those Who Believe
(Mark 16:1-20)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the final verses of the Four Gospels
1. Matthew 28:20 . . . "(The Great Commission) . . . Amen."
2. Luke 24:53 . . . "in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen."
3. John 21:25 . . . "the world itself could not contain the books that would
be written. Amen."
4. Mark 16:8 . . . "They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid."
Should the Gospel of Mark End Here? . . . Or Continue?
Mark 16:20 . . . "They went out and preached everywhere, the
Lord working with them and confirming the word
through the accompanying signs, Amen."
II. Meditation: on the disputed verses of Mark 16:9-20
1. The Holy Spirit inspired the writing of the Gospels, and He has preserved
them over the centuries . . . including the "AMEN."
2. Mark 16:8 ends abruptly, not telling the rest of the story; that Jesus lives
. . . even though Mark was written 30 years after the resurrection.
3. I believe that Mark 16:9-20 was in the original manuscript, but was dropped
intentionally or lost accidentally in some copies (Cordex Sinaiticus and
Cordex Vaticanus); later those lost verses were stored to the canon of Scripture.
III. Revelation: on Jesus' difficult words in Mark 16:15-18
1. "He who BELIEVES and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not
BELIEVE will be condemned," v. 16. The pivotal key word is "BELIEVES."
2. "Signs will follow those who BELIEVE," v. 17. See above note; signs are not
only to the Twelve Apostles, but to all BELEIVERS in every era.
3. The "SIGNS" which Jesus named include:
· Casting out demons
· Speaking with new tongues
· Taking AWAY serpents (not "UP"); see John 1:29; Luke 10:19; I John 10:4.
· IF = on the condition or supposition that; whether; in cast that . . . implying
unintentional action; meaning, not "when" or "since," but "IF" they drink
anything deadly, it will not harm them.
· Healing the sick by laying on of hands.
4. These signs did (and do) follow believers, confirming God's word, v. 20.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Accept ALL Scriptures as infallible truth, including Mark 16:9-20.
2. Study the disputed passage, which some believers have neglected.
3. Meditate on the Four Gospels for their "over-arching" message to me.
4. Be able to give a sound, spiritual reason for my faith, I Peter 3:15.
Brighter From Behind a Smile
by: Harvey Mackay
Dr. Ward Crampton, former director of physical training in the New York public
schools, always urged his patients to exercise. That was way back in the first
half of the 20th century when he practiced what he called his "miracle exercise."
Here it is:
· Raise the corners of your mouth an inch, take a deep breath
& hold it for 10 seconds.
· You are smiling! If you have people watching you,
they'll probably start smiling, too.
· Now release your breath in short exhalations. You're now laughing.
Unless the other people are curmudgeons, they'll undoubtedly,
laugh, too.
I learned years ago that one of the most powerful things you can do to sell
successfully is to smile at prospects. Never underestimate the value of a smile. If should
be standard equipment for all people. You shouldn't come to work without a smile.
And be sure to take it home with you at the end of the workday.
I remember reading an article in Newsday some years back that Holiday Inn
management was looking for 500 people to fill positions for a new facility. Hotel managers
interviewed 5,000 candidates and excluded all of those who smiled fewer than four times
during their interview. And this applied to people competing for jobs in all categories.
Mackay's Moral: The most powerful single thing you can
do to influence others is to smile at them.
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