Biblical Moments with Frank King

On Easter day, we rejoice in the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for our sins so that we might have eternal life. In this podcast episode, Evangelist Frank King addresses Jesus' agony as He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane hours before He was crucified.
It must be emotional torture to know exactly when and how you are going to die. Such was the case for our Lord. The night before the cross, He began to feel sorrowful.
"But He was God," some may argue. Though that is true, during His public ministry, He took on the form of a servant. Jesus wept as we do. He felt pain as we do. He even requested, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39, KJV). This prayer reflected Jesus' agony in the garden.
God laid upon Jesus the iniquity of us all. No doubt, He felt the weight of the sins of the world upon Him. He who knew no sin was made a sin offering for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21). We rejoice on Easter and every other day because Jesus pressed beyond the agony and went to the cross of Calvary so that we might have everlasting life.

When your back is against the wall, it means you are in an extremely bad situation--one in which your ability to move forward is limited. Being a Christian does not mean that you can’t find yourself in a position such as that. Sometimes, God will allow that to happen so He can prove himself in your life.
In Philippians 4:19, Paul the apostle writes, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (KJV). That means God has resources for meeting our needs that are out of this world. Paul refers to these resources as God’s riches in glory. So, when your back is against the wall, God’s hands are not tied by your circumstances.
There exists a place in life where only one viable option exists, and that is to trust God. He can take the little we have and do great things on our behalf. He is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think...." (Ephesians 3:20, KJV). Accordingly, if we trust God, life is never hopeless. It can only seem that way.

The experience that occurred on the day of Pentecost, recorded in the book of The Acts of the Apostles, was a serious game-changer for the apostles. Why would God do something on the scale that He did on that day unless there was a divine mandate on the church that made it necessary to do so?
During his public ministry, John the Baptist spoke of this divine experience. He said, "I baptize you with water for repentance, but He... will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11, NASB). Jesus referred to the baptism with the Holy Spirit as the promise of the Father. God had promised this experience by the mouth of the Old Testament prophet Joel. He promised to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28).
But what was the purpose of the baptism with the Holy Spirit? "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me...," Jesus said (Acts 1:8, KJV). Based upon these words of Jesus, the apostles did not receive power until after the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This divine experience radically changed their lives after Jesus returned to the Father. It is available to do the same for believers today.
 

To live a Spirit-led life simply means to live your life in unity with the works and leadership of the Holy Spirit. This is the will of God for us. He does not indwell us with His Spirit just for the sake of indwelling us. But He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, to help us effectively live for Him. Also, to empower us to do the work He has called us to do. This podcast episode provides practical guidance on how Christians can live a Spirit-led life.
In his letter to the church at Galatia, Paul gives us a simple guide for living a Spirit-led life. He writes, "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16, NASB). Even as Christians, we will have wrong desires of the flesh. Having those kinds of desires are not necessarily wrong. What is wrong is when we carry out those wrong desires. But based upon the verse above, if we follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, we will not fulfill those wrong desires in our flesh.
But realizing that lifestyle is easier said than done. Though we have been born again, we are still clothed in human flesh. Every Christian must contend with the resulting tug of war between the flesh and the spirit.

A sense of hopelessness can occur when a person can’t see his way out of a bad situation that he finds himself in. But from God’s perspective, nothing is hopeless because with Him, all things are possible. No matter where we find ourselves in life, God always has a way forward.
Feeling hopeless is not limited to unbelievers. You can be a genuine Christian and still experience a sense of hopelessness in your life at times. This scenario suggests a lack of faith in God, without which, one is limited to human help.
But what about when no human or natural solution exists for the problem at hand? This is a recipe for hopelessness. That's when we must have faith in someone greater. Accordingly, the psalmist writes, "When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61:2, KJV).
The devil knows how to make life look and feel more hopeless than it really is. But the truth is that if you have faith in God, life is never hopeless.  It can only seem that way.
 

It is a fact that everyone who follows the Lord Jesus Christ will be tested in this life. It’s what we do when our faith is under fire that reveals the true quality of our relationship with God. Hence, the importance of cultivating our faith in God.
Sad but true, some people will hate you just because you love God. That seems ironic since God is love. It’s understandable if people hate you or persecute you when you are on the side of evil. But Jesus warned His disciples that if the world hated Him, it would hate them as well. That is still true for His disciples today.
An example of faith under fire is found in the book Daniel. The king signed a decree forbidding anyone from praying to anyone except himself for 30 days. Daniel the prophet was not fazed by the king's decree. He defied the decree even knowing what the consequences would be. Violators would be put in the lion's den with hungry lions.
Perhaps we won’t be tested to the degree Daniel was. Still, like Daniel did, we must cultivate depth in our relationship with the Lord. That is the key to standing firm when your faith is under fire.

The study of the person of Christ is called Christology. We should study the person of Christ because the Christian faith is based upon and centered around Jesus Christ. Our sole source for learning of Him is the Bible. Men have written many other books about Him. Still, we can only know what there is to know about Him through what has been revealed in the holy Scriptures.
God sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. What you believe about the person of Christ determines how you relate to Him. If you believe He was no more than a morally upright human being, you will discount everything He said relating to His divinity. Only if you believe that He is who He claimed to be can you relate to Him properly.
Jesus may have looked like just another human being, but He wasn’t. He was the fullness of God clothed in the likeness of sinful flesh. Concerning this mystery, Paul writes, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity (the Godhead) dwells in bodily form...." (Colossians 2:9, NASB). Accordingly, He is sometimes referred to as the God-man.
Music Credits:
Intro Music: By Leva via Pixabay
Ending Music: By Oleksandr Savochka via Pixabay

If the Lord were to return this very moment, would you be ready? This is not a hypothetical question. During His public ministry, Jesus said that in the hour you think not, the Son of man will come (Matthew 24:44). Because of that uncertainty, we must always be ready for Christ's return.
In churches today, it’s vitally important that we preach and proclaim the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. For faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Far too many people who attend church regularly are too careless about being ready for Christ’s return. Perhaps it’s because we don’t preach that important message enough in our pulpits enough.
The most important decision to make in this life is where you will spend eternity. You will either spend it with the Lord or apart from Him. To spend it with the Lord is to spend it in a place where death and sorrow will be no more. Moreover, the government will be upon the Lord's shoulder. But to be certain to go back with Him, you should live every day in readiness for Christ's return.
Music Credits:
Intro Music: By Leva via Pixabay
Ending Music: By Oleksandr Savochka via Pixabay