Chapter 16 Revisit 1-15, Part 1 Chapters 1-8 2025
To go back through the chapters is invigorating for me, sometimes, not all the time, still it is important to remember what God has done in my life and this is a major part of that reminder. Sometimes it feels encouraging, sometimes I remember the rehabilitation and sometimes I just remember and that is the stark reality of knowing what God actually absolutely accomplished in me. It reminds me of where I’ve been and gives me Faith that God will continue the work in me, as He promised. Which is in effect, Chapter 1 of the first eight, Partnering with God.
Philippians 1:6, which states: “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns”.
I heard John MacArthur say, “I believe the Bible because God gave me confidence in the Word of God as a part of my salvation and regeneration. I stay with the truth, I believe the truth, I embrace the truth, I continue with the truth, I stay involved with the truth because the Spirit of God has shown me what the truth is and I know a lie when I see one.” He quoted this scripture.
1 John 2:20-25 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and [b]because no lie is of the truth.
That means no lie leads me astray, no lie leads me into apostasy. Why? I know the truth. Why do I know the truth? I, as do you, have an anointing from God. What is that anointing, or better yet who is that anointing? The Holy Spirit.
Don’t believe me? Yes you do, and now more than ever. You knew those loans you took were not good. You knew the purchase price for your company was too high. You knew when you told the bank you would pay them current next month that you wouldn’t. You knew when the IRS made a deal, you couldn’t keep it. And you know today, what you will do and what you will not do, even if you say you will or you won’t.
If I offered a challenge, that the very best assignment written on Chapter 16, would receive one million dollars. Every one of you would write the most comprehensive report ever. Many of you might consider Chat GP. All of you would turn in the assignment by the appointed time and wait patiently for the results. First prize, one million dollars, second prize $500,000, third prize $250,000, all, each and individual on this phone would work tirelessly to prepare the greatest study of Chapter 16 ever written.
However, that is not the assignment and there is no such offer. Rather, this is an even more important challenge. To write a comprehensive paper on the first fourteen chapters and the scriptures that brought a better understanding of God, thereby hopefully sharing this testimony to those who need it.
1 Corinthians 1:24-30 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Anytime you ever see that term, “the called,” or “calling”in the epistles in the New Testament is the effectual call to salvation. We are the called, that is called out of darkness into light, called out of death into life. In verse 26 he says it again,
26 For [a]consider your calling,
..the divine call, the vivification, the life giving call, regeneration. And why us? Verse 27,
27 but God has chosen
Verse 30…
30 But [d]by His doing you are in Christ Jesus,
He predestined, He revealed because He chose, and who He chose He called. Romans 8..
Romans 8:29 (NIV) For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters
Romans 8:30Whom He called He justified and whom He justifies He glorifies///By His doing who became to us wisdom from God, [e]and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,
That’s preaching, kids, courtesy of J.MacArthur and it is the key element of Chapter 2 of the first eight, The Original BluePrint.
Martin Luther said: “Man is like a pillar of salt, like Lot’s wife, yea like a log, or a stone, like lifeless stature which uses neither eyes nor mouth, neither sense nor heart, until he is enlightened, converted and regenerated by the Holy Spirit.”
God’s intervention and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to an unworthy, unsophisticated, undone, unusual, unhappy, unwilling, unqualified, unrealistic, unfortunate sinner. Without God, I represent: influence without power, movement without achievement, try without trust, service without success.
That is Chapter 3 of eight, FreeFall. Without God, I will fall, believe it or not, like it or not. The first three chapters, Partnering With God,The Original Blue Print, Free Fall. Easy to understand and a perfect set-up for Chapter 4, Line Up and Wait. When the challenge comes and come it will, who stands in the gap for you? Impatience is the key to catastrophic failure. Does that ever stop anybody? No, of course not, push forward, even into the darkness. Tom Petty said in his song, “I won’t back down, even at the gates of hell, I won’t back down.” I’m sure he no longer believes that. Do you? Depends on a relationship with the Holy Spirit. With that, Discernment becomes the very thing that clarifies life and the steps ahead. What does that mean?
“Am I a thermostat or a thermometer?” “Do I change the temperature of the room or do I simply observe it.” “Am I a game changer or simply an audience member.”
Has the balance sheet, the almighty buck and power presented itself as a much better companion than Bible study or the notes that saved my life? Do you have notes on the saving of your life or did you just expect it? Do you, Chapter 4, Line up and Wait? Or do you just plow ahead, leave caution to the wind. You see line and wait is an airplane ready to go on the runway waiting for the tower to give clearance to takeoff. Without that, without attention to chain of command, taking off without permission, the results could be tragic and yet we have done exactly that. We have in effect brought ourselves to and believe the hideous voices of Chapter 5, The Black Forest.
Chapter 5, The Black Forest, offers me everything I want, but the devil is a liar. God offers me everything I need, and God never lies. What does the Black Forest offer? Well, some of the most notable we actually see on television. Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, The Palisades, all could be considered the Black Forest. Looks good on top but underneath is the chaos of tortured lives, sin and the debauchery of Hollywood, the music industry, entertainment and money. Make a difference or judge from the sidelines. These notes pointed out those things to me as they brought me to scripture, the very scriptures in these notes. Notes, you may say? “Hey, they’re all in my head, I’ll remember!” No, that is not true. Without study, notes and frequent attention to both, like the Palisades, in one day, life can burn to the ground and then you are left with what? Jesus, hopefully, which brings us to: Chapter 6: God’s Word, Your Primary Weapon.
John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
John 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
God knows the future, He’s the only one. You don’t know it, I don’t know it, Nostradamus is not the guy, the great Kreskin or the fortune teller at the corner next to the mini-mart. God is the one and He has been correct 100% of the time historically and there is no reason to believe it won’t be that way from now on.
John 13:19 Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.
Left alone, without God, the clock runs out, how did I come to that conclusion? Chapter 7 Acceptance. You’ll see it all around you and it is hard to watch, especially if it’s happening in the mirror. Life is becoming more challenging in the world, and historically for all of us personally, we have experienced it in our own personal lives.
Luke 21:28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
And here we are the last of eight, part one, Chapter #8, Integration. These fifty chapter brought me to scripture, the questions I posed to the man in the mirror are formed in questions I asked of God, things my eyes began to see, through the Holy Spirit most assuredly, and I wanted the answers, and in the Word God cleverly revealed answers. Those questions brought me to this very moment with you. Those questions written down so many years ago, not knowing I would ever share them with anyone, just me personal reminders, the basics of my beginning with my partnership with God.
How will you be able to tell others to believe in only the Truth, the truth of Jesus Christ as it is written in the Word, not an imitation or a false teacher? How could God use your notes, or you? How can you be sure that what you form as your belief is true without the study of scripture, prayer and notes?
1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
There is a war, You are in the balance, our children, our friends, our church, our everything.
1)Partnering With God, 2)The Original Blue Print, 3)Free Fall, 4)Line Up and Wait, 5)The Black Forest, 6)God’s Word as Your Primary Weapon, 7)Acceptance and, ….Chapter 8), integration. Tough assignment to put together your testimony, right? I bet you would for a million dollars, right?
2 Corinthians 11:14-15 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
Why do the assignment? “Illusive income,” I call it. Illusive income. You may not know what benefit today, but you will in the coming days, months and years. If you think about it, you may not earn a million dollars for your trouble, or maybe you could, one thing is for sure, all of you have earned a million or more many times, but in the work of an assignment consistently, you may learn how to keep a million dollars next time you have it. Knowledge and wisdom achieved in the grace and mercy of God.
Ephesians 4:13-14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
Everything in these chapters kept the writer, i.e., me, on course. Chapter 16, part 1, Chapters 1 through 8, 2025, Revelation2221.com, look it up, use it, God is your own personal champion. One day, every knee will bow. Scripture says it, one of these days all the big Cahuna’s of the world will run in terror from the one true God.
Revelation 6:15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
So there it is. The first eight chapters. It’s a good read, or a good listen or both. Is there a sentence or two you could put together that outlines such a message and brings hope for others? Perhaps. Could you do it for “…one million dollars.” Jot down some notes and let God have the pen. How interesting could that be? I can tell you from personal experience, quite alarming and rewarding at the same time..
Thank you, Jesus Christ for the Word, prayer, the blood of the lamb, the Holy Spirit, a second chance and the notes you wrote down for me and unbeknownst to me, my pals. Amen.
