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Christian
Education Pre-K-12
Richmond Academy
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The Great Escape
Most of the times during the Christmas season people think about what they might
receive. This Christmas we can think about the things we have already received,
but from which we may not be getting the full benefit.
2 Peter 1:2-11 (KJV) “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the
knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, (3) According as his divine power hath
given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the
knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (4) Whereby are given
unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust. (5) And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith
virtue; and to virtue knowledge; (6) And to knowledge temperance; and to
temperance patience; and to patience godliness; (7) And to godliness brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. (8) For if these things be in you,
and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in
the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9) But he that lacketh these things is
blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his
old sins. (10) Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your
calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: (11)
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting
kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
All who have been born again have received a wealth of Gods’ precious promises,
and are now able to partake of His divine nature. Wow! Those are some awesome
privileges, and they have been given to us for an awesome purpose: “That through
them we may escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.” We all
need to set as precedence in our hearts that our purpose in life is to
accomplish the things we are called by God to do. Sometimes people get drawn
back into the old corrupt ways they walked in before they were born again then
find themselves in worst condition than before.
Genesis 19:17 (KJV) “And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth
abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay
thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.”
That account in Genesis 19 is about Lot and his family being told to flee from
Sodom because it was going to be destroyed. The warning was given: “Look not
behind thee, escape for thy life.” To escape means to flee, shun and be
secure from danger; to avoid an evil. The Lord had clearly declared it a life
and death situation. But Lot’s wife just could not resist looking back, and so
she was instantly transformed into a pillar of salt. Though Lot did not look
back, he did, however, ask God if he could go to a different town instead of
proceeding up the mountain. Lot’s example does not give us license, but it does
set a precedence of the possibility of seeking the Lord about the situations
instead of just turning to sin. Ultimately, the situations we endure are
designed to deliver us from evil and to strengthen us in our relationship with
Christ.
Psalms 141:8-10 (KJV) “But mine eyes [are] unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee
is my trust; leave not my soul destitute. (9) Keep me from the snares [which]
they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity. (10) Let the
wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.”
We can cry out to the Lord and He will hear us! That crying out is a form of
praying to the Lord. People sometimes think that they don’t know how to pray or
what to pray about, but the truth is that we all need to entreat the Lord for
wisdom to avoid the snares and pitfalls of the enemy. Prayer is not about what
we feel, it is all about the matter of life and death. He who consistently
chooses life escapes death.
1 Corinthians 10:12-15 (KJV) “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth
take heed lest he fall. (13) There hath no temptation taken you but such as is
common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted
above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape,
that ye may be able to bear [it]. (14) Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from
idolatry. (15) I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.”
We are tempted, and our faith is tried in many ways every day. Therefore we can
understand our need for a living way of escape. We must not take God for
granted. We must constantly seek the Lord our God through prayer and through His
word, both spoken and written. This quest is a major part of our relationship
with God. The direction, protection and wisdom that we receive as we seek Him
are all part of His precious promises for us.
Luke 21:33-36 (KJV) “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not
pass away. (34) And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be
overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so]
that day come upon you unawares. (35) For as a snare shall it come on all them
that dwell on the face of the whole earth. (36) Watch ye therefore, and pray
always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall
come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
-Kurt A. Thurston
December
Newsletter 2007 | The House Is
Being Established
Pastor's
Journal 2006 | The Great Escape
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Biblical
Counseling for Leaders
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