Paulo sacudiu a cobra para dentro do fogo

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Acts 28:1  And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita.

Acts 28:2  And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.

Acts 28:3  And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

Acts 28:4  And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.

Acts 28:5  And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

Acts 28:6  Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

Paul Ashore on Malta Island
Paul em terra na Ilha de Malta

Paul Ashore on Malta Island

 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.  Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.  When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”  But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.  The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.    [Acts 28:1-6]  

A snake hanging from Paul's hand

Uma cobra pendurada da mão de Paul    

http://mydailydevotionorg.blogspot.com.br/2012/01/they-will-place-their-hands-on-sick.html

IRON FLOATS

 “The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float.”  [2 Kings 6:6]

Floating Axe-Head
http://mydailydevotionorg.blogspot.com.br/2012/03/and-iron-did-float.html

The serpent of brass was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ
A serpente de bronze era um tipo do Senhor Jesus Cristo

The serpent of brass was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ

Once again the people complained about their living conditions, with the result that God sent fiery serpents among them. Many of the people died, and many more were dying. In answer to the intercession of Moses, God commanded that a bronze serpent be lifted on a pole and promised that whoever looked at the bronze serpent would be healed of the snakebite. This incident was used by the Lord Jesus to teach Nicodemus that Christ must be lifted up on a pole (the cross), so that sinners looking to Him by faith might have everlasting life.

The serpent later became a stumbling block to the nation and was finally destroyed in the days of Hezekiah. King Hezekiah conducted a campaign against all form of idolatry, destroying even the high places and the bronze serpent. God did not want the people to make the bronze serpent as an idol. Similarly, God will not allow us to worship a cross or any idol.

Jesus quoted this Old Testament incident to illustrate how the new birth takes place.  Men and women have been bitten by the viper of sin and are condemned to eternal death. The serpent of brass was a type or picture of the Lord Jesus. Brass, in the Bible, speaks of judgment. The Lord Jesus was sinless and should never have been punished, but He took our place and bore the judgment which we deserved.

The pole speaks of the cross of Calvary on which the Lord Jesus was lifted up. We are saved by looking to Him in faith. The Savior was made sin for us, He who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ receives eternal life as a free gift.



 



 

"...the Son of Man must be lifted up..."

 “The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” [Numbers 21:8, John 3:14-15]

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 “As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”  Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him:  “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”   [Genesis 9:7-11]

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God's covenant

Noah responded to God’s saving grace by building an altar. Those of us who have been saved from the wrath to come should likewise bring to God our heartfelt worship. It is an acceptable and pleasing today as it was in Noah’s day. The Lord made a covenant that He would never again curse the ground or destroy every living thing, as He had done; also, He would provide regular seasons as long as the earth endured.

The rainbow was given as a pledge that God would never again destroy the earth with a  flood.

Again, God said to Noah and his sons:

 “ I am going to make a solemn promise to you and to everyone who will live after you. This includes the birds and the animals that came out of the boat. I promise every living creature that the earth and those living on it will never again be destroyed by a flood.

The rainbow that I have put in the sky will be my sign to you and to every living creature on earth. It will remind you that I will keep this promise forever. When I send clouds over the earth, and a rainbow appears in the sky, I will remember my promise to you and to all other living creatures. Never again will I let floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the sky, I will always remember the promise that I have made to every living creature. The rainbow will be the sign of that solemn promise.”




 



Rainbow

 “And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:  I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,  I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” Genesis 9:12-16 ]

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“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.  For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”” [Romans 1:16-17]

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 "The just shall live by faith."

Paul was not ashamed to take God’s good news to sophisticated Rome, even though the message had proved to be a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks, for he knew that it is the power of God to salvation—that is, it tells how God by His power saves everyone who believes on His Son. This power is extended equally to Jews and Greeks.  The order for the Jew first and also for the Greek was fulfilled historically during the Acts period. While we have an enduring obligation to God’s ancient people, the Jews, we are not required to evangelize them before going to the Gentiles. Today God deals with Jews and Gentiles on the same basis, and the message and timing are the same to all.

The righteousness of God refers to the perfect standing which God provides for those who believe on His Son. Those who are not in themselves righteous are treated as if they were righteous because God sees them in all the perfection of Christ. Righteousness is imputed to their account.  The righteousness of God seems to refer especially to His way of justifying sinners by faith.


The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel. First the gospel tells us that God’s righteousness demands that sins be punished, and the penalty is eternal death. But then we hear that God’s love provided what His righteousness demanded. He sent His Son to die as a Substitute for sinners, paying the penalty in full. Now because His righteous claims have been fully satisfied, God can righteously save all those who avail themselves of the work of Christ. God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, by faith from start to finish.

God’s righteousness is not imputed on the basis of works or made available to those who seek to earn or deserve it. It is revealed on the principle of faith alone.  This is in perfect agreement with the divine decree in Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith,” which may also be understood to mean “The justified-by-faith ones shall live.”

Why do men need the gospel? The answer, in brief, is because they are lost without it.

Do you have the saving faith?

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Take hold of His powerful hand.
He will lift you up in His mighty love.
In the strength of your God you can stand.



"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting"

 “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.   “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.”  [Acts 9:3-5]

Paulo
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 “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”  [Joshua 1:8]

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 '...who meditates on His law day and night'

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the lawof the LORD,    and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. [Psalm 1:1-3]

The truly blessed person is the one who steers clear of the lifestyle of the ungodly. In his contacts with them he avoids complicity with them or even tacit approval of their sin and scoffing. This does not mean that the happy man isolates himself completely from the wicked. Instead he witnesses to them of “sin, righteousness, and judgment,” and seeks to introduce them to Christ, the one source of lasting pleasure. The happy man is a real friend to the ungodly, but he is not a partner with them.

It is impossible to visualize a happy man who is not also a man of God’s Book. He has an insatiable hunger for the Word of the Lord. He loves the Bible and mediates on it day and night. By this means his own life is enriched and he becomes a channel of blessing to others.

The man who is separated from sin and separated to the Scriptures has all the qualities of a strong, healthy, fruitful tree:

Planted by the rivers of water—he has a never-failing supply of nourishment and refreshment.  It brings forth its fruit in its season—he displays the graces of the Sprit, and his words and actions are always timely and appropriate. Its leaf also shall not wither—his spiritual life is not subject to cyclical changes but is characterized by continuous inner renewal. As D.L. Moody put it, “All the Lord’s trees are evergreen.”

This kind of man shall prosper in everything he undertakes. The reason of course, is that he is living in fellowship with the Lord, and all his service is therefore guided by the efficient and successful in the Christian life is to be led by the Spirit of God. Self-directed activity is an enormous waste of time, money, and effort!

Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?



"A tree planted by streams of water"

 “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers”  [Psalm 1:3]

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 “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  [John 3:3]

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 'Are you born again?'

Are you born again? This is one of life's most important questions. Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

First of all, John wrote: “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning...” (I John 3:9). “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.” (I John 5:18).

A person, who has been born again, or regenerated, does not habitually commit sin. But the true Christian hates sin, flees from it, fights against it, considers it his greatest plague, resents the burden of its presence, mourns when he falls under its influence, and longs to be completely delivered from it.

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (I John 1:8). But he can say that he hates sin and that the great desire of his soul is not to commit sin at all. He cannot prevent bad thoughts from entering his mind, or shortcomings, omissions, and defects from appealing in both his words and his actions. He knows that “we all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2).

Second, John wrote: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God...” (I John 5:1).

A man who is born again, or regenerated, believes that Jesus Christ is the only Savior who can pardon his soul, which He is the divine person appointed by God the Father for this very purpose, and beside Him there is no Savior at all. In himself he sees nothing but unworthiness. But he has full confidence in Christ, and trusting in Him, he believes that his sins are all forgiven.

Third, John wrote: “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him” (I John 2:29).

The man who is born again, or regenerated, is a holy man. He endeavors to live according to God's will, to do the things that please God and to avoid the things that God hates. He wishes to continually look to Christ as his example as well as his Savior and to prove himself to be Christ's friend by doing whatever He commands. He knows he is not perfect. He is painfully aware of his indwelling corruption. He finds an evil principle within himself that is constantly warring against grace and trying to draw him away from God. But he does not consent to it, though he cannot prevent its presence.

Fourth, John wrote: “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death” (I John 3:14).

A man who is born again has a special love for all true Disciples of Christ. Like his Father in heaven, he loves all men with a great general love, but he has a special love for those who share his faith in Christ. Like his Lord and Savior, he loves the worst of sinners and could weep over them; but he has a peculiar love for those who are believers. He is never so much at home as when he is in their company.

Fifth, John wrote: “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (I John 5:4).

A man who is born again does not use the world's opinion as his standard of right and wrong. He does not mind going against the world's ways, ideas and customs. What men think or say no longer concerns him. He overcomes the love of the world. He finds no pleasure in things which seem to bring happiness to most people. To him they seem foolish and unworthy of an immortal being.

Sixth, John wrote: “the one who was born of God keeps him safe' (I John 5:18).

A man who is born again is careful of his own soul. He tries not only to avoid sin but also to avoid everything which may lead to it. He is careful about the company he keeps. He knows that evil communications corrupt the heart and that evil is more catching than good, just as disease is more infectious than health. He is careful about the use of his time; his chief desire is to spend it profitable.

How should we react to these things? We can logically come to only one conclusion—only those who are born again have these six characteristics, and those who do not have these marks are not born again. This seems to be the conclusion to which the apostle intended us to come. Do you have these characteristics? Are you born again?

Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?



"Give us this day our daily bread"

 “Give us this day our daily bread,and forgive us our debts,  as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil”  [Matthew 6: 11-13]

 

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“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”  [James 1:26-27]

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 Listening and Doing

Anyone who hears the word but does not change his  behavior is like a man who takes a fleeting glance in the mirror each morning, then completely forgets what he saw. He derives no benefit from the mirror or from looking into it. Of course, there are some things about our appearance that cannot be changed. But at least we should be humbled by the sight! And when the mirror says "Wash" or "Shave" or "Comb" or "Brush", we should atleast do as we are told.  Otherwise the mirror is of no practical benefit to us.

It is easy to read the Bible casually or because of a sense of duty without being affected by what we read. We see what we ought to be but we quickly forget and live as if we were already perfect. This type of self-satisfaction prevents spiritual progress.

In contrast is the man who looks into the word of God and who hasbitually reduces it to practice. His contemplative, meditative gazing has practical results in his life. To him the Bible is the perfect law of liberty. Its precepts are not burdensome. They tell him to to exactly what his new nature loves to do. As he obeys, he finds true freedom from human traditions and carnal reasonings. The truth makes him free. This is the man who benefits fromt he Bible. He does not forget what he has read. Rather he seeks to live it out in daily practice. His simple childlike obedience brings incalculatable blessing to his soul. This one will be blessed in what he does.  

"Do what it says..."

 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ”  [James 1:22:24]

 

A girl looking at herself in the mirror



A girl looking at herself in the mirror
Uma menina olhando para si mesma no espelho

"Faça o que diz ..."
  "Não apenas ouvir a palavra, e assim enganar a si mesmos. Faça o que diz. Qualquer um que ouve a palavra, mas não faz o que ele diz é como alguém que olha a sua face num espelho e, depois de olhar para si mesmo, vai embora e logo esquece a sua aparência. "[James 01:22:24]
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 “The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel! ”  [Joshua 10:13-14]

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 "...So the Sun stood still and the Moon stopped..."

Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.

The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”

So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men.  The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”

After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise.  The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.  As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.

On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:

   “Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
   and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
 So the sun stood still,
   and the moon stopped,
   till the nation avenged itself on[b] its enemies,

   as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

   The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!

Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

Assured of victory by the Lord, Joshua engaged the enemy's forces at Gibeon, causing them to flee. Two miracles occurred in the destruction of the enemy. First there was a tremendous hailstrom, which killed more men than the Israelites had slain. But note that they were discriminating hailstones--they killed only the enemies.

Then, at the request of Joshua, the sun and the moon "stood still", prolonging  the hours that the Israelites could continue to pursue and destroy the foe before they could escape to the security of their walled cities. It is literally descriptive language to say that the sun and the moon stood still.  

Sun, stand still..

 “On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:    “Sun, stand still over Gibeon,  and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon”  [Joshua 10:12]

 

The Sun stood still..



The Sun stood still..
O Sol ficou parado ..


http://hookedonthebook.com/teaching-children-about-bible-miracles-the-bronze-serpent/

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