Philippine Asian News Today Vol 19 No1 | Page 24

Wisdom from the Word
A24 RELIGIOUS PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY January 1 - 15 , 2017
Wisdom from the Word
Ben Berto
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son , that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life . John 3 : 16 , NKJV
5 Jesus said to her , “ I am the resurrection and the life . He who believes in Me , though he may die , he shall live . 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die . Do you believe this ?
J o h n
11 : 25 , 26 NKJV
Is death really a door to another phase of life ? Spiritualism or the New Age Movement people say so . They say that the soul is immortal , or will not die . The Bible says that only God is immortal ( 1 Timothy 1 : 17 & 1 Timothy 6 : 16 ) Ezekiel 18 : 4 is very clear . “ The soul that sins will die ” . Only when the righteous are resurrected that they will be given immortality . ( 1 Corinthians 15 : 53 ) When people say that no one will really die , they are just repeating what the old devil or Satan said in the Garden of Eden to catch Adam and Eve . He said , Then the serpent said to the woman , “ You will
not surely die . 5 For
God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened , and you will be like God , knowing good and evil .” Genesis 3 : 4-5 , NKJV . God told Adam and Eve expressly , “ And the Lord God commanded the man , saying , “ Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat ; 17 but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you shall not eat , for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die .” Genesis 2 : 16 , 17 NKJV . So Adam and Eve died , showing the falsehood of Satan . So man was sentenced to die for the sin that was committed by our first parents , but take heart . WE HAVE A SAVIOUR !
So now , we will continue with the statement of belief of the Seventhday Adventist Church regarding Life , Death , and Resurrection .
“ The entrance of sin into the world did not take God by surprise . Before it even happened , He saw it coming and took steps to deal with it . Jesus is the “ Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world .” Revelation 13 : 8 . To

This We Believe Absolutely : LIFE , DEATH , AND RESURRECTION

combat the mystery of iniquity , God provided the mystery of the Cross . He Himself provided the response to the sin problem by sending His Son to be Emmanuel , God with us . Matt 1 : 23 .
“ Although He was fully human , Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to the divine will . Speaking of Jesus , the bible predicted , “ I desire to do your will , O my God ; your law is within my heart .” ( Psalm 40:8 ). Under constant attack from the tempter , Jesus experienced our human temptations even to the point of death . The Bible says that “ He was tempted in every way , just as we are — yet was without sin .” Hebrews 4 : 15 ; 2 : 18
“ He asked His accusers , “ Can any of you prove Me guilty of sin ?” Jesus repelled every one of Satan ’ s attacks by His life of total submission and perfect obedience to the divine will . He fulfilled the law . ( Matt . 5 : 17-19 ), demonstrating by both precept and example the richness and depth of God ’ s requirements . By living as a man among us , Jesus
demonstrated
what
real
humanity
is
like : It is totally
obedient
to
God .
W
H
Y
JESUS
HAD
TO DIE
“ However , in order to fully solve the sin problem , it wasn ’ t enough for Jesus to live a perfect life . Under the provisions of the eternal covenant , He had to become “’ the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world .’” ( John 1 : 29 ). Because “ the wages of sin is death ” Romans 6 : 23 )— a requirement demanded by the law — God ’ s plan to save us from sin led eventually to the Cross .
“” Christ died for our sins .” ) 1 Corinthians 15 : 3 ) “ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us , so that in him we might become the righteousness of God .” 2 Corinthians 5 : 21 ). He took our sins upon Himself , dying our death , in order that we might receive His righteousness , and live
His life . “ He was pierced for our transgressions , He was crushed for our iniquities ; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him , and by his wounds we are healed .” ( Isaiah 53 : 5 ). In the light of the cross , we see the enormity of sin and are astounded at God ’ s immeasurable love for us . With Paul , we exclaim , “ May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ .” Galatians 6 : 14 ( To Be Continued )
For prayer , questions and Bible study , call Pastor Macaraig at 604- 928- 3579 , Ben at 604-581-1278 , Junjun at 778-927-8040 , and Stanley at 604-700-3053 . You are invited to worship with us every Sabbath ( Saturday ) at the Abundant Life Community Seventh-day Adventist Church at 13062-104 Avenue , Surrey . Welcome .

Moments

Fr , Jerry M . Orbos , SVD

Searching

The story is told about a little boy who asked his father : “ Dad , I am a little confused . They say that if you eat lechon baboy , you eat pork , right ? And if you eat lechon baka , you eat beef . So if you eat lechon kawali , do you eat a frying pan ?”
Today is the Feast of the Epiphany , the revelation of the Messiah to the Gentiles , the manifestation of God ’ s plan of salvation for all humankind . The people at that time were a little confused as to what or who the Messiah is . As it was then , so it is still now . The searching goes on .
In today ’ s Gospel ( Mt 2 , 1-12 ), we learn of how the Magi found the Messiah . Why ?
They searched diligently and they were guided by a star . Let us take our cue from them . If we want to find God , we must be diligent , and we must be open to guidance from above . To find God , we must go out of our way and leave our comfort zone .
The shepherds also found the Messiah . Why ? Because they were simple and humble . Complicated and proud people cannot find God because they do their search from their own perspective and from their vantage point . The truth of the matter is that we do not find God . Rather , we find God if we allow ourselves to be found by Him .
Fr . Emil Lim , SVD , writes in “ The Word in Other Words ” ( Logos Publications ) that there are four pointers to
find Jesus : “ The journey , the star , the gifts , and a different way home .” All of us have to make the journey to find God . We must continue to follow the star no matter how difficult the journey is . We must offer our gifts to God as we journey on — i . e ., our time , resources , and talents , as our way of doing homage to Him . Finally , we must not go back to our old ways . We must not backtrack . We must move on to broader and newer horizons .
One must-have companion in our journey is prayer . Nowadays people have GPS , Waze , and other applications so that they are guided and do not lose their way . In the same way , we need prayer to guide us and help us find our way to God ’ s heart . Prayer is not only a compass that guides us , but also the fuel that lets us keep going .
More and more I realize the value and wisdom of praying the Breviary , the Liturgy of the Hours . It is the
official prayer of the Church , in union with the whole world , sanctifying the hours from sunrise to sunset . When a priest prays the Breviary , he realizes how little he is before this great and tremendous God , and how he can find refuge , guidance , forgiveness and strength from Him .
I remember how Papa always reminded me about the Breviary , and I appreciate him for that . May I also ask you , dear reader , to join us , aside from your personal prayers , to pray the Liturgy of the Hours daily .
The “ Pandasal ” ( the “ food prayer ,” so to speak , from sunup to sundown ) is a beautiful and handy prayer book compiled by the priests and brothers of the Society of St . Paul which contains the Mass for the day as well as the morning and evening prayers in the Liturgy of the Hours . It is a big help for the priests , religious and the laity who are in search of discipline , depth and dynamism in their
daily prayer . It is available at Catholic bookstores ( www . stpauls . ph / pandasal ).
We have the year 2017 ahead of us . Let us make the journey not so much in search of more money , power , or fame as in search of our Savior . We do not know what the future holds , but we know who holds the future in His hands , and that is enough . Let us trust Him more , and worry less . Let us stay focused on our star , and let us stay together .
Thought for the journey : Learn to let go and to let God , learn to travel light . Remember , the journey is not about going far and fast . The journey is going to the heart — to one ’ s heart , to other people ’ s hearts , and to God ’ s heart .
A moment with the
Lord :
Lord , be with us in our journey . Help us not to be discouraged , and not to stop searching for better ways . Amen . ( Inquirer )
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