What Does It Mean To Be Saved?

This morning I opened a new document in my word processor. I clicked on the “X” to close it. A text box popped up. It asked, “Do you want to save your work?” I said no. The document disappeared.

My wife and I were going through a drawer full of junk. She held up some old computer disks to me and asked if I wanted to save them. I said no. They were no good to me anymore. She threw them into the wastebasket.

I went to Kroger’s the other day and bought $19.70 worth of groceries. They put it all in one small plastic bag. At the bottom of the receipt were these bold words: YOU SAVED $3.75! Good. That used to mean $37.50. By the time I retire, it will mean $0.37. “Saved” doesn’t mean as much as it used to.

In fact, if you have looked at interest rates lately, you know that saving is more like losing in today’s marketplace.

If it’s that way with money, it’s getting that way with spiritual things. I found this on a blog.

I’m an atheist. I used to be a Christian when I was a kid, but then I started to question all sorts of things in my youth, and it never quite added up. So, I stopped believing in any deity. (To make a long story short.)

Anyways, I have been curious about this for a while.. I have never quite managed to grasp the concept of “salvation”. What does it mean? I was never “saved”. But Christians talk about it a lot. Any saved Christians out there who would want to tell me about how THEY got saved? What is it? How did it happen? Or Muslims, Hindus, Jews or Buddhists for that matter. Maybe you can get “saved” in other religions too? I don’t know. Haven’t heard of it, though.

I have this Christian friend of mine who is “saved”. And she says it basically means “accepting Jesus Christ as your savior and receiving him in your heart”. What does she mean by that? Is there this.. Sudden moment of enlightenment?

I don’t know.. I am just genuinely curious as to what it all means.

Lots of confusion out there. People don’t know any more. What is salvation? A transition into a different dimension? A spiritual experience? A decision? An epiphany of understanding? What happens when you are saved? What happens to you when you are saved?

Let’s see what the Bible has to say.

Acts 16:25 “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. ²⁶ And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. ²⁷ And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. ²⁸ But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. ²⁹ Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, ³⁰ And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? ³¹ And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

This jailor was scared. He was about to lose the prisoners in his charge…and if he did he would probably lose his head. He would rather take his own life than fall into the hands of his superiors. It was a barbaric age. Who knows the torture and abuse he would have suffered.

But why did he ask how to be saved? Look at what happened earlier that day:

Acts 16:16-24 “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: ¹⁷ The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. ¹⁸ And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. ¹⁹ And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, ²⁰ And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, ²¹ And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. ²² And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them . ²³ And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: ²⁴ Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.”

I hate to admit it, but I wonder if this heathen man heard about salvation through a demonic spirit that possessed this young girl? I doubt if he knew about soteriology. He didn’t know the theological and eschatological aspects of salvation. He didn’t know about original sin, or the efficacy of the blood of Jesus, or any of the ten dollar words and phrases we throw around about salvation.

He knew these men were showing the way of salvation. He knew there was an earthquake. And now he knew that Paul and Silas had kept the prisoners from escaping and had—-for all practical purposes—-saved his hide from the Roman military tribunal. Now, he wanted to know if he could be saved.

What does the word “salvation” mean to you? The church sings “I’m saved and I know that I am…I’m so glad I know that I am.” What does that mean to you?

Philosophy has no answers. Pop psychology has no answers. Human reasoning has no answers. Politics, economics, medicine, law, entertainment, education…you name it…do not have answers.

What does it mean to be saved? You need to know what the Bible says. We are saved from some things. We are saved for some things. We are saved by some things.

We are saved from eternal death.

James 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Eternal death is the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:11-15 “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

We are saved from the tribulation period that is to come on the world.

Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

2 Peter 3:10-12 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

We are saved from sin.

1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

We are saved for eternal life.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Isaiah 45:17 But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.

We are saved to the uttermost.

Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

We are saved by the complete work of Jesus Christ on Calvary .

Acts 8:34 -39 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

We are saved by accepting the work of Jesus Christ through obedience.

Acts 2:37 -38 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? ³⁸ Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

He was an important man—-he still needed to be baptized.

He was a wealthy man—-he still needed to be baptized.

He was a busy man—-he still needed to be baptized.

He was searching for truth—-he found it in Jesus, and baptism in his name.

He was in an inconvenient place—-he was baptized anyway.

He humble and obedient—-that’s why he was baptized.

Salvation is greatest need in your life.

You can’t stay here, in this life forever.

Your world and your life is going to keep changing.

You don’t live in a time capsule.

You can’t save yourself.

You have absolutely no control over the external forces that are working on you.

You cannot stop the tribulation period.

You cannot delay the rapture.

You cannot seal the gates of hell shut.

You cannot wish yourself into heaven.

You cannot cancel the judgment.

You’ve got to do it God’s way.

John 10:1-10 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

You will never fully connect with life—-either present or eternal—-until you find salvation.

1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar^b people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

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^b peculiar: or, purchased

A Land of Hills and Valleys

^{Deuteronomy 11:8} Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; ⁹ And that ye may prolong your¹⁰ For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey. is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: ¹¹ But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:  

Geography plays a huge part in the panorama of Bible history and experiences of God’s people. We know about cities, countries, provinces, borders, kingdoms and specific points like wells, rocks and woods that all had names to signify important events in Bible history. There is another phase of geography that we call topography. Architects and builders know about this. Before a large building project gets underway, a set of drawings are usually called for that survey the tracts of land where the building is going to take place. Surveyors measure the rise and fall of the land, and take note of the features that will enter into the building placement or even the kind of building that can be built.

This topography feature is duly noted in the Bible. We read of seas, rivers, brooks, mountains, hills, valleys, plains, caves and deserts. Many familiar names and stories happened in connection with a particular topographical feature. Jacob went over the Brook Jabbok where he had his dream. Moses went up to Mt. Sinai to receive the ten commandments. Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses on a hill in Rephidim so Israel could prevail against the enemy Amalek. Lot chose the well-watered plains of Jordan . Elijah sought refuge in a cave where God fed him by sending ravens with food. Moses fled to the backside of the desert to keep the sheep of his father-in-law Jethro.

It can be argued that the place where these events occurred had a definite effect on whatever happened there. Life does not happen as a series of random occurrences that make no sense. The reason God leads us to certain places is because we will learn something there…we will learn something because of the very circumstances surrounding the event.

Pathway Dynamics

I am always surprised that people are so surprised about the things that happen to them in life. Surprise happens when what you think is going to happen doesn’t. God (it would seem) aggravates people on a daily basis with a pathway filled with dips and turns, rockslides and icy patches, potholes and one-lane bridges, all of it simultaneously tantalizing and frustrating. The pathway plays no favorites. Motor vehicles come equipped with shock absorbers because any attempt to force the pathway to conform to the driver’s expectations meets with bone-jarring jolts. It’s up to you to adapt to the pathway, not the other way around.

The pathway to a growing life is a dynamic, not a static experience. Yes, truth remains the same and principles stay constant, but changing circumstances and too many variables along the way insure that you will never really figure it all out.

It doesn’t matter how old you are or how far you’ve come, you have not been this way before. Your experience has only qualified you to understand yourself to some degree; it has not licensed you to manage your pathway. As you negotiate the turns, curves and obstacles that constitute your pathway, you will change. Whether you move on enlightened or angered, helped or hurt, wiser or more puzzled, dead or alive depends upon how you react. Any reaction that suspends the learning experience, like anger or despair, brings your journey to a halt. You will not progress until you get these reactions in hand, overcome them and go on. And, when the road that unfolds before you meets the distant horizon, you cannot be sure which way it goes from there. You can be sure of only one thing: another learning opportunity awaits you.

M. Scott Peck begins his The Road Less Traveled with these profound words, “Life is difficult.” It will never get easy. Your guiding light must remain your faith in God and your commitment to lead your people into their best future.

The Valley

Most of us have a built-in bias for mountains and hills. We like to get up high where we can see what’s happening. We like the feeling of superiority, the sense of being in charge, the security of looking down on life and knowing what’s going on. We get that when we are on the mountain top.

The fact is, however, we seldom learn much on the mountain top. That’s why the bible carefully describes the promised land as land of hills and valleys. There is a hill for every valley, but there is a valley for every hill. The valleys are as much a part of the topography of the promised land as the hills.

Achan was judged in the valley. “ And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. ²⁵ And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. ²⁶ And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor ^f, unto this day.

^[2]

After the victory at Jericho , Israel was defeated by the men of Ai in the valley.

Hell, or in the Hebrew language, Sheol, was symbolized by the Valley of Hinnom . All the refuse and carcasses of Jerusalem were burned in the Valley of Hinnom .

David spoke of the valley as a place of deep trial and testing.

¹ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. ² He maketh me to lie down in green^a pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. ³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. ⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. ⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest^b my head with oil; my cup runneth over. ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever^c.

^[3]

God leads us into the valleys for a purpose.

What is a valley?

It is a low place. It is surrounded by hills or mountains on either side. An army is very vulnerable in the valley because the enemy occupies the high ground and can ride down on those in the valley. A valley keeps you from seeing the big picture. A valley can be treacherous because of landslides, avalanches or flash floods.

When we look at this from a spiritual perspective, many of us chafe against the valley circumstances. We often operate under the illusion that we ought to be exempt from the spiritual topography of life. We can’t figure out why God wants us to be in a valley. We were doing fine…now this!

The problem is that we develop something that I call the valley syndrome.

Symptoms of “Valley Syndrome”

1.    Sensation that you are trapped or locked in to defeat.

God has not predestined you to defeat. You need to avoid a self-fulfilling prophecy. (You can believe something so strongly that you unwittingly set yourself up for a defeat.)

2.    Suffering from and inability to consider anything above eye-level.

Are you becoming so paranoid, so negative that you have stopped believing in miracles, in prayer, in worship, in bible reading? Are you becoming convinced that God has something against you, that you are never going to get out of your adversity?

3.    Hallucinations that anyone rising above you has an unfair advantage.

This is where you begin to experience bitterness, jealousy and hatred against others around you. You deny the success or victory to anyone who seems to have gotten out of their valley. It is the victim mentality, the feeling that you have been denied something to which you were entitled.

4.    Cold sweats when anyone suggests you might do better.

You resent it when someone comes up to you and encourages you to hang in there or to pray a little harder. They are just making a superficial judgment that you are like everyone else. They even might think you deserve to be in your valley.

4.    Marked irritibility toward any tools or helps that may improve your state.

You want to be left alone. You don’t want to improve yourself. Why. Deep down, you believe that God must despise you and that you have no blessings coming your way. Resign yourself to defeat.

6.    Immediate recognition that anyone higher than you doesn’t understand.

People who have blessings that you want for yourself are suspect. They don’t understand what it’s like to be you.

7.    Feverish excuse manufacturing.

The easiest thing to do when you are in the valley is to excuse yourself for your circumstances. It is easier to complain than to pray. It is easier to lay down and pity yourself than to get up and keep moving.

Two Solutions to the Valley

1. Look for God’s blessings in the valley.

Psalm 84:4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah. ⁵ Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them . ⁶ Who passing through the valley of Baca  make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. ⁷ They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.

The valley has some secrets. You are always closer to the water supply when you are in the valley.

In the valley, you can dig a well. In the valley, you will discover strength that doesn’t come from the hills and the mountains. You will find out that God doesn’t need the conventional ways of blessing to bring healing, help and victory to your life.

Look for miracles of God in the valley of despair.

Ezekiel 37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, ² And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley^a; and, lo, they were very dry. ³ And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. ⁴ Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. ⁵ Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: ⁶ And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. ⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. ⁸ And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. ⁹ Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind^b, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. ^[4]

The experience of Sis. Becky Buckland. Bitten by a rabid dog, she was told that she was not going to live.  The doctors said bluntly that she would get progressively worse and die in ninety days.  She had passed beyond the stage where medicine could help her.   In the midst of the trial, the only thing left to do was go to church. She went to campmeeting in Indiana in 1993 and they gathered around her and prayed. God healed her and the Bucklands became missionaries in the Czech Republic where they are raising up a work for the name of Jesus!

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^[1] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Dt 11:8). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^f Achor: that is, Trouble

^[2] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Jos 7:24). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^a green…: Heb. pastures of tender grass

^b anointest: Heb. makest fat

^c for ever: Heb. to length of days

^[3] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Ps 23:1). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^a valley: or, champaign

^b wind: or, breath

^[4] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Eze 37:1). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

The Theology of Much

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

The God of the Bible is a God of abundance.
Whatever the scriptures portray him to be, he is that to perfection.
Whatever we know to be good, he is that in its ultimate state.
Whatever is rich, he is richer.
Whatever is beautiful, he is more beautiful.
Whatever is righteous, he is more righteous.
Whatever is holy, he is more holy.
There is nothing in God that can ever be classified as impoverished, pitiful or small.

Everything about my God: the way he was born, the way he lived the way he died, the way he rose again, the way he ascended, the way he was glorified, the way he exists today and the way he will exist throughout all eternity is an unprecedented display of glory and power.
Nothing he ever did, now does or will do could be done any better.
He is the God of abundance.
If you want a proof of how God operates, look how he responded to the very first offense committed against him in the earth.

Rom 5:14-21

14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

The sin that Satan introduced into the world was intended to destroy two people, Adam and Eve.

Gen 3:1-5

3 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Notice that Satan only saw these two human beings, God’s creation, as his targets of evil. Maybe he thought that God would destroy both of them when he found out about their disobedience and that would be the end of the human race.

God, however, saw the implications of both sin and salvation in the act of disobedience.
First, he saw that the sin of the first generation would contaminate the second, third, forth and so on generation.
Second, he had already designed a plan that would take care of Adam and Eve. Third, he extended salvation to every succeeding generation.
God’ vision always blows Satan’s vision out of the water.

Gen 3:12-15

12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

God never limits what he does to a meager portion, an adequate supply or a plan to just get by.
He told Abraham that “I am thy exceeding great reward.”
He is exceeding.
If that’s not enough, he is abundant.
If that’s not enough, he can do “above all that we are able to ask…”
If that’s not enough, he can do “above all we are able to think.”
That’s my God!

The next thing to consider about the fall of man was the death it caused. One man sinned and in him the human race was condemned to death.

Death. The cessation of life. The absence of life. The loss of breath. The opposite of everything about God because “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Here was God’s response to death by sin.

17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

When Satan says, Death, God says Life.
When God says Life, he means life on a scale that cannot be comprehended.
Whatever we lost in Adam was restored in Jesus…AND MUCH MORE!
We lost the quality of life in Adam, but we gained abundant life in Jesus.
We lost the essence of life in Adam, but we gained eternal life in Jesus.
We lost the tree of life in Adam, but we gained it back in heaven,

Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

We lost the Garden of Eden in Adam, but we gained the New Jerusalem in Jesus.

Jesus will never allow the power of Satan to overshadow the power of the Cross.

The evil, the wreckage and the chaos brought about by Adam’s disobedience does not represent the final answer to man’s destiny.

20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Pile sin high and wide. Grace is always bigger and better.
Think about it. This world cannot get much lower. Iniquity cannot get much worse.
But as bad as it gets, the grace of God will always…always…ALWAYS be more!
Satan would like for you to be intimidated by the world you see around you.
He wants you to throw in the towel.
He intends for you to say “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.”
He wants the church to cave into the tidal wave of sin that abounds today.
And, sometimes, it is tempting to say, “It’s no use.”

But the abundance of sin only proves the greater abundance of grace.
If you think the world is winning, you need a refresher course in the theology of much.
It’s time for you to take a prayer journey and let God show you his storehouses of grace.

This past Friday, I stood at Ground Zero. The once proud twin towers of the World Trade Center rose 110 stories into the sky from lower Manhattan Island. Its 13.4 million square feet of office space represented a full 4 percent of all offices in New York. On September 11, 2001, two planes flown by Islamic terrorists crashed into the towers and decimated them, bringing them to the ground and killing 2973 innocent people. It was the single, most deadly terrorist attack in history, certainly on American soil.

But Friday, I saw something I didn’t expect to see. The construction has already begun on the rebuilding of the WTC. It has already been built to the ground level. It is the response of the American spirit to the evil intentions of terrorists world wide.

“Rising from its square base — which will be constructed of impermeable concrete and steel — the redesigned Freedom Tower will taper into eight tall isosceles triangles, forming a perfect octagon at its center. An observation deck will be located 1,362 feet above ground and there will be a square glass parapet at 1,368 feet, the heights of the original Twin Towers. From these, an illuminated spire containing a television antenna will rise to a final height of 1,776 feet.

1776 feet.  The year we declared our independence! We are sending a message:
Burn it down and we will rebuild it, bigger and better than ever.
God sent that message to Satan millenniums ago.
Tear it down and I will remake it…much more than it was in the first place.

But the theology of much applies to areas beyond the grace of God.

There is a matter of forgiveness.

Luke 7:37-38 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

Here is a woman who was undoubtedly a prostitute before she was saved.
When God touches the life of someone in the depths of sin, he takes away their shame as well as their sin.
But there were some who did not appreciate this.

Luke 7:39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

But Jesus had an answer.
Jesus always has an answer to the charges of Satan.

Luke 7:44-47

44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

If you have been forgiven much, you love much.
If you don’t love much, you don’t know what you have been forgiven.
When you get an idea of how bad your sin is, you get an idea of how much you need to worship Jesus!
I like worshippers.
They have an attitude.
They know how much their salvation is worth.
They know they didn’t have a chance without Jesus.
They dance, sing, shout, run, leap…whatever…because they have been forgiven much.
It’s called the love-forgiveness principle.

Then there is the matter of blessing.

Luke 12:48 For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

I don’t think anyone is more implicated in this scripture than those who have received this Apostolic truth.
We have been given much.
The oneness of God.
The message of full salvation.
The importance of holiness.
The rapture of the Church.

There are some today who are preaching a “relevance” Gospel.
They disregard the doctrines of the Apostolic in order to be relevant to this world.
None of us want to be irrelevant.
What we have here is not relevance as much as false doctrine.
Galatians makes it plain. If anyone preaches any other gospel…let him be accursed.

Are you living up to your requirements?

Finally, there is the matter of desire.

Luke 18:35-43 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: 36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, 41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. 42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

How much you seek after God will depend on how much you desire him!
God looks on the heart.
The syrophoenician woman.
The army captain.
Nicodemus.

The theology of much governs everything about your relationship with God.
The much lacking in me reaches out to the much supply in God.
My poverty reaches out to his wealth.
My smallness reaches out to his greatness.
My weakness reaches out to his power.
Whatever I have lost, I will find it in Christ.

Backing out of Egypt

^{Exodus 13:17} And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: ¹⁸ But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁹ And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel , saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you. ²⁰ And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. ²¹ And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: ²² He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Israel had been in bondage in Egypt for four hundred years.

They didn’t start out as captives, but refugees.
Another king arose who knew not Joseph and made slaves of Israelites.
Pharaoh was the only king they knew.
Egyptian culture dominated their lives.
They ate Egyptian food, wore Egyptian clothes, shopped Egyptian stores, saw Egyptian cities.
Egypt defined Israel ’s life, livelihood and thinking.

Israel hated their captors.

The Egyptians were hard taskmasters.
They were cruel and unreasonable.
Exodus 1:23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. ²⁴ And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ And God looked upon the children of Israel , and God had respect unto them .

After a series of miracles, Israel found themselves on the way out of Egypt .

Israel left Egypt by faith, not by sight.

They had not seen miracles of provision, only miracles of judgment.
The Egyptian army was at full strength when Israel marched out.
Pharaoh was still in power when they marched out.
The blood was still wet on the doorposts and lintels when they marched out.

Why did they leave?

They left because they didn’t want to be slaves any longer.
They left because they now had a leader who would lead them out.
They left because it was the right thing to do.
Egypt is a type of sin.
If you are in sin’s bondage, you were made for better things.
If you are in sin’s bondage, you have a leader who will lead you out.

After they left for the right reasons, God began to do marvelous things for them.

The Red Sea opened up for them.
Egypt ’s army was defeated.
The pillar of fire and the cloud lead them.
The rock that gave them water to drink followed them.
The manna fell in the wilderness.
The clothes wore like iron.
None of these things happened until they forsook Egypt .

You cannot wait until you see your way clear before you leave your Egypt of sin.

There comes a time when you need to defy your Pharaoh.
There comes a time when you need to walk out on the devil.
You need to do the right thing, trusting that God will do the right thing.

But, the moment you leave Egypt , the mind games begin.

Fear.

^{Exodus 14:10} And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. ¹¹ And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt , hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt ? ¹² Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt , saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

Loss.

^{Exodus 16:2} And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: ³ And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

Anger.

^{Exodus 17:3} And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? ⁴ And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.

Doubt.

¹ And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

The problem was that although the people were out of Egypt , Egypt was not out of the people.
God will set you free through the new birth experience.
Repentance
Baptism in Jesus’ name.
Holy Ghost infilling.

But, to be set free from your Egypt of sin, you need more than just a feeling of remorse, a physical baptism and an experience with God.

^{Hebrews 11:24} By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; ²⁵ Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; ²⁶ Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. ²⁷ By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. ²⁸ Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. ²⁹ By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land : which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

Look what Moses did:
Chose.
Esteemed.
Forsook.
Endured.
Kept.
Passed.

As long as you think like the world, you will rebel against the Spirit of God in your life. You need a mental emancipation from the thinking of this world.

I don’t need the habits of the world.
I don’t need the security of the world.
I don’t need the affirmation of the world.
I don’t need the fellowship of the world.
When God declares you free, you need to declare that you are free!

^{John 8:36} If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

You need for God to put a new mind in you.

⁵  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸ And being found in fashion^a as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: ¹⁰ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. ² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Brother Pugh’s message to the General Board. “We have too much “con” and not enough “tran?”

This world is not my home, I’m just passing through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

O Lord you know I have no friend like you
If Heaven’s not my home, then Lord what will I do?
The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

They’re all expecting me and that’s one thing I know.
My Savior pardoned me and now I onward go.
I know He’ll take me through, though I am weak and poor.

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

Just up in Glory Land we’ll live eternally.
The Saints on every hand are shouting victory.
Their song of sweetest praise drifts back from Heaven’s shore
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

When you declare your freedom from Egypt , you will discover the providence of God.
You want miracles in your life? Get Egypt ’s thinking out of your mind.
You want joy? Be set free from Egypt .

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“Who Art Thou, Lord?”

“And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus : and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: ⁴ And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? ⁵ And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.”

God had a question for Adam. “Where art thou?”
Saul of Tarsus had a question for God. “Who art thou?”
The answers to both questions made the respondent vulnerable and open.
When Adam revealed where he was, he gave God access to his existence.
When Jesus revealed who he was, he gave Saul access to the essence of his life.

Steve Pavlina, Personal Development guru, says:
“Weak questions are disempowering. They keep your focused on your own ego, your problems, and your shortcomings. Weak questions keep you focused on what’s wrong… on what isn’t working. That might seem like a good idea, but all it does is further reinforce the situation you’d like to change. Weak questions will lead your brain to come up with answers that are useless, circular, or even destructive. Mediocre results largely come about from asking mediocre questions. Great results come from asking great questions. If you don’t like the results you’re getting, try asking completely different questions from the ones you’re used to asking.”

There are three New Testament questions you need to ask for yourself.

• “Who art thou, Lord?” Asked by Saul of Tarsus .
• “What shall we do?” Asked by the crowd on the Day of Pentecost.
• “What wilt thou have me to do?” Asked by Saul of Tarsus .

Who art thou, Lord?

Jesus boldly declared the He was God.

He said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30 ). He was of the same essence as the Father (deity).
The Jews’ took up stones to stone Him ( 10:31 ). They believed that Jesus, who was a man, had made Himself God ( 10:33 ).
This was blasphemy to the Jews and was deserving of the death penalty.
They understood perfectly that Jesus was claiming to be the Father Himself. If Jesus was not declaring equality with the Father, it would have been the perfect opportunity to explain what He really meant. Instead He continued to back up His claim ( 10:34 -38).

Jesus told the Jews, “He that seeth me seeth him that sent me.” (John 12:45).
Jesus declared to Thomas, “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him and have seen him.” John 14:5-9. (v. 7).
Philip could not understand this statement, so he asked Jesus to show the Father to all the disciples, and then they would be satisfied. Jesus responded, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (v. 9). According to Jesus’ own testimony, to see Him was to see the Father (God). One can not get a much clearer statement than this as to who Jesus claimed to be.

In addition to what he said, Jesus acted like he was God.

If Jesus was not God, indeed his statements would have been blasphemous.
For example, Jesus forgave sins.
He said to the paralytic who was lowered through the roof, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” (Mark 2:15 ). The scribes present in the room thought Jesus’ statement blasphemous saying “who can forgive sin but God alone?” (v. 7).

If Jesus truly did not have the power to forgive, He had the perfect opportunity to clear up the matter when the Jews inquired of His words.
Instead of pointing out the scribes misunderstanding of His words, Jesus said, “Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.” (vs. 9-11).

Jesus claimed authority with respect to the Law of God.

One such example is the law of the Sabbath.
God established the Sabbath for Israel as one of the 613 commandments of the Law of Moses they had to obey.
Because God had made the Law, He alone had the power to alter it. We see Jesus, however, claiming the authority to alter the Sabbath when His disciples were questioned by the Pharisees for picking grain heads on the Sabbath.
Jesus’ response was to remind them of the time that David ate of the shewbread (vs. 25-26). The shewbread was strictly for the priests. For anyone else to eat it was a violation of the Law of Moses, but God never punished David. In conclusion Jesus said, “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” (vs. 27-28)..
Jesus clearly claimed the right to redefine the Sabbath.

Jesus claimed to have the power of life.

He said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25).
The Old Testament declares that only God has this power: “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.” Deuteronomy 32:39

What did the Jewish leaders think of Jesus?

After Jesus told the Jews, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” (John 5:17 ), the Jews sought to kill Him.
Why did they want to kill him? “Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his father, making himself equal with God.” (v. 18).
The Jews understood that Jesus was claiming to be God Himself. The Greek word isos is translated here as “equal.” It means to be “the same as” something. Jesus put Himself on the same plane, or grounds of deity as the Father.
When Jesus claimed that He and His Father were one (John 10:30 ), again the Jews took up stones to stone Him (v. 31).
When Jesus asked them for what good work they desired to kill Him, they responded, “For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” (v. 33).
The Jews did not understand Jesus’ reference to God as His “Father” to mean that Jesus was less than God, or some sort of a second-rate god. Rather they understood His claim to be that of Yahweh God Himself.

What did the apostles think of Jesus?

Thomas said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28).
The Greek word kurios, translated “Lord,” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew adonai; and the Greek theos translated “God” is the Greek counterpart to the Hebrew elohim.
So, for Thomas to call Jesus his Lord and God, knowing that the only Lord God was Yahweh (Deuteronomy 6:4), would have been blasphemy if Thomas had not believed that Jesus was Yahweh Himself in flesh.
Peter’s bold declaration to Jesus, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16 ), showed Peter’s belief in His deity.
Jesus told Peter that flesh and blood had not revealed this truth to him, but the Father which was in heaven (v. 17).
If “Son of God” here only refers to Jesus’ humanity, no revelation from the Father would have been necessary.
Paul, who wrote the most concerning Christ’s person, said that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15; See also II Corinthians 4:4).
What did Paul mean when He declared Jesus to be God’s image?
We know it was not physical likeness because God is a Spirit and cannot have a physical body.1
The Greek word translated “image” in the King James Version is eikon. Its root is eiko, meaning likeness, resemblance, or representation.
Eikon denotes both the representation and manifestation of a substance.
Notice that Paul contrasted Jesus’ image to that of the invisible God. The point Paul was trying to get across to his readers was that Jesus is the visible representation of God to man. That is why Jesus could say, “he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” (John 14:9; also 12:45).

Jesus is the “express image of his [God’s] person” (Hebrews 1:3).

“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
The English phrase translated “express image” is from the Greek word charakter. It is this word from which we get our English word “character.”
This is the only occurrence of the word in the New Testament. It means “to impress upon, or stamp.” It denotes an engravement from a tool, which impresses an image into that which is being engraved.4
This impression, then, is a characteristic of the instrument used to produce it. The end result corresponds precisely with the instrument.

Jesus does not just represent God. He is the very visible impression of God’s invisible substance and essence.

He is God’s very nature expressed in humanity as the Son of God.
He is the corresponding engravement of God in human form. He is the adequate imprint of God. 6
At Bethlehem , God unrolled a blank sheet of humanity over the invisible essence of divinity and mapped a visible image that we could see. When Mary held up the baby, we could trace all the divine attributes of God through the transference of his image into the flesh of Jesus.

Jesus is everything about God permanently settled in the body of Jesus.

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” (Colossians 2:9) The NIV says “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”7
In the Greek, Paul said that the fullness of the divine essence has permanently settled in Jesus’ body.
Jesus did not merely possess some divine attributes, but rather He possessed every aspect of deity.

What Shall We Do?

³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? ³⁸ Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. ³⁹ For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. ^[1]

Every person has two clear-cut choices before him or her. You can refuse to ask the question, thinking that if you don’t ask, then you will not be held responsible for what happens. Not asking the question leaves the answer to chance, and you’ll take your chances.

You can ask the question and get the answer. Getting the answer then makes you responsible for acting out the instructions. Some people are so paranoid of the answer that they won’t ask the question. But, do you want to know whether or not the house is on fire? Do you want to know whether or not the car has enough gas in the tank to get you to your destination? Do you want to know whether you need an operation to repair your heart or remove a tumor?

This crowd heard a stirring message on the Day of Pentecost.
They asked what they should do.
Here is the answer:

Repent.

• Admit that you are a sinner.
• Turn away from your sins.
• Repentance is a major Bible doctrine.

Baptism.

• A command.
• In water.
• Immersion.
• In Jesus name.
• Acts 8:16 ; 10:44 -48; 19:1-7; 22:16 ; Romans 6:3

Holy Ghost.

• A promise.
• A necessity to identify with Jesus. “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by^d his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11.

What Wilt Thou Have Me To Do?

The answers to your questions hold important implications for your life.
You are called to life a life separated unto Christ.
¹⁴ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? ¹⁶ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, ¹⁸ And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

You are called to give praise and glory to God.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar^b people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

One final question: What could possibly be more important than making sure your heart is right with God? Each of us will stand before God in judgment. What will be the most important thing in your life then ?

Bro. Orlin Ray Fauss was given his son’s bible. Daryl Fauss had been killed one year prior.

Three questions.

• Who art thou?
• What shall we do?
• What wilt thou have me to do?

How will you answer?

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^[1] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Ac 2:37). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^d by: or, because of

^b peculiar: or, purchased