By faith… By hoping in something very real, believing in the unseen. Through faith and faith alone!
Heb 11:4 By FAITH Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Able's righteousness was proven in the sacrifice he offered to God. Able's righteousness will live on forever and ever, he died in his righteousness through his faith in God. When you die in your faith your righteousness - which is Christ's righteousness - lives on. Faith in God, Faith in Christ, Faith in the righteousness of God brings righteousness to the faithful. It doesn't say- Abel was righteous in and of himself. It doesn't say- Abel's offering witnessed of his righteousness. It says- BY FAITH and by faith unto who? God! Without the faith in God there is NO RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Heb 11:5 By FAITH Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
By faith- he please God. We can't please God without faith it is impossible!
Heb 11:6 But without FAITH it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Heb 11:7 By FAITH Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by FAITH.
By faith- Noah prepared an ark. God warned and Noah believed, Noah had faith that what God warned would come to pass. We have to believe what God warns will come to pass. Through His word God has warned us plenty!
Heb 11:8 By FAITH Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
By faith- He was called and He obeyed.
Heb 11:9 By FAITH he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
WE look for a city whose builder and maker is God too! Just as they looked. Just as Abraham looked we look! Aren't you looking for a city whose builder and maker is God?
Psa 46:4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
Heb 13:14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world
Luk 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
We look for this city! We must look for this city! We must look for Christ our Savior to return to take us to this new city that isn't made by man's hands, but God's! And we look how? By faith!
We must believe!
As children you might have been told if you just close your eyes and wish hard enough for something that it will come true. You are told to make a wish and blow out candles on a cake, and that wish will come true. You are told to throw money into a wishing well and make a wish, and it will come true. As children we believe- as adults we don't believe because the majority of those wishes never, ever come true. Wishing is hoping, hoping is faith. Children have faith and lose that faith. They lose faith in people when they are made promises and those promises don't come to pass. We lose faith in our partners when they make promises and don't keep them. It's easy to lose faith in other human beings because we are not God, we are not infallible, we cannot control things on the same realm as God. Having faith in God and having that faith realized when we inherit the kingdom prepared for us is our hope. Being with our Savior, living with our God, our King is our hope. Eternal life is a real hope, a real faith that will not fail because God will not fail us. Having faith in Him is everything, should be our everything!
Faith.
Without faith it is impossible to please God.
With faith we will be counted among those God will find righteous- in His righteousness.
More tomorrow as we continue to study faith, by the grace of our Lord and our Savior now and forever and ever! Amen. Amen! Amen!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Not made of things which do appear
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
By faith the elders obtained a good report. We can look back through history and see where faith has been relied upon as opposed to lack of faith. The faithful believe.
Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
He believed. Abraham believed and it was that belief that was righteousness- not anything else. Out of His belief, out of his faith he lived His life. Did he make mistakes? Yes. Did those mistakes destroy his belief in the LORD? No. We can't let our miserable failures destroy our belief in the LORD, we can't. Satan loves to hold up our mistakes and wave them in our faces, taunting us over and over telling us that we are failures when it comes to the Lord and living for the Lord. Miserable, wretched failures doomed to fail forever. He's right. Yes, I said Satan is right. We are miserable, we are wretched, we are failures in and of ourselves and we will never be anything more as long as Satan exists. Only FAITH can change that, faith in our Savior! Faith that our Savior succeeded in obtaining Salvation for us. We can be as good as gold, we can go days without any obvious sinning, without any obvious mistakes or missteps but that still will not save us- not ever. Only faith in our Savior will save us.
When Satan realizes a person understands they are saved by faith, he'll batter at that faith and do all sorts of things to undermine that faith. As surely as you can have faith, you can lose faith and loss of that faith is deadly. Again I'll recite my favorite Bible verse- Mark 9:24- '...Lord I believe, help thou mine unbelief' It's my favorite because believing is having faith, and if there is any part of me that doesn't have faith, if I'm at or ever going to be at a place where I'm doubting my faith I have to cry out to my Savior- help thou mine unbelief! Help me to believe! I don't want to ever stop believing! I don't ever want to lose my faith in my Savior to save me.
So when we read about the elders obtaining a good report by faith it's no surprise is it? Not really, because we know each one of those elders is a human, born into the world just like you and I. Those elders believed in God- not themselves. Those elders weren't perfect in themselves but rather had faith in God to save them.
Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Through faith we UNDERSTAND that the worlds were framed by the word of God-
So that things which are seen
Were NOT made of things which do APPEAR.
Outright we are told things are going to appear different from the fact God created the worlds. Even today we have famed scientist touting their belief that God did not create the world. What are they basing their supposed irrefutable facts on? Things that appear a certain way. Without faith you won't understand that God created the world, it's impossible without faith. Without believing, without faith, without understanding that we won't have evidence - the evidence men without faith demand- we can't understand that God created the worlds.
You want to be an intellectual giant who can pat themselves on the back soundly and puff out your chest while swelling your head so big you can't fit through the largest doorway- then sure go ahead and lack faith, live with your self-delusions, live with your sense of self-grandeur but tell me- can you create a world? Can you create something from nothing? Are you willing to believe that you exist by mere chance? Are you saying that you believe in nothing? You probably are believing and saying all that and you're happy to do so because in your own mind it makes you appear wise, much wiser than those deluded fools willing to believe in something they can't see. As long as you claim self-wisdom you'll never be able to claim God's wisdom. Hold onto your self righteousness, it's your prerogative, your choice to make- but in the end self-righteousness will fail you - it fails everyone.
God's righteousness alone will save.
Believing that things were made differently than how they appear to have been made isn't foolishness. Us created beings daring to believe we can control and understand all of life is foolishness.
You think about how today's science has enabled man to put into barren wombs a fertilize egg to create a human being and some believe men are the creators, that this is wrong. Can all women still bear children this way? Has barrenness been done away with? No and no. When God shuts a womb no amount of science from man will enable a woman to bear a child. God's will- will be done ultimately no matter how much men of science, men who refuse to believe by faith that the worlds were created by God, try to convince themselves and others differently.
Faith- not believing by sight, but believing by not seeing.
Faith- hope.
May God open our hearts and minds to His truths by faith. May our faith only increase. May our faith be of the purest quality. May Jesus, our Lord and Savior be our everything, sight unseen.
In His amazing love! By His holiness! Through His grace, His righteousness, His mercy forever!
Amen.
Heb 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
By faith the elders obtained a good report. We can look back through history and see where faith has been relied upon as opposed to lack of faith. The faithful believe.
Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
He believed. Abraham believed and it was that belief that was righteousness- not anything else. Out of His belief, out of his faith he lived His life. Did he make mistakes? Yes. Did those mistakes destroy his belief in the LORD? No. We can't let our miserable failures destroy our belief in the LORD, we can't. Satan loves to hold up our mistakes and wave them in our faces, taunting us over and over telling us that we are failures when it comes to the Lord and living for the Lord. Miserable, wretched failures doomed to fail forever. He's right. Yes, I said Satan is right. We are miserable, we are wretched, we are failures in and of ourselves and we will never be anything more as long as Satan exists. Only FAITH can change that, faith in our Savior! Faith that our Savior succeeded in obtaining Salvation for us. We can be as good as gold, we can go days without any obvious sinning, without any obvious mistakes or missteps but that still will not save us- not ever. Only faith in our Savior will save us.
When Satan realizes a person understands they are saved by faith, he'll batter at that faith and do all sorts of things to undermine that faith. As surely as you can have faith, you can lose faith and loss of that faith is deadly. Again I'll recite my favorite Bible verse- Mark 9:24- '...Lord I believe, help thou mine unbelief' It's my favorite because believing is having faith, and if there is any part of me that doesn't have faith, if I'm at or ever going to be at a place where I'm doubting my faith I have to cry out to my Savior- help thou mine unbelief! Help me to believe! I don't want to ever stop believing! I don't ever want to lose my faith in my Savior to save me.
So when we read about the elders obtaining a good report by faith it's no surprise is it? Not really, because we know each one of those elders is a human, born into the world just like you and I. Those elders believed in God- not themselves. Those elders weren't perfect in themselves but rather had faith in God to save them.
Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Through faith we UNDERSTAND that the worlds were framed by the word of God-
So that things which are seen
Were NOT made of things which do APPEAR.
Outright we are told things are going to appear different from the fact God created the worlds. Even today we have famed scientist touting their belief that God did not create the world. What are they basing their supposed irrefutable facts on? Things that appear a certain way. Without faith you won't understand that God created the world, it's impossible without faith. Without believing, without faith, without understanding that we won't have evidence - the evidence men without faith demand- we can't understand that God created the worlds.
You want to be an intellectual giant who can pat themselves on the back soundly and puff out your chest while swelling your head so big you can't fit through the largest doorway- then sure go ahead and lack faith, live with your self-delusions, live with your sense of self-grandeur but tell me- can you create a world? Can you create something from nothing? Are you willing to believe that you exist by mere chance? Are you saying that you believe in nothing? You probably are believing and saying all that and you're happy to do so because in your own mind it makes you appear wise, much wiser than those deluded fools willing to believe in something they can't see. As long as you claim self-wisdom you'll never be able to claim God's wisdom. Hold onto your self righteousness, it's your prerogative, your choice to make- but in the end self-righteousness will fail you - it fails everyone.
God's righteousness alone will save.
Believing that things were made differently than how they appear to have been made isn't foolishness. Us created beings daring to believe we can control and understand all of life is foolishness.
You think about how today's science has enabled man to put into barren wombs a fertilize egg to create a human being and some believe men are the creators, that this is wrong. Can all women still bear children this way? Has barrenness been done away with? No and no. When God shuts a womb no amount of science from man will enable a woman to bear a child. God's will- will be done ultimately no matter how much men of science, men who refuse to believe by faith that the worlds were created by God, try to convince themselves and others differently.
Faith- not believing by sight, but believing by not seeing.
Faith- hope.
May God open our hearts and minds to His truths by faith. May our faith only increase. May our faith be of the purest quality. May Jesus, our Lord and Savior be our everything, sight unseen.
In His amazing love! By His holiness! Through His grace, His righteousness, His mercy forever!
Amen.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Faith - Evidence of the Unseen
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Yesterday the first half of this first was discussed- Faith is the substance (the real, solid) substance of things hoped for. The thing we hope for is Christ, right?
1Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope
Our hope- our Savior.
1Th 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
Our hope…our joy…our crown of rejoicing is to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at His coming.
It doesn't say our hope, our joy, our crown of rejoicing is here and now upon this earth in it's fullness in all this earth has to offer. This earth has some wonderful things, marvelous, beautiful things that are to be enjoyed, but ultimately it is Christ, our hope, who is to be our everything.
Faith being the substance of things hoped for, the REAL hope, for the REAL thing and the evidence of things…..NOT SEEN.
Some love to remark how contradictory this sounds- evidence is proof, don't we convict criminals based upon the evidence, based upon the facts that evidence reveals. Evidence doesn't sound wishy washy, evidence sounds firm, it sounds solid and it should- it's evidence. So when we say evidence of things NOT SEEN, we're not offering tangible proof. We are not offering the sort of evidence that we can hold up in court and wave around for people to see. Faith calls for evidence you CAN'T See. By it's very nature, faith isn't something captured in a bottle. Faith isn't something you show to someone. Faith isn't a supposed dated piece of bone millions of years old. Faith isn't the fact you had a prayer answered. Faith isn't in the wealth you gain. Faith isn't in the disasters you encounter. Faith- if you want an example is this---
Your young child walking towards your outstretched arms unaware, uncaring about the dangers around, only seeing you and believing in you and the safety you offer in your arms. Faith is when that child lets go of the furniture they are used to holding to for support and steps out without anything to support them. Faith, the friend willing to jump off a bridge with nothing but a bungee cord- trusting that cord to hold them. Faith, jumping from a building onto a trampoline, trusting it will break your fall. Faith, counting on someone to take care of you when you have no real proof they will. When you marry someonyou marry them out of faith- trusting you will be the one they love forever and no other- by faith you marry. There are any number of examples of faith people have who don't equate faith with religion. There is also misplaced faith. Faith that fails. Parents that don't catch their children, trampolines and cords that break, marriages that fail. Yet this doesn't stop people from having faith, it doesn't even stop those who have tried once and fail from trying again. Those who say that to believe in God and our Savior Jesus Christ is foolish because we have no REAL evidence to hold forth like to say that to have faith in something unseen is stupid, yet they have faith in things they don't see all the time.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Having faith is God is not a misplaced faith- God will never fail us for God promises us eternal life through Jesus Christ His Son- God does not promise us anything else. God does not promise you riches or food in your belly. Yes, God takes care of the birds and the fish, and the flowers and He will take care of us too but He will take care of us in His eternal way, not our mortal way. NO, I'm not saying He won't take care of us now- every breath we take is by His grace- but we face horrors that have many people doubting God exists and that if He does He's a sadistic monster. God is not a sadistic monster, God is…. LOVE. We have to step out of our mortal thinking into His eternal thinking and until we do we will forever risk losing our faith.
Faith.
May God help us to have faith. May God help us to believe and help our unbelief.
In His mercy now and forever and ever!
Amen.
Yesterday the first half of this first was discussed- Faith is the substance (the real, solid) substance of things hoped for. The thing we hope for is Christ, right?
1Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope
Our hope- our Savior.
1Th 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
Our hope…our joy…our crown of rejoicing is to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at His coming.
It doesn't say our hope, our joy, our crown of rejoicing is here and now upon this earth in it's fullness in all this earth has to offer. This earth has some wonderful things, marvelous, beautiful things that are to be enjoyed, but ultimately it is Christ, our hope, who is to be our everything.
Faith being the substance of things hoped for, the REAL hope, for the REAL thing and the evidence of things…..NOT SEEN.
Some love to remark how contradictory this sounds- evidence is proof, don't we convict criminals based upon the evidence, based upon the facts that evidence reveals. Evidence doesn't sound wishy washy, evidence sounds firm, it sounds solid and it should- it's evidence. So when we say evidence of things NOT SEEN, we're not offering tangible proof. We are not offering the sort of evidence that we can hold up in court and wave around for people to see. Faith calls for evidence you CAN'T See. By it's very nature, faith isn't something captured in a bottle. Faith isn't something you show to someone. Faith isn't a supposed dated piece of bone millions of years old. Faith isn't the fact you had a prayer answered. Faith isn't in the wealth you gain. Faith isn't in the disasters you encounter. Faith- if you want an example is this---
Your young child walking towards your outstretched arms unaware, uncaring about the dangers around, only seeing you and believing in you and the safety you offer in your arms. Faith is when that child lets go of the furniture they are used to holding to for support and steps out without anything to support them. Faith, the friend willing to jump off a bridge with nothing but a bungee cord- trusting that cord to hold them. Faith, jumping from a building onto a trampoline, trusting it will break your fall. Faith, counting on someone to take care of you when you have no real proof they will. When you marry someonyou marry them out of faith- trusting you will be the one they love forever and no other- by faith you marry. There are any number of examples of faith people have who don't equate faith with religion. There is also misplaced faith. Faith that fails. Parents that don't catch their children, trampolines and cords that break, marriages that fail. Yet this doesn't stop people from having faith, it doesn't even stop those who have tried once and fail from trying again. Those who say that to believe in God and our Savior Jesus Christ is foolish because we have no REAL evidence to hold forth like to say that to have faith in something unseen is stupid, yet they have faith in things they don't see all the time.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Having faith is God is not a misplaced faith- God will never fail us for God promises us eternal life through Jesus Christ His Son- God does not promise us anything else. God does not promise you riches or food in your belly. Yes, God takes care of the birds and the fish, and the flowers and He will take care of us too but He will take care of us in His eternal way, not our mortal way. NO, I'm not saying He won't take care of us now- every breath we take is by His grace- but we face horrors that have many people doubting God exists and that if He does He's a sadistic monster. God is not a sadistic monster, God is…. LOVE. We have to step out of our mortal thinking into His eternal thinking and until we do we will forever risk losing our faith.
Faith.
May God help us to have faith. May God help us to believe and help our unbelief.
In His mercy now and forever and ever!
Amen.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Hope in Reality
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
This is a much beloved verse because when someone asks you what faith is, or if you want to know yourself what faith is then this verse tells you-- faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is-
1) The substance of things hoped for.
2) The evidence of things not seen.
What is the substance of things hoped for- anything we hope for?
The New Testament Greek Lexicon: Substance- Hupostasis hoop-os'-tas-is
Definition -- a setting or placing under thing put under, substructure, foundation that which has foundation, is firm that which has actual existence a substance, real being the substantial quality, nature, of a person or thing the steadfastness of mind, firmness, courage, resolution confidence, firm trust, assurance
This substance that is hoped for isn't a dream. This substance hoped for isn't some fantasy. This substance has REAL existence, REAL being. When we hope for something doesn't it have basis in reality? If I hope for a million dollars the reality is that people sometimes do win a million dollars. If I hope for good weather my hope is in something real- the weather. People do have pipe dreams, people do fantasize about unrealistic things, but unless they are mentally challenged on some level they don't hope for unrealistic things. A person in their right mind doesn't hope to become a super hero. They might have a passing thought about how cool it would be to be a super hero, but to actually hope to be one, well, that is a hope in something unsubstantial, a hope in something that doesn't have actual existence. The substance that is hoped for in this verse on faith is a hope in something REAL.
Eternal life is real.
The promise of God is real.
Our Savior is real.
Living in a world that would have us put our REAL HOPE into the realm of fiction and fantasy we have to know beyond any doubt that our hope is more real then anything we can touch, taste, see, feel, or smell. God is more real than anything else is real, and people would have you believe that's not true. They would rather you believe we exist and have always existed without God. They would have you believe that you were some ooze on the ground that evolved. That your ancestor was an ape. This is more real to these people- these unseen, unproven things, these fictions and fantasies are more real to some people than the truth- that they have a Creator.
Faith- the substance (the reality) of things hoped for. Our REAL hope.
By the grace of God we will have a REAL hope in our Savior.
More tomorrow.
By the will of our God now and forever.
Amen.
This is a much beloved verse because when someone asks you what faith is, or if you want to know yourself what faith is then this verse tells you-- faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is-
1) The substance of things hoped for.
2) The evidence of things not seen.
What is the substance of things hoped for- anything we hope for?
The New Testament Greek Lexicon: Substance- Hupostasis hoop-os'-tas-is
Definition -- a setting or placing under thing put under, substructure, foundation that which has foundation, is firm that which has actual existence a substance, real being the substantial quality, nature, of a person or thing the steadfastness of mind, firmness, courage, resolution confidence, firm trust, assurance
This substance that is hoped for isn't a dream. This substance hoped for isn't some fantasy. This substance has REAL existence, REAL being. When we hope for something doesn't it have basis in reality? If I hope for a million dollars the reality is that people sometimes do win a million dollars. If I hope for good weather my hope is in something real- the weather. People do have pipe dreams, people do fantasize about unrealistic things, but unless they are mentally challenged on some level they don't hope for unrealistic things. A person in their right mind doesn't hope to become a super hero. They might have a passing thought about how cool it would be to be a super hero, but to actually hope to be one, well, that is a hope in something unsubstantial, a hope in something that doesn't have actual existence. The substance that is hoped for in this verse on faith is a hope in something REAL.
Eternal life is real.
The promise of God is real.
Our Savior is real.
Living in a world that would have us put our REAL HOPE into the realm of fiction and fantasy we have to know beyond any doubt that our hope is more real then anything we can touch, taste, see, feel, or smell. God is more real than anything else is real, and people would have you believe that's not true. They would rather you believe we exist and have always existed without God. They would have you believe that you were some ooze on the ground that evolved. That your ancestor was an ape. This is more real to these people- these unseen, unproven things, these fictions and fantasies are more real to some people than the truth- that they have a Creator.
Faith- the substance (the reality) of things hoped for. Our REAL hope.
By the grace of God we will have a REAL hope in our Savior.
More tomorrow.
By the will of our God now and forever.
Amen.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Losing Eternal Life is Silent
Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Heb 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Faith.
We hear about faith all the time and with good reason- it's that important. Faith is belief. If we don't have the belief then everything falls apart after that no matter what sort of glue you try to use to keep it together. If someone attacks your faith if you allow any of their attacks to turn you from your faith, you're lost. It sounds dramatic, and it is dramatic it's your eternal life.
I watched a movie- well, sort of watched- I fast forward through some of the long drawn out parts and bits and pieces I wasn't interested in but it held enough of my attention for me to get the gist of it all. There is a poor young man who attends college and is befriended by a rich young man- who falls in love with him. The rich young man is really emotionally messed up and he takes the poor man home even though he keeps telling himself he shouldn't do that. So he takes him to his mansion and the poor man is understandably very impressed. The rich man introduces the poor man to his grandmother and then tries to hurry them on their way but not before giving into the poor man's desire to see a bit of the mansion- so he shows him the very ornate chapel and mentions his family- particularly his mother is very religious. Anyway, the movie goes on and the poor man sees the rich man's sister and falls in love with her. There can be no sort of relationship with her though because the poor man is an atheist and she has to marry one who believes like she does. Throughout the movie the make the overly religious mother seem as if her religion has ruined the lives of her children, that she is obsessive and such. I'm not going to go on and on about the movie, my point in mentioning it at all is the fact the mother is made out to be the *bad guy* who influences her children into either becoming like her *also bad* or turning from her religious ways and becoming better in the end, all things considered having had such a *moral* upbringing.
The mother was attacked for her faith. I'm not saying there aren't religious fanatics who stop following Christ's ways and go off and become extremists. The Pharisees were extremists. People can become oppressive and that's not how Jesus would have us be. Putting that aside, I think it's safe to say that having our faith attacked by people who are atheists, by people who don't understand how we can believe when we have seemingly no tangible proof, is something we have to expect. Everyday, any day, we have to expect people NOT to understand our faith.
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Our faith will be tried in many ways, in all ways. We have to understand that as fire burns, consumes, brings pain, our faith will be tried in painful, *REAL* ways!
Living by FAITH. Staying alive by FAITH. Our Spiritual life lives or dies on faith, not our carnal, fleshy life., our spiritual life.
No, you won't die instantly and be struck by lightening if you give up your faith.
Losing eternal life is a silent death.
No fanfare. No dirge music sounding to herald the demise of a spiritual life.
Spiritual wounds leave spiritual scars- invisible.
A spiritual death is unseen. A person's life will change when they die spiritually, but often because there are so many spiritually dead people it goes mostly unnoticed.
We live surrounded by the spiritually dead, the spiritually dying. Christ would have us bring hope to those who are spiritually dying and dead- because He can bring them back to life. We need to live our lives so that the spiritually wounded can find the spiritual salvation they need to have spiritual life.
We have to live by faith.
Live.
Our existence has to be a living faith in our Savior.
Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Heb 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Live by faith, don't draw back, believe to the saving of our souls.
If we draw back, if we lose our faith we've lost everything that truly matters-- the spiritual.
May God bless us, keep us in Him by the grace of His Son, through His Son's righteousness forever through faith.
Amen.
Heb 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Faith.
We hear about faith all the time and with good reason- it's that important. Faith is belief. If we don't have the belief then everything falls apart after that no matter what sort of glue you try to use to keep it together. If someone attacks your faith if you allow any of their attacks to turn you from your faith, you're lost. It sounds dramatic, and it is dramatic it's your eternal life.
I watched a movie- well, sort of watched- I fast forward through some of the long drawn out parts and bits and pieces I wasn't interested in but it held enough of my attention for me to get the gist of it all. There is a poor young man who attends college and is befriended by a rich young man- who falls in love with him. The rich young man is really emotionally messed up and he takes the poor man home even though he keeps telling himself he shouldn't do that. So he takes him to his mansion and the poor man is understandably very impressed. The rich man introduces the poor man to his grandmother and then tries to hurry them on their way but not before giving into the poor man's desire to see a bit of the mansion- so he shows him the very ornate chapel and mentions his family- particularly his mother is very religious. Anyway, the movie goes on and the poor man sees the rich man's sister and falls in love with her. There can be no sort of relationship with her though because the poor man is an atheist and she has to marry one who believes like she does. Throughout the movie the make the overly religious mother seem as if her religion has ruined the lives of her children, that she is obsessive and such. I'm not going to go on and on about the movie, my point in mentioning it at all is the fact the mother is made out to be the *bad guy* who influences her children into either becoming like her *also bad* or turning from her religious ways and becoming better in the end, all things considered having had such a *moral* upbringing.
The mother was attacked for her faith. I'm not saying there aren't religious fanatics who stop following Christ's ways and go off and become extremists. The Pharisees were extremists. People can become oppressive and that's not how Jesus would have us be. Putting that aside, I think it's safe to say that having our faith attacked by people who are atheists, by people who don't understand how we can believe when we have seemingly no tangible proof, is something we have to expect. Everyday, any day, we have to expect people NOT to understand our faith.
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Our faith will be tried in many ways, in all ways. We have to understand that as fire burns, consumes, brings pain, our faith will be tried in painful, *REAL* ways!
Living by FAITH. Staying alive by FAITH. Our Spiritual life lives or dies on faith, not our carnal, fleshy life., our spiritual life.
No, you won't die instantly and be struck by lightening if you give up your faith.
Losing eternal life is a silent death.
No fanfare. No dirge music sounding to herald the demise of a spiritual life.
Spiritual wounds leave spiritual scars- invisible.
A spiritual death is unseen. A person's life will change when they die spiritually, but often because there are so many spiritually dead people it goes mostly unnoticed.
We live surrounded by the spiritually dead, the spiritually dying. Christ would have us bring hope to those who are spiritually dying and dead- because He can bring them back to life. We need to live our lives so that the spiritually wounded can find the spiritual salvation they need to have spiritual life.
We have to live by faith.
Live.
Our existence has to be a living faith in our Savior.
Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Heb 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Live by faith, don't draw back, believe to the saving of our souls.
If we draw back, if we lose our faith we've lost everything that truly matters-- the spiritual.
May God bless us, keep us in Him by the grace of His Son, through His Son's righteousness forever through faith.
Amen.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Need of Patience
Heb 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Need of patience. It's safe to say that we could all use a bit more patience. Okay, maybe not all of us, but most of us. It's a rare thing to ever hear of someone have too much patience. The impatient would readily say such a thing about those who have patience though, wouldn't they? Do you know anyone with a lot of patience? I do. My mother is a very patient woman. Do I have the same patience as she does, unfortunately no. I really have need of patience in all things.
As Christians we need to really cultivate patience because without it we are a lot less likely to hold on to our faith and without faith we are lost and guaranteed to not receive the promise.
Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us
Run with patience; in your patience possess ye your souls.
The Christian walk isn't one that can be started and finished in a single day. It's a LIFE time walk, it's a walk we keep walking and if we are blessed enough to be alive when Christ comes we will continue that walk, that race, that run into eternity. If we are called to sleep before Christ comes, when we wake by the grace of our Savior it will be to enter right into the race heading to the finish line where we will live forever and ever with God, forever in love, His perfect, perfect love.
Is it any wonder we read this… IN YOUR PATIENCE POSSESS YE YOUR SOULS. Our life, our eternal life is in Christ and having patience through our lives for however many days, years, it might be, that we will have our reward in Christ, through Christ.
Heb 10:37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Hab 2:3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
In the scheme of eternity the entire 6000 some years of this world's existence is nothing….nothing. When you're faced with eternity-- years are nothing. When we measure our lives without eternity they can seem long. If you only have 72 years promised you then when you're young- say 20, that 72 years seems like a lot of years. When you're 65 years that 72 years seem like nothing. To say someone has lived to 100 years old is saying WOW that's a long, long life, and for us, it is. When we measure our time with 100 year spans, or 70 year spans as being long we break it down and our days can seem long, our weeks, our years, but in reality when we live in eternity- time here and now is NOTHING.
Is it any wonder we are told to have patience now as we wait for eternity? Is it any wonder it's necessary to have patience? We really need to tell ourselves as life gets us down and our problems seem to be long and drawn out… this is nothing compared to eternity, this will pass, eternity is without end. Any pain and yes, pain can vary from minor to excruciating, any pain will have it's end as we live for eternity. Heartaches, tears, agonies…they are all fleeting in eternity. No, I'm not trying to minimize anyone's pain or problems at all whatsoever, but to have the patience we need to possess our souls we have to look beyond our temporary existence. We have to- by the grace of our Savior- cultivate patience fit for eternity.
One more point...
Heb 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
AFTER ye have done the WILL OF GOD. It's the will of God that we all be saved, that we all accept salvation through our Savior, our Lord, Jesus Christ. After we understand this, after we lay hold of our Savior's gift of salvation we have to have patience, we have to continue on after that acceptance.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord now and forever!
Amen.
Need of patience. It's safe to say that we could all use a bit more patience. Okay, maybe not all of us, but most of us. It's a rare thing to ever hear of someone have too much patience. The impatient would readily say such a thing about those who have patience though, wouldn't they? Do you know anyone with a lot of patience? I do. My mother is a very patient woman. Do I have the same patience as she does, unfortunately no. I really have need of patience in all things.
As Christians we need to really cultivate patience because without it we are a lot less likely to hold on to our faith and without faith we are lost and guaranteed to not receive the promise.
Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us
Run with patience; in your patience possess ye your souls.
The Christian walk isn't one that can be started and finished in a single day. It's a LIFE time walk, it's a walk we keep walking and if we are blessed enough to be alive when Christ comes we will continue that walk, that race, that run into eternity. If we are called to sleep before Christ comes, when we wake by the grace of our Savior it will be to enter right into the race heading to the finish line where we will live forever and ever with God, forever in love, His perfect, perfect love.
Is it any wonder we read this… IN YOUR PATIENCE POSSESS YE YOUR SOULS. Our life, our eternal life is in Christ and having patience through our lives for however many days, years, it might be, that we will have our reward in Christ, through Christ.
Heb 10:37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Hab 2:3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
In the scheme of eternity the entire 6000 some years of this world's existence is nothing….nothing. When you're faced with eternity-- years are nothing. When we measure our lives without eternity they can seem long. If you only have 72 years promised you then when you're young- say 20, that 72 years seems like a lot of years. When you're 65 years that 72 years seem like nothing. To say someone has lived to 100 years old is saying WOW that's a long, long life, and for us, it is. When we measure our time with 100 year spans, or 70 year spans as being long we break it down and our days can seem long, our weeks, our years, but in reality when we live in eternity- time here and now is NOTHING.
Is it any wonder we are told to have patience now as we wait for eternity? Is it any wonder it's necessary to have patience? We really need to tell ourselves as life gets us down and our problems seem to be long and drawn out… this is nothing compared to eternity, this will pass, eternity is without end. Any pain and yes, pain can vary from minor to excruciating, any pain will have it's end as we live for eternity. Heartaches, tears, agonies…they are all fleeting in eternity. No, I'm not trying to minimize anyone's pain or problems at all whatsoever, but to have the patience we need to possess our souls we have to look beyond our temporary existence. We have to- by the grace of our Savior- cultivate patience fit for eternity.
One more point...
Heb 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
AFTER ye have done the WILL OF GOD. It's the will of God that we all be saved, that we all accept salvation through our Savior, our Lord, Jesus Christ. After we understand this, after we lay hold of our Savior's gift of salvation we have to have patience, we have to continue on after that acceptance.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord now and forever!
Amen.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Grounded Faith
Confidence
CON'FIDENCE, n. [L. See Confide.]
1. A trusting, or reliance; an assurance of mind or firm belief in the integrity, stability or veracity of another, or in the truth and reality of a fact.
Heb 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
I know, I just wrote on confidence yesterday but I can't get it out of my mind for some reason.
Faith equals confidence
Belief equals confidence
Trust equals confidence
Assurance equals confidence
When we think of having faith we think this---
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is hope in what?
Faith is the evidence of what not seen?
Can we say the following and it be true?
Confidence is having hope in Christ.
Confidence is having evidence of Christ and eternal life- not yet seen.
Sometimes when we tell someone to have faith we don't equate it with confidence, but confidence just sounds more firm, doesn't it? Belief even sounds less sure. Yet belief is having confidence, firmly believing! We are to have confidence. Our belief has to be firm… grounded…
Col 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister
Eph 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph 3:18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
Eph 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Grounded.
Bring grounded is as firm as it gets, isn't it? I remember my father asking me this when I first started driving…
If you're skidding on the road and have the choice between hitting a telephone pole or a tree which one would you choose?
I don't quite remember what I said, but he then told me- always choose the telephone pole because a tree has deep roots and when you hit it, it's not going anywhere. On the other hand a telephone pole has no roots and can be knocked over easily (of course he was talking about the old wooden telephone poles, I’m not sure about these new cement/metal ones they're putting up here in Florida.)
The point to my relating this story is probably obvious. Being grounded, having our spiritual roots deep means we won't be moved, our confidence won't be shaken. This is how our lives have to be lived! We have to be grounded in our faith, we have to have confidence in our beliefs, we cannot be shaken away from our Lord and Savior though the devil will try His hardest to do all he can to shake us until our faith shatters and we have no more confidence left in our Savior.
When we are told to be confident we are really being told to believe in ourselves. When someone tells us to be confident we need to have that mean in our hearts that they are reminding us to be confident in God, not ourselves, and God will provide all we need one way or another. I say one way or another because what we imagine our need to be and what is really our need can be two different things. God is thinking on the level of eternity. If suffering is our lot in life now in order for us to find our faith in God, or for others to find their faith in God - then we have to trust that it will be enough. We DON'T have to understand, we have to believe and that belief has to be in God and God alone.
Confidence- the word needs to mean in our heart- deep faith in God, faith grounded and rooted as deeply as it can go all by the grace and mercy of our Savior!
Amen.
CON'FIDENCE, n. [L. See Confide.]
1. A trusting, or reliance; an assurance of mind or firm belief in the integrity, stability or veracity of another, or in the truth and reality of a fact.
Heb 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
I know, I just wrote on confidence yesterday but I can't get it out of my mind for some reason.
Faith equals confidence
Belief equals confidence
Trust equals confidence
Assurance equals confidence
When we think of having faith we think this---
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is hope in what?
Faith is the evidence of what not seen?
Can we say the following and it be true?
Confidence is having hope in Christ.
Confidence is having evidence of Christ and eternal life- not yet seen.
Sometimes when we tell someone to have faith we don't equate it with confidence, but confidence just sounds more firm, doesn't it? Belief even sounds less sure. Yet belief is having confidence, firmly believing! We are to have confidence. Our belief has to be firm… grounded…
Col 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister
Eph 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph 3:18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
Eph 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Grounded.
Bring grounded is as firm as it gets, isn't it? I remember my father asking me this when I first started driving…
If you're skidding on the road and have the choice between hitting a telephone pole or a tree which one would you choose?
I don't quite remember what I said, but he then told me- always choose the telephone pole because a tree has deep roots and when you hit it, it's not going anywhere. On the other hand a telephone pole has no roots and can be knocked over easily (of course he was talking about the old wooden telephone poles, I’m not sure about these new cement/metal ones they're putting up here in Florida.)
The point to my relating this story is probably obvious. Being grounded, having our spiritual roots deep means we won't be moved, our confidence won't be shaken. This is how our lives have to be lived! We have to be grounded in our faith, we have to have confidence in our beliefs, we cannot be shaken away from our Lord and Savior though the devil will try His hardest to do all he can to shake us until our faith shatters and we have no more confidence left in our Savior.
When we are told to be confident we are really being told to believe in ourselves. When someone tells us to be confident we need to have that mean in our hearts that they are reminding us to be confident in God, not ourselves, and God will provide all we need one way or another. I say one way or another because what we imagine our need to be and what is really our need can be two different things. God is thinking on the level of eternity. If suffering is our lot in life now in order for us to find our faith in God, or for others to find their faith in God - then we have to trust that it will be enough. We DON'T have to understand, we have to believe and that belief has to be in God and God alone.
Confidence- the word needs to mean in our heart- deep faith in God, faith grounded and rooted as deeply as it can go all by the grace and mercy of our Savior!
Amen.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Confidence!
Heb 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
Can you cast away your confidence? Yes. People do it all the time. You can cast it away when you let fear replace the confidence, when you let worry, when you let anxiety in any way interfere with your confidence. Having confidence means what?
Confidence
CON'FIDENCE, n. [L. See Confide.]
1. A trusting, or reliance; an assurance of mind or firm belief in the integrity, stability or veracity of another, or in the truth and reality of a fact.
2. Trust; reliance; applied to one's own abilities, or fortune; belief in one's own competency.
3. That in which trust is placed; ground of trust; he or that which supports.
4. Safety, or assurance of safety; security.
5. Boldness; courage.
6. Excessive boldness; assurance, proceeding from vanity or a false opinion of one's own abilities, or excellencies.
We can't trust in anyone- not even ourselves- we have to trust SOLELY in Christ. Our confidence has to be IN CHRIST- not in ourselves. The reward for the confidence we keep in Christ is eternal life. Having confidence in Christ is TRUSTING in Christ, relying on Christ, being assured by Christ, Christ is our all in all, He has to be! We cannot get any reward in and of ourselves in anything we do but trusting in Christ- that's it! When we trust in Christ it is everything.
Read some more verses on confidence--
Psa 65:5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
God is the confidence of all the ends of the earth!
Psa 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
Our confidence has to be in the LORD!
Psa 118:9 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
Trust in the LORD!
Pro 3:26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
The LORD shall be our confidence!
Pro 14:26 In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
The LORD!
I love this--
Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
Eph 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Eph 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 3:15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Eph 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Eph 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Heb 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
HOLD FAST the confidence and the rejoicing of the HOPE firm unto the end. Our hope is Christ!
Heb 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end
HOLD the beginning of our confidence stedfast to the end-- the beginning of our confidence is Christ! Salvation in Christ and Christ alone!
1Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
Wonderful!
1Jn 3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
1Jn 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
1Jn 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
Confidence toward God- God is greater than our heart! Our hearts must be Christ's heart- He alone has the purest heart!
1Jn 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jn 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
His will! Confidence in Him, according to HIS WILL! We don't have to understand but we have to believe, we have to have faith in our Savior- our Hope- our Confidence!
Heb 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
We cannot ever cast away our confidence in our Savior, NOT EVER! The reward is being with Christ forever and ever without end without sin.
What is our confidence? CHRIST! And we can NEVER CAST AWAY CHRIST, NEVER!!!
By HIS amazing grace!
By His amazing mercy!
By His LOVE!
Amen!
Can you cast away your confidence? Yes. People do it all the time. You can cast it away when you let fear replace the confidence, when you let worry, when you let anxiety in any way interfere with your confidence. Having confidence means what?
Confidence
CON'FIDENCE, n. [L. See Confide.]
1. A trusting, or reliance; an assurance of mind or firm belief in the integrity, stability or veracity of another, or in the truth and reality of a fact.
2. Trust; reliance; applied to one's own abilities, or fortune; belief in one's own competency.
3. That in which trust is placed; ground of trust; he or that which supports.
4. Safety, or assurance of safety; security.
5. Boldness; courage.
6. Excessive boldness; assurance, proceeding from vanity or a false opinion of one's own abilities, or excellencies.
We can't trust in anyone- not even ourselves- we have to trust SOLELY in Christ. Our confidence has to be IN CHRIST- not in ourselves. The reward for the confidence we keep in Christ is eternal life. Having confidence in Christ is TRUSTING in Christ, relying on Christ, being assured by Christ, Christ is our all in all, He has to be! We cannot get any reward in and of ourselves in anything we do but trusting in Christ- that's it! When we trust in Christ it is everything.
Read some more verses on confidence--
Psa 65:5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
God is the confidence of all the ends of the earth!
Psa 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
Our confidence has to be in the LORD!
Psa 118:9 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
Trust in the LORD!
Pro 3:26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
The LORD shall be our confidence!
Pro 14:26 In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
The LORD!
I love this--
Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
Eph 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Eph 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 3:15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Eph 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Eph 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Heb 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
HOLD FAST the confidence and the rejoicing of the HOPE firm unto the end. Our hope is Christ!
Heb 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end
HOLD the beginning of our confidence stedfast to the end-- the beginning of our confidence is Christ! Salvation in Christ and Christ alone!
1Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
Wonderful!
1Jn 3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
1Jn 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
1Jn 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
Confidence toward God- God is greater than our heart! Our hearts must be Christ's heart- He alone has the purest heart!
1Jn 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jn 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
His will! Confidence in Him, according to HIS WILL! We don't have to understand but we have to believe, we have to have faith in our Savior- our Hope- our Confidence!
Heb 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
We cannot ever cast away our confidence in our Savior, NOT EVER! The reward is being with Christ forever and ever without end without sin.
What is our confidence? CHRIST! And we can NEVER CAST AWAY CHRIST, NEVER!!!
By HIS amazing grace!
By His amazing mercy!
By His LOVE!
Amen!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Heaven Bound
Heb 10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
Heb 10:33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
Heb 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
Do you remember when you first came to the knowledge of Christ as your personal Savior? For most it is a memory worthy of personal celebration, isn't it? It should be. The first moments of realization that you are no longer condemned but there is hope for eternal life is something amazing. Because our lives vary so greatly it'd be hard to say that instantly afterwards our lives took a turn for the worse- at least in a worldly way. Some are born again in Christ under the loving influence of family members. Others are born again into salvation with like believers eager to surround them with their love. Still others aren't quite so lucky, they have the experience of joyous conversion and then shortly thereafter are thrust into a life surrounded by people who ridicule them for their faith. On a completely opposite end of the spectrum some embrace their Savior's promise and are instantly facing a life of torture for their beliefs.
When we read these verses people were living in a time when Christianity was new and rejected by the majority. There was no- do as you please as long as you don't bother me. Professing Christianity was a reason for death. It's like that even today in some countries- really- it is! Look up Christian persecution on Google and see what it brings up.
Here's a few examples-
China threatened by Christian meeting
China is not allowing Christians to attend the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism in South Africa as officials claim their attendance to the mission-minded gathering is a "threat to national security."
More than 230 Chinese Christian leaders were invited, mostly through the underground church movement, to the conference, but they were stopped one-by-one at airports in China and turned away. Some were placed in detention, but ChinaAid founder Bob Fu says his information indicates a handful were able to go.
"The Chinese government [is] basically saying that the Chinese church should not participate as long as they are not under the total control of the Chinese government," Fu laments.
Pasted from
*
NEWS ALERT: Iran Releases Pastor's Wife as Husband Faces Execution
Posted on: 2010-10-18 02:00:30
By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
TEHRAN, IRAN (Worthy News)-- The wife of a prominent evangelical pastor in Iran was free Monday, October 18, after four months of detention, but her husband still faced the death penalty for abandoning Islam, the Church of Iransaid.
Fatemeh Passandideh, the wife of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, was released October 11 by a court in Gilan province,in northern Iran, an official linked to the Church of Iran told Worthy News and its news partner BosNewsLife.
"The release of Fatemeh Passandideh comes ten days after the announcement of the death sentence for her husbandPastor Youcef Nadarkhani," he said, speaking on earlier agreed conditions of anonymity, amid security concerns.
Pastor Nadarkhani was convicted of "apostasy", or leaving Islam, last month by the 11th Chamber of the Assize Court of theprovince of Gilan. The pastor's attorney is expected to file an appeal against the ruling after he reportedly found"serious procedural flaws" in the case.
Pasted from
*
Ethiopian Muslims Burn Down Christian Homes, Farms
Posted on: 2010-09-30 02:52:08
by George Whitten
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Worthy News)-- Twenty-five Muslims burned down ten Christian homes, leaving eighty Christians homeless in Ethiopia, a Washington-based rights' group said Thursday, September 30.
International Christian Concern (ICC) said on July 15 at 8 PM local time, attackers who were led by a local government militia, destroyed the homes in the Goda district of Jimma, Ethiopia. They also set fire to their barns, killing their animals and destroying their harvest.
"The assailants asked the Christians to leave their homes and told them, 'We will show you what we are going to do to your homes, and if you inform this to anyone we will burn you the way we burn your homes.' Then they set the Christian homes on fire and began celebrating by singing near the burned homes," ICC quoted a Christian leader, who apparently spoke anonymously due to security concerns.
The attackers then prevented the victims from leaving the village for 16 days. Finally, one of the Christians managed to escape and report the attacks to district officials after walking for 16 hours. The police temporarily arrested the person who led the attack and a local official. However, they were later released on bail.
The Muslims have prevented the Christians from rebuilding their homes and the Christians now live under trees.
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8 Christians Captured, Forced to Return to Buddhism in Bangladesh
Posted on: 2010-09-24 02:14:14
by Joseph DeCaro
CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh (Worthy News) -- Buddhist extremists held eight Chakma Christians for four days in order to force them to return to Buddhism.
The Buddhists held a pastor, a church secretary, a village leader and five members from a Baptist church in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The captives were all forced to wear Buddhist robes, shave their heads, bow down before a statue of Buddha and clean the temple; they were also threatened with beatings and even death if they tried to escape.
Detained Aug. 23, they were initially told they would be confined to the temple for one to two weeks, but after four days the Chrsitian captives were released provided they remained Buddhist.
"They are not allowed to pray to Jesus, nor read Bibles, but they say they are still Christian in their hearts," said Josette Lindem, who added that 10 new Chakma churches formed with about 300 Chakmas professing their faith in Jesus. However, persecution of Chakma believers soon increased.
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These are JUST A FEW articles on Christian persecution today in our world. Christian persecution DID NOT end with modernization, with civilization's advancement. Christian persecution might not be something people in democratic societies face but that doesn't mean it's stopped existing altogether- it hasn't and it won't- ever. So reading these verses of Christian persecution is very relevant to us all.
Heb 10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
Heb 10:33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
Heb 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
Do we know this? Do we have this experience in our lives? Or is this something we need to use our imagination to capture for us?
Have YOU ever been made a gazingstock for you faith? Have you ever faced reproach and afflictions for your faith? Have you ever been put into bonds for your faith? Have your goods been spoiled because you believe in Christ? Most likely you'll be able to answer no to most of these questions. Most likely if you can answer yes, the things you endured were miniscule compared to what others are suffering or have suffered at the hands of those who would rather see Christian's dead than suffer them to live. No matter the form or the intensity of Christian persecution we've faced or others face we ALL need to take this advice--
Heb 10:34 '...knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.'
We have in heaven a BETTER and ENDURING SUBSTANCE!
Here we do not have anything! We don't! We kid ourselves when we think we have good things and become content in those good things knowing somewhere in the back of our minds that all the good things here on earth can be stripped from us in a moment. Yet we allow ourselves to take comfort in our things, in our life the way it is, in our family around us, in our marriages, in our free time we use to do things that bring us pleasure and comfort, relaxation. We hold onto our lives as if they are the greatest treasure and is it no wonder when our lives are shattered that we are sometimes willing to blame God for it and turn from Him? Where are we supposed to be focused? Where is our mind supposed to be turned? Where??????? On the next trip to the store to gather our goods- whatever they might be? On a visit to our friends or family where we can chat and visit? On tomorrow's existence continuing to be on an even keel without sickness or hurt? Where?
IN ALL WE DO, yes, I'm shouting, IN ALL WE DO we need to have our minds on HEAVEN FIRST AND FOREMOST. Is it any wonder we are to pray… 'THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN'? Is it any wonder Jesus prayed… 'Luk 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. ' We have to be heaven focused. When we wake up in the morning we need to focus our minds heavenward, to our heavenly reward. We need to pray to have a constant desire for the heavenly over the earthly. We need to pray that we are focused heavenward. We need to pray God's will be done and mean it. We need to pray for acceptance that our earthly life might be a life of torture and pain, heartache and ruin, but our heavenly life is safe in our Savior, a life He promises to us that when He comes again we will go with Him to heaven. We will suffer here on earth, we will. And even if we are flowing in earthly riches, earthly treasures; even if we have the love and respect of all those around us, we have to realize it all is nothing compared to our heavenly rewards. The heavenly… in heaven we have a better and an enduring substance.
Let us remember by the grace and mercy of our Savior we live with hope in Him for a NEW life, a life that is heaven bound.
In His love!
Amen!
Heb 10:33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
Heb 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
Do you remember when you first came to the knowledge of Christ as your personal Savior? For most it is a memory worthy of personal celebration, isn't it? It should be. The first moments of realization that you are no longer condemned but there is hope for eternal life is something amazing. Because our lives vary so greatly it'd be hard to say that instantly afterwards our lives took a turn for the worse- at least in a worldly way. Some are born again in Christ under the loving influence of family members. Others are born again into salvation with like believers eager to surround them with their love. Still others aren't quite so lucky, they have the experience of joyous conversion and then shortly thereafter are thrust into a life surrounded by people who ridicule them for their faith. On a completely opposite end of the spectrum some embrace their Savior's promise and are instantly facing a life of torture for their beliefs.
When we read these verses people were living in a time when Christianity was new and rejected by the majority. There was no- do as you please as long as you don't bother me. Professing Christianity was a reason for death. It's like that even today in some countries- really- it is! Look up Christian persecution on Google and see what it brings up.
Here's a few examples-
China threatened by Christian meeting
China is not allowing Christians to attend the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism in South Africa as officials claim their attendance to the mission-minded gathering is a "threat to national security."
More than 230 Chinese Christian leaders were invited, mostly through the underground church movement, to the conference, but they were stopped one-by-one at airports in China and turned away. Some were placed in detention, but ChinaAid founder Bob Fu says his information indicates a handful were able to go.
"The Chinese government [is] basically saying that the Chinese church should not participate as long as they are not under the total control of the Chinese government," Fu laments.
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NEWS ALERT: Iran Releases Pastor's Wife as Husband Faces Execution
Posted on: 2010-10-18 02:00:30
By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
TEHRAN, IRAN (Worthy News)-- The wife of a prominent evangelical pastor in Iran was free Monday, October 18, after four months of detention, but her husband still faced the death penalty for abandoning Islam, the Church of Iransaid.
Fatemeh Passandideh, the wife of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, was released October 11 by a court in Gilan province,in northern Iran, an official linked to the Church of Iran told Worthy News and its news partner BosNewsLife.
"The release of Fatemeh Passandideh comes ten days after the announcement of the death sentence for her husbandPastor Youcef Nadarkhani," he said, speaking on earlier agreed conditions of anonymity, amid security concerns.
Pastor Nadarkhani was convicted of "apostasy", or leaving Islam, last month by the 11th Chamber of the Assize Court of theprovince of Gilan. The pastor's attorney is expected to file an appeal against the ruling after he reportedly found"serious procedural flaws" in the case.
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Ethiopian Muslims Burn Down Christian Homes, Farms
Posted on: 2010-09-30 02:52:08
by George Whitten
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Worthy News)-- Twenty-five Muslims burned down ten Christian homes, leaving eighty Christians homeless in Ethiopia, a Washington-based rights' group said Thursday, September 30.
International Christian Concern (ICC) said on July 15 at 8 PM local time, attackers who were led by a local government militia, destroyed the homes in the Goda district of Jimma, Ethiopia. They also set fire to their barns, killing their animals and destroying their harvest.
"The assailants asked the Christians to leave their homes and told them, 'We will show you what we are going to do to your homes, and if you inform this to anyone we will burn you the way we burn your homes.' Then they set the Christian homes on fire and began celebrating by singing near the burned homes," ICC quoted a Christian leader, who apparently spoke anonymously due to security concerns.
The attackers then prevented the victims from leaving the village for 16 days. Finally, one of the Christians managed to escape and report the attacks to district officials after walking for 16 hours. The police temporarily arrested the person who led the attack and a local official. However, they were later released on bail.
The Muslims have prevented the Christians from rebuilding their homes and the Christians now live under trees.
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8 Christians Captured, Forced to Return to Buddhism in Bangladesh
Posted on: 2010-09-24 02:14:14
by Joseph DeCaro
CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh (Worthy News) -- Buddhist extremists held eight Chakma Christians for four days in order to force them to return to Buddhism.
The Buddhists held a pastor, a church secretary, a village leader and five members from a Baptist church in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The captives were all forced to wear Buddhist robes, shave their heads, bow down before a statue of Buddha and clean the temple; they were also threatened with beatings and even death if they tried to escape.
Detained Aug. 23, they were initially told they would be confined to the temple for one to two weeks, but after four days the Chrsitian captives were released provided they remained Buddhist.
"They are not allowed to pray to Jesus, nor read Bibles, but they say they are still Christian in their hearts," said Josette Lindem, who added that 10 new Chakma churches formed with about 300 Chakmas professing their faith in Jesus. However, persecution of Chakma believers soon increased.
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These are JUST A FEW articles on Christian persecution today in our world. Christian persecution DID NOT end with modernization, with civilization's advancement. Christian persecution might not be something people in democratic societies face but that doesn't mean it's stopped existing altogether- it hasn't and it won't- ever. So reading these verses of Christian persecution is very relevant to us all.
Heb 10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
Heb 10:33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
Heb 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
Do we know this? Do we have this experience in our lives? Or is this something we need to use our imagination to capture for us?
Have YOU ever been made a gazingstock for you faith? Have you ever faced reproach and afflictions for your faith? Have you ever been put into bonds for your faith? Have your goods been spoiled because you believe in Christ? Most likely you'll be able to answer no to most of these questions. Most likely if you can answer yes, the things you endured were miniscule compared to what others are suffering or have suffered at the hands of those who would rather see Christian's dead than suffer them to live. No matter the form or the intensity of Christian persecution we've faced or others face we ALL need to take this advice--
Heb 10:34 '...knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.'
We have in heaven a BETTER and ENDURING SUBSTANCE!
Here we do not have anything! We don't! We kid ourselves when we think we have good things and become content in those good things knowing somewhere in the back of our minds that all the good things here on earth can be stripped from us in a moment. Yet we allow ourselves to take comfort in our things, in our life the way it is, in our family around us, in our marriages, in our free time we use to do things that bring us pleasure and comfort, relaxation. We hold onto our lives as if they are the greatest treasure and is it no wonder when our lives are shattered that we are sometimes willing to blame God for it and turn from Him? Where are we supposed to be focused? Where is our mind supposed to be turned? Where??????? On the next trip to the store to gather our goods- whatever they might be? On a visit to our friends or family where we can chat and visit? On tomorrow's existence continuing to be on an even keel without sickness or hurt? Where?
IN ALL WE DO, yes, I'm shouting, IN ALL WE DO we need to have our minds on HEAVEN FIRST AND FOREMOST. Is it any wonder we are to pray… 'THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN'? Is it any wonder Jesus prayed… 'Luk 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. ' We have to be heaven focused. When we wake up in the morning we need to focus our minds heavenward, to our heavenly reward. We need to pray to have a constant desire for the heavenly over the earthly. We need to pray that we are focused heavenward. We need to pray God's will be done and mean it. We need to pray for acceptance that our earthly life might be a life of torture and pain, heartache and ruin, but our heavenly life is safe in our Savior, a life He promises to us that when He comes again we will go with Him to heaven. We will suffer here on earth, we will. And even if we are flowing in earthly riches, earthly treasures; even if we have the love and respect of all those around us, we have to realize it all is nothing compared to our heavenly rewards. The heavenly… in heaven we have a better and an enduring substance.
Let us remember by the grace and mercy of our Savior we live with hope in Him for a NEW life, a life that is heaven bound.
In His love!
Amen!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Terrifying Fear of the Living God
Heb 10:31
(ASV-American Standard Version) It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
(ISV- International Standard Version) It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!
(KJV- King James Version) It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Fearful-
G5398
phoberos
Thayer Definition:
1) inspiring fear, terrible, formidable
2) affected with fear, timid
Part of Speech: adjectiv
*******
When a person is given into the hands of someone throughout the Bible in mainly signifies they are going into something unpleasant, look at these examples--
Jdg 2:14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.
2Sa 21:9 And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.
Eze 7:21 And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it.
Mat 17:22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men
Mar 9:31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.
Act 28:17 And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
Do you see what I mean? So what does this mean- 'It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.'
I'll tell you exactly what it means- just what it says in plain language. Yes, it is FEARFUL to fall into the hands of the living God. We don't like to think about that though. We want to stress the God is love part, not the God is exacting part. We don't want to read of God's wrath, only His love. Thinking about the wrath of God isn't pleasant and it's not meant to be pleasant.
Let's look at a few more verses--
Psa 78:31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Rev 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
Rev 15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
Falling into the hands of the living God, that isn't saying lovingly being cradled in the hands of God. Remember this VITAL piece of information-- God does NOT force us to Him! Those who ultimately choose NOT to be on God's side will fall into His hands for punishment. They won't be left alone to do as they please. A time will come and is FAST approaching when the fate of everyone is decided. This world the way it is will NOT go on forever.
Tonight at our Bible Study we listened to a lecture on Bible prophecy. People are very caught up in things of a physic nature and have been for a long, long time. If you had a person come up to you and tell you that next year your life will change and then proceed to tell you what would change, things totally beyond your control, and then the next year those things come to pass, you would be shocked and awed wanting to see that person again. They told you the future and it happened, really happened. God did the same thing. Hundreds of years before things happened God foretold them and they ALL came true. God also predicted other things along with those things that came to pass- things we now call history. Those other things predicted WILL come to pass just as all before them came to pass. There were no empty prophecies, no false prophecies, no faltering prophecies they all came true and if they ALL came true NOTHING will stop the rest of the prophecies from coming true. This is one prophecy--
Dan 2:32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
Dan 2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Dan 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Dan 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Dan 2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
Dan 2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
Dan 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Dan 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
Dan 2:41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
Dan 2:42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
Dan 2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Dan 2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Babylon Head of Gold
Medo-Persia Chest/arms of Silver
Greece Belly/thighs of Brass
Rome Legs of Iron
Europe divided Toes of Iron and Clay
Kingdom of God Stone cut without hand
Is Europe still divided into many different countries? Undisputedly - YES.
Europe will remain divided until the Kingdom of God destroys the old world and brings in the new.
These are truths! These are facts. Did Babylon exist? Yes, without any doubt. Did Medo-Persia exist? Yes, without any doubt. Did Greece once have control over the empire? Read this--
Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July 356 – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great (Greek: Μέγας Ἀλέξανδρος, Mégas Aléxandros), was a Greeki[›] king of Macedon. He is the most celebrated member of the Argead Dynasty and the creator of one of the largest empires in ancient history.
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A Greek king- one of the LARGEST empires in ancient history!
Yes, Greece as a ruling empire existed! And Rome? Was Rome a great empire? Beyond any doubt!
After Rome has there ever been another empire like it or any of the preceding empires? No, simply….no. The lands of the Middle East, the lands of Europe have never had another great empire in control but rather several smaller empires (countries). Has there been any ambition to unite Europe? To have another GREAT empire that does away with all the little ones by absorbing them. Yes, all you have to do is consider the World Wars we've had to know that fact is very true. A war is inherently a decider of land/people control. Someone wants to control the way you are running things, and wants you to run them their way. They want your land to be known as their land, or land greatly influenced by you because you've conquered the land. You can't have a war without two or more opposing sides.
So the answer is yes, people have wanted to conquer the world but it hasn't happened and it won't happen! God has told us prophetically that it will not happen and we need to believe Him. History proves God if you can't simple go by faith look at your own world history!
The wrath of God is REAL! Falling into God's hands for punishment is REAL. There should be a fear, a terrifying fear in us that we could come under the wrath of God.
Let's read these two verses together--
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
God's vengeance should be fearful. Don't shake your head, don't turn away, don't let yourself be deceived! Are these scare tactics? So what if they are? Seriously! Scare tactics used on people often have good results. And often parents use scare tactics to impress upon their children the seriousness of a situation. Is it possible to abuse scare tactics- for humans, yes, certainly. Satan loves when we abuse situations that could otherwise be used for good if they were done in moderation. If you go overboard when you shouldn't then no, putting the fear of something into someone isn't a good thing. Has God gone overboard with scare tactics? Ask yourself this- what exactly is at stake?
Eternal life.
With eternal life at stake is it possible for the true FEAR, terrifying fear of God's wrath to ever be too much to bear? Can our gentle natures be too weak to comprehend the magnitude of God's wrath? Would we much rather just dwell on the loving, kindness of God? We are told that there is a wrath of God for ALL who are not God's. We are told this so we wake up and realize that our LOVING FATHER is warning us out of LOVE because He WANTS US WITH HIM in HIS LOVE! HE WANTS US!!!! HE DOESN'T WANT TO LOSE A SINGLE ONE OF US!!!! Will He have to lose a lot of us? Yes, but not for want of His trying to bring us into His love.
So when we read about it being fearful, of it being terrifying to fall into the hands of the living God it really, truly is. There will be a punishment the greatest part of that punishment will be eternal non-existence, missing out on the eternal love of our God, the eternal love of life as God would have it be for us in a world that will never again have sin in it, no lovers of sin will be there, not a single one.
May the knowledge of God's wrath, of God's exacting vengeance, of the true fear- terrifying fear of God be ours so that we know that God wills that we all be with Him in His love, not in His wrath. May God's will be done in our lives no matter what circumstances arise- trying to interfere with God's ultimate will- that we be His and He be ours.
By the mercy and grace of our Lord, of our Savior!
Amen.
(ASV-American Standard Version) It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
(ISV- International Standard Version) It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!
(KJV- King James Version) It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Fearful-
G5398
phoberos
Thayer Definition:
1) inspiring fear, terrible, formidable
2) affected with fear, timid
Part of Speech: adjectiv
*******
When a person is given into the hands of someone throughout the Bible in mainly signifies they are going into something unpleasant, look at these examples--
Jdg 2:14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.
2Sa 21:9 And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.
Eze 7:21 And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it.
Mat 17:22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men
Mar 9:31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.
Act 28:17 And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
Do you see what I mean? So what does this mean- 'It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.'
I'll tell you exactly what it means- just what it says in plain language. Yes, it is FEARFUL to fall into the hands of the living God. We don't like to think about that though. We want to stress the God is love part, not the God is exacting part. We don't want to read of God's wrath, only His love. Thinking about the wrath of God isn't pleasant and it's not meant to be pleasant.
Let's look at a few more verses--
Psa 78:31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Rev 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
Rev 15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
Falling into the hands of the living God, that isn't saying lovingly being cradled in the hands of God. Remember this VITAL piece of information-- God does NOT force us to Him! Those who ultimately choose NOT to be on God's side will fall into His hands for punishment. They won't be left alone to do as they please. A time will come and is FAST approaching when the fate of everyone is decided. This world the way it is will NOT go on forever.
Tonight at our Bible Study we listened to a lecture on Bible prophecy. People are very caught up in things of a physic nature and have been for a long, long time. If you had a person come up to you and tell you that next year your life will change and then proceed to tell you what would change, things totally beyond your control, and then the next year those things come to pass, you would be shocked and awed wanting to see that person again. They told you the future and it happened, really happened. God did the same thing. Hundreds of years before things happened God foretold them and they ALL came true. God also predicted other things along with those things that came to pass- things we now call history. Those other things predicted WILL come to pass just as all before them came to pass. There were no empty prophecies, no false prophecies, no faltering prophecies they all came true and if they ALL came true NOTHING will stop the rest of the prophecies from coming true. This is one prophecy--
Dan 2:32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
Dan 2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Dan 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Dan 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Dan 2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
Dan 2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
Dan 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Dan 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
Dan 2:41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
Dan 2:42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
Dan 2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Dan 2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Babylon Head of Gold
Medo-Persia Chest/arms of Silver
Greece Belly/thighs of Brass
Rome Legs of Iron
Europe divided Toes of Iron and Clay
Kingdom of God Stone cut without hand
Is Europe still divided into many different countries? Undisputedly - YES.
Europe will remain divided until the Kingdom of God destroys the old world and brings in the new.
These are truths! These are facts. Did Babylon exist? Yes, without any doubt. Did Medo-Persia exist? Yes, without any doubt. Did Greece once have control over the empire? Read this--
Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July 356 – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great (Greek: Μέγας Ἀλέξανδρος, Mégas Aléxandros), was a Greeki[›] king of Macedon. He is the most celebrated member of the Argead Dynasty and the creator of one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Pasted from
A Greek king- one of the LARGEST empires in ancient history!
Yes, Greece as a ruling empire existed! And Rome? Was Rome a great empire? Beyond any doubt!
After Rome has there ever been another empire like it or any of the preceding empires? No, simply….no. The lands of the Middle East, the lands of Europe have never had another great empire in control but rather several smaller empires (countries). Has there been any ambition to unite Europe? To have another GREAT empire that does away with all the little ones by absorbing them. Yes, all you have to do is consider the World Wars we've had to know that fact is very true. A war is inherently a decider of land/people control. Someone wants to control the way you are running things, and wants you to run them their way. They want your land to be known as their land, or land greatly influenced by you because you've conquered the land. You can't have a war without two or more opposing sides.
So the answer is yes, people have wanted to conquer the world but it hasn't happened and it won't happen! God has told us prophetically that it will not happen and we need to believe Him. History proves God if you can't simple go by faith look at your own world history!
The wrath of God is REAL! Falling into God's hands for punishment is REAL. There should be a fear, a terrifying fear in us that we could come under the wrath of God.
Let's read these two verses together--
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
God's vengeance should be fearful. Don't shake your head, don't turn away, don't let yourself be deceived! Are these scare tactics? So what if they are? Seriously! Scare tactics used on people often have good results. And often parents use scare tactics to impress upon their children the seriousness of a situation. Is it possible to abuse scare tactics- for humans, yes, certainly. Satan loves when we abuse situations that could otherwise be used for good if they were done in moderation. If you go overboard when you shouldn't then no, putting the fear of something into someone isn't a good thing. Has God gone overboard with scare tactics? Ask yourself this- what exactly is at stake?
Eternal life.
With eternal life at stake is it possible for the true FEAR, terrifying fear of God's wrath to ever be too much to bear? Can our gentle natures be too weak to comprehend the magnitude of God's wrath? Would we much rather just dwell on the loving, kindness of God? We are told that there is a wrath of God for ALL who are not God's. We are told this so we wake up and realize that our LOVING FATHER is warning us out of LOVE because He WANTS US WITH HIM in HIS LOVE! HE WANTS US!!!! HE DOESN'T WANT TO LOSE A SINGLE ONE OF US!!!! Will He have to lose a lot of us? Yes, but not for want of His trying to bring us into His love.
So when we read about it being fearful, of it being terrifying to fall into the hands of the living God it really, truly is. There will be a punishment the greatest part of that punishment will be eternal non-existence, missing out on the eternal love of our God, the eternal love of life as God would have it be for us in a world that will never again have sin in it, no lovers of sin will be there, not a single one.
May the knowledge of God's wrath, of God's exacting vengeance, of the true fear- terrifying fear of God be ours so that we know that God wills that we all be with Him in His love, not in His wrath. May God's will be done in our lives no matter what circumstances arise- trying to interfere with God's ultimate will- that we be His and He be ours.
By the mercy and grace of our Lord, of our Savior!
Amen.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Vengeance is the Lord's
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Who hasn't heard the saying- 'Vengeance is mine, sayth the Lord?'
Who among us hasn't want to exact vengeance ourselves and not leave it to God?
Our carnal nature tells us that we deserve vengeance for all the wrongs done to us. Does the same nature tell us that we deserve to have vengeance taken up on us when we wrong another? Or does that nature in us justify our own wrong actions to make the seem right? We say- they just got what they deserved- even if we don't know if that's true. We say- that's just the way life is. But is it the way life is supposed to be? We make excuses for our actions, and we not only do that before our fellow human beings but before God as well.
We don't want God to take vengeance, why? Because we want the satisfaction of exacting vengeance ourselves. We've been wronged and who likes to be wronged? No one. It hurts, and even the biggest, toughest, angriest, meanest man get hurt by being wronged- whether they'd ever admit it or not. They'd much rather disguise the hurt with other things. But it is hurt, betrayal hurts.
God is wounded by our transgressions. God is wounded by our betrayal of Him. We wrong God when we turn our backs on Him, when we refuse to believe He is the great I AM. When we deny He is our Creator, our Sustainer of life! When we turn our backs on LOVE, because He is LOVE!
Vengeance is God's. God alone has the right to vengeance. We are fallible He is Infallible. Our justice is not His justice. When we strive for vengeance we are often consumed by it and our vengeance exceeds any sort of justice. Even if we get it right, we are not showing any sort of mercy- and if we expect mercy for our own many, many transgressions we have to show mercy, all the mercy we can show in fact!
Rom 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil.
Read that again!
Recompense to no man evil for evil.
Rom 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Rom 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Live peaceably with ALL men.
Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Avenge NOT yourselves.
Rom 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
If thine enemy hunger…. Who? THINE ENEMY! Feed him
If thine enemy thirst…Who? THINE ENEMY! Give him drink.
Why? Because being good to those who despitefully use you only reveals your mercy and their lack of mercy. We need to show our mercy in all things and we show way too little mercy towards others who hurt us in any way. How then can we hope to ever obtain mercy?
We are told...
Rom 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Our greatest example of this is God's only Son and the great sacrifice He made to overcome evil.
We need to remember this…
Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Can we ever believe we are good enough in anyway? Can we? Seriously? Are we willing to believe that we have righteousness that is our own? Can we stand before God and tell Him we're good enough? No. We don't dare! Christ is righteous and we can only hope that His righteousness is ours as we accept Him as our Savior.
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Vengeance is the Lord's, not ours.
Mercy is ours to extend through the righteousness and mercy of our Savior.
May God open our eyes and hearts to see the truths before us, to see where we need to replace our natural desire for vengeance with mercy in all things the great and the small.
By His love!
Amen.
Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Who hasn't heard the saying- 'Vengeance is mine, sayth the Lord?'
Who among us hasn't want to exact vengeance ourselves and not leave it to God?
Our carnal nature tells us that we deserve vengeance for all the wrongs done to us. Does the same nature tell us that we deserve to have vengeance taken up on us when we wrong another? Or does that nature in us justify our own wrong actions to make the seem right? We say- they just got what they deserved- even if we don't know if that's true. We say- that's just the way life is. But is it the way life is supposed to be? We make excuses for our actions, and we not only do that before our fellow human beings but before God as well.
We don't want God to take vengeance, why? Because we want the satisfaction of exacting vengeance ourselves. We've been wronged and who likes to be wronged? No one. It hurts, and even the biggest, toughest, angriest, meanest man get hurt by being wronged- whether they'd ever admit it or not. They'd much rather disguise the hurt with other things. But it is hurt, betrayal hurts.
God is wounded by our transgressions. God is wounded by our betrayal of Him. We wrong God when we turn our backs on Him, when we refuse to believe He is the great I AM. When we deny He is our Creator, our Sustainer of life! When we turn our backs on LOVE, because He is LOVE!
Vengeance is God's. God alone has the right to vengeance. We are fallible He is Infallible. Our justice is not His justice. When we strive for vengeance we are often consumed by it and our vengeance exceeds any sort of justice. Even if we get it right, we are not showing any sort of mercy- and if we expect mercy for our own many, many transgressions we have to show mercy, all the mercy we can show in fact!
Rom 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil.
Read that again!
Recompense to no man evil for evil.
Rom 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Rom 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Live peaceably with ALL men.
Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Avenge NOT yourselves.
Rom 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
If thine enemy hunger…. Who? THINE ENEMY! Feed him
If thine enemy thirst…Who? THINE ENEMY! Give him drink.
Why? Because being good to those who despitefully use you only reveals your mercy and their lack of mercy. We need to show our mercy in all things and we show way too little mercy towards others who hurt us in any way. How then can we hope to ever obtain mercy?
We are told...
Rom 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Our greatest example of this is God's only Son and the great sacrifice He made to overcome evil.
We need to remember this…
Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Can we ever believe we are good enough in anyway? Can we? Seriously? Are we willing to believe that we have righteousness that is our own? Can we stand before God and tell Him we're good enough? No. We don't dare! Christ is righteous and we can only hope that His righteousness is ours as we accept Him as our Savior.
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Vengeance is the Lord's, not ours.
Mercy is ours to extend through the righteousness and mercy of our Savior.
May God open our eyes and hearts to see the truths before us, to see where we need to replace our natural desire for vengeance with mercy in all things the great and the small.
By His love!
Amen.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Despite unto the Spirit of grace
Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Under Moses' law- Moses' law entailed blood sacrifices of animals to obtain mercy and forgiveness.
The law after Moses' law entails ONE blood sacrifice and that of the Son of God to obtain mercy and forgiveness.
Despising the form of forgiveness offered before Christ's ultimate sacrifice, warranted death.
Despising the form of forgiveness offered to us after Christ's ultimate sacrifice, warrants death.
Which form of forgiveness is better? Which covenant is better? The one that looks towards the ultimate sacrifice or the ultimate sacrifice itself?
The realization of the true ultimate sacrifice is better without a doubt.
Rejecting the lesser covenant was bad enough, but rejecting the better covenant is worse- much worse.
When we reject our Savior we deserve death. We can reject our Savior right now. You can despise the better covenant in Christ. You can abuse the Spirit of grace. These are facts. There is no such thing as forced salvation.
There is eternal life and eternal death, we will all choose one or the other. Our lives are a living testament to the choice we make. When we die- we can NO longer make the choice. While we live we make the choice. Our witness is the Spirit of grace, our witness sees everything, our witness knows our hearts- only by choosing to accept our Savior do we have any hope because only the Savior's heart is pure and deserving.
The facts are- we have NO hope without Christ. If we neglect so great a salvation we are guilty, guilty, guilty and deserving of any and all punishment reserved for us.
Remember this verse--
Heb 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him
We won't escape.
We will be punished and deservedly.
1Ti 5:24 Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
1Ti 5:25 Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.
Our sins are not hid from God.
Psa 69:5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.
Eternal death is the result of denying our Savior. This is something we can't let ourselves forget. We have to daily accept our Savior as our advocate, daily accept His sacrifice, daily accept that He pleads our cause before God, daily accept Him as our High Priest- worthy of all honor, all praise, all glory, all of our love, all of our worship!
We cannot not trod under our feet the Son of God and have hope in salvation. To some of us the very idea of stepping on the Son of God as if He were nothing more than dirt is unthinkable! Yet every day many, many, many people do just that as they reject His salvation, as they despise His blood shed for them. To many people Christ isn't a real living, breathing being, but rather a being of fantasy, something fictional. Many people don't know Him personally, and many treat Him despitefully by living their lives as if He's not real, and His commands are not real, and life in Him is not real. Is it any wonder Christ will say to many people that think they know Him, that He doesn't know them at all?
By His grace and His mercy, only and always in HIM!
Amen!
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Under Moses' law- Moses' law entailed blood sacrifices of animals to obtain mercy and forgiveness.
The law after Moses' law entails ONE blood sacrifice and that of the Son of God to obtain mercy and forgiveness.
Despising the form of forgiveness offered before Christ's ultimate sacrifice, warranted death.
Despising the form of forgiveness offered to us after Christ's ultimate sacrifice, warrants death.
Which form of forgiveness is better? Which covenant is better? The one that looks towards the ultimate sacrifice or the ultimate sacrifice itself?
The realization of the true ultimate sacrifice is better without a doubt.
Rejecting the lesser covenant was bad enough, but rejecting the better covenant is worse- much worse.
When we reject our Savior we deserve death. We can reject our Savior right now. You can despise the better covenant in Christ. You can abuse the Spirit of grace. These are facts. There is no such thing as forced salvation.
There is eternal life and eternal death, we will all choose one or the other. Our lives are a living testament to the choice we make. When we die- we can NO longer make the choice. While we live we make the choice. Our witness is the Spirit of grace, our witness sees everything, our witness knows our hearts- only by choosing to accept our Savior do we have any hope because only the Savior's heart is pure and deserving.
The facts are- we have NO hope without Christ. If we neglect so great a salvation we are guilty, guilty, guilty and deserving of any and all punishment reserved for us.
Remember this verse--
Heb 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him
We won't escape.
We will be punished and deservedly.
1Ti 5:24 Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
1Ti 5:25 Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.
Our sins are not hid from God.
Psa 69:5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.
Eternal death is the result of denying our Savior. This is something we can't let ourselves forget. We have to daily accept our Savior as our advocate, daily accept His sacrifice, daily accept that He pleads our cause before God, daily accept Him as our High Priest- worthy of all honor, all praise, all glory, all of our love, all of our worship!
We cannot not trod under our feet the Son of God and have hope in salvation. To some of us the very idea of stepping on the Son of God as if He were nothing more than dirt is unthinkable! Yet every day many, many, many people do just that as they reject His salvation, as they despise His blood shed for them. To many people Christ isn't a real living, breathing being, but rather a being of fantasy, something fictional. Many people don't know Him personally, and many treat Him despitefully by living their lives as if He's not real, and His commands are not real, and life in Him is not real. Is it any wonder Christ will say to many people that think they know Him, that He doesn't know them at all?
By His grace and His mercy, only and always in HIM!
Amen!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Fearful looking for of judgment
Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
So are we all doomed? Some people will take this verse- plucking it out of the Bible as if it stands all on it's own and tell you that you are damned, we are all damned and there isn't anything anyone can do about it because we are sinners. If not blatant thieves, adulterers, liars, murderers- then sinners in thoughts, in coveting, in white-lying, in jealousy, if putting "things" before God. It doesn't take all that much to sin, it's rather easy to do. Because we are carnal- because we are flesh- we've inherited sin from the womb.
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God
Sinning is easy- all have sinned. Sin entered the world and the result of sin was death and we all have the ability to die.
We will all die and we will all have a fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation if we do not have the knowledge of truth- understanding the truth that Jesus alone can save us. If we wilfully choose to keep our Savior out of our lives hoping to save ourselves we are doomed. The truth is Jesus died for us. Once we realize this if we choose to believe there is salvation in any other there is no hope.
Only in our Savior- Jesus, only in Him and the Sacrifice He made can we hope to escape the judgment leading to the fiery indignation.
If after you come to the knowledge of truth you reject that knowledge there is no hope.
Those who do reject the knowledge of truth will be judged and they will have NO advocate to plead their case. They will have NO Savior. They will have NOTHING to lay claim to and say they are forgiven. They will stand before the judgment seat, they will stand as the books of judgment are opened and they will be told they rejected the knowledge of truth after they received it - and I imagine they even can be shown exactly when, where, and how they rejected the knowledge of truth. Once shown how they rejected their only hope for salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior and His righteousness, His forgiveness, His love, they will then be shown all the sin in their lives - sin that they committed willfully, sin that proves they are lovers of sin, lovers of self more than lovers of God. Sin that will prove they don't belong in a sinless world.
2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
There is hope on in one place and one place only- there is only eternal death without that hope.
Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior- our High Priest, our Sacrifice, our Redeemer - He alone is truth.
We cannot reject the truth, we cannot reject our only hope, we cannot reject our Savior and believe there is still hope left- all that is left is despair and fearfulness.
By the grace of our Savior may we ever hold fast to Him as the truth having knowledge of salvation in Him, let us never reject our hope, our only hope, let us never turn from the truth. May God forgive us, show us mercy, us sinners. May God look to His Son's righteousness and not at our sins as we have been born again in Christ, accepting Him as our Savior- our only hope.
Amen
Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
So are we all doomed? Some people will take this verse- plucking it out of the Bible as if it stands all on it's own and tell you that you are damned, we are all damned and there isn't anything anyone can do about it because we are sinners. If not blatant thieves, adulterers, liars, murderers- then sinners in thoughts, in coveting, in white-lying, in jealousy, if putting "things" before God. It doesn't take all that much to sin, it's rather easy to do. Because we are carnal- because we are flesh- we've inherited sin from the womb.
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God
Sinning is easy- all have sinned. Sin entered the world and the result of sin was death and we all have the ability to die.
We will all die and we will all have a fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation if we do not have the knowledge of truth- understanding the truth that Jesus alone can save us. If we wilfully choose to keep our Savior out of our lives hoping to save ourselves we are doomed. The truth is Jesus died for us. Once we realize this if we choose to believe there is salvation in any other there is no hope.
Only in our Savior- Jesus, only in Him and the Sacrifice He made can we hope to escape the judgment leading to the fiery indignation.
If after you come to the knowledge of truth you reject that knowledge there is no hope.
Those who do reject the knowledge of truth will be judged and they will have NO advocate to plead their case. They will have NO Savior. They will have NOTHING to lay claim to and say they are forgiven. They will stand before the judgment seat, they will stand as the books of judgment are opened and they will be told they rejected the knowledge of truth after they received it - and I imagine they even can be shown exactly when, where, and how they rejected the knowledge of truth. Once shown how they rejected their only hope for salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior and His righteousness, His forgiveness, His love, they will then be shown all the sin in their lives - sin that they committed willfully, sin that proves they are lovers of sin, lovers of self more than lovers of God. Sin that will prove they don't belong in a sinless world.
2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
There is hope on in one place and one place only- there is only eternal death without that hope.
Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior- our High Priest, our Sacrifice, our Redeemer - He alone is truth.
We cannot reject the truth, we cannot reject our only hope, we cannot reject our Savior and believe there is still hope left- all that is left is despair and fearfulness.
By the grace of our Savior may we ever hold fast to Him as the truth having knowledge of salvation in Him, let us never reject our hope, our only hope, let us never turn from the truth. May God forgive us, show us mercy, us sinners. May God look to His Son's righteousness and not at our sins as we have been born again in Christ, accepting Him as our Savior- our only hope.
Amen
Monday, October 18, 2010
Provoke, Assemble, Exhort
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
So many people believe this is talking about a church setting, telling them they have to go to church or they are forsaking the assembling of themselves together. It's not. This is advocating, or admonishing, people who believe in Christ as their Savior and want to live for Him to get together to help each other out- to provoke to love, to provoke to good works, to encourage each other - something that should be done more and more the closer to the end we get.
If you belong to a church that does this and holds fast to all the truths as the Bible reveals them, praise God! Many however simply go to church because it's expected of them, it's a duty, it's a chore, it's what a Christian is supposed to do. They go to see the latest fashion on those around them, or to hear a very eloquent preacher relay His own personal study on what He believes you might be interested in hearing. Some go so they can be assuaged of guilt they've built up through the last week, others go because it's what they've been taught to do and want their children to do. There are many, many reasons people attend church that have NOTHING to do with provoking others to LOVE and to GOOD WORKS. Many reasons that don't involve exhorting anyone, they don't go to encourage anyone because Christ is coming soon. If you go to a church JUST to listen to a sermon and be on your way after a few handshakes, hugs, and smiles you haven't come together with a group of like believers in the manner Christ would have you do so. So if it's not how Christ would have you get together- it's coming together in a manner someone else would like you to get together as you *play pretend* at being a Christian and that someone is your enemy, an enemy that LOVES when you play pretend Christian.
When you get together with others that believe in Christ and His soon coming just like you do, you should get together to PROVOKE them to love and to good works, you should get together to encourage one another. This is INTERACTION. This isn't being preached at and going on your way back to your every day life in front of the computer, or the tv, maybe both- or even doing yard work, or visiting grandma and grandpa, or who knows maybe it's time for you to get a big meal ready. This isn't what we are told to do.
Think about how you personally can provoke someone of like faith to love and good works. How do you do that?
Provoke
PROVO'KE, v.t. [L.provoco, to call forth; pro and voco, to call.]
1. To call into action; to arouse; to excite…
To call into action their LOVE, their GOOD WORKS.
To arouse them to LOVE, to GOOD WORKS.
As we consider each other- as we think about each other- we are to arouse the desire to love and good works in each other. Notice that LOVE and GOOD WORKS go hand in hand. It's out of love we do good works, isn't it? Love is an action, love is a choice. I'm not talking about the fake- I love you- that means absolutely nothing. I'm not talking about the - I'm infatuated with you love- that means absolutely nothing. I'm talking about the CHOICE you make to do unto others as you would have done to yourself, the choice you make to put aside self and help another. I'm talking about the love that chooses to ACT selflessly- not selfishly. I'm not talking about feelings here and too many associate love with a feeling and not a fact. If they're NOT feeling it, then they don't love- according to the mainstream. To be able to look at someone who is despitefully using you and choose to act in a manner of LOVE, to choose to do good unto them- that is love.
LOVE is a choice of action. Love is a choosing to respond as Christ would respond, not as our own feelings might be egging us on to react. YES, you can LOVE someone by choice without feeling all wishy-washy and sentimental. YES, you can LOVE someone by choice - in fact we are to LOVE all others and if that means taking on some false flowery I'm better than you because I love you so that makes me good-attitude that's NOT love. To say 'I love you' without ANY meaning- isn't love. To say 'I love you' and really choose to love that person is love. And really choosing to love that person means really being interested in their well-being now and their eternal well-being too. No, YOU shouldn't be solely concerned with their eternal well-being. What good does it do to tell someone about the love of Christ and the way to eternal life through Him if they are starving for food and you have the means to give them food but don't?
Love is a choice, love is an action borne out of the choice. Is it any wonder at all we are told to provoke one another to love and good works? To do both? Jesus' example to us was filled with love- filled with His choosing to love others and that love was revealed in every action. He spent a lot of time healing, a lot of time helping- He didn't just stand up on a rocky podium and preach- He healed, He LOVED, and He taught. He was example of how we are to love- in word and deed.
1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
DON'T tell ANYONE you love them- but rather show them that love first. Make that love real and then say it.
I'm not saying you have to show it by gifts and such, you can show your love in the act of listening, in the kind word, in the thoughtful gesture that is selfless. Be loving before mouthing the words. What good does it do to tell someone you love them if you have NO intention of being loving towards them? LOVE isn't just a word to say haphazardly and hold up, waving around like a banner to try and get others to believe you are a Christian. Love isn't just something you automatically say in response so you appear 'good'. Love isn't something you feel, IT'S A CHOICE you make! And in making that choice to love, you have to be loving, not just say the 'L' word.
If you're the type of person who easily has the 'love' word sliding from your tongue to those you meet, I'm not saying to stop saying the words- just make sure that you mean them. The next time you tell someone you love them ask yourself if you've 'loved' them. Have you acted in love towards them? Do you care about them, really care, are you choosing to be loving towards them.
Christ loved us and died for us- this was His example. For us to love and reveal His UNSELFISH love, to be willing to die for each other. And if we're willing to die for each other surely we have to be willing to suffer for one another. And if we're willing to suffer we must be willing to be a little put out for each other. Choosing to love doesn't mean enjoying the idea of death, or enjoying the idea of suffering, or wanting to be put out- it means choosing to do the right thing no matter the feeling. Yes, we are to count it joy when we suffer for Christ's sake, but that doesn't mean we are to enjoy the pain. We are to realize that we are Christ's and take joy in that- not joy in the pain, the suffering, the annoyance.
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
The only way we can provoke follow believers in Christ- and to Salvation through Him- is to be in contact with them in some way. Without that contact there is no provoking, no encouraging. So yes, we are to be in contact with each other- and maybe we can't do that physically but we have a huge world of communication available to us on the world wide web- the internet. Do I have to touch you physically to communicate with you? No. We can assemble together in many different ways. If you can't find a group of people who follow Christ as you've been led by the Holy Spirit to follow Christ, then pray that God will guide you to someone, anyone and be open to that guidance to come in any number of ways. We know as the day draws near there will be fewer and fewer people on that narrow path, we can't abandon the narrow path to sit in a church on the wide path.
May God bless us and keep us firmly rooted and ground in Him, in His love, teaching us to love one another as He would have us love one another in word and deed, helping each other as we face the trials of life that Satan would have ruin us and tear us from the narrow path before us.
By the grace and mercy of our loving Savior, through HIS righteousness, in His holy name now and forever- Amen.
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
So many people believe this is talking about a church setting, telling them they have to go to church or they are forsaking the assembling of themselves together. It's not. This is advocating, or admonishing, people who believe in Christ as their Savior and want to live for Him to get together to help each other out- to provoke to love, to provoke to good works, to encourage each other - something that should be done more and more the closer to the end we get.
If you belong to a church that does this and holds fast to all the truths as the Bible reveals them, praise God! Many however simply go to church because it's expected of them, it's a duty, it's a chore, it's what a Christian is supposed to do. They go to see the latest fashion on those around them, or to hear a very eloquent preacher relay His own personal study on what He believes you might be interested in hearing. Some go so they can be assuaged of guilt they've built up through the last week, others go because it's what they've been taught to do and want their children to do. There are many, many reasons people attend church that have NOTHING to do with provoking others to LOVE and to GOOD WORKS. Many reasons that don't involve exhorting anyone, they don't go to encourage anyone because Christ is coming soon. If you go to a church JUST to listen to a sermon and be on your way after a few handshakes, hugs, and smiles you haven't come together with a group of like believers in the manner Christ would have you do so. So if it's not how Christ would have you get together- it's coming together in a manner someone else would like you to get together as you *play pretend* at being a Christian and that someone is your enemy, an enemy that LOVES when you play pretend Christian.
When you get together with others that believe in Christ and His soon coming just like you do, you should get together to PROVOKE them to love and to good works, you should get together to encourage one another. This is INTERACTION. This isn't being preached at and going on your way back to your every day life in front of the computer, or the tv, maybe both- or even doing yard work, or visiting grandma and grandpa, or who knows maybe it's time for you to get a big meal ready. This isn't what we are told to do.
Think about how you personally can provoke someone of like faith to love and good works. How do you do that?
Provoke
PROVO'KE, v.t. [L.provoco, to call forth; pro and voco, to call.]
1. To call into action; to arouse; to excite…
To call into action their LOVE, their GOOD WORKS.
To arouse them to LOVE, to GOOD WORKS.
As we consider each other- as we think about each other- we are to arouse the desire to love and good works in each other. Notice that LOVE and GOOD WORKS go hand in hand. It's out of love we do good works, isn't it? Love is an action, love is a choice. I'm not talking about the fake- I love you- that means absolutely nothing. I'm not talking about the - I'm infatuated with you love- that means absolutely nothing. I'm talking about the CHOICE you make to do unto others as you would have done to yourself, the choice you make to put aside self and help another. I'm talking about the love that chooses to ACT selflessly- not selfishly. I'm not talking about feelings here and too many associate love with a feeling and not a fact. If they're NOT feeling it, then they don't love- according to the mainstream. To be able to look at someone who is despitefully using you and choose to act in a manner of LOVE, to choose to do good unto them- that is love.
LOVE is a choice of action. Love is a choosing to respond as Christ would respond, not as our own feelings might be egging us on to react. YES, you can LOVE someone by choice without feeling all wishy-washy and sentimental. YES, you can LOVE someone by choice - in fact we are to LOVE all others and if that means taking on some false flowery I'm better than you because I love you so that makes me good-attitude that's NOT love. To say 'I love you' without ANY meaning- isn't love. To say 'I love you' and really choose to love that person is love. And really choosing to love that person means really being interested in their well-being now and their eternal well-being too. No, YOU shouldn't be solely concerned with their eternal well-being. What good does it do to tell someone about the love of Christ and the way to eternal life through Him if they are starving for food and you have the means to give them food but don't?
Love is a choice, love is an action borne out of the choice. Is it any wonder at all we are told to provoke one another to love and good works? To do both? Jesus' example to us was filled with love- filled with His choosing to love others and that love was revealed in every action. He spent a lot of time healing, a lot of time helping- He didn't just stand up on a rocky podium and preach- He healed, He LOVED, and He taught. He was example of how we are to love- in word and deed.
1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
DON'T tell ANYONE you love them- but rather show them that love first. Make that love real and then say it.
I'm not saying you have to show it by gifts and such, you can show your love in the act of listening, in the kind word, in the thoughtful gesture that is selfless. Be loving before mouthing the words. What good does it do to tell someone you love them if you have NO intention of being loving towards them? LOVE isn't just a word to say haphazardly and hold up, waving around like a banner to try and get others to believe you are a Christian. Love isn't just something you automatically say in response so you appear 'good'. Love isn't something you feel, IT'S A CHOICE you make! And in making that choice to love, you have to be loving, not just say the 'L' word.
If you're the type of person who easily has the 'love' word sliding from your tongue to those you meet, I'm not saying to stop saying the words- just make sure that you mean them. The next time you tell someone you love them ask yourself if you've 'loved' them. Have you acted in love towards them? Do you care about them, really care, are you choosing to be loving towards them.
Christ loved us and died for us- this was His example. For us to love and reveal His UNSELFISH love, to be willing to die for each other. And if we're willing to die for each other surely we have to be willing to suffer for one another. And if we're willing to suffer we must be willing to be a little put out for each other. Choosing to love doesn't mean enjoying the idea of death, or enjoying the idea of suffering, or wanting to be put out- it means choosing to do the right thing no matter the feeling. Yes, we are to count it joy when we suffer for Christ's sake, but that doesn't mean we are to enjoy the pain. We are to realize that we are Christ's and take joy in that- not joy in the pain, the suffering, the annoyance.
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
The only way we can provoke follow believers in Christ- and to Salvation through Him- is to be in contact with them in some way. Without that contact there is no provoking, no encouraging. So yes, we are to be in contact with each other- and maybe we can't do that physically but we have a huge world of communication available to us on the world wide web- the internet. Do I have to touch you physically to communicate with you? No. We can assemble together in many different ways. If you can't find a group of people who follow Christ as you've been led by the Holy Spirit to follow Christ, then pray that God will guide you to someone, anyone and be open to that guidance to come in any number of ways. We know as the day draws near there will be fewer and fewer people on that narrow path, we can't abandon the narrow path to sit in a church on the wide path.
May God bless us and keep us firmly rooted and ground in Him, in His love, teaching us to love one another as He would have us love one another in word and deed, helping each other as we face the trials of life that Satan would have ruin us and tear us from the narrow path before us.
By the grace and mercy of our loving Savior, through HIS righteousness, in His holy name now and forever- Amen.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
The Faithful One
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Yes, we just discussed this verse yesterday but the emphasis was on something else. This part- 'for He is faithful that promised' just bears a little more discussion.
Do you know anyone who is faithful? Most of us would love to say yes, and most of us will say yes, but do we really? We can't know the heart of anyone can we? I'm being pessimistic…or perhaps realistic, who knows. Time and time again people have been disappointed by others, by those they thought they could trust. I'm not talking foolish people. I'm talking people just like you and I and we don't consider ourselves foolish, or at least not for the most part, right? We shouldn't consider ourselves foolish if we are Christians, the foolish are obviously NOT wise and we are to be wise. With that in mind we have to realize that even wise people are deceived. If you trust others then you will be deceived, and yet we have to trust others. We can't live our lives paranoid and distrustful, Christ would have us live in faith, live in love, live in thinking the best of others and leave their eternal fates up to His judgment. Even when someone despitefully uses us we are to love them. Even our enemies we are to love. Even to those who we believe to be faithful and turn out not to be faithful, we are to offer love. But it's NOT our love. It's the love of Christ. It's the choice to love them that we must make even as our flesh nature, our carnal nature, would have us despise them.
To read these words- 'for He is faithful that promised' can't be taken at face value, can't be passed over quickly, because we live in a world where very few, if ANY are able to be truly faithful in word, thought, and deed- yes, all three. Faithful in word- people do keep their promises don't they? Some do. Faithful in deed- people often seem to act faithful, their actions seem to be honorable and they really could be. Faithful in thought- now there's the tricky one. We can never know another's thoughts, but we know our own thoughts and truthfully they're not always the best of thoughts- are they? It' s hard to imagine that Satan would leave anyone's thoughts alone. The great tempter's playground is our thoughts. To be honest, and that's what we are trying to be, you can scarcely commit an action, or speak a word without thinking it first. Is it any wonder that Satan strives to gain control of our thoughts? Is it any wonder that Satan is happy to have us unfaithful in our minds even if outwardly we are seemingly faithful? Jesus Himself said this…
Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
When you look on another to lust- (Yes, I said another- not woman because women lust after men too and the principle is the same.) when you look on another to lust- what's happening? Where is the lust coming from? Your THOUGHTS. What is lust? Unlawful desire is one description. And desire according to Webster's, in part is- An emotion or excitement of the mind, directed to the attainment or possession of an object from which pleasure, sensual, intellectual or spiritual, is expected; a passion excited by the love of an object, or uneasiness at the want of it, and directed to its attainment or possession…
An emotion or excitement of the mind. OF THE MIND. Thoughts. Lust.
We cannot know another's mind, ever. What we can know and cynical or not, what we can know is that every human being is of a carnal nature. Not one of us can escape the carnal part of ourselves. We can be born again- our Spiritual nature can be born within us carnal people. The spiritual nature that is born again within us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior can overcome the carnal nature. So, yes, it is possible for us carnal people to become spiritual, to become Christ's and have Christ's mind in us. And yes, it's possible for our thoughts to be guided by Him. However, as long as we are under our carnal nature our thoughts will be of the carnal kind. Even Paul struggled with all this-
Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Rom 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Rom 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Carnal and Spiritual.
No. We cannot know the thoughts of others. We cannot know if they are faithful, we can't be faithful ourselves, but there is ONE that is faithful above all!
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
HE is FAITHFUL that promised!
We don't have to wonder, we don't have to worry, we don't have to think about the FAITHFUL ONE ever being unfaithful. He is FAITHFUL that promised. We can hold on to that and hold on very tightly. We can HOLD FAST to our FAITH because WE DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CHRIST EVER BEING UNFAITHFUL IN ALL HE'S PROMISED. HE is our HOPE! We aren't to place our hope in any other human being, not one! Not even our family, not even our loved ones. When EVERYONE lets us down, CHRIST will NEVER let us down. CHRIST IS FAITHFUL!
Christ promises us eternal life and He is faithful. Christ does not promise us eternal happiness in this current world. Through HOPE we live with the promises of the faithful One. The FAITHFUL One. Christ is FAITHFUL. Is it any wonder we are to place all our hope, all our faith in Him and Him alone? As we live our daily lives we live it through faith in the faithful One. We can't live our lives having faith in any other. No, I'm not saying we can't hope that others around us are faithful to us, but we have to always remember they are like us, like Paul. Only Christ is truly Faithful.
We can hold fast to the profession of our faith and NOT waver knowing that Christ is faithful to all the promises He's made to us. We don't have to doubt at all, not in the least.
All glory to our Lord and Savior! All praise to our King!
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, God's Only Son! In His love, in His righteousness!
Amen.
Yes, we just discussed this verse yesterday but the emphasis was on something else. This part- 'for He is faithful that promised' just bears a little more discussion.
Do you know anyone who is faithful? Most of us would love to say yes, and most of us will say yes, but do we really? We can't know the heart of anyone can we? I'm being pessimistic…or perhaps realistic, who knows. Time and time again people have been disappointed by others, by those they thought they could trust. I'm not talking foolish people. I'm talking people just like you and I and we don't consider ourselves foolish, or at least not for the most part, right? We shouldn't consider ourselves foolish if we are Christians, the foolish are obviously NOT wise and we are to be wise. With that in mind we have to realize that even wise people are deceived. If you trust others then you will be deceived, and yet we have to trust others. We can't live our lives paranoid and distrustful, Christ would have us live in faith, live in love, live in thinking the best of others and leave their eternal fates up to His judgment. Even when someone despitefully uses us we are to love them. Even our enemies we are to love. Even to those who we believe to be faithful and turn out not to be faithful, we are to offer love. But it's NOT our love. It's the love of Christ. It's the choice to love them that we must make even as our flesh nature, our carnal nature, would have us despise them.
To read these words- 'for He is faithful that promised' can't be taken at face value, can't be passed over quickly, because we live in a world where very few, if ANY are able to be truly faithful in word, thought, and deed- yes, all three. Faithful in word- people do keep their promises don't they? Some do. Faithful in deed- people often seem to act faithful, their actions seem to be honorable and they really could be. Faithful in thought- now there's the tricky one. We can never know another's thoughts, but we know our own thoughts and truthfully they're not always the best of thoughts- are they? It' s hard to imagine that Satan would leave anyone's thoughts alone. The great tempter's playground is our thoughts. To be honest, and that's what we are trying to be, you can scarcely commit an action, or speak a word without thinking it first. Is it any wonder that Satan strives to gain control of our thoughts? Is it any wonder that Satan is happy to have us unfaithful in our minds even if outwardly we are seemingly faithful? Jesus Himself said this…
Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
When you look on another to lust- (Yes, I said another- not woman because women lust after men too and the principle is the same.) when you look on another to lust- what's happening? Where is the lust coming from? Your THOUGHTS. What is lust? Unlawful desire is one description. And desire according to Webster's, in part is- An emotion or excitement of the mind, directed to the attainment or possession of an object from which pleasure, sensual, intellectual or spiritual, is expected; a passion excited by the love of an object, or uneasiness at the want of it, and directed to its attainment or possession…
An emotion or excitement of the mind. OF THE MIND. Thoughts. Lust.
We cannot know another's mind, ever. What we can know and cynical or not, what we can know is that every human being is of a carnal nature. Not one of us can escape the carnal part of ourselves. We can be born again- our Spiritual nature can be born within us carnal people. The spiritual nature that is born again within us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior can overcome the carnal nature. So, yes, it is possible for us carnal people to become spiritual, to become Christ's and have Christ's mind in us. And yes, it's possible for our thoughts to be guided by Him. However, as long as we are under our carnal nature our thoughts will be of the carnal kind. Even Paul struggled with all this-
Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Rom 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Rom 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Carnal and Spiritual.
No. We cannot know the thoughts of others. We cannot know if they are faithful, we can't be faithful ourselves, but there is ONE that is faithful above all!
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
HE is FAITHFUL that promised!
We don't have to wonder, we don't have to worry, we don't have to think about the FAITHFUL ONE ever being unfaithful. He is FAITHFUL that promised. We can hold on to that and hold on very tightly. We can HOLD FAST to our FAITH because WE DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CHRIST EVER BEING UNFAITHFUL IN ALL HE'S PROMISED. HE is our HOPE! We aren't to place our hope in any other human being, not one! Not even our family, not even our loved ones. When EVERYONE lets us down, CHRIST will NEVER let us down. CHRIST IS FAITHFUL!
Christ promises us eternal life and He is faithful. Christ does not promise us eternal happiness in this current world. Through HOPE we live with the promises of the faithful One. The FAITHFUL One. Christ is FAITHFUL. Is it any wonder we are to place all our hope, all our faith in Him and Him alone? As we live our daily lives we live it through faith in the faithful One. We can't live our lives having faith in any other. No, I'm not saying we can't hope that others around us are faithful to us, but we have to always remember they are like us, like Paul. Only Christ is truly Faithful.
We can hold fast to the profession of our faith and NOT waver knowing that Christ is faithful to all the promises He's made to us. We don't have to doubt at all, not in the least.
All glory to our Lord and Savior! All praise to our King!
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, God's Only Son! In His love, in His righteousness!
Amen.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Hold Fast!
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)
The profession of our faith, the profession of our hope- what is the profession of our faith, our hope?
Our profession is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, the Son of God crucified and raised from the dead, even now living in Heaven, even now alive for us, ministering as our High Priest before God. This is our profession, this is our faith, this is our hope-- our Savior. There is no hope in any other, there is faith in no other. We have to HOLD FAST to this profession of our faith. Holding fast meaning what? Hold tightly, possess, seize, keep in memory.
Yes, keep in memory. We most certainly cannot grasp physically our faith, our hope. We must grasp it mentally, emotionally, we must KEEP IT IN OUR MEMORY. We much HOLD FAST, we cannot forget for a single moment where all our hope, all our faith comes from. This is something we need to keep before us always- seriously! I'm not joking here! I'm not blowing hot air here, or rather I'm not writing gibberish to be ignored for lack of understanding, for lack of importance. This is very important!!!
We cannot forget our hope in our Savior- not ever!
Life is going to throw instance after instance of trials and tribulations at us and some of those trials are so minor we call them simply- everyday life and we decide we can handle these little things all on our own, we don't need any help, we don't need to get down on our knees and bother God without little upsets. WRONG! In all we do we have to have God. It's a huge mistake to EVER think that any problem we have is a small one that WE can take care of. It's dangerous to start down that road. So the faucet starts leaking in the kitchen sink, no big deal. Yes, it's irritating but easily enough fixed- the inconvenience it brings is annoying, well guess what… that annoyance, that little irritating thing will effect so much else. What starts out tiny and unassuming can grow. If we leave God out of the small things we will have a tendency to take glory to ourselves when those small things are fixed. All glory has to go to God in all things! It's ONLY through God we even live to do anything at all!
We are proud creatures and the most prideful of all creatures, Satan, will encourage that pride and if he can't get us to take glory in the big things- he will endeavor to get us to 'pat ourselves on the back' for the small things. In all we do God must never be forgotten, never! When we wake in the morning we need to pray for God to direct all our actions, for God to go before us in all things, even the smallest of things.
We must HOLD FAST the PROFESSION OF OUR FAITH. This is no idle statement. This is a powerful verse. We must forever and ever and ever in all things hold fast to our Savior, to let go of our Savior, to let go of the hope we have in our Savior, would be like a soldier dropping all his armor, all his protection, right in the middle of a raging battle. What do you think the result of that would be? If that soldier isn't instantly killed you can be assured that he will quickly be injured.
We forget so easily that we are living with our lives immersed in a spiritual battle- a raging battle where there is no retreat, no respite, no leaves. This spiritual battle rages on continuously and will continue to do so until our Savior returns to take us to heaven with Him.
Is it any wonder we are admonished to HOLD FAST WITHOUT WAVERING?! When the big picture becomes clear we can understand how much these words mean. When our eyes are truly open to see the spiritual realm we live in we know that only our Savior matters, only holding fast to our hope found in our Lord is truly important, all else is nothing.
In holding fast to our profession of faith- we will live as Jesus would have us live. We cannot waver, we cannot set down that hope for even a moment, we cannot dare to walk in this wicked spiritual realm without our Savior, we just can't. He is our protection, He is our SAVIOR- SAVING US! How stupid and how deadly it would be to step away from our Savior, from our Protector in the middle of the battle we live in. Just because we are not in the flesh in the middle of the battle field we forget we are in a battle. It's easy to forget the spiritual.
Right now, wherever you are as you read this, you are in the battle. Don't laugh, you are. No, it doesn't feel like we're in a battle, at least not for the majority of people. Why? Because they don't realize life is a real battle, just living is a real battle. Sure if you're in the midst of what we call a crisis you are more in tuned to the reality of life's battles, but if your life is at an even keel or even on an upswing, the tendency to forget the battle is great. How can we imagine we are in a war when we are laughing and having a good time? No, I'm not saying we are not to laugh or enjoy life, I’m not saying that at all, but seriously- shouldn't our laughter and enjoyment be found in the things our Savior would laugh and enjoy? If the things we laugh at and enjoy aren't the sort that our Savior can take part in what does that say about us? Yes, laughter is good- who doesn't know this verse or a version of it-
Pro 17:22 'A merry heart doeth good like a medicine…'
So, no, I’m not saying we aren't to laugh and enjoy life but we can never forget we are in a battle, a spiritual battle and in that spiritual battle unlike any conventional form of warfare we have to realize that even things that are seemingly innocuous can be deadly, even laughter, even enjoyment can lead to death, can lead us away from Christ and not to Him. The enemy of this battle will use ANY means to get us from Christ and we can't ignore that fact. We aren't just face to face with our opponent on a battlefield as we dodge bullets, we are face to face with our opponent when we are with others and a tasteless joke is made, when gossip begins, when coveting is underway, when jealousy rears up, when loud laughter at another's expense is going on - we can find our enemy in all those things and trust me on this… our enemy is everywhere wearing many disguises, calling evil good at every turn. So if the Holy Spirit convicts you even in the tiniest way that something you are involved in (even a conversation) isn't Godly then you need to remember you are in a battle and the enemy is at your door, in your face, trying to thrust a spiritual sword into your back, front, it doesn't matter to him. We need to pray for guidance when we find ourselves in those situations. We need to pray hard… remember the Christian (spiritual) armor we are to wear--after the armor is put on we are told to pray always.
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit
Spiritual armor for a very real spiritual battle. We are not just flesh, we are flesh and spirit beings too many forget the spiritual part of our existence and they look for so much to fill that part of their lives that belongs to God. Nothing can fill that spiritual void but God, however, Satan will do all he can to fill that part with false gods, false religion, false truths.
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)
Our Savior is FAITHFUL without any room for doubt. Our Savior's promises are true. We need to hold fast to our faith, to the hope we have in our faithful Savior.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord, our Savior, our God, our King, may we hold fast in Him now and forever without end, ever trusting in Him, ever loving Him.
Amen.
The profession of our faith, the profession of our hope- what is the profession of our faith, our hope?
Our profession is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, the Son of God crucified and raised from the dead, even now living in Heaven, even now alive for us, ministering as our High Priest before God. This is our profession, this is our faith, this is our hope-- our Savior. There is no hope in any other, there is faith in no other. We have to HOLD FAST to this profession of our faith. Holding fast meaning what? Hold tightly, possess, seize, keep in memory.
Yes, keep in memory. We most certainly cannot grasp physically our faith, our hope. We must grasp it mentally, emotionally, we must KEEP IT IN OUR MEMORY. We much HOLD FAST, we cannot forget for a single moment where all our hope, all our faith comes from. This is something we need to keep before us always- seriously! I'm not joking here! I'm not blowing hot air here, or rather I'm not writing gibberish to be ignored for lack of understanding, for lack of importance. This is very important!!!
We cannot forget our hope in our Savior- not ever!
Life is going to throw instance after instance of trials and tribulations at us and some of those trials are so minor we call them simply- everyday life and we decide we can handle these little things all on our own, we don't need any help, we don't need to get down on our knees and bother God without little upsets. WRONG! In all we do we have to have God. It's a huge mistake to EVER think that any problem we have is a small one that WE can take care of. It's dangerous to start down that road. So the faucet starts leaking in the kitchen sink, no big deal. Yes, it's irritating but easily enough fixed- the inconvenience it brings is annoying, well guess what… that annoyance, that little irritating thing will effect so much else. What starts out tiny and unassuming can grow. If we leave God out of the small things we will have a tendency to take glory to ourselves when those small things are fixed. All glory has to go to God in all things! It's ONLY through God we even live to do anything at all!
We are proud creatures and the most prideful of all creatures, Satan, will encourage that pride and if he can't get us to take glory in the big things- he will endeavor to get us to 'pat ourselves on the back' for the small things. In all we do God must never be forgotten, never! When we wake in the morning we need to pray for God to direct all our actions, for God to go before us in all things, even the smallest of things.
We must HOLD FAST the PROFESSION OF OUR FAITH. This is no idle statement. This is a powerful verse. We must forever and ever and ever in all things hold fast to our Savior, to let go of our Savior, to let go of the hope we have in our Savior, would be like a soldier dropping all his armor, all his protection, right in the middle of a raging battle. What do you think the result of that would be? If that soldier isn't instantly killed you can be assured that he will quickly be injured.
We forget so easily that we are living with our lives immersed in a spiritual battle- a raging battle where there is no retreat, no respite, no leaves. This spiritual battle rages on continuously and will continue to do so until our Savior returns to take us to heaven with Him.
Is it any wonder we are admonished to HOLD FAST WITHOUT WAVERING?! When the big picture becomes clear we can understand how much these words mean. When our eyes are truly open to see the spiritual realm we live in we know that only our Savior matters, only holding fast to our hope found in our Lord is truly important, all else is nothing.
In holding fast to our profession of faith- we will live as Jesus would have us live. We cannot waver, we cannot set down that hope for even a moment, we cannot dare to walk in this wicked spiritual realm without our Savior, we just can't. He is our protection, He is our SAVIOR- SAVING US! How stupid and how deadly it would be to step away from our Savior, from our Protector in the middle of the battle we live in. Just because we are not in the flesh in the middle of the battle field we forget we are in a battle. It's easy to forget the spiritual.
Right now, wherever you are as you read this, you are in the battle. Don't laugh, you are. No, it doesn't feel like we're in a battle, at least not for the majority of people. Why? Because they don't realize life is a real battle, just living is a real battle. Sure if you're in the midst of what we call a crisis you are more in tuned to the reality of life's battles, but if your life is at an even keel or even on an upswing, the tendency to forget the battle is great. How can we imagine we are in a war when we are laughing and having a good time? No, I'm not saying we are not to laugh or enjoy life, I’m not saying that at all, but seriously- shouldn't our laughter and enjoyment be found in the things our Savior would laugh and enjoy? If the things we laugh at and enjoy aren't the sort that our Savior can take part in what does that say about us? Yes, laughter is good- who doesn't know this verse or a version of it-
Pro 17:22 'A merry heart doeth good like a medicine…'
So, no, I’m not saying we aren't to laugh and enjoy life but we can never forget we are in a battle, a spiritual battle and in that spiritual battle unlike any conventional form of warfare we have to realize that even things that are seemingly innocuous can be deadly, even laughter, even enjoyment can lead to death, can lead us away from Christ and not to Him. The enemy of this battle will use ANY means to get us from Christ and we can't ignore that fact. We aren't just face to face with our opponent on a battlefield as we dodge bullets, we are face to face with our opponent when we are with others and a tasteless joke is made, when gossip begins, when coveting is underway, when jealousy rears up, when loud laughter at another's expense is going on - we can find our enemy in all those things and trust me on this… our enemy is everywhere wearing many disguises, calling evil good at every turn. So if the Holy Spirit convicts you even in the tiniest way that something you are involved in (even a conversation) isn't Godly then you need to remember you are in a battle and the enemy is at your door, in your face, trying to thrust a spiritual sword into your back, front, it doesn't matter to him. We need to pray for guidance when we find ourselves in those situations. We need to pray hard… remember the Christian (spiritual) armor we are to wear--after the armor is put on we are told to pray always.
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit
Spiritual armor for a very real spiritual battle. We are not just flesh, we are flesh and spirit beings too many forget the spiritual part of our existence and they look for so much to fill that part of their lives that belongs to God. Nothing can fill that spiritual void but God, however, Satan will do all he can to fill that part with false gods, false religion, false truths.
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)
Our Savior is FAITHFUL without any room for doubt. Our Savior's promises are true. We need to hold fast to our faith, to the hope we have in our faithful Savior.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord, our Savior, our God, our King, may we hold fast in Him now and forever without end, ever trusting in Him, ever loving Him.
Amen.
Friday, October 15, 2010
New and living way
Heb 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Heb 10:18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Where there is a remission of sin, where there is a remission of iniquities = there is NO more offering for sin. Why? Because the sins and iniquities are remembered no more. You need no offering for something that isn't remembered.
If you are lucky enough to have someone forget your trespasses against them, that person isn't going to punish you because they have forgotten you deserve punishment. How many children breathe a sigh of relief when their parents have forgotten to exact some promised punishment? Most if not all, right? Well, God will choose to remember no more our sins and iniquities if His Son's blood covers us. He understands that the price has been paid for our sins and He will remember them NO MORE. The price having been paid means NO payment is needed. We know all about paying something ahead of time, don't we? We can put $100,000,000.00 into a bank account and then electronically have it set up so that our bills are paid out of that account. For the rest of our lives (as long as we are very frugal people and live as the average middle class American *g*) we won't have to worry about paying our bills ever again. We know we have the money in that account sufficient to cover the bills- the money we put there a long time ago. We put the money in there ONCE, so we don't have to put any more money in there even though we continue to have bills. So until the bills are done away with and we can live bill free- we are covered. Christ's sacrifice for sin was sufficient to cover all the sins of those who have faith in Him, for those who believe in Him. There is NO need for any more offering for sin, the perfect offering was made. Our sins and iniquities will be remember no more- and where there is a remission- a pardon- a forgiveness- of our sins and iniquities- we need no other offering for those sins.
*******
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus
Boldness to enter into where?
Boldness to enter into the HOLIEST.
Where is the holiest? In the Heavenly Sanctuary, not into the holy play, but into the holiest place- the most holy place. We are represented by our Savior who has entered in the holiest. Because our Savior has entered into the holiest, we with boldness enter the holiest by His blood.
Before Christ's sacrifice who was allowed into the earthly most holy place once a year? Only the High Priest. We're the common people allowed into the most holy place? NO. The common people remained outside the temple in the court. Our Savior did away with the earthly sanctuary but entered the heavenly sanctuary and because we are to be one with our Savior we too can spiritually enter into the most holy place, enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
Only the arrival of the true can do away with the type. Only the arrival of the perfect can do away with the lesser, imperfect example. Christ - God's Son - sacrificed Himself for us. All the sacrifices made over the years all pointed towards the perfect sacrifice, realized in our Savior.
*******
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Heb 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God
We can boldly enter into the holiest by Jesus' blood. A new way of life was to take a place of the old way. A new and LIVING way. Christ's way- Christ's death and resurrection- the new way. The full revelation of life is found in our Savior. The new way was made holy by our Savior, by the sacrifice of His life- through His death in the flesh. Christ offered His life's blood, Christ offered His very body- His humanity- His flesh and through this most amazing of sacrifices the way to Him is forever revealed to us.
We have - PRESENT TENSE - a high priest over the house of God.
Read that again… WE HAVE - PRESENT TENSE - A HIGH PRIEST OVER THE HOUSE OF GOD.
A high priest.
We serve and dedicate our lives to our high priest.
If we put that on a different level- if I say there are people who worship the earthly elements and they've elected a high priest and to that high priest they dedicate their lives promising to serve him- it sounds all wrong, doesn't it? We ARE NOT to serve any earthly high priest! However, you could picture that scenario couldn't you? A group of people surrounding a man possibly dressed in high priestly attire, bowing down to that man, worshipping that man, venerating that man. It became instantly more real because we put an earthly common man into the role, and we put a group of fictitious people that we aren't a part of, around that man. We quickly believe those *followers* of that earthly high priest are duped, they're a bunch of suckers, they're people easily swayed and easily deceived. Yet we can imagine the reality of the situation, can't we?
Now, we have to ask ourselves can we picture as a reality, Jesus as our heavenly high priest? Can we picture ourselves in all reality bowing down to Him? Can we picture ourselves worshipping our High Priest? We need to, we really do need to. Christ has to be a REALITY to us. We have to be willing to get down on our knees before our Savior. We have to be willing to defer to Him in all things. This has to be a reality to us. Too many of us are too proud. Too many of us don't want to think about the reality, but would rather keep our Savior out of reach of our reality, leaving Him in heaven and giving Him a mythical existence. He's not a myth!!! My Savior is real! My Savior is living! My Savior, my High Priest is in heaven right now and I am told this...
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Heb 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
We are to DRAW NEAR with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
Our hearts are to be sprinkled from an evil conscience.
Our bodies are to be washed with pure water.
Our hearts sprinkled clean from evil.
Our flesh washed with pure water.
Only Christ's blood, only our Savior's sacrifice, only our High Priest can sprinkle our hearts free from an evil conscience and wash our flesh with pure water. By His grace! By His mercy! Let us boldly enter into the most holy place and come before our High Priest who alone can forgive us and cleanse us free of all sin!
In His amazing love!
Amen.
Heb 10:18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Where there is a remission of sin, where there is a remission of iniquities = there is NO more offering for sin. Why? Because the sins and iniquities are remembered no more. You need no offering for something that isn't remembered.
If you are lucky enough to have someone forget your trespasses against them, that person isn't going to punish you because they have forgotten you deserve punishment. How many children breathe a sigh of relief when their parents have forgotten to exact some promised punishment? Most if not all, right? Well, God will choose to remember no more our sins and iniquities if His Son's blood covers us. He understands that the price has been paid for our sins and He will remember them NO MORE. The price having been paid means NO payment is needed. We know all about paying something ahead of time, don't we? We can put $100,000,000.00 into a bank account and then electronically have it set up so that our bills are paid out of that account. For the rest of our lives (as long as we are very frugal people and live as the average middle class American *g*) we won't have to worry about paying our bills ever again. We know we have the money in that account sufficient to cover the bills- the money we put there a long time ago. We put the money in there ONCE, so we don't have to put any more money in there even though we continue to have bills. So until the bills are done away with and we can live bill free- we are covered. Christ's sacrifice for sin was sufficient to cover all the sins of those who have faith in Him, for those who believe in Him. There is NO need for any more offering for sin, the perfect offering was made. Our sins and iniquities will be remember no more- and where there is a remission- a pardon- a forgiveness- of our sins and iniquities- we need no other offering for those sins.
*******
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus
Boldness to enter into where?
Boldness to enter into the HOLIEST.
Where is the holiest? In the Heavenly Sanctuary, not into the holy play, but into the holiest place- the most holy place. We are represented by our Savior who has entered in the holiest. Because our Savior has entered into the holiest, we with boldness enter the holiest by His blood.
Before Christ's sacrifice who was allowed into the earthly most holy place once a year? Only the High Priest. We're the common people allowed into the most holy place? NO. The common people remained outside the temple in the court. Our Savior did away with the earthly sanctuary but entered the heavenly sanctuary and because we are to be one with our Savior we too can spiritually enter into the most holy place, enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
Only the arrival of the true can do away with the type. Only the arrival of the perfect can do away with the lesser, imperfect example. Christ - God's Son - sacrificed Himself for us. All the sacrifices made over the years all pointed towards the perfect sacrifice, realized in our Savior.
*******
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Heb 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God
We can boldly enter into the holiest by Jesus' blood. A new way of life was to take a place of the old way. A new and LIVING way. Christ's way- Christ's death and resurrection- the new way. The full revelation of life is found in our Savior. The new way was made holy by our Savior, by the sacrifice of His life- through His death in the flesh. Christ offered His life's blood, Christ offered His very body- His humanity- His flesh and through this most amazing of sacrifices the way to Him is forever revealed to us.
We have - PRESENT TENSE - a high priest over the house of God.
Read that again… WE HAVE - PRESENT TENSE - A HIGH PRIEST OVER THE HOUSE OF GOD.
A high priest.
We serve and dedicate our lives to our high priest.
If we put that on a different level- if I say there are people who worship the earthly elements and they've elected a high priest and to that high priest they dedicate their lives promising to serve him- it sounds all wrong, doesn't it? We ARE NOT to serve any earthly high priest! However, you could picture that scenario couldn't you? A group of people surrounding a man possibly dressed in high priestly attire, bowing down to that man, worshipping that man, venerating that man. It became instantly more real because we put an earthly common man into the role, and we put a group of fictitious people that we aren't a part of, around that man. We quickly believe those *followers* of that earthly high priest are duped, they're a bunch of suckers, they're people easily swayed and easily deceived. Yet we can imagine the reality of the situation, can't we?
Now, we have to ask ourselves can we picture as a reality, Jesus as our heavenly high priest? Can we picture ourselves in all reality bowing down to Him? Can we picture ourselves worshipping our High Priest? We need to, we really do need to. Christ has to be a REALITY to us. We have to be willing to get down on our knees before our Savior. We have to be willing to defer to Him in all things. This has to be a reality to us. Too many of us are too proud. Too many of us don't want to think about the reality, but would rather keep our Savior out of reach of our reality, leaving Him in heaven and giving Him a mythical existence. He's not a myth!!! My Savior is real! My Savior is living! My Savior, my High Priest is in heaven right now and I am told this...
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Heb 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
We are to DRAW NEAR with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
Our hearts are to be sprinkled from an evil conscience.
Our bodies are to be washed with pure water.
Our hearts sprinkled clean from evil.
Our flesh washed with pure water.
Only Christ's blood, only our Savior's sacrifice, only our High Priest can sprinkle our hearts free from an evil conscience and wash our flesh with pure water. By His grace! By His mercy! Let us boldly enter into the most holy place and come before our High Priest who alone can forgive us and cleanse us free of all sin!
In His amazing love!
Amen.
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