Col.
{1:8} Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
Your love in the Spirit. Love in the Spirit. What does it mean to have love in the Spirit? What is- in the Spirit? There are a lot of verses in the Bible on this so lets take a look at a few.
Luke {1:13} But the angel said unto him, Fear not,
Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth
shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
{1:14} And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many
shall rejoice at his birth. {1:15} For he shall be great in the
sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong
drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from
his mother’s womb. {1:16} And many of the children of
Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. {1:17} And he
shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn
the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient
to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared
for the Lord.
* John the Baptist- filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb. Filled with the Spirit- able to turn many to the Lord their God. In the spirit and power of the prophet Elias, John would would turn the hearts of the father to their children, the bad to the wisdom of good, preparing a people for the Lord. We all know that John the Baptist preached prior to Christ's undertaking His own ministry. That John the Baptist, baptized many turning their thoughts to God- preparing them for Jesus. The Holy Spirit filled John. John lived in the Spirit from the womb. We look at John's life- he lived in the wilderness, he ate locust, honey, and never touched wine or strong drink. His life was hardly desireable to anyone. He lived a strange life totally selfless not seeking his own pleasures at all. His life was devoted to preaching, witnessing for God. To say He was unique wouldn't be far off the mark. There weren't tons of *wild men* in the desert preaching, or down at the river baptizing. John made a name for himself as a prophet heralding the Messiah- it wasn't John's fault people rejected the Messiah when He came- or rather most did. John did all He could do in the Spirit.
John {11:33} When Jesus therefore saw her
weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her,
he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, {11:34} And
said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord,
come and see. {11:35} Jesus wept.
*Jesus groaned in the spirit and was trouble. In this instance it's very probably that the spirit here (and I don't know ancient languages so I'm not sure) but, it's very probable it means spirit the same way we do when we feel down in the dumps, our spirits are low. Jesus was upset, he was troubled by the grief all around him. Jesus wept. So to say his spirit was heavy would mean he was filled with emotional pain.
Acts {18:5} And when
Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was
pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews [that] Jesus
[was] Christ.
*Pressed in the spirit- convicted to testify to the Jews- Jesus Christ. The spirit convicts us to act, it presses us to respond, guiding us to do what needs to be done, if we listen to the spirit. How often do we push away spirit convictions? Too often we silence the very one we want to guide us. We all need to be pressed in the spirit and as Paul, we need to listen, to testify of Jesus Christ.
Acts. {18:25} This man was instructed in the
way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake
and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only
the baptism of John.
*Being fervent in the spirit- teaching diligently the things of the Lord. The spirit speaks we need to yield, to listen, to obey.
Ro. {2:29} But he
[is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that]
of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose
praise [is] not of men, but of God.
*A Jew in spirit, whose heart is cirucmsized, whose praise comes from God. Being a Jew in spirit is being a child of God's even if it's not so in blood, in heredity. Jew in spirit.
Ro. {8:9}
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. {8:10} And if Christ [be]
in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is]
life because of righteousness. {8:11} But if the Spirit of him
that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your
mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
*Praise God! We can have the Spirit of HIM that raised Jesus from the dead, in us! The Spirit is righteousness, not us, the Spirit in us- Christ in us. Our mortal bodies will be quicken by his Spirit in us. We can't be of the flesh of just ourselves and hope for life eternal. We have to have the Spirit in us, the Spirit of *God* in us it is the only way we can have hope at all, the only way.
Gal. {3:3} Are
ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made
perfect by the flesh? {3:4} Have ye suffered so many things
in vain? if [it be] yet in vain. {3:5} He therefore that
ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among
you, [doeth he it] by the works of the law, or by the hearing
of faith? {3:6} Even as Abraham believed God, and it was
accounted to him for righteousness.
*The only way we are made perfect is in the Spirit, never of ourselves, never. If we accept Jesus Christ as our Sacrifice it is done in Spirit- there is no physical, fleshy act involved, it is a Spirit act. A Spiritual transaction, the part in us that relates to God joins with the Holy Spirit. We are transformed by the Spirit, not the flesh. Faith, as Abraham had we have to have, faith that is by the Spirit of God. Faith and the Spirit are together, not flesh and the Spirit.
Gal. {5:16} [This] I say
then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the
flesh. {5:17} For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the
other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
The flesh lusts against the Spirit, the Spirit against the flesh. The flesh and the spirit are contrary to one another- contrary.
{5:18}
But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
{5:19} Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are
[these;] Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
{5:20} Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, {5:21} Envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell
you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they
which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
*Flesh. Works of the flesh, no wonder they're contrary to the Spirit. All that brings out the worst in people is contrary to the Spirit.
{5:22} But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, {5:23}
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
*Spirit. Works of the Spirit- Fruits of the Spirit are so different than those of the flesh.
{5:24}
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts. {5:25} If we live in the Spirit, let us
also walk in the Spirit. {5:26} Let us not be desirous of vain
glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
*Crucified the flesh.
Live in the Spirit.
Walk in the Spirit.
*It is clear we need to crucify the flesh- the works of the flesh that rise up in us. We need to focus on the Spirit, live in the Spirit. If we live in something, if we walk a certain walk of life it is part of us, part of who we are, who we wish to be. We can't encourage works of the flesh and hope to live in the Spirit, they are contrary to one another, they fight against each other. When you crucify something it's not easy, the very act of mortifying, subduing the flesh entails a struggle, an action that requires hardship. Crucifying our fleshy nature isn't easy, but it is possible in Christ, through Christ, with the Holy Spirit indwelling in us.
Gal. {6:1} Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which
are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness;
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted
Eph. {4:22} That ye put
off concerning the former conversation the old man, which
is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; {4:23} And be
renewed in the spirit of your mind
Eph. {6:18} Praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for all saints
Phil. {3:3} For we are the circumcision, which
worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and
have no confidence in the flesh.
Col. {2:5} For though I
be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying
and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith
in Christ.
1 Tim. {3:16} And
without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God
was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of
angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world,
received up into glory.
1 Pet. {4:6} For for
this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are
dead, that they might be judged according to men in the
flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
*Live according to God in the spirit.
May God help us as we seek to live in the spirit and not in the flesh, as we choose to accept Christ and His ways and not our own. May the Holy Spirit come into us guiding us making it possible through faith to be Christ's now and forever. By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior, now and forever.
Amen.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
For the healing
Rev. {22:1} And he shewed me a pure river of water of life,
clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of
the Lamb. {22:2} In the midst of the street of it, and on
either side of the river, [was there] the tree of life, which
bare twelve [manner] of fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every
month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of
the nations.
*******
The kingdom of God.
A pure river of water of life clear as crystal proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Tree of life bare twelve manner of fruits, yielded her fruit every month.
The leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations.
Do you need healing? I know I need healing. There are so many manners of sickness in us- physical, mental, emotional. So many sicknesses. We need healing. A world heavy laden with sin needs to be healed. When Christ comes and we are raised to meet Him in the air we are changed. We don't know how we are changed but we are. And we are to heal. The leaves of the tree of life are for the healing. It's ludicrous to think that our minds are changed in the sense we aren't who we are. What point would their be in being who we are if we are no longer that core being that we are? The us without the sin corrupting us. Who are we without that? Do we even know? We get glimpses of what we can be when we look at Christ's life. No. We'll never be Christ, never be God, we'll always be the created and they the creators and that alone will forever be true sin or no sin. Christ took on humanity, our humanity and by looking to Him and His life we are given that glimpse of what life is without sin, without the corruption. We are given a hint of the love that God possesses, that He possessed as we were created in the likeness of God, creatures made of love by love, for love. When we are raised from the dead or from life into incorruption and when we are changed taking on immortality, we keep part of ourselves that is yielded to God. We keep part of ourselves that Christ makes new within us.
May this mystery of life be revealed in God's time to us and may we be ready when Christ comes so that we may enjoy the kingdom of God He came and preached to us, that He died to give to us.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus, now and forever.
Amen.
clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of
the Lamb. {22:2} In the midst of the street of it, and on
either side of the river, [was there] the tree of life, which
bare twelve [manner] of fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every
month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of
the nations.
*******
The kingdom of God.
A pure river of water of life clear as crystal proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Tree of life bare twelve manner of fruits, yielded her fruit every month.
The leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations.
Do you need healing? I know I need healing. There are so many manners of sickness in us- physical, mental, emotional. So many sicknesses. We need healing. A world heavy laden with sin needs to be healed. When Christ comes and we are raised to meet Him in the air we are changed. We don't know how we are changed but we are. And we are to heal. The leaves of the tree of life are for the healing. It's ludicrous to think that our minds are changed in the sense we aren't who we are. What point would their be in being who we are if we are no longer that core being that we are? The us without the sin corrupting us. Who are we without that? Do we even know? We get glimpses of what we can be when we look at Christ's life. No. We'll never be Christ, never be God, we'll always be the created and they the creators and that alone will forever be true sin or no sin. Christ took on humanity, our humanity and by looking to Him and His life we are given that glimpse of what life is without sin, without the corruption. We are given a hint of the love that God possesses, that He possessed as we were created in the likeness of God, creatures made of love by love, for love. When we are raised from the dead or from life into incorruption and when we are changed taking on immortality, we keep part of ourselves that is yielded to God. We keep part of ourselves that Christ makes new within us.
May this mystery of life be revealed in God's time to us and may we be ready when Christ comes so that we may enjoy the kingdom of God He came and preached to us, that He died to give to us.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus, now and forever.
Amen.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
If the will of God be so... we suffer.
1 Pet. {3:17} For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
If the will of God be so.
All is done by the will of God. The good, the bad, the happiness, the suffering it is allowed by God there is no getting away from that. Allowed but not orginating from God. Sin orginated with Satan. Some might argue that God created all things so He had to have created sin too. Any parent that creates a child and raises them and the child goes on to be something totally unexpected- a monster of sorts, a criminal- is it automatically the parents fault that the child has gone wrong? No. Yes, when God created something called free will He allowed for the possibility of good or evil. If God had created free will without any possibility of there being a choice, is it truly free will? If a person is only given one road to walk on do they have a choice of walking any other?
The will of God wasn't to live in a world where He ruled without other beings allowed a choice. Angels were given that free will. We have no clue how long angels lived without sinning, none. What we do know is an angel finally chose not to love and trust in God.
There are mysteries we can't possibly understand and some would say because they can't understand everything, the whole deal is a huge fable. Some don't want to live by faith and that is their choice they are free to make.
If the will of God be so.
The will of God. We live by the will of God. We were created by the will of God. Some call God a monster for His will. They scream that God shouldn't allow this or that, yet the minds that are scream it do not know that end from the beginning as God does.
If the will of God be so that you suffer for well doing it's better than suffering for evil doing.
Some are called to suffer even though they do no wrong, they harm no one, they are good and they suffer for it. How much better is it for us to suffer for good? Much, much better.
Suffer for good.
If the will of God be so... we suffer.
Ultimately it is the will of God that we be His, but only we can make that choice. He offers us everything, but before everything we may be called to suffer. Jesus suffered.
1 Pet. {3:14} But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy [are ye:] and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; {3:15} But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope
that is in you with meekness and fear.
Suffer for righteousness' sake - happy are ye.
We don't have to understand, we want to be we don't have to.
May the will of God be done now and forever and may we all suffer for good, suffer for righteousness sake, suffer in faith knowing that any suffering now is nothing compared to the promises given us. Easy to say, yes, very easy. May God bless us and keep us in Him no matter what.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Amen.
If the will of God be so.
All is done by the will of God. The good, the bad, the happiness, the suffering it is allowed by God there is no getting away from that. Allowed but not orginating from God. Sin orginated with Satan. Some might argue that God created all things so He had to have created sin too. Any parent that creates a child and raises them and the child goes on to be something totally unexpected- a monster of sorts, a criminal- is it automatically the parents fault that the child has gone wrong? No. Yes, when God created something called free will He allowed for the possibility of good or evil. If God had created free will without any possibility of there being a choice, is it truly free will? If a person is only given one road to walk on do they have a choice of walking any other?
The will of God wasn't to live in a world where He ruled without other beings allowed a choice. Angels were given that free will. We have no clue how long angels lived without sinning, none. What we do know is an angel finally chose not to love and trust in God.
There are mysteries we can't possibly understand and some would say because they can't understand everything, the whole deal is a huge fable. Some don't want to live by faith and that is their choice they are free to make.
If the will of God be so.
The will of God. We live by the will of God. We were created by the will of God. Some call God a monster for His will. They scream that God shouldn't allow this or that, yet the minds that are scream it do not know that end from the beginning as God does.
If the will of God be so that you suffer for well doing it's better than suffering for evil doing.
Some are called to suffer even though they do no wrong, they harm no one, they are good and they suffer for it. How much better is it for us to suffer for good? Much, much better.
Suffer for good.
If the will of God be so... we suffer.
Ultimately it is the will of God that we be His, but only we can make that choice. He offers us everything, but before everything we may be called to suffer. Jesus suffered.
1 Pet. {3:14} But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy [are ye:] and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; {3:15} But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope
that is in you with meekness and fear.
Suffer for righteousness' sake - happy are ye.
We don't have to understand, we want to be we don't have to.
May the will of God be done now and forever and may we all suffer for good, suffer for righteousness sake, suffer in faith knowing that any suffering now is nothing compared to the promises given us. Easy to say, yes, very easy. May God bless us and keep us in Him no matter what.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Amen.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Keys to the Kingdom
Matthew
{16:13} When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea
Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say
that I the Son of man am?
{16:14} And they said, Some
[say that thou art] John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others,
Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
{16:15} He saith unto
them, But whom say ye that I am?
{16:16} And Simon
Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God.
Jesus talking with His disciples wanted to know who they thought He was and Simon spoke up first revealing that he didn't think Jesus was a prophet, he wasn't Eliah, or Jeremiah, or even John the Baptist- but He was the Son of God! The Christ!
How pleased Jesus was to hear those words. His disciple knew and believed the truth of who He was. He told Simon he was blessed because no man had revealed the truth to him but God Himself, the Heavenly Father revealed the Sonship of Jesus.
{16:17} And Jesus answered and said unto him,
Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath
not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in
heaven.
Next Jesus points something very important out to Peter, emphasizing that Peter was himself just as if we were talking to a friend and wanted to make a pointed distinction- You are you and I am this...
Some don't believe that's true they'd rather believe that Jesus was telling Peter that he was extra special but in truth hadn't Jesus already told the disciples the greatest is the least? Jesus wasn't about to set up a pecking order it wasn't how He worked.
{16:18} And I say also unto thee, That thou art
Peter.
And upon this rock...
Who is the rock? What does the Bible tell us?
1 Cor. {10:4} And did all drink the
same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock
that followed them: and that Rock was Christ
Ps. {89:26} He shall cry unto me, Thou [art] my father, my God, and the
rock of my salvation.
Ps. {78:35} And they remembered that God [was] their rock, and the high God
their redeemer
Ps. {62:7} In God [is] my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength,
[and] my refuge, [is] in God.
2 Sam. {23:3} The God of Israel
said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over
men [must be] just, ruling in the fear of God
2 Sam. {22:32} For who [is] God, save the LORD? and who
[is] a rock, save our God? {22:33} God [is] my strength
[and] power: and he maketh my way perfect.
2 Sam. {22:3} The God of my rock; in
him will I trust: [he is] my shield, and the horn of my
salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou
savest me from violence.
1 Sam. {2:2} [There is] none holy as the LORD: for
[there is] none beside thee: neither [is there] any rock like
our God.
Deut. {32:15} But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art
waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered [with
fatness;] then he forsook God [which] made him, and lightly
esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
Deut. {32:3} Because I will publish the name of the LORD:
ascribe ye greatness unto our God. {32:4} [He is] the Rock,
his work [is] perfect: for all his ways [are] judgment: a God
of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] he.
Is there any doubt at all who the Rock is? It isn't Peter, he isn't the bringer of Salvation, he isn't perfect, he isn't God. Jesus was talking of Himself- the Rock of Salvation. Upon that Rock Jesus was going to build His Church- His people and the gates of hell, the gates of the grave, the gates of death would not be able to prevail again Jesus the One who defeated the grave and death.
{16:18}...I will build my church; and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
{16:19} And I will
give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and
whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven.
Jesus would give unto manking the keys to the kingdom of heaven. He didn't hand over a set of keys to Peter, these were figurative keys- like I have the key to solving that riddle, does that mean I have a physical key or rather the knowledge which is the key to solve the puzzle? Just as having the keys of the kingdom is having the knowledge of heaven. Those keys are simple really- Jesus says whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven- meaning what? Meaning that the keys to heaven are the keys to salvation and those who understand, those who have the knowledge of salvation and are either freed by it or bound up by it. Freed in Christ or bound up in death.
It's true, salvation is offered to all but not all will accept it and those who don't accept the salvation offered will be bound by their decision, just as those who do accept salvation will be freed by their decision, free from death and given life everlasting in Christ who alone gives us that freedom. Whether bound or free here on earth it will be so in heaven as well. You can't be bound up in death not accepting salvation on earth and be saved in heaven- it doesn't work that way. Many believe it does work just like that. They believe that anyone and everyone upon death suddenly deserve to live on in heaven, that death itself absolves them of any and all sin. I'm not saying all believe that, there are those who aren't particularly fond of a person that might wish them to burn in hell, but even then they have the smallest doubt that maybe in that mysterious life that is supposed to exist after death the person somehow squeaked by and might just be in heaven. Of course we know through our exhaustive study on death that death is a sleep until Christ returns to raise the dead in Him to life. No one goes immediately to heaven or are burned up in a hell. Still upon a persons death people hope for one outcome or another for the dead person- may they rest in heaven or in hell, may they be saved or not saved. Salvation is something a person acquires before death not upon death or after death. Bound or loosed on earth, unsaved or saved on earth-- the same it will be in heaven. Truly the keys to heaven are in Christ through the salvation He offers to each of us, the keys are given to us to use or not use.
May God bless and keep us in Him through the love and mercy of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, the author of Salvation for all of us, the Rock, the One who gives us the keys to the kingdom in Him, through His righteousness.
Amen.
{16:13} When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea
Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say
that I the Son of man am?
{16:14} And they said, Some
[say that thou art] John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others,
Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
{16:15} He saith unto
them, But whom say ye that I am?
{16:16} And Simon
Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God.
Jesus talking with His disciples wanted to know who they thought He was and Simon spoke up first revealing that he didn't think Jesus was a prophet, he wasn't Eliah, or Jeremiah, or even John the Baptist- but He was the Son of God! The Christ!
How pleased Jesus was to hear those words. His disciple knew and believed the truth of who He was. He told Simon he was blessed because no man had revealed the truth to him but God Himself, the Heavenly Father revealed the Sonship of Jesus.
{16:17} And Jesus answered and said unto him,
Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath
not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in
heaven.
Next Jesus points something very important out to Peter, emphasizing that Peter was himself just as if we were talking to a friend and wanted to make a pointed distinction- You are you and I am this...
Some don't believe that's true they'd rather believe that Jesus was telling Peter that he was extra special but in truth hadn't Jesus already told the disciples the greatest is the least? Jesus wasn't about to set up a pecking order it wasn't how He worked.
{16:18} And I say also unto thee, That thou art
Peter.
And upon this rock...
Who is the rock? What does the Bible tell us?
1 Cor. {10:4} And did all drink the
same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock
that followed them: and that Rock was Christ
Ps. {89:26} He shall cry unto me, Thou [art] my father, my God, and the
rock of my salvation.
Ps. {78:35} And they remembered that God [was] their rock, and the high God
their redeemer
Ps. {62:7} In God [is] my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength,
[and] my refuge, [is] in God.
2 Sam. {23:3} The God of Israel
said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over
men [must be] just, ruling in the fear of God
2 Sam. {22:32} For who [is] God, save the LORD? and who
[is] a rock, save our God? {22:33} God [is] my strength
[and] power: and he maketh my way perfect.
2 Sam. {22:3} The God of my rock; in
him will I trust: [he is] my shield, and the horn of my
salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou
savest me from violence.
1 Sam. {2:2} [There is] none holy as the LORD: for
[there is] none beside thee: neither [is there] any rock like
our God.
Deut. {32:15} But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art
waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered [with
fatness;] then he forsook God [which] made him, and lightly
esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
Deut. {32:3} Because I will publish the name of the LORD:
ascribe ye greatness unto our God. {32:4} [He is] the Rock,
his work [is] perfect: for all his ways [are] judgment: a God
of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] he.
Is there any doubt at all who the Rock is? It isn't Peter, he isn't the bringer of Salvation, he isn't perfect, he isn't God. Jesus was talking of Himself- the Rock of Salvation. Upon that Rock Jesus was going to build His Church- His people and the gates of hell, the gates of the grave, the gates of death would not be able to prevail again Jesus the One who defeated the grave and death.
{16:18}...I will build my church; and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
{16:19} And I will
give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and
whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven.
Jesus would give unto manking the keys to the kingdom of heaven. He didn't hand over a set of keys to Peter, these were figurative keys- like I have the key to solving that riddle, does that mean I have a physical key or rather the knowledge which is the key to solve the puzzle? Just as having the keys of the kingdom is having the knowledge of heaven. Those keys are simple really- Jesus says whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven- meaning what? Meaning that the keys to heaven are the keys to salvation and those who understand, those who have the knowledge of salvation and are either freed by it or bound up by it. Freed in Christ or bound up in death.
It's true, salvation is offered to all but not all will accept it and those who don't accept the salvation offered will be bound by their decision, just as those who do accept salvation will be freed by their decision, free from death and given life everlasting in Christ who alone gives us that freedom. Whether bound or free here on earth it will be so in heaven as well. You can't be bound up in death not accepting salvation on earth and be saved in heaven- it doesn't work that way. Many believe it does work just like that. They believe that anyone and everyone upon death suddenly deserve to live on in heaven, that death itself absolves them of any and all sin. I'm not saying all believe that, there are those who aren't particularly fond of a person that might wish them to burn in hell, but even then they have the smallest doubt that maybe in that mysterious life that is supposed to exist after death the person somehow squeaked by and might just be in heaven. Of course we know through our exhaustive study on death that death is a sleep until Christ returns to raise the dead in Him to life. No one goes immediately to heaven or are burned up in a hell. Still upon a persons death people hope for one outcome or another for the dead person- may they rest in heaven or in hell, may they be saved or not saved. Salvation is something a person acquires before death not upon death or after death. Bound or loosed on earth, unsaved or saved on earth-- the same it will be in heaven. Truly the keys to heaven are in Christ through the salvation He offers to each of us, the keys are given to us to use or not use.
May God bless and keep us in Him through the love and mercy of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, the author of Salvation for all of us, the Rock, the One who gives us the keys to the kingdom in Him, through His righteousness.
Amen.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Appointed to death.
Matt. {6:25} Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought
for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor
yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more
than meat, and the body than raiment?
Is not life more than meat? So much of our lives are spent around eating, around food. How do you tell a starving person that life is more than meat, more than eating? Is it true that many die of starvation- even among those who believe in God and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior? It is true. We say this verse as if God will take care of all our physical needs and we shouldn't think about our life and eating, drinking, and clothing. Is it true that sometimes we do go very hungry, very thirsty and wear threadbare clothing? Yes, it's true and some might like to point out that God is going back on this promise when those needs aren't met, seriously, when they aren't met and I'm not talking you want a feast and are only given grain, I'm talking when there is no feast and no grain to be had, when there is nothing. In truth if we answer this question we have the answer to a lot of things.
Is not the life more than meat?
Is not life more than living?
Wait! That's a strange thing to say. Is not life more than living? Some would jump up and say sure- it's dying but then there is no life in death unless of course you're one of the million, billions who are fooled into believing there is immediate access to another plane of conscious life upon death- a white light to drift off into.
There is life in death and not the life many believe. Jesus died so that we may live eternally and when we die we sleep in that promise of life eternal in a world He is preparing for us. Life in death is by faith in God's promises. In this world we will be persecuted and we will be put to death, again this isn't any sort of reality to those of us living in the US but it is reality to those living in countries that are putting Christians to death. If we choose to have *things*, if we choose to have life here and now rather than choosing Christ and submitting ourselves to death if need be then we forfeit life eternal. If we choose a life that is wrapped up in the *things* of life we leave no room for God. Things become our obsessions and we believe that we can't live without things. Sure, we believe we can live without the unseen God but not that steak in front of us. Or even more harder for those truly starving- can they make that choice between a bit of bread and God, are they called to do so? Is it cruel that they would be?
People want to paint the picture of God as cruel and mean, nasty, and sadistic, they forget that He isn't the author of lies, of that pain in the world. Once again if we point the finger at Satan we are told God allows Satan to reign here on earth so ultimately it is a cruel God that allows. That's the very small picture of life, not the bigger picture that includes life eternal in Christ.
This is an apostle talking here--
1 Cor. {4:9} For I think
that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were
appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the
world, and to angels, and to men.
Appointed to death.
Made a spectacle unto the WORLD, and to ANGELS, and to MEN.
A spectacle why? Because no man is greater than Christ who was innocent and died for our sins. No man. Jesus even said that the greatest is the least, that we should be servants. He shed His pure Spiritual existence and set aside the powers that could have spared Him from suffering and death and instead took on the human flesh that could feel, that could suffer, that could die and He did so when He didn't have to because He loves us.
We might have to suffer and suffer terribly in ways we can never imagine. We might be tempted to blame God for allowing the suffering, but may the Holy Spirit strength us, comfort us, and keep us in Christ knowing that no matter the suffering there is a world beyond this one and it is promised to those who believe in Jesus and His love, accepting His amazing sacrifice, accepting it is Christ's righteousness not any of our own.
In Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, by His grace and mercy now and forever!
Amen.
for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor
yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more
than meat, and the body than raiment?
Is not life more than meat? So much of our lives are spent around eating, around food. How do you tell a starving person that life is more than meat, more than eating? Is it true that many die of starvation- even among those who believe in God and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior? It is true. We say this verse as if God will take care of all our physical needs and we shouldn't think about our life and eating, drinking, and clothing. Is it true that sometimes we do go very hungry, very thirsty and wear threadbare clothing? Yes, it's true and some might like to point out that God is going back on this promise when those needs aren't met, seriously, when they aren't met and I'm not talking you want a feast and are only given grain, I'm talking when there is no feast and no grain to be had, when there is nothing. In truth if we answer this question we have the answer to a lot of things.
Is not the life more than meat?
Is not life more than living?
Wait! That's a strange thing to say. Is not life more than living? Some would jump up and say sure- it's dying but then there is no life in death unless of course you're one of the million, billions who are fooled into believing there is immediate access to another plane of conscious life upon death- a white light to drift off into.
There is life in death and not the life many believe. Jesus died so that we may live eternally and when we die we sleep in that promise of life eternal in a world He is preparing for us. Life in death is by faith in God's promises. In this world we will be persecuted and we will be put to death, again this isn't any sort of reality to those of us living in the US but it is reality to those living in countries that are putting Christians to death. If we choose to have *things*, if we choose to have life here and now rather than choosing Christ and submitting ourselves to death if need be then we forfeit life eternal. If we choose a life that is wrapped up in the *things* of life we leave no room for God. Things become our obsessions and we believe that we can't live without things. Sure, we believe we can live without the unseen God but not that steak in front of us. Or even more harder for those truly starving- can they make that choice between a bit of bread and God, are they called to do so? Is it cruel that they would be?
People want to paint the picture of God as cruel and mean, nasty, and sadistic, they forget that He isn't the author of lies, of that pain in the world. Once again if we point the finger at Satan we are told God allows Satan to reign here on earth so ultimately it is a cruel God that allows. That's the very small picture of life, not the bigger picture that includes life eternal in Christ.
This is an apostle talking here--
1 Cor. {4:9} For I think
that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were
appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the
world, and to angels, and to men.
Appointed to death.
Made a spectacle unto the WORLD, and to ANGELS, and to MEN.
A spectacle why? Because no man is greater than Christ who was innocent and died for our sins. No man. Jesus even said that the greatest is the least, that we should be servants. He shed His pure Spiritual existence and set aside the powers that could have spared Him from suffering and death and instead took on the human flesh that could feel, that could suffer, that could die and He did so when He didn't have to because He loves us.
We might have to suffer and suffer terribly in ways we can never imagine. We might be tempted to blame God for allowing the suffering, but may the Holy Spirit strength us, comfort us, and keep us in Christ knowing that no matter the suffering there is a world beyond this one and it is promised to those who believe in Jesus and His love, accepting His amazing sacrifice, accepting it is Christ's righteousness not any of our own.
In Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, by His grace and mercy now and forever!
Amen.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
If God is not first in our lives then where is He?
Deut. {32:15} But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered [with fatness;] then he forsook God [which] made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
Growing fat means what? That you have plenty, in fact that you have more than enough to eat. You are overeating right? To grow fat you have limited activity and excess intake of food- barring any medical conditions and let's suffice it to say that Jeshurun didn't have a medical condition. Jeshurun was being gluttonous, he was grown thick, covered in fat and... to top it all off, he forsook God which made him! He lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation!
How many of us forsake God and lightly esteem the Rock of our salvation? How many of us grow satisfied with what we have, with the things we've acquired, how many of us are happy with our lives and the excesses in them and we seek the excesses rather than God? We grow fat with our own desires, our own wants, our own pleasures and we forsake God for them. Denying ourselves is something shunned as being a good work and God forbid we try to do good works thinking they'll save us. Good works will never save us, never. But not denying ourselves, not taking up our cross, not living for Christ, as Christ, not living for God we are forsaking Him. We console our consciences by saying God would want us to be happy. God would understand. And yes, God understands He really does and He knows when our hearts are caught up in ourselves rather than in Him, He knows us better than we know ourselves.
Do we want to forsake God, to lightly esteem the Rock of our salvation? What is the end of that?
Deut.
{32:16} They provoked him to jealousy with strange [gods,] with abominations provoked they him to anger. {32:17} They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new [gods that] came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. {32:18} Of the Rock [that] begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. {32:19} And when the LORD saw [it,] he abhorred [them,] because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. {32:20} And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end [shall be:] for they [are] a very froward generation, children in whom [is] no faith. {32:21} They have moved me to jealousy with [that which is] not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with [those which are] not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. {32:22} For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. {32:23} I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them. {32:24} [They shall be] burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. {32:25} The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling [also] with the man of gray hairs. {32:26} I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men: {32:27} Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, [and] lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this. {32:28} For they [are] a nation void of counsel, neither [is there any] understanding in them. {32:29} O that they were wise, [that] they understood this, [that] they would consider their latter end! {32:30} How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up? {32:31} For their rock [is] not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves [being] judges. {32:32} For their vine [is] of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes [are] grapes of gall, their clusters [are] bitter: {32:33} Their wine [is] the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. {32:34} [Is] not this laid up in store with me, [and] sealed up among my treasures? {32:35} To me [belongeth] vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in [due] time: for the day of their calamity [is] at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. {32:36} For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that [their] power is gone, and [there is] none shut up, or left. {32:37} And he shall say, Where [are] their gods, [their] rock in whom they trusted, {32:38} Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, [and] drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, [and] be your protection. {32:39} See now that I, [even] I, [am] he, and [there is] no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither [is there any] that can deliver out of my hand. {32:40} For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. {32:41} If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. {32:42} I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; [and that] with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy. {32:43} Rejoice, O ye nations, [with] his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, [and] to his people.
God is an exacting God and He will claim vengeance as His, not ours, but His. When a person hurts another God claims the right to punish in ways we have no power to punish with. If our pain can lead one to Christ praise God that our pain was not in vain. We have to seek God not forsake Him. We have to esteem the Rock of our salvation, not lightly regard Him.
If God is not first in our lives then where is He? Who is first in our lives? We have to ask ourselves these questions, we have to learn the answers because God knows and He will hold us accountable for knowing as well.
2 Tim. {2:15} Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Show thyself approved unto God.
1 Tim. {5:22} ...keep thyself pure.
1 Tim. {4:16} Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Ro. {14:22} Hast thou faith? have [it] to thyself before God. Happy [is] he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he
alloweth.
We are to look to ourselves. We are to take heed to ourselves. We are to have faith before God. We are to show ourselves approved unto God. For those who say it is wrong to take our lives under scrutiny, that we are wrong to believe that our actions mean something, I say the Word of God says otherwise.
No, all the scrutiny in the world will not save us, but out of our love for God we will do His will and know what we are doing. We can't use the excuse in the day of the Lord that we were confused, not when the Word of God enlightens us.
By faith we seek Christ and repent, confessing our sins and giving our lives over to Him fully. By the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ now and forever.
Amen.
*******
Growing fat means what? That you have plenty, in fact that you have more than enough to eat. You are overeating right? To grow fat you have limited activity and excess intake of food- barring any medical conditions and let's suffice it to say that Jeshurun didn't have a medical condition. Jeshurun was being gluttonous, he was grown thick, covered in fat and... to top it all off, he forsook God which made him! He lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation!
How many of us forsake God and lightly esteem the Rock of our salvation? How many of us grow satisfied with what we have, with the things we've acquired, how many of us are happy with our lives and the excesses in them and we seek the excesses rather than God? We grow fat with our own desires, our own wants, our own pleasures and we forsake God for them. Denying ourselves is something shunned as being a good work and God forbid we try to do good works thinking they'll save us. Good works will never save us, never. But not denying ourselves, not taking up our cross, not living for Christ, as Christ, not living for God we are forsaking Him. We console our consciences by saying God would want us to be happy. God would understand. And yes, God understands He really does and He knows when our hearts are caught up in ourselves rather than in Him, He knows us better than we know ourselves.
Do we want to forsake God, to lightly esteem the Rock of our salvation? What is the end of that?
Deut.
{32:16} They provoked him to jealousy with strange [gods,] with abominations provoked they him to anger. {32:17} They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new [gods that] came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. {32:18} Of the Rock [that] begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. {32:19} And when the LORD saw [it,] he abhorred [them,] because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. {32:20} And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end [shall be:] for they [are] a very froward generation, children in whom [is] no faith. {32:21} They have moved me to jealousy with [that which is] not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with [those which are] not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. {32:22} For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. {32:23} I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them. {32:24} [They shall be] burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. {32:25} The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling [also] with the man of gray hairs. {32:26} I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men: {32:27} Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, [and] lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this. {32:28} For they [are] a nation void of counsel, neither [is there any] understanding in them. {32:29} O that they were wise, [that] they understood this, [that] they would consider their latter end! {32:30} How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up? {32:31} For their rock [is] not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves [being] judges. {32:32} For their vine [is] of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes [are] grapes of gall, their clusters [are] bitter: {32:33} Their wine [is] the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. {32:34} [Is] not this laid up in store with me, [and] sealed up among my treasures? {32:35} To me [belongeth] vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in [due] time: for the day of their calamity [is] at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. {32:36} For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that [their] power is gone, and [there is] none shut up, or left. {32:37} And he shall say, Where [are] their gods, [their] rock in whom they trusted, {32:38} Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, [and] drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, [and] be your protection. {32:39} See now that I, [even] I, [am] he, and [there is] no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither [is there any] that can deliver out of my hand. {32:40} For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. {32:41} If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. {32:42} I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; [and that] with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy. {32:43} Rejoice, O ye nations, [with] his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, [and] to his people.
God is an exacting God and He will claim vengeance as His, not ours, but His. When a person hurts another God claims the right to punish in ways we have no power to punish with. If our pain can lead one to Christ praise God that our pain was not in vain. We have to seek God not forsake Him. We have to esteem the Rock of our salvation, not lightly regard Him.
If God is not first in our lives then where is He? Who is first in our lives? We have to ask ourselves these questions, we have to learn the answers because God knows and He will hold us accountable for knowing as well.
2 Tim. {2:15} Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Show thyself approved unto God.
1 Tim. {5:22} ...keep thyself pure.
1 Tim. {4:16} Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Ro. {14:22} Hast thou faith? have [it] to thyself before God. Happy [is] he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he
alloweth.
We are to look to ourselves. We are to take heed to ourselves. We are to have faith before God. We are to show ourselves approved unto God. For those who say it is wrong to take our lives under scrutiny, that we are wrong to believe that our actions mean something, I say the Word of God says otherwise.
No, all the scrutiny in the world will not save us, but out of our love for God we will do His will and know what we are doing. We can't use the excuse in the day of the Lord that we were confused, not when the Word of God enlightens us.
By faith we seek Christ and repent, confessing our sins and giving our lives over to Him fully. By the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ now and forever.
Amen.
*******
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
We all have to be thirsty.
Rev. {21:1} And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the
first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there
was no more sea. {21:2} And I John saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband. {21:3} And I heard a
great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of
God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they
shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them,
[and be] their God. {21:4} And God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away. {21:5} And he
that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and
faithful. {21:6} And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him
that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
{21:7} He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will
be his God, and he shall be my son. {21:8} But the fearful,
and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death.
A new heaven and a new earth- for the first heaven and first earth were passed away. The world as we know it will be no more. A holy city, a new Jerusalem will come down from God out of heaven.
A holy city so special and amazing as a bride is on her wedding day. I've heard tell that on her wedding day adorned in her wedding gown a bride is made to feel as a princess, a queen. Even before wedding gowns brides were given special attention on that day as they were prepared for their grooms. A wedding day is special, incredibly special and here an entire new holy city, a new Jerusalem that has been prepared for us, for those of us that have united with Christ accepting His glorious sacrifice so that we may live in His righteousness.
The tabernacle of God is with men. God will dwell with us! We shall be God's people! How amazing is that? How wondrous is that? Love unlike anything we imagine.
Last night on some tv show I heard one of the actors say- 'How could God allow this to happen?' She was speaking of the tortured life of someone she loved. Where was the blame given to Satan? Where? It was alright and normal to question God but where were the accusations towards Satan? Why didn't she instead say 'Damn Satan for doing this!' People blame God, not Satan, he's just an afterthought, a given while God is the One who is supposed to intervene- and He has but He's intervened for eternity, not now, not for this life.
Soon, 'God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.'
In the new earth there will be no death, no sorrow, no crying, no pain- those things will be done away with.
It's true! Christ died to offer this life to us, all of us if we but repent and confess, accepting Christ's sacrifice and living for Him.
Rev. 'And he
that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and
faithful. {21:6} And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him
that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
{21:7} He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will
be his God, and he shall be my son. {21:8} But the fearful,
and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death.
Him that is athirst.
He that overcometh.
We need to thrist of the water of life that is found in Christ. We need to overcome this world we live in by living for Christ, in Christ. Overcoming isn't easy no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. On the outside people might think you have everything a person could want but in truth, your life is still to be a life of overcoming. It's harder to overcome a life of ease and riches than it is for a poor, hard working man to overcome. For a rich person living a life of ease they have to overcome their luxuries, their easy existence and it's not easy giving up good things, things that bring us ease and pleasure here on earth now. No wonder Christ said it is easier for a camel to get through an eye of a needle than a rich man to get to heaven. Who ever really thinks about having to overcome a life of ease?
We all have to be thirsty.
We all have to overcome if we are to inherit all God has for us to inherit in Him.
Those who aren't thirsty, those who aren't overcoming but giving in to their lives - those who are fearful, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars... they will not inherit the new promised world, they will not take part in the new Jerusalem, in fact they will be blotted out of existence entirely and endure the lake of fire.
May God have mercy upon us all through the Grace of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! Only by His grace, only through His righteousness can we hope to be saved and it is that hope, that faith in Him that we need, by his mercy.
Amen.
first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there
was no more sea. {21:2} And I John saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband. {21:3} And I heard a
great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of
God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they
shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them,
[and be] their God. {21:4} And God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away. {21:5} And he
that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and
faithful. {21:6} And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him
that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
{21:7} He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will
be his God, and he shall be my son. {21:8} But the fearful,
and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death.
A new heaven and a new earth- for the first heaven and first earth were passed away. The world as we know it will be no more. A holy city, a new Jerusalem will come down from God out of heaven.
A holy city so special and amazing as a bride is on her wedding day. I've heard tell that on her wedding day adorned in her wedding gown a bride is made to feel as a princess, a queen. Even before wedding gowns brides were given special attention on that day as they were prepared for their grooms. A wedding day is special, incredibly special and here an entire new holy city, a new Jerusalem that has been prepared for us, for those of us that have united with Christ accepting His glorious sacrifice so that we may live in His righteousness.
The tabernacle of God is with men. God will dwell with us! We shall be God's people! How amazing is that? How wondrous is that? Love unlike anything we imagine.
Last night on some tv show I heard one of the actors say- 'How could God allow this to happen?' She was speaking of the tortured life of someone she loved. Where was the blame given to Satan? Where? It was alright and normal to question God but where were the accusations towards Satan? Why didn't she instead say 'Damn Satan for doing this!' People blame God, not Satan, he's just an afterthought, a given while God is the One who is supposed to intervene- and He has but He's intervened for eternity, not now, not for this life.
Soon, 'God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.'
In the new earth there will be no death, no sorrow, no crying, no pain- those things will be done away with.
It's true! Christ died to offer this life to us, all of us if we but repent and confess, accepting Christ's sacrifice and living for Him.
Rev. 'And he
that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and
faithful. {21:6} And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him
that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
{21:7} He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will
be his God, and he shall be my son. {21:8} But the fearful,
and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death.
Him that is athirst.
He that overcometh.
We need to thrist of the water of life that is found in Christ. We need to overcome this world we live in by living for Christ, in Christ. Overcoming isn't easy no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. On the outside people might think you have everything a person could want but in truth, your life is still to be a life of overcoming. It's harder to overcome a life of ease and riches than it is for a poor, hard working man to overcome. For a rich person living a life of ease they have to overcome their luxuries, their easy existence and it's not easy giving up good things, things that bring us ease and pleasure here on earth now. No wonder Christ said it is easier for a camel to get through an eye of a needle than a rich man to get to heaven. Who ever really thinks about having to overcome a life of ease?
We all have to be thirsty.
We all have to overcome if we are to inherit all God has for us to inherit in Him.
Those who aren't thirsty, those who aren't overcoming but giving in to their lives - those who are fearful, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars... they will not inherit the new promised world, they will not take part in the new Jerusalem, in fact they will be blotted out of existence entirely and endure the lake of fire.
May God have mercy upon us all through the Grace of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! Only by His grace, only through His righteousness can we hope to be saved and it is that hope, that faith in Him that we need, by his mercy.
Amen.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Believing until the belief is forever realized.
2 Corinthians {5:7} For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Throughout life how are we asked to take things by faith. Would you buy a car by faith? Would you buy a house? Marry someone? Yes sometimes all these things happen but they are the rarity not the norm. By faith we might take someone at their word because they prove they can be trusted to follow through. If you have faith in someone that's a great thing isn't it?
Walking by faith.
Not by sight.
By faith.
Believing in the unseen. We have to believe in the unseen. The great unseen, the great I Am. In a Savior we've never touched, never seen, never spoken to we need to believe. We have to take the leap of faith and believe no matter what anyone says that God exists, that Jesus saves and that we are given the Holy Spirit to enable us to keep that faith.
Believing without proof. Believing without sight.
We walk by faith.
We have to believe in that, have faith in the fact we walk by faith. Have faith in faith? Seems impossible? Seems like one of those things that is a conundrum?
Have faith in faith. Believe in the unseen. In all actuality, faith multiplies that way, it grows that way. Faith is a constantly growing living thing. Believing is unending. Believing until the belief is forever realized. Believing in a God who loves us and will always love us and that one day we will be transformed into the creatures He intended us to be without all the sin and the results of sin. Faith.
We walk by faith, not by sight.
We need to remember this is the way we live- by faith now and forever.
May the grace and mercy of our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ increase our quality of faith in Him now and forever, by His love.
Amen.
Throughout life how are we asked to take things by faith. Would you buy a car by faith? Would you buy a house? Marry someone? Yes sometimes all these things happen but they are the rarity not the norm. By faith we might take someone at their word because they prove they can be trusted to follow through. If you have faith in someone that's a great thing isn't it?
Walking by faith.
Not by sight.
By faith.
Believing in the unseen. We have to believe in the unseen. The great unseen, the great I Am. In a Savior we've never touched, never seen, never spoken to we need to believe. We have to take the leap of faith and believe no matter what anyone says that God exists, that Jesus saves and that we are given the Holy Spirit to enable us to keep that faith.
Believing without proof. Believing without sight.
We walk by faith.
We have to believe in that, have faith in the fact we walk by faith. Have faith in faith? Seems impossible? Seems like one of those things that is a conundrum?
Have faith in faith. Believe in the unseen. In all actuality, faith multiplies that way, it grows that way. Faith is a constantly growing living thing. Believing is unending. Believing until the belief is forever realized. Believing in a God who loves us and will always love us and that one day we will be transformed into the creatures He intended us to be without all the sin and the results of sin. Faith.
We walk by faith, not by sight.
We need to remember this is the way we live- by faith now and forever.
May the grace and mercy of our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ increase our quality of faith in Him now and forever, by His love.
Amen.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Satan has done His work well hasn't He?
Lev. {19:31} Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither
seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I [am] the LORD
your God.
Lev. {20:6} And the soul that turneth after such as have
familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after
them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut
him off from among his people.
Deut. {18:9} When thou art come into the land which the
LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after
the abominations of those nations. {18:10} There shall not
be found among you [any one] that maketh his son or his
daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination,
[or] an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
{18:11} Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or
a wizard, or a necromancer. {18:12} For all that do these
things [are] an abomination unto the LORD: and because of
these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out
from before thee.
*******
Are wizards, necromancers, consulters with familiar spirits, witches, enchanters, observers of times all real?
We want to say no don't we? We want to say they are stuff of movies, of fiction, of books, of entertainment. There is no such thing as any of those- so why then is there a warning from God not to do after the abominations of those people? Why? Is God fiction? NO! A resounding NO NO NO! God is real, very real and if God is real then all these things He warns against are real.
Did you read what I just said?
They're real! Witches are real! Enchanters are real! Observers of times are real! Consulters with familiar spirits are real!
Satan is real and He rules them all, He deceives them all and so many of them believe they are doing God's work when in truth they are doing Satan's. God states clearly things He considers an abomination, He couldn't be more clearer and yet we are fooled, so many of us are fooled. We believe it's all benign. Satan has us fooled and at this point in the world's existence if we went about accusing those we call pyschics, those we call witches and such those duped by Satan we are the ones who are labeled out of our minds, deluded. Satan has done His work well. We are fanatics, we are off kilter, we are troublemakers, non-conformist, unreasonable, you name it and we are the bad guys in this whole thing and if we aren't truly bad guys we are mentally impaired in some way.
Satan has done His work well hasn't He?
Deception and the best deceptions happen when the deceived are unaware of their being deceived until it's too late to do anything about it.
It's not real deception if we know about it, right? The deception once uncovered is no longer deception. The light does away with the darkness, the truth does away with deception- or at least it does if we believe the truth.
May God help us all to not be deceived. Open our eyes and our hearts, open our understanding to the truths found in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. All but the very elect will be deceived without a doubt, may we be among the elect and not deceived, by the grace and mercy of Jesus now and forever.
Amen.
seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I [am] the LORD
your God.
Lev. {20:6} And the soul that turneth after such as have
familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after
them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut
him off from among his people.
Deut. {18:9} When thou art come into the land which the
LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after
the abominations of those nations. {18:10} There shall not
be found among you [any one] that maketh his son or his
daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination,
[or] an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
{18:11} Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or
a wizard, or a necromancer. {18:12} For all that do these
things [are] an abomination unto the LORD: and because of
these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out
from before thee.
*******
Are wizards, necromancers, consulters with familiar spirits, witches, enchanters, observers of times all real?
We want to say no don't we? We want to say they are stuff of movies, of fiction, of books, of entertainment. There is no such thing as any of those- so why then is there a warning from God not to do after the abominations of those people? Why? Is God fiction? NO! A resounding NO NO NO! God is real, very real and if God is real then all these things He warns against are real.
Did you read what I just said?
They're real! Witches are real! Enchanters are real! Observers of times are real! Consulters with familiar spirits are real!
Satan is real and He rules them all, He deceives them all and so many of them believe they are doing God's work when in truth they are doing Satan's. God states clearly things He considers an abomination, He couldn't be more clearer and yet we are fooled, so many of us are fooled. We believe it's all benign. Satan has us fooled and at this point in the world's existence if we went about accusing those we call pyschics, those we call witches and such those duped by Satan we are the ones who are labeled out of our minds, deluded. Satan has done His work well. We are fanatics, we are off kilter, we are troublemakers, non-conformist, unreasonable, you name it and we are the bad guys in this whole thing and if we aren't truly bad guys we are mentally impaired in some way.
Satan has done His work well hasn't He?
Deception and the best deceptions happen when the deceived are unaware of their being deceived until it's too late to do anything about it.
It's not real deception if we know about it, right? The deception once uncovered is no longer deception. The light does away with the darkness, the truth does away with deception- or at least it does if we believe the truth.
May God help us all to not be deceived. Open our eyes and our hearts, open our understanding to the truths found in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. All but the very elect will be deceived without a doubt, may we be among the elect and not deceived, by the grace and mercy of Jesus now and forever.
Amen.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
The kingdom is coming.
Rev. {12:10}
And I heard
a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his
Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before our God day and night.
Satan accuses us before God day and night. So it's safe to say that Satan accuses God always, without ceasing. He accuses us, you and I. He accuses us of what? Sin. Satan accuses us of being failures, unworthy of God, unworthy of being saved and yet God tells Him otherwise. Jesus, God's son became human, He emptied Himself to become human. God could not be killed, God could not remain in the spirit form and die, Jesus had to take on humanity- empty himself of His divinity. Jesus could not be tempted like we are if He didn't divest Himself of that part of Him. In becoming human Jesus had to prove to Satan that man, that humans could live sinless. If Jesus had used ANY power of His own to remain sinless Satan would have laughed and said of course a God could keep sinless we know that God and His Son can remain sinless, that isn't a question. Jesus had to be human. Jesus was born as a baby, born of a woman who had sinned, born with the ability to sin. If he'd been born without the ability to sin then there was no point to His trying to save us failures. Jesus relied fully on the Father, just as we can rely on the Father. Jesus was sinless because He relied on the Father fully. Satan accuses us humans of being failures, of being His, of not being anything that God would want and God tells Him otherwise. Jesus proved that humans were and are worthy of God's love.
Salvation is coming.
Strength is coming.
The Kingdom of God is coming.
The power of His Christ is coming.
Satan will be cast down.
Satan will have his end. He's wrong and he knows he is wrong about humans. He can accuse all he wants to and it's to no avail. We are saved through Christ.
Satan even knowing he's wrong wants to take as many humans with him as he can and that is his objective now, right now.
He's REAL!
Just as real as Jesus, as God, as the Holy Spirit. Satan is real.
Satan is real and he wants us. He stops at nothing to get us, to get to us, to claim us as his successes and God's failures.
God stopped and stops at nothing to save us- but ONLY if we choose to let Him. Satan doesn't care what we choose. We can choose God and Satan laughs and proceeds to try harder to get to us. God will not force us into anything, Satan will try to force us into anything that will make us his, anything and everything.
Salvation is coming.
The kingdom is coming.
Choose and be ready. Pray. Watch. Pray. Don't lose hope, don't lose faith.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may we be ready for Him when He comes and Satan is put down forever.
Amen.
And I heard
a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his
Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before our God day and night.
Satan accuses us before God day and night. So it's safe to say that Satan accuses God always, without ceasing. He accuses us, you and I. He accuses us of what? Sin. Satan accuses us of being failures, unworthy of God, unworthy of being saved and yet God tells Him otherwise. Jesus, God's son became human, He emptied Himself to become human. God could not be killed, God could not remain in the spirit form and die, Jesus had to take on humanity- empty himself of His divinity. Jesus could not be tempted like we are if He didn't divest Himself of that part of Him. In becoming human Jesus had to prove to Satan that man, that humans could live sinless. If Jesus had used ANY power of His own to remain sinless Satan would have laughed and said of course a God could keep sinless we know that God and His Son can remain sinless, that isn't a question. Jesus had to be human. Jesus was born as a baby, born of a woman who had sinned, born with the ability to sin. If he'd been born without the ability to sin then there was no point to His trying to save us failures. Jesus relied fully on the Father, just as we can rely on the Father. Jesus was sinless because He relied on the Father fully. Satan accuses us humans of being failures, of being His, of not being anything that God would want and God tells Him otherwise. Jesus proved that humans were and are worthy of God's love.
Salvation is coming.
Strength is coming.
The Kingdom of God is coming.
The power of His Christ is coming.
Satan will be cast down.
Satan will have his end. He's wrong and he knows he is wrong about humans. He can accuse all he wants to and it's to no avail. We are saved through Christ.
Satan even knowing he's wrong wants to take as many humans with him as he can and that is his objective now, right now.
He's REAL!
Just as real as Jesus, as God, as the Holy Spirit. Satan is real.
Satan is real and he wants us. He stops at nothing to get us, to get to us, to claim us as his successes and God's failures.
God stopped and stops at nothing to save us- but ONLY if we choose to let Him. Satan doesn't care what we choose. We can choose God and Satan laughs and proceeds to try harder to get to us. God will not force us into anything, Satan will try to force us into anything that will make us his, anything and everything.
Salvation is coming.
The kingdom is coming.
Choose and be ready. Pray. Watch. Pray. Don't lose hope, don't lose faith.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may we be ready for Him when He comes and Satan is put down forever.
Amen.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The conclusion of the whole matter
Can you hide yourself from God? No. Can you hide yourself fomr man? Yes. Can you hide yourself from your loved ones, those who supposedly know you better than you're supposed to know yourself? Yes. How often is it someone does something that is shockingly out of character? More often than people probably like. Secret things, evil secret things and even good secret things. Thing are hid from people but not God. We are blind to a lot things in life, completely blind and yet there is One who sees everything little thing we do. God is our judge and the standard of that judgement is reverence towards God and keeping His commandments- that is our whole duty. Reverencing God, putting God where He belongs in our lives, the only supreme being, the only one worthy of any worship we have to give. Why is it so hard for us to reverence God? Why? Why is it hard to put God first? If we can't put God first are we going to keep His commandments? No. The first commandment is... Thou shall have no other gods before me.
Eccl. {12:13} Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the
whole [duty] of man. {12:14} For God shall bring every
work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be]
good, or whether [it be] evil.
The conclusion of the WHOLE MATTER! There is a conclusion to the whole matter, to everything, to every question, ever moment of wondering, there is a conclusion, there is a bottom line. And in conclusion... when we hear those words we have a sense of expectation that we're coming to the end of the matter, we're coming to the last bit and if we haven't understood all the talk before at this point there is a recap that concludes the whole matter. In conclusion. In conclusion concerning man and life--
Fear God and keep his commandments, this is the whole duty of man.
But there is a little more to that conclusion-
For God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing whether good or whether evil.
There you have it, the conclusion to the whole matter of life.
Our lives are not hidden, they are not secrets to God. While no one on earth can really know us truly- know all the secret things of our heart, God knows. If you've nothing to hide from God you've no problem with Him knowing all there is to know, right? When we believe we are hiding anything from God we are mistaken. If we think that by ignoring Him and keeping Him out of our lives that He'll leave us alone, well no matter what we do He knows. There is no place a person can hide from God. We might be able to hide from each other, hide from a loved one, hide from the law, hide from strangers, hide from ourselves and yes, sometimes we fill our hearts with self-delusion to hide from ourselves and we do a darn good job of it too; but we can't hide anything from God. Some might say that's a cruel God who watches us, looking for us to make a mistake and obviously they don't know God's character at all. He is our Creator! He loves us! Out of love He wants us to be the creatures He made us to be and to be those creatures we must love Him and understand that He loves us. It's not by coincidence we are given life as we are- coupling and as a result children. A great lesson is learned, an imperfect lesson but a lesson nonetheless, when we have children. Generally parents want what is best for their children- God wants what is best for us. Our Heavenly Father wants His children to trust in Him. Can we always trust our earthly parents? No. But God is our Creator, our parents while having a hand in our creation only do so because God first gave them life.
May we come to understand the conclusion of the whole matter of life- it's no mystery.
Eccl. {12:13} Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the
whole [duty] of man.
May God bless and keep us, may we learn to fear God, to reverence God, to keep His commandments as He would have us keep them, in His love.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Savior this is possible and only through Him. In His love now and forever.
Amen.
Eccl. {12:13} Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the
whole [duty] of man. {12:14} For God shall bring every
work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be]
good, or whether [it be] evil.
The conclusion of the WHOLE MATTER! There is a conclusion to the whole matter, to everything, to every question, ever moment of wondering, there is a conclusion, there is a bottom line. And in conclusion... when we hear those words we have a sense of expectation that we're coming to the end of the matter, we're coming to the last bit and if we haven't understood all the talk before at this point there is a recap that concludes the whole matter. In conclusion. In conclusion concerning man and life--
Fear God and keep his commandments, this is the whole duty of man.
But there is a little more to that conclusion-
For God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing whether good or whether evil.
There you have it, the conclusion to the whole matter of life.
Our lives are not hidden, they are not secrets to God. While no one on earth can really know us truly- know all the secret things of our heart, God knows. If you've nothing to hide from God you've no problem with Him knowing all there is to know, right? When we believe we are hiding anything from God we are mistaken. If we think that by ignoring Him and keeping Him out of our lives that He'll leave us alone, well no matter what we do He knows. There is no place a person can hide from God. We might be able to hide from each other, hide from a loved one, hide from the law, hide from strangers, hide from ourselves and yes, sometimes we fill our hearts with self-delusion to hide from ourselves and we do a darn good job of it too; but we can't hide anything from God. Some might say that's a cruel God who watches us, looking for us to make a mistake and obviously they don't know God's character at all. He is our Creator! He loves us! Out of love He wants us to be the creatures He made us to be and to be those creatures we must love Him and understand that He loves us. It's not by coincidence we are given life as we are- coupling and as a result children. A great lesson is learned, an imperfect lesson but a lesson nonetheless, when we have children. Generally parents want what is best for their children- God wants what is best for us. Our Heavenly Father wants His children to trust in Him. Can we always trust our earthly parents? No. But God is our Creator, our parents while having a hand in our creation only do so because God first gave them life.
May we come to understand the conclusion of the whole matter of life- it's no mystery.
Eccl. {12:13} Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the
whole [duty] of man.
May God bless and keep us, may we learn to fear God, to reverence God, to keep His commandments as He would have us keep them, in His love.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Savior this is possible and only through Him. In His love now and forever.
Amen.
Friday, June 5, 2009
The Kingdom Comes
Matthew
{6:10} Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven
Luke
{11:2} And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
*******
Thy kingdom come.
Jesus said these words when the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. He told them to pray to the Heavenly Father and in that prayer to pray... Thy kingdom come.
Kingdom.
Luke
{9:60} Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
Jesus spoke a lot about the kingdom of God, before Jesus did though John the Baptist did.
Matt. {3:1} In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, {3:2} And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
{4:23} And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom
{5:3} Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
{5:10} Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
{5:19} Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them,] the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
{5:20} For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
{4:17} From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
{6:10} Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.
{6:13} And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
{6:33} But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you
{7:21} Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
{9:35} And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
{10:7} And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
{12:28} But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you
*******
The Kingdom of God.
We read fairy tales all the time and some of them have kingdoms- there are the tales of evil verses good and we've made them stories, games, unbelievable. We've taken the concept of good and evil and altered it so much that it is just that- fodder for entertainment. We've lost sight of true nobility, of a life dedicated to honor, to a purpose beyond the norm. We think living for a kingdom we can't touch, we can't see, we can't hear- totally ridiculous. People are called crazy who live for 'imaginary' things as if they are real. Try and make it real to another and we're more crazy still. This whole battle between good and evil isn't something real and if we make it real we're crazy. Satan surely has done his work well hasn't he? Seriously, he has. Yes, we allow for a certain amount of religion and we even tolerate zeolots, Jesus freaks, and religious nuts. We humor them and wish them to go away so they're not disturbing our little lives, lives not filled with belief of a kingdom to come, a real kingdom for you and for me.
The Kingdom of God.
Christ is the embodiment of that Kingdom. Christ preached the Kingdom. We too should preach the Kingdom as it is in Jesus.
The Kingdom is real! It's not something made up from someone's imagination, it is real as you and I are real. We are either for the Kingdom or we're not and there isn't any middle ground. Left to our own devices we are not seeking the kingdom and if not sought it won't be found.
May God help us all seek the Kingdom of God, to preach the Kingdom to others.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever.
Amen.
{6:10} Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven
Luke
{11:2} And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
*******
Thy kingdom come.
Jesus said these words when the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. He told them to pray to the Heavenly Father and in that prayer to pray... Thy kingdom come.
Kingdom.
Luke
{9:60} Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
Jesus spoke a lot about the kingdom of God, before Jesus did though John the Baptist did.
Matt. {3:1} In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, {3:2} And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
{4:23} And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom
{5:3} Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
{5:10} Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
{5:19} Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them,] the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
{5:20} For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
{4:17} From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
{6:10} Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.
{6:13} And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
{6:33} But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you
{7:21} Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
{9:35} And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
{10:7} And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
{12:28} But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you
*******
The Kingdom of God.
We read fairy tales all the time and some of them have kingdoms- there are the tales of evil verses good and we've made them stories, games, unbelievable. We've taken the concept of good and evil and altered it so much that it is just that- fodder for entertainment. We've lost sight of true nobility, of a life dedicated to honor, to a purpose beyond the norm. We think living for a kingdom we can't touch, we can't see, we can't hear- totally ridiculous. People are called crazy who live for 'imaginary' things as if they are real. Try and make it real to another and we're more crazy still. This whole battle between good and evil isn't something real and if we make it real we're crazy. Satan surely has done his work well hasn't he? Seriously, he has. Yes, we allow for a certain amount of religion and we even tolerate zeolots, Jesus freaks, and religious nuts. We humor them and wish them to go away so they're not disturbing our little lives, lives not filled with belief of a kingdom to come, a real kingdom for you and for me.
The Kingdom of God.
Christ is the embodiment of that Kingdom. Christ preached the Kingdom. We too should preach the Kingdom as it is in Jesus.
The Kingdom is real! It's not something made up from someone's imagination, it is real as you and I are real. We are either for the Kingdom or we're not and there isn't any middle ground. Left to our own devices we are not seeking the kingdom and if not sought it won't be found.
May God help us all seek the Kingdom of God, to preach the Kingdom to others.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever.
Amen.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
We are blessed for having faith.
Luke
{24:36} And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in
the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you.
{24:37} But they were terrified and affrighted, and
supposed that they had seen a spirit. {24:38} And he said
unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise
in your hearts? {24:39} Behold my hands and my feet, that
it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh
and bones, as ye see me have. {24:40} And when he had
thus spoken, he shewed them [his] hands and [his] feet.
{24:41} And while they yet believed not for joy, and
wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
{24:42} And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of
an honeycomb. {24:43} And he took [it,] and did eat before
them. {24:44} And he said unto them, These [are] the
words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you,
that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the
law of Moses, and [in] the prophets, and [in] the psalms,
concerning me. {24:45} Then opened he their
understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
{24:46} And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it
behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third
day: {24:47} And that repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in his name among all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem. {24:48} And ye are witnesses of
these things.
Jesus said unto the disciples gathered together on that third day, the day He rose from the grave-- Peace be unto you.
Don't you suppose that if Jesus said 'peace be unto you' that peace would overcome you instantly? You'd think that's what would happen and yet once again Jesus allows our free will reign He doesn't manipulate us of cause us to feel this way or that not without our consent. We can consent to remain sad, scared, angry. We don't have to choose to allow Jesus to bring us peace and yet peace is what He want's to give us- not the peace of this world but the peace that is found in Him.
After Jesus said, peace be unto you the Bible goes on to say- 'But they were terrified and affrighted and supposed they'd seen a spirit.'
Terrified, that's a pretty strong word isn't it? They weren't just scared but terrified, why? Because they thought they'd seen a spirit. Spirits were and are obviously something that isn't conducive to being calm about, yet worth being terrified of. If spirits were good things and things desired then you'd think that they'd have been happy to see a spirit. Yet Jesus goes on and says, 'Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.'
He wasn't a spirit, He was flesh and bones, he wanted them to look at his hands and feet. What would they see there looking at His hands and feet-- the marks of His crucifixtion? This was the crucified Christ standing there before them and they were scared, no, not just scared but terrified.
Jesus didn't tell them to calm down but rather gave the reason to calm down, to understand He was no evil spirit and worthy of being terrified of.
He told them outright He was no spirit, he asked for food and ate it in front of them, and He talked with them wanting them to understand that all things in the Scriptures (Old Testament) the Law of Moses and the prophets that talked of Him had been fulfilled in Him. Jesus opened their understanding why? Because their understanding was obviously dim, they couldn't understand what Jesus was saying, they had fear in them and so He opened their understanding, read this again--
'{24:45} Then opened he their
understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
{24:46} And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it
behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third
day: {24:47} And that repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in his name among all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem. {24:48} And ye are witnesses of
these things.'
Jesus opened their understanding to the reality of His being the risen Lord. He rose from the dead and this would be preached to all, His life would be preached. The fact He fulfilled all that was written in the Scriptures of HIm and He suffered, and then rose from the dead on the third day and because of this-- repentance and remission of sin should be preached in His name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem-- the disciples were witnessed to all these things.
There really is nothing like an eyewitness is there? As long as you can believe what they tell you. In our court system we have eyewitnesses who testify towards the happenstances that led up to their being in the court that day. They'll tell you they saw a person commit a crime and because of their testimony taken under oath swearing what they say is true people are put in jail, they're convicted of a crime based on eyewitnesses. The disciples were eyewitnesses to all Christ had done when He lived among them and now they were witnesses of His fulfilling prophecy and rising from the dead. The disciples were called to preach all this to others so that they could repent of their sins and be forgiven.
A lot of people want an eyewitness, not just a Holy book to reveal Christ to them and yet even should an eyewitness have been among them and they living back in the time of Jesus' death and resurrection the same people would refuse to believe the eyewitness.
No matter if it's a book or an eyewitness in the end you have to take what is said by faith and believe in it. The court system takes what an eyewitness testifies and believes in them and what they say. How often do you take the word of someone? We do it all the time. We ask someone to do something and we believe they will do it, we have faith.
Christ appeared before the disciples and they were terrified until He revealed fully that He was truly the Lord they loved risen from the grave.
The disciples in that moment didn't have to go by faith so much as fact because right before them Jesus lived, Jesus who had died was now living and they saw Him. Their understanding was being opened. We need to remember this verse-
John {20:29} Jesus saith unto him, Thomas,
because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed [are]
they that have not seen, and [yet] have believed.
We are blessed for beliving when we haven't seen.
We are blessed for having faith.
May God open our hearts and minds to understand all that we need to understand to be prepared and to help prepare others for His soon return. May our faith be strengthened, our hearts filled with love for one another, may the Lord guide us into all truth in Him and may His grace and mercy be real to us as well as His righteousness in our lives because it's only through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we truly live- now and forever.
Amen.
{24:36} And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in
the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you.
{24:37} But they were terrified and affrighted, and
supposed that they had seen a spirit. {24:38} And he said
unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise
in your hearts? {24:39} Behold my hands and my feet, that
it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh
and bones, as ye see me have. {24:40} And when he had
thus spoken, he shewed them [his] hands and [his] feet.
{24:41} And while they yet believed not for joy, and
wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
{24:42} And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of
an honeycomb. {24:43} And he took [it,] and did eat before
them. {24:44} And he said unto them, These [are] the
words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you,
that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the
law of Moses, and [in] the prophets, and [in] the psalms,
concerning me. {24:45} Then opened he their
understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
{24:46} And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it
behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third
day: {24:47} And that repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in his name among all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem. {24:48} And ye are witnesses of
these things.
Jesus said unto the disciples gathered together on that third day, the day He rose from the grave-- Peace be unto you.
Don't you suppose that if Jesus said 'peace be unto you' that peace would overcome you instantly? You'd think that's what would happen and yet once again Jesus allows our free will reign He doesn't manipulate us of cause us to feel this way or that not without our consent. We can consent to remain sad, scared, angry. We don't have to choose to allow Jesus to bring us peace and yet peace is what He want's to give us- not the peace of this world but the peace that is found in Him.
After Jesus said, peace be unto you the Bible goes on to say- 'But they were terrified and affrighted and supposed they'd seen a spirit.'
Terrified, that's a pretty strong word isn't it? They weren't just scared but terrified, why? Because they thought they'd seen a spirit. Spirits were and are obviously something that isn't conducive to being calm about, yet worth being terrified of. If spirits were good things and things desired then you'd think that they'd have been happy to see a spirit. Yet Jesus goes on and says, 'Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.'
He wasn't a spirit, He was flesh and bones, he wanted them to look at his hands and feet. What would they see there looking at His hands and feet-- the marks of His crucifixtion? This was the crucified Christ standing there before them and they were scared, no, not just scared but terrified.
Jesus didn't tell them to calm down but rather gave the reason to calm down, to understand He was no evil spirit and worthy of being terrified of.
He told them outright He was no spirit, he asked for food and ate it in front of them, and He talked with them wanting them to understand that all things in the Scriptures (Old Testament) the Law of Moses and the prophets that talked of Him had been fulfilled in Him. Jesus opened their understanding why? Because their understanding was obviously dim, they couldn't understand what Jesus was saying, they had fear in them and so He opened their understanding, read this again--
'{24:45} Then opened he their
understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
{24:46} And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it
behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third
day: {24:47} And that repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in his name among all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem. {24:48} And ye are witnesses of
these things.'
Jesus opened their understanding to the reality of His being the risen Lord. He rose from the dead and this would be preached to all, His life would be preached. The fact He fulfilled all that was written in the Scriptures of HIm and He suffered, and then rose from the dead on the third day and because of this-- repentance and remission of sin should be preached in His name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem-- the disciples were witnessed to all these things.
There really is nothing like an eyewitness is there? As long as you can believe what they tell you. In our court system we have eyewitnesses who testify towards the happenstances that led up to their being in the court that day. They'll tell you they saw a person commit a crime and because of their testimony taken under oath swearing what they say is true people are put in jail, they're convicted of a crime based on eyewitnesses. The disciples were eyewitnesses to all Christ had done when He lived among them and now they were witnesses of His fulfilling prophecy and rising from the dead. The disciples were called to preach all this to others so that they could repent of their sins and be forgiven.
A lot of people want an eyewitness, not just a Holy book to reveal Christ to them and yet even should an eyewitness have been among them and they living back in the time of Jesus' death and resurrection the same people would refuse to believe the eyewitness.
No matter if it's a book or an eyewitness in the end you have to take what is said by faith and believe in it. The court system takes what an eyewitness testifies and believes in them and what they say. How often do you take the word of someone? We do it all the time. We ask someone to do something and we believe they will do it, we have faith.
Christ appeared before the disciples and they were terrified until He revealed fully that He was truly the Lord they loved risen from the grave.
The disciples in that moment didn't have to go by faith so much as fact because right before them Jesus lived, Jesus who had died was now living and they saw Him. Their understanding was being opened. We need to remember this verse-
John {20:29} Jesus saith unto him, Thomas,
because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed [are]
they that have not seen, and [yet] have believed.
We are blessed for beliving when we haven't seen.
We are blessed for having faith.
May God open our hearts and minds to understand all that we need to understand to be prepared and to help prepare others for His soon return. May our faith be strengthened, our hearts filled with love for one another, may the Lord guide us into all truth in Him and may His grace and mercy be real to us as well as His righteousness in our lives because it's only through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we truly live- now and forever.
Amen.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Testimony of our conscience!
2 Kings
{17:15}
And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he
made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he
testified against them; and they followed vanity, and
became vain, and went after the heathen that [were] round
about them, [concerning] whom the LORD had charged
them, that they should not do like them.
Rejected God's testimonies!
Ps.
{19:7} The law of the LORD [is] perfect, converting the soul: the
testimony of the LORD [is] sure, making wise the simple.
{93:5} Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O
LORD, for ever.
God's testimonies are sure!
Ps.
{119:22} Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy
testimonies.
{119:24} Thy testimonies also [are] my delight [and] my counsellors
Kept God's testimony- God's testimonies are a delight, they are counsellors.
Think about it-- testimonies as counsellors, advisiors; how wonderful is that?
Isa.
{8:16} Bind up the testimony, seal the law
among my disciples.
2 Cor.
{1:12} For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our
conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with
fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our
conversation in the world, and more abundantly to youward.
Testimony of our conscience!
What is the testimony of your conscience? What should the testimony of our conscience be? Christ Jesus lives now and forever!
Jesus died for us and rose again that should be our testimony now and always.
God's testimony is sure, the record of God is sure. The knowledge we have of God speaks for Him, He's not left us in the dark to flounder but has given us the testimony of Himself so that we may know Him. He's a delight, He's our surety in a world that offers no surety.
The testimony of God is our testimony. We must keep this testimony in our hearts ever before our conscience.
God First Always!
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever.
Amen.
{17:15}
And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he
made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he
testified against them; and they followed vanity, and
became vain, and went after the heathen that [were] round
about them, [concerning] whom the LORD had charged
them, that they should not do like them.
Rejected God's testimonies!
Ps.
{19:7} The law of the LORD [is] perfect, converting the soul: the
testimony of the LORD [is] sure, making wise the simple.
{93:5} Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O
LORD, for ever.
God's testimonies are sure!
Ps.
{119:22} Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy
testimonies.
{119:24} Thy testimonies also [are] my delight [and] my counsellors
Kept God's testimony- God's testimonies are a delight, they are counsellors.
Think about it-- testimonies as counsellors, advisiors; how wonderful is that?
Isa.
{8:16} Bind up the testimony, seal the law
among my disciples.
2 Cor.
{1:12} For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our
conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with
fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our
conversation in the world, and more abundantly to youward.
Testimony of our conscience!
What is the testimony of your conscience? What should the testimony of our conscience be? Christ Jesus lives now and forever!
Jesus died for us and rose again that should be our testimony now and always.
God's testimony is sure, the record of God is sure. The knowledge we have of God speaks for Him, He's not left us in the dark to flounder but has given us the testimony of Himself so that we may know Him. He's a delight, He's our surety in a world that offers no surety.
The testimony of God is our testimony. We must keep this testimony in our hearts ever before our conscience.
God First Always!
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever.
Amen.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Be Ready
1 Pet. {3:15} But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear
Titus {3:1} Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work
Make God Holy in our hearts. Be ready ALWAYS to answer everyone that asks you why you have hope, do so with meekness and reverence.
Is God holy in your heart? Are you ready to tell others why you have hope in you? Ready not with a cockiness that some have because they feel superior in their beliefs, but ready to do so softly, quietly letting the Holy Spirit work. We have to understand that we need to be ready to walk as Christ walked and that isn't in wickedness. So many believe they can walk in wickedness and claim God. We need to be ready to every good work- ready to work for the Lord in any circumstance. God needs to be with us wherever we go in whatever we do. If we can't take God with us, if we have to tuck our religion away while we do something then in our hearts we know that what we're doing isn't something good, but something wicked.
We have to obey the laws of the land, we are subject to the law of our land and we have to obey those who enforce the laws of the land as long as there is no compelling us to contridict the word of our Lord and Savior. God first, always, and God first, God's will is that we obey those around us as servants. He who was the greatest Servant of all is our example.
If we are looking for strife, if we are looking for a cause to fight for and we want to rail against the system we live in we aren't following Christ's way. Even when there comes a time for us to make a stand for God against others we are to do so with meekness, as a servant whose Master is God. Our Master would have us represent Him properly, not wickedly.
So yes, we need to be ready to answer any man, we need to be ready to every good work, and we need to do all this with the Spirit of Christ in us, guiding us. Suffering so much, Christ didn't rail against his accusers but asked that they be forgiven will we, can we, do we the same? Do we ask that our accusers, our enemies be forgiven or are we quick to wish them evil for the evil they give?
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Lord and our Savior now and forever may we have the heart of Christ in us now and always to be ready to answer any man, to be ready to do good works for the Lord representing Him as He wills.
Amen.
Titus {3:1} Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work
Make God Holy in our hearts. Be ready ALWAYS to answer everyone that asks you why you have hope, do so with meekness and reverence.
Is God holy in your heart? Are you ready to tell others why you have hope in you? Ready not with a cockiness that some have because they feel superior in their beliefs, but ready to do so softly, quietly letting the Holy Spirit work. We have to understand that we need to be ready to walk as Christ walked and that isn't in wickedness. So many believe they can walk in wickedness and claim God. We need to be ready to every good work- ready to work for the Lord in any circumstance. God needs to be with us wherever we go in whatever we do. If we can't take God with us, if we have to tuck our religion away while we do something then in our hearts we know that what we're doing isn't something good, but something wicked.
We have to obey the laws of the land, we are subject to the law of our land and we have to obey those who enforce the laws of the land as long as there is no compelling us to contridict the word of our Lord and Savior. God first, always, and God first, God's will is that we obey those around us as servants. He who was the greatest Servant of all is our example.
If we are looking for strife, if we are looking for a cause to fight for and we want to rail against the system we live in we aren't following Christ's way. Even when there comes a time for us to make a stand for God against others we are to do so with meekness, as a servant whose Master is God. Our Master would have us represent Him properly, not wickedly.
So yes, we need to be ready to answer any man, we need to be ready to every good work, and we need to do all this with the Spirit of Christ in us, guiding us. Suffering so much, Christ didn't rail against his accusers but asked that they be forgiven will we, can we, do we the same? Do we ask that our accusers, our enemies be forgiven or are we quick to wish them evil for the evil they give?
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Lord and our Savior now and forever may we have the heart of Christ in us now and always to be ready to answer any man, to be ready to do good works for the Lord representing Him as He wills.
Amen.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
We who are Christ's are not left in darkness
1 Thess
{5:1} But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
{5:2} For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
{5:3} For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
{5:4} But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
{5:5} Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
{5:6} Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.
{5:7} For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
{5:8} But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. {5:9} For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
{5:10} Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
{5:11} Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
The day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night- unannounced, unexpectedly, without warning, surprisingly.
Have you ever had anything stolen from you? Anything? I have. When I went to look for the thing that was stolen it was missing and a sense of violation filled me. My property had been taken. My personal belongings gone forever. The memories the belongings had, the usefulness was all stolen from me. I've had it happen more than once and it's not a very good feeling. Now had I known when the thieves were going to strike do you think I would have let my property be vulnerable to them? Would I have watched the thieves come and take that which is mine? No. The whole business of being a thief is getting away with stolen goods without anyone being aware. Even if a thief steals something right out from under your nose they are doing so without your knowing and that's the whole point. Being robbed in the night is being taken advantage of without your knowing. So it stands to reason that Jesus' second coming doing so with His arriving as a thief in the night will take many by surprise, it will be that unexpected by them. However...
We who are Christ's are not left in darkness, we won't see that day as Christ's coming as a thief in the night. We will be ready and waiting for him.
We will hear people saying PEACE and SAFETY. Those are wonderful words and words we are hearing daily in our news. Peace, safety, peace, safety. Peace...peace...peace...peace...everything is peace. World peace. Have we called for world peace before as we have now? So many countries having the technology to blow up each other there has to be peace or there will be destruction. On a small scale we see destruction; destruction without nuclear bombs and yet still destruction, just enough destruction that keeps us screaming for peace. If we have peace it will end the senseless killing, the senseless destruction. Religious world leaders are calling for peace as never before, political leaders are demanding peace, peace, peace. You say they've been demanding peace forever and you're right, but right now our world is in an upheaval of change; financially, politically, things are bad. The combination of bad is in a place it never could be before. The woman is having birth pangs and they are getting stronger and stronger. No woman can stop the birth pangs of labor once they begin in earnest, this isn't false labor, this is real birth and Christ is coming and there is NO stopping Him.
The only question we have to ask ourselves is if we are ready? Are we? Are we ready so that we won't be caught off guard as those who will be such as a thief in the night?
1 Thess
{5:1} But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
{5:2} For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
{5:3} For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
{5:4} But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
{5:5} Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
{5:6} Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.
{5:7} For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
{5:8} But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. {5:9} For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
{5:10} Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
{5:11} Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
We know perfectly that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly when people are saying peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes and it's going to come as a woman in labor - no stopping the birth and the pains getting closer and closer until that birth. We aren't in darkness, we won't be overtaken. We are children of light, children of the day- we aren't not filled with darkness, we are not shrouded in the darkness that reveals nothing. We can't sleep. We CAN'T sleep! We can't let our guard down, we can't stop being vigiliant. Others will sleep, others will tell you not to worry, not to think about it, not to dwell on the bad things, but be optimistic and just forget about all that stuff that is depressing and doom and gloom. Live for now and enjoy life, sleep, rest, relax...NO!
We can't sleep as others do. We have to WATCH and be SOBER. People everywhere sleep and are drunken lost to the night, to the darkness they desire because the light of truth is something they've shunned. We can see it all around us people sleeping, people drunken, people shutting out any light that might take their darkness from them. We can't sleep! We must be sober.
We have to put on Christ.
The breastplate of fiath and love, the helmet of hope of salvation.
We are not to fight against others, we are to obtain our salvation through Jesus Christ- through love.
Whether we are awake, alive or whether we sleep, dead- we will live together with Christ, He died for us.
We need to comfort one another, build each other up in Christ. We must be aware, alert to the goings on and alerting others around us that believe as we believe.
The birthing is near, the labor intense and growing more and more intense. We are witnesses to this now and we know what is to come we are not left in the dark.
Praise be to God for His glorious love towards us allowing us to be alert, to know what is to be and for keeping us awake. All glory to God!
May the Lord bless and keep us in His love, in His mercy, in His grace now and forever. Amen.
{5:1} But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
{5:2} For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
{5:3} For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
{5:4} But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
{5:5} Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
{5:6} Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.
{5:7} For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
{5:8} But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. {5:9} For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
{5:10} Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
{5:11} Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
The day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night- unannounced, unexpectedly, without warning, surprisingly.
Have you ever had anything stolen from you? Anything? I have. When I went to look for the thing that was stolen it was missing and a sense of violation filled me. My property had been taken. My personal belongings gone forever. The memories the belongings had, the usefulness was all stolen from me. I've had it happen more than once and it's not a very good feeling. Now had I known when the thieves were going to strike do you think I would have let my property be vulnerable to them? Would I have watched the thieves come and take that which is mine? No. The whole business of being a thief is getting away with stolen goods without anyone being aware. Even if a thief steals something right out from under your nose they are doing so without your knowing and that's the whole point. Being robbed in the night is being taken advantage of without your knowing. So it stands to reason that Jesus' second coming doing so with His arriving as a thief in the night will take many by surprise, it will be that unexpected by them. However...
We who are Christ's are not left in darkness, we won't see that day as Christ's coming as a thief in the night. We will be ready and waiting for him.
We will hear people saying PEACE and SAFETY. Those are wonderful words and words we are hearing daily in our news. Peace, safety, peace, safety. Peace...peace...peace...peace...everything is peace. World peace. Have we called for world peace before as we have now? So many countries having the technology to blow up each other there has to be peace or there will be destruction. On a small scale we see destruction; destruction without nuclear bombs and yet still destruction, just enough destruction that keeps us screaming for peace. If we have peace it will end the senseless killing, the senseless destruction. Religious world leaders are calling for peace as never before, political leaders are demanding peace, peace, peace. You say they've been demanding peace forever and you're right, but right now our world is in an upheaval of change; financially, politically, things are bad. The combination of bad is in a place it never could be before. The woman is having birth pangs and they are getting stronger and stronger. No woman can stop the birth pangs of labor once they begin in earnest, this isn't false labor, this is real birth and Christ is coming and there is NO stopping Him.
The only question we have to ask ourselves is if we are ready? Are we? Are we ready so that we won't be caught off guard as those who will be such as a thief in the night?
1 Thess
{5:1} But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
{5:2} For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
{5:3} For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
{5:4} But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
{5:5} Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
{5:6} Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.
{5:7} For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
{5:8} But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. {5:9} For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
{5:10} Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
{5:11} Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
We know perfectly that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly when people are saying peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes and it's going to come as a woman in labor - no stopping the birth and the pains getting closer and closer until that birth. We aren't in darkness, we won't be overtaken. We are children of light, children of the day- we aren't not filled with darkness, we are not shrouded in the darkness that reveals nothing. We can't sleep. We CAN'T sleep! We can't let our guard down, we can't stop being vigiliant. Others will sleep, others will tell you not to worry, not to think about it, not to dwell on the bad things, but be optimistic and just forget about all that stuff that is depressing and doom and gloom. Live for now and enjoy life, sleep, rest, relax...NO!
We can't sleep as others do. We have to WATCH and be SOBER. People everywhere sleep and are drunken lost to the night, to the darkness they desire because the light of truth is something they've shunned. We can see it all around us people sleeping, people drunken, people shutting out any light that might take their darkness from them. We can't sleep! We must be sober.
We have to put on Christ.
The breastplate of fiath and love, the helmet of hope of salvation.
We are not to fight against others, we are to obtain our salvation through Jesus Christ- through love.
Whether we are awake, alive or whether we sleep, dead- we will live together with Christ, He died for us.
We need to comfort one another, build each other up in Christ. We must be aware, alert to the goings on and alerting others around us that believe as we believe.
The birthing is near, the labor intense and growing more and more intense. We are witnesses to this now and we know what is to come we are not left in the dark.
Praise be to God for His glorious love towards us allowing us to be alert, to know what is to be and for keeping us awake. All glory to God!
May the Lord bless and keep us in His love, in His mercy, in His grace now and forever. Amen.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Honor found in God
John
{5:44} How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that [cometh] from God only?
Receiving honor from one another.
Here's a quick dictionary definition of the word honor-
honor
1. High respect, as that shown for special merit; esteem: the honor shown to a Nobel laureate.
2. a. Good name; reputation. b. A source or cause of credit: was an honor to the profession.
3. a. Glory or recognition; distinction. b. A mark, token, or gesture of respect or distinction: the place of honor at the table. c. A military decoration. d. A title conferred for achievement.
4. Nobility of mind; probity.
5. High rank.
6. The dignity accorded to position: awed by the honor of his office.
7. Great privilege: I have the honor to present the governor.
8. Honor. Used with His, Her, or Your as a title and form of address for certain officials, such as judges and mayors: Her Honor the Mayor.
9. a. A code of integrity, dignity, and pride, chiefly among men, that was maintained in some societies, as in feudal Europe, by force of arms. b. Principled uprightness of character; personal integrity. c. A woman's chastity or reputation for chastity.
10. honors. Social courtesies offered to guests: did the honors at tea.
11. honors. a. Special recognition for unusual academic achievement: graduated with honors. b. A program of individual advanced study for exceptional students: planned to take honors in history.
12. Sports. The right of being first at the tee in golf.
13. Games. a. Any of the four or five highest cards, especially the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten of the trump suit, in card games such as bridge or whist. b. The points allotted to these cards. Often used in the plural.
verb, transitive
honored, honoring, honors
1. a. To hold in respect; esteem. b. To show respect for. c. To bow to (another dancer) in square dancing: Honor your partner.
2. To confer distinction on: He has honored us with his presence.
3. To accept or pay as valid: honor a check; a store that honors all credit cards.
Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary
*******
Receiving - respect, esteem, recognition, distinction.
When we receive honor one of another, from one another, we are getting their respect, their esteem, their recognition and distinction from them. We care so much about what people think, at least some of us do, and some more than others. We want to be treated with respect we feel we deserve respect and to be recognized as deserving that respect. We might not say to one another that we want to be honored, that word has a connotation of superiority to it and yet the verb form of honor simply says- 'To hold in respect, esteem. To show respect for.' So no, we don't tell someone they should honor us but sometimes we tell others that they need to respect us, especially when we're dealing with disrespectful situations. We feel a right to be respected simply because we exist. Some of the worst people have no trouble telling others they should respect them- thinking they truly deserve it just because they live. Is feeling like you deserve respect wrong?Is feeling like you deserve to be honored wrong? Is honoring another wrong? We are told to honor our mother and father so that can't be, and yet something about honoring others is wrong.
John
{5:44} How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that [cometh] from God only?
Seeking honor of others and not the honor that God alone possesses is wrong. Seeking respect from mankind and not seeking respect that comes from God, is wrong. Seeking to be esteemed by man, seeking recognition and distinction from man is wrong. The ONLY one we need to seek honor from is God. God first, always.
God first. If God is kept first in our lives then we won't care what others think of us, whether or not they respect us or esteem us. If God comes first then nothing else matters. If you suffer disrespect, if you aren't given the recognition you think you deserve, if you're given no distinction at all and not esteemed in the slightest- then you should bear it with joy (not that it feels good- but that's not the point). People suffer for well doing (1 Pet. 3:17) and it is good, better than suffering for evil. When we suffer in any way for God, keeping God first in our lives, then all is good.
We can have faith in God when we seek God first before all else. When we seek our fellow man first we lose our faith. God first, always.
There is an honor that come from God only and that honor is something we should seek. How? Faith.
We're not going to receive a pat on the back from God. He's not going to wink at us and tell us, 'Well done.' God isn't going to shower us with tokens of His appreciation. We won't receive a new company car because we've managed to honor God and He wants to show us we've done well.
How many people seek such honor from man? How many long to hear that little word of gratitude- thanks? How many live hoping to please others and never once concern themselves with pleasing God?
Is it fear that keeps a person from seeking God first? Fear of what their fellow man will think of them? How they might be labeled by others. Jesus freak, God crazy, religious jerk, holy nut, you get the picture. Sometimes we think of the extreme man on the street in a toga dancing and trying to hand out pamphlets, or maybe a looney who wears a billboard shouting about the second coming of Christ. We think of those we call extremist and guess what... In Jesus' day His apostles, His disciples were considered extremists.
Am I saying go out and be an extremist for Christ- yes, I am.
We need to live for Christ, seeking the honor that comes from God. Our only concern should be what God thinks, not what others think.
What God thinks. Perhaps because He's not visible to us to give us physical reassurance that following Him is the only good and right way, we tend to look to that which we can get reactions from and live by their reactions. We seek approval of one another and that is a down fall. The only approval we need is from God and that approval is based on faith.
Faith- the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebs.11:1)
Our hope is Christ.
Faith.
1 John {5:4} For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith.
Faith. Live for God. Live seeking the honor that comes solely from God.
May God bless and keep us in Him, through the grace and mercy of Christ help us to seek the honor found in God and not in man.
Amen.
{5:44} How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that [cometh] from God only?
Receiving honor from one another.
Here's a quick dictionary definition of the word honor-
honor
1. High respect, as that shown for special merit; esteem: the honor shown to a Nobel laureate.
2. a. Good name; reputation. b. A source or cause of credit: was an honor to the profession.
3. a. Glory or recognition; distinction. b. A mark, token, or gesture of respect or distinction: the place of honor at the table. c. A military decoration. d. A title conferred for achievement.
4. Nobility of mind; probity.
5. High rank.
6. The dignity accorded to position: awed by the honor of his office.
7. Great privilege: I have the honor to present the governor.
8. Honor. Used with His, Her, or Your as a title and form of address for certain officials, such as judges and mayors: Her Honor the Mayor.
9. a. A code of integrity, dignity, and pride, chiefly among men, that was maintained in some societies, as in feudal Europe, by force of arms. b. Principled uprightness of character; personal integrity. c. A woman's chastity or reputation for chastity.
10. honors. Social courtesies offered to guests: did the honors at tea.
11. honors. a. Special recognition for unusual academic achievement: graduated with honors. b. A program of individual advanced study for exceptional students: planned to take honors in history.
12. Sports. The right of being first at the tee in golf.
13. Games. a. Any of the four or five highest cards, especially the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten of the trump suit, in card games such as bridge or whist. b. The points allotted to these cards. Often used in the plural.
verb, transitive
honored, honoring, honors
1. a. To hold in respect; esteem. b. To show respect for. c. To bow to (another dancer) in square dancing: Honor your partner.
2. To confer distinction on: He has honored us with his presence.
3. To accept or pay as valid: honor a check; a store that honors all credit cards.
Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary
*******
Receiving - respect, esteem, recognition, distinction.
When we receive honor one of another, from one another, we are getting their respect, their esteem, their recognition and distinction from them. We care so much about what people think, at least some of us do, and some more than others. We want to be treated with respect we feel we deserve respect and to be recognized as deserving that respect. We might not say to one another that we want to be honored, that word has a connotation of superiority to it and yet the verb form of honor simply says- 'To hold in respect, esteem. To show respect for.' So no, we don't tell someone they should honor us but sometimes we tell others that they need to respect us, especially when we're dealing with disrespectful situations. We feel a right to be respected simply because we exist. Some of the worst people have no trouble telling others they should respect them- thinking they truly deserve it just because they live. Is feeling like you deserve respect wrong?Is feeling like you deserve to be honored wrong? Is honoring another wrong? We are told to honor our mother and father so that can't be, and yet something about honoring others is wrong.
John
{5:44} How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that [cometh] from God only?
Seeking honor of others and not the honor that God alone possesses is wrong. Seeking respect from mankind and not seeking respect that comes from God, is wrong. Seeking to be esteemed by man, seeking recognition and distinction from man is wrong. The ONLY one we need to seek honor from is God. God first, always.
God first. If God is kept first in our lives then we won't care what others think of us, whether or not they respect us or esteem us. If God comes first then nothing else matters. If you suffer disrespect, if you aren't given the recognition you think you deserve, if you're given no distinction at all and not esteemed in the slightest- then you should bear it with joy (not that it feels good- but that's not the point). People suffer for well doing (1 Pet. 3:17) and it is good, better than suffering for evil. When we suffer in any way for God, keeping God first in our lives, then all is good.
We can have faith in God when we seek God first before all else. When we seek our fellow man first we lose our faith. God first, always.
There is an honor that come from God only and that honor is something we should seek. How? Faith.
We're not going to receive a pat on the back from God. He's not going to wink at us and tell us, 'Well done.' God isn't going to shower us with tokens of His appreciation. We won't receive a new company car because we've managed to honor God and He wants to show us we've done well.
How many people seek such honor from man? How many long to hear that little word of gratitude- thanks? How many live hoping to please others and never once concern themselves with pleasing God?
Is it fear that keeps a person from seeking God first? Fear of what their fellow man will think of them? How they might be labeled by others. Jesus freak, God crazy, religious jerk, holy nut, you get the picture. Sometimes we think of the extreme man on the street in a toga dancing and trying to hand out pamphlets, or maybe a looney who wears a billboard shouting about the second coming of Christ. We think of those we call extremist and guess what... In Jesus' day His apostles, His disciples were considered extremists.
Am I saying go out and be an extremist for Christ- yes, I am.
We need to live for Christ, seeking the honor that comes from God. Our only concern should be what God thinks, not what others think.
What God thinks. Perhaps because He's not visible to us to give us physical reassurance that following Him is the only good and right way, we tend to look to that which we can get reactions from and live by their reactions. We seek approval of one another and that is a down fall. The only approval we need is from God and that approval is based on faith.
Faith- the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebs.11:1)
Our hope is Christ.
Faith.
1 John {5:4} For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith.
Faith. Live for God. Live seeking the honor that comes solely from God.
May God bless and keep us in Him, through the grace and mercy of Christ help us to seek the honor found in God and not in man.
Amen.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Seek salvation in Christ
John
{3:16} For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. {3:17} For God sent not
his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the
world through him might be saved.
*******
Matthew
{21:12} And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast
out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and
overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of
them that sold doves, {21:13} And said unto them, It is
written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye
have made it a den of thieves.
*******
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but thta the world through him might be saved...
Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and seats of them that sold doves.
We want Jesus to condemn don't we? Seriously. When He overthrew tables and chairs and cast out the wrongdoers in the temple the imagery of it all is amazing. Jesus filled with a righteous wrath because overthrowing and casting out isn't done with smiles. We want evil to be condemned and we feel inside ourselves this righteous wrath when we are injured, when we are despitefully used, when we are treated with disrespect, we feel this anger inside of us and is it righteous? Is the anger we feel justified? Is the anger akin to Jesus' wrath as He over turned furniture and kicked people out of the temple? We want to believe it is, but truly can it be?
Jesus was sinless in His wrath. There was no personal injury on His behalf that He was trying to champion, no personal wrong that He was trying to avenge. He said unto those in the temple- It is written My house shall be called the house of prayer - but ye have made it a den of thieves.
It is written.
God's house shall be called a house of prayer.
Buying and selling, exchaning money even for animal sacrifices to be made in the temple wasn't in accord with God's will. It wasn't written you shall buy and sell in my house, that you should cheat people and sell for gain, that you shall barter a price on a sacrifice, that you should make my house a place of haggling and forget all about it being a place of prayer. There was a sacredness in the temple and people had lost sight of that. Jesus saw the totally disregard for His father's house and righteously revealed the evil going on right in the temple.
Our anger isn't sinless, it isn't righteous because more often than not our supposed righteous indignation comes from selfish origins. You want to protest not always and maybe you're right, I can't condemn you for anything it's not my place. Jesus came into the world to save the world, not to condemn the world. If we want condemnation we aren't looking to Jesus.
Jesus came to save. Yes, Jesus felt a righteous indignation as His father's house was descrated but it wasn't a selfish indignation. He didn't condemn the world in that act, He condemned actions. Jesus can condemn and has to condemn sin, but the sinner He longs to save.
May God help us to recognize the actions in our lives that are worthy of condemnation and may we beg for forgiveness for those actions and seek salvation in Christ, by His everlasting mercy and grace.
Amen.
{3:16} For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. {3:17} For God sent not
his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the
world through him might be saved.
*******
Matthew
{21:12} And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast
out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and
overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of
them that sold doves, {21:13} And said unto them, It is
written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye
have made it a den of thieves.
*******
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but thta the world through him might be saved...
Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and seats of them that sold doves.
We want Jesus to condemn don't we? Seriously. When He overthrew tables and chairs and cast out the wrongdoers in the temple the imagery of it all is amazing. Jesus filled with a righteous wrath because overthrowing and casting out isn't done with smiles. We want evil to be condemned and we feel inside ourselves this righteous wrath when we are injured, when we are despitefully used, when we are treated with disrespect, we feel this anger inside of us and is it righteous? Is the anger we feel justified? Is the anger akin to Jesus' wrath as He over turned furniture and kicked people out of the temple? We want to believe it is, but truly can it be?
Jesus was sinless in His wrath. There was no personal injury on His behalf that He was trying to champion, no personal wrong that He was trying to avenge. He said unto those in the temple- It is written My house shall be called the house of prayer - but ye have made it a den of thieves.
It is written.
God's house shall be called a house of prayer.
Buying and selling, exchaning money even for animal sacrifices to be made in the temple wasn't in accord with God's will. It wasn't written you shall buy and sell in my house, that you should cheat people and sell for gain, that you shall barter a price on a sacrifice, that you should make my house a place of haggling and forget all about it being a place of prayer. There was a sacredness in the temple and people had lost sight of that. Jesus saw the totally disregard for His father's house and righteously revealed the evil going on right in the temple.
Our anger isn't sinless, it isn't righteous because more often than not our supposed righteous indignation comes from selfish origins. You want to protest not always and maybe you're right, I can't condemn you for anything it's not my place. Jesus came into the world to save the world, not to condemn the world. If we want condemnation we aren't looking to Jesus.
Jesus came to save. Yes, Jesus felt a righteous indignation as His father's house was descrated but it wasn't a selfish indignation. He didn't condemn the world in that act, He condemned actions. Jesus can condemn and has to condemn sin, but the sinner He longs to save.
May God help us to recognize the actions in our lives that are worthy of condemnation and may we beg for forgiveness for those actions and seek salvation in Christ, by His everlasting mercy and grace.
Amen.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Faith in the only one trustworthy.
1 Peter
{2:19} For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
Suffering wrongfully.
Innocents suffer wrongfully. Man is not innocent by nature. Children are innocent until they reach their own age of accountability, there is no set age but rather the maturity that brings accountability with it. Once someone knows right from wrong then they are accountable to do right rather than wrong. Once the choices begin and the child chooses the wrong over the right, again accountability is in effect. We all know that as children it starts young, our wrongs are innocent until we are taught they are wrong. Not touching a hot stovetop is something we are taught, but at first we are kept safe by keeping us away from the hot stovetop. Later we are told not to touch the hot stove it could hurt us. We choose whether or not to listen to that admonishment. If we choose not to listen and put our fingers on the hot stove we get burned- an instant punishment is given us for our wrong doing. Was it an innocent wrong when we we were told not to touch and we did? The choosing not to listen makes it a choice for wrong. As we grow up we are told our actions have consequences and not all of those consequences are immediately felt such as the touching of the hot stovetop resulting in burnt fingers. Sometimes it's best if we do get immediate consequences isn't it? Maybe if all wrong doing resulted in immediate punishment there'd be less wrong doing, but that's not how it all works.
Choices. We all make them and starting very young. Only the innocents suffer wrongfully, right? No, that's not right. Innocents do suffer, but so do the guilty.
Man by nature matures and guilt abounds. We find forgiveness in Christ, He died to take away our sins. Once we are made innocent in Christ, through Christ's righteousness we are like a child before accountability, innocent. Every day we make choices that can produce more guilt and more need of forgiveness, or we can make choices that result in remaining innocent- through the grace of Christ.
Suffering wrongfully.
Suffering undeservedly.
By the guilt of our nature anything that happens to us is deserved, but we still have that sense of being undeserving of guilt when we've not done wrong and when we've asked for forgiveness. This is why we must consider it thankworthy suffering wrongfully, because the only one who never deserved a single ounce of suffering, suffered the most for us who deserve all the suffering in the world.
It's not oh, God why me?! But oh, God... thank you, keep me strong in faith, in love, in you. Now, if only we can truly remember that when the suffering and grief come to us. May God remind us that the suffering now is only temporary however horrific when we are in the midst of the pain, the agony, the emotional turmoil, the physical horrors.
By His grace, help us remember, to trust, to believe, to have faith in the only one trustworthy.
Thank you Lord, thank you our heavenly Father.
Amen.
{2:19} For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
Suffering wrongfully.
Innocents suffer wrongfully. Man is not innocent by nature. Children are innocent until they reach their own age of accountability, there is no set age but rather the maturity that brings accountability with it. Once someone knows right from wrong then they are accountable to do right rather than wrong. Once the choices begin and the child chooses the wrong over the right, again accountability is in effect. We all know that as children it starts young, our wrongs are innocent until we are taught they are wrong. Not touching a hot stovetop is something we are taught, but at first we are kept safe by keeping us away from the hot stovetop. Later we are told not to touch the hot stove it could hurt us. We choose whether or not to listen to that admonishment. If we choose not to listen and put our fingers on the hot stove we get burned- an instant punishment is given us for our wrong doing. Was it an innocent wrong when we we were told not to touch and we did? The choosing not to listen makes it a choice for wrong. As we grow up we are told our actions have consequences and not all of those consequences are immediately felt such as the touching of the hot stovetop resulting in burnt fingers. Sometimes it's best if we do get immediate consequences isn't it? Maybe if all wrong doing resulted in immediate punishment there'd be less wrong doing, but that's not how it all works.
Choices. We all make them and starting very young. Only the innocents suffer wrongfully, right? No, that's not right. Innocents do suffer, but so do the guilty.
Man by nature matures and guilt abounds. We find forgiveness in Christ, He died to take away our sins. Once we are made innocent in Christ, through Christ's righteousness we are like a child before accountability, innocent. Every day we make choices that can produce more guilt and more need of forgiveness, or we can make choices that result in remaining innocent- through the grace of Christ.
Suffering wrongfully.
Suffering undeservedly.
By the guilt of our nature anything that happens to us is deserved, but we still have that sense of being undeserving of guilt when we've not done wrong and when we've asked for forgiveness. This is why we must consider it thankworthy suffering wrongfully, because the only one who never deserved a single ounce of suffering, suffered the most for us who deserve all the suffering in the world.
It's not oh, God why me?! But oh, God... thank you, keep me strong in faith, in love, in you. Now, if only we can truly remember that when the suffering and grief come to us. May God remind us that the suffering now is only temporary however horrific when we are in the midst of the pain, the agony, the emotional turmoil, the physical horrors.
By His grace, help us remember, to trust, to believe, to have faith in the only one trustworthy.
Thank you Lord, thank you our heavenly Father.
Amen.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Conscience toward God
1 Peter {2:19} For this [is] thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. {2:20} For what glory [is it,] if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer [for it,] ye take it patiently, this [is] acceptable with God. {2:21} For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: {2:22} Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: {2:23} Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed [himself] to him that judgeth righteously: {2:24} Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. {2:25} For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
For conscience toward God...
How can we have our conscience toward God?
conscience
conscience (kòn´shens) noun
1. a. The awareness of a moral or ethical aspect to one's conduct together with the urge to prefer right over wrong: Let your conscience be your guide. b. A source of moral or ethical judgment or pronouncement: a document that serves as the nation's conscience. c. Conformity to one's own sense of right conduct: a person of unflagging conscience.
2. The part of the superego in psychoanalysis that judges the ethical nature of one's actions and thoughts and then transmits such determinations to the ego for consideration.
Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary
We need an awareness of our moral responsibility to God. When we have our conscience towards God then we prefer what God prefers and not what we naturally prefer selfishly. To have our conscience towards God is thankworthy, meaning we have reason to give thanks if our conscience, if our awareness of our responsibility to God, is pronounced in our lives. Too often people have NO conscience towards God. They've taken God out of their lives entirely believing in themselves, believing in humanity, believing in tangible things that just are because those people are without any thought of God at all.
For conscience toward God it is thankworthy...worth thanks if a man--
-- endures grief and suffers wrongfully.
Being thankful for enduring grief??
Being thankful for suffering wrongfully??
Our senses tells us that's wrong! How can we be thankful for grief, for suffering, how? We should be thankful when we don't have to grieve or suffer, right? Yet here we are being told it's thankworthy to suffer and grieve when we don't deserve to do either. Sure, if we're hateful, spiteful, lying, cheating, and deserving of our grief and suffering we have no one to blame but ourselves for it and being thankful for such suffering is ridiculous. For such suffering we deserve we have no reason to be glad. And you want to say for suffering we don't deserve we should be even less happy about and that's true for the natural man, for the man whose conscience isn't towards God.
If we suffer undeservedly, if we endure grief patiently, thankfully, when we are focused on God guess what? It's is acceptable to God that we do grieve and suffer so. Why? Because Christ suffered for us as an example. He suffered worse than we can ever suffer and He did so without seeking revenge, without ranting and raving, without swearing, He suffered and committed himself to him that judges righteously- He committed Himself to God! He suffered an innocent man as our example. If we are to endure suffering, if we are to endure grief our natural man says to lash out at those causing it all, to give as we are given, to hurt those who are hurting us and yet we can't do that not if our conscience is towards God. With our conscience towards God we suffer as Christ suffered and let God judge. God's judgment isn't clouded by all infallible opinion. God's judgment is true and just and infinitely better than any ability we may think we have to judge. If we let God judge then we are willing to submit ourselves to Him, letting go of our own selfish need to exact revenge and to pay back others for their hurtful, hatefully, horrendous, insidious, reprehensible behavior.
Through Christ we live. Through Christ's righteousness we live. By the suffering of Christ we are healed. No, we aren't promised a live of no suffering and no grief, but we are promised Christ and life eternal through Christ. We are promised that all we endure is nothing compared to what our Savior endured and we should be thankful that we do suffer for Christ, for our conscience towards God because there is life promised in that suffering and grief, a promise through Christ.
1 Peter {2:19} For this [is] thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. {2:20} For what glory [is it,] if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer [for it,] ye take it patiently, this [is] acceptable with God. {2:21} For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: {2:22} Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: {2:23} Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed [himself] to him that judgeth righteously: {2:24} Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. {2:25} For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
It is so hard for our natural selves to be hurt and to be thankful for that hurt. It is so hard for our natural selves to grieve and be thankful for the grief. Only through Christ is it at all possible to be so, knowing that God is in control. God is in control of our lives and we must trust Him. That doesn't mean we won't grieve- that we are to smile through tears- no, it doesn't mean that at all. It doesn't mean we are to laugh through pain. God understands we must cry, and we must feel the agony that grief brings, and to suffer means to feel the pain and yes, to even cry out upon feeling the pain. We aren't called to be smiling as our hearts are torn to shreds or our bodies filled with agony. We are called to be thankful to God, we are called to trust in God, we are called to put all our faith in God that all that horror is for some reason we can't begin to understand and yet God does understand and He alone can judge everything. We are not to judge God. Yes, we cry out WHY GOD?! WHY?! And that's natural as well, but ultimately we have to trust that we can't know the why's of God yet we must still trust in Him.
Is it easy? No. It's suffering, it's grief, it's pain, and that is never easy.
Through it all we know Christ placed all His faith and trust in the Father, Satan tempted Him and YES He could have fallen to the temptation. He didn't have a shield around Himself, He didn't have a special protection from sinning, He was tempted LIKE WE ARE IN ALL POINTS and remained without sin. People like to think Christ couldn't have sinned, but that's wrong. He could have and He didn't. He had faith in the Father. He was constantly praying to the Father, constantly seeking the Father and to live for the Father, Christ's conscience was towards God, His Father. His life was lived for the Father, saving us through His suffering.
Ease isn't something we're promised when we have our conscience towards God. Life eternal is the promise we are given through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, by His amazing grace and mercy now and forever.
Amen.
For conscience toward God...
How can we have our conscience toward God?
conscience
conscience (kòn´shens) noun
1. a. The awareness of a moral or ethical aspect to one's conduct together with the urge to prefer right over wrong: Let your conscience be your guide. b. A source of moral or ethical judgment or pronouncement: a document that serves as the nation's conscience. c. Conformity to one's own sense of right conduct: a person of unflagging conscience.
2. The part of the superego in psychoanalysis that judges the ethical nature of one's actions and thoughts and then transmits such determinations to the ego for consideration.
Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary
We need an awareness of our moral responsibility to God. When we have our conscience towards God then we prefer what God prefers and not what we naturally prefer selfishly. To have our conscience towards God is thankworthy, meaning we have reason to give thanks if our conscience, if our awareness of our responsibility to God, is pronounced in our lives. Too often people have NO conscience towards God. They've taken God out of their lives entirely believing in themselves, believing in humanity, believing in tangible things that just are because those people are without any thought of God at all.
For conscience toward God it is thankworthy...worth thanks if a man--
-- endures grief and suffers wrongfully.
Being thankful for enduring grief??
Being thankful for suffering wrongfully??
Our senses tells us that's wrong! How can we be thankful for grief, for suffering, how? We should be thankful when we don't have to grieve or suffer, right? Yet here we are being told it's thankworthy to suffer and grieve when we don't deserve to do either. Sure, if we're hateful, spiteful, lying, cheating, and deserving of our grief and suffering we have no one to blame but ourselves for it and being thankful for such suffering is ridiculous. For such suffering we deserve we have no reason to be glad. And you want to say for suffering we don't deserve we should be even less happy about and that's true for the natural man, for the man whose conscience isn't towards God.
If we suffer undeservedly, if we endure grief patiently, thankfully, when we are focused on God guess what? It's is acceptable to God that we do grieve and suffer so. Why? Because Christ suffered for us as an example. He suffered worse than we can ever suffer and He did so without seeking revenge, without ranting and raving, without swearing, He suffered and committed himself to him that judges righteously- He committed Himself to God! He suffered an innocent man as our example. If we are to endure suffering, if we are to endure grief our natural man says to lash out at those causing it all, to give as we are given, to hurt those who are hurting us and yet we can't do that not if our conscience is towards God. With our conscience towards God we suffer as Christ suffered and let God judge. God's judgment isn't clouded by all infallible opinion. God's judgment is true and just and infinitely better than any ability we may think we have to judge. If we let God judge then we are willing to submit ourselves to Him, letting go of our own selfish need to exact revenge and to pay back others for their hurtful, hatefully, horrendous, insidious, reprehensible behavior.
Through Christ we live. Through Christ's righteousness we live. By the suffering of Christ we are healed. No, we aren't promised a live of no suffering and no grief, but we are promised Christ and life eternal through Christ. We are promised that all we endure is nothing compared to what our Savior endured and we should be thankful that we do suffer for Christ, for our conscience towards God because there is life promised in that suffering and grief, a promise through Christ.
1 Peter {2:19} For this [is] thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. {2:20} For what glory [is it,] if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer [for it,] ye take it patiently, this [is] acceptable with God. {2:21} For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: {2:22} Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: {2:23} Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed [himself] to him that judgeth righteously: {2:24} Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. {2:25} For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
It is so hard for our natural selves to be hurt and to be thankful for that hurt. It is so hard for our natural selves to grieve and be thankful for the grief. Only through Christ is it at all possible to be so, knowing that God is in control. God is in control of our lives and we must trust Him. That doesn't mean we won't grieve- that we are to smile through tears- no, it doesn't mean that at all. It doesn't mean we are to laugh through pain. God understands we must cry, and we must feel the agony that grief brings, and to suffer means to feel the pain and yes, to even cry out upon feeling the pain. We aren't called to be smiling as our hearts are torn to shreds or our bodies filled with agony. We are called to be thankful to God, we are called to trust in God, we are called to put all our faith in God that all that horror is for some reason we can't begin to understand and yet God does understand and He alone can judge everything. We are not to judge God. Yes, we cry out WHY GOD?! WHY?! And that's natural as well, but ultimately we have to trust that we can't know the why's of God yet we must still trust in Him.
Is it easy? No. It's suffering, it's grief, it's pain, and that is never easy.
Through it all we know Christ placed all His faith and trust in the Father, Satan tempted Him and YES He could have fallen to the temptation. He didn't have a shield around Himself, He didn't have a special protection from sinning, He was tempted LIKE WE ARE IN ALL POINTS and remained without sin. People like to think Christ couldn't have sinned, but that's wrong. He could have and He didn't. He had faith in the Father. He was constantly praying to the Father, constantly seeking the Father and to live for the Father, Christ's conscience was towards God, His Father. His life was lived for the Father, saving us through His suffering.
Ease isn't something we're promised when we have our conscience towards God. Life eternal is the promise we are given through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, by His amazing grace and mercy now and forever.
Amen.
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