John
{3:18} He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
{3:19} And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
{3:20} For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
{3:21} But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
What do sinners and roaches have in common? They both hate the light. No, that isn't some weird joke that misses the mark on the humor scale, it's the truth.
Loving darkness.
What other things love darkness?
Not all nocturnal creatures are bad, not even roaches are bad, they don't have the choice between being good and evil to classify them as being bad. We don't like roaches because they're breeders of filth and creepy, and disgusting, but they're not evil.
Only men and angels can be evil, beings of higher intelligence, beings that can actually choice to do either right or wrong, good or evil.
We associate the light with good things don't we? It's daytime, we can see everything around us clearly nothing is readily hidden from our sight. Most people work during the day. Before electricity nearly all people worked during the day and the night was for sleeping.
Just like we associate the colors of day and night with good and evil, light and dark, white and black. How many brides are married in a black wedding gown? White is the symbol of purity to many. This isn't to say we exclusively believe this. Many people like to buck the system for shock value and many customs come about in different ways.
What doesn't change is the Bible and the Bible says this...
John
{3:18} He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
{3:19} And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
{3:20} For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
{3:21} But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Those who don't believe in Jesus as the Son of God are condemned. The condemnation is light came to the world and men loved darkness.
Why did they love darkness?
Because their deeds were evil.
Everyone that does evil hates light, they don't come out into the light because they're fearful of their evil ways being seen.
It's safe to say that darkness is a concealer.
You shine light on anything its no longer concealed.
You take away the darkness and replace it with light you can see clearly into even the corners of a room. If I shine a flashlight under my bed all those little dark loving dust bunnies will be seen. If a man comes to fix my stove he's going to pull it out from it's normal position and light is going to shine on everything that has been in darkness beneath it. If I open a closet I can hunt about for an article of clothing and the chances of pulling out the wrong thing are great if I don't have light in there.
We need light to see things. We need light if we're to take away the darkness. We need Jesus who is the light to take away the darkness of sin in us. We can't hide anything from Jesus. We can choose not to follow Him and remain in darkness that's always our option, but if you choose to follow Jesus, Son of God, your life is open to Him and all your deeds are readily seen, you can't hide anything and hope that Jesus won't see it, He sees all, He is the light that shines on our lives, on our hearts, He wants our lives to be illuminated brilliantly in His glow and any sins we have to be confessed and forsaken.
Those who want to keep sin in their lives live in darkness, not light and you know what? I think some of them, no, I think a lot of people think they are living in the light of Jesus' love when in truth they're on a night and day pattern with Him. For part of the time they seemingly live in the daylight and yet they have night in their lives that falls down around them where they hide their sins. They're deceived into thinking they're truly following Christ when the truth is, even the light they have in the daytime is artificial and not the true Light that Lighteth the World.
I think it'd be very wise of us all to examine the light source we are basking under.
'But he that doeth truth....'
Doeth truth!
Does truth!
Doing the truth!
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
If we're doing the truth we want to come to the light. We want our lives to be an open book. We want all to know and see that our lives are being lived in God with nothing to hide.
If you're not doing the truth you are doing evil.
Jesus is the truth, His life is the truth, there wasn't any darkness in Jesus at all, none, He had nothing to hide.
Jesus full of grace and truth came to us so we may obtain grace and live in truth.
If we obtain grace and accept the truth of Jesus and yet we don't live in that truth, our lives aren't manifesting the truth, we are hiding the truth we've received and if we're hiding the truth we're concealing it, and if we're concealing the truth it is in darkness not the light, and if it is in darkness it is evil and... if it is evil, it is condemned.
We need to walk in truth.
Live in truth.
What sort of light to you live under? The true light of Jesus? The artificial light of Satan? We all live under one or the other. Satan deceives, that's his job so to speak. He wants people to believe they are in the light of Jesus but really being under his light, which in truth is darkness. Satan's light doesn't go into the dark recesses, the hidden corners, it doesn't shine under the bed or into the back of the closet, it only goes so far and makes people feel secure enough that they don't think about those dark places because they're scary and evil lurks in them, who wants to go into the dark scary places? No one really, not these places where it's impossible to take Jesus because wherever Jesus goes He bring light. You can't have Jesus in the dark places and remain hidden. He's the Light. If you have Jesus wherever you are will be light, will be truth. If you find yourself in any dark places caught up in something you'd rather Jesus not see, remember, He's not with you as you dwell in that darkness of sin. If you let Him into your life that sin will be revealed to Him, by Him and it's amazing because He helps us recognize the sin in our lives and gives us His Holy Spirit to help us resist the sin so we can live in the light of Him.
Remember this--
Luke
{18:10} Two men went up into the temple to pray; the onea Pharisee, and the other a publican.
{18:11} The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men [are,] extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
{18:12} I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
{18:13} And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
{18:14} I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
One man was filled with sin and couldn't even see it in himself. Another admitted he was a sinner and asked for mercy.
We have to recognize the sin, admit the sin, ask for forgiveness, receive the Grace of God, and then walk in the truth, walk in the light.
Go and sin no more... how often should we forgive...forever.
Yes, we are humans and we are prone to sin, but there is One we believe in who never sinned, One who promises us His Holy Spirit, One who give us His mercy and grace, bringing truth to us, bringing light to our lives so we don't have to live in darkness. Let's live in the Light, live in Truth, which is living in Jesus.
Amen.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Grace and Truth, Jesus
John
{1:14} And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
{1:15} John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. {1:16} And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
{1:17} For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
{1:18} No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
The Word was made flesh.
So very, very miraculous.
John
{1:1} In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
{1:2} The same was in the beginning with God.
{1:3} All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
{1:4} In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
{1:5} And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
In the beginning...
Genesis
{1:1} In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
{1:2} And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
In the beginning of ALL things God created heaven and the earth.
We search for our roots as if by finding out our ancestry we might discover we're related to someone important. We search it an without finding a noble of any sort we realize how humble our family line has been. We go back as far as we can and are amazed at the paths taken the branches of the huge tree that have gone off on their merry way never to be thought of as family again. Born in 1400, this one married that one and had five children, your path lies in the last of those five children and yet you have relation to the other four by blood ties. On down to 2000, six hundred years later and you realize that you have so many relatives it's almost easier to think that maybe a few aren't related to you in some way, rather than there are a few who are. Why all this bother about ancestry? Well, in the beginning...
There is a beginning and an end of so many things in our lives that realizing how miniscule our life is in the grand scheme can be a bit troublesome. Here we are, God's grandest of creations and the heaven and the earth have outlasted so many of us. It wasn't supposed to be this way, we weren't suppose to have an end.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God, the same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness and darkness comprehended it not. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
The Spirit moved upon the face of the waters.
The Spirit moved within Mary's womb.
The Spirit brought into being that which God desired to create.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were together in Creation.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were together in Salvation.
When the Spirit moved within Mary's womb and brought to life the human that would be Jesus, Son of God, given to that babe was grace and truth. Grace to save, truth to bear witness to all that is holy and good, bearing witness to God, to love. Truth along with Grace was brought to us. We weren't given just grace. Jesus wasn't full of just grace and that was the end of it. He didn't come to just dole out grace to people, that would leave them floundering.
Like taking a drug addict out of his drug environment and getting him all cleaned up then sticking him back into the same environment without once telling him about how he could defeat the drugs in the environment. Without empowering the drug addict with the knowledge necessary to keep from the drugs there is little point in cleaning him all up.
Jesus who is so much greater than we are knew that with grace had to come truth. With grace there has to be more if those who seek His grace and find it are left without truth to follow they have nothing to keep them from their past life lived without grace. There is nothing to stop them from living a life in sin. Jesus said on more than one occasion-- 'Go and sin no more.'
That's where the truth comes into play so fully. The forgiveness is given to us by grace, we cannot do a single thing to earn it we can only accept it into our hearts. To go and sin no more we need truth with that grace. The truth is brought by Jesus as well and that truth is His life, His total devotion to his Father, to loving His Father and loving His neighbor. This is the truth.
It sounds too easy, too simple, and yet Jesus told more than one person that they were close to heaven by believing the truth, by believing the commandments of God to be loving God and loving your fellow man, all the other laws rested upon those. Too simple and yet the truth. The Pharisees did a bang up job of complicating things so fully that people were left without hope and only put on shows of godliness. Satan complicates things in any way he can, back then and now. As long as confusion is in play then people aren't holding to the simple truth, they're mucking things up with complications. We need Jesus sent to us full of grace and truth. We can't forget that ever. Grace and truth, Jesus.
May the Lord help us as we seek His Grace always and hold fast to His truth forever.
Amen.
{1:14} And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
{1:15} John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. {1:16} And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
{1:17} For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
{1:18} No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
The Word was made flesh.
So very, very miraculous.
John
{1:1} In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
{1:2} The same was in the beginning with God.
{1:3} All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
{1:4} In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
{1:5} And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
In the beginning...
Genesis
{1:1} In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
{1:2} And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
In the beginning of ALL things God created heaven and the earth.
We search for our roots as if by finding out our ancestry we might discover we're related to someone important. We search it an without finding a noble of any sort we realize how humble our family line has been. We go back as far as we can and are amazed at the paths taken the branches of the huge tree that have gone off on their merry way never to be thought of as family again. Born in 1400, this one married that one and had five children, your path lies in the last of those five children and yet you have relation to the other four by blood ties. On down to 2000, six hundred years later and you realize that you have so many relatives it's almost easier to think that maybe a few aren't related to you in some way, rather than there are a few who are. Why all this bother about ancestry? Well, in the beginning...
There is a beginning and an end of so many things in our lives that realizing how miniscule our life is in the grand scheme can be a bit troublesome. Here we are, God's grandest of creations and the heaven and the earth have outlasted so many of us. It wasn't supposed to be this way, we weren't suppose to have an end.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God, the same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness and darkness comprehended it not. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
The Spirit moved upon the face of the waters.
The Spirit moved within Mary's womb.
The Spirit brought into being that which God desired to create.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were together in Creation.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were together in Salvation.
When the Spirit moved within Mary's womb and brought to life the human that would be Jesus, Son of God, given to that babe was grace and truth. Grace to save, truth to bear witness to all that is holy and good, bearing witness to God, to love. Truth along with Grace was brought to us. We weren't given just grace. Jesus wasn't full of just grace and that was the end of it. He didn't come to just dole out grace to people, that would leave them floundering.
Like taking a drug addict out of his drug environment and getting him all cleaned up then sticking him back into the same environment without once telling him about how he could defeat the drugs in the environment. Without empowering the drug addict with the knowledge necessary to keep from the drugs there is little point in cleaning him all up.
Jesus who is so much greater than we are knew that with grace had to come truth. With grace there has to be more if those who seek His grace and find it are left without truth to follow they have nothing to keep them from their past life lived without grace. There is nothing to stop them from living a life in sin. Jesus said on more than one occasion-- 'Go and sin no more.'
That's where the truth comes into play so fully. The forgiveness is given to us by grace, we cannot do a single thing to earn it we can only accept it into our hearts. To go and sin no more we need truth with that grace. The truth is brought by Jesus as well and that truth is His life, His total devotion to his Father, to loving His Father and loving His neighbor. This is the truth.
It sounds too easy, too simple, and yet Jesus told more than one person that they were close to heaven by believing the truth, by believing the commandments of God to be loving God and loving your fellow man, all the other laws rested upon those. Too simple and yet the truth. The Pharisees did a bang up job of complicating things so fully that people were left without hope and only put on shows of godliness. Satan complicates things in any way he can, back then and now. As long as confusion is in play then people aren't holding to the simple truth, they're mucking things up with complications. We need Jesus sent to us full of grace and truth. We can't forget that ever. Grace and truth, Jesus.
May the Lord help us as we seek His Grace always and hold fast to His truth forever.
Amen.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
One Truth One God!
Mark
{12:28} And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first
commandment of all?
{12:29} And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
{12:30} And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first
commandment.
{12:31} And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
{12:32} And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
{12:33} And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
{12:34} And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
The truth.
One God.
So why do so many want to say there are many gods? Why is there such a revival of worshipping 'goddesses'? Why do we to worship the son, the moon, the stars they are only things. Why are people invoking nature as if nature itself could help them? Why do people go to 'dark magic' calling upon satan himself to be their god? Lies! It's all lies and they believe in them desperately. They believe on them and they say others should as well, and they cry out that their way is the best way, the true way. They are filled with deception, believing in lies thinking them truth.
The truth first and foremost is that there is only ONE God!
The truth is we are to love the one and only true God with all our heart, with all our understanding, with all our soul.
Truth.
People can flounder and grasp at lies and coat the lies in a false truth all they want and it will never become the truth.
One truth.
One God.
Loving God first, and loving our neighbor second. Loving our neighbors as we would be loved.
The truth.
All that means more than any other sacrifices we could make. It means more than any show of works we could ever do. The richest showing is meaningless and holds no sway with God, there is no buying God's favor in any way at all. The poorest of the poor who loves God and his neighbor is the richest with God. This is truth.
The truth is every man can believe in the truth, it's not out of the reach of any. It doesn't take fine clothes, large offerings of money, it doesn't take beauitiful hair dos, fancy sculpted nails, fine leather shoes... none of the things men call riches on earth, none of the things held in high esteem here mean anything at all. Those who are rich in material possessions will find it the hardest to find the truth because they are so caught up in the thing people praise and not the things God praises.
The truth.
Jesus told the scribe that he wasn't far from the kingdom of God.
The truth.
We need the truth.
One God to love.
Loving your fellowman.
It is grace and truth that saves.
The grace Jesus offers us all is a saving grace. The truth Jesus offers is a saving truth.
By our Lord and Savior's grace and mercy may we all hold fast to the truth, the only truth in Him.
Amen.
{12:28} And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first
commandment of all?
{12:29} And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
{12:30} And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first
commandment.
{12:31} And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
{12:32} And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
{12:33} And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
{12:34} And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
The truth.
One God.
So why do so many want to say there are many gods? Why is there such a revival of worshipping 'goddesses'? Why do we to worship the son, the moon, the stars they are only things. Why are people invoking nature as if nature itself could help them? Why do people go to 'dark magic' calling upon satan himself to be their god? Lies! It's all lies and they believe in them desperately. They believe on them and they say others should as well, and they cry out that their way is the best way, the true way. They are filled with deception, believing in lies thinking them truth.
The truth first and foremost is that there is only ONE God!
The truth is we are to love the one and only true God with all our heart, with all our understanding, with all our soul.
Truth.
People can flounder and grasp at lies and coat the lies in a false truth all they want and it will never become the truth.
One truth.
One God.
Loving God first, and loving our neighbor second. Loving our neighbors as we would be loved.
The truth.
All that means more than any other sacrifices we could make. It means more than any show of works we could ever do. The richest showing is meaningless and holds no sway with God, there is no buying God's favor in any way at all. The poorest of the poor who loves God and his neighbor is the richest with God. This is truth.
The truth is every man can believe in the truth, it's not out of the reach of any. It doesn't take fine clothes, large offerings of money, it doesn't take beauitiful hair dos, fancy sculpted nails, fine leather shoes... none of the things men call riches on earth, none of the things held in high esteem here mean anything at all. Those who are rich in material possessions will find it the hardest to find the truth because they are so caught up in the thing people praise and not the things God praises.
The truth.
Jesus told the scribe that he wasn't far from the kingdom of God.
The truth.
We need the truth.
One God to love.
Loving your fellowman.
It is grace and truth that saves.
The grace Jesus offers us all is a saving grace. The truth Jesus offers is a saving truth.
By our Lord and Savior's grace and mercy may we all hold fast to the truth, the only truth in Him.
Amen.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Speak the Truth
Zechariah
{8:16} These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates
{8:17} And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.
These are the things you should do--
Speak everyone the truth to his neighbor. Speaking the truth should be easy enough right? Speaking it to everyone. Because who is our neighbor? Everyone. Speaking truth, not speaking any lies at all.
Execute judgment of truth and peace in your gates. Judgment with truth and peace as the standard where you dwell. Truth and peace.
Let no one think of evil in their hearts against his neighbor, against his fellowman.
Why do we do that? Why do we think evil again each other? Why?
We do it, tabloids are filled with evil things thought against others. Newspapers are full of it, our courts are full of it as well as our jails. Filled to overflowing our jails hold people who have thought evil against another. Our great financial institutions are run by those constantly thinking evil against others, money being the only important thing. So much evil thought against others it seems endless. And what about us as individuals? Our are thoughts loving towards those we live with, let alone the strangers that are our neighbors. What would happen if in spite of how we are treated we treat others with love? Seriously, what would happen?
We're not to even imagine evil in our hearts against our neighbors, meaning we're not even to think of any evil- let alone commit it.
We aren't to love any lies, not a single one.
Evil- realized and imagined against others as well as lying, God hates those things, HATES them.
When I was growing up I was taught to never say hate, that saying hate was very bad, very wrong. Of course that went hand in hand with hating others, not things. I was to never hate anyone, never say it, it would be the worse kind of thing to say especially to someone. I was to hate no one and this is a good thing, I'm not complaining. Hate is a strong word, there isn't another word that means so much to show how awful something is to you.
hate (hât) verb
1. a. To feel hostility or animosity toward. b. To detest.
2. To feel dislike or distaste for: hates washing dishes.
Hate is the opposite of love.
One extreme to the other, with many little areas in between leading one way or another, little dislike making its way toward full blown hate, a little liking heading towards full blown love.
God hates.
God loves.
God is love.
So how can love, hate?
Love can hate all that isn't loving, because all that would destroy love, is worth hating.
Think of it as a gardener of a beautiful garden who loves his garden so much, it's all beauty and all good without any evil in it at all. The love is pure and right, it is what life should have been, what life will be. Into the garden steals destroying insects ravaging the beauty. That which destroys is to be hated because it has ruined the beauty. Sin has done that, and it is right to hate sin, to hate evil. Good cannot embrace the evil deed and call it good because it ultimately destroys.
God, just like that gardener, only wants the beauty of life to remain and therefore has to hate invading evil that would destroy the beauty.
We must love each other even when we're hated. We must love the sinner but detest and hate the sin they commit, just as we have to hate the sin we commit. We have to seek forgiveness from the only one able to forgive sin, seek to walk in Him, to walk in the Spirit not after our sins.
Proverbs {8:13} The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
John {3:20} For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. {3:21} But he that doeth truth
cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Heb. {1:9} Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
1 John
{4:19} We love him, because he first loved us. {4:20} If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? {4:21} And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
Zechariah
{8:16} These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates
{8:17} And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.
Speak truth, live truth and peace, don't think evil of others, don't love lies, the Lord hates evil, hates lies.
If we could do all this through the power and love of Jesus, through His grace and mercy, through the Holy Spirit how wonderful it would be, how marvelous.
May God's love dwell in us, may we love all God loves and hate all God hates. Love all that is good and hate all that is evil. Have mercy on the sinner, but hate the sin committed, by others and in ourselves as Jesus would have us do.
By His grace, His love.
Amen.
{8:16} These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates
{8:17} And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.
These are the things you should do--
Speak everyone the truth to his neighbor. Speaking the truth should be easy enough right? Speaking it to everyone. Because who is our neighbor? Everyone. Speaking truth, not speaking any lies at all.
Execute judgment of truth and peace in your gates. Judgment with truth and peace as the standard where you dwell. Truth and peace.
Let no one think of evil in their hearts against his neighbor, against his fellowman.
Why do we do that? Why do we think evil again each other? Why?
We do it, tabloids are filled with evil things thought against others. Newspapers are full of it, our courts are full of it as well as our jails. Filled to overflowing our jails hold people who have thought evil against another. Our great financial institutions are run by those constantly thinking evil against others, money being the only important thing. So much evil thought against others it seems endless. And what about us as individuals? Our are thoughts loving towards those we live with, let alone the strangers that are our neighbors. What would happen if in spite of how we are treated we treat others with love? Seriously, what would happen?
We're not to even imagine evil in our hearts against our neighbors, meaning we're not even to think of any evil- let alone commit it.
We aren't to love any lies, not a single one.
Evil- realized and imagined against others as well as lying, God hates those things, HATES them.
When I was growing up I was taught to never say hate, that saying hate was very bad, very wrong. Of course that went hand in hand with hating others, not things. I was to never hate anyone, never say it, it would be the worse kind of thing to say especially to someone. I was to hate no one and this is a good thing, I'm not complaining. Hate is a strong word, there isn't another word that means so much to show how awful something is to you.
hate (hât) verb
1. a. To feel hostility or animosity toward. b. To detest.
2. To feel dislike or distaste for: hates washing dishes.
Hate is the opposite of love.
One extreme to the other, with many little areas in between leading one way or another, little dislike making its way toward full blown hate, a little liking heading towards full blown love.
God hates.
God loves.
God is love.
So how can love, hate?
Love can hate all that isn't loving, because all that would destroy love, is worth hating.
Think of it as a gardener of a beautiful garden who loves his garden so much, it's all beauty and all good without any evil in it at all. The love is pure and right, it is what life should have been, what life will be. Into the garden steals destroying insects ravaging the beauty. That which destroys is to be hated because it has ruined the beauty. Sin has done that, and it is right to hate sin, to hate evil. Good cannot embrace the evil deed and call it good because it ultimately destroys.
God, just like that gardener, only wants the beauty of life to remain and therefore has to hate invading evil that would destroy the beauty.
We must love each other even when we're hated. We must love the sinner but detest and hate the sin they commit, just as we have to hate the sin we commit. We have to seek forgiveness from the only one able to forgive sin, seek to walk in Him, to walk in the Spirit not after our sins.
Proverbs {8:13} The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
John {3:20} For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. {3:21} But he that doeth truth
cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Heb. {1:9} Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
1 John
{4:19} We love him, because he first loved us. {4:20} If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? {4:21} And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
Zechariah
{8:16} These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates
{8:17} And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.
Speak truth, live truth and peace, don't think evil of others, don't love lies, the Lord hates evil, hates lies.
If we could do all this through the power and love of Jesus, through His grace and mercy, through the Holy Spirit how wonderful it would be, how marvelous.
May God's love dwell in us, may we love all God loves and hate all God hates. Love all that is good and hate all that is evil. Have mercy on the sinner, but hate the sin committed, by others and in ourselves as Jesus would have us do.
By His grace, His love.
Amen.
Friday, October 17, 2008
This is Truth
Micah
{7:19} He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. {7:20} Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
Long after Jacob, long after Abraham, the minor prophet Micah between 735-710 BC according to historians, made his prophecies. When did Abraham live? 2000 BC to 1825 BC according to historians. That's a long, long time between Micah's time and Abraham's. When Micah says- 'Thou wild perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham' what is is declaring?
We know God's mercy and truth go hand in hand, that the truth endures forever. Let's read just some of the many verses proving this truth beyond a doubt--
1 Chronicles
{16:34} O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever.
**
Mercy forever!
Psalms {106:1} Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalms {111:3} His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever
**
His righteousness forever!
Psalms {111:10} The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
**
His praise forever!
Psalms {117:1} O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
{117:2} For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.
**
Truth forever!
Psalms {119:160} Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
Psalms {135:13} Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, LORD, throughout all generations.
memorial (me-môr´ê-el, -mor´-) noun
Abbr. mem.
1. Something, such as a monument or holiday, intended to celebrate or honor the memory of a person or an event.
2. A written statement of facts or a petition presented to a legislative body or an executive.
When we have a memorial celebration what does it have to entail?
Who are we giving the memorial for.
What did they do that makes us memorialize them?
Where did they do this?
Right?
Those of us living in the United States have a memorial day in honor of those who have fought and died for our country, for freedom. There are memorials in our nation's capital- Lincoln, Washington, Vietnam, a National Cemetery located along a path called Memorial Drive.
We're familiar with memorials we give them for our own loved ones to honor them.
One thing I've always found very fascinating.
God's memorial.
Can you find it on earth? Is there a physical location for His memorial? Some might say the temple in Jerusalem, but surely God wouldn't have His memorial destroyed. His memorial would have to stand the test of time and endure forever, this is God we're talking about. Our gracious, most wonderful God took His memorial out of the physical realm in the sense it isn't an object at all. It's not a stone plaque, it's not a statue, what stone, what statue, what building could hold something so marvelous? What earthly thing could ever be worthy of being a memorial to God?
Exodus {3:15} And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
Psalms {135:13} Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.
God's name.
And here... read this...
{20:8} Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
{20:9} Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work
{20:10} But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates
{20:11} For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Remember- that's what a memorial is for right? Remembering.
The sabbath of the Lord thy God. This is who we're remembering, right? God, our Lord.
What did He do that needs remembering? The Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them.
He's our Creator.
A perpetual memorial has been given to us and given to us all on a weekly basis as well it should be for One so great as God. God deserves a memorial that is more often than once a year, once every few months, or even once a month, this is GOD we are talking about. Our Creator! And for those of you rebelling at the thought that a creature should worship his creator, why? Why rebel? Our very existence is owed to God.
Our world has twisted things so much that honoring and respecting those we should has become something weak and loathsome, something odd and strange because it takes away from SELF worship. A lot of children today don't know how to respect their elders, why? Because they don't feel they should have to. They are self absorbed and their own desires matter more than anything else. Self has taken them over completely. It's a sad, sad state of affairs.
I really love this verse- Psalms {135:13} Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.
God's name is His memorial and God has set aside time for us to honor Him, a time memorialized to Him and He is worthy!
Continuing on with God's mercy and truth enduring forever, just read this whole chapter Psalms 136 and note the reoccuring theme-
**
Psalm 136
{136:1} O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:2} O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:3} O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:4} To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:5} To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:6} To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:7} To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:8} The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:9} The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:10} To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:11} And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:12} With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:13} To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:14} And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:15} But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:16} To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:17} To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:18} And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:19} Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:20} And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:21} And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:22} Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:23} Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:24} And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:25} Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:26} O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.
**
An entire chapter!
Our Creator, our Redeemer! His mercy endures forever!
1 Peter {1:25} But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
**
The word of God endures forever, and Jesus is that Word.
John
{1:1} In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
{1:2} The same was in the beginning with God.
{1:3} All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
{1:4} In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
{1:5} And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
{1:6} There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
{1:7} The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
{1:8} He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
{1:9} That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
{1:10} He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
{1:11} He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
{1:12} But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
{1:13} Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
{1:14} And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
{1:15} John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. {1:16} And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
{1:17} For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
{1:18} No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Micah
{7:19} He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. {7:20} Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
God will forgive us through the grace and mercy of His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior and this...
is...
the...
TRUTH.
Amen.
{7:19} He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. {7:20} Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
Long after Jacob, long after Abraham, the minor prophet Micah between 735-710 BC according to historians, made his prophecies. When did Abraham live? 2000 BC to 1825 BC according to historians. That's a long, long time between Micah's time and Abraham's. When Micah says- 'Thou wild perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham' what is is declaring?
We know God's mercy and truth go hand in hand, that the truth endures forever. Let's read just some of the many verses proving this truth beyond a doubt--
1 Chronicles
{16:34} O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever.
**
Mercy forever!
Psalms {106:1} Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalms {111:3} His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever
**
His righteousness forever!
Psalms {111:10} The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
**
His praise forever!
Psalms {117:1} O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
{117:2} For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.
**
Truth forever!
Psalms {119:160} Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
Psalms {135:13} Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, LORD, throughout all generations.
memorial (me-môr´ê-el, -mor´-) noun
Abbr. mem.
1. Something, such as a monument or holiday, intended to celebrate or honor the memory of a person or an event.
2. A written statement of facts or a petition presented to a legislative body or an executive.
When we have a memorial celebration what does it have to entail?
Who are we giving the memorial for.
What did they do that makes us memorialize them?
Where did they do this?
Right?
Those of us living in the United States have a memorial day in honor of those who have fought and died for our country, for freedom. There are memorials in our nation's capital- Lincoln, Washington, Vietnam, a National Cemetery located along a path called Memorial Drive.
We're familiar with memorials we give them for our own loved ones to honor them.
One thing I've always found very fascinating.
God's memorial.
Can you find it on earth? Is there a physical location for His memorial? Some might say the temple in Jerusalem, but surely God wouldn't have His memorial destroyed. His memorial would have to stand the test of time and endure forever, this is God we're talking about. Our gracious, most wonderful God took His memorial out of the physical realm in the sense it isn't an object at all. It's not a stone plaque, it's not a statue, what stone, what statue, what building could hold something so marvelous? What earthly thing could ever be worthy of being a memorial to God?
Exodus {3:15} And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
Psalms {135:13} Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.
God's name.
And here... read this...
{20:8} Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
{20:9} Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work
{20:10} But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates
{20:11} For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Remember- that's what a memorial is for right? Remembering.
The sabbath of the Lord thy God. This is who we're remembering, right? God, our Lord.
What did He do that needs remembering? The Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them.
He's our Creator.
A perpetual memorial has been given to us and given to us all on a weekly basis as well it should be for One so great as God. God deserves a memorial that is more often than once a year, once every few months, or even once a month, this is GOD we are talking about. Our Creator! And for those of you rebelling at the thought that a creature should worship his creator, why? Why rebel? Our very existence is owed to God.
Our world has twisted things so much that honoring and respecting those we should has become something weak and loathsome, something odd and strange because it takes away from SELF worship. A lot of children today don't know how to respect their elders, why? Because they don't feel they should have to. They are self absorbed and their own desires matter more than anything else. Self has taken them over completely. It's a sad, sad state of affairs.
I really love this verse- Psalms {135:13} Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.
God's name is His memorial and God has set aside time for us to honor Him, a time memorialized to Him and He is worthy!
Continuing on with God's mercy and truth enduring forever, just read this whole chapter Psalms 136 and note the reoccuring theme-
**
Psalm 136
{136:1} O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:2} O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:3} O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:4} To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:5} To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:6} To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:7} To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:8} The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:9} The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:10} To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:11} And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:12} With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:13} To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:14} And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:15} But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:16} To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:17} To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:18} And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:19} Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:20} And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:21} And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:22} Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:23} Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:
{136:24} And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:25} Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.
{136:26} O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.
**
An entire chapter!
Our Creator, our Redeemer! His mercy endures forever!
1 Peter {1:25} But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
**
The word of God endures forever, and Jesus is that Word.
John
{1:1} In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
{1:2} The same was in the beginning with God.
{1:3} All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
{1:4} In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
{1:5} And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
{1:6} There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
{1:7} The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
{1:8} He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
{1:9} That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
{1:10} He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
{1:11} He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
{1:12} But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
{1:13} Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
{1:14} And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
{1:15} John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. {1:16} And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
{1:17} For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
{1:18} No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Micah
{7:19} He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. {7:20} Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
God will forgive us through the grace and mercy of His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior and this...
is...
the...
TRUTH.
Amen.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Truth No Matter the Cost
Hosea {4:1} 'Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.'
The Lord has a controversy with people.
Controversy.
I feel a dictionary definition coming on...
controversy (kòn´tre-vûr´sê) noun
plural controversies
1. A dispute, especially a public one, between sides holding opposing views. See synonyms at argument.
*
A dispute between sides holding opposing views.
The Lord has a dispute with His chosen children, those inhabiting the land He gave to them.
So that means the Lord has one view point and His chosen another.
The verse goes on to say why He has a controversy--
'because there is no TRUTH, nor MERCY, nor KNOWLEDGE of GOD in the land.'
So here once again God's chosen people have turned from Him. If there is no truth then they are believing lies. If there is no mercy then they are being heartless. If there is no knowledge of God they are wallowing in their ignorance and are content to be so.
Good and evil, the greatest controversy of all, the root of all life's problems exist between good and evil.
Truth or lies.
Mercy or no mercy.
Knowledge or no knowledge.
We need the truth. More and more all the studying on truth emphasizing just how important it is to have the truth, to know it, to follow it when we know what is is.
The devil would have a believe that the truth doesn't matter, that we live in a world that accepts half truths, quarter truths, miniscule bits of truth and call that acceptable.
What's the oath people take when they're sworn in on the witness stand and such- 'I swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God.' Something like that, and you know what, that's exactly how our lives should be led not just up there on the witness stand being sworn to do so. Yet we need that swearing in because people don't tell the truth the whole truth. We can't trust that anyone that isn't sworn in will tell the truth, and even then people don't always tell the truth, not even when they've sworn to do so.
And it's not just on the Bible people swear, God is being taken out of most thing civil so church and state are separate and so nowadays people can do this-
'What is "being sworn in"?
Before you give your evidence you will be asked to swear that you will tell the truth. This is being sworn in. You may be sworn in by taking a sacred oath that binds your conscience, for example by swearing on the Bible, or you may affirm or promise to tell the truth without religious belief. If you lie in court, you could be charged with a serious crime called perjury. The penalty for perjury can be as high as 14 years in jail.'
http://www.plea.org/freepubs/bwc/witness.htm
*
Taking a sacred oath that binds your conscience- swearing on the Bible.
Or
Affirm/promise you will tell the truth.
*
With or without the religious swearing, promising to tell the truth is something we use in our court system, something we use to try and compel the truth from people who might not want to give the truth, or simply wanting to make a strong statement from those who are more than willing to give the truth of a matter. We use this *truth* promise every day thousands of times a day in courts all over the nation, it's safe to say all over the world in various court systems the truth is something each court is supposed to be adamant about receiving before they can convict anyone of a crime.
The truth.
God wants the truth to be known by everyone. His truth. Jesus made disciples that would carry His truth on long after He was gone. Disciples, teachers, prophets, all of truth.
Hosea {4:1} 'Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.'
The Lord does have a controversy with those who won't accept His truth, with those who show no mercy, with those who refuse knowledge of Him.
The controversy is all wrapped up in the dispute between good and evil.
Regardless of what people have done to twist God into something evil over the years, regardless of the many deceptions that abound- simple deceptions that ease the conscience leaving us without the truth and blind to it because we don't really want the truth, regardless of all that, the truth lives on and will forever live on in Jesus Christ.
He is the truth.
Let us all strive to HEAR the word of the Lord and understand that we have to have truth, mercy, and knowledge of God if we don't want to have a controversy with the Lord. I know I don't want to be controversial with the Lord. I want to know His truth, to have mercy through Him, to know Him. It might not be something I like, something that will put a smile on my face every moment of every day, it might make it so I face the Lord's chastizing to guide me and correct my ways, but I need the truth in my life.
This is so much more than we fully understand, and sometimes seeking to understand takes us right out of our comfort zones and thrusts us into confusion and yet we need to try and understand- trusting that God will see us through no matter the price we pay in any way, so that we can follow Him and the truth in Him.
The battle is being waged and has been for a long time.
Whose side are you on?
Really think about that, take a few moments and really think about the answer remembering that Satan has a counterfeit side that looks very, very real. Let us pray for the whole truth, and for no deception, that our eyes may be opened, our hearts open to God and His truth no matter what it costs us.
In Jesus, by His mercy and His grace, His love.
Amen.
The Lord has a controversy with people.
Controversy.
I feel a dictionary definition coming on...
controversy (kòn´tre-vûr´sê) noun
plural controversies
1. A dispute, especially a public one, between sides holding opposing views. See synonyms at argument.
*
A dispute between sides holding opposing views.
The Lord has a dispute with His chosen children, those inhabiting the land He gave to them.
So that means the Lord has one view point and His chosen another.
The verse goes on to say why He has a controversy--
'because there is no TRUTH, nor MERCY, nor KNOWLEDGE of GOD in the land.'
So here once again God's chosen people have turned from Him. If there is no truth then they are believing lies. If there is no mercy then they are being heartless. If there is no knowledge of God they are wallowing in their ignorance and are content to be so.
Good and evil, the greatest controversy of all, the root of all life's problems exist between good and evil.
Truth or lies.
Mercy or no mercy.
Knowledge or no knowledge.
We need the truth. More and more all the studying on truth emphasizing just how important it is to have the truth, to know it, to follow it when we know what is is.
The devil would have a believe that the truth doesn't matter, that we live in a world that accepts half truths, quarter truths, miniscule bits of truth and call that acceptable.
What's the oath people take when they're sworn in on the witness stand and such- 'I swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God.' Something like that, and you know what, that's exactly how our lives should be led not just up there on the witness stand being sworn to do so. Yet we need that swearing in because people don't tell the truth the whole truth. We can't trust that anyone that isn't sworn in will tell the truth, and even then people don't always tell the truth, not even when they've sworn to do so.
And it's not just on the Bible people swear, God is being taken out of most thing civil so church and state are separate and so nowadays people can do this-
'What is "being sworn in"?
Before you give your evidence you will be asked to swear that you will tell the truth. This is being sworn in. You may be sworn in by taking a sacred oath that binds your conscience, for example by swearing on the Bible, or you may affirm or promise to tell the truth without religious belief. If you lie in court, you could be charged with a serious crime called perjury. The penalty for perjury can be as high as 14 years in jail.'
http://www.plea.org/freepubs/bwc/witness.htm
*
Taking a sacred oath that binds your conscience- swearing on the Bible.
Or
Affirm/promise you will tell the truth.
*
With or without the religious swearing, promising to tell the truth is something we use in our court system, something we use to try and compel the truth from people who might not want to give the truth, or simply wanting to make a strong statement from those who are more than willing to give the truth of a matter. We use this *truth* promise every day thousands of times a day in courts all over the nation, it's safe to say all over the world in various court systems the truth is something each court is supposed to be adamant about receiving before they can convict anyone of a crime.
The truth.
God wants the truth to be known by everyone. His truth. Jesus made disciples that would carry His truth on long after He was gone. Disciples, teachers, prophets, all of truth.
Hosea {4:1} 'Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.'
The Lord does have a controversy with those who won't accept His truth, with those who show no mercy, with those who refuse knowledge of Him.
The controversy is all wrapped up in the dispute between good and evil.
Regardless of what people have done to twist God into something evil over the years, regardless of the many deceptions that abound- simple deceptions that ease the conscience leaving us without the truth and blind to it because we don't really want the truth, regardless of all that, the truth lives on and will forever live on in Jesus Christ.
He is the truth.
Let us all strive to HEAR the word of the Lord and understand that we have to have truth, mercy, and knowledge of God if we don't want to have a controversy with the Lord. I know I don't want to be controversial with the Lord. I want to know His truth, to have mercy through Him, to know Him. It might not be something I like, something that will put a smile on my face every moment of every day, it might make it so I face the Lord's chastizing to guide me and correct my ways, but I need the truth in my life.
This is so much more than we fully understand, and sometimes seeking to understand takes us right out of our comfort zones and thrusts us into confusion and yet we need to try and understand- trusting that God will see us through no matter the price we pay in any way, so that we can follow Him and the truth in Him.
The battle is being waged and has been for a long time.
Whose side are you on?
Really think about that, take a few moments and really think about the answer remembering that Satan has a counterfeit side that looks very, very real. Let us pray for the whole truth, and for no deception, that our eyes may be opened, our hearts open to God and His truth no matter what it costs us.
In Jesus, by His mercy and His grace, His love.
Amen.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Perished because they received NOT the love of the truth
Daniel
{2:46} Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him. {2:47} The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldst reveal this secret.
**
Of a truth it is-
God is a God of gods
Lord of kings
Revealer of secrets
Man can have all the gods they want in the world, they can worship anything, a statue of a round bald guy, a five pointed star, a woman blessed, an elephant, truly man can worship anything there are no limitations on what sort of lies man will believe, none. The truth is that there is only one living God, only one. The God of gods. Anything man chooses to worship is part of the creation of the one true God. They can worship nature and call nature itself God, but it's not true. One creator, one God. They can worship satan and they are worshipping a being created by God, an angel fallen from grace. People have throughout the ages worshipped various things, the sun, the moon. People have sacrificed other people to worship these other things created by the one true God. Staunch believers as king Nebuchadnezzer was, can believe in gods, calling in soothsayers and seers looking for answers from those gods, will find no truth. King Nebuchadnezzer was as real as King George was real. King Nebuchadnezzer was as real as our president, as real as Queen Elizabeth, as real as the dictator of Cuba. Real people not fairy tale characters. This king wanted answers to a dream he couldn't remember, and an interpretation of that dream he couldn't remember- none of those in his kingdom could reveal anything to him, none, not one, save Daniel a prophet of the one, true God.
God of gods.
People can get caught up in worshipping creation but they're caught up in the wrong thing. It's the Creator who deserves the worship, not creation no matter how majestic the creation is it couldn't have come into being on it's own without the Creator.
God of gods.
*
Daniel
{4:37} Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
**
Once more Nebuchadnezzar is speaking of God, while living at a time when to worship many gods and none in particular was popular he was shown over and over that there is only one God whose works are truth...
Works are truth.
In life there is truth and there is falsehood.
The truth revealed is God, all else is falsehood.
Our sensibilities tell us that *not all these people could be wrong*, the worshippers of other gods, the worshippers of messengers, the worshippers of the created not the creator. There are millions and millions, and millions probably even billions of people that worship other things than the one true God and believe they worship true. We don't want to think a majority could be wrong- it truth we don't want to think that in anything. We tend to think that because a majority believes something it makes it true, why? Because it's easier to believe that the more people that think a thing it has to be right than to believe a majority could be duped, could be wrong, could be caught up in something and deceived so fully.
I've heard these words before-
'All these people can't be wrong.'
You know what? They can be.
History shows us time and again where majorities have been wrong.
There is one truth and that is God, no other gods, no other thing.
It's scary because we live in a time once more where God is being regulated to unimportant, and yet we know that because Satan deals in counterfeit and deception, that the majority will once more seemingly turn to God and be deceived. Remember- counterfeiting is so deceptive because it appears like the real thing, what good is a counterfeit without the real thing? No good. The counterfeit can't deceive unless there is a true standard.
The Bible tells us this and we all need to pay heed to it-
2nd Thessalonians
{2:1} Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him,
{2:2} That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. {2:3} Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come,] except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
{2:4} Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
{2:5} Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
{2:6} And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
{2:7} For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let,] until he be taken out of the way.
{2:8} And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his
coming:
{2:9} [Even him,] whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
{2:10} And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. {2:11} And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
{2:12} That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
{2:13} But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
{2:14} Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
{2:15} Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
{2:16} Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given [us] everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
{2:17} Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
**
Perished because they received NOT the love of the truth
Might be damned who believed NOT the truth
Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth
The truth!
It will be out there, it is out there, but with the truth there is a counterfeit and many will believe in the counterfeit thinking it the truth.
Matthew
{24:22} And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
{24:23} Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not.
{24:24} For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
{24:25} Behold, I have told you before.
{24:26} Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, [he is] in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe [it] not.
{24:27} For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
False Christs, false prophet so close to the real thing that the counterfeit will deceive all but the very elect. The majority we like to believe *can't* be wrong simply because they are the majority, will be deceived if they aren't already. We have to hold fast to the truth in God, hold fast like never before.
Let's be like Daniel praying for God's people--
Daniel
{9:13} As [it is] written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
{9:14} Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God [is] righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
{9:15} And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
{9:16} O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people [are become] a reproach to all [that are] about us.
{9:17} Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.
{9:18} O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
{9:19} O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.
We would be God's in truth and mercy through the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the Son of God who came to reveal the Father to us, to reveal love, to give life everlasting.
Please Lord help us all to understand thy truth, this is our prayer, this is my prayer, by the grace of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
“Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”- 2 Samuel 7:22
{2:46} Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him. {2:47} The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldst reveal this secret.
**
Of a truth it is-
God is a God of gods
Lord of kings
Revealer of secrets
Man can have all the gods they want in the world, they can worship anything, a statue of a round bald guy, a five pointed star, a woman blessed, an elephant, truly man can worship anything there are no limitations on what sort of lies man will believe, none. The truth is that there is only one living God, only one. The God of gods. Anything man chooses to worship is part of the creation of the one true God. They can worship nature and call nature itself God, but it's not true. One creator, one God. They can worship satan and they are worshipping a being created by God, an angel fallen from grace. People have throughout the ages worshipped various things, the sun, the moon. People have sacrificed other people to worship these other things created by the one true God. Staunch believers as king Nebuchadnezzer was, can believe in gods, calling in soothsayers and seers looking for answers from those gods, will find no truth. King Nebuchadnezzer was as real as King George was real. King Nebuchadnezzer was as real as our president, as real as Queen Elizabeth, as real as the dictator of Cuba. Real people not fairy tale characters. This king wanted answers to a dream he couldn't remember, and an interpretation of that dream he couldn't remember- none of those in his kingdom could reveal anything to him, none, not one, save Daniel a prophet of the one, true God.
God of gods.
People can get caught up in worshipping creation but they're caught up in the wrong thing. It's the Creator who deserves the worship, not creation no matter how majestic the creation is it couldn't have come into being on it's own without the Creator.
God of gods.
*
Daniel
{4:37} Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
**
Once more Nebuchadnezzar is speaking of God, while living at a time when to worship many gods and none in particular was popular he was shown over and over that there is only one God whose works are truth...
Works are truth.
In life there is truth and there is falsehood.
The truth revealed is God, all else is falsehood.
Our sensibilities tell us that *not all these people could be wrong*, the worshippers of other gods, the worshippers of messengers, the worshippers of the created not the creator. There are millions and millions, and millions probably even billions of people that worship other things than the one true God and believe they worship true. We don't want to think a majority could be wrong- it truth we don't want to think that in anything. We tend to think that because a majority believes something it makes it true, why? Because it's easier to believe that the more people that think a thing it has to be right than to believe a majority could be duped, could be wrong, could be caught up in something and deceived so fully.
I've heard these words before-
'All these people can't be wrong.'
You know what? They can be.
History shows us time and again where majorities have been wrong.
There is one truth and that is God, no other gods, no other thing.
It's scary because we live in a time once more where God is being regulated to unimportant, and yet we know that because Satan deals in counterfeit and deception, that the majority will once more seemingly turn to God and be deceived. Remember- counterfeiting is so deceptive because it appears like the real thing, what good is a counterfeit without the real thing? No good. The counterfeit can't deceive unless there is a true standard.
The Bible tells us this and we all need to pay heed to it-
2nd Thessalonians
{2:1} Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him,
{2:2} That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. {2:3} Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come,] except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
{2:4} Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
{2:5} Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
{2:6} And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
{2:7} For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let,] until he be taken out of the way.
{2:8} And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his
coming:
{2:9} [Even him,] whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
{2:10} And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. {2:11} And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
{2:12} That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
{2:13} But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
{2:14} Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
{2:15} Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
{2:16} Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given [us] everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
{2:17} Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
**
Perished because they received NOT the love of the truth
Might be damned who believed NOT the truth
Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth
The truth!
It will be out there, it is out there, but with the truth there is a counterfeit and many will believe in the counterfeit thinking it the truth.
Matthew
{24:22} And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
{24:23} Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not.
{24:24} For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
{24:25} Behold, I have told you before.
{24:26} Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, [he is] in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe [it] not.
{24:27} For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
False Christs, false prophet so close to the real thing that the counterfeit will deceive all but the very elect. The majority we like to believe *can't* be wrong simply because they are the majority, will be deceived if they aren't already. We have to hold fast to the truth in God, hold fast like never before.
Let's be like Daniel praying for God's people--
Daniel
{9:13} As [it is] written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
{9:14} Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God [is] righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
{9:15} And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
{9:16} O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people [are become] a reproach to all [that are] about us.
{9:17} Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.
{9:18} O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
{9:19} O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.
We would be God's in truth and mercy through the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the Son of God who came to reveal the Father to us, to reveal love, to give life everlasting.
Please Lord help us all to understand thy truth, this is our prayer, this is my prayer, by the grace of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
“Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”- 2 Samuel 7:22
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