Isaiah {29:14} Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, [even] a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise [men] shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent [men] shall be hid. {29:15} Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? {29:16} Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?
The wisdom of their wise men shall perish.
The understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
Woe to them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord.
Their works are in the dark.
They say--
Who sees us? Who knows us?
Turning things upside down -
As potter's clay.
Shall the work say of him that made it- he made me not?
Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it- he had no understanding?
Today people do this all that time. They cry out we don't need God, we don't need an overbearing fictional figure to dictate to us. They say everyone has their own image of what God is like and one church has one God another another God and no one can agree on a single God. Some have a God that is kind and benevolent, others have an overbearing angry God.
The audacity of man at all to presume to think they have to define God in relation to themselves is amazing. God is the great I AM. God is the creator of all! God has made it very clear through the Bible who He is and we've been told we can't take away anything from that word.
Jesus even remarked--Matthew {5:17} Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. {5:18} For
verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Nothing is to be taken away from all that God has revealed of Himself. We aren't to pick and choose the bits and pieces we want and disregard the rest.
Isaiah-
Shall the work say of him that made it- he made me not?
The work says it ALL the time! The work is going to great lengths to try and prove that it wasn't made by any superior being at all. Happenstance created man and nothing more. The work is refusing to believe it was made. The work doesn't want to admit that it was made because then it has to admit there is a maker. If there is a maker then there is a being that is infinitely superior to what He's made. The maker might have designs upon that which He's made. The maker might have designed the made a certain way expecting certain things from the thing made. If there is a maker then the made is not the maker at all and owes its life to another.
The work does say to him that made it- Man says to God- he made me not.
The framed says of him that framed it- he had no understanding.
So stipulating that man was framed (was made), man dares to say that the One who framed him that he did so and now can not understand us.
Who better to understand than the maker? Who better to understand than the one who framed you? Who better to know man kind inside and out than the Creator? And yet so many would rather they didn't have to admit to a Maker at all. They don't want to be beholden in any way to a Creator. They'd rather be as a child birthed and left to raise itself not realizing that to truly desire such a thing they'd be dead quickly. Our Creator didn't make us and discard us, leaving us to fend for ourselves without any guidelines, without any hope, without anything at all. Our Creator loves us and yet because we believe that on our own we are the best- that we know what is right and good for us, because of this we push the Creator away and deceive ourselves and no wonder so many will perish in the coming day of the Lord.
They will have no grasp of being the thing made, the thing framed, rather they will rely on themselves for all things, believing they need nothing else.
Rev. {3:17} Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: {3:18} I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
We have need to be given gold, to be given white raiment, to have our eyes anointed.
Yes, so many think of themselves they'll be rich, clothed, and have the understanding they need all on their own. They don't understand it needs to be given them, that they need to buy it from someone, their Creator, their Redeemer. They'll keep on claiming they have no maker, no one made them, no one framed them, no one need bother about them because they're taking care of things by themselves, thank you very much.
God is God.
God is the great I AM.
God is the God of the Old and New Testament.
God is our Creator and our Redeemer.
We can't forget this, we can't lose sight of these things, we can't! If we lose sight of it all then we are condemning ourselves. We need to wake up, to take off our blinders, we need realize our condition before it's too late!
Don't let anyone fool you into believe you have no need of God, that there is no God, don't...don't do that. You are a creature created and to forget that means forgetting the Creator and when the Creator is forgotten He will not force His creatures to lay claim to Him. He will allow the creatures to wander away as they will and in the end he will be a creature lost.
May God be ever before us! May we kneel down before our Creator, our Redeemer and never deny our Maker!
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior may we be found rich, clothed, and filled with sight all given from our Maker, our Redeemer.
In His name
Amen.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Ordain Peace for Us
Isaiah
{26:12} LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.
{26:13} O LORD our God, [other] lords besides thee have had dominion over us: [but] by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
{26:14} [They are] dead, they shall not live; [they are] deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.
{26:15} Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed [it] far [unto] all the ends of the earth.
{26:16} LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer [when] thy chastening [was] upon them.
{26:17} Like as a woman with child, [that] draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, [and] crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.
{26:18} We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
Ordain peace for us.
There's something special there isn't there. Ordain peace.
We are meant to have peace ultimately, peace is ordained for us. Could there be a better future? Peace. How many people have very little peace in their lives. Maybe not everyone has a life of turmoil but we sort of expect various things to go wrong to interfer with the peace we really want. A good day is a day that goes by without any upsets, right?
Peace. We try to take vacations from our everyday life seeking some peace. Ultimately we will have peace because it has been ordained for us. We won't have it here and now...
John
{14:27} Peace I leave with
you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give
I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid.
{16:33} These
things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have
peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good
cheer; I have overcome the world.
In the world we will have tribulation.
Through Jesus we will have peace...it's ordained.
People throughout time have had those they called lord- rulers, masters, leaders they've put in place of God and yet they all die they are human and death takes them. 'They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.'
There is no lord but God, our Lord and Savior!
{26:17} Like as a woman with child, [that] draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, [and] crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.
{26:18} We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
A woman in labor. Pain, crying, travailing...we cry out and for all our crying out we have nothing to show for it. All our crying, screaming, and flailing about and in the end it'll be for nothing. We can't bring about salvation from our own efforts. No matter how painful our efforts are, no matter how hard we try to bring about our salvation all our hard work, all our pain to obtain it will be for nothing if we count on ourselves for deliverance. Only Christ can save us. We can't save ourselves. We can't bring about the end of days. We can't bring an end to this world or the evil that dwells within it. We can't bring low any man, not really, not as God can. God will prevail and it is through God we have salvation and only through God. Of our ownselves we are nothing and when we fuss and bother about our own good works, about our own trials and tribulations, hardships we've endured we are fussing for no reason. All our lives mean little, all that we go through is nothing compared to what Christ endured. We like to imagine that what we suffer is enough to make us deserve salvation, and yet nothing we do, nothing we suffer will ever have us deserving of anything but death for our sins. Yes, we go through horrible hardships, we go through horrors we can't imagine we can survive, we go through day to day life struggling to survive and yet it is only grasping hold of Christ that will mean a thing. Fairness has nothing to do with any of it, it is hope and trust, faith, belief in Christ and salvation through Him and Him only.
May the Lord help us to understand that we need Christ and Christ only in our lives. Our hope in Christ has to be foremost beyond anything else. We need to cry out.. Lord I believe! Help my unbelief! We believe in Him and Salvation through Him and no other. By grace are we saved.
Please Lord Your will be done in our lives now and forever! By Your mercy and grace!
Amen.
{26:12} LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.
{26:13} O LORD our God, [other] lords besides thee have had dominion over us: [but] by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
{26:14} [They are] dead, they shall not live; [they are] deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.
{26:15} Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed [it] far [unto] all the ends of the earth.
{26:16} LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer [when] thy chastening [was] upon them.
{26:17} Like as a woman with child, [that] draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, [and] crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.
{26:18} We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
Ordain peace for us.
There's something special there isn't there. Ordain peace.
We are meant to have peace ultimately, peace is ordained for us. Could there be a better future? Peace. How many people have very little peace in their lives. Maybe not everyone has a life of turmoil but we sort of expect various things to go wrong to interfer with the peace we really want. A good day is a day that goes by without any upsets, right?
Peace. We try to take vacations from our everyday life seeking some peace. Ultimately we will have peace because it has been ordained for us. We won't have it here and now...
John
{14:27} Peace I leave with
you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give
I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid.
{16:33} These
things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have
peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good
cheer; I have overcome the world.
In the world we will have tribulation.
Through Jesus we will have peace...it's ordained.
People throughout time have had those they called lord- rulers, masters, leaders they've put in place of God and yet they all die they are human and death takes them. 'They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.'
There is no lord but God, our Lord and Savior!
{26:17} Like as a woman with child, [that] draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, [and] crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.
{26:18} We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
A woman in labor. Pain, crying, travailing...we cry out and for all our crying out we have nothing to show for it. All our crying, screaming, and flailing about and in the end it'll be for nothing. We can't bring about salvation from our own efforts. No matter how painful our efforts are, no matter how hard we try to bring about our salvation all our hard work, all our pain to obtain it will be for nothing if we count on ourselves for deliverance. Only Christ can save us. We can't save ourselves. We can't bring about the end of days. We can't bring an end to this world or the evil that dwells within it. We can't bring low any man, not really, not as God can. God will prevail and it is through God we have salvation and only through God. Of our ownselves we are nothing and when we fuss and bother about our own good works, about our own trials and tribulations, hardships we've endured we are fussing for no reason. All our lives mean little, all that we go through is nothing compared to what Christ endured. We like to imagine that what we suffer is enough to make us deserve salvation, and yet nothing we do, nothing we suffer will ever have us deserving of anything but death for our sins. Yes, we go through horrible hardships, we go through horrors we can't imagine we can survive, we go through day to day life struggling to survive and yet it is only grasping hold of Christ that will mean a thing. Fairness has nothing to do with any of it, it is hope and trust, faith, belief in Christ and salvation through Him and Him only.
May the Lord help us to understand that we need Christ and Christ only in our lives. Our hope in Christ has to be foremost beyond anything else. We need to cry out.. Lord I believe! Help my unbelief! We believe in Him and Salvation through Him and no other. By grace are we saved.
Please Lord Your will be done in our lives now and forever! By Your mercy and grace!
Amen.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Our Hope
Isaiah
{26:4} Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength
{26:5} For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.
{26:6} The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
{26:7} The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.
{26:8} Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
{26:9} With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
{26:10} Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.
{26:11} LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.
Everlasting strength.
The Lord brings down them that dwell on high.
The lofty city he lays low to the ground, to dust.
The poor, the needy will walk on the city tread to the ground.
The way of the just is upright.
The most upright weighs the path of the just.
In the Lord's judgement we wait for Him.
Our desire is for the Lord, to remember Him.
With our souls we desire the Lord in the night.
Early our spirits shall seek the Lord.
When the Lord's judgments are here upon the earth all in the earth will learn righteousness.
Even when favor is showed to the wicked he will not learn righteousness. With uprightness all around him he will deal unjustly, he will not behold the majesty of the Lord.
When the Lord's hand is lifted up- they will not see, but they shall see- they'll be ashamed for their envy towards God's people. They will be destroyed.
*
Early we need to seek the Lord.
In the night we need to desire the Lord.
All those who look to themselves, all those who turn from God will be brought low, they have no choice.
God is God over all.
People fool themselves if they some how imagine being above or beyond God's judgement. The just and the unjust. There will be no inbetween the two. No one will be claimed to be a little unjust, or mostly just. Just and unjust.
May God bless us and keep us. We need to seek Him morning and night. We can't neglect to seek the Lord, our Savior. We can't neglect to seek Him always.
We can't allow ourselves to believe that we won't be accountable for our lives, our actions.
Yes, we are saved by grace through our Lord and Savior, He alone won salvation for us and is our HOPE. Having Hope we need to look to that Hope always. We can't lose sight of that Hope ever. When we lose sight of our Hope there is nothing left-- nothing.
We need to seek the Lord our Hope early. We need to desire the Lord our Hope in the night. Our Hope needs to remain before us now and forever.
Please Lord, help our weakness that would have us take our eyes of our only Hope, You. Forgive us our sins that would keep us from You.
Lord, by Your grace and mercy now and forever.
Amen.
{26:4} Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength
{26:5} For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.
{26:6} The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
{26:7} The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.
{26:8} Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
{26:9} With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
{26:10} Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.
{26:11} LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.
Everlasting strength.
The Lord brings down them that dwell on high.
The lofty city he lays low to the ground, to dust.
The poor, the needy will walk on the city tread to the ground.
The way of the just is upright.
The most upright weighs the path of the just.
In the Lord's judgement we wait for Him.
Our desire is for the Lord, to remember Him.
With our souls we desire the Lord in the night.
Early our spirits shall seek the Lord.
When the Lord's judgments are here upon the earth all in the earth will learn righteousness.
Even when favor is showed to the wicked he will not learn righteousness. With uprightness all around him he will deal unjustly, he will not behold the majesty of the Lord.
When the Lord's hand is lifted up- they will not see, but they shall see- they'll be ashamed for their envy towards God's people. They will be destroyed.
*
Early we need to seek the Lord.
In the night we need to desire the Lord.
All those who look to themselves, all those who turn from God will be brought low, they have no choice.
God is God over all.
People fool themselves if they some how imagine being above or beyond God's judgement. The just and the unjust. There will be no inbetween the two. No one will be claimed to be a little unjust, or mostly just. Just and unjust.
May God bless us and keep us. We need to seek Him morning and night. We can't neglect to seek the Lord, our Savior. We can't neglect to seek Him always.
We can't allow ourselves to believe that we won't be accountable for our lives, our actions.
Yes, we are saved by grace through our Lord and Savior, He alone won salvation for us and is our HOPE. Having Hope we need to look to that Hope always. We can't lose sight of that Hope ever. When we lose sight of our Hope there is nothing left-- nothing.
We need to seek the Lord our Hope early. We need to desire the Lord our Hope in the night. Our Hope needs to remain before us now and forever.
Please Lord, help our weakness that would have us take our eyes of our only Hope, You. Forgive us our sins that would keep us from You.
Lord, by Your grace and mercy now and forever.
Amen.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Trust ye in the LORD for ever
Isaiah {26:2} Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. {26:3} Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind[is] stayed [on thee:] because he trusteth in thee. {26:4} Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH [is] everlasting strength
Which keeps the truth.
The truth.
There are fundamental aspects to the Bible we keep coming back to. There are certain aspects in the Word of God that are prominent and shout for attention.
The truth shouts loudly and demands to be heard.
Only a righteous nation will keep the truth. Only righteous people will keep the truth.
Jesus is the truth.
All other rigteousness is deception.
When we hear people loudly proclaim that we are being too limiting in our demand that Jesus is the Truth, we know they are being led by Satan. Maybe not completely trapped by Him but led by Him. I'll readily agree that I let myself be led by Satan for a long time. That I was one of those who readily accepted the belief that God would save good people no matter what. That God to be a loving God would have to save all those who had good intentions in their hearts because He knows the heart. I believed it didn't matter what you believed, even if you practiced devil worship and hurt no one doing it as long as you did it with a good heart God would understand. It sounds so idyllic. Believe what you want and as long as you're a nice person you're saved. Where is that in the Bible? Oh, that's right, who needs the Bible, all you have to do is be nice, have a good, kind heart and that's that.
We can't seem to acquaint niceness with evil. The two are at odds, opposites like black and white. We see a nice person and we think good. We see a bad person and we think evil. If niceness is good, then the murderer with his nice smile helping an old lady with her groceries every week, checking on her every afternoon to make sure she's okay and needs nothing, then is he good or bad? His niceness is surely good, but his evil isn't. When he strangles that young woman every month or so it's pure evil, right? And yet he has on the guise of goodness.
Not all goodness, not all those who are super nice people we would never dream of being bad, not all those who live in harmony with the world and people around them- not even the people who are truly good and are murderers in disguise, will be God's.
We can't equate niceness with salvation.
We can't point a finger and say, my friend so and so is sooooo sweet, they're definitely saved. We can't say that of anyone, we don't know the hearts, we don't know the walk they have with Christ.
We sometimes can know that they don't believe in salvation by grace through Jesus Christ our Lord, they'll tell us they don't believe in the God stuff. But even then we cannot judge their eternal life as if we know for certain they'll never accept Jesus as their Savior.
We see through a glass darkly--
1 Cor. {13:12} For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
We don't see the eternal, we only see bits and pieces of lives people choose to let us see and no more.
There are truths, basic truths and the Bible is very big on the truth because it is the truth in Jesus that saves us. It is the truth that sets us free.
Christ is our righteousness and this is the Truth. Truth is our righteousness. Keeping the truth in Jesus Christ, keeping that and holding it dear to us, keeping it as we breath in air, such as sustains our lives, this is what will give us eternal life.
Isaiah {26:3} Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Like the air we breath, we live by the grace and mercy of Jesus, trusting in Him now and forever through all.
Perfect peace in a world full of turmoil seems all but impossible. Perfect peace when the world comes crashing down around you and threatens your very ability to sustain your life, impossible? When all hope seems gone, hope is all we have to cling to. Our hope in Jesus. Our trust in Jesus. Our faith in Jesus.
Why is it call perfect peace? Because any other peace is imperfect. All the peace the world offers to us is imperfect and can be taken from us in the blink of an eye. Peace that is dependent upon Jesus and Jesus alone is perfect peace.
When our minds are stayed upon someone we can't stop thinking about them. We think about them during all we do.
Remember being newly in love? Remember that feeling of having thoughts of another bring a smile to your lips? Remember being caught day dreaming away? Remember waking up and thinking of someone? Remember having the hope in you of seeing that person, hearing from them, of constantly living in the hope of being with that person? We place our hopes on them and then when things interfere we get upset because we aren't able to be with them, to hear from them, and it just brings a weight down on us until we can once again renew the hope of a future meeting, until we can grasp hold of the anticipation once more and place our hope in that future.
We understand this on a human to human level and we need to understand it on a human to human/God level. We need to have our minds stayed upon Jesus.
Stayed upon meaning we can't take our minds off Jesus, they need to be stayed upon the Hope, the Way, the Truth, the Life, Jesus Christ our Savior!
{26:4} Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH [is] everlasting strength
By the grace and mercy of Jesus, may our trust in the Lord be forever, may our minds be stayed upon Jesus, and may we find peace in Jesus.
Amen.
Which keeps the truth.
The truth.
There are fundamental aspects to the Bible we keep coming back to. There are certain aspects in the Word of God that are prominent and shout for attention.
The truth shouts loudly and demands to be heard.
Only a righteous nation will keep the truth. Only righteous people will keep the truth.
Jesus is the truth.
All other rigteousness is deception.
When we hear people loudly proclaim that we are being too limiting in our demand that Jesus is the Truth, we know they are being led by Satan. Maybe not completely trapped by Him but led by Him. I'll readily agree that I let myself be led by Satan for a long time. That I was one of those who readily accepted the belief that God would save good people no matter what. That God to be a loving God would have to save all those who had good intentions in their hearts because He knows the heart. I believed it didn't matter what you believed, even if you practiced devil worship and hurt no one doing it as long as you did it with a good heart God would understand. It sounds so idyllic. Believe what you want and as long as you're a nice person you're saved. Where is that in the Bible? Oh, that's right, who needs the Bible, all you have to do is be nice, have a good, kind heart and that's that.
We can't seem to acquaint niceness with evil. The two are at odds, opposites like black and white. We see a nice person and we think good. We see a bad person and we think evil. If niceness is good, then the murderer with his nice smile helping an old lady with her groceries every week, checking on her every afternoon to make sure she's okay and needs nothing, then is he good or bad? His niceness is surely good, but his evil isn't. When he strangles that young woman every month or so it's pure evil, right? And yet he has on the guise of goodness.
Not all goodness, not all those who are super nice people we would never dream of being bad, not all those who live in harmony with the world and people around them- not even the people who are truly good and are murderers in disguise, will be God's.
We can't equate niceness with salvation.
We can't point a finger and say, my friend so and so is sooooo sweet, they're definitely saved. We can't say that of anyone, we don't know the hearts, we don't know the walk they have with Christ.
We sometimes can know that they don't believe in salvation by grace through Jesus Christ our Lord, they'll tell us they don't believe in the God stuff. But even then we cannot judge their eternal life as if we know for certain they'll never accept Jesus as their Savior.
We see through a glass darkly--
1 Cor. {13:12} For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
We don't see the eternal, we only see bits and pieces of lives people choose to let us see and no more.
There are truths, basic truths and the Bible is very big on the truth because it is the truth in Jesus that saves us. It is the truth that sets us free.
Christ is our righteousness and this is the Truth. Truth is our righteousness. Keeping the truth in Jesus Christ, keeping that and holding it dear to us, keeping it as we breath in air, such as sustains our lives, this is what will give us eternal life.
Isaiah {26:3} Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Like the air we breath, we live by the grace and mercy of Jesus, trusting in Him now and forever through all.
Perfect peace in a world full of turmoil seems all but impossible. Perfect peace when the world comes crashing down around you and threatens your very ability to sustain your life, impossible? When all hope seems gone, hope is all we have to cling to. Our hope in Jesus. Our trust in Jesus. Our faith in Jesus.
Why is it call perfect peace? Because any other peace is imperfect. All the peace the world offers to us is imperfect and can be taken from us in the blink of an eye. Peace that is dependent upon Jesus and Jesus alone is perfect peace.
When our minds are stayed upon someone we can't stop thinking about them. We think about them during all we do.
Remember being newly in love? Remember that feeling of having thoughts of another bring a smile to your lips? Remember being caught day dreaming away? Remember waking up and thinking of someone? Remember having the hope in you of seeing that person, hearing from them, of constantly living in the hope of being with that person? We place our hopes on them and then when things interfere we get upset because we aren't able to be with them, to hear from them, and it just brings a weight down on us until we can once again renew the hope of a future meeting, until we can grasp hold of the anticipation once more and place our hope in that future.
We understand this on a human to human level and we need to understand it on a human to human/God level. We need to have our minds stayed upon Jesus.
Stayed upon meaning we can't take our minds off Jesus, they need to be stayed upon the Hope, the Way, the Truth, the Life, Jesus Christ our Savior!
{26:4} Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH [is] everlasting strength
By the grace and mercy of Jesus, may our trust in the Lord be forever, may our minds be stayed upon Jesus, and may we find peace in Jesus.
Amen.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The End of the World is Coming Whether We Like It or Not.
The End of the World is Coming Whether We Like It or Not.
Formation of a one world government is a precursor to Satan impersonating Christ- and yes, making Jerusalem the site of his power.
Rev. {16:13} And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [come] out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. {16:14} For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev. {13:7} And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. {13:8} And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Rev. {13:14} And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Dan. {11:41} He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many [countries] shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, [even] Edom, and
Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. {11:42} He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. {11:43} But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians [shall be] at his steps. {11:44} But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. {11:45} And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
2 Cor. {11:14} And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. {11:15} Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Rev. {14:6} And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, {14:7} Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. {14:8} And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is
fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. {14:9} And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, {14:10} The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: {14:11} And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. {14:12} Here is the patience of the saints: here [are]
they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. {14:13} And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed [are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
*
Would people knowingly worship a beast?
Would people worldwide and openly, knowingly worship Satan other than those who profess to be Satanists? Could you even imagine the President of the USA standing up and declaring he worships Satan? What about the UK's Prime Minister, Brown? The Chancellor of Germany, Merkel? The leader of any country? Can you picture them standing up to address their country before millions and millions of people who are looking to them to guide their country and hear the words coming out of their mouths---
"I'd like to inform you, I worship Satan."
No, it's not something we can imagine, not in any sort of reality.
Why?
Because first off, church and state are supposed to be separate in most of your countries with power.
Is this perhaps why Israel who claim their Jewish hertiage proudly are so despised? Probably not, you have your Isalmic countries who have no qualms about staying stedfast to their religion, Islam.
Americans and many other countries can't lay claim to their countries truly being *God-fearing* because they've embraced the belief that all are free to worship whatever god they choose.
Still, even the USA and other countries that uphold religous freedom don't have leaders proudly announcing they worship Satan. It's practically unthinkable.
Practically being the key word there.
We have leaders claiming to believe in God, and of course as soon as they claim they believe in God they have to admit they believe in Satan-- Biblically you cannot have one without the other, it doesn't work. Unless of course you're not believing in the God of the Bible, and that could be the case for many.
Right now in the days we live in, we expect our President to take His inaugural oath with a hand on a Bible. It happened this year, even if things were flubbed a bit and later on when it was redone there was no Bible in sight.
The public as a whole here in the USA are a religious people in some respects, and they tolerate others who aren't. They've been taught at great lengths to accept people no matter what they believe, they've been hounded to not put one faith above another.
We live in a time when *universal* relgious belief is strong, very strong.
Let's get the Baptist together with the Methodist and the Catholic, and sure invite the Hindus and the Moslems along and don't forget to snag a Jewish representative while you're at it. We're one big happy family and the things that separate us should be overlooked for the things that join us together- say - world peace.
We all want world peace right? Who doesn't want world peace? It's almost criminal to say you don't, because as soon as you say don't want world peace you are saying you're supporting wars and discord between people and well, heck, that just isn't right.
World peace will be the standard held high and if it can be achieved while each person is allowed to believe in whatever god (or no god if they choose) then all the better.
World peace, we can all come together and you know what... it's only possible if we SET aside any and all principles that demand we hold fast to our own beliefs.
I can hear it now. That's not what's happening, not really, it's just an agreement not to IMPOSE one's god upon another's god. It's keeping religions apart where they differ, but listen up close...it's bringing them together on the parts they don't differ on.
Common ground, and there we are and we come full circle back to World Peace.
Only there is a problem with that, a serious, serious problem with world peace.
God, the one and only true God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Creator of you and me-- He doesn't want to be sacrificed for World Peace.
God doesn't want the standards and principles set aside. He doesn't want to agree that it's right to worship whatever god you choose, or no god at all. He is a jealous God. Throughout history He's let everyone know that He is the One and True God. He sent His Only Son to die to save people from their sins, but now as we push God aside in favor of world peace, we are pushing His commandments aside and we're pushing aside the very reason Christ came to earth as man and died for us!
Seriously, sin is the transgression of God's law.
If you don't believe in God's law then you might say sin is anything mankind deems sin and punishable, but not that Godly commandment stuff.
Wrong.
Sin is the transgression of God's law! God's law was broken. Mankind was guilty and saved by Jesus... but... hold on... that's the Christian religion right?
Right.
So what happens when Christians set aside God's law and say it's okay to have more than one god? It's okay to have your own god, it's okay if you don't have a god at all, and you know what...it's okay if you even worship satan... as long as we can finally have-- here it comes -- drumroll please --
WORLD PEACE.
But wait there's more.
By setting aside differences and embracing commonalities to foster peace, we tell ourselves that we are NOT breaking any of God's laws because God wants us to foster peace and embrace differences and love our enemies and do good to those who despitefully use us. So there, I can have my God and I can foster world peace too.
We lie to ourselves.
We sacrifice God and when we do that who are we really embracing under the guise of love, under the guise of world peace, under the guise of goodness and mercy? Who? Who is there whispering in the ears of people telling them that God isn't really a jealous God, not if you can accomplish something as monumental as World Peace? Who is the beguiler? The deceiver? The greatest counterfieter of all?
Satan.
And the whole world will be deceived.
Rev. {12:9} And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Deceiveth the whole world.
Matt. {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.
The Great Deceiver!
When we are told all this how in the world can we ever hope not to be deceived?
The faithful-
Keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.
{12:17} And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
A bride who makes herself ready-
Rev. {19:7} Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. {19:8} And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
'...and his wife hath made herself ready.'
Made herself ready.
How does a wife make herself ready for her husband, for her marriage? She submits to Him and His will, trusting in Him in all things. She gives herself fully over to His care. She gives up her self so that she may be one with her husband. She no longer clings to her independence. She willing, lovingly and with her whole heart joins with her bridegroom and they are truly one.
The faithful-
Able to live during such a time that they will stand out and make themselves targets because while all the world is beguiled by the false Christ and his answers to all the world's woes, they will denounce this worldly savior and seem to be of the devil himself.
Rev. {14:12} Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
That's right, when World Peace is being herald by all and claiming to be the universal answer to all the worlds ills-- the saints will be standing up against the universal answer and shouting loudly- Fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment is come! Worship Him that made the Heavens and the Earth! Keep His commandments!
We'll be a strange people who shun peace because most will be deceived into believing that peace is what God wants, when in truth, it's obedience and love that God wants.
If we are going to be willing to die to keep God's commandments when all the world is fighting against us, we have to be willing to keep God's commandments when NO one is fighting us. We have to be so deeply entrenched in our love for God's word, for God's law, for His commandments that we wouldn't dream of not keeping them. What makes anyone think we will suddenly foster a love of commandment keeping when we are threatened with death? No. If we do not have the love of God in us now when the waters are calm and the sea is without a single wave, we can't hope to suddenly have the love of God when our faith is to be tested and tried.
Now...
John {4:23} But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to
worship him. {4:24} God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.
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. {12:11} And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. {12:12} Therefore rejoice, [ye] heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time
Now.
Please Lord, be merciful to us sinners. Please Lord, we believe, help our unbelief. Please Lord, we want you to know us! Please Lord, let Your Holy Spirit utter that which I cannot, that which we cannot. We would be Yours, wholly Yours now and forever. Please.
By Your grace, your mercy.
Amen.
Formation of a one world government is a precursor to Satan impersonating Christ- and yes, making Jerusalem the site of his power.
Rev. {16:13} And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [come] out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. {16:14} For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev. {13:7} And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. {13:8} And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Rev. {13:14} And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Dan. {11:41} He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many [countries] shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, [even] Edom, and
Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. {11:42} He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. {11:43} But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians [shall be] at his steps. {11:44} But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. {11:45} And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
2 Cor. {11:14} And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. {11:15} Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Rev. {14:6} And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, {14:7} Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. {14:8} And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is
fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. {14:9} And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, {14:10} The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: {14:11} And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. {14:12} Here is the patience of the saints: here [are]
they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. {14:13} And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed [are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
*
Would people knowingly worship a beast?
Would people worldwide and openly, knowingly worship Satan other than those who profess to be Satanists? Could you even imagine the President of the USA standing up and declaring he worships Satan? What about the UK's Prime Minister, Brown? The Chancellor of Germany, Merkel? The leader of any country? Can you picture them standing up to address their country before millions and millions of people who are looking to them to guide their country and hear the words coming out of their mouths---
"I'd like to inform you, I worship Satan."
No, it's not something we can imagine, not in any sort of reality.
Why?
Because first off, church and state are supposed to be separate in most of your countries with power.
Is this perhaps why Israel who claim their Jewish hertiage proudly are so despised? Probably not, you have your Isalmic countries who have no qualms about staying stedfast to their religion, Islam.
Americans and many other countries can't lay claim to their countries truly being *God-fearing* because they've embraced the belief that all are free to worship whatever god they choose.
Still, even the USA and other countries that uphold religous freedom don't have leaders proudly announcing they worship Satan. It's practically unthinkable.
Practically being the key word there.
We have leaders claiming to believe in God, and of course as soon as they claim they believe in God they have to admit they believe in Satan-- Biblically you cannot have one without the other, it doesn't work. Unless of course you're not believing in the God of the Bible, and that could be the case for many.
Right now in the days we live in, we expect our President to take His inaugural oath with a hand on a Bible. It happened this year, even if things were flubbed a bit and later on when it was redone there was no Bible in sight.
The public as a whole here in the USA are a religious people in some respects, and they tolerate others who aren't. They've been taught at great lengths to accept people no matter what they believe, they've been hounded to not put one faith above another.
We live in a time when *universal* relgious belief is strong, very strong.
Let's get the Baptist together with the Methodist and the Catholic, and sure invite the Hindus and the Moslems along and don't forget to snag a Jewish representative while you're at it. We're one big happy family and the things that separate us should be overlooked for the things that join us together- say - world peace.
We all want world peace right? Who doesn't want world peace? It's almost criminal to say you don't, because as soon as you say don't want world peace you are saying you're supporting wars and discord between people and well, heck, that just isn't right.
World peace will be the standard held high and if it can be achieved while each person is allowed to believe in whatever god (or no god if they choose) then all the better.
World peace, we can all come together and you know what... it's only possible if we SET aside any and all principles that demand we hold fast to our own beliefs.
I can hear it now. That's not what's happening, not really, it's just an agreement not to IMPOSE one's god upon another's god. It's keeping religions apart where they differ, but listen up close...it's bringing them together on the parts they don't differ on.
Common ground, and there we are and we come full circle back to World Peace.
Only there is a problem with that, a serious, serious problem with world peace.
God, the one and only true God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Creator of you and me-- He doesn't want to be sacrificed for World Peace.
God doesn't want the standards and principles set aside. He doesn't want to agree that it's right to worship whatever god you choose, or no god at all. He is a jealous God. Throughout history He's let everyone know that He is the One and True God. He sent His Only Son to die to save people from their sins, but now as we push God aside in favor of world peace, we are pushing His commandments aside and we're pushing aside the very reason Christ came to earth as man and died for us!
Seriously, sin is the transgression of God's law.
If you don't believe in God's law then you might say sin is anything mankind deems sin and punishable, but not that Godly commandment stuff.
Wrong.
Sin is the transgression of God's law! God's law was broken. Mankind was guilty and saved by Jesus... but... hold on... that's the Christian religion right?
Right.
So what happens when Christians set aside God's law and say it's okay to have more than one god? It's okay to have your own god, it's okay if you don't have a god at all, and you know what...it's okay if you even worship satan... as long as we can finally have-- here it comes -- drumroll please --
WORLD PEACE.
But wait there's more.
By setting aside differences and embracing commonalities to foster peace, we tell ourselves that we are NOT breaking any of God's laws because God wants us to foster peace and embrace differences and love our enemies and do good to those who despitefully use us. So there, I can have my God and I can foster world peace too.
We lie to ourselves.
We sacrifice God and when we do that who are we really embracing under the guise of love, under the guise of world peace, under the guise of goodness and mercy? Who? Who is there whispering in the ears of people telling them that God isn't really a jealous God, not if you can accomplish something as monumental as World Peace? Who is the beguiler? The deceiver? The greatest counterfieter of all?
Satan.
And the whole world will be deceived.
Rev. {12:9} And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Deceiveth the whole world.
Matt. {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.
The Great Deceiver!
When we are told all this how in the world can we ever hope not to be deceived?
The faithful-
Keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.
{12:17} And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
A bride who makes herself ready-
Rev. {19:7} Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. {19:8} And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
'...and his wife hath made herself ready.'
Made herself ready.
How does a wife make herself ready for her husband, for her marriage? She submits to Him and His will, trusting in Him in all things. She gives herself fully over to His care. She gives up her self so that she may be one with her husband. She no longer clings to her independence. She willing, lovingly and with her whole heart joins with her bridegroom and they are truly one.
The faithful-
Able to live during such a time that they will stand out and make themselves targets because while all the world is beguiled by the false Christ and his answers to all the world's woes, they will denounce this worldly savior and seem to be of the devil himself.
Rev. {14:12} Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
That's right, when World Peace is being herald by all and claiming to be the universal answer to all the worlds ills-- the saints will be standing up against the universal answer and shouting loudly- Fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment is come! Worship Him that made the Heavens and the Earth! Keep His commandments!
We'll be a strange people who shun peace because most will be deceived into believing that peace is what God wants, when in truth, it's obedience and love that God wants.
If we are going to be willing to die to keep God's commandments when all the world is fighting against us, we have to be willing to keep God's commandments when NO one is fighting us. We have to be so deeply entrenched in our love for God's word, for God's law, for His commandments that we wouldn't dream of not keeping them. What makes anyone think we will suddenly foster a love of commandment keeping when we are threatened with death? No. If we do not have the love of God in us now when the waters are calm and the sea is without a single wave, we can't hope to suddenly have the love of God when our faith is to be tested and tried.
Now...
John {4:23} But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to
worship him. {4:24} God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.
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. {12:11} And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. {12:12} Therefore rejoice, [ye] heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time
Now.
Please Lord, be merciful to us sinners. Please Lord, we believe, help our unbelief. Please Lord, we want you to know us! Please Lord, let Your Holy Spirit utter that which I cannot, that which we cannot. We would be Yours, wholly Yours now and forever. Please.
By Your grace, your mercy.
Amen.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Lo, this is our God we have waited for Him!
Isaiah {25:7} And he will destroy in this mountain
the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail
that is spread over all nations. {25:8} He will swallow up
death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears
from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take
away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken [it.
]{25:9} And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our
God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is]
the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and
rejoice in his salvation. {25:10} For in this mountain shall
the hand of the LORD rest,
He will destroy the face of the covering cast over all people.
He will destroy the vail that is spread over all nations.
Coverings and vails what do they typically do? Hide things, right? They hide things either from someone seeing in or someone seeing out. When you cover your head you prevent others from seeing your head but you also limit your own ability to see outward.
1 Cor. {13:12} For
now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am
known.
Our understanding is limited by sin it can be no other way. Sin corrupts and warps things, and we are born with the propensity to sin. Sin limits us with it's presence in our lives and in the world. We know in part, we see through a dark glass, our vision, our knowledge is limited. Even with our limited knowledge we are allowed to see, to know the way to Christ. Our salvation is not hidden from us, it is found in Jesus and all have the opportunity to know Him, to know the Love of God. We are given enough light through that dark glass, we are allowed to know in part but one day we will see clearly. One day there will be no dark glass, nothing hidden.
He will destroy the face of the covering cast over all people. He will destroy the vail that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death in victory.
The Lord God will wipe away tears from off faces.
No more death.
No more tears.
Revelation {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.
Praise God! Such hope! Such promise!
Isa. 25:8...and the rebuke of his people shall he take
away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken [it.
]{25:9} And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our
God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is]
the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and
rejoice in his salvation. {25:10} For in this mountain shall
the hand of the LORD rest,
All praise and glory to God!
In that day we will say... Lo, this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us this is the Lord we have waited for him and we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation!
Can you picture it? Close your eyes for a moment and just imagine being able to say those words.
Lo, this is our God we have waited for Him!
We wait for Him, He is our promise. Our hope isn't in ourselves, it is in Jesus!
We need to take our eyes off ourselves and place them on our One and Only Hope, Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior!
Praise the Lord!
Lo, this is our God we have waited for Him!
He will save us!
This is the Lord we have waited for Him!
We will be glad and rejoice in His Salvation!
Praise be to God now and forever!
Amen
the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail
that is spread over all nations. {25:8} He will swallow up
death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears
from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take
away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken [it.
]{25:9} And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our
God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is]
the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and
rejoice in his salvation. {25:10} For in this mountain shall
the hand of the LORD rest,
He will destroy the face of the covering cast over all people.
He will destroy the vail that is spread over all nations.
Coverings and vails what do they typically do? Hide things, right? They hide things either from someone seeing in or someone seeing out. When you cover your head you prevent others from seeing your head but you also limit your own ability to see outward.
1 Cor. {13:12} For
now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am
known.
Our understanding is limited by sin it can be no other way. Sin corrupts and warps things, and we are born with the propensity to sin. Sin limits us with it's presence in our lives and in the world. We know in part, we see through a dark glass, our vision, our knowledge is limited. Even with our limited knowledge we are allowed to see, to know the way to Christ. Our salvation is not hidden from us, it is found in Jesus and all have the opportunity to know Him, to know the Love of God. We are given enough light through that dark glass, we are allowed to know in part but one day we will see clearly. One day there will be no dark glass, nothing hidden.
He will destroy the face of the covering cast over all people. He will destroy the vail that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death in victory.
The Lord God will wipe away tears from off faces.
No more death.
No more tears.
Revelation {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.
Praise God! Such hope! Such promise!
Isa. 25:8...and the rebuke of his people shall he take
away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken [it.
]{25:9} And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our
God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is]
the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and
rejoice in his salvation. {25:10} For in this mountain shall
the hand of the LORD rest,
All praise and glory to God!
In that day we will say... Lo, this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us this is the Lord we have waited for him and we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation!
Can you picture it? Close your eyes for a moment and just imagine being able to say those words.
Lo, this is our God we have waited for Him!
We wait for Him, He is our promise. Our hope isn't in ourselves, it is in Jesus!
We need to take our eyes off ourselves and place them on our One and Only Hope, Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior!
Praise the Lord!
Lo, this is our God we have waited for Him!
He will save us!
This is the Lord we have waited for Him!
We will be glad and rejoice in His Salvation!
Praise be to God now and forever!
Amen
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth
Isaiah
{25:1} O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I
will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things;
thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
Thy counsels of old...
are faithfulness and truth.
Faithfulness and truth.
Time and time again we hear of faithfulness.
We need faith.
We need the truth.
These two things are essential.
People say they want proof- not faith. They want something substanial- not faith. They want something solid- not faith. They want facts- not faith. They call anything other than tangible evidence folly and those who believe deluded.
Faith.
Heb. {11:1} Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen
Hope.
Can you put your hands around hope?
What is hope?
Dict.
hope (hop) verb
hoped, hoping, hopes verb, intransitive
1. To wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment.
2. Archaic. To have confidence; trust.
verb, transitive
1. To look forward to with confidence or expectation: We hope that our children will carry on our family traditions.
2. To expect and desire. See synonyms at expect.
noun
1. A wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.
2. Something that is hoped for or desired: Success is our hope.
3. One that is a source of or reason for hope: the team's only hope for victory.
4. Often Hope (hop) . The theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God's help.
5. Archaic. Trust; confidence.
Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary
Hope isn't something we touch. You can say you place your hope in someone, but that hope is in the something that someone is doing, not really in that person, it's in an accomplishment they have the possibility of fulfilling.
Hope - theological virtue - desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God's help.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
Faith is the hope of a future fully absorbed in God's love. Faith is the hope of a world without sin. Faith is the hope of a world the way it was intended before sin took over.
Abraham, Moses, David had faith. They had this hope that God, their creator would rule, that He would be the God of all one day, that His reign would be realized. They all lived in a world just as we do, with some believing and others not believing, with some following and others not following. They all lived in a world full of sin and temptations towards that sinning. They shunned the sinning and grasp hold of a better world. Or, they repented of their sin and grasped hold of a better world, an unseen world, a promised world.
When you're promised something as a rule, the promise is for something that isn't seen.
When a man and woman promise to love each other until death do they part for as long as they both shall live- they are hoping for a future live that will keep them together in love until death. That promise isn't realized until way down the line when one or the other dies and they've lived a life together through all the hardships, the ups and the downs, and then they can say that promise was kept.
When you promise someone you'll get them a present that person will wait for the present and until that present arrives all they have is the promise of tha present, the hope of the present and that the promise will be kept.
We you promise to meet someone at a certain place and time, until the moment of the meeting the promise is unkept, but once the meeting takes place the promise is realized.
Great men and woman of God throughout the Bible held fast to the future promise, they had hope in that promise, they lived believing that God would fulfil the promises made to them. They had faith- hope in the promises even when there was no evidence to support the promises. Even when their lives seemed such that those promises being fulfilled would seem to be impossible. Even when DEATH was inevitable and they were tasting the precusors of the end of their lives, they still HOPED. They believed in something more and they trusted in God.
People say it's crazy to have such hope, to believe in such a thing, that here and now is all we can really trust and believe in. They call it false hope, and foolish dreaming. They say it's a waste of a good life and a chance to have all sorts of worldly pleasures when people deny themselves that pleasure because they are hoping in something better in the future, a future promise that might not even be realized in their lifetime. They have hope beyond the grave, beyond their deaths.
When EVERYTHING seems to be telling us, tickling our senses, tempting us to grasp hold to ONLY what we can see, touch, smell, feel, taste we have to look beyond all that, way beyond all that to the hope that is found in Jesus Christ, to the promise that God gave to Abraham and extended right on down to us.
People as a whole will never agree to look beyond the here and now.
As individuals we have to look beyond, we have to have hope and faith in God's promises.
Isaiah
{25:1} O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I
will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things;
thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
We need to exalt in God, our God. We need to praise His name. He has done wonderful things. His counsels of old are-- faithfulness and truth.
Faithfulness and truth.
God has made promises.
God has give us prophecies and allowed us to look back through history and see the prophecies fulfilled.
God tells us what will be and by faith in God who has done wonderful, wonderful things, we have to have faith- hope in Him, He will keep His promises, He is truth.
John {14:6} Jesus saith
unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me.
The way, the truth, the life, may we find it all in our Lord and Savior, through His wondrous grace and mercy, in Jesus Christ, now and forever...
Amen.
{25:1} O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I
will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things;
thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
Thy counsels of old...
are faithfulness and truth.
Faithfulness and truth.
Time and time again we hear of faithfulness.
We need faith.
We need the truth.
These two things are essential.
People say they want proof- not faith. They want something substanial- not faith. They want something solid- not faith. They want facts- not faith. They call anything other than tangible evidence folly and those who believe deluded.
Faith.
Heb. {11:1} Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen
Hope.
Can you put your hands around hope?
What is hope?
Dict.
hope (hop) verb
hoped, hoping, hopes verb, intransitive
1. To wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment.
2. Archaic. To have confidence; trust.
verb, transitive
1. To look forward to with confidence or expectation: We hope that our children will carry on our family traditions.
2. To expect and desire. See synonyms at expect.
noun
1. A wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.
2. Something that is hoped for or desired: Success is our hope.
3. One that is a source of or reason for hope: the team's only hope for victory.
4. Often Hope (hop) . The theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God's help.
5. Archaic. Trust; confidence.
Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary
Hope isn't something we touch. You can say you place your hope in someone, but that hope is in the something that someone is doing, not really in that person, it's in an accomplishment they have the possibility of fulfilling.
Hope - theological virtue - desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God's help.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
Faith is the hope of a future fully absorbed in God's love. Faith is the hope of a world without sin. Faith is the hope of a world the way it was intended before sin took over.
Abraham, Moses, David had faith. They had this hope that God, their creator would rule, that He would be the God of all one day, that His reign would be realized. They all lived in a world just as we do, with some believing and others not believing, with some following and others not following. They all lived in a world full of sin and temptations towards that sinning. They shunned the sinning and grasp hold of a better world. Or, they repented of their sin and grasped hold of a better world, an unseen world, a promised world.
When you're promised something as a rule, the promise is for something that isn't seen.
When a man and woman promise to love each other until death do they part for as long as they both shall live- they are hoping for a future live that will keep them together in love until death. That promise isn't realized until way down the line when one or the other dies and they've lived a life together through all the hardships, the ups and the downs, and then they can say that promise was kept.
When you promise someone you'll get them a present that person will wait for the present and until that present arrives all they have is the promise of tha present, the hope of the present and that the promise will be kept.
We you promise to meet someone at a certain place and time, until the moment of the meeting the promise is unkept, but once the meeting takes place the promise is realized.
Great men and woman of God throughout the Bible held fast to the future promise, they had hope in that promise, they lived believing that God would fulfil the promises made to them. They had faith- hope in the promises even when there was no evidence to support the promises. Even when their lives seemed such that those promises being fulfilled would seem to be impossible. Even when DEATH was inevitable and they were tasting the precusors of the end of their lives, they still HOPED. They believed in something more and they trusted in God.
People say it's crazy to have such hope, to believe in such a thing, that here and now is all we can really trust and believe in. They call it false hope, and foolish dreaming. They say it's a waste of a good life and a chance to have all sorts of worldly pleasures when people deny themselves that pleasure because they are hoping in something better in the future, a future promise that might not even be realized in their lifetime. They have hope beyond the grave, beyond their deaths.
When EVERYTHING seems to be telling us, tickling our senses, tempting us to grasp hold to ONLY what we can see, touch, smell, feel, taste we have to look beyond all that, way beyond all that to the hope that is found in Jesus Christ, to the promise that God gave to Abraham and extended right on down to us.
People as a whole will never agree to look beyond the here and now.
As individuals we have to look beyond, we have to have hope and faith in God's promises.
Isaiah
{25:1} O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I
will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things;
thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
We need to exalt in God, our God. We need to praise His name. He has done wonderful things. His counsels of old are-- faithfulness and truth.
Faithfulness and truth.
God has made promises.
God has give us prophecies and allowed us to look back through history and see the prophecies fulfilled.
God tells us what will be and by faith in God who has done wonderful, wonderful things, we have to have faith- hope in Him, He will keep His promises, He is truth.
John {14:6} Jesus saith
unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me.
The way, the truth, the life, may we find it all in our Lord and Savior, through His wondrous grace and mercy, in Jesus Christ, now and forever...
Amen.
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