11/10/83
Luke {5:8} 'When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.'
MTM (Means to Me):
How often we hear the cries- get away from me, leave me alone, just go away. In my own life I often experienced saying those thing. When I was hurt, confused, depressed I wished the whole world would disappear. Looking back I see I really was the one who wanted to disappear, or be noticed. In not being paid attention I longed for it, but my words were otherwise. When I was hurt and cried out 'Go away!' I really wanted someone to come to me. Today I hear other children and adults cry our 'Leave me be!' and I wonder are they being like Simon Peter telling Jesus to leave, yet really wanting Him more than ever?
Simon felt his unworthiness of Jesus' love, but the words- 'Depart from me' are really saying, 'I'm not worthy but please stay.' Jesus I'm sure saw through that and knew Simon really wanted Him. Luke {5:10} reads- 'And so [was] also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men' Fear not, I know you really don't want me to go from you so I won't, come with me. Oh, sometimes more often I wish to see through the cries of 'Depart from me' and recognize them as pleas to stay.
(4/14/09 - Update
Feeling the weight of our own unworthiness can be crushing. We know that against the purity of Christ we are nothing but sinful dirty creatures. Satan would have us fall down into despair over our own unrighteousness, fall down and never get up again. Jesus know in the light of His presence we must fall down and He wants us to reach up and grab hold of Him, relying solely on Him for any hope and worthiness. While we may cry out for Jesus to depart, that we're too sinful to be around Him, we really want Him closer than ever just as Simon Peter did and Jesus will pull us closer to Him, He won't leave us, He won't depart from us. He'll cover us with His righteousness.
All praise and glory to God, to our Lord and Savior now and forever! Amen.)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Excerpts from Notebooks - July 1983
Mark 1:25 'And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of Him.'
Jesus knew that evil spirit possession is real. He told the evil spirit to come out of the man. If spirit possession was real enough then it is more than likely real now. Jesus, not man, has the necessary power to remove unclean spirits. We can use Jesus' power, if we are connected right to Him.
Mark 1:31 'And, He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up by the hand and immediately the fever left her and she ministered unto them.'
Jesus could easily have said 'fever be gone', or some such thing yet He knew the contact of love is important. Jesus took her by the hand. Picture it, His hand in hers, the strength, the gentleness, the power, and the love in that hand merging into the sick woman's giving her the healing she needed. The lifting her up so tenderly with compassion, can you imagine the awe, the wonderment and sense of gratitude the woman must have felt!
She ministered unto them and probably so happily that her face radiated a glow of love, and all Jesus needed to do was take her hand and lift her, He didn't say a word, it was His touch that healed her.
(Casting out evil spirits, healings, Jesus came into His own and the healings were many. He came and did what no other had ever done. There may have been magicians of sorts, those good at tending the sick, but none were ever like Jesus, none. When He performed the miracles one after the other, healing countless number of people it was for a reason. It was proof undeniably so of His divinity. The Pharisees and all others could say whatever they wanted to say but truthfully they could not explain away the healings could they? Not really. Their hands were tied, they were limited because the word of Jesus spread and spread, people were coming from all around wanting to be healed, wanting to hear Jesus speak. They knew He was special, they knew He was different.
While the apostles, the disciples, the followers of Jesus continued on after Jesus died and was raised to life again, none were ever like Him, they were shadows of what He was and that too was as it should be. Gradually over time the healings, the casting out of devils, all of that seemed to fade away and become mostly mythical.
Today we have healings and what are called exorcisms but they exist on the realm of the skeptical. Were people skeptical in Jesus' day? Yes, very much so. But there isn't a whole village of people being healed now. There isn't anyone going about casting out devils with a word- in fact today if there is casting out it's a dramatic process much like those depicted in various movies without the sensationalized gore.
We want to believe in miracles, but we can't expect them, true Godly miracles, now in the end days. Why? Because we know in the last days devils will be working miracles.
Rev. {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.'
Rev. {19:20} 'And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast'
Matt. {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.'
There is a big danger in counting on miracles today. With Jesus coming again soon, very soon, the greatest miracle we should be looking for is the miracle of His arrival and the changing of our bodies from corruptible to incorruptible. Not the miracles of healing, not the casting out of devils. We need only look for Christ. Satan is ready to deceive all. He has his plans set, his agenda made. He will work in such away that only the very elect of God will not be deceived. Such knowledge we can all have and we must all use. We must not trust our own eyes or ears, but rely on the knowledge God has given us in His Holy Word. The whole world will marvel at the miracle Satan will perform and it will be those who refuse to be deceived who will be saved.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ now and forever! May we have our eyes ever upon Him! Amen.)
Jesus knew that evil spirit possession is real. He told the evil spirit to come out of the man. If spirit possession was real enough then it is more than likely real now. Jesus, not man, has the necessary power to remove unclean spirits. We can use Jesus' power, if we are connected right to Him.
Mark 1:31 'And, He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up by the hand and immediately the fever left her and she ministered unto them.'
Jesus could easily have said 'fever be gone', or some such thing yet He knew the contact of love is important. Jesus took her by the hand. Picture it, His hand in hers, the strength, the gentleness, the power, and the love in that hand merging into the sick woman's giving her the healing she needed. The lifting her up so tenderly with compassion, can you imagine the awe, the wonderment and sense of gratitude the woman must have felt!
She ministered unto them and probably so happily that her face radiated a glow of love, and all Jesus needed to do was take her hand and lift her, He didn't say a word, it was His touch that healed her.
(Casting out evil spirits, healings, Jesus came into His own and the healings were many. He came and did what no other had ever done. There may have been magicians of sorts, those good at tending the sick, but none were ever like Jesus, none. When He performed the miracles one after the other, healing countless number of people it was for a reason. It was proof undeniably so of His divinity. The Pharisees and all others could say whatever they wanted to say but truthfully they could not explain away the healings could they? Not really. Their hands were tied, they were limited because the word of Jesus spread and spread, people were coming from all around wanting to be healed, wanting to hear Jesus speak. They knew He was special, they knew He was different.
While the apostles, the disciples, the followers of Jesus continued on after Jesus died and was raised to life again, none were ever like Him, they were shadows of what He was and that too was as it should be. Gradually over time the healings, the casting out of devils, all of that seemed to fade away and become mostly mythical.
Today we have healings and what are called exorcisms but they exist on the realm of the skeptical. Were people skeptical in Jesus' day? Yes, very much so. But there isn't a whole village of people being healed now. There isn't anyone going about casting out devils with a word- in fact today if there is casting out it's a dramatic process much like those depicted in various movies without the sensationalized gore.
We want to believe in miracles, but we can't expect them, true Godly miracles, now in the end days. Why? Because we know in the last days devils will be working miracles.
Rev. {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.'
Rev. {19:20} 'And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast'
Matt. {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.'
There is a big danger in counting on miracles today. With Jesus coming again soon, very soon, the greatest miracle we should be looking for is the miracle of His arrival and the changing of our bodies from corruptible to incorruptible. Not the miracles of healing, not the casting out of devils. We need only look for Christ. Satan is ready to deceive all. He has his plans set, his agenda made. He will work in such away that only the very elect of God will not be deceived. Such knowledge we can all have and we must all use. We must not trust our own eyes or ears, but rely on the knowledge God has given us in His Holy Word. The whole world will marvel at the miracle Satan will perform and it will be those who refuse to be deceived who will be saved.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ now and forever! May we have our eyes ever upon Him! Amen.)
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Excerpts from Notebooks - July 10, 1983
7/10/83
(Excerpts from--)
Practice the Presence of God - By Brother Lawrence Fleming
'We should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him.'
'When he had failed in his duty he only confessed his fault saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if You leave me to myself it is You who must hinder my failing and mend what is amiss…After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.'
(Thinking about that- the Presence of God, I believe we rely way too much on feelings. I don't feel it- I don't feel right - I feel this way, I feel that way. It's all about our feelings isn't it?
Sometimes being around someone that doesn't seem to rely on feelings but exists more in the neutral manner of acceptance that life is just this way and so be it, makes it hard to understand. The tendency to want to pick at the whys and wherefores, to distrust that there can be an acceptance of things that really there is unhappiness, non-contentment there. We are so hyped up about our feelings that to live in such a way makes us *boring or *odd.
We are promoting being in touch with our feelings more and more. On the popular websites Myspace and Facebook they both have places for people to express their current feelings. This is supposed to promote interaction with others. If you see a friend is sad it encourages others to uplift them. If you are happy it encourages the sharing of that happiness.
The other day I was at my mother's house helping her out with a few computer things and she wanted me to set up her Myspace so it was book-marked for easy access. While I was doing that she saw where others were writing about their various feelings and happenings - and asked where she could put hers in. I showed her and asked her what she wanted me to put in for her right then and she said 'I don't know.' So that's what I put in there. She obviously wasn't exceptionally caught up in recognizing an emotion she might be feeling at the moment. And you know what, that's not so bad. Some might think it is, they might instantly be concerned that she's not in touch with herself. But rather than that, I'm choosing to believe it's her not being caught up in how she feels.
When we do Practice the Presence of God in our lives we have to separate it from how we might be feeling or it'll become dependent upon that feeling. When we depend on our feelings to Practice the Presence of God then we can be sure that there are going to be headed our way a lot of negative feelings that will make us not believe we can Practice the Presence of God.
This from that book- 'We should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him.'
Is true. And it's a conversing that needs to go beyond feeling 'right' with God. It has to be a knowledge of God's presence as being with us no matter what. We don't have to wait to feel a thing, we can believe and have faith beyond the feelings we'd like to have.
And this-
'When he had failed in his duty he only confessed his fault saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if You leave me to myself it is You who must hinder my failing and mend what is amiss…After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.'
Is this acceptable? It has to be doesn't it? We get so caught up in our faults, our failures, and it does seem overwhelming, as if we'll never cease to fail. If we count on ourselves for success it's just as well we fail in order that we know we can't find success on our own, of our own accord. We HAVE to have God with us, we have to rely on God to mend whatever is amiss inside us. We have to surrender ourselves to God for that mending. If we get caught up in worrying over our inability to succeed we will never let God work in us, we'll constantly be waiting for the power on our own to succeed. We'll take pride in that success and attribute it to ourselves. Much better to remember always that it is God working in us to fix our failings.
The part about, 'After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.' Is that trust? It must be. To worry over something after confessing it and entrusting our need to God is pointless. It only shows a lack of faith in God truly hearing and helping us.
It seems to be in our nature to worry over things, to feel uneasiness about things, but we truly have to give to God and trust beyond our understanding. We might not understand one whit how things might be healed, helped, or changed but we aren't called to understand, we are called to trust, to believe. To realize our place as creatures and God's place as Creator.)
(Please note- information taken from my old notebooks may be altered by me to take what I think is pertinent from among all that is written. All additional writing which will be my current thoughts on past writings will be in parentheses. Thank you.)
By the grace and mercy of Christ Jesus now and forever! Amen.
(Excerpts from--)
Practice the Presence of God - By Brother Lawrence Fleming
'We should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him.'
'When he had failed in his duty he only confessed his fault saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if You leave me to myself it is You who must hinder my failing and mend what is amiss…After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.'
(Thinking about that- the Presence of God, I believe we rely way too much on feelings. I don't feel it- I don't feel right - I feel this way, I feel that way. It's all about our feelings isn't it?
Sometimes being around someone that doesn't seem to rely on feelings but exists more in the neutral manner of acceptance that life is just this way and so be it, makes it hard to understand. The tendency to want to pick at the whys and wherefores, to distrust that there can be an acceptance of things that really there is unhappiness, non-contentment there. We are so hyped up about our feelings that to live in such a way makes us *boring or *odd.
We are promoting being in touch with our feelings more and more. On the popular websites Myspace and Facebook they both have places for people to express their current feelings. This is supposed to promote interaction with others. If you see a friend is sad it encourages others to uplift them. If you are happy it encourages the sharing of that happiness.
The other day I was at my mother's house helping her out with a few computer things and she wanted me to set up her Myspace so it was book-marked for easy access. While I was doing that she saw where others were writing about their various feelings and happenings - and asked where she could put hers in. I showed her and asked her what she wanted me to put in for her right then and she said 'I don't know.' So that's what I put in there. She obviously wasn't exceptionally caught up in recognizing an emotion she might be feeling at the moment. And you know what, that's not so bad. Some might think it is, they might instantly be concerned that she's not in touch with herself. But rather than that, I'm choosing to believe it's her not being caught up in how she feels.
When we do Practice the Presence of God in our lives we have to separate it from how we might be feeling or it'll become dependent upon that feeling. When we depend on our feelings to Practice the Presence of God then we can be sure that there are going to be headed our way a lot of negative feelings that will make us not believe we can Practice the Presence of God.
This from that book- 'We should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him.'
Is true. And it's a conversing that needs to go beyond feeling 'right' with God. It has to be a knowledge of God's presence as being with us no matter what. We don't have to wait to feel a thing, we can believe and have faith beyond the feelings we'd like to have.
And this-
'When he had failed in his duty he only confessed his fault saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if You leave me to myself it is You who must hinder my failing and mend what is amiss…After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.'
Is this acceptable? It has to be doesn't it? We get so caught up in our faults, our failures, and it does seem overwhelming, as if we'll never cease to fail. If we count on ourselves for success it's just as well we fail in order that we know we can't find success on our own, of our own accord. We HAVE to have God with us, we have to rely on God to mend whatever is amiss inside us. We have to surrender ourselves to God for that mending. If we get caught up in worrying over our inability to succeed we will never let God work in us, we'll constantly be waiting for the power on our own to succeed. We'll take pride in that success and attribute it to ourselves. Much better to remember always that it is God working in us to fix our failings.
The part about, 'After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.' Is that trust? It must be. To worry over something after confessing it and entrusting our need to God is pointless. It only shows a lack of faith in God truly hearing and helping us.
It seems to be in our nature to worry over things, to feel uneasiness about things, but we truly have to give to God and trust beyond our understanding. We might not understand one whit how things might be healed, helped, or changed but we aren't called to understand, we are called to trust, to believe. To realize our place as creatures and God's place as Creator.)
(Please note- information taken from my old notebooks may be altered by me to take what I think is pertinent from among all that is written. All additional writing which will be my current thoughts on past writings will be in parentheses. Thank you.)
By the grace and mercy of Christ Jesus now and forever! Amen.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
July 18 1983 - Excerpts of My Old Notebook
July 18, 1983
Luke {5:24} But that
ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to
forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto
thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.
The Son of man has power here on earth to forgive sins.
Here on earth.
On earth Christ has the power to forgive the sins of those on earth.
He has the power!!!!!
It is His will to forgive sins, or else why would He have the power to do so? Why have the power and not exercise it?
He wants to forgive our sins, He wanted to heal by forgiving us.
He wants us to know we are sick, sin-filled and especially that He is willing to heal us from the sickness.
You get sick and you call a doctor for help, advice, medicine or you talk to someone, a friend, and ask their advice. Or a friend may turn it around and ask you what you are doing to get better.
The point is, when you are sick you want to get better so you look for ways to get better.
We are all sin sick and we need to look for ways to get better, to stop sinning.
So what if the doctor tells you it's an incurable disease? Maybe he tells you that there is medicine that may help you, that you have to take the medicine whenever you have an attack. It will seem as if you'll never get better, but on the plus side you'll live a lot longer, maybe a normal lifespan if you keep taking the medicine.
Now you may try other doctors, other medicines, or rely on you own advice or a friend's, but this one pill alone will help you, more than you'll really realize.
The pill for the sin-sick which is all of us, is Jesus. If we confess to Him every time we sin we'll be helped quite a bit. We'll never stop sinning, having attacks, but we'll always have the medicine about to help us, Jesus.
We choose our doctors and we choose whether to take the prescribed medicine.
In this sickness we have God as our doctor and Jesus is the medicine.
(Sin really isn't an incurable disease- there is One who has overcome the sickness and it is through that One we may be inoculated. Only there is just one way He can inoculate us. We have to stay in His presence. We have to stay with Him, live with Him all the time not just off and on when we feel like being with Him, but always no matter what we are going through. As long as we live and until Jesus returns to take us home with Him we need to remain close to Him or we will never be saved, never be inoculated fully.
If your life depended upon being with another person always day in and day out, 24/7, would you want that person with you? If the alternative is death I'm almost certain you would.
People just don't realize that we are all under a very real death sentence. A death sentence that kills the spirit as well as the flesh.
Matt. {10:28} And fear not them which kill the body,
but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is
able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Do you see?
Death is the destiny of us all. Life in Jesus is also the destiny of all who desire such life in Christ.
We hope to one day be with Jesus forever, we need to let that desire be manifested in our lives right now, living with Him as a reality to us and not some figment called upon in desperation. He needs to shape our daily lives now. Truly who would desire to live with Jesus forever if they don't even want to be with Him now? )
(Please note- information taken from my old notebooks may be altered by me to take what I think is pertinent from among all that is written. All additional writing which will be my current thoughts on past writings will be in parentheses. Thank you.)
All Glory, Praise and Honor to Our Lord on High! By His Mercy and Grace now and forever!
Amen.
Luke {5:24} But that
ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to
forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto
thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.
The Son of man has power here on earth to forgive sins.
Here on earth.
On earth Christ has the power to forgive the sins of those on earth.
He has the power!!!!!
It is His will to forgive sins, or else why would He have the power to do so? Why have the power and not exercise it?
He wants to forgive our sins, He wanted to heal by forgiving us.
He wants us to know we are sick, sin-filled and especially that He is willing to heal us from the sickness.
You get sick and you call a doctor for help, advice, medicine or you talk to someone, a friend, and ask their advice. Or a friend may turn it around and ask you what you are doing to get better.
The point is, when you are sick you want to get better so you look for ways to get better.
We are all sin sick and we need to look for ways to get better, to stop sinning.
So what if the doctor tells you it's an incurable disease? Maybe he tells you that there is medicine that may help you, that you have to take the medicine whenever you have an attack. It will seem as if you'll never get better, but on the plus side you'll live a lot longer, maybe a normal lifespan if you keep taking the medicine.
Now you may try other doctors, other medicines, or rely on you own advice or a friend's, but this one pill alone will help you, more than you'll really realize.
The pill for the sin-sick which is all of us, is Jesus. If we confess to Him every time we sin we'll be helped quite a bit. We'll never stop sinning, having attacks, but we'll always have the medicine about to help us, Jesus.
We choose our doctors and we choose whether to take the prescribed medicine.
In this sickness we have God as our doctor and Jesus is the medicine.
(Sin really isn't an incurable disease- there is One who has overcome the sickness and it is through that One we may be inoculated. Only there is just one way He can inoculate us. We have to stay in His presence. We have to stay with Him, live with Him all the time not just off and on when we feel like being with Him, but always no matter what we are going through. As long as we live and until Jesus returns to take us home with Him we need to remain close to Him or we will never be saved, never be inoculated fully.
If your life depended upon being with another person always day in and day out, 24/7, would you want that person with you? If the alternative is death I'm almost certain you would.
People just don't realize that we are all under a very real death sentence. A death sentence that kills the spirit as well as the flesh.
Matt. {10:28} And fear not them which kill the body,
but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is
able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Do you see?
Death is the destiny of us all. Life in Jesus is also the destiny of all who desire such life in Christ.
We hope to one day be with Jesus forever, we need to let that desire be manifested in our lives right now, living with Him as a reality to us and not some figment called upon in desperation. He needs to shape our daily lives now. Truly who would desire to live with Jesus forever if they don't even want to be with Him now? )
(Please note- information taken from my old notebooks may be altered by me to take what I think is pertinent from among all that is written. All additional writing which will be my current thoughts on past writings will be in parentheses. Thank you.)
All Glory, Praise and Honor to Our Lord on High! By His Mercy and Grace now and forever!
Amen.
Friday, April 10, 2009
More Excerpts from Old Notebooks
Notebook #2
(Please note- information taken from my old notebooks may be altered by me to take what I think is pertinent from among all that is written. All additional writing which will be my current thoughts on past writings will be in parantheses. Thank you.)
July 5, 1983
People teach that their religion is the only way to be saved, however a pearl of wisdom comes from one writer and holds true.
'Among the heathen are those who worship God ignorantly, those to whom light is never brought by human instrumentality yet they will not perish. Though ignorant of the written love of God, they have heard his voice speaking to them in nature and have done the things that the laws required. Their works are evidence that the Holy Spirit has touched their hearts, and they are recognized as the children of God.'
The Desire of Ages p638 E.G. White
( I find this thought very comforting. We live in a world where you hear over and over that all people have already been given a chance to know Jesus. We live in the age of technology that has allowed information to speed to people around the world in mere seconds. Still there are remote villages, there are tiny cities, there are many who are too poor to own their own computer. No matter what the circumstances there will be situations where not every single person will be set down and talk from the Bible.
This is why that passage really touches my heart as being true.
The voice of God in their daily lives is alive and well. The Holy Spirit is touching their hearts, their minds and they are God's children. These uneducated people like all people the world over will have an opportunity to live their lives as God would accept. It's a natural love that flows from the Holy Spirit and to me this is a great comfort. )
'The written testimonies," it is explained in Mrs. White published works, 'are not to give new light, but to impress vividly upon the heart inspiration already revealed. Man's duty to God and to his fellow man has been distinctly specified in God's word, yet but few of you are obedient to the light given. Additional truth is not brought out, but God has through the testimonies simplified the great truths already given.'
Testimonies for the Church Vol 2 p 605 E.G. White
(I used to belong to the SDA Church, in fact when I wrote things at that time I was active in the church. However I left the SDA Church when I realized that they left the truth as originally given to them. I was not going to be found counted among the apostatized so I left the church, but I haven't left the beliefs found true.
Ellen White to me was just as she proclaimed to others- A messenger from God, infallible and as she writes above, any writings she does is not adding truth to God's word because you can't add anything to the Word of God. All she's done is simplified great truths. And while I'm not the prolific writer Ellen White was, nor will I ever be one proclaimed a prophet or such, I like to think that anyone, even me, who takes the Word of God and relates what it is saying to them is also doing the same thing as she did. )
From - The Art of Learning to Love Yourself by Gail G. Osborne. Page 83.
'The wise are content with contentment studded with the occasional peaks of happiness.'
(So true. If we would all live by such a statement how much more content we'd be. If we stopped looking for that ~high~ of excitement as a telltale sign we are living life as it should be lived we'd all be so much better off. But when someone asks what you're doing this weekend and you answer nothing little alarm bells sound that say that's boring! In truth it's just as wonderful as others doing ~things~ , those who have a busy schedules planned for the weekend. We can't think in terms of life being boring or exciting, if we get caught in that trap we will never be content.
Yes, I like the saying above. The wise are content with contentment studded with the occasional peaks of happiness.
To me that mean the occasional peaks of excitement and yes, something that can be called happiness.
If I asked you if you were happy and you couldn't say yes, there is nothing in the world wrong with that. We shouldn't be geared towards thinking we need to be happy all the time- we don't. We need to be alright within our lives with being at peace, being content with our day to day life without being made to feel we need to be constantly seeking the next high of happiness to be truly enjoying life.)
July 8, 1983 Sabbath
1 Peter {5:10} But the God of all grace, who hath called us
unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have
suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen,
settle [you. ]{5:11} To him [be] glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen.
Praise God, Praise God for His blessings on us He lay.
Praise God for all His love.
Praise Him for He'll stay.
God will not fail as we often do.
Praise His love again and again.
Strength, love, treasured gifts on us He gives freely.
Believe is all He asks, believe and with Him always be!
Hebrews {13:5} [Let
your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be]
content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Genesis {28:15} 'And, behold, I
[am] with thee, and will keep thee in all [places] whither
thou goest,...'
Deut. {31:6} Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be
afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he [it is] that doth go
with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Deut. {31:8} And the LORD, he [it
is] that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not
fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Isa. {41:10} Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not
dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I
will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of
my righteousness.
(Praise God!)
(Please note- information taken from my old notebooks may be altered by me to take what I think is pertinent from among all that is written. All additional writing which will be my current thoughts on past writings will be in parantheses. Thank you.)
July 5, 1983
People teach that their religion is the only way to be saved, however a pearl of wisdom comes from one writer and holds true.
'Among the heathen are those who worship God ignorantly, those to whom light is never brought by human instrumentality yet they will not perish. Though ignorant of the written love of God, they have heard his voice speaking to them in nature and have done the things that the laws required. Their works are evidence that the Holy Spirit has touched their hearts, and they are recognized as the children of God.'
The Desire of Ages p638 E.G. White
( I find this thought very comforting. We live in a world where you hear over and over that all people have already been given a chance to know Jesus. We live in the age of technology that has allowed information to speed to people around the world in mere seconds. Still there are remote villages, there are tiny cities, there are many who are too poor to own their own computer. No matter what the circumstances there will be situations where not every single person will be set down and talk from the Bible.
This is why that passage really touches my heart as being true.
The voice of God in their daily lives is alive and well. The Holy Spirit is touching their hearts, their minds and they are God's children. These uneducated people like all people the world over will have an opportunity to live their lives as God would accept. It's a natural love that flows from the Holy Spirit and to me this is a great comfort. )
'The written testimonies," it is explained in Mrs. White published works, 'are not to give new light, but to impress vividly upon the heart inspiration already revealed. Man's duty to God and to his fellow man has been distinctly specified in God's word, yet but few of you are obedient to the light given. Additional truth is not brought out, but God has through the testimonies simplified the great truths already given.'
Testimonies for the Church Vol 2 p 605 E.G. White
(I used to belong to the SDA Church, in fact when I wrote things at that time I was active in the church. However I left the SDA Church when I realized that they left the truth as originally given to them. I was not going to be found counted among the apostatized so I left the church, but I haven't left the beliefs found true.
Ellen White to me was just as she proclaimed to others- A messenger from God, infallible and as she writes above, any writings she does is not adding truth to God's word because you can't add anything to the Word of God. All she's done is simplified great truths. And while I'm not the prolific writer Ellen White was, nor will I ever be one proclaimed a prophet or such, I like to think that anyone, even me, who takes the Word of God and relates what it is saying to them is also doing the same thing as she did. )
From - The Art of Learning to Love Yourself by Gail G. Osborne. Page 83.
'The wise are content with contentment studded with the occasional peaks of happiness.'
(So true. If we would all live by such a statement how much more content we'd be. If we stopped looking for that ~high~ of excitement as a telltale sign we are living life as it should be lived we'd all be so much better off. But when someone asks what you're doing this weekend and you answer nothing little alarm bells sound that say that's boring! In truth it's just as wonderful as others doing ~things~ , those who have a busy schedules planned for the weekend. We can't think in terms of life being boring or exciting, if we get caught in that trap we will never be content.
Yes, I like the saying above. The wise are content with contentment studded with the occasional peaks of happiness.
To me that mean the occasional peaks of excitement and yes, something that can be called happiness.
If I asked you if you were happy and you couldn't say yes, there is nothing in the world wrong with that. We shouldn't be geared towards thinking we need to be happy all the time- we don't. We need to be alright within our lives with being at peace, being content with our day to day life without being made to feel we need to be constantly seeking the next high of happiness to be truly enjoying life.)
July 8, 1983 Sabbath
1 Peter {5:10} But the God of all grace, who hath called us
unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have
suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen,
settle [you. ]{5:11} To him [be] glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen.
Praise God, Praise God for His blessings on us He lay.
Praise God for all His love.
Praise Him for He'll stay.
God will not fail as we often do.
Praise His love again and again.
Strength, love, treasured gifts on us He gives freely.
Believe is all He asks, believe and with Him always be!
Hebrews {13:5} [Let
your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be]
content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Genesis {28:15} 'And, behold, I
[am] with thee, and will keep thee in all [places] whither
thou goest,...'
Deut. {31:6} Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be
afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he [it is] that doth go
with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Deut. {31:8} And the LORD, he [it
is] that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not
fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Isa. {41:10} Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not
dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I
will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of
my righteousness.
(Praise God!)
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Excerpts from Notebooks - Prophecy Fulfilled
From Notebook One -
The following is something I wrote many years ago now, but it still holds true today. At the end of this article I will put a couple of website addresses you can use to look up more information.
Thank you.
*******
Prophecy Fulfilled!
How exciting! Prophecy fulfilled in our day! As recently as 1980 Biblical prophecy was fulfilled.
Are you surprised by this? I was, my sister was and my friends were as we studied our Bibles, history and the Spirit of Prophecy.
The prophecy is found in Luke 21:24, 'And they shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.'
Some have said that this prophecy is irrelevant. I say any prophecy is relevant. How can we presume to judge the importance of Scripture, prophetic or not prophetic? I say all Scripture is supremely important because it is God's word to us, His people.
People through ages have taken Scripture and picked it apart. They have placed importance on one aspect of the Bible while forgetting the other aspects.
The Sabbath commandment has largely been forgotten by the majority of people around the world. We as Seventh-day Adventist realize this importance of keeping all the commandments in their original Biblically founded truth.
Yet as we place so much importance on the forgotten fourth commandment have we become guilty of lessening the other nine?
What has this to do with fulfilled prophecy?
As always God's word is all important, 'Precept upon precept' Isaiah 28:10. Let's look at the first commandment. 'And God spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' Ex. 20:1-3.
This tells us we are to have no other gods before God, yet how many people are following their pastors (ministers, preachers, priests) believing what they say without studying for themselves? How many pastors are gods for their parishioners?
When you go to church and hear a pastor say something is true or untrue do you believe what he says without question?
It would be wonderful to think that all pastors will be saved, but as we know not all lay people will be in the kingdom the same is true for pastors, they are not infallible.
It was a pastor who said that the prophecy in Luke 21:24 was unimportant. What will your pastor or superior, if you are a pastor, say to you after you read this article?
As an individual accountable to God for your every action please take the time to study in-depth for yourselves this prophecy and its obvious fulfillment.
*
Of the three chapters Jesus gives us on the future signs to observe- Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, only Luke 21 has a prophecy that deals especially with time.
'Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled.' Luke 21:24
Let's look at a few facts.
Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. Since then for nineteen centuries Jerusalem was controlled by Gentiles- trodden down of the Gentiles. The Romans and different Christian nations during the Crusades, the Turks, the British, and the Jordanians until the Six-Day War in 1967.
You can look up these facts in your library it is all history.
In 1967 Israeli armies recaptured the old city of Jerusalem but the Capital remained in Tel Aviv. In 1980, the Knesset declared Old Jerusalem to be the Capital of Israel.
Many of you may already know these facts, but may not realize the importance of them. This fulfilled prophecy has great importance in connection with our church (with all Christians).
The study is much to detailed for me to go into in this small letter (article). There is a study available by the Adventist Laymen's Foundation of Arkansas. It is a manuscript 57 pages typed, with exhibits of photo copied material. It is not just one man's opinion with a lot of hearsay, It is a thoroughly documented, fact-filled manuscript worth the $2.00 plus $1.00 postage. The Foundation are not making a profit by selling the manuscript at what it costs to assemble and mail, but that is not what they believe God would have them do. God's truth must be available to everyone. (Note- The Foundation isn't currently selling anything due to the failing health of its founder Elder Grotheer. However a lot of information can be found online at the various sites listed below. Remember this article was written many years ago.)
I realize this sounds like a sales pitch but it truly isn't meant to be.
The information in this manuscript is many times more valuable that I can say. It opened my closed eyes to some facts I had no way of realizing. Facts I can look up for myself. I haven't and will not rely on the word of any one man. I will look at the facts and study the Bible. With prayer and a sincere desire to know the truth, God will show any sincere seeker the truth of what they read. I urge each of you to obtain a manuscript and with a mind dedicated to know God's truth read it if only to show others the errors it contains- if you can find any.
I may have over done it a bit and that may turn a few people off. I pray that is not the case. It is our hope only that God will open the eyes of the blind to His truth, that He will reveal His love to all who truly desire to know Him.
Manuscript available at [Address].
Note everything in parenthesis has been added by me recently in the year 2009.
Website addresses-
http://sites.google.com/site/whostosaywereright2/Home
http://www.adventistalert.com/
http://www.adventistlaymen.com/index.html
Contact Info-
dorhugs@comcast.net
The following is something I wrote many years ago now, but it still holds true today. At the end of this article I will put a couple of website addresses you can use to look up more information.
Thank you.
*******
Prophecy Fulfilled!
How exciting! Prophecy fulfilled in our day! As recently as 1980 Biblical prophecy was fulfilled.
Are you surprised by this? I was, my sister was and my friends were as we studied our Bibles, history and the Spirit of Prophecy.
The prophecy is found in Luke 21:24, 'And they shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.'
Some have said that this prophecy is irrelevant. I say any prophecy is relevant. How can we presume to judge the importance of Scripture, prophetic or not prophetic? I say all Scripture is supremely important because it is God's word to us, His people.
People through ages have taken Scripture and picked it apart. They have placed importance on one aspect of the Bible while forgetting the other aspects.
The Sabbath commandment has largely been forgotten by the majority of people around the world. We as Seventh-day Adventist realize this importance of keeping all the commandments in their original Biblically founded truth.
Yet as we place so much importance on the forgotten fourth commandment have we become guilty of lessening the other nine?
What has this to do with fulfilled prophecy?
As always God's word is all important, 'Precept upon precept' Isaiah 28:10. Let's look at the first commandment. 'And God spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' Ex. 20:1-3.
This tells us we are to have no other gods before God, yet how many people are following their pastors (ministers, preachers, priests) believing what they say without studying for themselves? How many pastors are gods for their parishioners?
When you go to church and hear a pastor say something is true or untrue do you believe what he says without question?
It would be wonderful to think that all pastors will be saved, but as we know not all lay people will be in the kingdom the same is true for pastors, they are not infallible.
It was a pastor who said that the prophecy in Luke 21:24 was unimportant. What will your pastor or superior, if you are a pastor, say to you after you read this article?
As an individual accountable to God for your every action please take the time to study in-depth for yourselves this prophecy and its obvious fulfillment.
*
Of the three chapters Jesus gives us on the future signs to observe- Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, only Luke 21 has a prophecy that deals especially with time.
'Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled.' Luke 21:24
Let's look at a few facts.
Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. Since then for nineteen centuries Jerusalem was controlled by Gentiles- trodden down of the Gentiles. The Romans and different Christian nations during the Crusades, the Turks, the British, and the Jordanians until the Six-Day War in 1967.
You can look up these facts in your library it is all history.
In 1967 Israeli armies recaptured the old city of Jerusalem but the Capital remained in Tel Aviv. In 1980, the Knesset declared Old Jerusalem to be the Capital of Israel.
Many of you may already know these facts, but may not realize the importance of them. This fulfilled prophecy has great importance in connection with our church (with all Christians).
The study is much to detailed for me to go into in this small letter (article). There is a study available by the Adventist Laymen's Foundation of Arkansas. It is a manuscript 57 pages typed, with exhibits of photo copied material. It is not just one man's opinion with a lot of hearsay, It is a thoroughly documented, fact-filled manuscript worth the $2.00 plus $1.00 postage. The Foundation are not making a profit by selling the manuscript at what it costs to assemble and mail, but that is not what they believe God would have them do. God's truth must be available to everyone. (Note- The Foundation isn't currently selling anything due to the failing health of its founder Elder Grotheer. However a lot of information can be found online at the various sites listed below. Remember this article was written many years ago.)
I realize this sounds like a sales pitch but it truly isn't meant to be.
The information in this manuscript is many times more valuable that I can say. It opened my closed eyes to some facts I had no way of realizing. Facts I can look up for myself. I haven't and will not rely on the word of any one man. I will look at the facts and study the Bible. With prayer and a sincere desire to know the truth, God will show any sincere seeker the truth of what they read. I urge each of you to obtain a manuscript and with a mind dedicated to know God's truth read it if only to show others the errors it contains- if you can find any.
I may have over done it a bit and that may turn a few people off. I pray that is not the case. It is our hope only that God will open the eyes of the blind to His truth, that He will reveal His love to all who truly desire to know Him.
Manuscript available at [Address].
Note everything in parenthesis has been added by me recently in the year 2009.
Website addresses-
http://sites.google.com/site/whostosaywereright2/Home
http://www.adventistalert.com/
http://www.adventistlaymen.com/index.html
Contact Info-
dorhugs@comcast.net
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Great Expectations
Prophecies of Jesus--
*******
Heralded by the messenger of the Lord (John the Baptist) (Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:1-3)
Isa.{40:3} The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert
a highway for our God. {40:4} Every valley shall be
exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and
the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places
plain: {40:5} And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the
LORD hath spoken it.
Mal.{3:1} Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall
prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek,
shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of
the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come,
saith the LORD of hosts.
Matt. {3:1} In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in
the wilderness of Judaea, {3:2} And saying, Repent ye: for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand. {3:3} For this is he that
was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of
one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the
Lord, make his paths straight.
*******
Would perform miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 9:35)
Isa. {35:5} Then the eyes of the blind shall
be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
{35:6} Then shall the lame [man] leap as an hart, and the
tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters
break out, and streams in the desert.
Matt. {9:35} And Jesus went about all the cities and
villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the
gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and
every disease among the people.
*******
Would preach good news (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:14-21)
Isa. {61:1} The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon me; because
the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the
meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the
prison to [them that are] bound.
Luke {4:14} And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into
Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the
region round about. {4:15} And he taught in their
synagogues, being glorified of all.
{4:16} And he came to Nazareth, where he had been
brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the
synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
{4:17} And there was delivered unto him the book of the
prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he
found the place where it was written, {4:18} The Spirit of
the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach
the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the
brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that
are bruised, {4:19} To preach the acceptable year of the
Lord. {4:20} And he closed the book, and he gave [it] again
to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that
were in the synagogue were fastened on him. {4:21} And he
began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in
your ears.
*******
Would minister in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:12-16)
Isa. {9:1} Nevertheless the dimness [shall] not [be] such as
[was] in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted
the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward
did more grievously afflict [her by] the way of the sea,
beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
Matt. {4:12} Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into
prison, he departed into Galilee; {4:13} And leaving
Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon
the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
{4:14} That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
Esaias the prophet, saying, {4:15} The land of Zabulon, and
the land of Nephthalim, [by] the way of the sea, beyond
Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; {4:16} The people which
sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the
region and shadow of death light is sprung up. {4:17} From
that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand.
*******
Would cleanse the Temple (Malachi 3:1; Matthew 21:12-13)
Mal. {3:1} Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall
prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek,
shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of
the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come,
saith the LORD of hosts.
Matt. {21:12} And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast
out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and
overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of
them that sold doves, {21:13} And said unto them, It is
written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye
have made it a den of thieves.
*******
No, the people of Israel, God's chosen people did not want Jesus to come meekly, lowly, in such a way they couldn't hold Him up as king and revere Him. The idea of Him as their Messiah just didn't fit with the reality. They still look for their Messiah and they look for Him as one who will be stately, kingly in all ways. There is so much hype over expectations. Holding fast to expectations as if the expectations hold a greater satisfaction than the reality.
It's something we all can understand though isn't it? We've all had our hopes up for one thing or another and then had them dashed more by the reality of the thing hoped for than the thing not happening. Meaning sometimes the hope brings more excitement and we are loathed to give up that hope for something less than the expectation. Then again sometimes we have to declare things were better than what we ever dreamed they'd be. The reality exceeds the expectation. I've heard people say they don't get their hopes up because they don't want to face that disappointment. They do away with the hope while mostly secretly harboring the hope still but trying to keep it tempered so the let down isn't too great.
One thing we have to agree upon is situations occur that lend themselves towards expectation and they occur fairly regular. Some situations are of greater anticipation than others. We have great expectations for our weddings, our first child, various parties, graduations, new jobs, holidays, lovers. Sometime young women dream of their wedding day from a young age on up until adulthood. Boys with dreams of owning a new car, a house. These dreams and expectations are normal and yes... most of them happen to us all.
When you have hope in a Messiah this is something amazing, something totally different than that wedding, that job, that car. Having hope in an idea that has yet to be realized, an idea that is unique, well it is easy to understand why it could be wrapped up in layer after layer of idealism until the realization of it far surpasses the reality.
The people of Israel rejected Jesus, He fell far short of their expectations. They didn't want a common born man, a mere carpenter's son, a man they'd known as normal to be suddenly special-- let alone be God's Only Son, their Messiah. They believed He was manufacturing situations to suit Himself to make his commoness into something special.
Today they still await their Messiah, while we who believe Jesus fulfilled that role await Jesus' second coming.
There is no danger for us who look to Jesus to return though, no danger of 'missing' Him, of rejecting Him. When Jesus comes again it will be like this--
Rev. {1:7} Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye
shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all
kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so,
Amen
2 Thess. {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
1 Thess. {4:16} For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: {4:17} Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord
No, He will not come quietly, He will not return secretly, He will not come up from obscurity. He will come with clouds EVERY eye shall see him. The BRIGHTNESS of his coming will be deadly. The DEAD in Christ shall rise! We which are alive shall be CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds- to MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR!
Praise and glory to God our Heavenly Father, all mercy and grace through Jesus Christ our Savior. May we be among those waiting and ready when Christ returns, knowing that He will do so in such an amazing way that there is NO question at all that our Savior has returned for us. While others might be looking for Him to rise up quietly on earth to bring a following to Him again, the Bible tells us differently and we have to hold fast to the Word of God.
Thank you Lord, all glory unto you!
Amen.
*******
Heralded by the messenger of the Lord (John the Baptist) (Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:1-3)
Isa.{40:3} The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert
a highway for our God. {40:4} Every valley shall be
exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and
the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places
plain: {40:5} And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the
LORD hath spoken it.
Mal.{3:1} Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall
prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek,
shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of
the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come,
saith the LORD of hosts.
Matt. {3:1} In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in
the wilderness of Judaea, {3:2} And saying, Repent ye: for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand. {3:3} For this is he that
was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of
one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the
Lord, make his paths straight.
*******
Would perform miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 9:35)
Isa. {35:5} Then the eyes of the blind shall
be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
{35:6} Then shall the lame [man] leap as an hart, and the
tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters
break out, and streams in the desert.
Matt. {9:35} And Jesus went about all the cities and
villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the
gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and
every disease among the people.
*******
Would preach good news (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:14-21)
Isa. {61:1} The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon me; because
the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the
meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the
prison to [them that are] bound.
Luke {4:14} And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into
Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the
region round about. {4:15} And he taught in their
synagogues, being glorified of all.
{4:16} And he came to Nazareth, where he had been
brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the
synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
{4:17} And there was delivered unto him the book of the
prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he
found the place where it was written, {4:18} The Spirit of
the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach
the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the
brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that
are bruised, {4:19} To preach the acceptable year of the
Lord. {4:20} And he closed the book, and he gave [it] again
to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that
were in the synagogue were fastened on him. {4:21} And he
began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in
your ears.
*******
Would minister in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:12-16)
Isa. {9:1} Nevertheless the dimness [shall] not [be] such as
[was] in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted
the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward
did more grievously afflict [her by] the way of the sea,
beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
Matt. {4:12} Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into
prison, he departed into Galilee; {4:13} And leaving
Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon
the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
{4:14} That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
Esaias the prophet, saying, {4:15} The land of Zabulon, and
the land of Nephthalim, [by] the way of the sea, beyond
Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; {4:16} The people which
sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the
region and shadow of death light is sprung up. {4:17} From
that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand.
*******
Would cleanse the Temple (Malachi 3:1; Matthew 21:12-13)
Mal. {3:1} Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall
prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek,
shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of
the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come,
saith the LORD of hosts.
Matt. {21:12} And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast
out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and
overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of
them that sold doves, {21:13} And said unto them, It is
written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye
have made it a den of thieves.
*******
No, the people of Israel, God's chosen people did not want Jesus to come meekly, lowly, in such a way they couldn't hold Him up as king and revere Him. The idea of Him as their Messiah just didn't fit with the reality. They still look for their Messiah and they look for Him as one who will be stately, kingly in all ways. There is so much hype over expectations. Holding fast to expectations as if the expectations hold a greater satisfaction than the reality.
It's something we all can understand though isn't it? We've all had our hopes up for one thing or another and then had them dashed more by the reality of the thing hoped for than the thing not happening. Meaning sometimes the hope brings more excitement and we are loathed to give up that hope for something less than the expectation. Then again sometimes we have to declare things were better than what we ever dreamed they'd be. The reality exceeds the expectation. I've heard people say they don't get their hopes up because they don't want to face that disappointment. They do away with the hope while mostly secretly harboring the hope still but trying to keep it tempered so the let down isn't too great.
One thing we have to agree upon is situations occur that lend themselves towards expectation and they occur fairly regular. Some situations are of greater anticipation than others. We have great expectations for our weddings, our first child, various parties, graduations, new jobs, holidays, lovers. Sometime young women dream of their wedding day from a young age on up until adulthood. Boys with dreams of owning a new car, a house. These dreams and expectations are normal and yes... most of them happen to us all.
When you have hope in a Messiah this is something amazing, something totally different than that wedding, that job, that car. Having hope in an idea that has yet to be realized, an idea that is unique, well it is easy to understand why it could be wrapped up in layer after layer of idealism until the realization of it far surpasses the reality.
The people of Israel rejected Jesus, He fell far short of their expectations. They didn't want a common born man, a mere carpenter's son, a man they'd known as normal to be suddenly special-- let alone be God's Only Son, their Messiah. They believed He was manufacturing situations to suit Himself to make his commoness into something special.
Today they still await their Messiah, while we who believe Jesus fulfilled that role await Jesus' second coming.
There is no danger for us who look to Jesus to return though, no danger of 'missing' Him, of rejecting Him. When Jesus comes again it will be like this--
Rev. {1:7} Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye
shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all
kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so,
Amen
2 Thess. {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
1 Thess. {4:16} For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: {4:17} Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord
No, He will not come quietly, He will not return secretly, He will not come up from obscurity. He will come with clouds EVERY eye shall see him. The BRIGHTNESS of his coming will be deadly. The DEAD in Christ shall rise! We which are alive shall be CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds- to MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR!
Praise and glory to God our Heavenly Father, all mercy and grace through Jesus Christ our Savior. May we be among those waiting and ready when Christ returns, knowing that He will do so in such an amazing way that there is NO question at all that our Savior has returned for us. While others might be looking for Him to rise up quietly on earth to bring a following to Him again, the Bible tells us differently and we have to hold fast to the Word of God.
Thank you Lord, all glory unto you!
Amen.
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