Servants of righteousness, or servants of sin.

Servants of righteousness.

We choose our master, our master isn't chosen for us. Who you serve, who you choose to obey that's on you, that's on us. We can't blame anyone for choosing to serve Satan over God.

I know we've talked about it plenty of times before, you know, how you choose one or the other- there is NO in-between, there is no third choice.  A lot of people do think there is a third choice, they think they are that third choice. They think if they simply believe in themselves and nothing else- neither God, nor Satan, that they are 'safe' from and bad outcome. If they don't believe in God or Satan then they answer to no one but themselves. They believe that there is no life after death, that this miserable world with its few bright spots is all there is. If there is something more and they are wrong, they choose not to care about that, they'll take their chances. Some may believe that even if they don't choose God that if He's really loving He will take them even if they don't believe in Him, you know just in case He really is real.

The truth is, we are servants and there are two masters to choose from and we get to choose who we serve. There is no third choice. We are not masters. We are often given the delusion that we are masters but the one who gives us that delusion is Satan. Satan encourages us to put ourselves first and he'll even seemingly fade out of the picture as long as we aren't inclined to seek God.

Who we yield ourselves as servants to obey- that's whose servant we are.

We can choose sin, or we can choose obedience to righteousness- it is our choice. Don't make the mistake of thinking if you don't choose that all is well, it's not. Don't make the mistake of not believing, because that choice is wrong too. Believe in God, believe in obedience to righteousness. Be a servant of God, obeying from the heart, be made free from sin, a servant of righteousness. Choose to yield ourselves wholly to God, knowing that He would have us love Him, and love others in all our actions- leaving the loving of ourselves to His amazing love. There truly is a wage for sinning and that wage is death. The gift of God is eternal life all through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Eternal life or death, make no mistake, you choose which. By God's grace and mercy, may we choose HIM, always HIM!

Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 

Rom 6:17  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 

Rom 6:18  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 

Rom 6:19  I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 

Rom 6:20  For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 

Rom 6:21  What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 

Rom 6:22  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

God forbid we ever choose to sin.

Rom 6:15  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 

God forbid that we would ever CHOOSE to sin.  I'm NOT talking about the sinning the occurs without deliberate intention, I'm not talking about our filthy rags stained completely with sin, drenched in our wretchedness. I'm talking about the intense desire to want to hate God and hate our fellowman. If we aren't sickened by our own tendencies towards sin, then is it possible we are accepting the sin in our lives and calling it acceptable and good?

Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 

Rom 6:17  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 

Rom 6:18  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 

Rom 6:19  I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 

Rom 6:20  For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 

Rom 6:21  What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 

Rom 6:22  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Praise God for His gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR now and FORVER!!!!!!!

Yield to God.

A man comes home from work and finds his wife in tears. Quickly he asks her why she's crying. The wife responds by telling her husband that she didn't mean to, but she went to the Bingo hall and spent way too much money. The husband is noticeably upset instantly and unable to help himself he berates her, reminding her she promised she wouldn't gamble any more. After many tears and more promises, the couple made up and were content once more.  A week later the man comes home from work and once more the wife is crying, it's the same scenario as the week before except this time the husband asks why she  keeps taking his forgiveness for granted. Quietly he tells her that for her to keep on this way hurts him. Apologizing once again, she promises again not to gamble away their money. Things go on this way until it's not just once a week but two times a week the gambling continues, then three times a week. The husband is completely bewildered, he loves his wife and will forgive her endlessly but the emotional pain of her actions is taking its toll. He can't stop loving her, she is sincerely in pain each time she is overcome by her addiction, she doesn't know why she does it, she doesn't know why she can't stop when she wants to so desperately. The wife loves her husband so much but is consumed by her addiction. She promises to get help and after their house is foreclosed on, and the bill collectors are after them, she finally does. After treatment the couple are able to rebuild their lives slowly but surely.

When we read this story some may have a tendency to think the husband is a fool for putting up with his wife's addiction for so long. Others might wonder why the wife waited so long to get help. We may doubt the wife's love for her husband, surely if she really loved him she would have done things differently. Also that story had a happy ending, but not all do.

We are all sinners. Those who truly love God will hate the sins they commit, they will NOT sin willfully- but they will sin. They'll despise the sinning they do and long to be free from its awful grasp. We can NEVER choose to sin and simply take for granted we will be forgiven. That wife in the story above never wanted to hurt her husband, never. She would be consumed by the desire to gamble hating that she couldn't simply stop herself. 

Truthfully there are many similar and worse stories than the one above and we often can't comprehend the endless ability for some people to forgive others for their atrocities.

With God, He can forgive the worst of the worst when there is a heartfelt, sincere seeking of forgiveness, of repentance.

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 

Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 

Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 

Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 

Rom 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 

Rom 6:7  For he that is dead is freed from sin. 

Rom 6:8  Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 

Rom 6:9  Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 

Rom 6:10  For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 

Rom 6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Rom 6:12  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 

Rom 6:13  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 

Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 

Grace frees us from sin. Grace.

We are told to NOT LET SIN reign in our mortal bodies- obeying it, obeying our lusts. We are told we are NOT TO YIELD our bodies as instruments of unrighteousness to sin.

We are told to YIELD TO GOD.

We have to do the yielding. Do we continue to yield to sin or to God? We will be faced with this choice endlessly as long as we live in this world prior to our Savior's return. We will live this battle daily. Grace alone will save us from ourselves. We should NEVER accept any sin in us no matter how often we yield to it.

Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 

Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 

Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. 

May God help us, to deliver us from our bodies of death through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior NOW and FOREVER!!!!!!!

Sure of Death, Sure of Life.

Do you believe that humankind was sinless until Adam and Eve were seduced by Satan in the Garden of Eden, letting sin be conceived in themselves by temptation?

If you believe in God, then you have to believe this, you have to believe that sin began in humankind the moment Adam and Eve- the two that were one -

Gen 2:24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 

As one flesh they sinned.

And because they sinned humankind continued in a world of sin.

By one sin entered into the world, and death with that sin. We - all of us human beings - inherited the sin curse and death. We cannot deny that we die. There is no doubt that death exists, none at all.

If we CAN believe that by one man sin entered into the world, then we should have no problem believing that by one man sin is abolished and life is brought to all humankind.

Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 

Rom 5:13  (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 

Rom 5:14  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 

Rom 5:15  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 

Rom 5:16  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 

Rom 5:17  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 

Rom 5:18  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 

Rom 5:19  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 

Rom 5:21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. 

This is truth!

Sin by one, Life by One.

By grace, by the gift of righteousness found in Jesus Christ we can have eternal life, just as surely as we have a claim to death. 

Book of Life

Is your name written in the book of life?

Eight verses in the Bible about the book of life-

Php_4:3  And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the BOOK OF LIFE.

Names ARE written in the book of life.

Rev_3:5  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the BOOK OF LIFE, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

A name CAN be blotted out of the book of life.

Rev_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.

Names ARE NOT written in the book of life.

Rev_17:8  The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the BOOK OF LIFE from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Rev_20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the BOOK OF LIFE: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

There is MORE than ONE book. The book of life is part of the dead being judged- thing are written in the book- things that have to do with our actions.

Rev_20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the BOOK OF LIFE was cast into the lake of fire.

If your name is NOT in the book of life you are eternally blotted out of existence.

Rev_21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's BOOK OF LIFE.

Those whose names are in the LAMB'S book of life will enter the New Jerusalem that descends out of heaven.

Rev_22:19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the BOOK OF LIFE, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

If we take words out of the book of prophecy- God will take us out of the book of life.

So I ask again- Is your name written in the book of life?  Let's learn more-

Moses had this to say -

Exo 32:31  And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 

Exo 32:32  Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. 

Exo 32:33  And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. 

Exo 32:34  Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them. 

Exo 32:35  And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

Moses knew God had written a book that he had his name written in.

God specifically tells Moses- whoever sinned against Him would be blotted out of His book.

Psa 69:28  Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. 

Talking about the adversaries to God and God's people, they would be blotted out of the book of the living and not written with the righteous. Only the righteous are to be written in the book of the living (book of life).

Dan 12:1  And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 

Daniel prophesized of a time to come when those who are found written in the book would be delivered.

Luk 10:20  Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. 

Jesus said we should rejoice because our names are written in heaven, not because we wield the power of the Holy Spirit against evil spirits.

Let's note something else-  remember this verse from above-

Rev_20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

This goes hand in hand with the following-

Mar 16:16  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 

Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

Joh 3:19  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

Joh 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. 

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Act 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 

Heb 2:3  How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him

Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven

1Jn 5:11  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 

1Jn 5:12  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

1Jn_5:13  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

1Jn_5:20  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

One last time I ask, is your name written in the book of life?

Who deserves to be written in the book of life? None of us deserve it, but all of us have a Savior who wants us to be written in that book. If we have the Son of God, we have life- and we must believe all this, we must have faith that this is so. If having my name written in the book of life means my being good enough to warrant such a blessing then I am in big trouble.  Only by the gift of God can I hope my name is there and will not be blotted out.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 

Gal 2:21  I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

Tribulation-Patience-Experience-Hope.

Tribulation.

I know very few people who aren't faced with daily tribulations. Yes, some face greater tribulations than others I won't ever say otherwise, yet we all have tribulations.

Why do we have tribulations?

Tribulations WORK patience.

We do not comprehend the reason behind our trials, our troubles, our hurts, our pains, our agonies, our tragedies.  We witness the kindest people suffering. We watch the innocent suffer horrifically. We hear of the horrors that people face, and other people commit. We can't fathom the depths of depravity this world holds. No sooner does one atrocity occur then another takes its place, worse than the last. We agonize over the lives we are called to live. Through all this we still find joy, we experience hope, we know there is love beyond the hate.  We can ONLY believe and have faith through our SAVIOR.  This world will seek to destroy any hope, any faith we have. Time and time again we will realize the tribulations have purpose.

As long as we holdfast to faith those tribulations truly will work patience in us. The comprehension that we are subject to God's time, not out own.

We need to glory in tribulation so our patience grows, our experience deepens, our hope lives and that hope is nothing to be ashamed of because of the LOVE of God in our hearts through the Holy Spirit gifted to us. This is TRUTH.

It is WHEN we were sinners- CHRIST died for us, not when we were sinless.

Christ died for us, the UNGODLY.

Christ is our all in all, Christ is our HOPE. WE have to look to Christ in all things…. ALL THINGS!

PLEASE LORD, please help us to be YOURS whatever that means, however it is done, please do this work in us we surrender wholly to YOU, and we seek to allow our tribulations to only make us have the patience we need, the experience we must have, the HOPE that is found in our SAVIOR!

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 

Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

Rom 5:3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 

Rom 5:4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 

Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 

Rom 5:6  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 

Rom 5:7  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

Righteousness Only By Faith.

After Jesus died and rose, and returned to heaven, the disciples and apostles continued the work through the Holy Spirit. Try as they might the people chosen by God as a group prior to Christ's arrival, the Jewish people, did NOT want to believe their Messiah had arrived- not as a corporate whole. Jesus even said this--

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 

Mat 23:38  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 

Mat 23:39  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 

Their house was left unto them desolate.  Still, the apostles and disciples all tried to bring truth to them and when they were unsuccessful they did taketh gospel truth to the gentiles, the non-Jewish people. When they began to do this there was a big deal over whether or not the new comers to Christ, to God the Father, to the Holy Spirit should have to be circumcised in order to prove their commitment to Christ.

The Jewish religion made a HUGE deal over being circumcised, it was a HUGE part of their religion, so when we read the following, basically what is being asked is whether or not Abraham- the father of those who became God's chosen- had faith counted to him as righteousness before or after he was circumcised.

Rom 4:10  How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 

Rom 4:11  And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also

The TRUTH- BEFORE CIRCUMCISION. It wasn't circumcision that made Abraham righteous! 

And just as it wasn't circumcision that made Him righteous there is NO thing we do that makes us righteous other than FAITH IN CHRIST and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.  You can't follow rules and regulations and expect them to make you righteous. You are righteous ONLY by CHRIST and those rules and regulations, those commandments and all that you follow- you do so as a result of the righteousness you receive.

Rom 4:12  And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. 

Rom 4:13  For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 

The promise was through FAITH the RIGHTEOUSNESS of FAITH.

Rom 4:14  For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: 

Rom 4:15  Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. 

Rom 4:16  Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 

Rom 4:17  (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 

Rom 4:18  Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 

Rom 4:19  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: 

Rom 4:20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 

Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 

Rom 4:22  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 

Rom 4:23  Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 

Rom 4:24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 

Rom 4:25  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. 

We too only have righteousness through Faith- believing in our Savior.

Please Lord, we would believe- HELP THOU OUR UNBELIEF! 

All in the name of our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ now and forever!!!!!!!