The Preaching of the Word of God- Foolishness?

Rom 10:17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

Hearing the word of God will increase our faith. Seriously. We pray for faith, we pray to believe, we want more faith and yet we ignore the very thing that can ignite the faith within us- the Word of God.

The precious word of God. The powerful word of God. If it were not so powerful would Satan have tried so hard to rid the world of it? And when he failed at that endeavor and the word of God spread far and wide, many believed and so what did he do next? When Satan realized there was no hiding God's word from people he changed tactics and made it readily available to the masses in the most advance societies in the world. Once it became readily available it began to lose its appeal as a forbidden book. People not only have one but several Bibles in a single home and yet they lay largely unutilized. In some countries where it is still illegal to own the Bible, people hide them, they sneak bits and pieces of them and live in fear of being found out. Most of us can't imagine that. Is there a single person who has access to a computer and has somehow been able to find this Bible study in a country that forbids Bibles? If so, may God bless them with a very special blessing increasing their faith a hundredfold. We need to hear the word, and our faith needs to be increased.

I doubt very highly anyone who isn't interested in God and faith is reading this right now, yet we need the knowledge of them too don't we?

1Co 1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 

The word of God is FOOLISHNESS to those who perish. The word of God is the preaching of the cross, it is the message of salvation, it is grace through the sacrifice of our Savior, it is the knowledge gained through the truth. We find the truth in the word of God, yet those who do NOT care about the word of God are among those who will perish.
 

If you do NOT care for the word of God, if you care but do not read the word of God even though you care about it, how will you truly grow in faith? Faith comes by the word of God. If you don't care if you perish or not, you probably aren't even reading this. 

1Co 1:19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 

1Co 1:20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 

1Co 1:21  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 

It pleased God --- by the foolishness of preaching -- to save them that believe.

The foolishness of preaching.   The word of God given to people. So many people have access to the word of God, so few have any excuse not to hear the word of God.

1Co 1:22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 

1Co 1:23  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 

1Co 1:24  But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

The word of God is CHRIST CRUCIFIED- CHRIST the POWER of GOD, the WISDOM of God.

What an amazing treasure we have at our fingertips! Please Lord, please help us to seek Your Word, the Word of GOD. 

Believe with our hearts, confess with our mouth- Jesus Christ.

Rom 10:8  But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 

Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

Rom 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 

BELIEVE.

The word is in our MOUTHS, we CONFESS, we are NOT ashamed.

The word is in our HEARTS, faith is in our HEARTS,  we believe with our HEARTS.

If what comes out of our mouth is from our hearts then we must CONFESS Jesus Christ as our LORD and SAVIOR. Our Lord- He rules over us. Our Savior- He saves us. We need to be ruled by Christ Jesus, we need to be saved by Christ Jesus. We have no righteousness of our own, but if we believe in our hearts of the righteousness of our Savior, we are believing unto our salvation. 

Christ is the end of the law- for us who believe.

Rom 10:1  Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 

Rom 10:2  For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 

Rom 10:3  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 

Rom 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 

Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.

Remember we talked about there being many laws? The people Israel, God's chosen were used to a lot of ceremonial laws, their lives revolved around these laws. Their way to God as through these laws and they knew nothing else. They didn't want their ceremonies taken away, they didn't want their way to God taken from them and they were too spiritually blind to take the leap of faith necessary to believe that Jesus Christ was in fact the way to God the Father. Christ as their sacrifice, Christ, the Son of God the Father, His death was the ULTIMATE sacrifice. Instead of placing their faith in the death of an animal upon which they'd place their sins through the rituals of the Priests, they were being told they'd have to place their faith on the death of God's only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. They were being told the Priests were no longer necessary to go between them and God, Jesus would stand before God for them and they had to believe this! Faith in Christ as their righteousness.

Today we need to do the same, we need to place our faith in Christ and no other.

Our lives are dependent upon our Savior's love, His grace, His mercy.

Christ is my righteousness.

Christ is your righteousness.

Christ Jesus our Lord He is our law and IN Him, THROUGH Him, the law is kept perfectly.

Believing.

Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Believing.

Faith.

We believe- Help Our Unbelief!  -- My prayer!

Christ OUR Righteousness.

Rom 10:1  Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 

Rom 10:2  For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 

Rom 10:3  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 

Rom 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 

How many of us have a ZEAL for God, but NOT according to knowledge? How many of us establish our own way of righteousness, ignoring the truth of the righteousness found only in God through Jesus Christ? People don't generally want to submit themselves to anyone, including God.  The righteousness of God is Jesus Christ.

2Pe_1:1  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ

Rom 3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 

Rom 3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 

Rom 3:25  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 

Rom 3:26  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 

Christ's righteousness SAVES US and nothing more. Not a single law saves us. Not a single good work saves us. Not one tiny bit of our own right doing saves us. WE CANNOT save ourselves!!!!!!!

Yet we set up so many boundaries and fear if we step out of those boundaries we are no longer saved.  How can we have it both ways? How can we believe in Jesus to save us, and still try to save ourselves in ways other than believing in our Savior to save us?

Setting up laws, laws given by God and taking those laws and twisting them so much we can't listen to God any longer leaves us where? When you take something someone has given you and make it your own, it is no longer truly what you were given. If you were to give it back you would be giving back something different, not something the same. God gave His laws for a purpose- ceremonial, dietary, moral, laws for so many things from day to day living, to many happenstances in the lives of people. God gave these laws and He did so for a reason. People were so incredibly far from God when He gave Moses what he needed to get His chosen free from slavery. They needed to know God, the love of God. Over many hundreds of years they took those laws and gradually altered them in subtle ways. They took the love of God out of the laws entirely. They lost sight of God's prophets and the prophecies they gave for the future. And when Jesus came, the very righteousness of all things, the complete embodiment of the law, they were not prepared to receive Him, in fact they held fast to their own righteousness and they found that righteousness in keeping all the laws to the letter. Laws they'd changed to suit themselves. They couldn't take that leap of faith necessary to believe.

Faith in Jesus Christ to be our righteousness, it isn't easy to fully believe it because we want to have a hand in our own salvation.

More on all of this tomorrow by the GRACE and MERCY of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!!!!!!!!

The Lord is Not Slack Concerning His Promise.

Rom 9:28  For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. 

Truly it is a short work that the Lord is making upon earth.

We NEED to remember that our HEAVENLY FATHER is NOT a human being! God's time is not our time. We have a CREATOR, and our Creator is so incredible wondrous that for us to try and bring God down to our level is preposterous. What I mean is, the mere thought of ETERNITY to us is something unfathomable. We put a timetable on everything around us- right or wrong in our methods we do this and we even date the earth scientifically, and we date all sorts of things. We've even come up with a time for the Sun itself to burn out- the date is so far in the future no one here and now is concerned at all, none of us will be here in five billion years, right? We are more focused on burning up our own planet, or rather letting global warming destroy it bit by bit. The thing is, so many want to take God out of everything that those who do bring God into their lives are still tempted to put them on their own time. It's so easy to forget this--

2Pe 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 

ONE DAY… you know what a single day is, a rather short period of time in the scheme of things. Our years are 365 days. But to the Lord ONE THOUSAND YEARS - if we take our count for a year that's- 365,000 days- is but a SINGLE DAY to the LORD!  How incredible is this? Putting this into a tiny bit of perspective- if a person lives to the age of 72, they've lived approximately 26,280 days. 

When we really comprehend to the best of our finite ability that one day is as a thousand years, and  a thousand years as one day with the LORD, then we have to believe that the LORD is NOT slack concerning His promise to redeem us.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

The Lord IS making a short work on upon the earth.

In the face of eternity- our idea of time is lost.

We long for the Lord to return, we long for the Lord's will to be done in all things.  And while it may not seem short to us whose life spans are truly short, the Lord is making a short work of things and HE WILL return, make NO mistake about it, none!

You can't take prophecy and follow it through the years and then suddenly say the rest of the prophecy doesn’t matter and won't come to pass. You are being delusional if you think that is the way of things. The sad thing is, too many people aren't aware of histories prophecies that have come to pass over the last six thousand years. Too many people don't WANT to learn either. When you are face to face with the truth, it can be very frightening because it will rock your whole world and cause you to comprehend things that you never have before.

May God help us to seek TRUTH, all of HIS TRUTH and realize the times we are living in, knowing that one day every single prophecy will have been fulfilled and those who are the LORD'S will live on into eternity with our Father God, our Redeemer Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit!

All in the name of our SAVIOR, now and FOREVER!   

Evil Influence.

Who controls us? Are we influenced by others, by principalities and powers unseen?  Surely most reading this (I kid myself that there are many reading this) believe that it's crazy to think we can be influenced by UNSEEN POWERS.

People can easily understand the influence of others around them. How many people have ended up in jail because they 'followed' their peers into illegal activities just because they felt the influence to do something that left to their own devices they'd never dream of doing?  On the other hand there are those who have been influenced to do good things they wouldn't have done otherwise, following the people they are around. Yet to believe there are UNSEEN powers surrounding us that do have real influence over us is stuff of crazy people talk, right? That old saying- 'The devil made me do it.' Is something people say but don't really mean.

We truly believe that those who may be aware of unseen influences are mentally disabled, and I'm not going to say none of them are, I have no way of knowing. I do know that IF you believe in JESUS CHRIST then you have to believe in EVIL SPIRITS. Jesus cast out a lot of evil spirits affecting the lives of people in many different ways. Some were totally incapacitated by the evil spirits, others were sick with chronic illness, still others were rendered lame, blind and so on and so forth. The control those evil spirits had over some of the people Jesus cast the spirits out of was horrific. Forcing those they inhabit to commit vile acts of abuse on people and on themselves, terrorizing people, these were just some of the things the evil spirit controlled people did. If we believe JESUS then we know evil spirits exist and have influence over people.

Not everyone is taken over by evil spirits, I think the majority of people are simply influenced just enough by the outside influence to keep them from truly accepting Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives. That's all Satan really wants, people who are not in truth, Christ's. He could care less if a person spouts Christ day in and day out if they aren't truly Christ's at all. Read the following….

'Whenever a person’s inner man heeds the dictates of the outer man, he loses contact with God and is rendered dead spiritually. “You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked” by “following the desires of body and mind” (Eph. 2.1-3).'  The Spiritual Man - by Watchman Nee

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Before accepting Christ as our Savior, as a REAL part of our life, a person walks according to the world. A person walks according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit working in the children that are NOT Christ's. In our past we ALL had our conversations along the lines of our flesh lusts, our desires of our flesh and minds. By nature we were the CHILDREN of WRATH.

Walking according to the world. Walking according to the spirit of disobedience.

These are realities that we need to face, not ignore, not pretend do not exist.

When we follow the desires of our bodies and minds, over the desires of the spirit with God guiding us then we are following the spirits of disobedience.

May we REALIZE just how REAL and influential the evil spirits can be in our lives and as we are allowed to recognize this, may it lead us to seek a much closer walk with Christ, with the Holy Spirit, with God the Heavenly Father. We are lost without Christ, completely and utterly lost. May we NOT be deceived! May we be KEPT from EVIL as Jesus prayed to the Father for us!

All through the LOVE of our SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!!!! Now and forever!!!!!!!

Jesus asks, "Do you want me to save you?"

Jesus and I stand before God and the weight of all the guilt of sin is upon me. I have NOTHING at all to offer to God to atone for my sins, there is NOT a single thing of WORTH that I could give Him. I stand there and as I'm prepared to be judged guilty, as I'm prepared to admit my worthlessness and accept my eternal and everlasting separation from my Creator- Jesus stops me.

Jesus takes me by the upper arms, His fingers tightening on my flesh ever so slightly as He peers deeply into my eyes with a compassionate gaze like no other has ever possessed, and He says, 'No.' He says and shakes His head gently, continuing. "You don't have to die the eternal death. You don't have to remain separated from the Heavenly Father. I can save you. Do  you want me to save you? Do you?"

Do I want to be saved? Do I want to be united to my Heavenly Father once more? Do I want to live life eternal? I nod slowly and stammer, "But I…I'm not worthy…I'm guilty, I did it, I'm a sinner, such an awful sinner." 

Pulling me into Him, Jesus embraces me gently and whispers into my ear, "You are worth everything to me. I know you've sinned, I know you sin. I know you are guilty, but let me do this for you. Let me take your sins- all of them as mine, please. Let me have your guilt, give it all to me, I want to do this for You. I was born to do this for You, I love you."

My heart breaks for the love, such love that I don't deserve that is being offered to me. Jesus wants to pay the price for me. Jesus wants to take my place, Jesus is begging me to take my place! How can He love me so much when I've done so much against all He stands for!? As I stand there in a complete turmoil of emotion, He holds me tighter.

"Please," He entreats me. "Let me do what you cannot do. Let me save you. I know your righteousness is like filthy rags, I know this. I know the depths of your darkness, let me be the light for you."

 I pull back slightly in protest, "But I'm awful! What if you do this and I keep sinning?! I'm so weak!"

Now Jesus pulls back, holding me at arm's length, looking at me once again with love so clearly etched in His gaze. "You are weak, I am strong. All I ask is for you to take up this cross I'm going to die upon, take it up every day and let me save you every day. Every single day seek me, find me, follow me, remember what I am doing for you and remember it always. Can you do that?"

Tears streaming down my face in spite of my trying to hold them back, I nod and He pulls me to Him once more, all the love He has for me poured out in that embrace. After several moments He gently releases me and turns to the Father God and stands right in front of me.

"I'll die for her, let me die for her. Let me take all her punishment, let me take the eternal separation, let me take all her guilt upon me, just….save her eternally…please, Father, save her." And the Heavenly Father nods, agreeing to the sacrifice, agreeing to the substitute for me, for my death. He agrees to let His only begotten Son die for me, taking on all my sins. 

The relief on Jesus' face as He turns to me and smiles is so vivid, the love, the happiness. He really wants to save me-- a horrible, horrible sinner.  As I try to choke out the words thank you, my gratitude beyond comprehension, I watch as He is led towards the cross where He has offered to die in my place.

I should be on that cross! I should be dying! But He's going there for me! FOR ME!

*******

 Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

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

'Now our sinful humanity has been judged completely because it was judged in the sinless humanity of the Lord Jesus. In Him, holy humanity has won its victory. Whatever judgment should come upon the body, soul and spirit of sinners has been poured upon Him. He is our representative. By FAITH we are joined to Him. His death is reckoned as OUR death, and His judgment as OUR judgment. Our spirit, soul and body have altogether been judged and penalized in Him. It would not be any different had we been punished in person. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8.1). This is what He has accomplished for us and such is now our standing before God. “For he who has died is freed from sin” (Rom. 6.7 ). Positionally we ALREADY have died in the Lord Jesus; it only awaits the Holy Spirit to translate this fact into our experience. The cross is where the sinner—spirit, soul and body—is altogether judged. It is through the death and resurrection of the Lord that the Holy Spirit of God is able to impart God’s nature to us. THE CROSS BEARS THE SINNER'S JUDGMENT, PROCLAIMS THE SINNER'S WORTHLESSNESS, CRUCIFIES THE SINNER, AND RELEASES THE LIFE OF THE LORD JESUS. Henceforth anyone who accepts the cross shall be born anew by the Holy Spirit and receive the life of the Lord Jesus. ' From The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee Volume 1 Pt 1 - 4 - Salvation Pg 60,61

Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 

If we would follow JESUS, truly follow JESUS we have to LIVE JESUS DAILY.

Seriously, to deny ourselves is to proclaim Jesus. We TAKE UP HIS CROSS DAILY and that means each and every single day we recognize that upon the CROSS our Savior died IN OUR PLACE.

All in HIS LOVE! Now and forever!