Believe and Obey.

Do you believe in - Eternal Life.

You will not perish if you believe in Jesus Christ.

But you say- people still perish even as they confess their belief, and you speak the truth. We all die. There isn't a single person on earth who has lived more than the maximum human life span- a hundred or so years at most. They perish. However, what doesn't perish when we believe in Jesus Christ is our hope for the resurrection in the last day, when the trump of Christ sounds and the dead in Christ rise. There is HOPE beyond perishing.

Joh_3:15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

To perish would be to never have a resurrection to a new life, to a life eternal.

To perish is to face a second death, the death from which there is no return.

Rev_2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Those who have the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ will not be hurt in the second death.

Rev_20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The first resurrection- those raised from the dead in Christ- death has no power over those raised in Christ.

Rev_20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Death and the grave destroyed. Death and the grave to reign no more. Death and the grave ended. No more death, no more graves.

Rev_21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

All sin, all sinners will be no more.

This is life eternal, the life we are called to by Jesus Christ.

We live in this temporal world surrounded by fear, unbelief, abominations, murder, indulgers in illicit sexual lusts, those who believe in sorcery, those who worship anything other than God, liars. This is the world we live in, the world that constantly glorifies all the variations of the aforementioned evils, and there are millions of variations. This world uses covering make up and layers of clothing to shroud the evils and calls them good so that millions upon millions believe in the evils thinking they are good. Rather than admit that this world is corrupt at its very core and truly destined for destruction, people live their lives of indulgence and a lot of them do so even thinking they know Christ and have eternal life.

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

Using the name of the Lord these people will think they have power from the Lord, that their lives are being used by the Lord, and yet they are deceiving themselves. Why? How?  The world calls them, the world and its evils are embraced by them, the evils hidden beneath layers of deception.

We need only truth, and that truth is found in Jesus. And Jesus tells us-

Joh_14:23  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

We need to keep Jesus' words.

Joh_14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

And don't try to alter those commandments to make them into something you can keep all the while committing atrocities, even subtle atrocities. Anything that goes against the commandments of God, of Jesus, even in the slightest way is a sin, a transgression in need of repentance and forgiveness, not to be overlooked at unimportant.

More on this tomorrow by the GRACE of our LORD and SAVIOR, by the WILL of GOD now and forever!!!!!!!

Eternal Life.

Eternal Life.

Jesus said of Himself--

Joh_3:15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Do you think Jesus thought of eternal life every day? I do. He thought of it every day because He specifically came to earth taking on flesh in order to give His people a chance to have eternal life. HE - GOD with GOD in heaven, became the DECLARED SON OF GOD all so He could TAKE ON FLESH in order to SAVE US.

The sole reason for Jesus, God with us, was so we could have eternal life. Without Jesus' sacrifice we would have NO eternal life.

So, it truly is safe to say that Jesus thought about eternal life every single day of His life upon earth.

Do WE think of eternal life every single day?

Is eternal life a part of our temporary life?

If eternal life is a priority to us, and it should be, we should have it on our mind all the time. If eternal life isn't on our minds, why isn't it? Aren't we living now for the promise of eternal life? Isn't all our life right now temporary to eternity? 

Eternal life.

Joh_10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Joh_12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

Joh_17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Rom_2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life

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.

Rom_6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

2Co_4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory

2Co_4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2Co_5:1  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

1Ti_6:12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

2Ti_2:10  Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Tit_1:2  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began

Tit_3:7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Heb_9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

1Pe_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.

1Jn_2:25  And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

1Jn_5:11  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

1Jn_5:13  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.

Jud_1:21  Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Keep the Eternal Before You Always.

Do we think Jesus came to bring peace to earth?  People did, the apostles did, the disciples did, most- if not all- of Jesus' followers believed that Jesus was going to usher in a new era of peace with the Jewish people as the new rulers and the Roman Empire destroyed. Jesus told them that He did not come to send peace on earth. Jesus came with a sword and that sword was Himself, the Word. That sword was one of salvation.

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Salvation.

The sword of the Spirit, the word of God, the word made flesh. We are given the sword that Jesus came to earth to give.

Our weapon in this spiritual warfare is one of salvation.

Luk 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, 

Luk 4:19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 

Mat 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 

The gospel of the kingdom.

Mat_4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mat_5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mat_5:10  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus came to teach the truth - that we are to live for the kingdom of heaven- not for our temporary existence. The things of the world that surround us, none of those things should mean more to us than the things we CANNOT see, the eternal things, the things that will last forever. We get so incredibly caught up in the temporary life we lose sight of the eternal.

Please Lord, please forever keep the eternal before our eyes, in our minds, our hearts - you are the eternal!

The Sword-Our God.

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 

We don't like to think about this verse too much, do we? When we think of our Lord we think of peace being one of the priorities.

Joh_14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Jesus leaves us with HIS peace. It won't be the kind of peace the world offers though.

Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 

Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

The peace of God PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING.

Eph 3:19  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 

The love of Christ also PASSES UNDERSTANDING. It passes knowledge, it is NOT knowable. We can know the love of Christ only to a point and then it goes beyond our ability to comprehend.

If we imagine peace as a life without upset we are imagining it all wrong.

What do you need a sword for? To fight, right? To protect, defend, defeat.

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 

Jesus came to send a sword- not peace.

Eph_6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God

The sword of the Spirit - which IS the word of God.

Jesus came to send us a sword.

The WORD of GOD is the sword.

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God. 

Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

Joh 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 

Joh 1:5  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 

Joh 1:6  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 

Joh 1:7  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 

Joh 1:8  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 

Joh 1:9  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 

Joh 1:10  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 

Joh 1:11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 

Joh 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 

Joh 1:13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 

Joh 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 

The sword of the Spirit - which IS the word of God.

Jesus came to send us a sword.

The WORD of GOD is the sword.

Jesus is the WORD of GOD.

Jesus is the SWORD.

Jesus didn't come to send peace on earth, He came to bring salvation and all that means. To many people having salvation through Christ is far from what the world considers peaceful. In fact in one way or another once we align ourselves with Christ we have set ourselves up to be under constant spiritual attack.  The peace of God which passes understand is the knowledge of salvation, we are given salvation as a gift from God that we can never deserve. We truly cannot comprehend in full why God chose to take on flesh and become the declared Son of God so we could be saved. His love for us, that He doesn't want an existence without us in that existence with Him, is truly unfathomable.

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

Covet the Spiritual.

Psa_66:18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me

When we embrace the sins we are prone towards and accept them, we are regarding them in our hearts. We tend to cover up the sins we enjoy. We don't want to call them sins at all. We label them faults, indiscretions, mishaps, and sometimes we even start to call them good. We make excuses for our sins all the time.

Yesterday we talked about coveting and how there really is a good coveting and a bad coveting. When the royal law tells us this-

Exo 20:17  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. 

-we are obviously being directed to the coveting that is unacceptable- the coveting that is sin.

It's not wrong to desire a house, a wife, a servant, animals, and things that others have. It IS wrong to desire those things specifically belonging to another to the point of obsession. The wrongful coveting can go heart deep and push out the coveting of things that are acceptable to covet.

What is acceptable to covet?

1Co 12:27  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 

1Co 12:28  And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 

1Co 12:29  Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 

1Co 12:30  Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? 

1Co 12:31  But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. 

1Co 14:39  Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy

1Co 14:1  Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.

Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Covet the best gifts- GIFTS FROM GOD, spiritual gifts.

Covet to prophesize- a gift from God.

Desire SPIRITUAL gifts, to prophesize.

Hunger and Thirst after RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Do you see what we are to covet? NOT earthly things, and all these--

Our neighbor's house.

Our neighbor's wife.

Our neighbor's servants.

Our neighbor's possessions.

These are ALL earthly, earth focused things. Houses, spouses, workers, possessions.  We are NOT to desire earthly things. It goes hand in hand with this--

Mat 6:19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 

Mat 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 

Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 

Heb_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.

We are to be heaven focused and in this materialistic world we live in where possessions are prized, where we idolize people, it is not something we are inclined toward.

We are commanded not to covet anything that is not spiritual, that is not heavenward, or heaven gifted.

Psa_66:18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me

If I covet in my heart I cannot expect the Lord to hear me.

I need to surrender fully to the Lord in all things, leaving nothing that isn't surrendered to Him.

May I covet only the spiritual gifts that the Lord would have me covet and nothing more. Please, Lord, through YOUR power, for I have none.

Holy As He Is Holy.

Just started reading a new e-book last night from Hoopla - online library connected to our local library.

(Holy Spirit, Holy Living - by Antipas Harris)

Here are a few excerpts from the book. Not sure it will all turn out to be good, but so far I do like some of the points the author has made.

May God help me to find truth and only truth as I take this book to His holy word and make sure it doesn't contradict what God has said.

*******

'Holiness, as a lifestyle, necessarily involves the desire to think as God thinks, love what God loves, hate what God hates, and act as God intends. At the core, holiness is love for God and everything that God has created--especially fellow human beings. Jesus is our chief exemplar of a holy life. He lived according to his Father's standards and loves unconditionally.'

'All of those who profess to be a member of Christ's church are called to live and love like Christ in practical ways.'

'The courageous, uncompromising, corporate image of Christ-like distinctiveness consists of people who are committed to living out faith in their everyday lives.'

''Peter and Paul address the need for believers to embrace the peculiarity of the church in their own personal lives. Peter speaks of the church as a chosen people (1 Pet 2:9) called out of the world and set apart as a people of God. Paul charges the chosen of God to come out from the world and live a life of distinction (2 Corinthians 6:17). Therefore, whatever negative images of holiness have thwarted contemporary Christians' minds, holiness remains a distinction that Christians must possess because we belong to the church of Jesus Christ.'

'God sets believers apart from the world to be formed into the likeness of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul introduces the "body of Christ' metaphor interchangeably with "church." The church is made up of a close-knit group of believers, which forms the body of Christ. God summons the "called-out ones" to be formed into the likeness of Christ. We are formed into Christ's likeness through the profession of faith, the transformation of the heart, behavior that is consistent with the teachings of Christ, and through participation with a believing community.'

'Holiness is the distinctive that separates the life of the believer and the church from the rest of the world.'

'Regardless of what language we use, Old and New Testament teachings emphasize holiness as foundational to what it means to please the Lord. The two consistent categories for holiness in the Old and New Testaments are purification and separation. God has always intended for God's people to reflect divine purity and to live out that purity with boldness in predominantly "pagan" societies.'

Lev 20:26  And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine. 

1Pe 1:15  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 

1Pe 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 

'Peter is teaching that personal piety must connect with how we live and the choices we make on an everyday basis. Purity is not just an attribute of who we are as believers but how we act as believers.'

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 

2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Good Coveting and Bad Coveting.

Covet- 

There is a good coveting and a bad coveting.

To covet means to desire, or wish for something. It's okay to desire or wish for something that isn't forbidden for us to desire. But we all know that every desire that presents itself is not necessarily good.  There are a lot of impulses we have that need to be rejected, not indulged. We get into trouble when we want to indulge the desires that are wrong.

JUST because you have a desire does NOT make it acceptable. So many people want to believe that our humanity, our flesh nature is what it is and we can't help it because we are only human. If we have the desire it must be natural because we have it, but that's not true. We know deep down it's just not true.

How many people can honestly say they've felt such intense anger towards someone they wished they were dead? It could be just a fleeting, split second thought, it could be a thought from your childhood, or youth, or even a thought you had yesterday as an adult. To indulge in that split second (or even longer) wish for someone to no longer be alive is not a good coveting by any stretch of the imagination.

It's the human nature in us, it's our flesh nature that was corrupted by sin that makes these desires exist. We weren't supposed to sin, we weren't supposed to know evil. Once we opened the door to that knowledge of evil we were given it unchecked, full blown, know it to its very worst nothing held back, not a single thing. Just think about this fact- Adam and Eve's firstborn son chose to indulge the wicked one (Satan) and was led by him. Cain killed Abel.  The firstborn son from two human parents was corrupted. God even told Cain it didn't have to be that way.

Gen 4:6  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 

Gen 4:7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.

Sin lies at the door for all of us and we need to choose which desires we possess are of God and which are of the wicked one. We will have both desires, but which we choose to act on by knowingly coveting, knowingly indulging even the desire if not the acting upon the desire, is up to us, we have to discern right from wrong. We must not indulge wrongful coveting, but shun it as soon as it rears its very ugly head.

How we determine right from wrong is found in the word of God. The knowledge will be given to those who desire it in sincerity. Those who are simply looking for a way to indulge in wrongful coveting will not find the truth. Truth will be spiritually hidden from those whose heart desires it to be hidden. The blind will remain blind if they choose, even if they voice they want to see, God knows the heart desire.

We need God to clean our heart.

Coveting will happen, and if it is towards wrong we must- as with any potential sin- not let the coveting be conceived in us but resist the temptation through the power of the Holy Spirit. We have to recognize we will be TEMPTED but temptation is not the sin, the yielding to the temptation becomes the sin.

May God help us all!

Through the love of Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR now and forever!

COVET, v.t.

1. To desire or wish for, with eagerness; to desire earnestly to obtain or possess; in a good sense.

Covet earnestly the best gifts. 1 Cor 12.

2. To desire inordinately; to desire that which it is unlawful to obtain or possess; in a bad sense.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors house, wife or servant. Exo 20

COVET, v.i. To have an earnest desire. 1 Tim 6.

Exo 20:17  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.