“Jesus’ Farewell Discourse”

“Jesus’ Farewell Discourse”

 

“My Prayer is not for the world, but for those You have given Me, because they belong to You. All who are Mine belong to You, and You have given them to Me, so they bring Me Glory.”  John 17:9-10

Let us look at Jesus’ PRAYER, it was His Final Discourse.”  I would imagine that He was some-what concerned about His Disciples, those who had spent approximately three years living with the Son of the LIVING GOD. Jesus called each one at a different time, God had given Him the AUTHORITY to do so. 

 They all had GROWN CLOSE to the Son of God, they LOVED HIM.  And He LOVED THEM, and that kind of LOVE is beyond our imagination. And the PURPOSE of His prayer was because God had chosen them for Jesus, to equip them to FORWARD the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST.

In Jesus’ Prayer, He voiced His concern for these men. He said: “Now I am DEPARTING from the world; they are STAYING in this world, but I am coming to You.Holy Father, You have given Me Your name; now PROTECT them by the POWER of Your name so that they will be UNITED just as we are.

During My time here I PROTECTED them by the POWER of the NAME You gave Me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for DESTRUCTION, as the SCRIPTURES foretold. (V12) (Judas)

Jesus gave them some ENCOURAGING WORDS; “I am leaving you with a gift—-PEACE of MIND and HEART. And the PEACE I give is a GIFT the world cannot give. So, do not be troubled or afraid. REMEMBER what I told you; I am going away, but I WILL COME BACK to YOU AGAIN. If you really loved Me, you would be HAPPY that I am going to the FATHER, who is GREATER than I am. I have told you these things BEFORE they HAPPEN so that when they do happen, YOU WILL BELIEVE!” (14:27-29) These are TRULY ENCOURAGING WORDS for us ALL to HOLD ON TO.

However, if you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to JESUS, then your ETERNAL LIFE is in PERIL. To ESCAPE such a DEVASTATING SITUATION, which will be an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to escape ONCE YOU ARE THERE. You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST. You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING TO TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL lifestyle and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and BE READY for the RAPTURE!!!  It could happen at ANY TIME, So, do ALL of the above, to SECURE HEAVEN as your ETERNAL DESTINATION.  DO it NOW, while you STILL can. He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

 

“Respect For God’s Word”

 “Respect For God’s Word”

 

Turn my eyes from worthless things and give me life through Your Word.   Psalm 119:37

This Psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; there are twenty-two stanzas, one for each successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses within each stanza begins with the Hebrew letter named in its heading.

This Psalm is one of PRAISE to the Word of the LIVING GOD. The Psalmist refers himself as “God’s Servant.” The psalmist seems intent on LEARNING and OBEYING the WORD of God to be able to have a MEANINGFUL LIFE. From verses thirty-three to forty, he begins his sentences with a verb (action words).

Verse thirty-three, he begins with TEACH ME YOUR decrees O LORD; I will KEEP them to the end. Then in verse thirty-four, he says; GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING; and I will OBEY YOUR INSTRUCTIONS. Verse thirty-five; MAKE ME WALK along the path of YOUR COMMANDS, for that is where my happiness is found. Verse thirty-six: GIVE ME an EAGERNESS for YOUR Laws rather than a LOVE for MONEY!  Verse thirty-seven; TURN MY EYES FROM worthless things and GIVE ME LIFE through YOUR WORD. Verse thirty-eight; REASSURE ME OF YOUR PROMISE, made to those who FEAR (respect) YOU. Verse thirty-nine; HELP ME ABANDON MY SHAMEFUL WAYS; for YOUR REGULATIONS are GOOD. Then the last verse in that stanza he ends it saying, “I LONG TO OBEY YOUR COMMANDMENTS!” This is what the PSALMIST promises to do; OBEY the LORD GOD’s COMMANDMENTS. Then the PSALMIST, asks the LORD to RENEW his LIFE with His (GOD’S) GOODNESS.

The Psalmist has SO MUCH RESPECT for the WORD of GOD, that he is willing to TURN AWAY FROM WORTHLESS things and TURN TO GOD being OBEDIENT to GOD and HIS HOLY WORD. And for him to be ABLE to do that HE MUST KNOW the WORD of the LIVING GOD. And then he will be ABLE to UNDERSTAND, OBEY and PRACTICE DOING GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS. 

The Psalmist also had the DESIRE to WALK or LIVE with OBEDIENCE to GOD’S COMMANDS. And he asked GOD for an EAGERNESS to FOLLOW GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS. He asked God for REASSURANCE of GOD’S PROMISES that are made for those who have a DEEP RESPECT for God.  Then he asked God to HELP him to TURN AWAY FROM his SINFUL LIFE-STYLE and to LIVE and OBEY GOD according to HIS REGULATIONS. (WORD).

Do you have RESPECT for the WORD of GOD? Do you DESIRE His TEACHING? Are you SEEKING UNDERSTANDING of His WORD?  Do you DESIRE to LIVE according to His Word?  Do you have an EAGERNESS for His LAW?  Have you asked God to TURN YOUR EYES FROM WORTHLESS THINGS and GIVE YOU LIFE through His WORD?  If you have NOT done these things then you do NOT REALLY RESPECT the WORD of GOD, nor GOD HIMSELF.  To be ABLE TO have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him and ESCAPE an ETERNITY IN HELL, you MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the SON of the LIVING GOD, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED and was RESURRECTED from DEATH and the GRAVE, in order to TAKE AWAY ALL OUR SINS, and to give us ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN.  YOU MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART, that JESUS, GOD’S SON, SUFFERED, BLED, and DIED for YOU.  You MUST CONFESS YOUR SINS to Him and ASK HIM FOR HIS FORGIVENESS. YOU MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. YOU MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and LIVE YOUR LIFE OBEDIENTLY through HIS HOLY WORD.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Do not Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

 

 

“Redeemed From the Curse”

 “Redeemed From the Curse”

 

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:  “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”  He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by FAITH we might receive the promise of the Spirit.   Galatians 3:13-14

 

The CURSE of the LAW:  The LAW or God’s Word, I believe, was mostly indicating the LAW that Moses received from God, which was the TEN COMMANDMENTS, and those in the Book of Deuteronomy.  Those Commandments were mainly WORKS that the people were to OBEY. Things that they were to LIVE by.

The Law could NOT bring them REDEMPTION. It DEMANDED PERFECTION, and a CURSE was linked to FAILURE in keeping ANY part of it.  When ONLY ONE COMMAND was broken just ONCE, it brought a person under the CURSE; and we know that EVERYONE FAILS at some point. It is IMPOSSIBLE to KEEP all the LAW. The LAW was given to show us our SINS.  It CANNOT provide JUSTIFICATION before GOD. Only PERFECT PERFORMANCE could bring DIVINE APPROVAL under the LAW.  “For whoever KEEPS the WHOLE law and yet STUMBLES at just ONE POINT is GUILTY of BREAKING ALL of it.”  (James 2:10). And so, the LAW could only CONDEMN a person and cause them to fall on God in FAITH.

The POSITIVE part of this is that we are REDEEMED by what the LORD JESUS CHRIST, GOD’S ONLY SON, did for the GENTILES (non- Jews), and the JEWS.  He became our HOPE for REDEMPTION, by becoming a CURSE for ALL mankind.  HE, who KNEW NO SIN, became SIN for US.  He took the PENALTY of ALL GUILTY SINNERS on Himself.  He made a WAY where there was NO WAY for our REDEMPTION, and an ETERNITY in HEAVEN. 

“For it is by GRACE you have been SAVED, through FAITH —and this is NOT from YOURSELVES, it is the Gift of God —NOT by WORKS, so that NO ONE can boast.) (Ephesians 2:8-9.

In order to be REDEEMED from the CURSE, YOU MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, Jesus Christ, who PAID in FULL, YOUR and MY PENALTY, by covering our SINS with the BLOOD that HE Shed at CALVARY.  He SUFFERED, BLED, DIED, and RESURRECTED in order to REDEEM LAWBREAKERS from the CURSE.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOUR SINS, and that He is ALIVE TODAY, in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God. You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and be REDEEMED from the CURSE.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“A Love Like This”

 “A Love Like This”

 

Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good.    Romans 5:7

 

In the United States, we honor the sacrifices of people who have died so others might live.  This time of honor is set aside on a particular day; we call MEMORIAL DAY. In our scripture, the Apostle Paul tells us that someone might be WILLING to die for a person who is ESPECIALLY GOOD. However, it is RARE for someone to lay down their life for another. 

It is a VERY BRAVE and LOVING act of COURAGE, one that is WORTHY of HONOR. There is another ACT of COURAGE, one that is VERY MUCH INSPIRED by a HEART of UNFAILING LOVE, a LOVE that has NO BOUNDARIES, a LOVE that is STRONG and FAITHFUL and ENDURES without end.  This LOVE is EMBODIED in the HEART of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who is Himself, GOD in the FLESH. And we know that GOD is LOVE.

But God showed His GREAT LOVE for US by sending Christ to DIE for US while we were still SINNERS. And since WE have been made RIGHT in GOD’S Sight by the BLOOD of Christ, He will CERTAINLY SAVE US from God’s CONDEMNATION. (Vv8-9)

Now, there are a few things that MUST be done, in order to receive a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with GOD. If you have NOT come to JESUS to be SAVED from the CONDEMNATION of GOD, you are destined for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there. To ESCAPE, you MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS DIED for YOU and is NOW ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS. You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and the LOVE that caused HIM to lay down His LIFE for YOU. PLEASE! Do this NOW, while you STILL can. He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“What’s Next?”

 “What’s Next?”

 

“Be still and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation I will be honored throughout the world.”  Psalm 46:10

 

Let us look at what the Word of the Living God says to the Believers, New Believers and to the LOST. In the first verse of this Psalm, the Psalmist tells us that, GOD is our REFUGE and STRENGTH, ALWAYS READY to HELP in times of TROUBLE, in verse two he goes on to tell us that; we will NOT FEAR when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.

 Verses six-seven indicates that in the END TIMES, Nations will be in chaos, and their kingdoms will crumble, but Jerusalem, will remain SAFE. Because of God’s MIGHTY POWER, His Voice THUNDERS and by His POWERFUL WORD the earth melts. 

Yet, our God, ALMIGHTY, is like a FORTRESS, a HIGH SAFE PLACE, and a STRONGHOLD for His People. And for those who are His CHILDREN, there is NO NEED to FEAR! We are His CHILDREN, the SHEEP of His Pasture, and He is our REFUGE and STRENGTH, A VERY PRESENT HELP in times of TROUBLE. TRUST in HIM, HE IS IN CONTROL!!! 

He wants us to BE STILL, like “CHILLAX”, and KNOW that HE is GOD.  All we need to do is to TRUST and OBEY.  If you have NOT come to God, through His ONLY SON, JESUS CHRIST, then you have the right to FEAR, because you are in DANGER of spending ALL of ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  In order to come under the SHELTER of the ALMIGHTY GOD’S WING for REFUGE, and to become a part of His Family, with an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, you MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS, and You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART, that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS. You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, and “BE STILL and KNOW that HE is GOD, there is NO OTHER. Do this NOW, while you STILL can!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!   Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!”

“The Blessing of Forgiveness”

“The Blessing of Forgiveness”

 

“Our LORD, you BLESS everyone whose sins You forgive and wipe away.  You BLESS them by saying, “You told Me your sins, without trying to hide them, and now I FORGIVE you.”  Psalm 32:1-2

If anyone knew anything about FORGIVENESS, it was King David.  Even though David was a man after the HEART of GOD, he still sinned against God, but the thing is this:  David SUFFERED greatly whenever he would SIN against God, and would NOT CONFESS his sins, he said to God:  “Before I confessed my sins, my bones felt limp, and I groaned ALL day long.  Night and day Your Hand weighed HEAVILY on me, and my STRENGTH was gone as in the summer heat”. (VV 3, 4)

David SUFFERED, and he felt the POWER of GOD weighing HEAVILY upon him.  So, he KNEW what the problem was, and he ACKNOWLEDGED and NAMED all his SINS before the ONLY ONE who could bring him the BLESSING of FORGIVENESS. This is what David did, he came before God and said: “I CONFESSED my SINS and told them All to You, I said, “I’ll tell the LORD each one of my sins,” then YOU FORGAVE me and TOOK AWAY my GUILT.” (V 5).

Have YOU been MISERABLE, because you have NOT CONFESSED your SINS to God, and have failed to SEEK His FORGIVENESS.  Is the FEELING of GUILT TORMENTING you? If so, you are MISSING OUT on His BLESSING of FORGIVENESS, and the JOY and PEACE of KNOWING that you have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with the ALMIGHTY GOD.  And that HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS will be your ETERNAL HOME. 

In order to RECEIVE that WONDROUS BLESSING, you MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, God’s ONLY SON, and the ONLY WAY to get FORGIVENESS. He GAVE His LIFE to SAVE your SOUL from an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY TO ESCAPE, once you are there.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN making intercession for YOU, before GOD.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  Then you MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM, your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and ENJOY the BLESSING of FORGIVENESS!!!  Do this NOW while you STILL CAN!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“How Can This Be?”

“How Can This Be?”

 

“Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief.  “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” He thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?”  Genesis 17:17.   Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen”. I’m an old man now and my wife is also well along in years.”  Luke: 1:17

Have you ever asked the question “HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?”   We, who are TRUE BELIEVERS, should KNOW and BELIEVE that with the ALMIGHTY GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE”.  We can KNOW this, because, in Matthew 19, Jesus was talking to His Disciples, and, in verse 26 He tells them, “With God EVERYTHING is POSSIBLE”. 

Abraham found it DIFFICULT to BELIEVE that he, being 100 years old, could father a child.  Would you want to celebrate your 100th birthday with the announcement that you were going to have a BABY?  The Bible tells us Abraham LAUGHED in DISBELIEF. And to complicate this situation, How Can This Be?  Sarah was NINETY years old, which was WELL BEYOND her CHILD-BEARING YEARS. 

If it’s in GOD’S PLANS, “EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE”.  Our God is in the MIRACLE MAKING business.  And it was in God’s Plans, as was the, Birth of JESUS.

Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, was married to Elizabeth, who was kin to MARY, the Mother of our LORD JESUS. Zechariah was also a PRIEST.  And while he was in the Sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, Zechariah was SHAKEN and OVERWHELMED with FEAR when he saw the Angel.  The Angel told Zechariah that he and Elizabeth will give BIRTH to a son and that his name will be JOHN. And John would be the FORERUNNER of the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD, the LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

Zechariah, said to the Angel, “How Can This Be?” “I am an OLD man, and my wife is ALSO along in years.  And the Angel told Zechariah, that since he did NOT BELIEVE what the Angel had told him, Zechariah would be SILENT, not able to SPEAK until the child is born.  And so, it happened JUST as the ANGEL had told Zechariah.  From that moment until JOHN was born, Zechariah could NOT SPEAK a WORD. 

There’s a song, that says: “GOD WILL MAKE A WAY, where there seems to be NO WAY.  So, when you think your situation is to BIG, COMPLICATED, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, and BELIEVE that GOD is ABLE, because NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE with GOD.  Because EVERYTHING is POSSIBLE with GOD! Don’t LET your UNBELIEF stand in the WAY of a MIRACLE. 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God through His Son, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, you are LIVING in UNBELIEF.  And God doesn’t want you there.  He’s giving you the OPPORTUNITY NOW to:  Admit that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS, the ONE who GAVE His LIFE to SAVE YOUR SOUL from an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE once YOU are there.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for You and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for YOU, before GOD.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT GOD’S GIFT of SALVATION and BELIEVE with ALL your HEART!  HOW CAN THAT HAPPEN?  GOD!!!  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!