Monday, March 11, 2024

“ Simeon’s Blessing”

 “Simeon’s Blessing”

 

“Sovereign Lord, now let Your servant die in peace, as You have promised.  I have seen Your Salvation, which You have prepared for ALL people.  He is a Light to reveal God to the nations, and He is the Glory of Your people Israel!”   Luke 3:29-32

 

 

I suppose some of you may be wondering why I am doing this Scripture at this time.  When you may think this to be strictly a part of the Christmas Story.  Let us face the FACT that Jesus was BORN for ONE REASON, and that was to PAY a DEBT mankind could NOT pay.  He did this to provide SALVATION to a LOST and DYING world and to fulfill the prophecies that predicted His MISSION.  

Simeon, a RIGHTEOUS man, was given a PROMISE, from the Holy Spirit of God.  That PROMISE was that Simeon would NOT die until he saw the LORD GOD’S MESSIAH.  So, when Mary and Joseph came to present the Baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the Child in his arms and praised God, saying,” Sovereign Lord, now let Your Servant die in peace, as You have promised.  I have seen Your Salvation, which You have prepared for ALL people.  He is a LIGHT to reveal God to the nations, and He is the Glory of Your people Israel!”

However, that was NOT the end of Simeon’s BLESSING.  He then turned to the parents and BLESSED them, and he said to Mary, the Mother of Jesus,” This Child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall and many others to rise.  He has been SENT as a sign from God, but MANY will OPPOSE Him.  As a result, the deepest thoughts of MANY hearts will be REVEALED.  And a sword will PIERCE your very soul.”    (Vv 34,35)

There was MORE than a BLESSING for Mary, she would MISUNDERSTAND, exactly what her Son’s MISSION truly entailed. And she would suffer the GRIEF and SORROW of the CRUCIFIXION, but she would have JOY for the RESURRECTION part of His MISSION to SAVE the WORLD from their SINS, and from the DESTINY of SPENDING an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once they are there.  

 

So, you see that SIMEON’S BLESSING has a CONNECTION with GOD’S PLAN to bring LIGHT that would REVEAL GOD and PROVIDE a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God. JESUS CHRIST, the ONLY MESSIAH that can bring SALVATION to this LOST and DYING world.  Have you experienced the LIGHT?  In the BLESSING of SIMEON, he said that the MESSIAH would cause some to FALL because they OPPOSED HIM and His MISSION.  But He would cause some to RISE because of their BELIEF that He TRULY IS the MESSIAH.  If you have been OPPOSING Him and have NOT given YOUR HEART and LIFE to God, then you are FALLING into an ETERNITY in HELL.  God sent His Son JESUS to SAVE the SOULS of ALL who would BELIEVE in Him and have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with FATHER GOD.  In order to do this, YOU MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who GAVE HIS LIFE to SAVE your WRETCHED SOUL from HELL.  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 His Gift of SALVATION and RECEIVE an ETERNITY in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS. Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

Friday, March 8, 2024

“The LORD Reigns!”

 “The LORD Reigns!”

 

Give to the LORD the glory He deserves! Bring your offering and come into His courts.  Worship the LORD in all His Holy splendor.  Let all the earth tremble before Him.   Psalm 96:8,9

 

Our relationship with the Lord God Almighty, is MORE than RELIGION, it is a LOVING FAMILY RELATIONSHIP.  One that should COMPEL EVERY TRUE BELIEVER to SING to the LORD; to PRAISE His NAME.  And EACH day PROCLAIM the GOOD NEWS; He SAVES.  The Psalmist is calling ALL Believers to WORSHIP the LORD in ALL His HOLY SPLENDOR. And that the WHOLE earth should TREMBLE before Him.  And to tell ALL the NATIONS: “The LORD Reigns!”

One day it will be UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED at the time when the MESSIAH, the Lord Jesus Christ, discloses His GLORY in His WORLD-WIDE REIGN.  And at that time ALL CREATION will REJOICE and SHOUT for JOY, because He is COMING! He is COMING to JUDGE the WORLD with JUSTICE, and the NATIONS with His TRUTH.

And may ALL TRUE BELIEVERS, live EXPECTANTLY of the SOON COMING of our KING.  “That at the NAME of Jesus EVERY knee should BOW in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and EVERY tongue DECLARE that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the GLORY of GOD the FATHER. (Phil. 2:10-11) 

May our CONDUCT be MOTIVATED to SERVE Him with JOY and COMPASSION.  May we LIVE with great expectation of His INTERVENTION in EVERY part of the believer’s life.  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, through the SHED BLOOD of His ONLY SON, the Lord Jesus Christ, who GAVE His life to SAVE your SOUL from an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you’re there. Then this will be your DESTINY. 

However, the ALMIGHTY God, wants the WHOLE WORLD to KNOW that they don’t have to face an ETERNITY in HELL, if they will: ADMIT that they are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  And BELIEVE with ALL their HEART that JESUS DIED for them, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for them before God.  And they MUST CONFESS their SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  Then they MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM their SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  And they MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and WORSHIP the LORD and PROCLAIM that: “The LORD Reigns!” And that He is COMING AGAIN! So, do this NOW while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

“Never Lose Hope”

“Never Lose Hope”

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping-believing that he would become the father of many nations.  For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”  Romans 4:18

 

Now, let us take a look at this PROMISE that God made to Abraham.  If we go back up to verse 13, it tells us that: “Clearly, God’s Promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based NOT on his OBEDIENCE to God’s Law, but on a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God that comes by FAITH.”  

Let’s look at this PROMISE, it started with God promising Abraham and his wife Sarah a SON, which would come from them both, and that Sarah would be the one to give BIRTH to this baby.  The MIRACULOUS thing about this PROMISE is Abraham was about 100 yrs. Old, and Sarah was 90 years old.  They MUST HAVE had DOUBTS about this, and they did.  But the fact is that God kept His PROMISE and Sarah, eventually gave birth to a SON, just as God had PROMISED.  

And Abraham NEVER WAVERED in BELIEVING GOD’S PROMISE.  In fact, Abraham’s FAITH grew STRONGER, and in this he brought GLORY to GOD.  He was TOTALLY CONVINCED that GOD is ABLE to do WHATEVER HE PROMISES.  And because of Abraham’s FAITH, God counted him as RIGHTEOUS. And this PROMISE was a MAJOR ELEMENT in the PROMISE that GOD made to Abraham that he would become the FATHER of ALL who BELIEVE.  

Those who have given their HEART and LIFE to GOD and have FAITH and HOPE that GOD IS ABLE to do WHATEVER HE WANTS TO DO.  And that He will KEEP His PROMISES to those who TRULY BELIEVE and have the HOPE and FAITH that they will ONE DAY receive the FULFILLMENT of the PROMISE of an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS.  And they will NOT EXPERIENCE an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once they are there. That is set aside for ALL UNBELIEVERS.  

Have YOU given your HEART and LIFE to God, through His ONLY SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST?  If NOT, you will EXPERIENCE an ETERNITY in HELL, and MISS the CELEBRATION of the HOMECOMING of ALL GOD’S CHILDREN, the BLESSED HOPE of the REDEEMED.  You have the OPPORTUNITY NOW to CHANGE your DESTINY by:  ADMITTING that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who GAVE His LIFE to SAVE your SOUL from that ETERNITY in HELL. 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 DON’T LOSE HOPE!!!  Do this NOW, while you STILL can!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

  

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

“The Teabag”

 “The Teabag”

 

He who says he abides in Christ ought himself also to walk just as Christ walked.  1 John 2:6

 

In studying this verse of the Bible, I read an analogy of some Christians and tea bags.  This analogy was in Dr. Tony Evans’ Commentary of the Bible, I thought this was a very good illustration of the meaning of the word “remains” (or abides).  These words mean to “hang out with” and you can’t hang out with Christ and not have Him rub off on you.

 

Here is the analogy of the TEABAG and some Christians: “When it comes to making tea, some people dip their teabags in and out of the hot water.  Many Christians approach their relationship with Jesus like this—-dipping in and out of church on Sunday mornings, with little change resulting.  Other tea drinkers place their teabags in the water and let them remain.  In time, the tea seeps into the water and transforms it.  For Christ to influence and transform your life, you must remain in Him.”  And how TRUE that is!

 

So, when we SIN are INTIMATE FELLOWSHIP with Christ is next to nothing, because Christ Jesus is SINLESS and has ALWAYS BEEN SINLESS.  So, our RELATIONSHIP with Him SUFFERS, until we CONFESS OUR SINS and WILLINGLY TURN AWAY FROM THEM. And then our ABIDING in Him takes on a whole different way of living.  When you put your FAITH in Christ, you were given a NEW SPIRITUAL LIFE, which is PURE and SINLESS.  Then why do we still SIN?  We still SIN because of the FLESH, which is CONTAMINATED by SIN.  The Apostle Paul, had problems with this, READ Romans 7:13-25.

 

Our HOPE is this:  When Jesus Christ returns, He will ABOLISH the FLESH, or our SINFUL NATURE.  And we will then be COMPLETELY without sin.  Until then, we MUST ALWAYS, REPENT of our sins, submit to the Word of God, and WALK (remain) in the SPIRIT so that our NEW DIVINE NATURE may become MATURE.

 

If you are a TRUE BELIEVER, which tea making process do you fall into?  If you are truly abiding in CHRIST JESUS, then you would be with the Steeping group, BUT if you are a PART-TIME CHRISTIAN, then you are NOT ABIDING CONTINUALLY with Christ and it’s very likely that He is NOT RUBBING OFF ON YOU!  And if you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, you are NOT a teabag at all.  And you are SINNING and doing the devil’s deeds. The devil will INFLUENCE (tempt) you to carry out his EVIL DEEDS, and this will get you an ETERNAL DESTINY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  However, God has a PLAN to FREE you from your SLAVERY to SIN.  This is what you MUST DO:  You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who DIED to SAVE your SOUL.  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 WALK DAILY with JESUS.  Do this NOW, while you STILL CAN.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

Monday, February 26, 2024

“The Winnowing Fork”

 “The Winnowing Fork”

 

“He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with His winnowing fork. Then He will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into His barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”  Matthew 3:12

 

 

John the Baptist was quite the character of sorts.  He went into the Judean Wilderness to preach his message: “Repent of your SINS and TURN to GOD, for the Kingdom of Heaven is NEAR.” And the PEOPLE came from JERUSALEM, ALL of JUDEA and all over the JORDAN VALLEY to hear what this STRANGE MAN was saying.  When John PREACHED, they LISTENED and those who CONFESSED their SINS were BAPTIZED by John. 

 

Then when John saw a large group of Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him BAPTIZE, he called them a BROOD OF SNAKES, and warned them saying: “Even now the AX of God’s JUDGMENT is poised, ready to SEVER the roots of the trees.  Yes, EVERY TREE that does NOT produce good fruit will be chopped down and THROWN into the FIRE. Then he told them that there was coming, ONE who would BAPTIZE THEM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT and FIRE.  

 

Then John gave them an illustration using what takes place at the THRESHING FLOOR. He commenced telling them of the use of the WINNOWING FORK, a VERY IMPORTANT instrument in the process of SEPARATION of the WHEAT and the CHAFF.  The WINNOWING FORK tosses the grain of wheat into the air and the WHEAT falls to the GROUND and the CHAFF or the USELESS part of the WHEAT, is thrown into the FIRE and the GRAIN of WHEAT is gathered and taken to the barn.   

 

John was telling them that the MESSIAH, when He COMES will PREPARE the REMNANT (wheat), for the KINGDOM by EMPOWERING and CLEANSING the PEOPLE.  However, those who REJECT the MESSIAH (chaff) will be JUDGED and THROWN into ETERNAL UNQUENCHABLE FIRE.  In Malachi 4:1&2 tells us: “The LORD of HEAVEN’S ARMIES says, “The Day of Judgment is coming, burning like a furnace.  On that Day the ARROGANT, and the WICKED will be BURNED UP like straw.  They will be CONSUMED—ROOTS, BRANCHES and ALL. But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings.  And you will go FREE, leaping with JOY like calves let out to pasture.”

 

Which will it be for YOU, the CHAFF or the WHEAT?  You can only be the WHEAT if you have given your HEART and LIFE to GOD, through His ONLY SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  And this is what you MUST DO:  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 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 TOTALLY SEPARATED from the CHAFF.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!   Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

Saturday, February 24, 2024

“What Should I Do?”

 “What Should I Do?”

 

Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops.  He said to himself, “what should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.”   Luke 12:16-17

 

Being WEALTHY is NOT a SIN, but when that WEALTH becomes your God, then it becomes a SIN.  Having MONEY does NOT always solve problems, but it can create NEW problems.  As it was for this RICH man.  NOTICE that he seems concerned more with HIMSELF and not concerned about anyone else.  

 

I think that 1 Timothy 6:18-19:  Tells us the ANSWER to the question; “What Should I Do?” This is what he SHOULD HAVE DONE:  He should have used his money to DO GOOD.  He SHOULD be RICH in GOOD WORKS and GENEROUS TO THOSE in NEED, ALWAYS BEING READY to SHARE with OTHERS.  And by doing this he would have been STORING UP his TREASURE as a GOOD FOUNDATION for the FUTURE so he might experience TRUE LIFE.  

 

But this RICH MAN didn’t do that, and we see in Luke 12:20, God said to him: “You fool! You will die this very night. Then WHO will get everything you worked for?”  Verse 21, Jesus told the crowd: “Yes, a person is a fool to STORE UP EARTHLY WEALTH but NOT have a RICH RELATIONSHIP with God.”  It doesn’t matter how MUCH WEALTH you have HERE on EARTH, but it MATTERS very much if YOU don’t have a RICH RELATIONSHIP with the ALMIGHTY GOD. 

 

Do YOU have a RICH RELATIONSHIP with God?  Or do you HAVE any RELATIONSHIP with GOD?  You can have that RICH RELATIONSHIP with GOD if you will lay up your TREASURE in HEAVEN, for a GOOD FOUNDATION so you MIGHT have TRUE LIFE or ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, and be able to ESCAPE HELL, with all its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there.  

 

The essence of this parable is to NOT BE GREEDY, but SHARE as much as you are able, with those who are in NEED.  And do it with a LOVING, COMPASSIONATE HEART.  In order to have a RIGHT, RICH RELATIONSHIP with GOD and to STORE UP TREASURES in Heaven, You MUST become a CHILD of GOD.  And you do that by:  ADMITTING that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, GOD’S ONLY SON, who GAVE His LIFE to SAVE your SOUL.  Then 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 KNOW what YOU SHOULD DO, which is TRUST IN GOD for ALL of your NEEDS.  Do this NOW, while you STILL CAN!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be Left Behind!!!