"His Purpose: Christmas and Easter!"

“His Purpose:  Christmas and Easter!”

 

 

He has saved us and called us to a holy life---not because of anything we have done, but because of His own purpose and grace.  This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.           2Timothy 1:9-10

 

 

God’s GRACE, MARVELOUS GRACE, His perfect plan for the SALVATION of mankind, was in the very HEART of God before the beginning of time.  God the Father said to God the Son, “it’s time to put our plan into action.”  So early one morn a tiny baby boy was born. A baby that would change the World and mankind, throughout the course of history.  A baby that would bring ETERNAL LIFE and UNENDING HOPE for a LOST and DYING world, which is STILL riddled with sin and depravity, and in desperate NEED of a Savior. 

 

This, my dear friend, is the REAL REASON for celebrating CHRISTMAS.  It’s NOT all about the tree, decorations, food, or gifts, but it is about God’s AMAZING GRACE that set His plan into motion.  Because of the birth of a tiny baby boy who came to earth, NOT as Santa Claus, but as the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of Mankind, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, who will one day RULE this world with TRUTH and GRACE.  If you are celebrating CHRISTMAS without celebrating the LIFE of Jesus Christ, then you are celebrating the wrong thing.  The birth of our Savior is the REAL, TRUE REASON for celebrating CHRISTMAS, whether the world likes it or not!

 

Yes, He came as a tiny, newborn, baby boy, who grew into a compassionate, loving, sinless, young man, who was on a mission.  That mission was to fulfill the PURPOSE and PLAN of Almighty God.  To bring MERCY and GRACE to a HOPELESS, DYING, SIN-RIDDEN world.  He became the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE for the sins of ALL mankind, ALL that would respond positively to His invitation.  He came and paid OUR penalty for OUR sins, with His precious blood that flowed from a beaten, broken, body, on an old, rough, wooden cross. 

 

But that is NOT the end of the story, He did not stay on that cross, but His body was taken and placed in a borrowed tomb, and three days later, the sealed door to that tomb burst open and the grave clothes, fell to the ground and the KING OF KINGS and the LORD OF LORDS, walked out of that tomb, a VICTOR over death and the grave.  He wasn’t an Easter Bunny with a basket of goodies, but a REDEEMER, who brought LIFE and IMMORTALITY to those who come to Him.  That is why we celebrate EASTER, it’s NOT about the candy, or colored eggs, or even the new clothes, but it is ALL about the SALVATION brought to sinful man through God’s PURPOSE and GRACE.

 

If you have not given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you have NOT experienced His PURPOSE and GRACE.  You have NOT been celebrating CHRISTMAS or EASTER for the REAL, TRUE REASONS.  You have NOT come to Him for the SALVATION of your soul, and are destined to spend an ETERNITY in Hell, the place of UNENDING torture, torment, agony, pain, and despair.  But you NOW have the opportunity to come to Him for that SALVATION, and you do that by coming to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and start celebrating CHRISTMAS and EASTER for the REAL, TRUE REASONS.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!  

"The One Sin that will Keep You Out of Heaven"

“The One Sin that will Keep You Out of Heaven”

 

 

If you tell others that you belong to me, the Son of Man will tell God’s angels that you are my followers.  But if you reject me, you will be rejected in front of them.  If you speak against the Son of Man, you can be forgiven, but if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you cannot be forgiven.          Luke 12:8-10

 

The disciples of Jesus had to make a choice whether they believed Him to be the Messiah, or not.  If they believed He was the Messiah then they had access to the way of obtaining SALVATION.  If they chose NOT to believe Him to be the Messiah then they were denying themselves of the way to their own SALVATION. 

 

The Pharisees rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and may have been under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, therefore rejecting the acknowledgement of Jesus being the Messiah and rejecting the Holy Spirit denied them the way to SALVATION.

 

A few months ago, my husband and I made a trip to Israel.  My attention was brought to the influx of ALL the different nationalities and religions represented.  Many, who have and are denying the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.  And are desperately seeking ways to obtain an eternal spiritual euphoria or just a PEACEFUL abode for their weary souls.  However, they are denying and rejecting the ONLY WAY for their SALVATION.  They do every conceivable thing you can think of to gain SALVATION, but God’s Word plainly tells us that it is NOT by the works we do that obtains the SALVATION of our souls, it is by the GRACE of God, through the death, and resurrection of His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, and through our FAITH in our REDEEMER, that we can obtain the SALVATION of our soul.

 

Many precious souls will be lost because of their rejection and unbelief of Jesus, the ONE TRUE MESSIAH.  The ONE SIN that will KEEP you out of HEAVEN is the ONE Jesus mentioned in our Scripture, when He said:  “If you speak against the Holy Spirit, you CANNOT be forgiven.”

 

If you are searching for a way to obtain the SALVATION of your soul.  DO NOT REJECT the deity of Jesus and DO NOT REJECT His Spirit when He offers it to you.  Don’t keep putting Him off.  He will NOT always deal with your heart, there will come a time when God will not ALWAYS strive with mankind.  The way for you to come to Him is to come NOW, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be ASSURED of your TRUE SALVATION.  Do it NOW while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"God's Love Exemplified"

“God’s Love Exemplified”

 

 

But when the goodness of God and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us----not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.         Titus 3:4-5

 

Jesus Christ EXEMPLIFIED the GOODNESS and LOVE of the Almighty God, the Creator of ALL things.  It is through the process of death, the shedding of His own precious blood, that we have SALVATION.  He was/is the propitiation or appeasement for our sins.  And this act of God was brought about  because of God’s AMAZING GRACE and AWESOME MERCY for the Crown of His Creation, mankind. 

 

We can NOT obtain this gift of SALVATION by ANYTHING that we, ourselves have done.  It is NOT by our works of RIGHTEOUSNESS, but by God’s plan for bringing mankind into His family, as one of His own, who is purchased by His Only Begotten Son, who Himself paid the price for the SALVATION of mankind.  It was NOT FREE from God’s perspective.  It cost Him the life of His Only Son, which is PRICELESS.  But to mankind it is a FREE GIFT given to us, from the Creator of ALL THINGS.  It is ours for the asking.  And it is the ONE thing that can determine your destiny.

 

Not only do we receive ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven, with God and His Son, but we receive the PRECIOUS and much NEEDED gift of God’s Holy Spirit, who is our Guide and Counselor through this life.  It is through His work that we are able to persevere in this world, and to become an OVERCOMER, A VICTOR in this life. 

 

You have the opportunity NOW to receive this FREE GIFT of SALVATION, which will bring to you ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven, with God, the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  All you have to do is to come to Him with a TRULY REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God then accept His gift of SALVATION, and His Holy Spirit, to be your Guide through this life and into ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!    

"Hated by the World, Loved by God!"

“Hated by the World, Loved by God!”

 

 

“I have given them Your Word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.”

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know You, I know You, and they know that You have sent me.  I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for Me may be in them and that I Myself may be in them.                       John 17:14,25-26

 

These verses are a part of a prayer that Jesus prayed for ALL believers, just before His death. 

All TRUE BELIEVERS are in a battle for the souls of mankind.  The battle is with the forces of evil.  When we let the Light of Jesus shine in us, we dispel the darkness of a sinful, evil world.  And ALL the sin and depravity of a lost and dying world loses its appeal and attractiveness to a poor lost individual, who is on their way to an eternity in Hell.  Therefore the world HATES the TRUE BELIEVER, because of the threat to its livelihood. 

 

Jesus, knowing the dangers that the TRUE BELIEVERS would encounter in their endeavors to reach this lost and dying world, prayed to the Almighty God on their behalf.  Jesus knows, knew and has known God and He has revealed and glorified God and so should every TRUE BELIEVER.

 

Jesus has made God the Father and His LOVE known to the world by His death and resurrection.  Jesus’ purpose of the revelation of God’s love was that the TRUE BELIEVER would CONTINUE to grow in God’s love and to experience JESUS in their personal lives. 

 

It was His prayer for ALL TRUE BELIEVERS to be a light in the darkness, even though they were hated by the world.  Yet their KNOWLEDGE of God’s great LOVE for them and the evidence of Jesus’ presence in them would overcome the HATE that the world exemplified to them.  And they could reach others with the TRUTH of the Gospel, JESUS SAVES!!

 

If you have not given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are part of the LOST and DYING world that is on its way to Hell for an eternity of torment, torture, pain and agony.  But you NOW have the opportunity to turn yourself around and come to God with a TRULY REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and become a TRUE BELIEVER, LOVED by God.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"If Only"

“If Only”

 

 

This is what Yahweh, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says:  “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who leads you in the way you should go.   If only you had paid attention to My commands.  Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”          Isaiah 48:17-18

 

These two verses of Scripture are a part of God’s message to the nation of Israel concerning their DISOBEDIENCE to His laws and the experience of being exiled from their beloved land, because of that DISOBEDIENCE. 

 

“IF ONLY” they had been OBEDIENT to His laws and TRUSTED His judgments.   They would have experienced PEACE like a river, and their RIGHTEOUSNESS would have been like the waves of the sea, “IF ONLY!”

 

What a compelling message for us, today, “IF ONLY” we would practice OBEDIENCE to the Lord God and His commands.   “IF ONLY” we would YIELD to the leadership of His Holy Spirit.  “IF ONLY” we would SEEK His face DAILY, and follow His direction.  “IF ONLY” we would turn from our sinful ways and turn to Him for the SALVATION of our souls.  “IF ONLY” we would LIVE for HIM, and receive RIGHTEOUSNESS that would be like the waves of the sea.  “IF ONLY” our nation would surrender to HIS leadership, and be OBEDIENT to His commands.  “IF ONLY!”

 

We don’t know what lies ahead for our great nation, but this thing I know is that we live in a nation that has been drenched in sin, depravity, hatred, debauchery, selfishness, greed and many other debasing activities.  We NEED JESUS in this land, in this world, to cleanse us from the filth and decaying matter that is eroding our livelihood.   “IF ONLY” America would turn to God for her SALVATION, before we go beyond His deadline.  It is a FEARFUL thing to continue to DISOBEY the Almighty God, Creator of ALL things.  “IF ONLY!”

 

If you have not given your HEART and LIFE to God then you are being DISOBEDIENT to Him and are facing His judgment.  However, He is giving you the opportunity NOW, to come to Him with a TRULY REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART that JESUS died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you before God, “IF ONLY”, you would ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and become His OBEDIENT CHILD, receiving PEACE like a river, and RIGHTEOUSNESS like the waves of the sea.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"ONE in ALL"

“ONE in ALL”

 

 

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.         Ephesians 4:4-6

 

 

In these verses of Scripture, the Apostle Paul speaks of the seven elements of UNITY that are centered on the three Persons of the Trinity.  These elements provide the basis for the spirit of UNITY, which should exist within the body of BELIEVERS.

 

ONE body refers to the universal church, which is ALL BELIEVERS.  ONE Spirit is the Holy Spirit, who indwells ALL the BELIEVERS, which is the Church. ONE hope is the hope that ALL BELIEVERS have in common concerning their future with the Almighty God, which began at the time they were called to SALVATION.

 

ONE Lord is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Church.  ONE faith is referring to a subjective faith, which is practiced in ALL BELIEVERS, in their Lord Jesus Christ.  ONE baptism refers to water baptism, which exemplifies the idea that this ONE act of the BELIEVER demonstrates their spiritual UNITY into the Body of Christ, the Church.

 

ONE God and Father of ALL, who is OVER ALL, and THROUGH ALL and IN ALL.  This ONE God refers to the Lord God Almighty, the Father of ALL, who is over ALL, through ALL and in ALL.  The “ALL” refers to ALL BELIEVERS, NOT ALL MANKIND.  God is the SUPREME FATHER of ALL, who BELIEVE they are His Children. 

 

If you have not given your HEART and LIFE to God, you are NOT a part of the “ALL” that possess the ONE SPIRIT, in the ONE BODY, with ONE HOPE for your future with God, with ONE LORD, who is the Head of the ONE Church, practicing ONE FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ, nor have you experienced the ONE BAPTISM, demonstrating your spiritual UNITY into the BODY OF CHRIST.  Instead you are practicing and demonstrating your sinful nature and are a part of Satan’s brood, which are destined to spend an eternity in Hell, the place of perpetual agony, pain, torment and torture.  But God is giving you the opportunity to turn away from that lifestyle and to come to Him with a TRULY REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your Heart that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and become a part of the “ALL”, who is a part of ONE BODY, and possess ONE SPIRIT, ONE HOPE, ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, and experience ONE BAPTISM and ONE GOD and FATHER.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Naked and Exposed"

“Naked and Exposed!”

 

 

No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.        Hebrews 4:13

 

 

Psalm 14:2, says:  The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God.

Proverbs 5:21 says:  For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes, and He considers all his paths.

 

I believe that we can say with ALL certainty that NOTHING we do is HIDDEN from the Almighty God.  As the verse in Hebrews says; “ALL things are NAKED and EXPOSED to the eyes of Him to whom we MUST give an account.  This scenario can be quite fearful to a lot of people both the saved and the lost.

 

Those who are TRULY SAVED, TRUE BELIEVERS, and have not matured or grown in the Word of God, and have interpreted the Word to fit their own desires, will have their works judged and be held accountable for their Spiritual well-being, before the Lord God.  And will risk the loss of rewards.  Their works will be judged and NOT their sins, because ALL their sins are under the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I believe that this time will be a time of embarrassment and humiliation for a lot of God’s Children.  Many are influenced by Satan to do things that are NOT profitable for the Kingdom of God.  Satan cannot have a TRUE CHILD OF GOD, but he can influence them, if they are not in a close intimate relationship with God, and are weak in their FAITH. 

 

ALL TRUE BELIEVERS will have their works judged and will receive rewards for what they did for the cause of Christ.  Those who sacrificed and worked diligently to promote the Kingdom of God with ALL their HEART will receive their just rewards.  Their works will be tried by fire, which will test the quality of each person’s work.  If it survives, the person will receive a reward.  If it burns up, the person will suffer loss, but will be saved---even though only as one escaping through the flames.  (1Corinthians 3:13-15)  

 

So you see, you cannot hide your motivations for doing the works that you do for the kingdom.  God SEES and KNOWS ALL THINGS, whether they are done through the leadership of His Holy Spirit or under the influence of Satan.    He SEES ALL THINGS, because they are NAKED and EXPOSED to His eyes.

 

If you have not given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are LOST and your SINS will be judged and your SENTENCE will be given. You will spend ALL eternity in Hell, a place that is nothing but, torture, torment, pain, agony and despair.  However, God is giving you the opportunity NOW to come to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and when you stand before the Lord, you will receive your rewards and NOT condemnation.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Essence of Eternal Life!"

“The Essence of Eternal Life!”

 

 

This is eternal life:  that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent---Jesus Christ.         John 17:3

 

ETERNAL LIFE is much more than an endless existence. It is, in fact, the very ESSENCE of a PERSONAL, INTIMATE relationship with God, the Father and His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Everyone will experience an endless existence somewhere for all eternity, however the question is; what will their condition be, and with whom will they have a relationship with?

 

ETERNAL LIFE, is more than just a HEAD KNOWLEDGE of God, it is more than just KNOWING about Him.  It is experiencing a DEEP, PERSONAL, INTIMATE relationship with the One, who is the Originator of the PLAN of SALVATION for ALL mankind, which makes it a HEART KNOWLEDGE. 

 

You cannot obtain this ETERNAL LIFE a part from Jesus Christ, who is the Author and Finisher of our Faith, and through Him we have ETERNAL LIFE.   He is the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, whose blood was shed for the remission of our sins. 

 

This is NOT something that you can fake and benefit from it in the end.  Having JUST a HEAD KNOWLEDGE is NOT enough to give you a DEEP, PERSONAL, INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP with God and His Son.  It is NOT enough to get you to Heaven to spend an endless existence with God’s Family.

 

In order to receive TRUE ETERNAL LIFE, you must have a bona-fide relationship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ.  The ONLY WAY, to do that is by coming to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and develop that DEEP, PERSONAL, INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP with God, the Father and His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and receive TRUE ETERNAL LIFE.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

 

"Sin, Crouching at Your Door"

“Sin, Crouching at Your Door”

 

 

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”        Genesis 4:7

 

 

These are the words of God to Cain, Adam and Eve’s son, just before he murdered his brother, Abel.  Cain was a tiller of the ground and would bring some of the first fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.  Abel, who was the keeper of the flocks, also brought an offering, fat portions of some of the first born of his flock.  The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but He did not look on Cain and his offering with favor.  And this made Cain very angry.  Angry enough to MURDER his own brother.  God knew Cain’s heart and gave him the opportunity to turn away from the SIN that was CROUCHING at his DOOR.  And to start doing the RIGHT THING with the offering.

 

He says “if you do what is right, will you not be accepted?”  I think that Cain’s heart was NOT in the right place when he was bringing his offering.  He knew that his family worshipped God with offerings of the shed blood of the best animals.  Yet he was determined to do things HIS way and still receive God’s blessings.  That is NOT how it works.   God has set certain guidelines that we MUST follow in order to obtain favor and salvation from Him.  And Cain KNEW that, but did not FOLLOW God’s guidelines.  So when God did not show Cain favor as He did with Abel, Cain got ANGRY and committed the murder of his own brother.

 

God told Cain that, “IF he did NOT do what was right, sin is crouching at his door, and it desires to have him, but he must rule over it.”   Sin is our DISOBEDIENCE to God.  When we live according to our own desires and ways, and continue to leave God out of our plans, we are living in sin.  In other words, we have left the door wide open so the ‘crouching sin’ has free access to our hearts. 

 

God says:  “You must rule over it.”  We must have CONTROL and not let SIN CONTROL us.  Cain let sin in the door and then allowed it to CONTROL his heart, and he sinned against God and his brother by murdering him. 

 

Are you living like Cain, trying to live your life to fit your own specifications, and leaving God TOTALLY out of your life, letting SIN in your door and allowing it to CONTROL you?  You are if you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, but you can KICK SIN out of your life by:  Coming to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, and CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be in CONTROL by letting God be God in YOU.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"By the Word of God"

“By the Word of God”

 

 

They willfully ignore this:  Long ago the heavens and the earth were brought about from water and through water by the Word of God.  Through these waters the world of that time perished when it was flooded.  But by the same Word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept until the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly men.         2Peter 3:5-7

 

The Scoffers, the false teachers, are those who deny Jesus Christ and His return.  Their way of thinking is, since the beginning of Creation, nothing has happened so why expect the Lord’s return now?

 

The Apostle Peter counters their remarks with the facts:  That BY THE WORD OF GOD, this world and everything in it was created.  The WORLD refers to the inhabitants, and not just the planet, since the planet itself was NOT destroyed by the flood.

 

However, the world was destroyed in the Flood, by the Word of God and water.  Now the HEAVENS and EARTH, the entire planet, is being held in reserve for God’s judgment and will be destroyed by the SAME Word and by fire. 

 

“The Day of the Lord,” (2peter 3:10), includes the Tribulation, the Millennium, the Great White Throne judgment, and the destruction of the HEAVENS and EARTH.  At the Great White Throne Judgment, the UNGODLY MANKIND, will be judged for their sins and will be thrown into the lake of fire.  After the judgment and the casting of the UNGODLY into the lake of fire, the present HEAVENS and EARTH will be destroyed BY THE WORD OF GOD and FIRE.

 

Don’t underestimate the will of the ALMIGHTY God.  He destroyed this world once by His Word and water, and He will destroy it again by His Word and fire.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you stand in danger of being part of the UNGODLY, who will be thrown into the lake of fire.  God is giving you the opportunity to come to Him NOW with a TRULY REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be a part of His Family, who will go to Heaven and spend ALL eternity there with God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

"Eternal Redemption"

“Eternal Redemption”

 

 

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?          Hebrews 9:13-14

 

The shedding of the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a young cow being sprinkled on those who were ceremonially unclean, were the rituals of the Old-Covenant, and only made them outwardly clean.

 

But ETERNAL REDEMPTION through the act of the New-Covenant, the FINAL, ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, of the Lord Jesus Christ, who offered Himself to God, a PERFECT, UNBLEMISHED LAMB, who SHED His own blood for the ETERNAL REDEMPTINON of ALL mankind, replaced the Old-Covenant, which is the “dead works.” 

 

Because the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, was a MORE ACCEPTABLE, PERFECT SACRIFICE, which cleanses us from ALL our sins, past, present and future with just that one act of redemption.  It SHOULD influence the way we SERVE the Living God.  We do not have to offer a blood sacrifice, daily, which could NOT take away our sins anyway, because Jesus is the FINAL, ULTIMATE SACRIFICE for the ETERNAL REDEMPTION of mankind.  It is a ONCE for ALL time act that changes the destiny of the world.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you do NOT possess this act of ETERNAL REDEMPTION, and your soul is LOST, and you are headed for an ETERNITY in a place called HELL.  A place that is VOID of ANYTHING GOOD, a place that will give you ETERNAL pain, torture, agony and despair.  God is giving you the opportunity NOW to turn away from that destination and to come to Him with a TRULY REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and experience ETERNAL REDEMPTION from Father God.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Fear God and Keep His Commandments!"

“Fear God and Keep His Commandments!”

 

 

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:  Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.        Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

 

These verses are the conclusion of King Solomon’s view of life.  He says it is:  “the conclusion of the matter.” ALL of mankind is to FEAR God and KEEP His commandments.   The word; FEAR means to REVERENCE God.  Then we are to KEEP His commandments, in other words we are to carry out the laws that He has established for His Children.  We are to pass them down from generation to generation.  We are to live our lives in accordance to His Holy Word, and in order to do that we MUST study His Word and apply it to our lives DAILY. 

 

Our EVERY thought, word and deed is JUDGED by God, to include EVERY HIDDEN thing, whether good or evil, it will ALL be scrutinized by the Almighty God, who created us and has COMPLETE AUTHORITY to be the judge of His own creation. 

 

Solomon was not referring to the FINAL JUDGMENT, although, we will ALL stand before God then too, for JUDGEMENT.  The TRUE BELIEVER’S works will be judged, and the UNBELIEVER’S sins will be judged. 

 

However, Solomon was not a prophet and his main timeframe was the PRESENT time.  His view was on the unequal distribution of justice in this PRESENT LIFE.  So Solomon leads his readers to enjoy life in the FEAR of God, as God allows.  To be at PEACE with God, and to TRUST Him with their WHOLE being.  To leave all the puzzling aspects of life in God’s hands, and to LIVE for Him.

 

If you have not given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are being judged DAILY for the sins you are committing and will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgement Seat for ALL of your sins, past, present, open and hidden.  Your verdict will be GUILTY and you will be sentenced to an ETERNITY in Hell, the place of UNENDING torment, torture, pain and agony.  But you NOW have the opportunity to escape that sentence and come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and become a part of His family, having a PEACE that passes ALL understanding, TRUSTING in His SAVING GRACE and enjoying this life, as much as possible.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"What is God's Message for You?"

“What is God’s Message for You?”

 

 

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand.  Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”  “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”  Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for His servant?”          Joshua 5:13-14

 

Joshua was getting ready to battle Jericho, and was awaiting God’s directions for taking the STRONG, FORTIFIED fortress.  Up to this point, Joshua had received NO instructions from God as to what he should do next.  And more than likely he was waiting with some anxiety about the battle, as he surveyed the STRONGHOLD of Jericho, with its big, high strong walls, which surrounded the city.

 

While he was contemplating what he should do to be able to conquer Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a sword in His hand.  Now, this more than likely, was the Angel of the Lord.  So Joshua went boldly up to Him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” 

 

And when the man answered, “Neither, but as Commander of the Army of the Lord,” Joshua fell facedown to the ground in REVERENCE, and asked a VERY CRUCIAL question:  “What message does my Lord have for His servant?”

 

 First of all, Joshua realized that he was in the presence of the Lord, and he immediately, without reservation, fell facedown to the ground in REVERENCE.   Secondly, he sought the GUIDANCE of the Lord by asking; “What message does my Lord have for His servant?”

 

We face battles EVERYDAY and like Joshua, we should, in REVERENCE, seek God’s GUIDANCE with the SAME question, “What message does my Lord have for His servant?”  Do we REVERENTLY SEEK God’s GUIDANCE?  Do we REALLY WANT to KNOW what His message is to us?  Or are we bent on following our own directions, and leaving God out of our lives, and only calling on Him when it benefits our own desires? 

As a TRUE Child of God, we NEED His GUIDANCE DAILY, and should DAILY ask Him, “What message does my Lord have for His servant?  If you have not given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are NOT a TRUE Child of God, and the only GUIDANCE you have for your life comes from you, which more than likely is directed by Satan and he is guiding you down the wrong path, and making the wrong decisions, decisions that will determine your destiny, and will lead you straight to Hell.  However, God’s message for YOU, today is for you to come to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, and CONFESS your sins to Him, asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING with ALL your HEART that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before Him then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and start asking Him, “What message does my Lord have for His servant?”  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

 

"He Knows Each Heart"

“He Knows Each Heart”

 

 

Now while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs He was performing and believed in His name.  But Jesus would not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all people.  He did not need any testimony about mankind, for He knew what was in each person.        John 2:23-25

 

 

Everywhere Jesus went He drew GREAT crowds of people, they mainly came to see Him work His signs and wonders with His healing power.  While He was in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, many people saw His healing miracles and believed in His name, in other words they TRUSTED Him.  But it was NOT always SAVING faith that they went away with. 

 

Jesus was not willing to ENTRUST Himself to them, because He knew their HEARTS.  They knew He was a GREAT Healer, but not necessarily a GREAT Savior.  And He was/is the ONLY ONE, who can heal them of their deadly disease of SIN. 

 

Jesus knew that their excitement was temporary and their FAITH was based on what the outcome of His signs and wonders were.  And that was NOT sufficient for SALVATION. 

 

Having the attributes of God Almighty, because He is God Almighty, gives Him the SUPERNATURAL power to be able to see into mankind’s HEART and KNOW what controls their lives.  He does NOT need ANY testimony from anyone about mankind, because HE SEES ALL and HE KNOWS ALL that is in each person. 

 

He can see into YOUR HEART, and the question is:  “Is He happy with what He KNOWS is there?”  Or is He NOT happy because you have NOT given your HEART to Him?  You can make Him very HAPPY if you will come to Him with a TRULY REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and make the Lord Jesus HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, and have your reward, in Heaven.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON.

"The Pursuit of Christlikeness"

“The Pursuit of Christlikeness”

 

 

All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things.  And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.  Only let us live up to what we have already attained.         Philippians 3:15-16

 

The Apostle Paul was speaking to the believers in Philippi about their walk with Christ, and their steadfastness in being like Him in their daily lives.  He compared it to being like a race, where the runner is focused on WINNING the reward awaiting him at the end of the race. 

 

In verse ten, Paul says, “I want to know Christ---yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”   Thus being the result of the PURSUIT of CHRISTLIKENESS.

 

The “view of things” that the Apostle Paul was eluding to was, “PRESSING ON “toward the goal, and NOT giving up, but to PERSERVE in following the example set before us by the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

An attribute of a MATURE Christian is the desire to go on with Christ in the PURSUIT OF CHRISTLIKENESS.  In other words, being CHRISTLIKE in ALL of our thoughts, words and deeds, and NOT giving up when the going gets rough, but PRESS ON, with FAITH and TRUST in God to get you through to the end of your race and receiving the reward that awaits you.

 

Paul also had a message for those who disagreed with him.  He said, “If on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.”  God WILL make it CLEAR to you, but it is up to you what you do with the TRUTH that is made CLEAR.    It was also Paul’s desire that his fellow believers in Christ, live up to what they have already attained, which is their RIGHTEOUS position in Christ. 

 

If you have not given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are not in PURSUIT of CHRISTLIKENESS, but you are pursuing a path of destruction.  You are following Satan, and are headed straight to HELL, the place of unending torment, torture, agony, pain and defeat.  However you can get on the WINNING path that is headed straight to HEAVEN, a place of unending, peace, love and joy beyond belief, but you must come to the foot of the cross of Christ with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to God, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE, in Heaven making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and become a MATURE Christian in the PURSUIT of CHRISTLIKENESS, WINNING the RACE that is set before you, and receiving the reward that awaits you.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

  

"The Restoration of Joy!"

“The Restoration of Joy!”

 

 

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.          Psalm 51:12

 

King David wrote this psalm after his indiscretion with Bathsheba, when the prophet Nathan came to him.  David’s heart was full of guilt and conviction about his sin.  He pleads for God to CLEANSE him from his transgressions.  He asks God to BLOT OUT his transgressions, and to WASH AWAY all his iniquity.

 

In verse ten, he says:  “CREATE in me a pure heart, God, and RENEW a steadfast spirit within me.”  David is seeking not ONLY FORGIVENESS, but also the RESTORATION of the JOY of the SALVATION that is provided by ONLY the Almighty God.   He goes on to ask God to grant him a WILLING spirit, to sustain him.  A “WILLING spirit,” which is an OBEDIENT spirit that would SUSTAIN him, or would SUPPORT him. 

 

David, a man after God’s own heart, allowed a DISOBEDIENT spirit or an UNWILLING spirit to invade his life and as he said in verse four:   “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;” David acknowledged his sin, which is the first step in the act of REPENTANCE. 

 

A TRUE BELIEVER, today, is much like David, when they are trying to hide their sin.  The guilt and conviction from the Holy Spirit of God permeates their soul, and they seek FORGIVENESS and RESTORATION.  The JOY of the SALVATION, which God provides through the sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ has been greatly diminished, and they too, must  ACKNOWLEDGE their sin, and come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, and a WILLING or OBEDIENT spirit, to support or SUSTAIN them.  Then and ONLY then can they once again experience the JOY of God’s gift of SALVATION. 

 

If you have not come to God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, then you have NOT experienced the JOY of God’s gift of SALVATION, and you are destined for an eternity filled with torment, torture, pain, agony, and despair.  If you will ACKNOWLEDGE that you are a sinner, and will seek FORGIVENESS from God, by: CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and then you can experience the JOY of God’s SALVATION.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!