"The Stubborn and Unrepentant Heart"

“The Stubborn and Unrepentant Heart”

 

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed.     Romans 2:5

 

All of mankind is born with a sinful nature, thanks to Adam and Eve, and the very first sin committed against God by mankind.  From that day on, mankind’s HEART becomes more and more STUBBORN and UNREPENTANT.   And NOW, if you STOP and LOOK around you.  You see the BLATANT acts of sin being played out in the everyday life of mankind. 

 

SINNING has become the “fashionable,” “in thing” to do.  EVERYONE is doing it, and it looks appealing, and tempting, at least that’s what a lot of people think.  But I wonder how they will feel when they are standing at the JUDGMENT SEAT of the HOLY, RIGHTEOUS JUDGE, the ALMIGHTY GOD.   And they WILL stand before the JUDGMENT SEAT and the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE.  They cannot RUN or HIDE.   It is MANDATORY.  They will NOT be able to ESCAPE or BRIBE, BUY or TALK their way out of the JUDGMENT and CONDEMNATION that is awaiting them.

 

Our Scripture tells us that those with the STUBBORN and UNREPENTANT HEART, are STORING UP wrath against themselves, until the day of His RIGHTEOUS JUDGEMENT, when His WRATH, His INTENSE ANGER will be poured out on them.  He will JUDGE them with TRUTH and IMPARTIALITY, and they will be WITHOUT EXCUSE.  Don’t let this be YOUR destiny.

 

Time and time again, people are REJECTING God’s LOVE and GIFT of SALVATION, ignorant of what lies ahead of them, and will determine their ETERNITY.  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, your HEART is becoming MORE and MORE STUBBORN and UNREPENTANT, and you are STORING UP God’s wrath against you, and you WILL be JUDGED, and found GUILTY of a STUBBORN and UNREPENTANT HEART, and will be sentenced to an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL of its HORRORS.  If this is NOT what you plan for yourself, then you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVEING, 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 ESCAPE the WRATH of the ALMIGHTY GOD, and an ETERNITY in Hell, and GAIN HEAVEN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Acts of the Flesh"

“The Acts of the Flesh”

 

The acts of the flesh are obvious:  sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.   I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God.         Galatians 5:19-21

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are one who LIVES by the FLESH.  And LIVING by the FLESH means that you are carrying out most of the ACTS of the FLESH.  The ACTS of the FLESH desires what is CONTRARY to the ACTS of the SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD.  They are in CONFLICT with each other.

 

When we talk about LIVING by the FLESH, it means that a person lives CONTINUALLY by the FLESH.  They HABITUALLY indulge in the ACTS of the FLESH.  This is NOT indicating that a BELIEVER, will lose their SALVATION, if they fall to temptation and commit an ACT of the FLESH.  But for an UNBELIEVER, who is CONTINUALLY LIVING by the ACTS of the FLESH, this is an indication that they are NOT a Child of God.

 

In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia, he WARNS them about LIVING by the FLESH, and carrying on the ACTS of the FLESH.  This was NOT the first time, Paul had warned them.  He had WARNED them another time when he had made a visit to them.  He ENCOURAGES the TRUE BELIEVERS to walk or live by the SPIRIT, and by doing so they would NOT gratify the desires of the flesh.  We all fall SHORT of God’s glory, because WE ALL have the same sin nature living in us.  This difference is the TRUE BELIEVERS walk by the Spirit of God, and the UNBELIEVERS walk by the FLESH.   There is NO MIDDLE for a person.  They are either a Child of God or they are NOT. 

 

Believing in God, and even worshiping God, doesn’t get you a ticket to an ETERNITY in Heaven.  Jesus said, “I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE, and NO ONE comes to the Father, but by ME!”  You MUST come by way of the CROSS.  If you are LIVING by the FLESH, and you are if you have NOT given your ENTIRE HEART and LIFE to God, and you are headed for an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURN 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 STOP LIVING by the FLESH and START LIVING by the SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD.  And ESCAPE HELL and GAIN HEAVEN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Your Sacrifice to God"

“Your Sacrifice to God”

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.        Psalm 51:10

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.       Psalm 51:17

 

This psalm is King David’s prayer, because of his sin of adultery with Bathsheba.  David had been confronted by the prophet Nathan, about his transgression, and the fact that God was NOT PLEASED with his actions.   So David, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART penned this prayer.

 

David asked that God would CLEANSE him from his sins and to NOT remove His Holy Spirit from him.  In the New Testament times after Christ had ascended into Heaven, the Holy Spirit came to indwell the TRUE BELIEVER and He does NOT leave.  In David’s time He came and went. 

 

One of the things that David requested of God, was that He would CREATE in him a PURE HEART, and to RENEW a STEADFAST and a WILLING SPIRIT.  David hungered after God and His will.  He longed to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him.  But this could NOT happen as long as David SINNED against God.  And it is the SAME with the TRUE BELIEVER of today.  We cannot have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God, if we have UNCONFESSED SINS in our life.   So David asked God to RESTORE his RELATIONSHIP with Him.  David also knew that after his CONFESSION, he needed to make a PEACE offering to God.

 

David’s SACRIFICE was a BROKEN SPIRIT; A BROKEN and CONTRITE HEART.  These are what God wants from His Children.  These are signs that the Child of God, who sins against God, is SINCERE, and WILLING to be BROKEN and REMORSEFUL in SPIRIT and in HEART.   And to be able to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God, once again.   Are you harboring UNCONFESSED SIN in your HEART, is your RELATIONSHIP with God what it SHOULD BE?   You NEED to read this WHOLE PSALM and learn from David, the man after God’s own HEART.   And follow His example.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are LIVING in SIN and you cannot have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him, and are headed for an ETERNITY in HELL, with all of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  In order to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God and to ESCAPE Hell, and GAIN Heaven, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and ask 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 bring Him a PEACE OFFERING of a BROKEN SPIRIT, and a CONTRITE HEART, and start having a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

                               

 

"The Foundation on the Rock"

“The Foundation on the Rock”

 

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.   The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.   But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.   The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”       Matthew 7:24-27

 

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus left the people with these options.  They could either FOLLOW Him and His teachings or they could FOLLOW the Pharisaic style of righteousness. 

 

The option of FOLLOWING Christ, was likened to a FOUNDATION that was built on the ROCK.  When the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house, and yet it STOOD FIRM, because of its SURE and FIRM FOUNDATION that was built on the ROCK, which is JESUS CHRIST.    When one’s FAITH comes under attack, it can withstand the harshness of the storms of life, because of its FIRM FOUNDATION that is built on the ROCK, Jesus Christ.

 

The option of FOLLOWING the Pharisaic style of RIGHTEOUSNESS was likened to a FOUNDATION that was built on the SAND.  When the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house, it COLLAPSED, because its FOUNDATION was WEAK and UNSTEADY, and had NO STRENGTH or FIRMNESS to it, because it is based on WORKS, and HUMAN EFFORT.   IF this is the type of FOUNDATION your FAITH is based on you’re in TROUBLE. When the STORMS of LIFE come, your FAITH will be like the FOUNDATION that is built on the SAND, KEEPING the LAWS and GOOD WORKS, which will COLLAPSE. 

 

KEEPING the LAWS and GOOD WORKS alone, will NOT get you into Heaven.   Jesus said, “I am the WAY and the TRUTH and the LIFE.  NO one comes to the Father except through ME.”   (John 14:6)  Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY to get to Heaven.  He is the ROCK that the FOUNDATION of your FAITH MUST be BUILT UPON.   There is NO OTHER, guarantee or source on which you can TRUST with your ETERNITY.   If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God then your ETERNITY will be spent in Hell with all of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  So you MUST BUILD your FOUNDATION of FAITH on the ROCK (Jesus Christ), by TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURNING 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 BUILD your FAITH on a FIRM and STRONG FOUNDATION, which is BUILT on the ROCK, Jesus Christ.   Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

 

 

"The Realm of the Flesh or the Realm of the Spirit?"

“The Realm of the Flesh or the Realm of the Spirit?”

 

Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.  You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.  And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.       Romans 8:8-9

 

Many people, today, are blinded by the lies of Satan.  He leads them to BELIEVE that you can live according to the lifestyles of this WRETCHED, SINFUL world, and still be a part of God’s family.  But as we can see, ACCORDING to God’s Word, “Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.” 

 

The Apostle Paul said, in his letter to the believers in Rome, that, “The mind governed by the FLESH is DEATH,” and “the mind governed by the FLESH is HOSTILE to God.”  However, those who are in the realm of the Spirit, will have EVERLASTING LIFE, in Heaven.  No one can have a RELATIONSHIP with God, and NOT have the Spirit in them.  The INDWELLING SPIRIT of God is the identification of a TRUE BELIEVER, one who is in the REALM of the SPIRIT and NOT in the REALM of the FLESH.   You cannot live a DOUBLE-LIFE.  You are either living in the REALM of the FLESH or the REALM of the SPIRIT, which one is it?

 

If you have NEVER, sincerely given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are living in the REALM of the FLESH and are headed for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE, unless you come to God, by; TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURNING 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 start LIVING in the REALM of the SPIRIT, and gain an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, as a part of God’s family.   Do this NOW, while you still can.   He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"God IS...?"

“God IS…?”

 

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.        Psalm 86:15

 

God is what to you?   To some, who are TRUE BELIEVERS, He IS; MERCIFUL, GRACIOUS, SLOW TO ANGER, KIND, FORGIVING, and abounds in STEADFAST LOVE, that means a LOVE that is FIXED and will not waver, and is FIRM in purpose.   It is a STRONG and UNENDING LOVE!  And He is FAITHFUL to those who belong to Him.

 

To King David, a man after God’s own heart, God IS, GOOD AND FORGIVING, and ABOUNDING in STEADFAST LOVE.  And there are NO OTHER CREATIVE WORKS like those of the ALMIGHTY GOD!  He is the GREAT CREATOR!

 

God IS, also the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE, who will bring JUDGMENT to this SINFUL, old world, meaning those who do not belong to Him.   They will feel the WRATH of the Almighty. And they will come under CONDEMNATION and be SENTENCED to an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.   So, is God MERCIFUL and GRACIOUS, SLOW to ANGER, ABOUNDING in LOVE and FAITHFUL, to you, or is He the RIGHTEOUS GOD, who will bring His WRATH and CONDEMNATION upon you, because you do NOT belong to Him?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, and are facing His WRATH and CONDEMNATION, you have the opportunity NOW to come to Him by; TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURNING 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 KNOW that God IS MERCIFUL, GRACIOUS, SLOW to ANGER, ABOUNDING in STEADFAST LOVE and FAITHFUL.   Do this NOW, while you still can.   He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"A Silent Trust"

“A Silent Trust”

 

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”          Psalm 46:10

 

We live in a HURRY, SCURRY WORLD.   Sometimes, when we have something to do or somewhere to go, and we are STRESSED, maybe just a tad or maybe MORE than a tad, we have a tendency to try to get where we’re going, by going a little FASTER than we should, and in some cases it can cause an ACCIDENT that could possibly take a life or hurt someone very severely.  All because we HURRY and SCURRY, all STRESSED OUT that we will be late.  “Better LATE than NEVER, as the saying goes, and if you are in an accident, because you HURRY and may even break the law by SPEEDING, you’ll NOT make it on time, if you make it at all. 

 

But God says, “BE STILL and KNOW that I am GOD,” He can give you CALMNESS, and SANITY, when your whole world SEEMS TO FALL APART.   When you take time to be with Him, you will NEVER regret it.  He will CALM your STORMS or GET YOU THROUGH THEM.  Either way, He wants you to have a SILENT TRUST in Him.

 

For the TRUE BELIEVER, He will bring COMFORT and be a SOURCE of ENCOURAGEMENT even in the midst of the RAGING STORMS of LIFE.  ALL you have to do is develop a CLOSE, INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP with Him, by spending some TIME with Him, and have a SILENT TRUST in Him.

 

One day, He WILL BE EXALTED in ALL the Earth, and EVERY KNEE WILL BOW before Him.  And will KNOW that He IS GOD.   Do you KNOW, without a doubt, that HE is GOD?  Do you HAVE a SILENT TRUST in Him?

 

If NOT, you do NOT belong to Him.  And you are on your way to an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  In order to ESCAPE Hell and GAIN Heaven, you NEED to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God.  And to do that you MUST TURN AWAY FROM, your sinful lifestyle, and TURN 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 “BE STILL and KNOW that HE is GOD,” and have that SILENT TRUST in Him.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Jesus Christ, the Power and Wisdom of God"

“Jesus Christ, the Power and Wisdom of God”

 

Because of God you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God.  In Christ we are put right with God, and have been made holy, and have been set free from sin.   So, as the Scripture says, “If someone wants to brag, he should brag only about the Lord.”                                                     1 Corinthians 1:30-31       

 

These last two days, God has laid on my heart the subject of His POWER and WISOM compared to that of the world.   The POWER and WISDOM of this sinful, corrupt, depraved world is SO MUCH INFERIOR to that of the ALMIGHTY GOD.   The POWER and WISDOM of this world will one day be GONE, and ONLY the POWER and WISDOM of God will be ETERNAL.

 

This is factual because Christ is ETERNAL and He is the POWER and WISDOM of God.  This is TRUE, especially for the TRUE BELIEVER.   In Christ, they are made RIGHTEOUS or JUSTIFIED, HOLY or SANCTIFIED and REDEEMED or GLORIFIED.  And this my dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, is what SALVATION is all about.  The TRUE BELIEVER has been SET RIGHT with God, SET APART for His purpose, and SET FREE from their sins.   And they CAN and SHOULD BRAG about what the Lord has done.   Have you been SET RIGHT, SET APART, and SET FREE?  

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you have NOT received His SALVATION, and you have not been made RIGHTEOUS, HOLY or REDEEMED.  But you are LOST and destined for an ETERNITY in Hell, with all of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  In order for you to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in Hell, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN 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 be SET RIGHT with God, SET APART for His purpose, and be SET FREE from your sins.  ESCAPE HELL and GAIN HEAVEN.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!                                

"The Omniscient, Omnipotent God"

“The Omniscient, Omnipotent God”

 

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.         1 Corinthians 1:25

 

OMNISCIENT---ALL KNOWING and OMNIPOTENT---ALL POWERFUL are two of three attributes of God the third is OMNIPRESENT---EVERYWHERE at the SAME TIME.  Today, we will talk about the OMNISCIENT, OMNIPOTENT GOD.

 

The Apostle Paul is telling the church in Corinth, that mankind cannot and does not KNOW God through the WORLDLY WISDOM they possessed.  But God was pleased, through what some considered, to be FOOLISHNESS of what was preached, to SAVE those who BELIEVED what was preached. 

 

The Scriptures tells us that the Jews demanded SIGNS and the Greeks looked for WISDOM, but the message preached is CHRIST CRUCIFIED, which is a STUMBLING BLOCK to the Jews and FOOLISHNESS to the Gentiles, but to those whom God called, those who BELIEVE the message preached, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ IS the POWER of God and the WISDOM of God.  

 

The WISDOM and POWER of the ALMIGHTY GOD FAR SUPERSCEDES that of MANKIND.  The FOOLISHNESS of God is WISER than HUMAN WISDOM, and the WEAKNESS of God is STRONGER than HUMAN STRENGTH.   Who else can SPEAK a WORLD into existence or CALM a RAGING SEA, or SAVE MANKIND from their sins and from an ETERNITY in HELL, with all of its HORRORS.  Let me tell you who.  It is the ONLY ONE, the OMNISCIENT, OMNIPOTENT GOD.  He is the ANSWER for a LOST and DYING world. 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to Him, then you are headed for an ETERNITY in Hell, with NO WAY OF ESCAPE.  God is giving you the opportunity NOW, to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and to TURN 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 ESCAPE HELL and GAIN HEAVEN, through Jesus Christ, who is the WISDOM and POWER of the ALMIGHTY GOD.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Eagerly Awaiting the Lord Jesus Christ"

“Eagerly Awaiting the Lord Jesus Christ”

 

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.   He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.        1 Corinthians 1:7-8

 

In the Apostle Paul’s letter, to the TRUE SANCTIFIED BELIEVERS, in the city of Corinth, he encourages them to use the SPIRITUAL GIFTS that the Lord has blessed them with, through the power of His Holy Spirit.

 

They are to use them as they EAGERLY WAIT for the Lord Jesus Christ to RETURN.  He will KEEP them FIRM to the END.   This means that He will KEEP them STEADFAST in their FAITH until the END of the AGE.   God will ENCOURAGE and ENABLE them to STAND STRONG and not waiver in their FAITHFULNESS.  To STAY CLOSE to Him, as the sheep do to the Shepherd.   And when they do this they will be BLAMELESS on the day that the Lord Jesus Christ RETURNS.  

 

These words of ENCOURAGEMENT, is also APPLICABLE to the TRUE SANCTIFIED BELIEVERS of this DAY and AGE.  Are you using your SPIRITUAL GIFTS to further the cause of Jesus Christ?  And while you are using them, are you EAGERLY AWAITING His return?   Are you STANDING FIRM in your FAITH, so that you might be found BLAMELESS, when He RETURNS? 

 

And if you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are NOT EAGERLY AWAITING the Lord Jesus Christ, and you have NO SPIRITUAL GIFTS, nor will you be found BLAMELESS.  But you will be found GUILTY and will be sentenced to an ETERNITY in Hell with ALL of its HORRORS, and with NO WAY OF ESCAPE.   You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL of 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 SANCTIFIED BELIEVER, who is EAGERLY AWAITING the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Where is This Coming He Promised?"

“Where is This Coming He Promised?”

 

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.  They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised?  Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”      2 Peter 3:3-4

Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.        2 Peter 3:15

 

The devil’s people will scoff or mock anything related to God, from CREATION to the END of the AGE.   Many of them will ridicule the TRUE BELIEVER’S belief in the RAPTURE of God’s people, and the SECOND COMING of the Lord Jesus.  Because it has NOT happened YET, doesn’t mean that it WON’T HAPPEN at all. 

 

God’s PATIENCE means SALVATION.  It is the will of God that NO ONE PERISH.  John 3:16 says, “For God so LOVED the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not PERISH but have ETERNAL LIFE.”  His delay is by His OWN choice, because of His GREAT LOVE, ABUNDANT MERCY and AMAZING GRACE, His DESIRE is that EVERYONE who will ACCEPT Jesus Christ as their SAVIOR and LORD would be SAVED and would NOT PERISH, or spend an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY OF ESCAPE. 

 

God is waiting for that LAST PERSON to come to Him for their SALVATION then He will give the call to His Son:  “Son, go get my Children!”  We do not know WHO that LAST PERSON might be, only God KNOWS.  Are you READY for Jesus to RETURN?  You can be if you will TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN 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 one of His Children, who will leave this world for an ETERNITY in Heaven, and will NOT PERISH in Hell.   Do this NOW, while you still can.   He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"A Compelling Love"

“A Compelling Love”

 

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.         2 Corinthians 5:14-15

 

I believe that when God created mankind, He created them with the DESIRE and NEED to be LOVED.   Now, there are many different kinds of love, such as, Philia—brotherly love, Eros---erotic love, and Agape--- unconditional ‘God’ love.  Philia love is the kind of love we have for friends.   Eros love is an erotic love, and Agape love is the love that God has for His Children.  We are going to talk about AGAPE LOVE.  This type of LOVE is the LOVE that people search and search for.  It is the ONLY type of LOVE that is TRULY SATISFYING, UNCONDITIONAL, UNFAILING, and ETERNAL. 

 

Because of the LOVE of Christ, who died for ALL MANKIND, not just the Jews, or the Gentiles, but for ALL of MANKIND.  RECONCILIATION between God and mankind was provided.  There was NO OTHER WAY.  NO OTHER SACRIFICE could bring about ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with the ALMIGHTY GOD, except for the DEATH and RESURRECTION of Christ Jesus, our Lord.   The LOVE of God was EXEMPLIFIED through the DEATH of Christ on the cross.  God desired a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with the Crown of His Creation, MANKIND, therefore, in order to have that RIGHT RELATIONSHIP, there had to be SACRIFICAL ATONEMENT, for the sins of MANKIND.   Jesus Christ was that SACRIFICAL ATONEMENT.   

 

Jesus died for ALL.  He was the MEANS of God being RECONCILED to mankind.   And because of this Act of RECONCILIATION, mankind has the opportunity to LIVE for Christ, and no longer for themselves.  They can EXEMPLIFY THEIR LOVE for God, by LIVING for Christ, because He DIED for them, but PRAISE GOD, He’s NO LONGER DEAD, but is in Heaven, at the right-hand of FATHER GOD, interceding for ALL of God’s Children.   Have you been RECONCILED to God?  Have you experienced His AGAPE LOVE? 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are NOT RECONCILED to Him, and you are probably still searching for His AGAPE LOVE, the kind of LOVE that COMPELLED Jesus to DIE for us, and the kind of LOVE that COMPELS us to LIVE for Him.   In order for you to be RECONCILED to God and to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL of its HORRORS, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURN 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 be COMPELLED to LIVE for HIM, because He DIED for YOU!  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Seen and the Unseen"

“The Seen and the Unseen”

 

Therefore we do not lose heart.   Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.   For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.       2 Corinthians 4:16-18

 

Many of us can relate with what the Apostle Paul was saying:  “Though outwardly we are wasting away,” as we GROW OLDER, our earthly bodies ‘waste away’, and we are ever aware of our mortality.  However, as we AGE outwardly, we also are RENEWED INWARDLY, DAY by DAY, as we become MORE and MORE like our Lord Jesus Christ.   Therefore Paul could say with ALL SINCERITY, “Do NOT lose HEART!”

 

The Apostle Paul considered his troubles and sufferings to be LIGHT and MOMENTARY, no matter how SEVERE they ACTUALLY WERE.  He could say this, when he weighed his problems in light of the ETERNAL GLORY that awaited him.   He goes on to ENCOURAGE the TRUE BELIEVERS NOT to FIX their EYES on what is SEEN, which are the material things of this world, the things that will waste away, and be destroyed with this world, but to FOCUS on the UNSEEN things of their inner being, those things that are their ETERNAL GLORY, and will NEVER FADE, nor WASTE AWAY.

 

What are your EYES FOCUSED ON?  The things of this DOOMED WORLD?  Or on the UNSEEN things of an ETERNAL GLORY, an ETERNITY in Heaven with ALL of its BLESSINGS?  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you cannot FOCUS on the UNSEEN THINGS, but your eyes are on those things that will WASTE AWAY and be DESTROYED with this WORLD.  And you will be DESTROYED TOO, because of your UNBELIEF.  You cannot have both worlds.  You MUST CHOOSE.  If you choose to focus on the UNSEEN THINGS, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN 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 FOCUS on the UNSEEN things, your ETERNAL GLORY.    Do this NOW, while you still can.   He waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Love and Faithfulness"

“Love and Faithfulness”

 

Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.      Proverbs 16:6

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”                           Luke 23:34

 

I believe that the CRUCIFIXION of Jesus Christ is a CLEAR and PRECISE picture of the LOVE and FAITHFULNESS of God, for the Crown of His Creation; MANKIND.  Even while He hung on the cross, in the form of a man, BLOODY and BEATEN, He cried out, “Father, FORGIVE THEM, for they do not know what they are doing.” 

 

His FORGIVENESS was given because of His LOVE and FAITHFULNESS for mankind.  What kind of LOVE and FAITHFULNESS is it that would COMPEL someone to want FORGIVENESS for the ones who were inflicting such PAIN, MISERY, and HEARTACHE on the one hanging nearly naked, suspended above the earth?  And having to endure the HUMILIATION, TAUNTING, JEERING, and INSULTS from the crowd of people passing by, stopping long enough to hurl their profanities and insults at the very ONE who created them.   

 

It is a LOVE and FAITHFULNESS that we may NEVER understand, not in this life, anyway.   But I, for one, am very THANKFUL that because of that LOVE and FAITHFULNESS, I have been SET FREE from my sins, and have been REDEEMED by the BLOOD of the LAMB, ADOPTED into the Family of God, and as His Child, I will spend ALL of ETERNITY in Heaven with God, my Heavenly Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Have you experienced the LOVE and FAITHFULNESS of God?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are headed for an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL of its HORRORS.  Let me tell you, there will NOT be any PARTY in Hell, the PARTY is in HEAVEN, as a matter of fact, it is a DINNER PARTY, and ONLY WHITE ROBES are allowed.  In order to be a part of the DINNER PARTY in Heaven, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sins, and TURN 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 you must ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be INVITED to the DINNER PARTY in Heaven, wearing your WHITE ROBE, as a Child of the LIVING GOD.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Watch and Pray!"

“Watch and Pray!”

 

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”          Matthew 26:41

 

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!   No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.   But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.        1 Corinthians 10:12-13

 

“WATCH and PRAY!”  This was the command of the Lord Jesus, when He took three of His disciples, Peter and the two sons of Zebedee into the Garden of Gethsemane.  He was asking them to STAY AWAKE and PRAY with Him.  He went a little farther away from them to do His PRAYING.  After a while He went back to where He had left them and found them ASLEEP.  At this MOST CRITICAL time in Jesus’ life, they FELL to the TEMPTATION of the FLESH.   Notice what Jesus told them:  “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”   That is the problem, when dealing with TEMPTATION.  Mankind’s spirit is WILLING to do what is RIGHT, but the FLESH is WEAK and if you are NOT ALERT and PRAYED UP you will FALL to the TEMPTATION.

 

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Christians in Rome, says:  “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do---this I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is the sin living in me that does it.”  (Romans 7:19-20)   Once a person FALLS into TEMPTATION, they are allowing the desires of the FLESH, (sins) to LIVE in them and they are DEFILING their soul with the vileness of the SINS.  No matter how willing the spirit is, the flesh will fall, when you allow yourself to succumb to the TEMPTATION.

 

But, our Scripture, in 1 Corinthians, tells us that there IS a WAY to OVERCOME TEMPTATION:  No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.   And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”   Jesus’ command to His disciples was to WATCH, or to be ALERT and PRAY, these are the weapons we MUST use in order to KEEP FROM FALLING into TEMPTATION.  When we have it in our HEART, NOT to FALL into TEMPTATION, and are ALERT and PRAYED UP, God is FAITHFUL, and will provide a WAY for us to ESCAPE the TEMPTATION.   Paul says, that there is NO TEMPTATION that has OVERTAKEN YOU except what is COMMON to mankind.  These are TEMPTATIONS that mankind has faced throughout the ages, and they can be met and endured through DEPENDING on GOD’S FAITHFULNESS and by WATCHING and PRAYING. 

 

 If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are LIVING in SIN and are destined for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  You habitually FALL to TEMPTATION and are ALLOWING SIN to reign in your life.  God, however, has a PLAN to SAVE you from your SINS and to FREE you from the condemnation of an ETERNITY in Hell.  You MUST TURN AWAY from your sinful lifestyle, and TURN 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 VICTOR over TEMPTATION, SIN and HELL.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

"Conceal or Confess?"

“Conceal or Confess?”

 

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.      Proverbs 28:13

“I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am He, you will indeed die in your sins.”     John 8:24

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.        1 John 1:9

 

Throughout the Bible we are urged to CONFESS our sins to the Almighty God.  The Holy Scriptures tells us that: “Whatever is HIDDEN is meant to be DISCLOSED, and whatever is CONCEALED is meant to be brought OUT into the OPEN.”  (Mark 4:22)   NOTHING escapes the eyes of the ALMIGHTY God.  You cannot HIDE any sins, no matter how hard you might try.

 

Jesus told the Pharisees that they would DIE in their sins, because of their UNBELIEF, that He was the SON of God, the MESSIAH, they claimed that Jesus was BLASPHEMING. And that was why they wanted Him DEAD.  So our Lord Jesus Christ, told them: “I told you that you would die in your sins, if you do not BELIEVE that I am He, you will indeed die in your sins.”  For the WAGES of SIN is DEATH, but the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Rom. 6:23)

 

And not only does the Holy Scriptures tell us what happens when we DON’T CONFESS our sins to God.  It also tells us what happens to those who DO BELIEVE, and will ACCEPT, in their HEART, the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  It says:  “If we CONFESS our sins, He is FAITHFUL and JUST and will FORGIVE us our sins and PURIFY us from ALL unrighteousness. “ They will be set FREE from their sins and will receive an ETERNITY in Heaven.

 

If you have NOT CONFESSED your sins to God, and are trying to CONCEAL them, you will DIE in your SINS, and will spend an ETERNITY in Hell with ALL of its HORRORS.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sins, and TURN 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 be SET FREE, and on your way to HEAVEN for ALL of ETERNITY.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Testimony of a King"

“The Testimony of a King”

 

I will tell about your goodness in the great meeting of your people.  Lord, you know my lips are not silent.  I do not hide your goodness in my heart; I speak about your loyalty and salvation.  I do not hide your love and truth from the people in the great meeting.          Psalm 40:9-10

 

David, who was probably the most noted king in biblical history, was a MIGHTY WARRIOR, a man after God’s own HEART.  David, like everyone, SINNED against God, but he did not ignore the fact that he was GUILTY of those sins.  David CONFESSED his sins to God and sought His FORGIVENESS.  He was indebted to God, for his many VICTORIES on the battlefield.  And for the many times God SAVED David from his enemies. 

 

David was EAGER and WILLING to TELL others about the GOODNESS of God.  He wanted them to KNOW about God’s LOYALTY and His SALVATION.  And David wanted others to EXPERIENCE God’s UNFAILING LOVE and to KNOW the TRUTH about the GOD of ALL the AGES, their ONLY HOPE for an ETERNITY in Heaven.

 

If you are a TRUE BELIEVER, and are EXPERIENCING God’s GOODNESS, LOYALTY, SALVATION, LOVE and TRUTH, and He has REDEEMED your soul and FORGIVEN your sins, and SAVED you from an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS, then you, like King David, need to be EAGER and WILLING to tell others, who do NOT KNOW about God’s SALVATION, or have not EXPERIENCED His GOODNESS, LOYALTY, SALVATION or His UNFAILING LOVE and the TRUTH.  You NEED to TELL SOMEBODY!  NOW, it may be the ONLY opportunity they will have to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, and to GAIN an ETERNITY in HEAVEN. 

 

If YOU have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are headed to an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  But I, like King David, MUST tell you that because of God’s GOODNESS, LOVE, and SALVATION, you have the opportunity NOW, to come to Him and ESCAPE HELL.  You do that by:  TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURNING 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 TRUE BELIEVER, who is EAGER and WILLING to TELL others about our AMAZING GOD and His LOVE for them.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"FORGIVENESS"

“FORGIVENESS”

 

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.          Ephesians 4:22

You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.     Psalm 86:5

The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him;            Daniel 9:9

But the gift is not like the trespass.  For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!         Romans 5:15

 

FORGIVENESS, is the WILLINGNESS to FORGIVE.  When a person comes to the realization of their sins, and feels GUILTY and REMORSEFUL of their sins and seeks FORGIVENESS from God, for their sinful lifestyle, God is FAITHFUL and JUST to FORGIVE them of their sins IF they are willing to FORGIVE others, as in Christ God FORGIVES them.  This can be a difficult thing to do.  Some seem to have a VENGEFUL HEART, and are NOT willing to FORGIVE as God FORGIVES them. 

In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus says:  “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will NOT forgive your sins.    We can do this, by the work of the Holy Spirit, who indwells us, when we SUBMIT ourselves to Him.

 

We have the GIFT of FORGIVENESS, because of God’s attributes.  This is what the Bible tells us about God’s FORGIVENESS, and why He is WILLING to provide it for us.  First of all we have His FORGIVENESS because of His LOVE.  Psalm 86:5, tells us that God is FORGIVING, GOOD, and ABOUNDING in LOVE to ALL who call on Him.  He LOVES us SO MUCH, that He GAVE His ONLY SON to DIE for each of us. That we might have His FORGIVENESS. 

 

Next, in Daniel 9:9, we see: The Lord our God is MERCIFUL and FORGIVING, even though we have REBELLED against Him.  MERCY is NOT receiving the punishment that WE deserve, because of our sins.  So because God is MERCIFUL we have FORGIVENESS of our sins.

 

The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 5:15; that the gift is not like the trespass.  For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, (Adam) how much more did God’s GRACE and the gift that came by the GRACE of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!  Grace is God’s UNMERITED FAVOR:  We receive what we DON’T deserve, SALVATION.   Are you a RECIPIENT of God’s FORGIVENESS, because of His LOVE, MERCY, and GRACE?  You can be if you will TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN 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.  The ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and FORGIVENESS, through His LOVE, MERCY and GRACE.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!