"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!!!

 

 

"Light and Darkness"

“Light and Darkness”

 

 

This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you:  God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.         1John 1:5-7

 

As Light, God both exposes and condemns sin or the darkness.  An individual who claims to have a relationship with God and still walks (lives) in the darkness, (sin) lies and the TRUTH is NOT in them.  They cannot have fellowship with God and CONTINUE in the darkness. 

 

There are many who try to carry out this lifestyle, but it is impossible, because God is LIGHT and in Him there is NO DARKNESS.   Some may be under the delusion that they have a relationship with God because they are a church member, but church membership does NOT bring you into the LIGHT and provide SALVATION for your soul.  And there are some who think because they live a “good” life, they don’t do ANYTHING wrong, they have a relationship with God, they too are deluded to believe that they have fellowship with Him. 

 

Fellowship with God, does NOT depend upon ANYTHING we do or have done.  We are NOT holy or righteous, until we come into the sphere of the LIGHT and allow our sins to be illuminated and with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESS our sins to God, asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL our HEART that Jesus died for our sins and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for us, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, because it is ONLY through the shed BLOOD of Jesus, His Son that we are able to have FELLOWSHIP with God.  This is the ONLY way to have a TRUE relationship with Him.  So do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Solid Foundation"

“The Solid Foundation”

 

 

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription:  “The Lord knows those who are His, and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”        2Timothy 2:19

 

In this part of the Apostle Paul’s letter to Timothy, Paul is giving Timothy some sound advice, concerning the attributes of a GOOD worker, and dealing with false teachers.  He is telling Timothy that there are some who are departing from the TRUTH, and are destroying the faith of some.

 

As words of encouragement for Timothy, the Apostle Paul encourages him with these words:  “Nevertheless, God’s SOLID foundation stands firm,” the SOLID FOUNDATION, which Paul was alluding to is the CHURCH, the BODY of BELIEVERS.   And that the defection of the two mentioned in the seventeenth verse, Hymenaeus and Philetus, should not shake Timothy’s confidence.

 

God’s SOLID FOUNDATION, the Church, is sealed with this inscription, which is in two parts:  “The Lord KNOWS those who are His,” this is the first part of the inscription.  This authenticates the relationship that God has with His TRUE Children, He KNOWS them PERSONALLY, and He is not fooled by those who try to sneak into His fold as wolves in sheep’s clothing. 

 

The second part of the inscription says that:  “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn AWAY from wickedness.”  ALL of the TRUE Children of God, who confesses the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, has the responsibility of REJECTING sin, by TURNING AWAY FROM wickedness.  They should keep their HEARTS and MINDS from being polluted with wickedness.

 

This inscription, which is used as a SEAL indicates the authenticity and integrity of the SOLID FOUNDATION, the Church, the body of believers, who STANDS FIRM and will not be shaken.  Just as with the fact that there will always be a remnant of the nation of Israel, there will always be the CHURCH, the BODY of BELIEVERS, the BODY of the LORD JESUS CHRIST!

 

Are you a part of that SOLID FOUNDATION?  Just attending a local church, does not make you a part of the SOLID FOUNDATION, you MUST come to Jesus 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 the SOLID FOUNDATION, the CHURCH, the BODY of BELIEVERS, the BODY of the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  Do it NOW, while you still can.   He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!