"Being Reconciled to God"

“Being Reconciled to God”

 

All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.  And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.          2 Corinthians 5:18-21

 

In these verses of Scriptures, we see a two-fold process of the act of reconciliation.  First is the MINISTRY of RECONCILIATION:  This is the WITNESSING process of this ministry and it is the testimony of those who have been reconciled to God.  They MUST SHARE their RECONCILIATION experience with those who NEED to be RECONCILED to God.  They are the AMBASSADORS of Christ, and through them God uses His Holy Spirit to make the appeal for RECONCILIATION.  

 

The second part of this two-fold process is the MESSAGE of RECONCIIATION.  The MESSAGE is that God took His Only Begotten Son and made Him, who had NO SIN to become SIN for US, so that in Him we might become RECONCILED to God and become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God.  Christ became the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE for this lost and dying world.  A world DRENCHED in SIN and DEPRAVITY.  A world in DESPERATE NEED of being RECONCILED to a HOLY, RIGHTEOUS GOD.  And the ONLY WAY for that to happen was for Christ to come to this world as a man, and to be offered up as the ONLY SACRIFICE that would bring RECONCILIATION between mankind and his CREATOR GOD. 

 

This took place on an old rugged wooden cross, when the Holy RIGHTEOUS God who came in the form of a human being, the Lord Jesus Christ, took on the sins of ALL mankind, past, present and future, He who knew NO SIN, became SIN so that WE might be RECONCILED to God, in order for us to become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God.  WHAT A MIRACEL of REGENERATION, RESTORATION, and RECONCILIATION to become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of the ALMIGHTY GOD.

 

Have you been RECONCILED to God?  You can be, 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 be RECONCILED to Him and receive the HOPE of ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven.  Do it NOW, while you still can. He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Glory versus Greater Glory!"

“Glory versus Greater Glory!”

 

If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!  For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.  And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!      2 Corinthians 3:9-11

 

The Apostle Paul was informing the Corinthian believers, of the comparison between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.   The Old Covenant came by way of the Commandments, which brought condemnation upon mankind, if you broke one commandment, you broke them all. 

 

However, the ministry of the New Covenant, came by way of the Spirit of God and leads mankind to a SAVING-KNOWLEDGE or FAITH in Jesus Christ, who suffered and died so that we might be FREED from our sins.  The New Covenant brought LIFE, and RIGHTEOUSNESS.

 

The Old Covenant was glorious, but the New Covenant, which is the ministry and life of Jesus, produced a GREATER GLORY than the Old Covenant, which could not give SALVATION, only CONDEMNATION.  The glory of the Old Covenant has faded away in light of the glory of the New Covenant.  And so if the Old Covenant, which has faded away, came with GLORY, how much GREATER is the GLORY which came through the New Covenant, which lasts throughout eternity!  Thanks be to the Almighty God for the New Covenant, which produces the GREATER GLORY.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you cannot experience this GREATER GLORY, but you are living under condemnation and facing a SPIRITUAL DEATH that will lead you straight to Hell, the place of perpetual torment, torture, heartache, pain and despair for ALL of eternity.  But because of the New Covenant you can be brought into a SAVING-KNOWLEDGE of Jesus Christ and be given the HOPE of Heaven, 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 experience His GREATER GLORY.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Seen is Temporary, Unseen is Eternal!"

“Seen is Temporary, Unseen is Eternal!”

 

 

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far 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 4:17-18

 

The Apostle Paul was under a lot of suffering and persecution, he experienced a lot of troubles, but he weighed the things that were troublesome to him with the things that awaited him in glory, and came to the conclusion that the UNSEEN things far outweighed the SEEN things.

 

He considered his troubles to be LIGHT and MOMENTARY in comparison with the ETERNAL GLORY that awaited him.  Paul was giving this comparison to the believers in Corinth, to encourage them in their walk with the Lord.  He wanted to impress upon them that their troubles, like his troubles were LIGHT and MOMENTARY, and were achieving an ETERNAL GLORY that would be FAR BEYOND their suffering, an ETERNAL GLORY that would last throughout ALL of ETERNITY.   

 

Paul’s message is applicable to ALL TRUE BELIEVERS throughout the ages.  Those who have lived through SUFFERING and TROUBLES, and have received their ETERNAL GLORY, and to those of us who are at the present time, experiencing SUFFERING and TROUBLES, we too will one day KNOW that what we experienced here on this earth can’t come ANYWHERE close to comparing to the ETERNAL GLORY that awaits us.

 

Paul goes on to say that we should NOT fix our eyes on what can be SEEN, but on what is UNSEEN, because what is SEEN is TEMPORARY, but what is UNSEEN is ETERNAL and will NOT fade away.  What the “inner man” or the HEART, sees far OUTWEIGHS what our physical eyes can see.  What a GLORIOUS experience awaits those who have given their HEART and LIFE to God.

 

Have you given your HEART and LIFE to God?  If not you do NOT have the HOPE of an ETERNAL GLORY, only the hope of an ETERNITY of torment, torture, pain, agony, heartache, and despair, in a place called Hell.  But God, in His infinite MERCY, is giving you the opportunity 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 fix your eyes on the UNSEEN things that are ETERNAL and NOT on the SEEN things that are TEMPORARY and will one day FADE AWAY.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Demise of an Ungodly Nation"

“The Demise of an Ungodly Nation”

 

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in Him, but with an overwhelming flood He will make an end of Nineveh; He will pursue His foes into the realm of darkness.      Nahum 1:7-8

 

Nineveh was the capital of one of the vilest, cruelest, idolatrous, most powerful empires in the world, the Assyrian empire.  It was the place and the time where Jonah, a prophet of God, disobeyed God’s command, and ran from God and His plans for the people of Nineveh.  But you cannot RUN or HIDE from the Almighty God.  So Jonah, in his disobedient behavior toward God, found himself in a few difficult situations, however he came to his senses and obeyed God’s commands and preached to the people in Nineveh, and many were SAVED. 

 

People make up a nation, and it is the people who make the nation what it is.  At this point in time, those who had been saved by the preaching of the prophet Jonah, are long since dead and gone.  And a new breed of people then did make up the nation and its spiritual outlook, which seems to be an outlook against the Lord God Almighty. 

 

His warning is that He will make an END of Nineveh, even to the point of pursuing His foes into the realm of darkness.  They CANNOT escape His wrath.  Whatever they plot or plan against Him, He will bring it to an end. 

 

In verse twelve it says:  This is what the Lord says:  “Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be destroyed and pass away.”  The Assyrian empire is NO MORE!  In 610 B.C. the Assyrian empire was conquered by the Babylonians.   God is TRULY a God of His Word.  He will accomplish what He wants done. 

 

Our Scripture for today, says that:  “The Lord is GOOD, He will be a REFUGE in times of trouble.  He CARES for those who TRUST in Him.”  However for those who are WICKED, EVIL, DEPRAVED and PERVERTED, He will destroy.   There will be no escape! 

 

Therefore, if you have not given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are living a SINFUL life, and like the people in Nineveh, who were brought SALVATION and WARNINGS from the Prophets Jonah and Nahum, many received SALVATION, but many did not, and they along with their town and empire suffered DEFEAT from their enemies.  You can be VICTORIOUS, today, if you will 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 TURN AWAY from your sinful life and STOP contributing to the sins of a nation, which is working against the Almighty God, who is the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE.   Come to Him NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

"The Perfect High Priest"

“The Perfect High Priest”

 

 

Such a high priest truly meets our need---one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.  Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people.  He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself.        Hebrews 7:26-27

 

Jesus has many titles and positions, but the one that is probably the most beneficial to mankind is His title and position of High Priest.  As a High Priest, He not only meets the qualifications of a High Priest, but He goes BEYOND those qualifications.  He is HOLY, BLAMELESS, PURE, SET APART FROM SINNERS, and EXALTED ABOVE THE HEAVENS. 

 

He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because He who knew NO SIN, became SIN, by being the PERFECT SACRIFICE, Himself.  And taking on the SINS of ALL MANKIND from Genesis to Revelation, and who is a ONCE FOR ALL, sacrifice, which is PERFECT and COMPLETE, makes it a ONE time SACRIFICAL ACT that secures ETERNAL SALVATION for ALL who come to Him for the FORGIVENESS of their sins.

 

His SUFFERING and SACRIFICIAL ACT, made ONCE FOR ALL, makes Him the PERFECT HIGH PRIEST, who is HOLY, BLAMELESS, PURE, SET APART FROM SINNERS, and EXALTED ABOVE THE HEAVENS, yet, He was tempted as mankind is tempted, but He NEVER fell to ANY temptation, and remains SINLESS and PURE, HOLY and RIGHTEOUS. 

 

Jesus Christ, the PERFECT HIGH PRIEST, seated at the right hand of the Holy God of the Universe, interceding for ALL TRUE BELIEVERS, gives them the CONFIDENCE and ASSURANCE of their SALVATION, and He is the DOOR to the throne room of Heaven, of which is the ONLY WAY to enter God’s presence.  

 

Have you come to the PERFECT HIGH PRIEST seeking the CONFIDENCE and ASSURANCE of a SALVATION experience?  If not then you are LOST and on your way to Hell, the place of ETERNAL torture, torment, heartache, pain, agony, and despair.  However, you are being given the opportunity NOW, to TURN AWAY from your sins and to TURN TO the PERFECT HIGH PRIEST, who gave His life, so that you might have ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven.  To do that you MUST 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, interceding for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and become part of God’s Holy Family.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"Adulterous People"

“Adulterous People”

 

 

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God?  Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.      James 4:4

 

James’ tone takes on a bit of hardness, I think you could say this verse is what is known as a “hard saying.”  I believe that James wanted to strongly emphasize the IMPORTANCE of what he was about to say.  In order to gain their attention, he spoke harshly, because some were NOT being totally LOYAL to God, but was still embracing the world.

 

When a person comes to God, for their SALVATION, they MUST STOP clinging to the ways of this SINFUL, WICKED, PERVERTED, and CORRUPT world.  They NEED to TOTALLY SUBMIT themselves to God.  You cannot LOVE the world and LOVE God, because the world is EVIL and DEPRAVED, but God is RIGHTEOUS and HOLY.  One, cannot be FAITHFUL to God and live according to their old life-style, they MUST TURN away from the world, which is enmity against God, and turn TOWARDS God and His ways.  You MUST be TOTALLY SUBMITTED to God and TOTALLY SEPARATED from the world.

 

Yes, while we are in this world, we must live according to certain aspects of this world, but we do not have to partake in the UNGODLY, WICKED, and CORRUPT aspects, just because you want to fit in.  In 1John 2:15-17, John says:  “Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.  For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes NOT from the Father, but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”   You do have a choice. 

 

If you are a TRUE BELIEVER, and still dabbling in the things of this world, then you are committing “spiritual adultery,” you are having an illegitimate relationship with the world and are at enmity with God.  You NEED to LET GO of ALL your OLD life-style ways and TURN to God with a TOTALLY SUBMISSIVE HEART.  SEEKING to live a TOTALLY SUBMISSIVE LIFE under the control of the Holy Spirit, which indwells you.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are LOST and without HOPE, and on your way to spending an ETERNITY in HELL, the place of FOREVER torment, torture, heartache, agony, pain and despair, with NO WAY of escape, and you are at enmity with God.  However, you can change your destiny, NOW, 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 NO LONGER be LOST and without HOPE, and TOTALLY SEPARATE yourself from this wretched, wicked world, so YOU might have ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Rowdy, Polluted Tongue"

“The Rowdy, Polluted Tongue”

 

 

“The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by Hell.  All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind,

but no human being can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

James 3: 6-10

 

James’ letter to the twelve tribes of Israel, gives a clear and concise picture of a TRUE BELIEVER.  His instructions are spot on, and very appropriate for US today. 

 

His description of one of the smallest parts of the human anatomy, yet one of the MOST VILE, EVIL, DANGEROUS parts is the TONGUE.  The TONGUE must be CONTROLLED, CORRALLED, and CLEANSED. 

 

The Creator God, knew what He was doing when He put the TONGUE in a cage, of sorts, behind the teeth and lips, but that pesky, wicked tongue still manages to escape and a lot of times it causes chaos and often times heartaches.

 

The tongue is like a raging FIRE that is out of control and if it remains uncontrolled it can inflame the whole course of one’s life, bringing HAVOC and DESTRUCTION to everyone. 

 

The tongue is not only like a fire out of control, it is also like an UNTAMED animal.  Animals can be tamed by human beings, it is human nature taming animal nature.  But NO HUMAN can TAME the TONGUE, it is a RESTLESS EVIL, which is full of deadly poison.

 

And yet we use it to PRAISE GOD, and then we CURSE HIS CREATION, MANKIND.  James says, “This should NOT be.”   The fact that PRAISE and CURSING would come from the very same mouth, is definitely NOT pleasing to God.  He has made it very clear, a TRUE BELIEVER’S tongue should NOT be an INSTRUMENT of inconsistency.  Therefore, it must be CONTROLLED, CORRALLED, and CLEANSED.  This can ONLY be done through the work of the Holy Spirit of the Living God.  You MUST be OBEDIENT to the working of His Spirit in your life.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to Him, then you are NOT a TRUE BELIEVER, and your TONGUE is a ROWDY, POLLUTED TONGUE, that desperately NEEDS to be CONTROLLED, CORRALLED, and CLEANSED, before it starts a RAGING FIRE or becomes a FEROCIOUS, UNTAMED ANIMAL causing HAVOC and HEARTACHE everywhere you go.  To change your course from being an UNBELIEVER to a TRUE BELIEVER, you MUST 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 let Him CONTROL, CORRAL and CLEANSE your TONGUE.   Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!