Messages

Vision

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23)

How do we see?

There are two aspects.  There is the physical/ mechanical aspect.  That is the structures that make vision possible.  The eyes that are like the lenses of a camera and then the brain that makes vision work.  All designed and made by the wisdom and power of God.

You see, we don’t really see with our eyes.  We see with our brains.  Our eyes are like high functioning living lenses.  But our brains are what see.  That’s why that when people have brain issues, they may hallucinate.  They may see things that are not really there.  Or they may see things wrongly.

So there is both a quantitative or structural aspect of vision, then there is a qualitative aspect that relates to how well we see.  If our eyes and brains are good we see clearly.  If they are not, then we won’t see so clearly.

So what causes our brains to see?  There is the mechanical/structural component that includes an organized mass of tissue, liquid and electrical impulses – all designed and made by God.  But is that all?

What about our perceptions?  What causes the brain to perceive rightly or wrongly?  To know right from wrong?  Does it only have to do with mechanics?  Is there something beyond the mechanical, biological and natural that causes the brain to perceive things rightly or wrongly?

What about the heart?  Is the heart able to cause the brain to perceive things appropriately or inappropriately?  And what is the heart?  Is it the muscle in us that pumps the blood that enables us to live physically?  I don’t think so.  Since the brain is what operates the heart also.

I believe the heart that rules the brain is the soul.  That part of you that makes you, you.  The part of you that is spiritual – not quantitative or mechanical, but spirit with qualities that relate to character.

1Sa 16:7  But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height (meaning king Saul), for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

The Lord doesn’t look at the physical, the Lord looks at the heart.  What do we look at and what do we look to?

Regarding the heart…

Pr 15:28  The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.  Pr 18:15  The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.  Pr 21:2  All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.

The condition of the heart determines the quality of the man or woman.

Ecc 2:8-11  I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well—the delights of the heart of man.  (Because this is what the world looks for and looks to.) I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.   Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

His heart lead him astray.

Isa 6:8-10  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”    

He said, “Go and tell this people: “ ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’   Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

It is the heart that affects how we are, how we see, what we think and what we do.

Jer 17:9-10  The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?   “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”

The Lord says that the human heart – call it the human soul is naturally evil.  Beyond curing.  The Lord sees this, though humanity mostly doesn’t.  As Jesus said…

Mt 15:18-20  But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’   For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander (and the like).  These are what make a man and woman ‘unclean’…

God says that the heart is deceptively wicked.  Who can know it?  If so, then it causes the brain to perceive things from a wicked perspective; causing the eyes to look at wicked things and this body, run by the heart and brain to say and to do wicked things.

But what makes the heart – that is, the soul evil?  Sin does.  The natural character of the soul of humanity is corrupted by sin – since the beginning.  Ro 3:23 …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

So at the core of who we are, we are bad.  As Paul cried out, Ro 7:24  “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”

Can anything make us good?  But God said through the prophet Ezekiel…

Eze 36:25-27  I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Only the Spirit of God, coming into our hearts – into our souls can make us good.

Ro 2:29  …a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.

It’s not about the outward, which is how the world perceives everything.  But it’s about God transforming sinners into the people of God, by His power.  This is what we are meant to be.  Not by law, but by the Spirit. 

And only through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, does the Holy Spirit come in and remain.  Christ is our righteousness and we are being made righteousness through the Spirit.

Ro 3:22-24  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There’s no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Ro 7:25 Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

It is the Spirit of God, coming into our hearts that makes us good.  And without the Spirit of God, people are lost and full of darkness.

There is nothing deeper, nothing more fundamental than the spirit of a person.  That spirit determines the condition of the heart – the soul.  It effects how we think and see things.  Because what is in our heart, determines our perspective.  …Whether we are seeing by the light of God or by darkness.

When by faith, a person receives Jesus Christ, we receive His death and resurrection.  Our sin is killed and buried with Him and new life begins with Him.  Then the Holy Spirit may come in and transform our hearts and make us complete in God. 

He is making believers to be like our Father in Heaven – with His character at the core of our being, which then determines how we see and how we live, through Him.  Enabling us to separate the truth from the garbage.

So that by the Spirit of God, our heart – our soul is transformed, so that our minds – our brains may see and process as God sees.  So that we may see and act with the qualities of God, having been born of God through the Spirit.

This happens at the deepest and most fundamental level of the human being, which controls everything – where the Spirit of God now lives.  Where He performs His surgery – removing all that will impair His goodness in us.  So that we may be filled with His light, our eyes enabled to see and our bodies enabled to do as Christ does. 

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

The Spirit of God operates by His Word?  …And He operates deeply – correcting the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts. 

1Co 2:11-14  The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him?  In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  (Who reveals them in us through Christ.)

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.  We speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.  

Without the Spirit, the worldly can only perceive from a worldly perspective.  But spiritual truths and spiritual words come only through the Spirit of God.

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Without the Spirit of God in them, the heart, soul, mind and actions are in darkness.  But through faith in Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, our soul is filled with His light – giving the qualities of eternal life to our heart, soul, mind and actions.

Because at our deepest and most fundamental level – that controls who we are and what we do, God is there.  He makes our eyes good and fills our bodies with light.

Certified

Jn 3:25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing.

A few years ago, the city attorney was putting together a policy for doing invocations prior to City Council meetings.  I believe that this was out of fear of reprisals for doing things like exalting Jesus.  There were about 10 criteria of which 3 or 4 made the comment – in so many words, “Since things like the Pledge of Allegiance and Invocations are only ceremonial…”

“Only ceremonial.”  It is unfortunate, that the norm of our society operates according to the bias of unbelief regarding Jesus.  Because although the ceremonial preceded the coming of Jesus, the real comes to all who believe in Him.

John’s followers here, did not yet know Jesus.

Jn 3:26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

“That man…”  That man is competing with what you have been doing and everyone is going to him instead of following you.  Doesn’t that concern you?

Jn 3:27 To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.

John knew who had commissioned him to do the work he was doing, baptizing for repentance.  But John also knew who Jesus is.  He knew that Jesus is the one who was meant to come; who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.  The baptism of the Holy Spirit is real, not ceremonial.

Jn 3:28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’

Jesus said about John in Mt 11:10-14, “This is the one about whom it is written: “ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you (Messiah), who will prepare the way before you.’

I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.

For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.

There was no competition at all.  John had a job to do.  And so does Jesus.

Jn 3:29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.

The bride is the church – people who have become one with Jesus.  There is no competition for the bride between the bridegroom and the best man.  Unless, of course, something inappropriate is going on and that was not the case with John and Jesus.

John was glad that believing people belong to Jesus.  John is a friend of Jesus who waits for Him and listens for Him.  John is full of joy when he hears the voice of Jesus, for he was waiting for Christ’s coming for His bride.  That joy was John’s and was now complete – the joy of seeing believing people becoming one with Jesus.

Jn 3:30 He must become greater; I must become less.

The best man has his place.  We have our place.  But the marriage is about the bride and the bridegroom.  The best man willingly bows out of the way.

And in the case of John and Jesus, there is no competition.  John wants Jesus to increase, and himself to decrease.  Because Jesus is God.

Jn 3:31 “The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.

John got his beginning here – though God had directed it.  John was fully human.  But Jesus is above all.  Jesus was fully human and is fully God.

Lk 1:5-7  In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.   Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

Lk 1:13-17  But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.  He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.

Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God.  And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Lk 1:23-24  When his time of service was completed, he returned home.  After this, Elizabeth became pregnant (by Zechariah) and for five months remained in seclusion.

Lk 1:35-37  But about Jesus, the angel told Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.  The Father of Jesus is God.

Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.  For nothing is impossible with God.”

Jn 1:32-34  John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.  I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”

And this was why the religious leaders wanted to stone Him and then condemned and crucified Jesus. 

Jn 10:33 “We are not stoning you for any of these (miracles),” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

Mt 26:63-66  The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

“Yes, it is as you say, “Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.  What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered.

And about Jesus, John continued…

Jn 3:32  He (Jesus) testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.

God of heaven understands first-hand everything about heaven and eternal life.  Jesus came from there, the Father is in Him and He is in the Father, so mere human beings have no clue.  It is only by revelation that we may see and know the things of God, through the Holy Spirit, whom believers receive from God through faith in Jesus.

Apart from the Spirit, men and women do not accept Jesus.

Jn 3:33 The man (or woman) who has accepted it (that is, accepted Jesus) has certified that God is truthful.

Those who accept Jesus, certify that God has done what He said He would do, and God certifies that we have been saved through faith in Christ, by the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Jn 1:12-13  Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Ro 8:15-16  For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

The Spirit of Jesus reveals this within us.

Jn 3:34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

Jn 3:35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given by God the Father to Jesus.  And it will remain that way until at the end of all things, when Jesus hands it all back to the Father, and God is all in all.

1Co 15:22-28  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.  Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.  The last enemy to be destroyed is death.  For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.

When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

John concludes with these words, which are in no way ceremonial – because they are the truth and are also our words who believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jn 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

All mankind since Adam has been under God’s wrath because of sin.  But faith in God regarding His promise of salvation for sinners, brings salvation to all who believe in Jesus.  For God’s wrath came on Jesus and is taken off of all who believe.  And not only is God’s judgment removed, but we are made children of God, and His Spirit certifies it.

These Have Come

1Pe 1:3-5  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Living hope.  There is a hope that is based on circumstances.  Then there is living hope that is based on Christ.  One is focused on things.  The other is focused on Christ.  One is joyful or sad based on how things work out.  The other has a heart that rests in Christ.  There may be ups and downs in emotions, but ultimately the heart finds rest in Christ alone.

…and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you,

God holds the future of all.  And He especially holds the future of those who are seated in Christ, in heaven.  He holds us – in Christ.  Our future is with God in heaven.  And the Holy Spirit confirms this in us as He holds us in God’s will, through faith in Christ. 

(We) …who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Our hearts are set at rest, as we live through the Spirit of Jesus; trusting and obeying His words by His power and grace.  Until the fullness of our salvation is realized in the last time – when time ends and eternity is our reality.

1Pe 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

By the Spirit we rejoice in salvation.  Even though, in this life, there may be all kinds of difficulties – that may temporarily cause us grief.  Because this life is temporary and short-term.  But eternal life is forever and has qualities that will include no trials and no grief.  But in this life, each of us, to varying degrees and in various ways, will suffer.

1Pe 1:7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Ol J. Vernon McGee once said, “For the child of God, in the will of God, nothing (bad) comes to them apart from the Lord’s permission.”  And may I add, nothing comes apart from the Lord’s purpose for us.

…so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may prove genuine and result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed to all.

Knowing Jesus is worth more than money and so is your faith in Him.  Money will not last forever, but Jesus Christ and your faith in Him will.  And not only last forever, but be proved genuine.  That is, may show itself to be real, by how the Spirit of the Lord transforms our character and deeds to be like Christ’s.  And just like He received praise, glory and honor – so will we who are in Him.

At times, God uses or allows trials to enter our lives to purify us from sin and from ourselves, in accord with His purpose.  As someone said, “When the Lord puts us into the furnace of affliction, His eye is on the flames and us, and His hand is on the thermostat.”

He knows what He is making of us.  And if we see clearly, we want Him too.

Unlike some in Jesus’ day and some in our day.  You see, there was this man who was born blind.

Jn 9:2 Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Certainly he could not have sinned before he was born and punished with blindness.  It must have been his parents.  They must have done something to deserve this disability coming on their son.  That was their perception.

But Jesus set them straight with the truth.

Jn 9:3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

To those who automatically look at hardship that comes on someone as being the result of sin, Jesus set them straight.  “That wasn’t it.”

Others may ask, “How could a loving God, allow disabilities like being born blind or for that matter, allow any form of hardship to come on anyone unless they did something really bad, deserving punishment.”

But the Creator knows why He creates and what it will take to accomplish His purpose for having created us.  And as the Creator of all, He has the right and authority to create us for His own purpose by His own methods.

And I would imagine, if any naysayers approached the man after he was healed, he would set them straight – having forgotten all about his past blindness in the light of his newly acquired vision and knowledge of the work of God, through Christ, in his life.

And even if in this life we are not physically healed, all the pain of this short life will be completely forgotten in the light of eternal life with God in heaven.

Now there are a number of things that can bring unnecessary suffering.  As Henri Nouwen wrote:  The job of the minister is not to keep people from suffering, but to help keep people from suffering unnecessarily.

Sometimes people suffer from doing what is wrong or stupid – that is, what they should not have done.  And sometimes people suffer from doing what is right – for doing what they should have done.

If things come on us for doing wrong, it’s to bring us to repentance and to learn what not to do.  If they come because we’ve done right, we are commended.

Sometimes things may seem to come for no apparent reason. 

Sometimes people are punished justly.  And sometimes they are punished unjustly.  Sometimes people suffer only in this life.  But it is much worse to suffer in the next life by rejecting Jesus.

It is better, if one must suffer, to do so doing what is right.  As Peter writes…

1Pe 2:19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.

Those who suffer unjustly, for doing good are honored.  Those who suffer justly, for doing evil, are just getting what they deserve. 

Those who are conscious of God can pray and receive grace in the midst of their suffering.  Those who are not conscious of God, only suffer.

1Pe 2:20  …how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it?  But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

Enduring punishment for doing wrong, is to no credit.  But enduring suffering for doing good, is honored by God.  Therefore…

Heb 12:7-8  Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?  If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

This is an important statement:  Endure hardship as discipline.   Endure all hardship as discipline.  Our Father knows what He is doing.  What if we could have that attitude as a reality in our lives? 

What would it do?

It would help us stop doing what was wrong and do what is right.  And if we were doing right to begin with, it would strengthen our resolve to continue.

We would never be defeated by discipline.  But we would see it as the wisdom and working of our heavenly Father, who knows what is best – who knows us best – who is treating us as His very own.

Heb 12:9-10  Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!  

Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

I want to share in His holiness.

Heb 12:11  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Therefore… don’t get defeated and depressed when hardship comes.  Learn of God.  Lean on Him.  Be trained by Him and He will fulfill His promise to produce in you and through you righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit – for that is what the kingdom of God is about.

Therefore…

Jas 1:2-3  Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Jas 1:4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

The testing of our faith, through trials of many kinds – of every kind, for that matter – develops in us an increasing perseverance for doing what is good, when we are trained by them.  Just as refining gold in a furnace, leads to greater purity and value from a worldly perspective.

But character refinement has value in this life and the next.  All of those qualities of Christ, including perseverance, are of the nature of God and endure forever.

Perseverance keeps us in the race, with increasing joy as all of the qualities of the Spirit are being developed in our nature – as God works in us and as we continue through all things – even hard things with Him, so that we may become mature in faith and in the knowledge of Christ, and in increasing in good works, through the power of the Spirit.

Until filled with Him, we lack nothing.

My New Name

Through the prophet Isaiah, God said…

Isa 62:1-2  For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.  The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.

Isaiah was pointing to the future – pointing to Christ and His church.  He is working that we, His church, may shine out His salvation – that the nations may see His righteousness and glory through us, who have been given a new name.

Rev 2:17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

To those who overcome in this age – a new name.  What name?

Remember Abraham…

Ge 17:5 No longer will you be called Abram (exalted father); your name will be Abraham (father of many), for I have made you a father of many nations.

Ge 17:6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.

He was renamed because of what God would do through Him – through Christ.

Remember Jacob…

Ge 32:24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.

Ge 32:25-26  When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.  Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Ge 32:27-28  The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered.  Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob (follower, replacer, one who follows at the heel), but Israel (he struggles with God), because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”

Ge 32:29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?”  Then he blessed him there.

And from the children of Jacob, the nation Israel came to be.

What about Peter…

Jn 1:40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said (regarding Jesus) and who had followed Jesus.

Jn 1:41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).

Jn 1:42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon (name meaning he has heard or obedient one) son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter (meaning rock)).

And on the rock of Peter’s testimony of faith in who Christ is, Jesus said He would build His church.

What about Paul…

Saul – means asked of God, dedicated to God.  Good name.

We know what he was, though – persecuting the church and all…  But He was changed, given a new name…

Ac 13:8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.

Ac 13:9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul (‘little’ – when I am weak, then I am strrong), filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,

Ac 13:10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?

What is your name?  What does your name mean?

Randy (Randall):  Wolf or shield.  I read once that it meant guided by wolves.  I didn’t like that much.

Denise:  follower of Dionysius – Greek god of wine and revelry.  Hmmm.  Party!

Joseph:  He (God) will add.

Daniel:  God is my judge.

Lindsey:  Island of linden trees (Welsh name)

Rachel:  Ewe – female sheep

Then I wanted to check to see what Gale’s name meant.  If it meant what is usually meant with the word ‘gale’.  It does.

Gale:  Strong wind.  But it also means Jovial.

What is our name?  Who do we think we are?

Do we have a new name?  And what does that name represent?  Is that new name, who we really are? 

What about the name of Jesus?

Mt 1:21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus (Yahweh saves), because he will save his people from their sins.”

Mt 1:22-23  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”

Give Him the name Jesus, because that’s who He is – God the Savior.  And they will call Him Immanuel, which means “God with us.”  Because that’s who He is.

Rev 17:14 They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

Lord of Lords and King of kings.  Because that’s who He is.  …chosen and faithful followers – that means us.

Rev 19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.

Rev 19:12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.

Rev 19:13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.

Rev 19:14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.

Rev 19:15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.

Rev 19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Rev 3:11  I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

Rev 3:12  Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.

Rev 3:13  He or she who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

There is being given a new name…

Then there is where Jesus says, ‘I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God coming out of heaven, and I will also write on you my new name.’

Faithful and True…  The Word of God…  King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Showing that we are God’s possession, being remade in His image – which is the image of Christ.  Not with our old name and old nature, but with the new self; like God in righteousness and holiness and Christ’s new name.

Eph 4:22-24  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Our old name – our old nature was corrupted by deceitful desires.  But not the new.

2Co 5:17  …if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

We have been made new and are being made new in our attitudes, in our character qualities; we have been recreated and are being recreated to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Heb 2:11  Both the one who makes men and women holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.

Brothers and sisters of Christ, we are of the same family; we have the same name. 

We have the name of our God and the name of Jesus – not only on us, identifying whose we are – but on the inside – through the Spirit, so that we may truly pray and live, in the name of Jesus.

Naked and Afraid

The ministry of the Word and prayer are largely meant for the strengthening of the church for life in this life, and for ministering to others regarding Christ for their salvation and strengthening.

There is a reality (unreality) documentary series called NAKED AND AFRAID.  I’ve never seen it, only ads for it, but it features men and women who are complete strangers attempting to survive 21 days together in some of the world's most extreme natural environments without food, water, or clothes.  So they go out into the wilderness, under extreme conditions and try to survive – naked.  Sounds dumb. 

But when I first heard about it, I couldn’t help think of Adam and Eve.

Ge 2:15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

In the beginning they lived in a worldly paradise.  It wasn’t a matter of survival, but a place of enjoyment.  But this did not last long.

Ge 2:16-17  And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

Resist evil, hold on to the good.

Ge 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food, and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.  She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.

What things today offer to fulfill our appetites, are pleasing to the eye, and offer insights that promise paradise – but end in death.

Ge 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

They saw – they felt that something was wrong and that something was now wrong between them and God.

Ge 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

Ge 3:9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

Ge 3:10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

Where once they had pleasant walks with the Lord in the cool of the day.  They were now naked and afraid.  And humanity has been afraid ever since.  And in many ways today, that fear seems to be increasing, as their dependence on God decreases.

What is the world afraid of?  What are we afraid of?

The farther people drift from God, the more fearful they become.  And the more fearful they become, the more susceptible they become to the tempting substitutes for God that promise satisfaction, but end in misery and despair.

Mal 2:16 “I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel, “and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,” says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.

It’s as if God is saying, “I hate the residuals of sin that began with Adam and Eve in the garden, naked and afraid.  And has expanded into divorce and violence and every other kind of ungodly behavior.”  So guard your heart, and do not break faith with Christ.

Ge 3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

In order to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve, the Lord provided animal skins for them.  But where did the animal skins come from? 

God sacrificed these animals, for the first time, in order to clothe them.  So in essence, because of their sin, Adam and Eve were now clothed in death.  Death had entered into the picture, and death is where the two of them would end up. 

We know about the sacrificial system that was part of the Law, given through Moses that ceremonially cleansed the priests and people from their sins – but could not change their hearts.  Sin has been the primary problem since Adam and Eve.

But these sacrifices, God required, pointed ahead to Jesus, who sacrificed himself to take away our sins and give us a new heart and new life in Him, sealed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  For good and not evil.

Ps 132:9 May your priests be clothed with righteousness; may your saints sing for joy.”

Christ is our righteousness.  We are His priests, His saints.  He is the One who loved us.

1Jn 4:18-19 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  We love because he first loved us.

Where once we were naked and afraid because of our sin and separation from God – with death and punishment that lay ahead, God so loved us that He gave His only Son. 

We need no longer live in fear of punishment for sin, because that punishment came upon Jesus for us – on our behalf, because of the love of God.  And God desires for us and is working in us, that we may be made perfect in love – without fear – so that we may truly love one another, because He truly first loved us.

Ro 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship and daughtership.  And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Ro 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

Ro 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

He first loved us so that we may no longer be slaves to fear.  So that through the Spirit, we may be adopted – born from above through faith in Jesus Christ, who sent His Spirit in to our hearts.  And by that Spirit we now cry out to God, “Daddy!”

The Spirit of the Lord Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, clothed with Christ.  No longer naked and afraid.

If we share in His sufferings while we are here, we will also – while we are here and when we are with Him forever in heaven, share in His glory.

2Co 5:2-3 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.

Unfortunately, this world is the realm of groaning.  Like Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart; I have overcome the world.”

By the Spirit, we have tasted of the kingdom that is coming.  Have you tasted the goodness of the Spirit of Christ and His word and the powers of the age to come?

Once you’ve tasted, nothing else compares.  Especially while we are still in this flesh and in this world.  But our hope is in Christ.

2Co 5:4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Even though we may have tasted of the goodness of the Lord, at times we may find ourselves falling short of it.  So, we groan and are burdened.  We may at times feel naked and afraid.

We want to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ – to be fully clothed in Him – in what we will be – when what is temporary and dying is swallowed up by eternal life.

We see we are not fully there yet, and groan.  But it does not change the fact that…

Gal 3:26-27  You are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

For all who have been baptized by the Holy Spirit have been clothed with Christ.  We are “all in” with Him.  Are you “all in” with Jesus.

Clothed in Christ…  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  (Galatians 3:28)

It’s not about race or gender or politics or anything else.  It’s about Christ.  He has made us and is making us one with Himself and with each other, through the gospel message and the through Spirit that He gave us.

Lk 24:45  Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

Lk 24:46-47  He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Repentance and forgiveness of sins.  “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.  If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”  (Luke 17:4)

Repentance opens the door to forgiveness.  Repentance means that a person changes the direction of his/her life, away from the old way of living, toward Christ.  One recognizes that he/she is on the wrong road, and choose the path of life.

Lk 24:48 You are witnesses of these things.

Lk 24:49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Being clothed with power from on high – that is, being filled with the Holy Spirit is both necessary and sufficient to resist evil and obey Jesus.  To keep us from fear.

Ro 8:9  You are not controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

If the Spirit lives in us, we are clothed with Christ and need not be afraid.  It is those who do not belong to Christ that are naked and afraid.

Ro 8:10  But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Col 3:10  …since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Keep stripping off all that relates to your old nature, putting on all that relates to your new self that is being renewed in the image of God.

Ro 8:11  And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

This is what it means to be clothed with Christ – to be clothed with righteousness, to be clothed and unafraid.  Because He is our righteousness in whom we have been clothed and in whom we live. 

Where once we were clothed in death, now we are clothed with eternal life.

A Season for Asking

Lk 11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

This passage begins with Jesus praying.  When He finished, one of his disciples wanted Jesus to teach him how to pray.  I have asked Jesus to teach me to pray like He did.  …To have that communion with the Father.

Lk 11:2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.

Lk 11:3 Give us each day our daily bread.

Lk 11:4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.  And lead us not into temptation.’ ”

The nature of this prayer seems to have three parts.  It is first about God, then us and then evil.  It’s about God meeting our needs and the overcoming the problem of evil. 

Lk 11:5 Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,

Lk 11:6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’

Suppose we have a neighbor and a friend, one who once said, “If you ever need anything feel free to ask.”  Later on, unexpected company arrives.  Another good friend has come from a long journey and has arrived late.  The friend is hungry and we are unprepared to give him anything – we had not gone to the store this week.

So we go to our neighbor and friend and ask for help – at 2am.  This is kind of bold considering the hour, but our love for this visiting friend is greater than the fear of disturbing our neighbor.  So we go to their house, and knock and ask for some bread.

Lk 11:7 “Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’

With our knocking, our neighbor wakes up grumpy and is not feeling very generous.  So much for, “Feel free to ask.”  It’s so much easier to make excuses than to be generous when you’re grumpy.  However…

Lk 11:8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

We could have said, okay… sorry for bothering you, and gone home empty-handed.  But the need and our desire to meet that need was greater than the reluctance on the part of our friend and neighbor.  So we persisted.  And what we wanted was granted.

Is God like that neighbor?  Is He a reluctant provider?

What if the need was salvation?  A lost friend came to our house in need salvation and we wanted to meet that need.  We realized that we alone, did not have what was needed.  So we sought God to give us the Bread of Life to give to our friend.

Is this a bother to God?    

Is the Lord reluctant to give us what is needed, considering what He has already done for us through Christ?  Or are we reluctant to ask?

Lk 18:7-8  And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he put them off?  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

It’s a matter of faith.  Do we have the faith to ask?

Lk 11:9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Lk 11:10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Now is the season for asking – now is the season for seeking – now is the season for knocking.  Because now is the day of salvation.

1Jn 5:14-15  This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Faith is confidence.  Do we lack confidence in approaching God?

Do we trust God?  Are our motives right?

Are we asking God for anything that He would not give us?  Are our motives to honor our Heavenly Father and to do what is right?

If our motives are wrong, it will be hard to have confidence when approaching God.  And if our motives are wrong, wouldn’t it be better if they were made right?  Isn’t that something God would want?  So ask. 

Lk 11:11-12  “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?  Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

Now there may be some things, that if our kids asked us for them, we would not give them.  Especially if we thought such things were against God’s will and bad for them.  But needed food would not be one of them.

Lk 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

So if we, sinful as we are, can discern what we should or should not give to our kids, how much more can the wisdom of God give what is really needed?

How much more?

How much more valuable are you and anyone else for whom Christ died, compared to every ’thing’ else in this universe God created and owns?  Much more.

How much more valuable are we, since Jesus saved us like He did?

Therefore, how much more will He give us what we really need?

How much more will our Father in heaven give us the Holy Spirit, if we ask Him!”

Isn’t the gift of the Holy Spirit the consummation of what Jesus came to earth to accomplish for all who believe?  Is not the Holy Spirit, what we truly lacked?  And is not fullness of the Holy Spirit what we need?

…so that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God?  (Ephesians 3:19, 4:13)

Col 2:9-10  For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

Our fullness is in Christ, who lives in us.

1Jn 5:14-15  This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Christ is our confidence in approaching God.  Jesus always did God’s will.  God always hears Him and as we abide in Him, God always hears us.  And if the result of Christ’s coming and our faith is the gift of the Holy Spirit.  It is also the will of God, that we be filled with the Holy Spirit?

How is our confidence in God?  …In approaching Him and asking Him for things?

Not doubting.  Not begging.  Not thinking that He won’t give.

Ps 37:5-6  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and …He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

So how should we ask?

In his book “Up From Slavery,” Booker T. Washington wrote:  …I have been asked, by people who are trying to secure money for philanthropic purposes, what rule or rules I followed to secure the interest and help of people who were able to contribute money to worthy objects.  As far as the science of what is called begging can be reduced to rules, I would say that I have had but two rules.  First, always to do my whole duty regarding making our work known to individuals and organizations; and second, not to worry about the results.

Present your case before God and don’t worry about the results.  Trust Him with them.

…I am learning more and more each year that all worry simply consumes, and to no purpose, just so much physical and mental strength that might otherwise be given to effective work.   Worry is a waste of time and energy.  Why worry, when you can pray?

…I have observed that those who have accomplished the greatest results are those who “keep under the body”; are those who never grow excited or lose self-control, but are always calm, self-controlled, patient and polite.   This shows confidence in God.

…In order to be successful in any kind of undertaking, I think the main thing is for one to grow to the point where he completely forgets himself; that is, to lose himself in a great cause.  In proportion as one loses himself in the way, in the same degree does he get the highest happiness out of his work.

To lose ourselves and pray according to God’s will and not worldly pleasures, for the cause of Christ, gives great joy.

Phil 4:6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The peace of God is God’s affirmation and confirmation toward us.  It’s God’s ‘Yes.”

…I have always avoided what the world calls ‘begging.’  I often tell people that I have never ‘begged’ any money, and I am not a ‘beggar.’  My experience and observation have convinced me that persistent asking outright for money from the rich does not, as a rule, secure help.   

I have usually proceeded on the principle that persons who possess sense enough to earn money have sense enough to know how to give it away, and that the mere making known of the facts… (regarding Tuskegee) has been more effective than outright begging.  I think that the presentation of facts, on a high, dignified plane, is all the begging that most rich people care for.  …They are grateful for us giving them the opportunity to help a good cause; for the privilege of having a share in it.

With God, we are not beggars.  We are family.  Therefore we should have great confidence in approaching our Father.  And if the rich have enough sense to earn and give away their money.  How much more does God, who is God, know what to give us?

Present your cause, on a high and dignified plane – respecting Him for who He is, and giving Him the opportunity to help, according to His good will and pleasure.

…more and more, rich people are coming to regard men and women who apply to them for help for worthy objects, not as beggars, but as agents for doing their work.

…I repeat that the main rule by which I have been guided in collecting money is to do my full duty in regard to giving people who have money and opportunity to help.

God is the owner of everything.  And as we are aligned with His good and perfect will, in Christ, we can know that whatever we ask, God will give it.

If we have the desire to honor Him by believing Him and putting His will into practice, how much more will He give us the Holy Spirit, to accomplish this, if we ask?  We have simply given Him the opportunity to help us in His work.

2Co 8:1-5  And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.  Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.  For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.  And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.

Wow!  Imagine if we went to them in the middle of the night asking for bread.  No reluctance here.  This is great confidence in God.  Giving beyond their ability.  This is the generosity of God, working through them. 

Giving one’s self, first to the Lord, and then to others according to God’s will, sounds a lot like Jesus.  And God will certainly give us everything we need, even the Holy Spirit, to go and do likewise?

So now is the season for asking.

Not Childish

1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

There is childish.  And there is child-like.

Childish means self-centered.  It’s all about me and my cravings – I want it – I need it.  And when I don’t get it, I’m not happy.  Childish has to do with the attitude, I want what I want regardless of what God says, or what others think or whether it is appropriate or whether it is good or bad for me or anyone else.

It’s like the difference between stubborn and steadfast.  Stubborn says, “I will have my own way and do what I want even if it kills me.”  Steadfast says, “With God as my helper, I will follow Christ and do what is right, even if it kills me.”

Jesus wants us to be child-like, not childish. 

Mk 10:15  I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

To have childlike faith means we look to Jesus and his instructions like a loving child looks to a wise and loving parent.  …Like one who is young and inexperienced, whose wisdom is limited, desires to look to one who is mature, experienced and can discern what one should do from what one should not do. 

Childlike faith is focused on Jesus and not on one’s self.

Paul says in 1 Cor. 13 that when he became a man – and I believe he is referring to when he became a new man in Christ.  Through the Spirit and according to his new nature, made to be like God in righteousness and holiness, he put away childish things. 

He put aside that which was of his old nature in order to live by the Spirit.  Like he is saying… “When I lived by the old nature, I talked like that nature, I thought like that nature and reasoned like that nature.  But when by Christ’s nature I grew up, I gave up my old childish nature and its cravings, in exchange for the kingdom of God.” 

Peter wrote…

1Pe 2:2-3  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

There’s the old and natural and there’s the Spiritual.

That which the old nature craves and has a taste for, is not as good as the Lord is.  Knowing Jesus is better.  Compared to knowing Jesus and living by Him, that which is of the world no longer tastes like it once did.  Worldly things used to taste pretty good, but they usually left a bad aftertaste.

One who has tasted that the Lord is good, now wants that which is of God, rather than that which is of the world, because that which is of God is better. 

That which is of the world spoils and its satisfying power runs out.  But that which is of God satisfies forever.  We may still enjoy some of the things of this world – things that God has made.  But we are careful not to become engrossed or obsessed with them. 

Worldly things will not satisfy like the pure milk of the Spirit, since we have tasted and found the Lord to be best.

Heb 5:13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.

Heb 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Just as it is healthy and appropriate for babies to grow up and grow out of having only milk, graduating to eating solid food, and if they don’t, something is amiss…  So it is spiritually. 

There is progress from milk to baby food to solid food.  Babies are about baby things, but progress moves them to what kids are about.  Kids grow into youths and the things that youths are about.  Then youths mature into young adults and then into mature adults.  And if everything goes appropriately, to what adults are meant to be about. 

…Learning and applying and growing and maturing and getting better at things that relate to this life…  So it is spiritually.

Newborn Christians begin being fed by the Word and taught about righteousness.  As they grow and apply these things that they are learning through the ministry of the Word of God – being trained by and using that which is of God and righteousness, they mature and get better at distinguishing between good and evil.  So that one day they may be able to choose and apply the good and resist what is evil.

Like Jesus taught in the parable of the sower…

Lk 8:14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.

Lk 8:15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

True believers, are good soil.

Paul wrote…

1Co 2:6 We… speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

1Co 2:7 No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

This is a key reason why the church exists and why it is important to train children and youth and adults in righteousness.  So that they may believe, grow and mature – able to discern good from evil and choose the good…

So that people may move from the childish wisdom of the world that is coming to nothing, to God’s secret wisdom that was hidden, but is now disclosed to believers through the Holy Spirit.  This wisdom was predestined for the glory of believers, before time began and is now disclosed through the Spirit, to all who believe. 

1Co 2:8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

The rulers of this age cannot taste and see that the Lord is good.  That’s why they crucified Him then and continue to refuse His gospel now.  They are engrossed in the old and the childish.

1Co 2:9 However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”—

1Co 2:10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

Through the Spirit, we know Christ.  We are know Him and are known by Him – who reveals Himself and the wisdom and qualities of His nature to us through His Spirit, who lives within us.

1Co 2:11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

That is why, unless a person believes in Jesus and receives the Holy Spirit, they may not understand the thoughts and ways of God, because such things are Spiritually discerned.  Worldly wisdom cannot comprehend them.  But by the Spirit we recognize Jesus.  Without the Spirit, one won’t.

1Co 2:12-16 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.   This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?”  But we have the mind of Christ.

We are not subject to the judgments of the world, because the world does not have the mind of Christ – who is the wisdom of God and who has all authority in heaven, and hell and the world.  The mind of Christ in us desires and is able to discern between good and evil and choose the good.  Even though the world may disagree.

Eph 4:11-13  (In the church, Paul wrote…) It was the Lord who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

This is why we meet and why we serve.

Eph 4:14-16  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

In many ways the people of the world are trapped in this.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  (And) From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

This is our calling. This is what we do.  Even though we are not perfect at it.

Like Paul said…

Phil 3:12  Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

When one has tasted and seen that the Lord is good, they want to press on and take hold of more of Him and what He is about.  They want to be made like Him.

Phil 3:13-15  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.

How mature are we?  How mature am I?  Sometimes I don’t press on very hard to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  I need the Lord’s help.

Paul writes in…

Col 4:12  Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

Prayer is very often like a wrestling match – especially against the enemy of our souls.

Wrestle in prayer for one another and wrestle for me.  Wrestle for those who are lost.  Wrestle for those who have been raised and trained and taught to understand righteousness and discern good from evil and choose the good. 

Wrestle so that we may stand firm in the complete will of God, mature and fully assured by the Spirit; fully assured of our standing in God and our calling in Christ.

And lastly…

Persevere.  Never, Never, Never give up on Christ.  As James wrote in Jas 1:4,  (So that) perseverance may finish its work – so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Not lacking anything of the Spirit of the Lord.

Deny Yourself

Mt 16:24   …Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

What is it about us that will last? 

\What in us that will last forever?

What is so tightly tied to our soul that we cannot deny it?

Is there anything that we would not give up for Jesus?

And are we really, our own?

We had nothing to do with our existence.  Because God alone makes babies.

Therefore, our children are not our own – but the gift of God.

And what about the sinful nature?  Human nature?

What about our so-called free will?

What do you want to hold onto forever?

What do you want to take with you when you leave?

What can you take with you?

What is worth keeping?  Worth more than Jesus?

And when must we let go? 

We cannot let go of the past, it’s already gone. 

We cannot let go of the future – though we may resolve to do so, it’s not here yet.

We can only let go of our self in the present – now.

And by the power of the Spirit, let go in every ‘now’ that presents itself in this life as long as we are here.

This is impossible to do by law.

So how did Jesus do it?  By love.

It is by love that we may continually deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus.  And this love is of God.

We cannot love this way except by the Spirit.  So we cease from our own laboring and striving, and live by Him.

As it says in Heb 4:9-10  There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.

Ceasing from our own labor, and living through Him.  We love because of Him, and deny ourselves, through Him.

Lk 7:36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.

Lk 7:37-38  When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

Lk 7:39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

Lk 7:40-42  Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said.   “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Lk 7:43  Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

Lk 7:44-47  Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.  You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.  Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

Lk 7:48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Lk 7:49  The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

Lk 7:50  Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Who did not deny them self in this passage, and who did?  And why?

There have been times when I have had twinges of embarrassment for what this woman did to Jesus.  But how completely and totally selfless she was in doing so.  And how much she knew she was forgiven of. 

Thinking how her sins were somehow worse than mine.  Simon must have felt that way – that her sins were worse than his.  And the more and the worse sins are, the less Jesus should forgive them.  Because we are somehow trapped in judging on the human merit system, rather than by love.

That’s the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the age in which we live. 

She loved much because she knew that she was forgiven much.  She believed Jesus, and was saved.  And the same applies to us.  Jesus loved us in His forgiving us.  And we are to go and do likewise.

Then our denying ourselves will be by the appropriate motivation.

Booker T. Washington, in his book ‘Up from Slavery’ wrote about a white pastor from Wisconsin, of a ‘little coloured Congregational church in Montgomery, Alabama 15 years or so after the Civil War.  The pastor had consented to come to Tuskegee, where Booker T. Washington and others had begun a school, to hold a Thanksgiving service. 

Washington wrote:  (Later) Mr. Bedford consented to become one of the trustees of the school (Tuskegee Institute) and in that capacity, and as a worker for it, he has been connected with it for eighteen years.  During this time he has borne the school upon his heart night and day, and is never so happy as when he is performing some service, no matter how humble, for it.  He completely obliterates himself in everything, and looks only for permission to service that is most disagreeable, and where others would not be attracted.  In all my relations with him, he has seemed to me to approach as nearly to the spirit of the Master as almost any man I ever met.

The part that stood out about Mr. Bedford is where Washington said… “He completely obliterates himself in everything…”

I think that’s what Jesus meant when we said that to follow Him, we must deny ourselves.  Deny meaning obliterate.

To obliterate would mean that there is nothing left.  Nothing left of the self.  Then, the taking up of our cross and following Jesus would be possible.

Like Paul said, “Love is not self-seeking.”  Because when the self has been obliterated, we will not get in the way of following Christ anywhere and any way He wants us to go.

Regarding the temptation to discouragement and despair. 

Missionary John Fraser, in the biography “Behind the Ranges” wrote:  …deliverance from the power of the evil one comes through definite resistance on the ground of the cross…

…We need different truths at different times.  Look to the Lord, some will say.  Resist the devil, is also Scripture.  And I found it worked.  The Lord Himself resisted the devil vocally:  Get the behind me, Satan!  I in humble dependence on Him, did the same.  I talked to Satan at that time (a time of discouragement), using the promises of Scripture as weapons.  And they worked.  Right then, the terrible oppression began to pass away.  One had to learn, gradually, how to use the new-found method of resistance.  I had so much to learn!  It seemed as if God were saying: ‘You are crying to me to do a big work (for me); …I am wanting to do a big work in you yourself.

The enemy did not retire at the first set-back.  (Sometime later Fraser was much tempted by evil recurring thoughts that almost became an obsession.)  He wrote:  ‘I claimed deliverance on the ground of my Redeemer’s victory on the Cross.  I even shouted my resistance to Satan and all his thoughts.  The obsession collapsed…  In times of conflict I still find deliverance through repeating Scripture out loud, appropriate Scripture, brought to my mind through the Holy Spirit.  It is like crashing through opposition.  ‘Resist the devil and he will flee from you.’

Lastly, he wrote… ‘I have given way to discouragement, dark discouragement, far too much in the past.  Now I know rather better, and thoroughly agree with the assertion, ‘all discouragement is of the devil.’  Discouragement is to be resisted like sin.  To give way to the one is just as bad and weakens us as much as to give way to the other.  …God has wonderfully sustained me… And has enabled me to trust Him more than ever before, to rejoice in Him more than ever before, and to believe more than ever before for a work of grace among the Lisu.  (The people in China to whom Fraser was called to serve.)

To deny one’s self, means to live by the Spirit – through whom we take up our cross and follow Jesus.

What the cross means for us is forgiveness of sins and victory over sin, death, hell and Satan… Trusting Christ and resisting evil.

Denying is resisting because we trust Jesus.  When we don’t deny ourselves, we are trusting ourselves.  And Jesus said, we cannot serve two masters.

The forgiven woman trusted Jesus – and she was changed.  I wonder how many, outside of the disciples on the day of Pentecost, were filled with the Holy Spirit – because they trusted Jesus.  How many today?

The Spirit-life, the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness, can be trusted and must not be denied, because it is of the Spirit.

Satan will say otherwise.  The woman, who loved Jesus so much, may have been tempted with the thought that nothing had really changed and that she may as well go back to the old life since it’s inevitable. 

Satan wants us to forget what Jesus has done and is doing and take our attention off of Jesus, and yield to Satanic suggestions.

Temptation is always Satan trying to destroy someone.  Grace is Jesus saving us and leading us.  Jesus is more powerful than Satan.  Satan is already defeated, though he is not already gone – but soon.

So denying is also remembering.  Remembering Whose we are.  Remembering Who has won.  Remembering Who loves us with an everlasting love.  Remembering from Whom no one can separate us.

Remembering to follow Him, wherever following Him requires us to go – even to the Cross.  Since there is not greater love than to give one’s life for a friend.

Long-Awaited King

Jesus was the long-awaited Savior, before He came to save us.  We needed to be saved.  So He came.  Though, in reality, He is never far away.

And in a sense, He is still the long-awaited Savior – who will come again to bring salvation to completion – to all who are waiting for Him.  That is, for all who are waiting for Him by faith, since it is faith that appropriates salvation.  Otherwise, a person is lost.

As it says in Hebrews…

Heb 9:27-28   Just as mankind is destined to die once (physical death), and after that to face judgment (condemnation for sin – the second death), so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of all who believe…  That’s why He came the first time.

When by faith, a person receives Jesus Christ and what He did for us, they will no longer face judgment.  Because there are no longer any charges against them.  Those charges and the punishment for them, were laid on Jesus when He suffered and was crucified for our sins. 

We died in Him.  So that we may also be raised to new life in Him, free from the power of sin and death, through life in Him.  …and Christ will appear a second time, not to bear sin (like He already did), but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

He will come again, to bring salvation and all the benefits thereof, to completion.  So that we, who are expecting His long-awaited return and living by faith in Him – endeavoring to do what pleases Him, may reign with Him in His presence forever.

Jesus became our long-awaited Savior.  And the long-awaited completion of our salvation is coming, as we faithfully wait for Him. 

But Jesus has always been King.  He was King before He came.  He is King now.  And He will be King forever.

Mic 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.’”

…whose origins from of old, from ancient times – means Jesus has always existed.  This is hard for a human mind to grasp, but He is uncreated God the Son.  He reigned with the Father in eternity before He put on humanity and was born in Bethlehem.  And He will continue to reign throughout eternity into the future.

The world, for the most part, doesn’t know this.   

After Jesus was betrayed…   The men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.  

With that, one of Jesus’ companions (Peter, trying to take matters into his own hands) reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 

     “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.  Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?  (Matthew 26:50-53)

If there are 6000 men in a Roman legion, that’s 72,000 angels – where only one would be enough to do the job.  Jesus, himself could do it, with a word. 

But that’s not why He came.

Jn 18:36-38  (After His arrest) Jesus said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.  If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews.  But now my kingdom is from another place.”

     “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.  Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”   

“What is truth?” Pilate asked. 

What is truth?  Even today, many don’t know or even care about truth.  But Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  His birth, His teachings, His healing power, His life, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, and His sending of the Holy Spirit to live and work through those who believe, all speak to the truth of who He is. 

The coming of Jesus answered the question of who God is.  And everyone will know the truth of who He is when He returns in power with His holy angels.  Satan doesn’t want to accept it or admit to it.  And neither does the world. 

Now whether one accepts the truth or not, doesn’t affect the truth.  The truth is still true whether it is accepted or not.  But those who desire truth in their inmost being and seek it out are the wise ones.  And the Truth protects them and keeps them free.  They are kept free now, and they will reign with Jesus forever.

Rev 22:4-5  They will see his face, and His name will be on their foreheads...  And they will reign for ever and ever.

2Ti 2:11-13  Here is a trustworthy saying, Paul writes:  If we died with Jesus, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.  If we disown him, he will also disown us; (however) if we are faithless (if we struggle), he will remain faithful (He will help us.), for he cannot disown himself.

…For He knows those that are His.

Prepare a Place

Lk 2:6-7  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

First and foremost, the gospel message and the Christmas story was arranged by God.  God knows the human heart and He knows that if He did not arrange it, salvation would be impossible to be arranged by us.  Because there would have been nothing in us that could know what was needed to cover our sin and to transform our sinful hearts, and even if we did – we would not have the power to accomplish it. 

Ro 9:16 It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

Ro 9:17-18  For the Scripture (even) says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”   Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

Regarding the sovereignty of God, there has been some controversy over God hardening Pharaoh’s heart during the time of Moses.

But in reality, who has the right to determine the purpose of a creation?  …The Creator or the creation?  The maker or that which is made?  Who has authority to decide the purpose for which something is made?  Paul continues…

Ro 9:19-20  One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us?  For who resists his will?”

In other words, human reason might think: “If we are born in sin, then God must have made us that way.  Therefore, how can God blame us for our sinful behavior?  That would be unjust.”  But Jesus did not come to blame us; He came to save us from our deadly condition. 

Paul continues…  But who are you, O man, to talk back to God?

Who has the real authority in the matter?  Who has the power?  Who has the wisdom?

Who can change the condition and outcome of those He has created.  Who can heal them and make them a new creation – free from sin?  The authority and power reside in God alone.

Jn 6:65  Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”

Since no one can come to Jesus for salvation without God enabling them.  God had to do it and did it.  If we have come to Jesus for salvation, the credit goes to God not us.

Ro 11:32  For God has bound all people over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.  (Romans 9:16)

We come into this world with a fatal condition called sin.  We’re all in the same boat initially – for all have sinned.  Therefore God must have mercy on us all, so we may be saved.  That’s why Jesus came.  We were in trouble and He came as our Savior.

Mercy is not getting what we deserve, that is, punishment.  In His mercy, God put the punishment for our sin on His sinless only Son, Jesus.  So that the integrity of His justice and grace would both be maintained.  Jesus got what we deserved in the negative sense… so that we might get what we did not deserve – in a positive sense.  And that is grace.

Without any special human privilege; God did what only He could do, by who He is.  So when we see all of the aspects of the life and death and resurrected Jesus, we see the love, wisdom and power of God at work.

Col 1:19-20  For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

You see, the main problem with the human heart and sin in general, is that in it, there is no room for God.  The heart is full up with sin and self.  As Jesus taught…

Mt 15:18-19  …the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

As an example, we see it here, in Bethlehem, beginning with no room for them in the inn.  Granted the proprietors were kind enough to give Mary and Joseph a room in the stable, since their motel was full up – it was a busy time – tax season and all.  But this only set the stage for what would lead up to the death of Jesus and the unbelief that still exists today – that there is no room in the human heart for Jesus.  We’re full up.

As the psalmist wrote…

Ps 10:4  In his pride the wicked do not seek him; in all their thoughts there is no room for God.

As John wrote… He (Jesus) came to His own, but His own did not receive Him.  (John 1:11)

Regarding this matter, Jesus said to some of the people of His day…

Jn 5:37-38  …the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.

And to the some of the Jews He said…

Jn 8:37 I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word.

No room.  That’s a problem. 

Now…

2Ki 4:8  One day the prophet Elisha went to Shunem.  A well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal.  So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat.

2Ki 4:9-10  She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God.  Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.”

They made a room; they prepared a place in their home for a prophet of God.  How much more, should we prepare a place in our hearts for the One who made us and is saving us? 

Rev 3:20  (Jesus said) Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

How much room is there in our hearts for Jesus?  How much do we want Him to have?

The prayer of Paul speaks to this…

Eph 3:16-17  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love…

That we may be rooted and established in the love of Christ and to have this love that is beyond human understanding…  And that we…

Eph 3:18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

How wide and high and long and deep of a place have we prepared in our hearts for Christ?  It’s not so much about cubic inches as much as it is about percentages.  God wants our whole heart – 100%

How wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ for all of us?  Can it even be measured?  God cannot love us any more or any less.  Because He loves us perfectly – and His purpose for us is good.

What about power?  How much power do we have?  How much does God have?

Paul writes…

When we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…  And God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:6 p.)

(So that we may have power, together with all believers, to grasp how wide, long, high, and deep is the love of Christ…)

Eph 3:19 and know this love that surpasses knowledge—that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Back to your heart and my heart?  God wants our whole heart and the reason is this – so that He may, as Paul prayed… fill us to the measure of all the fullness of God.  So that we may be filled with His Spirit and all the riches of His kingdom. 

Would you want that?  Then give Him your whole heart and He will do it. 

And if you don’t think you have it in you to give Him your whole heart, ask the Holy Spirit, who is our Helper to help you – and He will do it.  Jesus came to make room in our hearts and to fill it with Himself.

Jesus said…

Jn 14:2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.

Jn 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

How much room does the Father have for us? Scripture says that all the heavens cannot contain Him.   

If, through Jesus, the heavens and the earth could be created in six days, how much could be created since He left.  Just as His peace surpasses understanding, to try to describe what Heaven is like, would be beyond our comprehension – but what we do know, is that it is very good.

Jesus said He has gone to prepare a place for us and that He will come back and take us there, so that we may be where He is – when we leave this place.  And He called where He is, Paradise.

And He said…

Jn 14:4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

You know the way don’t you?  He is the way.  Not by human desire or effort, but by Jesus Christ.

Heb 9:27-28  Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ (came and) was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

He is the way.  And the way to wait for Him is to live by faith in Him; obeying Him by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And when we have trouble obeying Him, consider these words by Brother Lawrence…

“I consider myself as the most wretched of men, full of sores and corruption, and who has committed all sorts of crimes against his King; touched with sensible regret I confess Him all my wickedness.  I ask His forgiveness, I abandon myself in His hands, that He may do what He pleases with me.  This King, full of mercy and goodness, very far from chastising me, embraces me with love, makes me eat at His table, serves me with His own hands, gives me the key of His treasures; He converses and delights Himself with me incessantly, in a thousand and a thousand ways, and treats me in all respects as His favorite.  It is thus I consider myself from time to time in His holy presence.“  (Brother Lawrence, in The Practice of the Presence of God)

Col 1:21-23  Once we were alienated from God and were enemies in our minds because of our evil behavior.  But now he has reconciled us by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation…

We, who by faith have received Jesus Christ, are free from accusation and will not face judgment.  Because there are no longer any charges against us.  We are free the power of sin through the power of Christ.  And we remain free in Christ…

…as we continue in our faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed (and will continue to be proclaimed) to every creature under heaven… until Christ returns.

The old has gone and the new has come.  And to this gospel, we are His ambassadors.

A King

Isa 32:1 See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice.

A king – The King – The King of Kings.

Righteousness and justice are how He reigns.  And those who rule with Him, rule like Him.

Righteousness is the standard whose source is God.  Justice is how that standard is applied with love, integrity and impartiality.

Isa 32:2 Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

Each person – The citizens of the kingdom of the king are like the king in character and behavior.  Like the king they shelter those oppressed by the evil one.  They are safe havens for those impacted by the storms of life.  They are a fresh supply of grace in the desert of sin. They are protective shade for those seared by the wickedness of this world.

Jn 4:13-14  Jesus answered the woman, “Everyone who drinks this well-water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

It is the source of that water that makes all the difference.  World water will leave you thirsty and dry.  But Jesus is the spring of living water and the water He gives is the Holy Spirit.  He will satisfy you completely, so that we may satisfy others with His love.

1Jn 4:15-16  If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.

In this world, we are like Him.   In this world, we are being made to be like Him.

Jn 18:36-37  Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.  If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

Jesus has all authority over this world and everything else, but His kingdom is not of this world.  His kingdom is not of the character and weakness of this world. 

The Kingdom and power and glory of God are His.  And the kingdom of God – the kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit is, better than the kingdom of this age, that is coming to nothing.

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Consider the Source.  Are our sources – those that we live by, those we get our information about life from, aligned with the Lord?  The Spirit of the Lord is the Spirit of truth.  How important is the truth? 

Is it better to be informed or misinformed?  Consider your sources?  Are they from God or not?  Choose God.  Choose truth.

Isa 32:3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.

How can those who see, have eyes that are closed?  Paul says it this way…

Eph 4:18  They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

Having Christ in you is better than being separated from the life of God.  Because of separation, hardened hearts lead to ignorance.  But through Christ, the heart is enabled to comprehend the will of God.

How can those who hear, have ears that do not listen? 

Mt 23:37  “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.

Unwillingness is hard to correct.  But through the power of Christ, the stubborn will is made willing to listen.  Through Christ, His will in us wants to seek the truth and desires to put it in to practice, by the Spirit of the Lord.

Then…

Isa 32:4 The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.

Rash – quick to react unwisely. 

Through Christ, the rash are taught to wait on the Lord and His wisdom, and put His word into practice.  Through the Spirit of the Lord, the rash will comprehend the will of God and put it into practice.

Stammering – Inability to speak words that make sense.

Through the Spirit of the Lord, those who cannot speak intelligible words regarding the will of God, are enabled to speak the truth in love.

Isa 32:5 No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected.

Fools should not be called noble.  Scoundrels should not be admired. 

But what makes a fool or a scoundrel?  Separation from the life of God. 

But through Christ, the old can be gone and the new can come. 

In the last days…

Rev 17:14 They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings — and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

Rev 19:11-13  I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.   His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.

Again as John wrote about Jesus:  Jn 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The Word is Jesus.

Rev 19:14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.

Rev 19:8  Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her (the church – believers) to wear.”  (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

Rev 19:15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword (the truth) with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.

The truth will stand victorious.  The whole world will be forgiven or condemned according to the Word of God, who will judge with righteousness and justice.

Rev 19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 

In the movie called, Life of a King, a man who had done time for armed robbery learned chess while incarcerated, got His life straightened up and began a chess club for inner city youth.  He taught the kids – “the king is your life.”  And he taught them to picture their end game and to play by the rules. 

He taught them to consider where their life was leading them, so they would make good moves and finish well.

Jesus is the King.  He is our life.  He is our end game.  Follow Him.

He came once… He lived human life, He taught the truth and healed many; He gave His life for us, He arose, and He sent the Holy Spirit, to be His life in us – producing good deeds.

He lives in the hearts of those who believe…  And He says…

Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.

We will be rewarded according to what we have done with Jesus.  According to the place that Jesus holds in our lives – as King or not.  According to our faith worked out in obedience by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Rev 22:13-14  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.  “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

…Those whose inner selves have been washed in the blood of the Jesus and filled with the Spirit.  So that they may live in accord with Him and His word, forever, in the kingdom that is not of this world, but is of God.

Rev 22:15  Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

These are those, if they continue to reject the good news of Christ and the truth of God; if they continue loving the ways of this world more than they love the goodness of God, will remain separated from the life of God.

But to those who are willing to listen and receive God’s invitation…

Rev 22:17 The Spirit and the bride (His Church) say, “Come!”  And let him who hears say, “Come!”  Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

This invitation of life in God, is for all who will believe His word and receive the gift of life.  It is for all who are willing to come to Him, who is the Source of life.

Therefore, like Jesus says in Matthew 22:9, ‘Go and invite anyone you can find.’

The Life

1Jn 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

1Jn 1:2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

1Jn 1:3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

1Jn 1:4 We write this to make our joy complete.

“This is the life,” some say sitting on the beach sipping pina coladas.  But John is talking about something else.  He is talking about different kind of life.

He is talking about the Life – the first Life – the original Life – the Life with a capital ‘L’.  John is talking about the Life that is the giver of life and everything else.

He’s talking about the Life that existed before human life was created, and from whom all life comes.  The Life that came to earth in human form to save us from our sins and answer the question of “who God is.”

John heard Him speak.  John saw Him and touched Him.  He spent time with Him.

He touched Life.  And the Life touched him. 

And that is why John is proclaiming Him – The Word of Life. 

As John wrote in John 1…  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  

You see, there is that which has been created and that which is uncreated – that created humanity cannot fathom.  Creator is always greater than the creation. 

Everything was designed and made by someone.  And it is this uncreated Life that makes created life possible.

Heb 3:4, 6  For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. …Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and our hope in Him.

John wrote in John 1… In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:1-5)

The Life that gives life is the light that enables humanity to see clearly.  Without the Life, humanity remains in the darkness of sin that blinds mankind to God and the reality and goodness of His will.

Those in darkness are lost.  And the lost do not know where they are going.  But the saved – those who have been found by Jesus, follow Him.

Jesus cried out, “When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.  When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me.  I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.  (John 12:44-46)

The coming of Jesus, answered the question, of who God is and what God desires. 

And His light still shines in the darkness through the Holy Spirit.  It shines in the darkness where the Life once was not – the darkness of the human heart – it shines in those and through those who believe in Him – those who have received Jesus.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

Light and darkness have nothing in common.  Darkness cannot comprehend the light of the Life.  He came to those He had made, but the darkness of sin blinded them, so that they did not recognize Him or welcome Him.

Jn 6:65  This is why I told you, that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them, Jesus said.

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.  (John 1:10-13)

To those who welcome Him – who welcome Him by opening the door of their hearts to Him – these He enables to become children of God…  Not like all children who are born the natural way – which is in itself the miracle of God; but born of the Spirit of God – which is an all new thing altogether.

A whole new life – a whole new type of life – Spirit-life – the Life – in us; like it was in Jesus – like the Father was, in Jesus.

The Word – the Life became human.  He lived among those whom He had made on the earth He had made.  His disciples saw Him.  And we who have received Him through their message believe in Him and know Him…

Like Jesus told Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  (John 20:29)

And believing is better than merely seeing with our eyes, because believing is His Life in us, enabling us to see…  Believing is seeing.

The Word (who) became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  …So that we may see the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John 1:14)

Because we see Him in our hearts, our questions have been answered as to who God is and why He came.

“The Word of Life”

“The Life that appeared…”

“That which was from the beginning…”

 John writes in 1 John 1… We have seen it.  (Because we have seen Him.) We testify to it and we proclaim to you (and to the world) – The Eternal Life – which was with God the Father and has appeared to us. What we have seen and heard, we proclaim to you.

1Jn 1:3  We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

We proclaim Jesus…  So that you may have fellowship – fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ and fellowship with all who believe.

We proclaim Him so that all may have this Life in them.  …The Life that we share with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ – through the Holy Spirit.

So that your joy, may be complete.

Is your joy complete?

Do you have that all surpassing joy that comes from “The Life of God” living in you?

There are those who are searching for a life like ‘This is the life – at the beach – soaking up the sun – sipping Coronas with lime.  There are those who are seeking a life based on created things and worldly experiences, void of the True Life – the Only Life that completes joy. 

Complete and incomparable joy is the joy that comes from Eternal Life, whose source is God and not the world.

Knowing Jesus gives that Joy (capital J) that is above all other joy; that is better than anything this world can give.  Better than all that is temporary and can be taken away.

He gives those who receive Him the security of the eternal kingdom of God, who is over all, and cannot be taken away…

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  (Matthew 6:19-21)

Mt 6:33  Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these (other) things will be given to you as well.

…relying on Him and seeking Him who is the Life that is better than life; better than all that can be taken away in this life…  Better than all that when it is taken away, our joy is taken away with it. 

Because complete joy that comes from Eternal Life, can only be taken by God leaving us – and He promises never to leave us or forsake us – as we believe and remain in Him.  This is the Life that we proclaim.

Because we are His, and through Jesus Christ, God is ours.

All Kinds

Creation requires a Creator.  Everything has been made with intention and purpose – designed and made by God.  Everything that has been made, was made through Jesus.

According to their kinds:  Seed-bearing plants and trees, sea creatures, birds, livestock, wild animals – all kinds. 

1Co 15:39-41  All flesh is not the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another.  

There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another.  

The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. 

All kinds of things made by God.  But mankind, God made in His image. 

1Co 12:4-6  (Regarding the church) There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all people.

1Co 12:7, 11  Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

All kinds of good things…  All kinds of good deeds, all kinds of prayers and requests that can be made to God…  Not uniformity, but unity in the Spirit, for the good of all.

But because of sin, all kinds of evil things have come – that God never had in mind, because they are not like Him at all.

All kinds of greed, all kinds of deceit and trickery, the love of money which is the root of all kinds of evil; all kinds of evil desires – humanity enslaved by all kinds of passions and desires, all kinds of strange teachings and philosophies, all kinds of suffering.

God made all, to be good.  But what happens when that which was made to be good, becomes corrupt?  What happens when it becomes no-good.  And brings the danger of corruption to that which is meant to be good and is being made good.

That which is meant to be good and is being made good must be protected, and that which is corrupt must be either healed and transformed; or it must be destroyed. 

Recalling society at the time of the flood, Peter wrote…

2Pe 3:5  …they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.

How can one deliberately forget?

Ge 1:1-2  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

The earth was formed out of water and by water… like it was being born.

2Pe 3:6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.

By the same waters that God had given the earth birth, it was flooded and destroyed.  All except Noah and his family. 

…eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God.

It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.  (1 Peter 3:20-22)

Baptism, by a believer going under, symbolizes the dying to the old nature like the world was drowned by the flood – like Jesus died for our sins and was buried.  But by the resurrection of Jesus we are raised up; brought to new life we are saved. 

This is symbolized by not staying under (we’d be dead) but by coming up out of the water in which we were taken under, to new birth and new life – born again by the Spirit of the Lord.

The guilt of sin, that separated us from God – that caused Adam and Eve to hide and has caused people to deliberately stay away from God ever since, has been taken away.  And all of this was made possible by the Word of the Lord and the work of Jesus.

2Pe 3:7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

As a child I feared this because destruction by fire, is far worse than destruction by water, which God promised He’d never do again – and sealed by the rainbow. 

Fire destruction will be final.  Therefore, those who continue in the rebellion of unbelief and rejection of what God has done for us in Christ, have reason to fear.

2Pe 3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

The Lord is not constrained by time.  His timing is His own.  Though this may be hard for us to fathom, His delay is not because He is being held up by something, it is because He is patient.  Love is holding Him back.

The destruction of the earth will be the last resort, because His desire is not that anyone perish but that everyone repent, turn to Jesus for forgiveness and salvation, and receive the Holy Spirit – who is eternal life.  This is what God wants.

This is why the Son of God, out of God’s great love for us, went to such great lengths for us, to save us from the consequences of and eventual destruction of sin.  But the day of the end will come.

2Pe 3:10  …the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

1Th 5:1-3  Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates… you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Lk 17:26-30  “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.  People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.  But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

“It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

Things were very evil on the earth when the flood came and when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.  People were doing their normal thing, like everything was hunky dory. It appears the earth will be like that on the Day of the Lord.

2Pe 3:11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives…

Eph 4:17-20  …you must no longer live as the ungodly do, in the futility of their thinking.  They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.

What kind of people ought we to be?  Christ’s kind.  This is what being a Christian means.  The Spirit of Jesus – His qualities within, show what kind of people we are.  And these qualities are holy and godly.  Likewise…

Jn 4:23-24  …a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

And like Jesus, we are called to help bring understanding to the lost, so that they may not continue to be separated from the life of God, caused by sin hardened hearts – but become holy and godly.

No longer like unreasoning animals, who follow mere natural instincts, creatures born only to be caught and destroyed….  (2 Peter 2:12)

Humanity was not created to live like unreasoning animals – operating by only bodily instincts, without the Spirit of God.  People were created in God’s image.  

And though this image was marred by sin, Jesus has made it possible for all people to be made new… to put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.  (Colossians 3:10)

Through the Spirit we have a new self and we are being renewed in the image of God… 

And if we fail – if we sin, this is no reason to just give up and quit on God because we’re not perfect.  Christ is our perfection.  The blood of Jesus covers us – It speaks for us, and God hears.  We simply must repent, receive God’s forgiveness and get back into the race – obeying Christ and resisting evil.

2Pe 3:12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

All that is corruptible and temporary will not endure forever.  Such things must not be our priority and our focus.  That would be unwise investing.

2Co 4:18  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

As mentioned earlier… The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

1Co 15:42-44  So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

As we are being remade inwardly, we will be remade outwardly.  We were of one kind inwardly, until through Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit we were made new in Him.  Likewise, as our bodies are one kind now – perishable, we will be given a new and eternal body of a different kind – imperishable.

1Co 15:50-53   …flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  …We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

Death will be swallowed up in victory.

The older I get the faster the years seem to go by.  And this life and the quality of this life and the quality of the things of this life, cannot compare to what God has in store for those who love Jesus.

2Pe 3:13 …in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

2Pe 3:14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

A new heaven and a new earth – the home of righteousness…  Being holy, blameless and at peace with God.

This is the reality of where we are meant to be and what we are meant to be – what God is making us to be.  …As we become less and less attached to this world; and more and more connected to God.

Lessons from the Seven Churches, Laodicea

Rev 3:14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

Laodicea was about forty-five miles southeast of Philadelphia and about one hundred miles due east of Ephesus. Along with Colosse and Hierapolis, it was one of the cities in the fertile Lycus valley. The great Roman road stretching to the inland of Asia from the coast at Ephesus ran straight through its center, making Laodicea an important center of trade and communication. In addition, its wealth came from the production of a fine quality of famous glossy black wool. The city also had a huge banking industry. So wealthy was Laodicea that after a great earthquake in A.D. 17, the people refused imperial help in rebuilding the city, choosing rather to do it entirely by themselves.

       Laodicea had a famous school of medicine; and a special ointment known as "Phrygian powder," famous for its cure of eye defects, was either manufactured or distributed there, as were ear ointments. Near the temple of the special god associated with healing (Men Karou) was a market for trading all sorts of goods. Zeus, the supreme god, was also worshiped in the city.

       Laodicea is difficult to describe because no one thing stands out. It was a city with a people who had learned to compromise and accommodate themselves to the needs and wishes of others; they did not zealously stand for anything. For all its wealth, the city had poor water. A six-mile-long aqueduct brought Laodicea its supply of water from the south. The water came either from hot springs and was cooled to lukewarm or came from a cooler source and warmed up in the aqueduct on the way.

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:  These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.

The Amen…  The ‘let it be so.’  The one that opens what no one can shut and shuts what no one can open.  The one that makes things happen and keeps them from happening.

The faithful and true witness…  The one you can trust regarding the truth and will of God.  The One you can your faith in and not be disappointed.  The One who shows you who God is.

The ruler of God’s creation.  The one who is truly in charge; who has authority over everything.

Rev 3:15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!

Rev 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Jesus sees and knows all.  And contrary to their opinion of themselves, He is saying to the Laodicean church that they don’t know what they are doing.  People are either for or against Him.  But they were trying to be both.  They were trying to mix spiritual things and worldly things. 

They were like the poor water in Laodicea – lukewarm – a mixture of spiritually hot and worldly cold – of true and untrue.  If you have ever drunk lukewarm water, it is not very pleasing.  Either hot or cold is better.  And Jesus was not pleased with them.

Mk 11:27-28  Jesus and his disciples arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

Mk 11:29-30  Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.  John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men? Tell me!”

Mk 11:31-33  They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’   But if we say, ‘From men’ . . . .” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)

So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

They were stubborn in heart.  They would not admit it and chose to be neutral – lukewarm, so they did not receive what they wanted from Jesus.  They were foolish and stubborn; afraid of both the truth and exposure for living a lie?  So they played dumb.

To be lukewarm is to choose to play dumb for fear of the truth – the fear exposing our true condition, that if exposed could be cured.  We choose to avoid what we really are, rather than repent and turn to Jesus and receive the cure that will truly benefit us.

Recovery is seeing our true condition and turning to Jesus, who becomes our cure.

Sometimes a person is not willing to take the time to pursue Jesus because of inconvenience or potential upset to personal comfort.  Lukewarmness is tempting.  But all temptations come from the devil, never from God, for the purpose of destroying us.

With truth comes freedom.  And the freedom of truth overrules the bias of unbelief that is meant to keep people in darkness for fear of being exposed by the light of truth, where they may find true healing.  Jesus and His words are the truth and freedom and healing.

Rev 3:17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

The deeper problem in the Laodicean church was not simply their indifference. It was their ignorance of their real condition: "You say, `I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.'" This indictment is related to the general condition of the populace at large--rich in material possessions and self-sufficient. The spirit of the surrounding culture had crept into the congregation and had paralyzed their spiritual life. But did they claim to be materially rich or spiritually rich?  Most likely both were involved; the Laodiceans probably interpreted their material wealth as a blessing from God and thus were self-deceived as to their true spiritual state.

“…the “decline of religion” becomes a very ambiguous phenomenon. One way of putting the truth would be that the religion that has declined was not Christianity. It was a vague Theism with a strong …ethical code, which… far from standing against the “World”, was absorbed into the whole fabric of English institutions and sentiment and therefore demanded churchgoing as (at best) a part of loyalty and good manners or (at worst) a proof of respectability.  …When no one goes to church except because he/she seeks Christ, the number of actual believers can at last be discovered.”  (C.S. Lewis)

Rev 3:18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Mt 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Pr 17:3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart. 

The gold refined in the fire is a pure heart and true riches.

Rev 19:8  Fine linen, bright, white and clean, was given her to wear.”  (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

The Laodiceans had money – and clothes: their textile industry was big.  They were famous for healing medicines, but they were sick because they did not have God.  Regarding God they were poor, naked and blind.

So the Great Physician was counselling them to come to Him and learn from Him; and He would give them what they truly need.

Rev 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

Though they were leaving a bad taste in His mouth, Jesus was not yet ready to spit them out – if they repent.

Even though the state of a church verges on disaster, all is not lost if there are those in it who will receive Christ's loving rebuke and come to him. Christ's statement "I rebuke and discipline" speaks of his love.  He spits out those he does not love and "rebukes" and "disciplines" those who hear his voice. The difference between the expelled and the disciplined lies in their response: "So be earnest, be zealous; and repent." The Laodiceans' repentance would come from a rekindling of their loyalty to Christ.

1Pe 1:6-7  …though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Rev 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Jesus is initiating Spiritual restoration.  He always does and always must initiate it.

To those who hear His words of rebuke, Christ extends an invitation to dine with him. This figure represents Christ standing at the door to the hearts of the members of the congregation at Laodicea. Christ will come and have fellowship with all those who hear his voice of rebuke and thus prove themselves as Christ's friends by repentance. The "eating" refers to the main meal of the day, which in Oriental fashion was a significant occasion for having intimate fellowship with the closest of friends. It is through the Holy Spirit that Christ and the Father come to have fellowship with us.

While most commentators have taken this invitation as addressed to lapsed, half-hearted Christians, the terminology and context suggest that these Laodiceans were for the most part mere professing Christians who lacked authentic conversion to Christ in the first place, which is the essential prerequisite for true discipleship.

…it must be admitted by anyone who accepts Christianity, that an interest in it, or even a growing measure of intellectual assent to it, is a very different thing from conversion.  …Conversion requires an alteration of the will, and an alteration which, in the last resort, does not occur without the intervention of the supernatural….”  (C.S. Lewis)

Jn 6:57  (Jesus said) Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.

True Christianity requires that you receive the life of Christ within you, otherwise you will not have it.  All who do receive Him, have eternal life because He is eternal life, and He raises us up to new life. Only those that trust Jesus, hear His words and believe Him and remain in Him, truly live through Him.

Jesus lived by feeding on the Father and exhorts us to do so with Him. His life came from the Father – He fed on His presence continually because it was the Father’s presence within Him that worked through Him.

Prayer is feeding on Jesus – to feed on His presence and drink in His Spirit within. When we do this we live because of Him just as He lived because of the Father.  We become one.  And when we are one, there is perfect union and we do as He did.

Rev 3:21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Is this the kind of government you would want to be a part of?  Ruling with Jesus like He rules with the Father over all creation.

Isa 9:6-7 …and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign …over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

The Spirit of Jesus is the government America needs.  Pray that it may become the government America wants.

Rev 3:22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Lessons from the Seven Churches, Philadelphia

Rev 3:7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

About twenty-five miles southeast of Sardis, along the Hermus River valley, lay the important high plateau city of Philadelphia. A main highway that ran through the city connected Smyrna (about a hundred miles due west) to northwest Asia, Phrygia, and the east. The imperial post road of the first century A.D., which came from Rome, passed through this valley and Philadelphia on the way to the east. So situated, Philadelphia became a strong fortress city. To the northeast was a great vine-growing district, which, along with textile and leather industries, contributed greatly to the city's prosperity.

       Philadelphia was established by King Attalus II (159-138 B.C.), who was given the epithet "Philadelphus" ("brother lover") because of his love for his brother. The city disseminated Greco-Asiatic culture and language in the eastern part of Lydia and in Phrygia. Its success is attested by the fact that the Lydian language ceased to be spoken in Lydia by A.D. 19 and Greek took over, though the same cannot be said for the Phrygians.

       The whole region was earthquake prone. In A.D. 17 an earthquake that destroyed Sardis and ten other cities also destroyed Philadelphia. Consequently, many people preferred to live in the rural area surrounding the city. The fear of earthquakes caused those who continued to live in the city to leave it at the slightest sign of a tremor. After the devastating earthquake, Tiberius came to the peoples' aid and had the city rebuilt. In gratitude the citizens renamed it Neocaesarea ("New Caesar"), though it also kept the name Philadelphia. Since wine was one of the city's important industries, some have assumed that the worship of Dionysus was a chief pagan cult.

       Although nothing is known about the origin of the Philadelphian church, it has had a long history of faithfulness to the Lord. Long after all the surrounding country had succumbed to Muslim control under Turkey, Philadelphia held out as a Christian populace till 1392.

To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:  These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

Him who is holy and true:  Character qualities of God.  What He is making us to be.

Who holds the key of David…  Referring to the Messiah – the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, whose humanity is descended from the line of King David.

Mt 16:16, 18-19   Remember Jesus asked his disciples who people said he is and who they said he is.  And Peter answered,“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, …And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock (on that testimony that Jesus is the Christ and Son of the living God), I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Rev 1:17-18  “…I am the First and the Last.  I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Holding the keys to everything, shows that Jesus has all authority regarding the will of God and what will be opened and what will be shut in the future.  It is an open and shut case, because no one can circumvent his power to do so.

Rev 3:8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

Though weak with regard to quantity and strength, they had quality of character and faith, and this they were commended. 

The Philadelphia church put their faith into practice.  Likewise, you are completely free to obey Christ in America.  For those who believe and obey Jesus Christ, there is an open door.

I know you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

On our own, we have little strength.  But our strength is not our own.  In the strength of Christ – that is, when Christ is our strength, we have all power and strength and everything else.  Because He is our strength and He has the keys.

For the truth-teller and truth seeker, indeed, the whole world has very little liking.  He is always unpopular, and not infrequently his unpopularity is so excessive that it endangers his life…  (H. L. Mencken)

In the strength of Christ and against all opposition, the church in Philadelphia kept His word and did not deny His name.  They believed in Jesus.  To do anything else, would be lying.

Don’t let the fear of others keep you from telling the truth of Christ.

If you tell the truth, you have infinite power supporting you; but if not, you have infinite power against you.  (Charles George Gordon)

The more men suppress the truth of God which they know, the more futile, even senseless they become in their thinking.  (John R. W. Stott)

Even now, many, who call themselves believers in God embrace and even promote behaviors that God never had in mind.  The church in Philadelphia had a problem with certain Jews that claimed to worship God but were really following the devil.

Rev 3:9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.

Some who considered themselves God’s chosen people, claimed to know God, but were liars because they denied Jesus – the Word made flesh.

1Jn 4:2-3  This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

The church in Philadelphia endured hardship and rejection, obeying Jesus Christ and not denying His name.  And Jesus himself revealed to the opposition who His loved ones – His chosen ones were. 

Ps 23:5  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

He said to the church in Philadelphia… I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I loved you.

Rev 3:10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth which men prefer not to hear.  (Herbert Agar) 

So endurance is needed.  We must speak and live the truth of Christ by the power of His Spirit, enduring whatever hardships may lay ahead.  He told them…

In the future, God will send trouble on the earth to test and show those who are His and those that are not.  Therefore we should invest most in that which will last, not in that which can be destroyed.  And the Lord will keep us safe.

Rev 3:11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

The only fight which is lost is that which we give up.  – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Hold on to what you have…  Jesus says.  Hold onto me.  Don’t let go.

Rev 3:12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.

The promise to the overcomer is twofold…  (1) Christ will make the overcomer a "pillar in the temple of my God." As has already been noted, Philadelphia was constantly threatened with earthquakes. Often the only thing left standing after a severe quake were the huge stone temple columns. Christ promises to set believers in his temple – in His presence, in such a secure fashion that no disturbance can ever force them out.

(2) A faithful municipal servant or a distinguished priest was sometimes honored by having a special pillar added to one of the temples and inscribed with his name. This may well be the sense of the second promise, "I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, . . . and . . . my new name."

The inscribed name signifies identification and ownership. To those who have little influence because of being ostracized, Christ promises recognition in his kingdom worthy of the most noble hero of any society.

Remembering in days past the changes of name that their city received, the Philadelphians would be impressed that God himself (not the emperor) had chosen to identify himself with them and to ensure their citizenship in the New Jerusalem.

We are not exactly sure what Jesus’ new name is.  It may be unknown or relate to the new name given believers, due to their change in character through the Spirit. 

Rev 19:16  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Nevertheless, whatever that new name is, there is no other name that is better or stronger to have on us than His.  Through Him we are truly free.  So trust Him and follow Him.  By His power, put His words into practice and never turn back.

Rev 3:13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Lessons from the Seven Churches, Sardis

Rev 3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

Sardis was about thirty miles south of Thyatira. It enjoyed prominence as a commercially prosperous and militarily strategic city throughout its history. The city's topography was notable for the acropolis, the temple of Artemis, and the necropolis.

(1) The acropolis rose about eight hundred feet above the north section of Sardis and was virtually impregnable because of its nearly vertical rock walls (except on the south side); it became a refuge for the inhabitants in time of siege. Only twice in the history of Sardis (in the sixth and fourth centuries B.C.) was its fortress ever captured, though attacks on it were frequent.

(2) The temple to Artemis equaled in size the famous temple of Artemis in Ephesus, though it was never finished.

(3) The impressive necropolis, or cemetery, of "a thousand hills" was so named because of the hundreds of burial mounds visible on the skyline seven miles from Sardis.

Sardis retained its wealth into the first two centuries A.D. But its political brilliance as the capital city of Asia for Persia lay in the past. In A.D. 26, Sardis begged the Roman Senate to grant it the coveted honor of building a temple to Caesar, but that distinction went to Smyrna. The luxurious living of the Sardians led to moral decadence.

Sardis was a city of peace--not the peace won through battle, but the peace of lethargy and past dreams. A great woolen industry flourished at Sardis, and this may account for Christ's reference to clothing (v.4).

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

These are the words of Jesus – who has all authority in heaven, earth and hell; authority given to Him by the Father who is greater than all. 

I know your deeds…  Jesus sees, hears and knows all.

…you have a reputation…  You have praise for being alive, but you are dead…to me.

Jn 5:41-44  (To the Jews who did not believe in Jesus)  “I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.  I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.  How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?

Many in Sardis were more concerned about their reputation in pagan society than their reputation with God. They thought they were doing great.  But Jesus said… you are dead.  Dead with regard to the Spirit and eternal life, dead to the Kingdom of God.

Eph 2:1-2  As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

We were dead in our transgressions and sins, in which we used to live when we followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air.  The ruler of the kingdom of the air – and of the airwaves and the internet and whatever other media he gains access to – the devil, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

Eph 2:3  All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest of them, we were by nature objects of wrath.

Because it is by our nature that we do what we do, whether good or evil.  Salvation gives those who receive Christ a new nature – His nature, so that we no longer live as we once did – by the flesh, but endeavor to live by His Spirit.

Eph 2:4-5  Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.

But Jesus did not say to those in Sardis, ‘You were dead’ but, ‘You are dead.’  Because many were still following dead ways.  Jesus sometimes used the analogy of being asleep with being dead.  Remember Lazarus…

Jn 11:12-14   Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” …Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.  So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead…

Lazarus was physically dead.  Sardis was spiritually dead.  So Jesus said to them…

Rev 3:2 Wake up!  Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.

They were dead, but they were not yet dead-dead.  Remember there is a second death.  So it was time for Sardis to wake up before it’s too late. 

Their behaviors – their lifestyle – their actions proved that they were spiritually incomplete and needed to fix their eyes on Jesus; to remain in Him, receive from Him and obey Him.  So that the fruit they produce in the sight of God is the fruit of the Spirit, not the rubbish of sin.

Rev 3:3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

Remember what you have received and heard – what you were taught by the Spirit of God through Scripture, experience, tradition and reason; through believers in the truth and through the love of God expressed in many ways toward you.

Obeying the truth shows true understanding, to disobey – disconnection from the truth.  To repent means to wake up.  It is when a person truly begins to comprehend the deadness of the human condition and the goodness of God – and turns away from that old life toward God – where he/she finds forgiveness and eternal life.

Repentance is waking up.  Repentance opens the door to forgiveness, and forgiveness to the indwelling Holy Spirit who becomes eternal life in us.  Repentance is the beginning of faith.  And fullness in the Spirit, is faith made complete.

Are we awake?  To be awake is to be awake in Christ and awake to Christ.  It is to be living by His life and not the life of the world.  But many are asleep and unprepared for the coming of the Lord at a time when the world least expects.

Mk 13:32-33  “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Be on guard!  Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.  Be ready now.  Don’t wait.

1Th 5:2-3  for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly… and they will not escape.  Like when the flood came in the days of Noah.

1Th 5:4-5  But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.  You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.  Like those who are asleep.

1Th 5:6-7  So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

1Th 5:8-9  But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.  For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Goodness awaits those who are awake to God.

Rev 3:4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.

While the majority had departed from faithful obedience to Christ, a few at Sardis remained true.  The woolen industry Sardis was known for intensifies the image of soiled and defiled garments. Those with soiled garments were removed from the public lists of citizens in Sardis. In the pagan religions it was forbidden to approach the gods in garments that were soiled or stained.

Soiling seems to be a symbol for mingling with pagan life and thus defiling the purity of one's relation to Christ. To "walk with Christ" symbolizes salvation and fellowship with him – something many at Sardis had forfeited through their sin. "White" garments are symbolic of the righteousness, victory, and glory of God.

Rev 3:5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.

The overcomer's threefold promise grows out of the reference to white clothing.  

(1) "Like" the faithful Sardian Christians who will receive white clothes from Christ, those who overcome the stains of pagan society will also be dressed in white.

(2) The pure relationship to Christ is permanently guaranteed: "I will never erase his name from the book of life." In ancient cities the names of citizens were recorded in a register till their death; then their names were marked out of that book. This same idea appears in the OT.  Having ones name recorded in the book of life (of the righteous) gives the sense of belonging to God's eternal kingdom and having eternal life.

For Christ to say that he will never "blot out [the overcomer's] name from the book of life" is the strongest affirmation that death can never separate us from Christ and the life he offers. A person enrolled in the book of life by faith remains in it by faithfulness and can be erased only by disloyalty.  

Mk 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible.

…if that were possible.  The elect – those chosen by God, will not fall away.  There are many evil influences and evil influencers that promote lies and even do amazing things in attempt to deceive believers.  But Jesus protects those that are his.  His Spirit guides true believers and protects them from a disloyalty that leads to separation.

1Jn 3:19-20  This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

The dangerous position, is when a person is living in disobedience to Christ and their heart does not condemn them.  When they are either insensitive or have become desensitized to the Spirit of truth, and are living as if they were never saved. 

Sensitivity to having done wrong and then turning to Christ for forgiveness and cleansing is proof that a person is saved and not separated.

1Jn 3:21-22  Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

Whether by forgiveness or obedience; obedience keeps us and others from the heartache of sin.  By forgiveness and obedience… our hearts are set at rest with God.   

As our confidence remains in God and we endeavor to do what pleases Him – by putting His word into practice, our hearts remain in good shape.

There is some evidence that one's name could be removed from the city register before death if one were convicted of a crime. In the first century, Christians who were loyal to Christ were under constant threat of being branded political and social rebels and then stripped of their citizenship. But Christ offers them an eternal, safe citizenship in his everlasting kingdom if they remain loyal to him.

1Jn 3:23-24  And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

(3) Finally, to the overcomer, Christ promises to "acknowledge his/her name before [the] Father and his angels." "Acknowledge" is a strong word for confession before the courts. It is Christ's confession of our name before the Father and his angels (implying our fellowship with him) that assures our heavenly citizenship.

What ultimately counts, then, is not our acceptance by this world's societies but that our relationship to Christ is genuine and hence will merit his praise in the coming kingdom. 

And we know this by the Spirit He gave us.

Rev 3:6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Lessons from the Seven Churches, Thyatira

 Rev 2:18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

On the inland route about forty-five miles due east of Pergamum was the city of Thyatira.  Although not a great city, it was nevertheless important through commerce in wool, linen, apparel, dyed stuffs, leatherwork, tanning, and excellent bronze-work.

Associated with its commerce was an extensive trade guild or labor union network, which must have played a prominent role in the social, political, economic, and religious life of the city. Each guild had its own patron deity, feasts, and seasonal festivities that included sexual revelries. Religiously, the city was unimportant.

According to Acts, Lydia came from the Jewish settlement at Thyatira.  She was a distributor of garments made of the purple dye substance known as "Turkey red" and no doubt a member of the dyers' guild.   Paul wrote…

Ac 16:13-15  On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.  One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.

When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

The glorified Jesus.  The one who opened Lydia’s heart to respond to Paul’s message.  The one who is coming back.

Heb 9:27-28  Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

…And every eye will see Him.  He says… to the church in Thyatira…

Rev 2:19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

Thyatira’s deeds showed qualities of the Kingdom and fruits of the Spirit – love, faith, good deeds, works of service, and perseverance through hardships…

And they had grown in good deeds…

Nevertheless…

Rev 2:20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.

Jesus is against the tolerance of corruption – especially in the church.

Jezebel is the epitome of corruption.

She served and worshipped Baal; and she promoted idolatry and witchcraft in Israel as the wife of Ahab, king of Israel.

She was a killer of the Lord’s prophets and threatened to kill Elijah.

She conspired to kill Naboth.  Naboth had made Ahab mad by not selling him his vineyard that Ahab wanted for a garden.  So while Ahab pouting around his palace about it, Jezebel said, “What kind of king are you.”  And had Naboth killed.

She continually urged her husband, the King of Israel, to do evil.

And at last, she was thrown out of a building by the order of Jehu, then king of Israel and her body was eaten by dogs, according to the word of the Lord.

In the church at Thyatira, there was a so-called prophetess operating in the spirit of Jezebel, working to lead the people astray like Jezebel led her husband king Ahab and the people of Israel astray by idolatry, immorality and murder.

For Jesus to label her Jezebel, what she was doing was very evil.

Rev 2:21-22  I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.  So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.

Ignorance can be taught, but stubbornness, especially in the spirit of Jezebel, must be punished.

Those who committed adultery with her were those who listen to and follow her ways rather than remaining true to the Lord.  Like Israel committed adultery against the Lord by getting involved with the ungodly nations around them.  Like Jude wrote…

Jude 1:4  For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

Rev 2:23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.  (Her children were the offspring of her immorality.)

Remember Ananias and Sapphira, who lied to the Holy Spirit regarding the offering they made; and that cost them their life – as an example for the early church.

Ps 44:20-21  If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?

Heb 4:12-13  For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Rev 2:24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you):

The reference to "Satan's so-called deep secrets" is ambiguous (cf. …the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God… 1 Cor 2:10).

This is probably an actual phrase that this Jezebel used. But how could she lure Christians by using such a term? The false reasoning and false thinking that had infiltrated the church (by the Nicolaitans) might have gone something like this: ‘The only effective way to confront Satan is to enter into his strongholds; the real nature of sin can only be learned by experience, and therefore only those who have really experienced sin can truly appreciate grace. So by experiencing the depths of paganism ("the deep secrets of Satan"), one will be better equipped to serve Christ or be an example of freedom to one's fellow believers (cf. 1Co 8:9-11).  Not…

Thus the sin of Jezebel was deadly serious because of the depths of its deception. Only a few perceived where that teaching was leading.

Rev 2:25 Only hold on to what you have until I come.

Remember Jesus said, “I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.”  Hold on to that.

Rev 2:26-27 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations — ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’ — just as I have received authority from my Father.

1Co 6:3  Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!  You must know better.

Jesus has authority over the nations and that authority was given to Him by the Father, who is greater than all.  That’s why Jesus can give such authority over the nations to those who overcome and do His will to the end.  He has the power.

Jesus and the Father are one.  And we are being made one with Jesus.

Ps 2:7-9  I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.  Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

Ps 2:10-12  Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.  Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Jesus is referring to a Scripture that spoke of Him.  And now He is saying to those who overcome and do His will, the same kind of thing.

Rev 2:28 I will also give him the morning star.

2Pe 1:19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Rev 22:12-13  “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Rev 22:14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

Rev 22:15-16  Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

Jesus is the bright Morning Star – the Light shining in a dark place, who came to this dark world, gave Himself for us and arose.  …Who sent His Spirit into our redeemed hearts, and who is coming again – soon.

2Co 1:21-22  Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Rev 2:29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Lessons from the Seven Churches, Pergamum

Rev 2:12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

The inland city of Pergamum lay about sixty-five miles north of Smyrna along the fertile valley of the Caicus River. Pergamum held the official honor of being the provincial capital of Roman Asia, though this honor was in fact also claimed by Ephesus and Smyrna. Among its notable features were its beauty and wealth, its library of nearly two hundred thousand volumes, its famous sculpture, its temples to various gods, the three temples to the emperor cult, its great altar to Zeus, and its many palaces.

The two main religions seem to have been the worship of Dionysus, the god of the royal kings (symbolized by the bull), and Asclepius, the savior god of healing (represented by the snake – and on the emblem for the medical profession). The city got its name from its invention of vellum, a writing material made from animal skins.

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.

Rev 1:12-13  I (John) turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me (Jesus). And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man (a human man),” dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.

Rev 1:14-15  His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.  His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. (Awesome, like God)

Rev 1:16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

The angels (or messengers) of the seven churches were in the hands of Jesus and the sword that came out of His mouth represents the Word of God.  As Paul wrote…

Eph 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Rev 19:11-13  I (John) saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.   His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.

There is no more powerful weapon as the truth wielded by the Spirit of Jesus.

Rev 2:13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

Where does Satan have his throne in America?  Where do we find opposition to the name of Jesus and the Word of God?  Where must we acknowledge Him against such opposition?

Antipas acknowledged Jesus even to the point of death.  Because Satan hates to be exposed; and he is exposed by the truth spoken and lived by those in whom Christ lives.

Jesus knows that they live in a hostile and difficult place --"where Satan has his throne." Pergamum was a center for the worship of pagan gods, especially the emperor cult. The first temple in the empire established in honor of Augustus was built in A.D. 29 at Pergamum, because it was the administrative capital of Asia. It was also an idolatrous center; and to declare oneself in that place a Christian who worships the one true God and Savior, Jesus Christ, would certainly provoke hostility.

To acknowledge that Jesus is the only true God and Savior – not as religion but as the reality and truth, can provoke hostility in our society as well.  Maybe not to the point of death, but to the point of being rejected and ignored or censored.

The risen Lord knew their loyalty to him, …even when Antipas, His faithful witness was put to death in [their] city.  Nothing further is known about Antipas. The proximity of the name "Satan" before and after Antipas makes it virtually certain that his death was instigated by the anger of pagans in Pergamum.

Antipas may have been the first or most notable of martyrs. Christ pays this hero of the faith a noble tribute: "My faithful witness"— words that John applies to Christ himself. Satan tries to undermine loyalty to Christ by persecution; Christ strengthens that loyalty by commending those who are true to him and by exposing those who are deceitful.

Rev 2:14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.

Unfortunately, along with good things, there were some things in the church at Pergamum that needed to change…

…those who hold to the teaching of Balaam:  Regarding Balaam – to whom an angel spoke through a donkey…

Jos 13:22  In addition to those slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination – or sorcery.

2Pe 2:15-19  They have left the straight-way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 

For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.  They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.  (And they make money by it.)

Pr 1:10,15-16  My child, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them… do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths for their feet rush into sin…

The church in Pergamum was divided. Some had followed Antipas and did not deny Christ's name or his faith. Others held to the teachings and practices of the Balaamites and Nicolaitans that Christ hates.  …that may have been closely related. The deadly effects of their error are described as "eating food sacrificed to idols and committing sexual immorality." 

The OT names Balaam and Jezebel serve to alert the church community to the insidious nature of the teaching that was not until now recognized as overtly evil. Since Satan's chief method is deception, his devices are not known until they are clearly pointed out.

Our society today seems to be having greater trouble recognizing what is good and what is evil – what is good is called evil and what is evil is called good.  And unfortunately this is happening in the church as well.

Christ exposes error here by identifying the false teaching in Pergamum with clear-cut evil such as that of Balaam and Jezebel. Balaam, who found he could not curse the Israelites, devised a plan whereby the daughters of the Moabites seduced the Israelite men and led them to sacrifice to the pagan god Baal-peor and worship him.

So through Balaam's deception, God's judgment fell on Israel because of fornication and idolatry. What Satan could not accomplish at Smyrna or Pergamum through intimidation, suffering, and death from outside the church, he achieved from within through unconscious subversion.

The combination of "food sacrificed to idols" with "sexual immorality" may refer to the common practice of participating in the sacrificial meal of the pagan gods and indulging in sexual intercourse with temple priestesses.  (Such things are mentioned a number of times in the new testament as things the church must stay away from.)

It is entirely possible that some Christians at Pergamum were still participating in the holiday festivities and saw no wrong in indulging in the "harmless" table in the temples and the sexual excitement everyone else was enjoying. This is the more normal way to understand the term "sexual immorality…"

One should be wise about their forms of entertainment. 

Rev 2:15  Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

As mentioned, Nicolaitans claimed to have insight into the divine or, more probably, into the demonic. They lived immoral lives, which allowed them to become part of the syncretism of pagan society (ie., the combining or attempted combining of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought – (like the acronym COEXIST represents) and to participate in the Roman civil religion, that promoted the worship of Caesar.

Rev 2:16 Repent therefore!  Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Evil hates to be exposed but the truth is fearless.  And the truth will stand victorious at the end of all things.  And there is no way that in the end, Jesus will not stand victorious. 

Therefore, the church as a whole must repent of its inappropriate behaviors and align with the truth, so that it will not have to be defeated by it.

Rev 2:17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

If there were no obstacles or powers or temptations to be overcome, Jesus would not have said this.  And these things that must be overcome have a spiritual basis. 

But for those who do overcome by the Spirit…

Hidden manna:  Apocalyptic Jewish teaching, saw in the messianic era the restoration of the hidden wilderness manna. Those at Pergamum who refused the banquets of the pagan gods will receive the manna of Christ’s great banquet of eternal life in the kingdom of God.

“Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me… Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.”  (John 6:57-58)

If Jesus is giving the one who overcomes hidden manna, He must be giving the one who overcomes of Himself – of His very nature and being.

White stone with a new name…:  1Sa 7:10-12  While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. …that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.

The men of Israel rushed out and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them…  Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the LORD helped us.”  (Call it an important milestone.)

The "white stone" is a puzzle and has received various interpretations. It seems best to link the stone to the thought of the manna and see it as alluding to an invitation that entitled its bearer to attend one of the pagan banquets of that day.

The "new name . . . known only to him who receives it" is either the name of Christ himself, now hidden from the world but to be revealed in the future as the most powerful of names, or the believer's new name or changed character through redemption.

In an ancient Egyptian text, the goddess Isis plotted to learn the secret name of the supreme god Re to gain his hidden power for herself. The one who knew the hidden name would receive the power and status of the god who revealed it. Hence the name was jealously guarded by the god.

This background fits the context here: to Christians tempted to compromise their loyalty to Christ to gain the favor of the pagan gods (or a pagan culture), Christ generously offers himself and the power of his name so that those who have faith in him may overcome.

And those who listen to and obey the Spirit of Jesus, will overcome and be given a new name – that represents their new nature in the Spirit of Jesus.

Lessons from the Seven Churches -- Smyrna

Rev 2:8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

Smyrna lay forty miles almost due north of Ephesus. The city was exceptionally beautiful and large and ranked with Ephesus and Pergamum as "First of Asia." Known as the birthplace of Homer, it was also an important seaport that commanded the mouth of the Hermus River.

Smyrna was a wealthy city where learning, especially in the sciences and medicine, flourished. It repeatedly sided with Rome in different periods of her history, and thus earned special privileges as a free city.

Smyrna was also a center of the emperor worship, having won the privilege from the Roman Senate in A.D. 23 (over eleven other cities) of building the first temple in honor of Tiberius.

Under Domitian (A.D. 81-96) emperor worship became compulsory for every Roman citizen on threat of death. Such an act was probably considered more as an expression of political loyalty than religious worship, and all a citizen had to do was burn a pinch of incense and say "Caesar is Lord."

Yet most Christians, with their confession "Jesus is Lord" (cf. Ro 10:9), refused to do this. Perhaps nowhere was life for a Christian more perilous than in this city of zealous emperor worship.

There was a modern-day parallel to this predicament when the Japanese occupied Korea in 1937-40 and ordered Christians to worship at their Shinto shrines. Many Christians refused and were imprisoned and tortured…

Concerning the founding of the Smyrna church, we have no information other than in John’s letter.

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.

These are the words of Him.  The One who speaks with true authority.

Jesus, who is First and Last and everything in between.  Eternal life Himself, who gave His life and arose because death could not hold Him and who is alive forever. 

…Him, who has all authority in heaven and earth and hell.  There is nowhere where His authority is not in play.  These are the words of Him.

And if these are the words of Him, what He says, will happen.

And He says…

Rev 2:9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Jesus knows… 

Every outward indication, regarding the health and strength and resources of this church, was weakness. 

They were slandered and under attack from the evil one, who was using even religious leaders as his instruments.  But such things are only weak indications, such powers are only talk, when our strength, when our resources are in Jesus.

When every outward indication shows weakness, He says – ‘You are rich!’ 

‘I know all things and you have everything you need in Me.’

Regarding his own personal afflictions, the Apostle Paul wrote:  ‘Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it (his affliction) away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.

For when I am weak, then I am strong.  (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)

Have we learned this lesson?  We do not depend on our own strength (weakness).  Because our true strength is in the Lord.

Likewise Paul wrote,

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

God said…  God made… His light shine in our once darkened hearts – that were void of His presence, giving us the knowledge of Him, in Jesus Christ – through His indwelling Spirit. 

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  

Outwardly we are just clay, but inwardly there is treasure: His all-surpassing power – that comes from Him, not from us. 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.  

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  (Ephesians 2:8-10)

By His grace we are what we are now in Christ.  We are His workmanship to do good works, which He prepared in advance for us to do – before we were born and reborn in Christ Jesus.

Paul wrote regarding his situation…

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Because our confidence is in Jesus.

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  (2 Corinthians 4:6-10)

We carry around in us His death.  Suffering may come.  …so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in us.  So that the world may know Him – through us.

Rev 2:10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

In many ways we see society going from bad to worse…

And this is in no way promoting that we look to cause trouble.  But if our message is not going against the world and those who promote its principles; are we promoting the right message? 

Because the gospel message is in direct opposition to the message of the mainstream.  And the powers of the world and of evil, do not like to be exposed for what they are.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it…  (2 Timothy 3:12-14)

What have you learned?  What are you convinced of?  Live by that.  Because we know Him, who is Lord of all.

Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  (Isaiah 40:28-31)

I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

The church in Smyrna was being given specific details regarding what was coming and from whom it was coming.  She would be tested and persecuted.  The authenticity of her faith would be tested and persecuted.

And the church in Smyrna was given specific instructions, from her Commander and Chief – to remain faithful even to the point of death. 

If she passed the test – if she faithfully endured even to the point of death – even to the point of apparent loss, as the world sees it – she would be victorious and receive the crown of eternal life – the crown of victory.

…Showing that the Lord is her victory, not the things of this life. 

Therefore, as Peter wrote…

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 

Temptation can take many forms; but it has one purpose – to destroy the one tempted. 

And it does so, by tempting people to reject the Word of God, making evil alternatives seem like the normal behavior or even the right thing to do.  …Promising personal benefits, but delivering misery.

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Throughout the unbelieving world, believers are suffering for Christ.  And one day it could happen here.   We must be like Smyrna.  Of the seven churches there were two that the Lord had nothing bad to say about, and Smyrna was one of them.

Like Smyrna, whatever the cost, remain faithful to Jesus.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.  (1 Peter 5:8-11)

Rev 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

And it is the second death, eternal separation from God in hell, that the unbelieving world should be encouraged to avoid, by faith in Jesus Christ.

Lessons from the Seven Churches, Ephesus

Rev 1:5-6  To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever!  Amen.

These are first things.  Things that are foundational to the Christian walk and under which everything regarding obedience must fall.  First…

He loves us.  This is our basis.  If we forget this, we become legalists and miss the grace that is ours through Him.  Next…

He has freed us from our sins by His blood.  We were slaves to the sinful nature that produces sinful actions and the result of that nature is spiritual death. 

Jn 6:53 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

Without Christ in us, we have no eternal life in us, because He is that life.  By receiving Him, His Spirit comes to live within us.  And He becomes eternal life in us.

Jn 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

We are souls with a body; not bodies with souls.  Flesh and blood is limited to this world, but the soul goes on.  And the soul in whom the Spirit lives and gives life, looks to heaven and feeds on the words of Jesus.

Regarding sin, God is just.  He never says “Ah, no big deal.”  Because sin separates the lost from Him and it ends in death. 

But through Jesus, His mercy triumphed over judgment.  The death of Jesus – the pouring out of His life, freed us -- paying the penalty for our sin, satisfying completely God’s justice toward all who receive Jesus.

When we believe God regarding Jesus, we appropriate the reality of His work.  We are given the Holy Spirit as proof. The Spirit of Jesus – the nature of the Father, lives within us – purifying us from actions that lead to death and making us new people.

And as new people – we are the body of Christ – the church, of the kingdom of God, and we’re appointed as priests – serving God and each other, proclaiming the Word of God, ministering to people, interceding for people – making offerings, meeting needs and living lives that are pleasing to God, because of Jesus. 

…to whom the kingdom and the power and the glory belong forever.

This is our calling.

Rev 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.  So shall it be!  Amen.

 Jesus is coming…  Not as before – as a baby, but as our glorified Lord and…

Every eye will see Him…  In His first coming, the world did not recognize Him.  When He returns, everyone will know who He is.

Even those who rejected and persecuted Him…  Even now, when the followers of Christ are rejected and persecuted, Jesus is rejected and persecuted because believers are the body of Christ in whom He lives by the Spirit.

All the peoples of the earth who refused the gospel will say, “Oh, No!!!  We should have known.  We should have listened.  We should have believed.”

But note that these are the peoples of the earth; not the people of God.  Not those who have been freed by Christ’s blood and become His kingdom and priests.

There are those who are in the world and those who are of the world.  And it is those who are of the world, who refuse to receive the good news of salvation and are not set free from their sins that will mourn.

The burden of their sin and the consequences thereof are theirs to bear, because they refuse to receive the One who bore the sins of the world on a cross and saved us from the judgment to come.

Rev 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, The First and the Last.  The first One – The creator of all that is – the One who endures forever and decides how long things last. 

Jesus, who came from the Father in Heaven to the earth and who is now at the right hand of the Father in Heaven and whose Spirit is here and lives in the hearts of those who believe; and who is coming soon.  He is Lord and He is God – the Almighty.

America should want to be on the side of Jesus.

Rev 1:17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.

The glorified Jesus that lived in human flesh, whom John saw in person, now in His glorified form; so awesome and powerful to see. 

Have you ever fallen down before the Lord in recognition of your sinfulness and received forgiveness – and responding in thanksgiving and praise?  Have you ever experienced the awesome power of His presence within you?

Have you ever sensed Him in your soul saying, “Don’t be afraid?  I am the First and the Last – and you are mine.”

He frees us from fear, lifts us to our feet, fills us with hope because He has revealed His love and faithfulness toward us, even though our hearts, at times, condemned us.  Because He is greater than our hearts.

Rev 1:18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!  And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Rev 1:19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.

Jesus – eternal life Himself, who gave His life and arose because death could not hold Him and is alive forever.  He has all authority in heaven and earth and hell.  Yes even Hell.  There is nowhere where His authority is not in play.

And one can be sure that whatever He told John to write down, everything that John was shown, is true and can be trusted.

Rev 2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:

(Jesus explained) The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.  (Revelation 1:20)

Jesus holds them.  He is over them.

Rev 2:2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

Jesus sees what is happening in His church.  They were commended for working hard for the faith and not giving up through difficult times; for discerning false teachings.

The Apostle Paul qualifies this… I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people — not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.

It is the sick who need a doctor – it is the lost who need Jesus.  Jesus associated with sinners, but He did not sin with them.  He preached the kingdom of God to them and healed them.  And this is our calling as His ambassadors.

We are not the world’s policemen.  Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save it through His death and life.  And this is our message – whether it is well received or not.  The church, is the body of Christ and by His Spirit we are to live like He did.

But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a person do not even eat.

Sin is never to be embraced in any form in the church.  It may be forgiven, but never approved.  Unfortunately this goes against the message of the world.  That’s why Jesus said the world hated Him, because He said that what the world did was evil.  Lastly…

(Paul writes) What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?  Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside…”  (1 Corinthians 5:9-13)

God will judge the lost.  We must strengthen one another, walking in obedience to the Lord who always acts in accord with Biblical truth.  We must minister to the lost through prayer, example, instruction in the truth and love.

Jesus commended Ephesus for not tolerating wickedness in the church; for discerning certain ones who claimed to be ministers of the Lord, but were actually imposters.

Rev 2:3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

They suffered for the name of Jesus, persevered and did not give up.  But there was a problem.

Rev 2:4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

My impression of this problem is this: The first love that they had forsaken was Jesus.  And first things must remain first, otherwise you lose the rest. 

They seemed to have lost the sense of His love and love for each other and love for the lost; forgetting that they themselves had been found by the love and grace of God through Christ.

Because of false teachers inside and hardships outside, they may have become cynical and become more about policing than loving, focusing more on the sin than the salvation of the sinner that came about by the love of God through Jesus Christ.

They had lost the heart of the gospel message and fallen into legalism.

Rev 2:5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

Jesus is exhorting them to turn around and do as they did in the beginning when the love of God was fresh in their hearts – to keep first things first.  Christ’s life, which now lives in believers, must be first and expressed in acts of love and truth toward others.

Rev 2:6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

…hatred of the practices of the Nicolaitans was a hatred directed at the practices of these people, not the people themselves.  It is difficult to determine exactly who the Nicolaitans were and what they taught. …The name means "to conquer the people." …The close association of the name with Balaam (who led people into idolatry and immorality) may suggest either identity with that or similarity to its teachings.    

Information about the Nicolaitans is limited… and based mainly on John's references here in Revelation. Irenaeus claims that John wrote his Gospel to thwart the teaching of the Gnostics whose error was similar to the teaching known as Nicolaitanism.  Eusebius mentions that the Nicolaitans lasted only a short time. Seeing the sect as a heresy and warning against mixing Christian faith with idolatry and cult prostitution. The Nicolaitans claimed to have insight into the divine or, more probably, into the demonic. They lived immoral lives, which allowed them to become part of the syncretism of pagan society (ie., the combining or attempted combining of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought – like the acronym COEXIST) and to participate in the Roman civil religion, that promoted the worship of Caesar.

Jesus Himself claims to hate evil practices. But He came to save evil people from their sins.  To give a new nature, freeing them from a sinful life; giving eternal life to all who believe.  Therefore, considering all of this…

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith… (1 Peter 5:8-9)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  (Ephesians 6:12)

Do not forsake your first love.  Keep first things first.  The battle is against the devil, not your neighbor.  Therefore, resist the devil and his practices, and live the truth in love. 

Rev 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

The Narrow Gate

Mt 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

Jesus says, “Enter through the narrow gate.”

Where are we heading?  Where do we want to go?  How do we get there?  Have we listened to Jesus? 

Jesus is giving us instructions and directions.  He is saying that there are basically two gates – two choices to make.  Take the narrow one.

Where is the world heading?  Where does the world want to go?  How is the world trying to get there? 

You see, there is a wide gate with a broad road – very inviting – wide open – unrestricted – no speed limits – many people are choosing entering through it.  But it’s a lie.  The end result is not what they want.

There are all kinds of billboards advertising all kinds of things on the wide road.  They promise to meet all kinds of needs and give all kinds of pleasure.  It’s where you can be your own god – where you can do as you please without God getting in the way; following the ways of human reason and bodily appetites.

It is the way of the mainstream – the majority – the people of the world, led astray by the evil one – and it is leading them to destruction.

Their view of God and of Christ, if they have one, originates in their own minds and operates according to their own self-centered agendas.  They are looking for a utopia of their own making, rooted in human nature – that is opposed by nature to the nature of the Spirit of God.

They believe it will all end well, but they have believed a lie – they have been deceived by the devil who has taking them captive to do his will – and who uses the bait and switch to destroy his prey.  He promises one thing, but delivers another.

These are the lost.  They have chosen the wrong road that ends in destruction.  And they must be warned.  They must be saved from it.

Paul wrote…

Phil 3:18-19  For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

The cross is God’s judgment on sin, taken out on Jesus for humanity – to keep us from destruction.  But Satan doesn’t want them to know that.  Satan doesn’t want them to turn and enter through that narrow gate.

On the other hand, regarding the believers freedom and the use of earthly things Paul wrote…

1Co 6:12-13  “Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything.  

(We may own things, but they must not own us.  They must not come between my soul and my Savior.)

“Food for the stomach and the stomach for food”— but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

Your life – your body; every human life – every human body is meant for the Lord and the Lord is meant for them.  That is why Jesus says to enter through the narrow gate.  He is that gate.

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  (John 10:9)

Mt 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

The narrow gate is too narrow for most.  It is so small, so limited they think. They have no understanding of the kingdom of God.  So they think that there must be another way – a better one.

The mainstream has been so tempted and has come to reason that the wider road is better.  You have more options – more pleasure.  It’s more about you.  Satan is all about human rights – without God.

They may reason that God would certainly not have only one small way for people to enter heaven.  “What about all the good people?  What about all those who believe this or believe that about God?  If they don’t believe in Jesus will God send them all to hell?”

But they do not realize that they are already on that road to destruction – they have already gone through that wide gate and are traveling that highway to hell and they don’t even know it. 

They keep looking to each other and encouraging each other to continue down that road.  Breaking down boundaries that get in the way of their appetites.  Certainly the majority can’t be wrong.  Everyone is doing it – nice people.  The world, the media, even government is promoting it.

It feels right.  So it must be right.

But the Bible says…

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world.  (1 John 2:15-16)

Pr 14:12  There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

But God has made a way – the true way to be saved and to live.  …For those who are willing to listen to God, consider His word and repent – to change course, turn around and enter through the narrow gate and travel the narrow path of obedience – that leads to life.

There is much good in store for those who believe Jesus and by the grace and forgiveness of God, follow Him.   There’s much blessing in this life and the next, for those who choose life. 

These who find life also find that Jesus is better than all those things they used to run after.  They find that His voice is more loving and truthful than the voices they used to listen to.  …And that knowing Him gives a lasting peace of higher quality than the world can give and that the world knows nothing about.

“…the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.  (Matthew 13:45-46)

You know it when you find it – when you find Him.  That is, when He finds you, you know it and you want to sell everything in order to have the Kingdom.

This is what it is like for those who meet Jesus – who come to know Him and His kingdom – the kingdom of God – a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit…  The Lord is worth it all.  His will is best of all.  So we invest our lives in Him.

…And we invest our lives in helping others come to know Him.  We invest in eternal things.

The world and its desires pass away, but the person who does the will of God lives forever.  (1 John 2:15-17)

Jesus said, …small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 

It’s easy to find the wide gate and broad road – it’s obvious – everyone is doing it – unless you are looking for life.  Life is more – of better quality – and eternal value.  Only a few find it – because it is only found in Jesus.

It is good to be looking for and pursuing Christ’s way, even if it is narrow – because it leads to the kingdom of God.  And the kingdom of God is not like worldly kingdoms.

“The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”  (Luke 17:20-21)

The gate is small and the path is narrow that leads to new life within a person, because the way and the truth and the life is Jesus.  And our heart is His kingdom.

To those who believe, God has chosen to make known the glorious riches of the mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  (Colossians 1:27)

Christ is our life and He is life in you.  He is the Source of life – God the Son – the One who gave His life for the life of the world, lives in all who enter through the narrow gate and take the narrow path.

The gate may be small and the path narrow, but it is the only way that leads to life – because He is life.  Therefore as His ambassadors… we direct people to Him.

We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.  (Colossians 1:28)

And the end of the road is life with God, which is no end at all but the beginning of never-ending life.  Because… the narrow path leads into the eternal kingdom of God that is in us – who are in Christ.

As Paul wrote…

Phil 3:20-21  Our citizenship is in heaven…

And we eagerly await a Savior (who is returning) from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

So, it is a good thing to enter through the narrow gate.

They Overcame Him

Rev 12:1 A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.

Rev 12:2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.

Let me propose that the woman is like the Bride mentioned by Jesus and at the end of this book – the Church – those in whom Christ lives and give birth to righteousness.

…clothed with the sun – clothed with the Son of God. 

…twelve stars – like those who were first – the 12 apostles of Jesus, chosen out of the world – as the church is chosen out of the world, to proclaim and represent Jesus.

Rev 12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.

The devil – the counterfeiter – the corrupter of the truth to lead you astray – the power-hungry one trying to establish his evil kingdom here on earth for the purpose of destruction.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  (Ephesians 6:12)

Rev 12:4 His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born.

Bent on anger and destruction, determined to overpower all that is of God – especially the work of the church – those proclaim Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of all and preach and live out the word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born.

Remember how Herod pursued the newborn Christ and had all the boys around Bethlehem, 2 years old or less – those born around the time of Jesus, killed in an attempt to kill Jesus.

Likewise, the dragon – Satan – now – trying to stop, not the literal birth of Christ, because that already happened – but the birth of Christ in those who hear the gospel message and believe.  To stop the birth of Christ in them and that life in the world.

Because every time Christ is born in people, Satan loses.  We go from death to life – from being enslaved under the power of the devil, to living freely by the power of God. 

Satan wants to devour all that might be born through the work of Christ and His church.  Consider the parable of the sower – how Satan tries to influence those who hear the truth of Christ, to abandon what they have heard and believed.

But Jesus is stronger and knows how to keep safe those that are His very own.

Rev 12:5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.

Jesus was born and crucified; He arose and ascended to His throne at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him by God.  And those who believe are seated with Him because we are in Him, and He is in us.

…because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  (Ephesians 2:4-7)

Rev 12:6 The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

God is our protection and will continue to be according to His word and power.

Rev 12:7-9  And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.  But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.  

The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

My Bible commentary says that this is not referring to when Satan and his angels rebelled and were thrown out of heaven prior to God’s creation of the world – but later at the time of the end.

But the result is the same.  Satan is no competition for the Lord and His angels. 

And the purpose of Satan is also clear – he is here to lead the whole world astray.  And we can see in many ways today that he is leading many astray through his propaganda and lies, because of what they are embracing and doing and what they are promoting.

Astray from what?  Astray from God – from Jesus, from the Word of God and from the church.  Pray for those who are being led astray, that they may be found by Jesus.

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.  (Philemon 1:6)

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  (1 Timothy 3:3-4)

Rev 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.  For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He reigns.  Satan is no match for the power of God.  And Satan, who accuses those for whom Christ died, is no match for those in whom Christ lives -- His church. 

Rev 12:11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.  (Zechariah 4:6)

It is by the power of the Lord that we who believe may overcome the evil one. 

By the blood of the Lamb we have been set free from sin, death and hell.  By the Spirit of Truth, believers proclaim the Gospel that brings people from death to life – and like Jesus, by the power of God, are willing to give their lives for the salvation others.

Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!  But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!  He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”

The time is short.  The group Anberlin has as song with this line…

…What disasters may come, whatever it may be, At the end of the age, it will land you and me, What tragedy may bring, whatever may fall, At the end of the world, you still belong…

All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:22)

‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.  (John 15:20-21)

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.  (2 Timothy 3:12-13)

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  (Matthew 5:10)

Rev 12:13 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

Rev 12:14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.

The 3 1/2 times relates to the 1260 days mentioned before where the woman – the church, is protected from the power of the evil one.

Rev 12:15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.

What usually comes from the mouth of the evil one?  Lies? 

That’s what I believe is being spewed out by the serpent in order to try to overtake and sweep away the church – to try to sweep away the word of truth proclaimed by her.

Rev 12:16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

The dragon spewed, but was not successful.  I’m not sure how the earth helped by soaking up the lies.  But my hope is that through the ministry of truth, by the church in the world, the earth is helped to distinguish good from evil – and choose the good.

Rev 12:17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring — those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Rev 13:1 And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

Those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus are the church.  And as her children, so are we and must be in the world.  And we must stand.

Therefore put on God’s full armor, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then in the truth and righteousness of Christ, ready to share the gospel of Jesus, shielded by faith in Him from the evil one – your mind protected by the knowledge of salvation.  Speaking and applying the word of God, in love, as your weapon in battle.  …Praying in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests; being alert and continually praying for all believers.  (Ephesians 6:13-18)

By doing so, you/we will overcome evil with good.

Fearless

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  We love because he first loved us.  (1 John 4:18-19)

There’s no fear in love. 

Therefore it could be said that “Love is fearless.” 

That puts a light on love that many may not consider.  Some may think of love as weak and sentimental.  But to love – to truly love requires great courage.  It requires that we be fearless.

Fear mentioned here – that is, being afraid is by nature self-centered.  It is something inside of us and relates to us.  But we know from Scripture that Love is not self-seeking.  (1 Cor 13:5)

So if the object of love is not self, love may be fearless.  When the object of our love is God and others, the perfect love of God makes us fearless.

It is true that we may be afraid for others about a number of things – especially with their spiritual condition.  This can show that we have a loving concern for them.

But love doesn’t worry.  Because worry is being afraid.  The one who worries, is not made perfect in love.  But love fearlessly goes to the Lord in prayer with confidence that He will hear and answer appropriately.

Perfect love drives out fear… 

The love of God – the love of Christ, is perfect love.  Because there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for His friends – and we are Jesus’ friends, if we love. 

Because God – because Christ, is love.  He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end of all things.  He created all things and holds them all together.  And He is love – from which all of His attributes flow.

Therefore, since no one or nothing is before Him or has power over Him, we can be fearlessly convinced, like Paul…

…that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:38-39)

We can be fearless, because the perfect love of God is our confidence; not the potential problems in this life that may come and will come.  Like David wrote…

The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?  (Psalm 27:1)

Now comes the heart of the matter.

Because fear has to do with punishment.

Punishment for what? 

Punishment is painful – whether for just or unjust reasons, punishment can be painful – and even deadly.

But the punishment that John is referring to is God’s punishment of sin.  When we are made aware of our sin and the punishment that will come from God on all sin – that being, the complete annihilation of it, we fear.  All humanity has sinned and has sin in him or her.  Therefore, this annihilation gives humanity reason to fear, unless…

Unless the punishment is taken away.  Unless the sin is taken away.  Unless we are given a new nature…  Then we can be fearless.

The ‘unless’, that we need, is Christ.  Because God so loved the world – Jesus took our punishment.  He took our sin away, making way for the Holy Spirit to come and live in all who believe.

He is our new nature, Christ-in-you, the hope of glory; the indwelling Holy Spirit -- the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

His presence – His perfect love, drives out our fear – so we may be fearless.

The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

I believe that John must be focusing here on the person who is characterized by fear, because sin has not yet been dealt with completely in their life. 

Many fear God and His righteousness and many other godly things because they are still under the guilt and power of sin.  Christ’s presence is not in them to drive fear away and reveal the truth and the love of God that makes us fearless.

As believers, we have had times when we were afraid.  Circumstances that have come upon us and caused us to fear.  But that fear did not last forever – or even for a long time, because we know Him who loves us and has us in His hands.  So rather than fear, we pray and His presence sustains us.

There can be the fear of not measuring up – of not being perfect, of underperforming – especially in love and in loving others.  So we pray and with the help of the Holy Spirit we are learning.  The Spirit of Truth is perfecting us in love, so that we may live a life of love and love others fearlessly.

Because love is fearless.  Therefore, perfect love – the love of God, is perfectly fearless.  And to be perfectly fearless we need perfect love.  Because…

The one who fears is …not yet made perfect in love. 

We need to be made perfect in love – by God.  We cannot do this ourselves. 

But the author and perfecter of our faith, is in the process of making us perfect in love.  He is doing things and allowing things; disciplining and perfecting us in love, so that we may be the best we can be in Him.

All things and each one of us has our beginning through God.  And in Christ, God has our back and our future – so we may live lives of love and truth and obedience in this world that is not our home, without fear.

We love because he first loved us.

It all begins with God.  And it all ends with God.  God has united us with Himself through Christ – our punishment is gone – our sin is gone – we have been made new and are being made new creations in Christ, and the Holy Spirit is proof of this. 

All we have to do is obey Jesus.  We are completely free to obey Christ fearlessly, because He has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,

So that being rooted and established in love, we may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and know this love that surpasses knowledge — being filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  (Ephesians 3:17-19)

By faith working through love, He will fill us with all the fullness of God so that we may have power with all believers to apprehend and know the love of Christ, and live that life out fearlessly.

Like the Lord told Moses…

Be strong and courageous… The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”  (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8)

How do we do this?  How can we be strong and courageous?  Because the Lord goes before us and won’t leave or forsake us.  He is already before us and no one can take us out of His hand.

Unlike Moses, it is no longer a conquest of physically destroying nations in pursuit of a physical promised land.  The battle is spiritual as is the Kingdom of God.

“The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”  (Luke 17:20-21)

Remember when the Israelite spies entered the Promised Land; some focused on the giants there and were afraid, and only a couple kept their eyes and their minds on the Lord and His promise.  The real battle is within.

We, as followers of Christ, seem to be facing many giants in the world today:  societal, political, technological, professional, personal, spiritual.  All of these can be used by the evil one in an attempt to draw our attention from loving and obeying Christ – from remaining in Him and keeping our eyes on Him fearlessly.

But by His love and power, in spite of all the obstacles and snares, we must and will love one another and others in the truth – because Christ lives in us.

As John wrote…

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.  (1 John 4:11-12)

At times, love will require us to ask for forgiveness, for not loving appropriately.  We are in training.  But God’s perfection – His perfect love, will help us love one another fearlessly, like God so loved us. 

I have never seen God, but like the wind – that we can’t see, I sense His presence and see His effects.  I may not know exactly from where He is coming and where He is going and where He is taking me, but neither can I deny His presence.  

His love and the truth of His Word are always with us.  So that through Him, we may fearlessly love one another in the truth.  God lives in us and His love is being made complete in us – so that through us, the world may come to know that God sent His own Son and loves them and us, as much as He loves Jesus.

A New Song

Ps 40:1  I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.

Ps 40:2  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

Ps 40:3  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

Ps 40:4  Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

How often have you been in need of waiting patiently for the Lord?  And how often did He turn to you, because He heard your cry?

How many here has the Lord pulled out of the pit of despair and put you firmly on your feet?  For how many has God changed your tune?

Did He give you a new song of praise to Him in your heart?  He wants many more to know Him and put their trust in Him – to give them a new song too.

Those who make the Lord their trust, are blessed.  Neither the proud nor false gods can do anything but harm compared to the blessing of what the Lord does for those who trust Him.

And the Lord is Jesus.

John writes in…

Rev 4:2-3  At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.  And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.  A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.

Rev 4:4  Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.

Rev 4:5  From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

Rev 4:6  Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.

I believe that much of this imagery is meant to help explain the unexplainable to John.

Rev 4:7-8  The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.  Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings.  Day and night they never stop saying:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”

That was their song.  The song that has always been and always will be.

Rev 4:9-10  Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever.  They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

Rev 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

It is the words that give meaning to a song.  These words were a hymn of glory and honor and praise to God – the Father.

Rev 5:1  Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.

Rev 5:2  And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”

Rev 5:3  But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it.

Rev 5:4  I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.

No one could open it.  No one was worthy?  Sealed with seven seals means – perfectly sealed – a document of extreme importance.  A document that was so engraved in stone, that if no one could open it, there would be no hope – of survival.

Rev 5:5  Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.  He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

He – the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David – who has triumphed – who is able – who is worthy to open the scroll and its seals; He is Jesus.

Rev 5:6  Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.  He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Jesus.  Slain for the sins of the world.  Positioned in the center of the throne of the Father, encircled by the creatures and elders, possessing in Himself, the power and vision and authority of God.

Before we saw the seven spirits of God before the throne… Jesus is portrayed here as having this in Himself.  As Jesus said, “I and my Father are One.”

Rev 5:7  He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb.  Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

They worshipped Jesus and the prayers of believers, were offered up.

Rev 5:9  And they sang a new song:

Music is a big business here on earth.  New songs, if they are good, can bring in a lot of money.  But what are the songs saying?  As mentioned before, the words are the message of the song.

There are songs about bars, pickup trucks and slow moving trains.  Those about appropriate and inappropriate behaviors.  There are those about boys and girls in romantic relationship, and boys and girls breaking those relationships.

There are all kinds of songs with all kinds of messages promoting all kinds of things.  Some good.  Some not so good.  Some that promote good things and some that promote bad things. 

But none are as powerful as a new song, given by God to a believing heart.  David said the Lord put a new song in His heart, a hymn of praise to God.

Such a song is powerful, because it is the love and power of the Spirit – of eternal life, present and speaking in the believer’s heart of the love of Christ – who gave His life, so that the severed relationship of God and all humanity may be restored forever.

The severed relationship meant hell for humanity.  The restored relationship means eternal life – the life of God in you, and a future home in heaven forever.  And this is enough to change our tune and give us a new one – the presence of the Spirit within.

The song began…“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men (and women) for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

The scroll must relate to the law – the condition that condemned humankind because of sin.  Jesus was condemned and slain for us, so that by His blood and by faith in Him – everyone from every tribe, language, people and nation, who believes, may be saved.

Rev 5:10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

And not only are believers saved, but all believers – you included, are given power through the Spirit, to serve God and one another – interceding for each other; and by His power, to reign on earth with Him.

Rev 5:11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.

All of heaven…

Rev 5:12 In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

All of heaven were singing and praising and honoring and worshipping Jesus.  And it is not a sin to worship Jesus, because He is God the Savior and He is Lord.  It is a sin however, to worship those who are not.

Rev 5:13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

Then every creature in heaven and on earth and everywhere else were singing the same song of praise to the Father and to the Son – a new song – a Spirit song of salvation.

Rev 5:14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

“Amen -- Let it be so,” was the response of those around the throne to the reality that this matter was eternally settled and true in all of heaven and earth; and through the Spirit is now living in the hearts of all who truly believe.

For His Sake

Mt 10:27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.

Jesus said, “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”  (John 16:13)

Jesus speaks to believers though the Spirit of truth.  He will always direct you according to the truth.  Biblical truth is the truth.  So, tell the truth.  Proclaim the truth.

Mt 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

It may be true that more people are afraid of losing their body than losing their soul.  Their soul is given less attention, because they do not give attention to God. 

Being afraid here is a metaphor for degree of importance – that which relates to what is most important to us – what we are most concerned about losing.

From a simply practical standpoint, one would be wiser to be more concerned about the One who has authority over body and soul.  And though the One who made us has every right to do with us as He pleases.  He takes no pleasure in the loss of the ungodly and has gone to great lengths to save us.

Jesus came so that body and soul would not be destroyed in hell.  He came to save mankind from what they were ultimately going to face without Him.

Mt 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.  And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

The Author of all life, the architect and creator of all, the owner of everything -- is neither cruel nor haphazard in His dealings with all he created – even with small birds, and especially with us.  He is aware and involved in all things – even sparrows, even the number of hairs on our heads, even if we are not aware of it. 

He values us above the rest of creation.  He values humanity more than animals.

Yet because of sin, and God’s judgment and condemnation of sin, humanity without Christ has reason to be afraid.  But those who believe what God has done through Christ – through His death and His life, need not be afraid.

Mt 10:32 “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.

Sin makes humanity naturally allergic to Spirit of God – resistant to Jesus Christ.  The gospel is foolishness to their ungodly ideas of what life is and what life should be – what success is and how it is measured.

So there is a certain amount of risk and even danger for believers to acknowledge Jesus – that is, to live for Him, in a world that does not and does not necessarily want to know Him. 

But we who believe, must know who we live for and why?  And why is: so that the world may know Christ.

So that the world may believe that God sent Jesus and loves them as He loves His only Son.  So that as God’s life is in Jesus, His life may be in us, and our life may be in Him.  (John 17)

We acknowledge Him for His sake and for the sake of others.

Mt 10:33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

Paul gives more perspective in…

2Ti 2:11-13  Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.  If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

One would expect someone who did not know Christ to disown Him.  It would be natural for those who are of the natural world and not born of the Spirit to do so.  And those who refuse to believe, will be disowned.

But for someone who has believed in Him – who has died with Him, and lives with Him.   If we endure by faith in this life, we will also reign with Him.  To disown Him would be unnatural – it would be dishonest.

But if we are in Him, and though at times we may find ourselves weak and faithless – He will remain faithful.  Because we are in Him and He is in us, and He cannot disown Himself.  Because we’re the body of Christ.  And by His power we will endure.

Mt 10:34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  But His peace is not the world’s peace. 

It’s like COEXIST a metaphor of humanism – of humanity trying to find peace without Christ.  It is a kind of animal peace, though animals don’t often get along; a false peace that originates with human reasoning, but is void of the Spirit.  Because it denies Jesus – who is our Peace. 

Yes, the T in COEXIST may represent the cross of Christ and Christianity, as one of many ways to peace.  But it misrepresents the Jesus who is and God the Father, from whom Jesus came.  And it violates God’s testimony of who Jesus is, and the reality of who must be believed in and followed – to have lasting peace.   

The world often reacts violently to the truth of God.  Because the truth does not align with the world’s misperceptions.

Mt 10:35 For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

Mt 10:36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

This is strong and unsettling language.

As an example, consider politics or religion for that matter.  Maybe more than ever, is the distance between the left and the right – people and even families are at odds because of their particular persuasions. 

But how far are their persuasions from the mind of Christ, who has authority over heaven and earth?  As someone said, “Left and right are just two roads to the same destination” – and not a good one.

Jn 15:18-19  Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

Jn 15:20-21  Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.  They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 

Mt 10:37 “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

Mt 10:38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

This is not about causing trouble with family members.  It is about Jesus being Lord of our lives.  He must be our Lord.  Otherwise, how could we faithfully endure in this life and how could we participate with Jesus and His purpose of saving people and giving them eternal life, if He is not Lord of our lives.  We would just go our own way.

For us, Jesus must be first.  By the grace and power of God, He will be.  And when He is our Lord, we will truly love others, especially our families. 

Mt 10:39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

What kind of life are we looking for?  What are we living for?  What is our highest priority?  To gain the world?  To protect ourselves?  To be comfortable?

Phil 3:7-8  But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ…

Paul knew.  For years I knew, but was not willing.  And even now, I have not yet comprehended what it means to fully know Him.  But like Paul wrote…

Phil 3:10-11  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 

Eph 4:13-16  …until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

…no longer tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

But instead, speaking the truth in love, …growing up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Have we ever really wanted what God has in store for those who know Christ?  And be …His ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal to the world through us…? 

As Jesus said…

Mt 10:40 “He who receives you (who receives us who believe) receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.

By His grace and power, are we ready for God to make His appeal through us to the world?  So that God’s message of life may be received – that Christ may be received.  For His sake and for the sake of others?

Perfect Freedom

My dear people, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for person’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  (James 1:19-20)

What if we were a nation of people and leaders that wanted this?  But human nature, bound by sin and self, is by nature against it.  Without the Spirit, human nature is slow to listen and quick to speak.  Minus the righteous life – that is, the Holy Spirit that God desires for us, human nature often reacts first.

I can’t speak for you, but I sometimes feel it – in the morning taking Denise to work – people not driving in ways I think they should; feeling that twinge of anger and desire to see who they are and to stare them down.

This does not aid in my need and desire for righteousness.  Too often I am more interested in pointing out the wrongs of others than in doing what’s right.  Forgetting what is written by James,

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!  (James 2:12-13)

God’s perfect law… that gives freedom.  That’s what we need.

Mercy over judgment; because the unforgiving become the unforgiven.  Grudges eventually crush those who hold them.  Because that’s what sin does.  Every temptation, designed for us to think or act inappropriately, is Satan trying to destroy someone – especially us.

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  (James 1:21-22)

Moral filth, in all its forms – and the evil that is so prevalent in so many forms in the world – we should get rid of and stay away from.  But it would be very difficult to always stay away from it.  We would have to leave this world.  Even if we became hermits, we would not be completely immune. 

We may not be able to completely get away from it.  But we don’t have to participate in it.  And when temptations come, the quicker we resist them, the better.

But the word of God can be trusted in any and every situation – the word that you have been taught since childhood.  It is the truth that we have learned to be true through both our obedience and even our disobedience, when we learned our lesson from it. 

Regarding Jesus, the writer of Hebrews says… Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him…  (Hebrews 5:8-9)

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  (Hebrews 12:11)

God’s perfect law that gives freedom:  When we put God’s word into practice, its truth becomes self-evident, and we are free.

Those who learn what to avoid and what to do – even from the school of bad decisions, overcome evil with good.  Those who do not learn from the school of bad decisions deceive themselves and are bound to repeat them.

I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning.  I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.  (1 John 4:14)

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his/her face in a mirror and, after looking at themself, goes away and immediately forgets what they look like.   (James 1:23)

In Christ, we do not look like we did.  Maybe on the outside we look like we did to a certain extent, but not our heart.  People look at outward appearances, but God looks at the heart.  Through faith in Christ, we have been given a new heart.

You’re taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.  (Ephesians 4:22-24)

A new heart means a new self, and we must not forget what that looks like.  And we have the Holy Spirit to remind us.  …the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 

The new self wants to align with God and has the desire to do what God says. 

…the person who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he/she has heard, but doing it that person will be blessed in what they do.  (James 1:25)

The perfect law that gives freedom…

The preamble of our Constitution begins like this:  We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union...

I recall that a teacher in my prior schooling criticized our founders’ grammar in the words more perfect Union.  Because you cannot do better than perfect. 

But I think we can do better.  The Apostle James here, promotes looking into the perfect law that gives freedom and then doing it. Those who do so will be blessed.

That perfect law relates to the character and nature of God and is given to us through the Spirit, by faith in Christ.  And it is promoted by Biblical truth.  This truth is given to us – implanted in our hearts for the purpose of being applied by us – on the basis of love.  Because God is love.  And there is nothing unconstitutional about that.

The Spirit of God and His Word, at work through His people, is the perfect law that gives freedom.  And it is freedom that is the basis of our Constitution. 

The first part of the 1st Amendment of the Constitution states:  Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…

Looking at what our founders were most likely considering what was happening in England with religious oppression and why the Pilgrims came to America.  They did not want the same things happening here.

Government may neither establish a religion, nor prohibit the free exercise thereof.  In other words, it is not unconstitutional to obey Christ.  I believe that both the Establishment Clause and the Freedom clause were meant to work together, for the purpose of freedom – which is the basis of our Constitution.

Unfortunately, human nature has gotten in the way.  And inherent in human nature is the bias of unbelief.  The so-called separation of church and state has placed the state over the church, which I do not believe was the intention of our founders, some of whom were Christians.

Because the church, the true church is not an organization or some kind of belief system – with its own unique doctrine like many other kinds of religions have their doctines, but the church is people in whom Christ lives and our doctrine is the truth. 

And to exclude Christ followers from the state – from living out their faith through obedience to Christ anywhere and everywhere in this nation, would be unconstitutional.

For we must obey Christ wherever we are – whether in this nation or another.  Because that is who we are.  Just like those in whom Christ does not live are who they are. 

They cannot comprehend that a person can know Christ, be filled with the Spirit and live in relationship with God.  Many may not believe this is even possible because they have not experienced salvation. 

But we have come to know Him and would be lying if we denied Him.  Our faith is not based on speculation or assumption or wishful thinking, it is based on the truth and the truth is what we must live by. 

Like Jesus said,

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really knew me, you would know my Father (you would know God) as well.

From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”  (John 14:6-7) 

…Because you know Me. 

“The Sanhedrin said, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in Jesus’ name…”  Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!”  (Acts 5:28-29)

By the Spirit, they regarded Christ and the truth of greater value than the trouble they were facing. 

Our Declaration of Independence says…  We hold these truths to be self-evident… 

So it appears that our founders were interested in what was true – even what is best for our nation.  It is probable that some were continually seeking to become a more perfect nation, with the hope of finding what is truly true – even eternally true. 

…So that it might be lived out in these United States.  With the hope that we may travel farther down the road to becoming a more perfect nation – like God is perfect.

America is meant to be a Godly nation, not a political one.  Our laws are meant to be based on what is just and true – even perfect.  And it is God and His word that is the standard, the basis of what is just and true and perfect.

…the person who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he/she has heard, but doing it that person will be blessed in what they do.  (James 1:25)

This is true for individuals and nations.  Because God can see nations as individuals and individuals as nations, because of the purpose He has for them.

And so I promote God’s perfect freedom not as a religion, but as the truth whose resulting blessing will be self-evident and self-authenticating because God is behind it. 

The Spirit of God and His Word, at work through His people, is the perfect law that gives freedom.  This freedom does not originate with human legislation, though human legislation is helped by it.  It comes by the power of God.

Yearn For

 “Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever!

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.  And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;

I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!  (Job 19:23-27)

What do you yearn for?

Yearn: to finish, to fulfill, to complete; to be completed

Now, this, is different than a hankerin.  A hankerin is something you may have for a Big Mac or chocolate – something of the flesh.

But a yearning is deeper.  At the core of your being.  Something that can only be fulfilled or completed there.

So what do we yearn for?

Even before the coming of Christ, Job had a sense of longing or yearning – even an emptiness – the result of sin and separation from God; a need to be redeemed by God; a sense that there is a Redeemer that is good and can and will fulfill – even complete this yearning – somehow, some way – with Himself.

Job was suffering in the flesh, but by the grace of God, he had faith that even while in His suffering flesh, He would see God – the only one that could fulfill his yearning.  And he greatly looked forward to that day.  And He wanted everyone to know it.

There is a Redeemer, Jesus God’s own Son.  Our Redeemer lives. 

Is there anything in you that yearns for Him?  Do you ever yearn for Him?  Do you ever yearn for everyone to know Him?  That’s what children of God do. 

John puts it this way.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are! 

…we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 

Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.  (1 John 3:1-3)

John had met Jesus in the flesh.  And John truly met and knew Him through the indwelling Holy Spirit, who came to Him at Pentecost and was sanctifying him through and through ever since.

And as a child of God, he truly yearned to see Jesus as He is, because now through the Spirit, He was being made to be like Him.  “O to be like Him…”

The Lord Himself is our purity.  Therefore, children of God have this hope and purify themselves from the things that defile body and soul, by His presence within.

This hope keeps us from involving ourselves inappropriately in the thinking of the world and the things of the world, while keeping ourselves in God’s love through practicing His word, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

Am I doing my part in this relationship, pursuing and practicing that which is pleasing to God, aligning myself with what He is doing in me?

David knew something of the goodness of God.  He must have experienced God’s presence in times of quiet, out in the open air tending the sheep; in times of trial and in his times of confession, repentance and restoration after falling away; and in times of victory when the Lord fought for him.

Ps 84:1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty!

Ps 84:2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

David often had times of strong longing and passionate yearnings to be in the presence of the Lord.  Times in which his whole being: body, soul and spirit cried out to be near Him.  At times His soul yearned for God more than the body yearns for food.

Writing such things as…

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?  (Psalm 42:1-2)

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

It’s better to be poor in the world and rich in God than to gain the whole world without Him.  It’s better to be near Him, than to have anything this world offers.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man (blessed is the woman) who trusts in you.  (Psalm 84:10-12)

As David said…

My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.  (Psalm 119:81)

What would you write about your relationship with the Lord?  How do you feel about Him?  What do you say to Him?  What do you say about Him?

Isaiah wrote:

The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth.  Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.

My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.  (Isaiah 26:7-9)

What are your thoughts of the Lord, when you are lying in bed at night?  Is your life better when you walk in obedience to Him?  Do you wait for Him?

Do you yearn for Him?  Do you see that He only wants what is best for you and for all people?  And what is best is for the people of the world is to know Him and to walk with Him.

For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  (2 Corinthians 5:4-5)

There is that which is naked, mortal – temporary; that needs to be swallowed up by what is truly living – by eternal life.  And that is the life that we, who believe, yearn for – and God yearns for us to have. 

This is what we were made for and the Spirit is our seal, the deposit – the reality of eternal life – guaranteeing what is to come, when we dwell in the presence of the Lord forever.  For even now, His presence lives in us.

Often we may think of God not yearning for us, but just requiring things of us – that we have trouble doing – always falling short, feeling his displeasure (mostly self-induced), rather than the love and yearning God has for us. 

Minimizing what the love of God has accomplished for us through Christ. 

Regarding Israel, the Lord said…

Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the LORD.  (Jeremiah 31:20)

The Lord yearns for us, even more than we yearn for Him.  For our good He disciplines us so that we may share in His holiness, but he has never forgotten us nor has His heart stopped yearning for us; because of the great compassion He has for us.

Zephaniah 3:15  The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.

He has done all of this through Christ and our faith in Him appropriates it.  Sin’s punishment is gone.  Our enemy the devil, defeated.  The Lord is with us, we need not be afraid of anything.

Zephaniah 3:16  On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.

So we may stand in the strength and victory of Christ.

“Since we have such hope, we are very bold.”  (2 Corinthians 3:12)

…Ask God to give you a militant spirit.  Ask Him to point out to you the specific needs for which to pray.  Ask Him to show you the blindness, the slavery, and the lostness of the unsaved.  Ask God to help you feel His longing and love for the sinner, His hatred for the sin which is destroying the sinner, and His passion for the church, the kingdom and the waiting harvest…

     Ask God to light a holy fire in your soul by the power of the Holy Spirit, to transform your praying from weakness to prevailing power and an urgent insistence to see God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  (Wesley Duewel, in Touch the World Through Prayer)

Zep 3:17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Because He yearns for you.  He desires that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth – the knowledge of Him, because knowing Him – knowing Christ is salvation.  He loves you.  He delights in you. 

He will continue to quiet our hearts, when our hearts condemn us – because He is greater than our hearts.  He rejoices over us and will rejoice over us with singing, because He knows and can see what we will be when we are made complete in Him. 

Which is what we, through the Spirit, yearn for.

All

 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”  (Luke 10:25-28)

Love the Lord your God with all…

All…

A very small word that mean a lot – It means all.

And that means everything.

When you hear or read that passage; what does ‘all’ mean to you?

What percentage?  50%?, 75%?, 90%?, 99%?

(Lottery ticket illustration)

Is it like a 2”x4”?  That is really 1 5/8” x 3 5/8”.

It says 2x4, but is really slightly less.

And if God does mean all, like when Jesus says, Love the Lord your God with all…, or Sell everything, take up your cross and follow me…

How is this even possible?

Has anyone ever done it?  Anyone but Jesus?

I cannot point fingers.

And there are times that I yearn for such a life, but unfortunately, not ‘all’ the time.

Sometimes I’m selfish.

So what do we do?

Ask?  Seek?  Knock?

If God requires this – so that we may live – I guess so that we may truly live, it somehow must be possible.

Like the disciples, after the rich young man went away sad, after Jesus told him – if he wanted to be perfect (perfect is an ‘all’ kind of word) -- to sell all he had and then come and follow Jesus, and he would have treasure in heaven. 

He went away sad because he wasn’t ready to give all.  Jesus told his disciples that it would be easier to ride and elephant through a keyhole than for rich people to go to heaven.

And the disciples responded, “Then how can anyone be saved?”

To which Jesus replied, “With man – originating with humanity, this is impossible. (Impossible is one of those ‘all’ or ‘nothing’ words)  But not with God.  With God, ‘all’ things are possible.

So it must begin with God.

It must come from God.

Like, “We love, because God first loved us.”

God first.  (First is an ‘all’ kind of word also.)

God is the Source of ‘all’ that is good.

The Source of Love.

So to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength; and to love our neighbors (‘all’ of them?) as ourselves…

…this law – this ability to love, must come from God…

And if it must come from God, then how can we have it – if we want it?

Is there even a small percentage in us that wants it?  Even as small as a mustard seed?

Jesus said, “Everything is possible for the one who believes.”  (Mark 9:23)

And… “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”  (John 14:14)

Faith seems to be one of those ‘all’ words, like God is an ‘all’ word.  If you have faith, then you have all of it.  Just like you can’t have a little piece of God – you either have Him or you don’t.  Like He either has you, or He doesn’t.

Like to be a follower, Jesus says we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him.  An ‘all’ kind of thing.

This takes trust – in an ‘all’ kind of way. 

To what degree – what percentage? Do we trust Him?

And is there anything we don’t trust Him or refuse to trust Him with?

Anything that keeps us from ‘all.”

Anything that keeps us from loving Him – with ‘all’.

Ask Him. 

I’m not pointing fingers.  But if the Lord puts His finger on anything, will you let Him have it?  Will you trust Him with it – completely?  (Another ‘all’ kind of word)

Even with you whole being?

Holding nothing back from Him – but offering ‘all’.

Inviting Him to be Lord of ‘all’ your life.

Lord is an ‘all’ word like ‘God’ is.

When it says in Acts 17:24-25, “The God who made the world and everything in it is Lord of heaven and earth and doesn’t live in temples built by hands… And He is not served by human hands as if He needed anything.  Because He Himself gives all people life and breath and everything else…”

Like Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, therefore go and make disciples of all nations.”

And ‘all,’ would include this nation also.

That the whole world would come to love the Lord with all and love one another, appropriately.

Then there would be peace because He is our peace.  Christ is.

Christ is sufficient and sufficient is an ‘all’ word.

Like Peter said, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him, who called us by His own glory and goodness.”

His power is sufficient, because He is sufficient.

Christ is sufficient.  Christ is our Source; not our insufficiency.

He does not live in temples built by human hands; He lives in believers made by Him.

And He makes us “houses of prayer.”

…Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power.  All that God is, and all that God has, is at the disposal of prayer.  But we have to use the key.  (R. A. Torrey)

Prayer is going into ‘the secret place of the Most High,” and abiding under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1).  Prayer is making known to God our wants and desires, and holding out the hand of faith to take His gifts.  Prayer is the result of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.  It is communion with God.  (Unknown Christian)

…our first sentiment that ought to animate us is that of subjection: the surrender to His supremacy, His glory, His will, His pleasure, ought to be first and uppermost in our life.  The question is not how we are to obtain and enjoy His favor, for in this the main thing may still be self.  But what this Being in the very nature of things rightfully claims, and is infinitely and unspeakably worthy of, is that His glory and pleasure should be my one object…  (Andrew Murray)

He is the love in us that loves with ‘all’…

…and loves our neighbors appropriately, through us.

It is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.  (1 Corinthians 1:30)

He is ‘all’ of it.

So what percentage are we?  Do we believe – in an ‘all’ kind of way?

What are we holding back?  Will we trust Jesus with all?

So He may be our ‘all’ in ‘all’.

And as children of God – we may have all the Spiritual riches of the Kingdom that God has to give us – in Christ.

God’s Elect

 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, (Could be… Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Michigan.)

who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.  (1 Peter 1:1-2)

It appears that Peter like Paul had the gift of being able to share the gospel message, in its fullness, in a greeting.

To God’s elect…

This is election year…  When We the People (hopefully we the people) will choose the next president of these United States.

But God’s choosing is different.  In the perfection of His character and will, He elects us.

Eph 1:11-12  In Christ we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will… for the praise of his glory.

Eph 1:13-14  And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of his glory.

In Christ, we were chosen, predestined by Him; included in Him by faith through the word of truth – the Good News.  Having believed we were marked with His seal – the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing our inheritance in the Kingdom, until the redeeming work of those who are God’s possession, is completed.

And as God’s possession, like Christ, we are…

Strangers in the world…

Stranger danger to the world.  To the world, we who believe are strangers, and the world has become strange to us, with regard to how we want things to be with God and His will being the foundation of our nation.  This world is a strange place.

Remember what Jesus said to Pilate, prior to His condemnation and death…

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”  (John 18:36)

Our kingdom is from another place.

As Jesus said…  “The kingdom of God does not come with our careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”  (Luke 17:20-21)

Our kingdom is from another place and now dwells in us.  A kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  This is no longer our home, that’s why it has a different kind of appeal to us – not as a place that we want to endure in forever, but as a place whose people need to be saved – like we were, through Christ.

Jesus came to his disciples and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:18-20)

To the world this message – this teaching is strange, even though it is true.  But it must not be strange to us.  And through the Holy Spirit at work in us, it won’t be.

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.  (1 Peter 2:11-12)

Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.  For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.  But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.  (Luke 12:29-31)

As aliens and strangers in the world, the politics and patterns of the world are not our basis.  The Kingdom of God is.  Pagans are simply people without Christ.  So rather than embracing and promoting sinful desires, by the Spirit we desire to live lives that reflect Christ and that glorify God until He returns.

We don’t set our hearts on earthly things, though we need some of them and have some of them.  But first and foremost we seek and have our hearts set His kingdom, trusting God to supply everything we need for life and godliness, through our faith in Christ.  We have been…

Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God…

Recalling the words of Jesus…

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.  This is my command: Love each other.  (John 15:16-17)

What’s the difference and what are the implications of God choosing us, rather than us choosing God? 

His choosing is by grace.  We could not have chosen Him, nor could He have chosen us based on our merits – because of sin.  Likewise, by God’s choosing, He is taking on the responsibility of supplying us with everything we need – having been appointed by Him – to go and bear fruit that will last – as we remain in Him.

And the primary goal to which we have been appointed, and the fruit we are to bear is to love each other – from the heart – as God loves us.

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  (Acts 17:26-27)

Why did God, from one man make every nation of people, to inhabit the earth?  Why did He determine times and exact places where we should live? 

So that we would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, who is never far from any of us.  What father would not desire this for and from His children?  And on what basis?

On the basis of love.  The love of Christ, by which we are to love one another.  Having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose with Christ.

Through the sanctifying work of the Spirit…

The word sanctify means to set apart and to be made holy, by God. 

Notice that the word here refers to the sanctifying work of the Spirit.  The Perpetual work in progress to make us holy.  We have been set apart for the ongoing work of the Spirit to bring holiness to completion in us.

We are not doing it.  He is.  His way.  For this purpose…

For obedience to Jesus Christ…

What is obedience?  It is the holiness of God, being worked out in us through the Spirit, so that both our nature and actions will reflect God.

It is not the doing of God’s will like we are some kind of perpetual robots that God wants?  But it is to be made like Christ in true righteousness, holiness and love.  We are being made, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be and to live like Christ.

Not uniform, but unified.  Loving one another.  Operating out of love not law.  Because the law of the Spirit of life has set us free from the law of sin and death.  The law of His presence is changing our natures from sinners to saints.

As someone said, ”We aren’t sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners.”  It has to do with our nature.  And born of the Spirit of Jesus – the Spirit of God – the Holy Spirit, His presence and nature within us is changing us.  And we are being made to be obedient, not by law but by grace, through the Spirit.

By the nature of the Spirit, we are being made to desire to do the will of God, so that by nature, like Jesus we will.  We are being remade so that like Christ, we may say from our hearts, “Here I am, I desire to do your will, O God.”

Lastly… but certainly not least…

And sprinkling by His blood.

But who among us does the will of God, without fault?  Who among us is perfect, like Jesus is perfect?  …Like God is perfect in love and truth and all the attributes of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

I cannot speak for you.  I can only speak for myself.

For (as Paul said) what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  Like Paul, At times I cry out – What a wretched man I am.  Who can save me from this body of death. 

And like Paul, I must, by faith embrace… Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ.  (Romans 7:25)

As the song written by Charles Wesley, Arise My Soul, Arise says…

Five bleeding wounds He bears, received on Calvary…

They pour effectual prayers, they strongly plead for me…

Forgive him, Lord forgive they cry…

Forgive him, Lord forgive they cry…

Don’t let the ransomed sinner die.

Sometimes I feel like that’s all I’ve got.  But that is enough.  Christ is enough.

As John writes…  This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.  (1 John 3:19-20)

And so we may also say, as Peter said, Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 

His House

 2Sa 7:1-2  After king David was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

Have you ever wanted to do something for the Lord?  Something big?  David wanted to build the Lord a temple.

2Sa 7:3 Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you.”

2Sa 7:4-5 That night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying:  “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD says:  Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in?  

As He said in the book of Isaiah…

Isa 66:1 This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.  Where is the house you will build for me?  Where will my resting place be?

Isa 66:2 Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD.  “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.

This is what the Lord desires from us:  To be humble and contrite in spirit, and believe and obey the Word of God.

…to turn away from self to the Lord, and to our neighbors.  (C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters)

1Ch 17:8-9  (To David the Lord said…) I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men of the earth. 

1Ch 17:9-10  And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed.

Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel.   I will also subdue all your enemies.“

‘I declare to you that the LORD will build a house for you:

A spiritual house – a spiritual body.

1Ch 17:11 When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.

1Ch 17:12 He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.

1Ch 17:13 I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor.

1Ch 17:14 I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’ ”

David’s son Solomon did build a temple to the Lord, following the instructions of the Lord to the T.  But I do not believe that the Lord was talking about Solomon here.  Solomon’s kingdom was not an eternal one.  As Solomon wrote in…

Ps 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.

Spiritual houses must be built by the Lord.  Unless the Lord builds the church, we will labor in vain.

As Paul taught, we each have our task that God has called us to do, but only God makes things grow.  We have one purpose, working together as God’s fellow workers in His mission field of people and in His building of His church.  (from 1 Co 3:6-9)

Mt 16:13-18 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Though the name Peter meant ‘rock,’ it was not Peter who would build a church for the Lord Jesus, and neither can we. 

Jesus builds it, based on the reality of who Jesus is and the testimony of us, His church; on and His life working through this church, which is His body.

Built on the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. 

On that foundation, the Lord builds His church.  And all the powers of hell, cannot and will not prevail against her.  These evil forces may try to overcome us, but by the power of Christ living in us, they will not.

Heb 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.

Heb 3:2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.   (However…)

Heb 3:3-4  Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.  For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

Creator is always greater than creation.

The honor given to Jesus is as the builder of the house, not the house He is building.  Moses was a house.  And we who are in Christ, are the temple of the Holy Spirit – created by God as human beings, and recreated by God through faith in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit; to be like God in true righteousness and holiness, as children of God. 

Ac 17:24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.

There are many who still build such temples and cathedrals thinking that if they are impressive enough, God may want to live there.  But remember that what God wants is people who are humble in spirit and who trust and obey His words.

Ac 17:25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.

He does not need the little that we can give.  He is our source of life and breath and everything else. His divine power has gives us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  (2 Peter 1:3)

It is through Christ Jesus that all this comes as we rely on Him.

1Pe 2:4-5  As we come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him — we also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Remember how when: Jesus left the temple and was walking away, his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings – magnificent buildings with massive stones; ... and with precious stones and gifts dedicated to God.

“Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”  (Matthew 24:1-2)

…for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”  (Isaiah 56:7)

“ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’ ?  (Matthew 11:17)

…for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.  (1 Cor 3:17)

The house of God is the people of God – called to be people of prayer for all nations.  A spiritual house where people from all nations can come and encounter the Lord.  For God’s temple is sacred and we are that temple.

Col 2:6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

This is the Christian life. 

Col 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

This is the attempt of the gates of Hell to prevail against you. 

But as you continue to live in Christ, rooted and built up in Him, and not the ways of the world – strengthened in the faith and full of thankfulness toward God – a thankfulness that comes from the reality of His presence and power and victory, we, His church will prevail.

Col 2:9-10  For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

He is the head over every power and authority. And we are His house in whom He lives; His chosen people and precious to Him.

The Courage of Love

 On Wednesday nights, we have been studying the Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis.  At the end of one of the chapters the mentor demon (Screwtape) was teaching his apprentice a diabolical way to influence the young Christian he was assigned to, to …prevent him from doing anything.   This meant primarily – to keep him from putting faith into action.  He said…

The more often one feels without acting, the less he will be able to ever act.

And in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.

In pondering this, is he right?  And if he is right, am I caught in his web?  And how can we avoid being caught in it.  Because certainly, faith without action is dead – as James instructs.

But it is also dangerous to act on every feeling we may have.  Therefore, without doing nothing and without doing wrong things based on wrong feelings – those not produced by the Spirit of the Lord – we want to feel – because if we don’t, we are basically dead.

So in pondering all of this, what keeps us from acting when we should?  And how do we know when to act?  And I believe the answer rests in love – in the courage of love.

1Co 16:13-14  Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.  Do everything in love.

Be on your guard…

Pr 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Where your treasure is, your heart will be also.  Do not set your heart on the things of this world and this life.  Guard your heart from attachments of mind and body, that pull you from obedience to Christ.

1Jn 2:15-17  Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the person who does the will of God lives forever.

Being on guard is a defensive position, while action is an offensive position.  Love is the best offense; forgiveness the best defense.  And all by the Word of God.

Stand firm in the faith…

Ro 14:23  …and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

In other words, if it is of God then do it.  Jesus said, “I always do what I see my Father doing.”  If we don’t do what we believe God is leading us to do, to us, this is sin.

2Co 1:21-22  Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

To stand firm in faith, is to stand firm in Christ and that by the power of God – the God who put His Spirit in our hearts – the anointing and His seal of ownership, guaranteeing the good that is to come.

Standing firm in Christ and living by the Spirit leads to godly action, and that action, by His power accomplishes good things – not necessarily big things, but quality things related to love.

Be people of courage…

What might be the opposite of courage?  Fear?  Or is courage the appropriate use of fear?  It seems like one of the biggest deterrents to acting by faith – and for that matter, acting by love, is along with doubt, fear.  Fear and doubt can drown hope.

That’s when we must remember and embrace the love of God – that is, the love God has for us.  God wants us to be made perfect in love.  And when we are perfected in love, we will be people of courage.

1Jn 4:18-19  There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.

There may be many kinds of fear:  The fear of failure – of failing God; the fear of suffering; the fear of punishment for having not lived up to God’s standards.  Such are the fears that the love of God overcomes. 

Christ was punished and died for us, fulfilling for us, God’s righteous standards that we could not do, so that we might come to grasp and to have the gift of His love in us.  We love because He first loved us and gave us of Himself – of His Spirit – of love, so that we may be made perfect in Him. 

We are defined not by our successes or failures, but by who Christ is and who we are in Him.  The world does not define who we are.  Christ does.

So…

Be strong…

As our spiritual fathers wrote…

Eph 6:10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Zec 4:6  Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.

Ps 28:8 The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

Ps 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Mic 5:4-5 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.   And he will be their peace.

 He is Jesus.

Phil 4:13  We can do everything through him who gives us strength.  Therefore…

Do everything in love.

Is there anything more difficult than doing everything in love?  Who can we not love?  Who do we have trouble loving?  It takes great courage and power to do everything in love; the action that was demonstrated for us on a cross is rooted in love.  His love.

Who or what can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord?

Ro 8:37-39  …we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ, therefore do everything in love.

Eph 3:16-19  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Not only to grasp it, but to know it.  And not only to know it – but to have it.

Consider these qualities listed here regarding love – rooted, established, power, being together with all believers, grasping the love of Christ, knowing that love that is beyond human understanding, filled to the top with the fullness of God.

Phil 2:2  …having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose with Christ.

Having His love – Christ’s love…

This is beyond us.  But this is not beyond God.  He does it.  Through His Spirit living in us, He provides everything we need for life and godliness – all things to the ones He loves – the ones that have come to trust in Him.

He can and will courageously love through us.

He will do it.

Eph 3:20-21  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Under Grace

 Ro 6:5 If we have been united with him… in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

United…  What synonym comes to mind?  Married?  One? Together?

Like United States – are meant to be?

If we are one with Christ in His death and resurrection, we are with Him, even in Him in them.  What happened with Him, happened with us with Him.

So how are we united with Him?  Was everyone who has ever lived automatically united with Him without even believing or knowing it?  In other words, is everyone saved no matter what – whether they believe or not?

If that were true, you would have to cut a lot out of the Bible.  We are united with Him by faith.  Believing what God has done for us lost sinners, through Him, opens us up to the reality of the salvation Jesus has accomplished by His death and resurrection. 

And the proof of the reality of this is the witness of the Holy Spirit.  He confirms this within you.

Ro 6:6-7 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin — because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

By faith in Christ, we have been freed from sin.  The Holy Spirit confirms this.  As the scripture says: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  (2 Co 3:17)

Our old self – how we were, was crucified with Jesus, our body of sin done away with, so that we are no longer slaves to sin…  We are not what we were.

Denise and I have have watched the movie Amistad a few times.  It is based on the true story regarding the slave trade and a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court.  In the movie, and not in his real words – his real defense was around 4 hours, John Quincy Adams argued in favor of the Africans who were illegally taken and sold into slavery.

A line in the movie, Adams recalled past presidents and what they stood for, namely what our nation must stand for, things like justice and freedom. 

…James Madison; Alexander Hamilton; Benjamin Franklin; Thomas Jefferson; George Washington; John Adams… We understand now. We've been made to understand, and to embrace the understanding, that who we are -- is who we were.  (The Amistad)

Usually when watching movies, we consider if such defining statements are true?  And in this case, as a nation, I would say, yes. 

We hold on to values like justice and freedom, that are also Biblical values, written in our founding documents like the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, to protect us from becoming a nation where only the majority or the mob rules exclusively. 

In the matter of our nation, we are what we were – that is… what we were meant to be – God being the basis – the foundation.

Because in reality we have to go farther back than our founding fathers.  We have to go back to our Heavenly Father – to Jesus Christ, if we really want to get to the truth and reality of things.  Who we were – are sinners. 

But through the death and resurrection of Christ, by faith, we are not what we were, but are being made into what we are meant to be.

Ro 6:8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

We were dead, but now we are alive in Him.

Eph 2:18 For through him we have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Eph 2:19-20 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

What we were, was not fellow citizens.  But now, in Christ – the Chief Cornerstone of God and His Kingdom, along with the faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, the prophets, and the Apostles from whom our constitution of truth – the Word of God has been passed down by God; we are fellow citizens. 

We are not what we were – separated from God, but now, through Christ, we have access to God by the Holy Spirit.

Eph 2:21-22 In Christ the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. 

We are that temple, that building, the church – a holy nation, being built together in Christ, to be a people in whom God lives by His Spirit.  And what is wrong with that?  Should we be a nation that is alive to God or dead to Him? 

Ro 6:9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

Christ has overcome death by the power of His life.  Death could not hold Him.  He cannot and will not die anymore.  Death has no power over Him, and no power over those who are in Him.  We know this.

Ro 6:10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives 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 Co 5:21)

His death was once and for all, so that the life He lives to God may be lived by the Spirit in all who believe.

Ro 6:11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Because if you are in Christ, you are alive to God and dead to sin, because the life of Christ, who is our righteousness, lives in you.  You may be tempted to sin, but sin no longer owns you so you can resist the devil, and he will leave – for a while.

Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God.  And when temptations come, in Christ say, ‘Get behind me Satan.’  And the tempting thoughts will go away.

Ro 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

Ro 7:18-19  (Paul did write…) I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

Ro 7:22-23 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

If the Apostle Paul would say things like this and not give up, then why should we give up and give in to any evil.

Ro 7:24-25  What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Thank you Jesus, that it is not our fight alone.

Ro 6:13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.

Christ in you is your righteousness and His disposition is your true one, when you are in Him.  Jesus associated with sinners – who else could he associate with?  But He did not sin with them.  Avoid all forms of wickedness. Offer yourselves to God as instruments of righteousness.  Righteousness has no regrets.

Ro 6:14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Ro 8:1-2 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free – set us free, from the law of sin and death.

Humanity is enslaved and under the law of sin and death – under condemnation, until the law of the Spirit of life sets them free – through Jesus Christ.  And that law of the Spirit of life is life under grace.  And this grace is not cheap but costly. 

It cost Jesus His life and it costs us ours – our old one.  But by faith in Him we do not die alone.  We died with Him and if we died with Him, we are also raised with Him. 

In this spirit of grace and truth we now stand and live.  And the Holy Spirit confirms this and will continue to confirm this in our hearts, as we remain in Him.  And by His grace and power we will remain in Him.

Faith Changes Things

 Mk 11:12-14  …as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.   Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit.  When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.  Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

One might ask, “If it wasn’t the seasons for figs, why did Jesus condemn the fig tree?”

The fig tree represents Israel – the world – humanity.  This was not about the fig tree, it was a lesson for people – a lesson about the unwillingness of humanity and the will of God.

Lk 13:34-35  “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  Look, your house is left to you desolate.  I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’’”

No one can see God until they believe in Jesus, whom God sent.  That’s why He came –so that we may truly know God.

Mk 11:20-21 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.  Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

Mk 11:22-24 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.  “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.  

Have faith in God, says it all.  And it has implications.

The first example of faith here was Jesus and a fig tree.  Now it is about us and mountains – and even what those mountains represent – whether physical, personal or spiritual. 

I tell you the truth… If anyone has faith…

Does anyone have faith?  Does anyone have faith but Jesus?  Jesus said that even if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, mountains can be moved.  But is seems that faith must be authentic.

There are many examples in Scripture and in life where people believed that Jesus could and would do something that they were, in themselves, unable to do – like heal someone or raise the dead or anything.

So it is not about us – It is about Him – about God.  That is what faith is about.

If anyone has faith, and does not doubt and says to any mountain, ‘Go throw yourself into the see,’ believing that it will happen… it will be done for them.

It will be done for them.  God will do it.

It’s not our power and strength that does it, but God’s.  It doesn’t matter whether it is a fig tree, or mountain or anything.  Faith believes that God can and will do it.  Faith knows that God can and will do it.

But this is not the same as wishful thinking or willing something to happen like wearing a rally cap. Wishful thinking and trying to will something to happen are rooted in us.  Faith is rooted in God.

Gal 3:6-9  Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.

The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”  So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

He believed God.  He believed that God would do what God said He would do.  That through Abraham all nations would be blessed, as God promised.  This is fulfilled in Jesus for all who believe. 

We are accepted by God by faith in Jesus.  We believed God, regarding Jesus.  And His righteousness is credited to us.  All who believe what God has done in Christ and what Christ will bring to completion – receive the blessing.

And that blessing is the peace of God – His peace – His rest, by His presence within us.  Resting from our labors, like God did from His.  The Spirit of God works in us and we live by Him.  Faith appropriates this blessing.  Faith appropriates the power of God.

Heb 4:2-3  For we have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.   Now we who have believed enter that rest.

Unfortunately, there are those, mentioned here by the writer of Hebrews, who hear what God has done – that is, the gospel message, but do not believe – and do not receive the gospel message by faith.  Therefore, hearing the gospel is of no value – has no benefit, no effect – because they did not believe.

Mt 13:58  And he (Jesus) did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Heb 11:6  Because without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Now we who have believed enter that rest.  Peace with God and the peace of God – that transcends human understanding – because this comes from the Spirit of God, living within us, who have been blessed by faith in Jesus.

The faith that saves us, is also the faith that answers prayer.  It is a faith that grows, that moves mountains and that makes all things possible.

Mk 11:24  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 

1Jn 5:14-15  This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Faith is great confidence in God and in our standing in Christ.  There is also great confidence in faith in the word of God, which interpreted to us by the Spirit of God gives us understanding regarding the will of God. 

So that by the Spirit we may pray according to God’s will – know that He hears us – and know that we will have what we asked, because we did so according to His will.

By faith we know what we should pray for and what we should not pray for.  And when we don’t know what to pray, we know that the Spirit knows, and intercedes for us according to the will of God.  It is a no lose situation.

Nothing is impossible with God.  And He is not slow in answering, as some consider slowness.

When we pray according to God’s will we believe that He will answer.  And we also agree with His timing in answering and how the answer will be delivered.  We agree that the ball is in His court and agree with how He decides to play it.  And if how He decides to play it includes us, ‘Here we are – send us.’

Ro 8:28  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

He calls us according to His own loving purpose.  So by faith, we do not worry and we do not become cynical, though outward things may seem to be going the wrong way.  We love Him and trust Him because we know Him and we know that He is faithful and that His purpose and outcome is best.

We know that in all things, God works for our good because we love Him, we trust Him.  We know that according to His good purpose, He called us.

Lastly, Jesus closes this teaching session with these words that align with faith…

Mk 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.’”

It is easy to love those who love us and agree with us.  And it is easy to hold things against those who don’t.  Therefore, since faith agrees with God, we will live according to Him – from whom this passage comes.

The disposition that comes and gets a foothold on those who hold things against others interferes with the disposition of the Spirit, who by faith we want to live by.  It can come between us and the will of God, like the moon comes between us and the sun during an eclipse – impeding our vision of God and our life of faith.

Forgiveness, which is the flipside of love, is the key.  It is not based on what others do, but on who we are in Christ.  It comes from who He is and what He has done for us.  So that by faith, we are akin with Him and in agreement with the nature of His kingdom; so we forgive.

In closing, there is a movie Denise and I like called, “Return to Me.” 

The wife of a man (Bob) was killed in a car accident and another woman (Grace), waiting for a heart transplant, received Bob’s late wife’s heart.  Things happened and Grace and Bob met.  They liked each other and entered into a relationship – until she found out whose heart she had.  Distraught, she told Bob that his late wife’s heart was in her and this rocked him and their relationship.

But Bob yearned for Grace.  And prior to reconciling, Grace’s grandfather told Bob that he had prayed, and that the heart she received must have come from someone very special, in order to be at home in Grace.

And those words reminded me about the grace of the Lord and us.  For the Lord’s heart to be at home in us, we must forgive. That is how He is and what He came to do for us.  And in Him, having His heart in us, we go and do likewise.

“Redemption”

Redemption relates in Scripture to a “kinsmen redeemer,” who purchases a relative from slavery.  There is also a “kinsmen avenger,” who provides justice on behalf of a relative.  These concepts reflect the image of God the Redeemer.

God accomplished both in Jesus.

Jesus, became our relative as a human being – the Son of Man.  And through Jesus, God, as “kinsmen avenger”, provided justice for our sins through the death of Jesus and through His death, as “kinsmen redeemer”, paid the price to free us from our slavery to sin.  Both the justice of God and the redemption of humanity is satisfied in Jesus.

In God’s Plan of redemption there were basically 4 parts.

1.    Payment – The Cross

Isa 53:4-6 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Sin separates humanity from God – who is Life.  Separated from that Spirit, people are spiritually dead to God.  Justice for our sins was avenged on Jesus, who became our Redeemer, purchasing our souls from slavery to sin – setting us free and opening the way to resurrection life.

…the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all, and by His wounds we are healed.

2.   Proof – The Resurrection

Ac 2:24 God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Jesus is more powerful than death.  Death could not hold Him.  The resurrection proves that Jesus accomplished what He came to do.

Col 2:15  And having disarmed the powers and authorities (of evil), he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

He defeated evil and death by the cross, and this is proven by His resurrection.

1Pe 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead also lives in us who believe.  We have been given new birth – new life – into a living hope – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  He is risen…  He is risen indeed.  And He is risen in all who believe.

And this means…

3.    Power – The Holy Spirit

Lk 24:49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

The death and resurrection of Jesus opened the door for the coming of the Holy Spirit, to live in us – Christ-in-you, the hope of glory – and power to live a godly life.

1Th 1:4-5 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because the gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.  Something real.

Real faith is not just words, but deep conviction and power through the Holy Spirit.  As Paul wrote…

Eph 3:16-19 ...that you may be strengthened with power (the power of an indestructible life) through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith… rooted and established in love, with power, together with all believers, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to have this love that surpasses (human) knowledge — filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

4.    Purpose – The church.

God’s purpose is to create in himself one new people, thus making peace, and in his one body to reconcile them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.  For through Christ we have access to the Father by one Spirit.  And in him we are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:15-18, 22)

There is a great deal of hostility in the world today; a great deal in our nation.  There is hostility between people that need not be so.

That hostility stems from alienation from the only source of true life and peace, who is God.  But Christ has removed that dividing wall of hostility through His death and made the way to true and lasting peace for us in Christ – who is our life and peace – so that we may truly be a people who are one with God and with each other.

We have been reconciled to God through Christ and the result of this, is reconciliation and peace with each other.  But not everyone knows this.   So we have work to do.

Jesus came and preached the true message of life and peace to those near and far and so must we.  That peace with God and with each other is made possible through Christ’s sacrifice, which tore down the dividing wall of sin and hostility and ushered in new life through the Spirit. 

And it is by this one Spirit who has come through Christ, that we have free access to God – who is our life and peace and who makes us truly one in Him.

Nothing is Hidden

1Ti 5:24 The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them.

1Ti 5:25 In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.

When it comes to good and evil, there are really no shades of grey.  However, there are those that are obvious – attitudes and behaviors that are obviously good and others that are obviously evil.  And good and evil is not a matter of opinion, but a matter of the heart.  And matters of the heart is where God must come in.

Isa 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

So what’s wrong with doing that?  Who decides what is good and what is evil?  On what basis are such things determined and discerned.  The only true standard for determining and discerning what is good and what is evil is the character of God, who reveals such things to us through His Spirit in His word – by Biblical truth. 

God Himself is the standard and He has revealed Himself to us in Christ.  That’s why humanism and all societies based on themselves or someone or something other than Christ ultimately fail.  They fail because they are not consistent with how God is, the holy nature of His Kingdom, and what He created us to be.

Everyone will be forgiven or condemned according to God’s word – according to God’s judgment and according to how God forgives and saves – through Christ.

Mt 6:22-23  “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

I believe that this is referring to one’s perspective – how one sees things, which produces actions by our bodies.  And how we see things is not about eyesight but about the condition of a person’s heart. 

The good heart longs to see things from God’s perspective, and the evil heart does not.  The good heart longs for the presence of God and the evil heart does not.  The evil heart is empty and angry and in need of the presence of Christ.

And if the light of Christ is not present in the heart, how dark is it?  As darkness is the absence of light.  And evil is the absence of the presence of God. 

So our vision, our worldview is meant to be from the Lord’s perspective, and that is only possible through the Spirit of Christ coming to live within a sinner, who sees his or her need for salvation, and turns to Christ and then by the Spirit, is enabled to put His words into practice – more and more. 

He is the light who gives us His light through salvation and the Holy Spirit coming to live in us is changing us from the inside out – making us new people.  Otherwise, contrary to popular – worldly opinion, the heart is evil.  And all that originates in the darkened human heart, will come to an end.

Lk 8:17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.

The Lord sees, hears and knows all.  Nothing is hidden from Him. 

Darkness never wants to come into the light, because it fears it will be exposed.  Criminals don’t want to be found out – so they work either at night or out of sight – looking for opportunities to overpower the weak. 

But the righteous do what they do from the heart – where Christ is, and have nothing to be afraid of regarding exposure.  As John writes…

Jn 3:20-21  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

The true believer does not try to be noticed or admired for his/her glory.  But when the Lord is in the heart and we are living by Him, good deeds will follow and the world will notice.  Though being noticed is not the motivation. 

Mt 6:1 “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

Mt 6:2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

Mt 6:3-4  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Mt 6:5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

Mt 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

When people want to glorify themselves, they may receive the admiration of some, but that will be their only reward.  But if you want to glorify God and care for your neighbor through the Spirit of Christ in you – self is taken out of the way.

Jn 8:53-54  (The Jews confronting Jesus after He was speaking about God being His Father said…) Are you greater than our father Abraham?  He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”  Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.

The Father lived in Jesus and Jesus did good things through Him.  Likewise, when through Christ living in you, you do good things – you are sharing in the heavenly calling.  Your heavenly Father is pleased and you share in Christ’s glory.

2Co 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The things that the world runs after – things that are seen, are all temporary and must not be given a higher place in your life than that which is unseen and eternal.  That would not be good investing. 

Keep the eyes of your heart and body on that which is eternal – on pleasing the Lord and on caring for people.  The reward for such living far exceeds the value of anything the world can give.

Regarding philosophies, religions and politics that have their origin in humanity rather than God, these are all temporary as well, because they do not align with the truth that is eternal and eternally good and has been revealed to us in Christ and through His word, the Bible.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Only the Spirit inspired word of God is living and active – because Christ is living and active.  Only He can see the reality of the human condition and bring about the cure. 

Like a skilled surgeon, He uses the truth to diagnose, remove, repair and cure the thoughts and attitudes of the heart corrupted by sin.  And He makes sinful people new creations.

Heb 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Nothing is hidden from God.  He sees all and the condition of all.  There will be no excuses when the end comes – only those who stand in the light of His truth and those who fall, because of their willful rejection of the truth.

But as Jesus said, He did not come to condemn the world but to save the world through the truth of Himself and what He has done and is doing and will continue to do until the end comes – the work of freely bringing salvation to all who will freely receive it.

As Paul writes…

2Co 5:17-19  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  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 men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

2Co 5:20-21 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.

This is why Jesus came and why we are here.

1Co 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts.  At that time each will receive his praise from God.

We may be tempted to judge things prematurely.  Tempted get rattled and lose focus on what Christ is doing when the world around us seems to be heading the wrong direction.  God is not rattled and sees all things clearly and acts according to His own timing.

For it is Jesus who will judge at the appointed time when He returns.  By the light of His presence everything will be exposed.  All things hidden in darkness and darkness itself, and the motives of the hearts of all people will all be brought into the light.

At that time everyone who refuses to believe what God has done through Jesus will be condemned.  While all who believe and obey the truth, will receive their praise from God.

The Original

Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Col 1:16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

Col 1:17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

He… is Jesus.  He… is the Original.  There are none before.

If you want to get to the truth – to your true purpose, you must begin with Him.

The problem arises when humanity begins with himself and not Christ.  Human philosophies begin with people.  But because of the human condition – because of sin, they fail because they are is incompatible with the Original – incompatible with God – incompatible with Christ.

Jesus is the image – the human image, of the invisible eternal God.  The man Jesus, is the firstborn over all creation… and our example of what humanity is meant to be.

Col 2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form…

If you want to get to the truth – if you want to get to God – if you want to be your true self, you must begin with Jesus.

Not only is He the Original, He is the Source – of all things.  For by Him all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, thrones, powers, rulers, authorities – all, were created by Him and for Him.  Not by us and for us.

Unfortunately those who are more focused on themselves than on the Lord, get this quite wrong.  And starting at the wrong place will certainly leave one unfortunately, at the wrong destination.

Mankind is completely lost.  One who is completely lost, cannot find the way home unless someone comes and rescues them and either shows them the way or becomes their way home.  We need a Savior.

Jesus is before all things because all things were made through Him.  He is the way.  He holds everything together, so things don’t all just fall apart.  He is actively involved in His creation.

He is involved in the lives of people, even though they are lost and can never find their way home with their own wisdom and power.  He loves people, even though they are incompatible with the original and the original purpose by which He made us.

So He had to come to us – to rescue the lost and bring them home, where they are meant to be in the Kingdom of God, and make them who they are meant to be – in the image of God.  He came to make the incompatible compatible, through the Original – through Christ.

Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

Col 1:19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,

Col 1:20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

God the Son, became the Son of Man being fully human.  And just as He is in God and God is in Him, when He lives in us and we live in Him, we become the church.  There is no other.  We are His body and He is our Head.  His mind becomes ours.

The destination of fallen humanity is death.  Not only separation from physical life, but separation from authentic Life; separation from the Original – from the Source.  And humanity cannot find its way to Him or somehow come to know Him because, by nature, humanity is incompatible.

But God in all his fullness lived in Jesus and through Jesus came to reconcile all things – in heaven and on earth to Him…

Reconciling us and everything else corrupted by the incompatibility of sin and its nature, by making peace with God – with Life Himself, through giving His own life on the cross.  The old testament sacrifices were an example of this.

Lev 17:11 For the life of a creature is in the blood… it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.

Eph 2:14-16  Jesus himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

The two that need to be made one are humanity and God.  The barrier, the dividing wall of hostility – the sin that divides mankind from God and people and from each other, had to be removed.

The Law was a law of blessing and curses.  Blessings for all who obeyed God.  Curses for all who disobeyed God.  Human nature is incompatible with God’s nature.  It is not possible for humanity to consistently do the good and perfect law of God – even if God’s laws were all written down.  Because by nature, the heart – is evil.

Humanism looks to inherent good in humanity to find out the best way to live – the best way to get home.  But that notion is not possible because it is untrue.

Jer 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?   

“I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”

What do our deeds deserve?  According to God’s standards – death.  That’s why Jesus had to die – for us.

Col 1:21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.

Only those who do not know Christ, don’t know God.  And only those who don’t know Christ, don’t think you can know Him.  People who don’t know Him, don’t know Him because of alienation from God. 

And this alienation from God makes us enemies with God in our hearts and minds.  And that translates to our behavior, because this alienation from God is beyond any mere human cure.

God had to cure us, because only God could.  And God did so according to His nature. By His own justice and compassion, Jesus came and gave His life for us.

Col 1:22   God has reconciled you (to Himself) by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—

Through the death of Christ’s sinless physical body, we have been made perfect in God’s sight – without fault – free from accusation…  We are free.

Jesus is our Savior.  The incompatible has been made compatible by the Original.  We have been saved from sin, death and hell – saved from ourselves, through Christ. 

We have been rescued and revived.  But it does not stop there.

Col 1:23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

How can this happen?  How can we continue in our faith, established and firm, not moved the hope we have in Christ?

What happens after we are saved?  Do we just go back to how things were?  How we were?  As if we needed to be saved all over again?  No.  Christ’s sacrifice and our salvation is once and for all.  How could we go back?

Having been saved, how then are we going to live this new life into the future?  Having been saved, by Him; shouldn’t we want to give Him our full attention? 

Not only did we need Jesus to save us.  We need Him to guide us.  We need Him to be both our Lord as well – to lead us each day and to guide us into the future. 

You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you.  (John 13:13-15)

Jn 14:19-20   Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.   (He reveals this.)

Two things happen.  He rescues us and then He comes to live within us.  That’s why He sent the Holy Spirit – to be Christ in you.  Through the Spirit, He is changing us at the core of our being.

He is our Spirit of Truth, our Counselor, our Comforter and our Lord.

He guides us by His Word and changes us by His nature.  He is our new nature; that desires to keep His word, because He would never go against Himself.

He did not save us to leave us alone.  But through the Spirit He came to us.  So that we may keep and grow in what we have in Him and be what we are meant to be.  The true purpose of all mankind is in Christ.

Like a lifeguard He saved us when we were drowning because we could not swim and could not save ourselves.  He did not save us so that He would have to rescue us again and again from drowning.  He saved us and is teaching us how to swim – how to live.

Don’t you want to swim?  To be a good swimmer?  Maybe even a lifeguard – like Jesus?

By faith we appropriate salvation.  And by faith He is Lord of our lives.  As Lord, He is the one we look to – to lead us and guide us in His righteousness and compassion. 

…So that our faith, established and firm, will not be moved from the hope we have in the gospel.  So that we may live the life He has saved us to live. 

Because Jesus saved us, He must also lead us and we must follow His lead and live by His power – because He loves us and can be fully trusted. 

His saving us has made us Christians.  His Lordship matures us so that we may be made complete in God – and used by God to save others through His Spirit.

Our Purpose

Eph 1:3  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Eph 1:4-6  For he chose us in him (in Christ) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons (and daughters) through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

In Christ, you were chosen before the beginning began. 

In God’s love for you and having created you, you were chosen to be adopted into the family of God – through Jesus Christ.

Jesus is God’s only begotten Son.  But through Him, God has many adopted children of God – remade to be holy and blameless.  This is in accordance with His pleasure and will – by His grace, freely given us in Christ – whom He loves.

Eph 1:7-8  In him (in Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

In Jesus we have been bought back from death and separation – through His death; from sin’s emptiness and separation from God, to forgiveness of sins – according to God’s grace, wisdom and understanding.

Eph 1:9-10  And God made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

God has revealed to us what was once hidden – the mystery of His will which He purposed in Christ – and that will be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment – when according to God, history has run its course.  And that mystery is to bring all things in heaven and on earth under one head – Jesus Christ.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given and will be given to Jesus Christ.  And everyone will know it.  And every knee will bow.

Eph 1:11-12  In him (In Jesus) we were also chosen (with Paul and all other believers), having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

God chose us in Jesus with Paul and all the others – the apostles being before us, according to His plan – Who works out everything – everything, in conformity with the purpose of His will…

So that we, along with Paul and the others, might point people to Christ, reveal who He is and glorify Him to others.

Our purpose begins with God and is rooted in Christ.

Pr 19:21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD'S purpose that prevails.

We should want our plans to align with the Lord’s purpose.

But even with those that have a reputation of disobeying God, the Lord’s purpose prevails.

Ex 9:13-14  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.

Ex 9:15-16  For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.  But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Peter and the other Apostles had been arrested for testifying about Jesus.  A well-known Pharisee addressed the court and the crowd regarding others who had preached different things and caused a ruckus and regarding these followers of Christ.

Ac 5:38-39 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

If their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  If our purpose is our own or someone else’s other than God, it will fail.  But if our purpose is of God, who can stop us – because whoever tried to, would only find themselves fighting against God.

So in whatever way God uses you – whatever profession, service, venue, activity, relationship, sport or entertainment, whatever – let your purpose begin with God and let His Word be your worldview and His Spirit be your guide and power.

So regarding godly occupations….

1Co 3:8-9  The person who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.  For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Ro 8:28  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

The purpose that He purposed in Christ for you, before the world began.

Eph 1:13-14  And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

When you heard the message of what God is doing through Christ, and you believed, you were saved and included in Christ.  Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal – God’s seal of approval.  Not like a kind of tattoo, but with the Spirit of the living God – Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

He is like a deposit guaranteeing our future in God and a taste of what that life is and will be.  …until all of the redeemed – all of those who are God’s possession are gathered in, to the praise of His glory.

Eph 3:10-11  His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Eph 3:12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Through believers in many places and contexts, with many and varying gifts given through the Spirit – to carry on the work given them according to God’s creative purpose, the wisdom of God is revealed.

In Christ and through the church – and through our freedom to approach God directly and with confidence through Christ, the many faceted wisdom of God is meant to be made known and is being made known to rulers and authorities everywhere.

Col 1:15-16  Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

Eph 6:12  Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Unlike DC Comics and the like, this is real.  And Christ is all powerful.

2Th 1:11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.

For this is your God given purpose – to be like Him in true righteousness and holiness, made possible through Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit.  So that by His power, He may fulfill every good purpose and every act prompted by your faith...

…by your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

For we know that God loves you and that he has chosen you, because the gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.  (1 Thessalonians 1:3-5)

The purpose of God and the reality of the gospel of Jesus Christ has made a difference in the world and is making a difference in the world and in your life and in the lives of all believers in and around the world.

2Th 1:12 So we pray that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Because your purpose – our purpose, begins and is fulfilled in Christ, according to the grace of our God – to the praise of His glory.

I am in you

Jn 14:20  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

Was there a day, when beyond all doubt, you realized that Jesus is in God the Father, and you are in Jesus and the Spirit of Jesus is in you?  Because God is spirit. 

Jn 4:23-24  …a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

Are we now worshiping God in spirit and in truth?  Because God is spirit.  And the Spirit of God is the Spirit of truth.

And those who truly worship – who truly know Him, and are not just going through some kind of religious exercise – they know who they worship and worship the way God is looking for – in spirit and in truth.

What is our spirit?  It is the deepest part of your being. 

Consider a funeral.  There is the body – that is left behind.  Because you are a soul with a body, not a body with a soul.  The soul goes on.

Mt 16:26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?  Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

One soul is worth more than the whole world; more than all that is temporary.  The soul is what makes you distinct – your personality.  And at a funeral, that part has gone on and left the body behind.

But then there is the spirit.  That which gives life and direction to your soul.  Your deepest principle.  That which determines what kind of person you are – whether good or evil. 

Sin affects humanity to the core – at the level of the spirit, soul and body – at the level of life – leading to death – death being separation from life.

Especially separation from the True Life, which is God. 

1Th 5:23-24  May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

…the fact of God’s coming to the world in Christ, makes the world see that here in the life of Jesus, God is acting towards mankind in an eternal way.  …that God does everything and man nothing.  (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Jn 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

The words of Jesus are the words of God so they are words of life, leading us who were once lost to the core, to life in God through the Lord, who is the Spirit.

…Christ in you, the hope of glory.  The hope of glory with Christ, who now lives in us who believe and have received Him in spirit and in truth.  No longer separated from life, but eternal life is in us by His Spirit. 

Jn 11:25-26  Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Without Jesus, our spirit, soul and body is dead to God.  But with Him, who is life, we are being transformed through and through by Him.  And we will never die.  We will simply go from life to Life. 

Ro 8:8-10 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.  You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.  And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.  But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.

By faith in Christ, we died when He died and arose when He arose; never to die again and He now lives in us – we are controlled by His nature.  When your spirit is alive because of righteousness, Christ is our righteousness, our hope and our redemption, and we cannot die.  Because His Spirit – His righteousness, now lives within us. 

And Jesus never attended funerals, only resurrections.

Jn 3:6  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

Flesh and spirit are of an infinitely different kind.

Jn 4:14  …whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

There is H2O that we need for hydration.  And there is the Spirit of Jesus – Living water, that Jesus says becomes in us a spring – something alive and flowing, welling up to eternal life.  He is our source of eternal life.

1Jn 5:11-12  And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.   If we are in Christ, we have eternal life from God.

Ro 8:16  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  Not just born the natural way, but born of God.

Referring back to John 14:20:  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

We realize this because the Spirit of God testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children and heirs with Christ to the Kingdom of God.  We who believe have been made one with Christ. 

And we who believe are together, made one with Christ as His church.  And we are being made one with Him and with each other, in answer to Christ’s prayer. 

And Jesus always prayed in accord with God’s will, so we can always know that all such prayers, are answered.  And His prayer was this…

Jn 17:21  Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Jn 17:22  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:

Jn 17:23  I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

One.  What is one?  It’s more than the loneliest number.

Have you ever seen a flock of starlings flying together in unison, as if they were one – not just one flock, but one together in perfect unity of flight, going here and there, together – in one accord?

Jdg 20:1-2  Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out as one man and assembled before the LORD in Mizpah.  The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand soldiers armed with swords.

All the Israelites came out as one man – of one mind and as one army, fully armed ready to overcome their enemy by the power of God.

John puts it this way…

1Jn 2:14  I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning.  I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

…the word of God lives in you… Through Christ in you – the Word made flesh; it is by His word – the sword of the Spirit, that we, His church overcome the evil one – like Christ overcame by the power of God.

Paul says it this way…

Phil 1:27-28  Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. …standing firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.

Whatever happens… No matter who opposes you…  Like one person – like Jesus Christ – as His body – His qualities perfecting ours, so that we may be perfect in Christ and overcome evil with good.  Like Jesus prayed…

Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me… that they may be one as we are one:  I in them and you in me.

Like water poured into water.  One indistinguishable from the other.

Like air mixing with air.  Like the breath of God being breathed in our souls.

Like the Spirit of God entering into our spirit.  Like Life intermingling with life. 

The eternal Life of God intermingling with our life, His qualities intermingling with ours.  Purifying us.  Overcoming the darkness with the light of His life.  Transforming our spirit with His.  Making us one in spirit and in truth.

So that as the church, we…

…May be brought to complete unity to let the world know that God the Father sent Jesus and loves them even as he loves is only Son.

What God Wants

Dt 8:2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

Most of you are familiar with the Israelites, Moses and God and the time they spent together in the desert.  Much happened.  It is important to know why?

Forty years – in a desert, for this purpose:

To humble you and to test you…

In order to know (not God, but you – so that you would know) what was in your heart.

Whether or not you would obey Him.

What is most important to you?  What is most important to God – regarding you?

God knows what is in our heart.

Do we know?  Do we know, in our heart, whether or not we will obey God – whether or not we want to?

For all humanity, sin is a big problem – but it seems like most either don’t care or don’t want to know about it – unless you want to get better.  Unless you want God to make you better – through Christ.

Not through your own ability, but through His.

Dt 8:3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Have you been in the desert?  Not the literal one but the one that can happen within us in this life.  How many times and for how long? 

What did you learn?

Pride is probably the most powerful ingredient in sin.  A heart that is curved in toward itself – It’s about me.  It’s interesting that a desert that the Israelites traveled in was called the Desert of Sin.  And sin, certainly is a desert.

When God humbles us, we find out that it is not about us.  Unless it’s about what God wants to make of us.  Humbling us puts us in the right frame of heart and mind for God to help us.  Causing us to hunger, so that God may feed us – what we truly need.

So that we may learn that we don’t live by bread alone, or ourselves alone or success alone or anything else for that matter – but we live by the Lord alone and every word that comes from Him.

Dt 8:4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.

The Lord took care of them.  But he did punish their sinful behaviors.  Why?

Dt 8:5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.

Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:10-12)

Godly discipline removes harmful behaviors – for our good – so that we may share in God’s holiness.  It teaches us what not to do and what we should do – so that we may do what is good, and not what is evil.  And this is good for all.

The temporary unpleasantness is replaced, by righteousness and peace – good and enduring qualities.  That is why godly discipline trains us and why we are in training.

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.  (Hebrews 12:13)

Not just you, but others who your life touches.

Dt 8:6 Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him.

Do we revere Him?  Revere means respect.  Showing our respect by obeying Him – by putting His words into practice.  Not because we have to, but because we want to.  Because we love Him.

For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.  (Deut. 8:7-9)

For Israel, this was referring to good physical land – a place called the Promised Land.

But that Promised Land is really a metaphor – like most of the things of the law were – to dimly illustrate in a physical sense, what the Lord wanted to do and would do in a spiritual sense – an eternal sense, through Christ – for good.

The land He promises is the Kingdom of God.  Things that accompany salvation are far better than the things of this world.

The law given through Moses was a message of blessings and curses; blessings if they obeyed the Lord and curses if they rejected Him and served other gods.  Generation after generation rejected Him – because they could not see what was in their heart.

Dt 8:10-11 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.  Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.

Be careful that you don’t forget.  But they would forget.  Their focus always seemed to shift from the unseen – who had revealed Himself in many ways to them, to the material, the popular, to the world and to themselves. 

Dt 8:12-14  Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

They loved their stuff – things that God had provided for them, more than they loved God.  The pride of their self – their humanism, kicked back in.  And they forgot the Lord.  We must never forget.

Dt 8:15 He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.

Dt 8:16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you.

How many deserts has the Lord brought you through?  Feeding you with bread from heaven – which is Christ.  How many dangers, toils and snares has God seen us through?

Humbling us and separating us from worthless and temporary things, in order to provide us with good things – that will last.  Good things that can be used for His glory and the benefit of others, by the power and guidance of His Spirit.

God knew their hearts.  He could see what was down the road.  Laws and rules cannot change the heart.  Heart-change comes only through Christ.

Dt 8:17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”

Is that not also a temptation for us?  The praise of people’s opinions of us.  The praise of ourselves for reaching our goals.  …Of a good return on our investments.  Forgetting the one from whom all good things come?

Dt 8:18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

You were created by Him and for Him.  Your talents and abilities come from Him, confirming His covenant of love for you.  Don’t let wrong thinking about such things rob you of the blessing.  Believe in Him.  Rely on Him.  Use worldly wealth for Him.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.   He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of all he created.  (James 1:17-18)

Salvation is His greatest gift, free to all who will receive Jesus Christ – God’s gift of salvation for all who believe.  He chose to save you, by faith in His Son, so that His salvation – His covenant of love – may be made known through you, to others.

Dt 8:19 If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.

Dt 8:20 Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God.

This was the warning to Israel, having seen the miracles, having been given the law, of the consequences of rejecting God.  That was then, but this is now…

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!   For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! (Romans 5:8-9)

Since, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.  (Colossians 3:1-4)

Shelter

 Ps 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Ps 91:2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

When I say the word ‘shelter,’ what comes to mind?  Picnic shelter?  Homeless shelter?  Animal shelter?  Tornado shelter?

What is a shelter?  Something that keeps off the intensity of the sun and rain?  A place of safety and provision?  A place of protection against destruction. 

What about spiritually?  When we are in the presence of the Most High and when His presence is in us, He is our shelter and we rest in Him.

As we dwell in Him we are supplied and protected from the evil one.  If we stray from Him, we become vulnerable, so return to Him quickly.  Remain in Him.  Because all who remain in Him are protected and richly supplied.

The Lord is our shelter.  In Him we should not be afraid – of anything.

He is our shelter, our refuge and our fortress.  A fortress is a strong shelter.  Fortresses protect us from the attack of the enemy.  He is our refuge.  A refuge is a safe place, set aside especially for the protection and the thriving of what it was set apart for.  The Lord is our refuge and our fortress.

Ps 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.

The Lord is our rock – One that is safe to build our lives on.  A strong foundation, our protection and our protector – who fights for us and who frees us when we become ensnared.  In Him we live and move and have our being, because He is our refuge. 

Ps 31:3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead me and guide me.

His name describes who He is and what He is like.  He is our shelter, our fortress, our refuge and our rock on whom we can safely build our lives.  He is the one whom we can promote to others with full assurance of the reliability of the One we promote, because of His name – that is above every name. 

We want His Spirit to lead and guide us – and none other.

Ps 62:6-8 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Who else worthy to be the foundation, salvation and protector of our souls?  He alone is worthy to be our rock and our salvation; our fortress in whom we should not and will not be shaken.  We may trust in Him completely – at all times.  We may pour our hearts out to Him completely and at all times, because He is our refuge.

Do you trust Him completely?  At all times?  Do we pour out our hearts to Him?  Because when we do, He will help us to remain in Him and not stray from Him.  And He will help those for whom we intercede.

Pour out your hearts to Him.  Tell Him all about it.  Ask Him to supply your need with Himself, and He will supply your every need.  Because He alone is sufficient and will do it.  Because He is our refuge.  And He is the one who rescues us.

Ps 144:2 He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

He is our loving God – so He can be trusted completely.  He is our fortress, our stronghold, our deliverer, in whom we take refuge and who subdues our enemies by His power.  Therefore since He loves us, protects us and fights for us, we need not be afraid of anything, as we remain in Him.  Remain in Him.  He is Jesus.

Isaiah spoke of Him and of those who believe in Him.

Isa 32:1 See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice.

The king is Jesus.  He is righteous.  And through His Spirit in us, He is our righteousness, our hope and our redemption.  All who believe in Him will rule with Him. 

And by His Spirit, we are becoming like Him, so that just as He is our shelter – we may be shelters, from the storms of this life, for others.

Isa 32:2 Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

This is speaking, not about the Lord, but those who are His.  Through the Lord, our shelter, we may become shelters from the storms of life for others.  Because He is our Spring of Living Water, our Source – we may become like streams in the desert, and shade for those in a dry and thirsty land, who thirst for God.  Because He is our rock and our provider.

Isa 32:3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.

He gives insight and understanding to the spiritually blind and deaf through believers.  He will soften stubborn hearts and give wisdom to the ignorant, because He is able and is able to do so through His people.

Isa 32:4 The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.

His mind and character are in those who believe.  Rashness is replaced by knowledge and understanding of God, and foolish and ignorant talk is replaced by the truth and wisdom and reality of God.

Isa 32:5 No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected.

He enables His people to discern good from evil and to choose the good.  So that which is good is promoted and that which is evil is avoided.  So that humanity may see and understand what is noble, from the Lord’s perspective.

Isa 32:6-7  For the fool speaks folly, his mind is busy with evil: He practices ungodliness and spreads error concerning the LORD; the hungry he leaves empty and from the thirsty he withholds water.   

The scoundrel’s methods are wicked, he makes up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.

Fools cannot see the truth, because the truth is not in them.  Fools are those who live by their own agendas, but reject the truth and wisdom of God.  Corrupt minds cannot practice or spread godliness, because they are too busy thinking about evil.   

They do not know Christ.  And when they do talk about Him, they mislead others because they do not know Him.  They are good at identifying evils, but refuse to help, because they have nothing of value to give.

Scoundrel:  dishonest and unscrupulous

The scoundrel cares nothing about others unless it will somehow benefits him.  He cares nothing about the poor, or truth or justice.  He cares only about his own selfish appetites.

Isa 32:8 But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands.

Noble:  having fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals

Noble people are not like scoundrels, when their nobility is rooted in Christ and the qualities of His character.  Their plans are noble as are their deeds because Christ is noble and lives in then; and He never lies.  They care for the poor and needy and are just as Christ is just, because they are being remade in His image.

They are becoming shelters from the storm, a fortress against evil and a refuge for all to find fulfillment and protection, because that is who Christ is.  And He is making us to be like Him.

All spiritual wisdom and understanding

Col 1:9  …we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

There are two kinds of wisdom and understanding.

That which comes from God and that which does not.

That which aligns with the will of God and that which aligns with the world.

That which is eternal and that which is temporary.

That which we should pray and not stop praying for: that God’s gives to people,

…and that which we should pray for and not stop praying for, that God will protect and keep people from.  …lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

That which is spiritual and gives freedom.  That which is unspiritual and enslaves.

Spiritual wisdom and understanding has its source in Christ.  And if Christ lives in you by the Holy Spirit, He is your source of wisdom and understanding.  The Spirit enables us to perceive the things of God – as God is…

…and perceive the things of the world as the world is – and then live in accord with God and His word.

Christ in you gives you the disposition to will and to want to live in accord with God.  He is our new self, which is like God in all righteousness and holiness.  And His blood covers us when we fail.

Because there is a wisdom and understanding of this ungodly age, that like all the ungodly ages of the past, is coming to nothing. 

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 

Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.  (James 3:17-18)

This is what we pray for.

Spiritual wisdom and understanding fills us with the knowledge of God and His will and leads us accordingly – as we are yielded to Him.  So yield.

For there are those who would endeavor to lead us away from pure and sincere devotion to Christ, and direct our attention elsewhere.  That’s why Jesus prayed…

…Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name — the name you gave me — so that they may be one as we are one.  …My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 

As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.  For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.  (John 17:11b, 15-18)

Col 1:10 And we pray this (also) in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

What this passage says, well defines what sanctified means – set apart so that you may live a life worthy of who the Lord is, pleasing Him in every way…

…because if you are in Christ, His Spirit lives in you and is working through you – bearing fruit – God’s fruit, in all that you do as you grow in the knowledge of God…

We are not worthy, but Christ is our worthiness. 

He covered our unworthiness with His death and has given us His Spirit so that we may live a life worthy of who He is – pleasing God more and more, becoming more and more like Jesus, who came from God and knows God, and reveals God to us through His Spirit.

Col 1:11-12 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,

…and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Because it’s not about religion, it’s about power – all power – the power of an indestructible life.  The power by which Christ arose from the dead.

There are worldly powers and those who seek worldly power.  And then there are those who seek the power that is graciously given to us by God. 

Satan, in his insanity, wants to try to dethrone God – and to try to dethrone God in the wisdom and understanding of humanity – so that they seek a kind of wisdom and understanding of their own – apart from Christ.

Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

     For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.  (1 Corinthians 1:22-25)

There is a painting in the Museo de Leon in France.  The title of the painting is “Checkmate”.  It pictures Satan with a sneering grin as he towered over his opponent, the king, because he won his soul with a chess game.  One day, an old man who sat in front of this painting, suddenly jumped up and exclaimed.  “It is a lie!  It is a lie!”

     Everybody was amazed and came to see what was going on.  Even the curator of the museum came.  The old man looked at the curator and said, “I am the French Chess Champion.  The artist will have to either change the painting or change the title because it is not checkmate.  The king has another move.  The victory is his.”

At first look – superficially, it may appear that the devil is winning.  But neither the devil nor those who obey him realize, that the King has another move and always will.  The stone was rolled away.  Because Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings — and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”  (Revelation 17:14)

And in Him we are strengthened by His power and might so that we may have great endurance and patience, joy and thanksgiving because the Father has qualified us to share in the inheritance of all believers in His kingdom of light.

And no one is above God.

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”  (John 10:28-30)

Col 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

Col 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Most don’t realize that the dominion of darkness is where people are, until the Father draws us into the Kingdom of Jesus.  It is where those without Christ are right now – even if they don’t know it.

We were in trouble – in the darkness of separation from the light of life, headed toward an eternity of separation from God in hell.  And maybe we didn’t even know it.

But out of His own love for us and the good purpose for which He made us in His image, He opened our hearts to the gospel message: that Jesus came and paid the cost of our sin, death and separation Himself – redeeming us and forgiving us, reconciling us with God and adopting us – welcoming us into the eternal Kingdom of God.

The Spirit of God now lives within the redeemed, comforting and counselling us with all wisdom and understanding according to the Word of God.  Revealing God to us so that we may know Him and not just know about Him.

That is what it means to be rescued by God, through Jesus Christ.

Col 2:6-7  So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Have you received Christ Jesus only as Savior?  Or have you received Him as the Lord of your life as well?

Are you rooted in Him drawing your life from Him?  Are you building your life on your own or are you being built up in Him. 

Are you finding strength in the faith that you were taught. 

Are you overflowing with thankfulness because of the assurance you have in Christ that supersedes worldly gain.

Col 2:8  See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Hollow and deceptive philosophies imply that they are exaggerated and without substance – like many of the commercials we see exaggerating how good the thing is and how much you need it.  They promise more riches and pleasure and contentment than they can deliver, even in a worldly sense.

Because even if all the riches and pleasure and contentment the world were available to us, these are nothing compared to what is available to us in Christ.

Human traditions and the basic principles of the world fall short of and are incompatible with Christ.  And if these are incompatible with Christ, they are incompatible with us in whom He lives by the Spirit.  Christ gives us what we truly need.

Col 2:9-10  For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

All of God is in Christ.  And if all of God is in Christ, and Christ is head over every power and authority, then all of God is in us who believe.   Because it is not possible to only have a piece of God, without having all of Him.  And we have all of Him, in Christ. 

It’s not like dipping our glass into the ocean, having just a small amount.  It’s like having the whole ocean in a glass – in these jars of clay – which is something only God can do.

Night and Day

Eph 4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

I insist on it in the Lord… This is important.

No longer live as the Gentiles do…

Who or what are the Gentiles?  We must look at Gentiles here as unbelievers who live according to their unbelief.  Pagans who live according to their ungodly nature and thinking that falls short of and is against the will of God.

In the futility of their thinking.

Futility.  A word for futility is emptiness.  These people are empty regarding the Lord.  Their thinking is empty of God.

Eph 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

They are darkened in their understanding… It’s like futility.

Darkness is the absence of light and light is the understanding that comes through knowing Christ through whom all things are created and redeemed.

Unfortunately, so many don’t even realize they are in that situation, so they don’t want to leave the darkness they are in.  They don’t even know how empty of God they are.

Separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them…

Separation from the life of God means dead to God.  Separation from the life of God leads to ignorance and this ignorance leads to insensitivity to the life of God.  Unless God does something.

Due to the hardening of their hearts.

Hardening is insensitivity of heart.  They cannot comprehend or feel their lack of God, like scar tissue cannot feel.  The nerve connection has been severed that enables sensitivity to the Lord – unless He restores it.

Eph 4:19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

Having lost all sensitivity…  This is what dead means.  Dead to God.

Human life, disconnected from the Spirit of God, having lost all sensitivity to Him and the righteousness of His kingdom.  There is nothing in them that seeks God.  They live entirely according to their appetites.  Spiritually dead.

They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.  (2 Peter 2:12)

Mankind, unlike the animals, are created to live by the Spirit of Jesus, not natural instincts and bodily appetites.  It doesn’t mean we don’t eat, it means that bodily instincts and appetites are not what we live by.  Christ is life.  We live by Him.

…As God was teaching the Israelites, all of those years they spent in the desert, giving them only manna to eat, that “Humanity does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  (Deuteronomy 8:3)

And Jesus taught the same thing saying that He is the living bread who came from heaven.  Whoever eats of Him, will never die.

Paul wrote:  “Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything.  “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food”—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.  By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.  (1 Corinthians 6:12-14)

Many Israelites did not learn that message and never made it to the promised land.  Some intermingled with pagan cultures and gave in to their immoral practices, rather than obey God, who had delivered them from slavery.  And they were destroyed.

They have given themselves over to sensuality… Indulging in every kind of impurity with a continual lust for more.

It’s time for society to stop caving into living by natural instincts and desires, and turn to Christ.  It’s time for legislators and voters to be more about legalizing what is right and just, than promoting that which relates to sensuality with a continual lust for more, while neglecting God and His will.

Eph 4:20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.

This is not how you know Christ.  And it is not how we get to know Him more and more.  But if we seek to know and follow Christ more and more, He is able to lead us in the way we should go through the Spirit.

That was Night, but this is Day.

Phil 1:4-6,  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

I am confident that God, who began a good work in you, through the Holy Spirit, will carry it on to completion…  Until Jesus returns.

Phil 1:9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

That your love may abound more and more…

That the love of Christ, who lives in you – that love for God and for others; may that love continue to grow... in you.

Not how the world defines love, like only some kind of emotion or feeling that comes and goes… But… In knowledge and depth of insight…

A love that is rooted in God and may be comprehended and understood more and more, so that you may know Him (who is love) more and more, as members of His family and as citizens of His righteous Kingdom.

Phil 1:10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,

So that you may be able to discern… what is best…

There are many ways that people try to discern things and not all of them are best.  To discern means to be able, by the Spirit, to tell what is best and what is not best and choose what is best.  This is the difference between belief and unbelief.  …The difference between faith and futility.

And may be pure and blameless…

The result of discerning and choosing what is best, is avoiding what is wrong and doing what is right.  Pure and blameless relates to the heart, where Christ lives. 

And because, through the Spirit, you know Him and are knowing Him more and more, you are becoming better able to discern what is best and choose what is best, while abstaining from what is not.

Until the day of Christ. 

Until the day Jesus returns and finds us living a certain way – either living by ways that are pure and blameless or not.

It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night.  But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.  You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.  (Luke 12:38-40)

You are that house.  Houses are being broken into every day. Yours doesn’t have to be? 

It is better to be living in Christ by faith; prepared and ready, than to be living in the futility of worldly thinking; insensitive and unconnected to God. 

It is better to be pure and blameless, able to discern what is best, than to live by instincts and appetites like animals who can’t discern right from wrong. 

It is better to be…

Phil 1:11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Because through Christ Jesus, who is our righteousness; the Spirit of God produces fruit through our lives, and He always does this to the glory and praise of God as we live and move and have our being in Him.

…He made Himself nothing…

Phil 2:1-2  If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

This is the unity of Christ and His church.

Phil 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Phil 2:4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

This is the selflessness of love, in action toward others.

Phil 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Phil 2:6-7 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Phil 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

No greater love than this – than one who lays down his life for his friends.

Phil 2:9-11 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

He …made himself nothing…

…God exalted him…

And what stood in between God the Son making himself nothing and God exalting him to the highest place was – obedient to death – even death on a cross.

And this is how to be like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose with Jesus.

Because the only way we would ever have the same love as Jesus, consider other better than ourselves and become obedient to the Lord, to death – even death on a cross, is to make ourselves nothing and leave the exalting to God.  But how?

Craig and I went to see “The Boys in the Boat” last week.  A good movie and based on a true story about a University of Washington junior rowing team that won the gold medal in the 1936 Olympics.  I did not realize how much training was involved in rowing and these young men had worked extremely hard. 

There is a scene when one of the rowers was having trouble.  He was out of sync with the other seven rowers and the coxswain (the one in the rear calling out instructions and helping to steer the boat).  He was having trouble because he was focusing on himself – he couldn’t get out of his own head because he had personal stuff going on. 

But a wise older man, the one who built the boats advised him that it’s not about Him, it’s about the boat and the other rowers.  And when the young man, so to speak, made himself nothing, and the rowers were one with the boat, they won gold.

May I say?  God is the boat builder and Jesus is the boat and the rowers are the church.  It’s about each of us becoming one with the Lord, by making ourselves nothing – for God and for others – training hard by faith and becoming obedient in all things – nothing excluded, for God’s sake and for the sake of others. 

And the gold, is the exaltation of God saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  And the ‘Well done.” of God is glorious.  As Paul wrote…

Ro 8:17  Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

This glory that we will share is Christ’s glory, whom God exalted to the highest place, because He made Himself nothing.  He suffered, becoming obedient even to death on a cross – for us and for all people.  This is what love is.

But for how many of us, is making ourselves nothing, a priority.  And I find that when I try to make myself nothing, I become more focused on myself than I was before with detrimental results. 

The bottom line is, if we want to make ourselves nothing, we have to die.  I’m not talking about suicide, but dying to ourselves and yielding to Christ.  The training of the cross requires making ourselves nothing, suffering and dying.

Mt 16:24-25  Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

Mt 16:26  What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?

And what value can you put on your soul?  As Jim Elliot once said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”

The natural man is about saving his own life, not making himself nothing.  But the way to glory does not come by focusing on oneself and gaining the world, but on denying oneself, taking up our cross following Jesus (this means dying).

It says above (Phil 2:6-7) that Jesus, who was by nature God, did not try to go after equality with God.  That’s what Satan does.  Jesus made himself nothing.  Satan never does this. 

In fact, Satan goes to great lengths to exalt himself and try to get people to exalt themselves also.  So that people don’t want to be nothing but want to be exalted.  And it started at the beginning. 

Ge 3:5  (Satan said to the woman) “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Ge 3:6  When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

…your eyes will be opened and you will be like God…  It’s in the palm of your hand, just grasp it, eat it up and you will have it all. 

You will be like God, knowing good and evil.  But Satan is a liar, especially about God.  Humanity may have come to know good and evil, but they no longer could tell good from evil, and choose the good, like Christ does.  And we died.

When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the desert, the tempting suggestions were directed toward bodily appetites, showing others how great he was and about gaining the world.  But Jesus was no fool and the glory he received from God was far more than Satan could ever grasp.

2Co 4:7  (Paul wrote) But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

It is better to make ourselves nothing than to try to be something we’re not.  There is great freedom in becoming nothing – in emptying ourselves of ourselves – and being yielded to the Lord like empty clay jars.  For it is then, that we are in the proper disposition – to be filled by God.

1Co 13:1-3  If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Powerful in speech, prophetic words and wisdom, strong faith, generous giving, self-sacrifice are all nothing, if these are more about us than about love. 

These are all things we could boast about or take pride in or focus on and make our goal.  But they are not love.  Love is the attitude, the quality, the spirit by which Christ does them all. 

1Co 13:4-7  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

All of these qualities of love show what love is and what love is not.  And the one that may be the core of all of them is:  Love is not self-seeking.  He made himself nothing.  And making ourselves nothing, for the sake of others, is the essence of love.

What does, he made himself nothing, imply?  If we made ourselves nothing, what would that do to our attitude and our disposition – if self was dead?  I would have to say that I would be free.  Like the rower that was able to make himself nothing for the sake of the boat and his fellow rowers – leading to victory.

Like jars of clay, filled by the presence of God.

Sin and self are closely related.  As someone defined sin as a heart curved in on itself.  Sin is the problem of the devil and it is the nature of self.  It entangles and snares us. 

Unless it’s the new self.

Eph 4:22-24  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

What is still left of our old self?  We should not be looking at the person next to us or at someone else we don’t like – who grinds our gears; those people who get our goat.  Because the problem is not those who get our goat, but the fact that we have a goat that can be got to begin with.

The goat is the self – not the greatest of all time – but like the unruly farm animal that can be a real pain in the behind.  Something that, at times, needs to be put off because it relates to our former way of life.  So that we can put on the new self that, like God, desires true righteousness and holiness.

The new self, that works along with other believers in harmony with Christ, by the power of His Spirit.  …That makes itself nothing, so that God may be all in all.

Standards

If anyone thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.  

As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

…All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Peter or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.  (1 Corinthians 3:18-23)

Tuesday some coffee guys were getting together, sent out a text, and myself, being at the farm said that I was getting ready to get in my treestand (for an evening hunt.)  And one of them responded, “Can’t trees stand by themselves?”  To which I said, “That’s why you can stand in one.” 

Then the next morning I went a bit further saying, “I just realized the reason we can stand in trees is because they have standards.”  But what was meant to be a kind of joke, got me thinking…

Without standards, nothing can stand.  And without Godly standards, everything collapses.  The erosion of Godly standards leads to the collapse of humanity.

From the inside – out, societies collapse because sin leads to the inward erosion of people without God.  He is the only Standard – the Standard who has given us His Word – Jesus Christ and the written word the Bible, as the standard for mankind.

Worldly standards are collapsing all around us, but the Word of God stands forever.  Righteousness is more valuable than money or worldly pleasure.  And all who stand in Christ, by His power; who put His words in to practice – until the end -- in the end, will stand – through Him.

…They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.  They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.  (Isaiah 61:3b-4)

Talk about trees that stand.  Oaks of Righteousness stand because they are a planting of the Lord – for His glory – and if Christ – God’s Seed is in you, you are an oak of righteousness, and the church is His forest. 

We’re not talking about trees, but people.  Who, through Christ, will rebuild and restore communities that eroded due to the failure of worldly standards, and renew those souls who were ruined and devastated by sin, for generations.

What about the condition of the world today?  The USA?  Ohio?  Dayton?  Your family?

What about your own soul?

What are we standing on?  What are we standing for?

The truth?  Will anything stand but the truth?

Everything false is exposed and will be exposed by the truth.

(When the) Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.  (1 Corinthians 4:5)

Everything will be exposed for what it is, laid bare – so to speak.  …Whether good or evil, temporary or eternal.  But we stand in Jesus because He is the Truth, the Way and the Life.  He is the only way to God – the only Way who came from God.  He is our Standard.

He is the truth of who God is – the Life of God, who through the Spirit of God lives in all who believe.  God the Son.  The exact representation of God’s being – the perfect Standard.

He is the Standard in whom we stand and will remain standing because He stands.  As we remain in Him, He remains in us.  Who can remove Him, unless He leaves by His own accord – but why would He leave Himself?  We are His body.

What happens when the standard of truth is lost?  People build on something false – something that isn’t real.

False notions, false agendas, false ideals, false themes, false desires and all eventually collapse.  Trial and error is worthless if people become unwilling, if they reject, if they refuse to consider the truth.

We live in a world where many will try about anything… but Jesus.  Will do anything, but what He says.  And the self-inflicted consequences are obvious.  Signs of collapse are all around us – especially in the lives of individuals and families that pursue anything but God. 

Denise and I watched a movie called “The Accidental Tourist.”  And the feeling we had afterward was that it diminished marriage to something less than God intended and the reason this happens, is because people try to diminish God.  No one can diminish God, but they can do so in their own hearts. 

The devil has been tempting people to do this since the beginning.  To try to make the standard of God and His words less, and make his own ways and ideas apart from Christ more – leading to collapse.

But signs of life are in those who obey Jesus Christ.  Life is in them and their works improve things.  Because their lives and work are built on and are fueled by the Spirit of Truth, who is our standard.  The Spirit of truth lives in true believers and they live in Him, through Jesus Christ and God, the Father.

There is such a ta-do about the separation of church and state because the theories about such a separation are not based on the truth.  And any truth that is truly true, must begin with God – not humanity.

Who defines church and state?  Who is the authority of both? 

Jesus said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:18-20)

Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth – this includes church and state.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations… all nations – including the USA.  Baptizing and teaching them, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit … putting His words into practice – and He will be with us to the end.

This speaks nothing about separation.  But does speak of being separate from the world and its standards.

I think our founding fathers wanted us to become One Nation, Under God – in becoming a more perfect nation.  Some believe that this is what we must be – others think that it’s only ceremonial.  But both church and state are under the authority of Christ and are accountable to Him. 

But the church – the true church – the one that counts – is people in whom Christ lives – not just some organization.  …A people who have received Jesus by faith and by faith, through the Spirit, endeavor to put His words into practice.

As Paul wrote: The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.  (Galatians 5:6)   Love is the standard.  Because God is love.

The church is not defined by the state.  The church is defined by God.  Some without Christ call themselves the church, but the deeds of all will be exposed by the truth, showing whether their claim is true or untrue.

The church is people in whom Christ lives – who live out that life actively in the state. 

...May I say, “The church is the conscience of the state.”  Because the standard of the Spirit of God lives in them and they let the state know when it is going with or going against God – not according to their own opinions, but according to God’s words…

…According to the standard of who God is and the instructions He has given in His word regarding Himself and humanity. 

To separate church and state would be unconstitutional.  Christians would not be permitted to be involved in government.  Unconstitutional.  The conscience of the state would be lost and in a short time would lead to collapse.

Christians would not be permitted to participate in government affairs – would not be permitted to hold government positions and offices – or even vote.

…Like the National Socialists wanted to do and did to the Jews.  The USA would have to exclude, even exile or get rid of Christians, like Hitler did, if the church was to be separated from the state.

…Something that we as a nation fought against – not only because of the danger of aggression on the part of Germany in WWII, but on the part of conscience – of right vs wrong; good vs evil.

Because of one nation under God.  Because of Christ.

And the day will come when Christ Himself will fight on behalf of His people the church; destroy all opposition and destroy both death and hell; and hand everything over to God – who will be all in all – forever.

If America is wise she will stop opposing God by trying to lower the standards for living to something rooted in humanity, rather than beginning and being rooted in God and His words.  …Desiring to live by the standard of His Word – His Son – His Spirit. 

Otherwise – collapse.  Because without standards nothing can stand.  And without God and His righteous standard, Jesus Christ – everything collapses. 

Along with Paul, in closing, I want to say…

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me… (Philippians 3:12)

(And) …by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.  (Galatians 5:5)

A Change in Disposition

Isa 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

A baby from the line of David (Jesse was David’s father), the Branch, as to His human lineage – descended from David.  He was born in the city of David, Bethlehem which means House of Bread.  The living bread from Heaven has come.

Isa 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD —

The chosen of God, Fathered by God.  Filled with the Spirit of God.  The Spirit of wisdom and understanding and counsel and power and knowledge and love for the Lord is in Him.  Whose attitude says “Here I am, I have come to do your will, O God.”

Isa 11:3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.   He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;

It is His joy to do the will of God?  It is not a hardship.  He does not look at things only superficially but as they are.  And He decides based on how things are.

Isa 11:4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.  He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

The world can only judge by what it sees with its eyes and decide by what it hears with its ears and worldly brain, whether it is true or not.  But the Lord is the Source of all that is right and true and it is by His nature, Jesus sees and hears and judges.

With the righteousness of His character He judges and cares for poor and the needy.  And so does His people.  And He will judge the earth and overcome the wicked with the truth and reality of His authority.

Isa 11:5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

There are two kinds of freedom: (1) The liberty to do as you please.  (2) The grace to do what is right – by the power of God.

The latter is true freedom, the freedom of God’s kingdom, the gift of God.  Freedom cannot exist without righteousness.  And righteousness cannot exist without Christ in you.  Christmas is not complete until Christ is born in you.  That’s why Jesus came.

Righteousness: The Spirit – the nature that does things as they should be done.  Faithfulness:  The trustworthy nature of the One that does what He says He will do for the benefit of His people. 

And when through His Spirit, that nature lives in His people – when He is born in them…  He changes our disposition.  He is changing our disposition.

Isa 11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

By nature wolves eat lambs, leopards eat goats, and lions eat calves and yearlings and even little children, if given the opportunity.  It would not be safe or responsible to allow little children around them these days.  Prior to the fall, I can see the animals getting along like that in the Garden of Eden.  But not now. 

But is this really speaking about animals?

Isa 11:7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

Isa 11:8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.

Cows and bears getting along and hanging out together?  Lions becoming vegetarians?  Out of character.  Mothers letting babies play near cobra holes and young children playing with vipers like pets?  Irresponsible.  Unless the nature of things has changed.

Violence and death exist in the world because such things are in the heart.  And until hearts are changed – truly changed by the Spirit of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, violence and death will continue.

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?   The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.  (Psalm 2:1-2)

Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?”  Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.  (Psalm 115:2-3)

But Isaiah wrote about a change – a change of disposition.

Isa 11:9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

People will stop harming and destroying on the earth when something has changed.  When they come to know the Lord.  When the knowledge of the Lord covers the earth like the waters cover the sea and His word and Spirit lives in them.  The Lord is Jesus, and the Spirit of Jesus changes dispositions.

He takes us as we are because that’s the only way that He can take us, but He doesn’t leave us that way.  Thank God.

Isa 11:10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

When this happens the name of Jesus will be lifted up and all nations will rally to Him and they will enter His rest – His Sabbath rest.  For they will cease from their own labors – from their own striving, and rest in Him.

Isa 40:10  See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.

Isa 40:11  He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

Such is the nature of the Lord among His people and the nature of His people in Him.

Long before Jesus came to Bethlehem; Isaiah spoke of His return.

Isa 2:2 In the last days the mountain of the LORD'S temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.

…for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

Zechariah spoke of this.

On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.  The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.  (Zechariah 14:8-9)

Isa 2:3 Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob.  He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”  The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Many will desire to learn His ways so that they may walk in obedience to His will and His word will be the standard of the land.  Like their Savior and Lord, the people will delight in the fear of the Lord.

Isa 2:4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

This does not happen by human law, by the force of worldly government, by human protest or by societal trends.  It happens and will happen only by the Spirit of the Lord.  The nature and disposition of things must change. 

And it will change, when His word, through the Spirit of Jesus, is written on the hearts of the people.  Because He changes and is changing our disposition with His.

Isa 2:5 Come… let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Two Kingdoms

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.  She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  (Luke 2:6-7)

There was no room for them.

In the kingdom of the world, the law of supply and demand wins out.  In Bethlehem, the demand for places to stay was high and the supply was low driving prices up.  Mary and Joseph were poor.  But she was carrying a king – the King.

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords was about to be born in a stable.  Ironic, yes.  But not in disagreement with God’s character and purpose.  Jesus came for the poor and the poor in spirit.  So that by faith, they may possess the riches of His kingdom.

There are two kingdoms.  There is the kingdom of this age that is coming to nothing and there is the eternal kingdom of God, where Jesus is King.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.   He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  (John 1:10-11)

The King had come.  The one through whom everything exists had come.  They didn’t know.  They didn’t recognize.  Many still don’t.  There was no room for Him then, and in many hearts, there is not room for Him now. 

But God must draw people to Jesus.  And Jesus reveals God to them.  Not by human wisdom or power or technology.  But by the Spirit of the Lord. 

As Jesus said, the kingdom of God is near – the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it – a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit of love and of truth, for all who by faith believe and receive Jesus. 

So that the world may know that God sent Jesus and loves them as much as He loves is only begotten Son.  So that the power of the evil one, who leads the world astray, may be broken through the good news of great joy that came for all people – in Jesus

But how can this good news of great joy for all people be believed and received unless it is heard.  And how can it be heard unless someone shares it.  And how can it be shared unless the one sharing it has received it and has been deployed. 

Whom shall the Lord send? 

Jesus told His disciples, “As the Father sent me, I am sending you…”

Here we are, Father.  Send us.

Born of God

Jn 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — Jn 1:13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Believing in Him – in His name, Jesus, which means God the Savior.  Receiving Him as the gift of God – becoming children of God – born of the Spirit of God.  This is salvation.  Jesus was born of a woman – God, the Son, born into this world, so we could be born of God. 

Christmas is not complete, until Christ is born in you.

1Jn 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.

Anyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and will love God and His Son, because the Father and the Son are of the same stock – the same Spirit.  And when we are born of God, that same Spirit lives in us.

Human beings have human children.  God has a Son, and that Son is God.  Jesus came from God and was born into this world through the womb of Mary.  But being born through a woman, into this world, did not diminish Him in any way.  He was fully God and fully human.

And being fully God, in Him is no sin at all.

1Jn 3:9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

1Jn 3:4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 1Jn 3:5 But you know that Jesus appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.

All humanity since the beginning has sinned.  All humanity has that sin principle – that disease – that nature of lawlessness in them.  But God the Son appeared through Mary, without sin – as the sacrifice for our sins – to take that sin away.

In the old covenant were animal sacrifices.  The firstborn animal, to be offered to atone for sin,  was to be without spot or blemish to illustrate what our once and for all sacrifice and Savior would be.  The only begotten, perfectly sinless, Son of God.

And when we receive Him, He is born in us.  His seed – the Holy Spirit is planted in us – whose sinless nature grows and penetrates our nature, overcoming our darkness with His light.  He becomes life in us.

Sometimes it may seem like that seed is dormant, that it lies buried in the darkness of the flesh.  But life is in that seed, and at the proper time it will burst forth and bear fruit.  The Lord knows.  He will do it.  Keep trusting and looking to Him. 

It can take time and difficulty for the outer shell to be worn away.  Like with seeds that are planted.  Water, minerals in the ground and temperature changes must do their work to wear away that outer shell, so that life may spring forth and grow and bear fruit.  The trials of this life, must do their work.

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,”  (Acts 14:22)

But by the Spirit we are born of God to grow, bear fruit and overcome the world… 1Jn 5:4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world.

Rev 3:21 (Jesus said) To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.  …Having overcome evil with good.

1Jn 5:18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.

Born of God, we are not the same as we were.  We do not continue in sin like we did before – because Christ is now our life.  The One born of God – Jesus, keeps us safe. 

We may not be perfect; but we are not the same.  We may struggle and fall, but we have One who was tempted yet persevered, to help us.  Jesus is stronger.  We have entered into new life.  We have been set apart by God and for God.  We are protected and being perfected by the Holy Spirit.

Heb 10:14 …because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Through the sacrifice of Christ and our faith in Him, we have been made perfect forever, and by His Spirit, we are being made holy. 

1Co 1:30 It is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, He is our righteousness, holiness and redemption.  He is all of this for us.  Remain in Him.

1Jn 5:19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

Ro 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

The Spirit himself also testifies through His word that… 2Co 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

And by the power of the Holy Spirit, working through God’s children – the church, the minds of unbelievers are set free from the control of the evil one and given sight, so that they may comprehend the gospel message and turn to Christ.

1Jn 5:20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true — even in his Son Jesus Christ.  He is the true God and eternal life.

We know that the Son of God has come.  We know that He has come into the world and we know that He lives in us.  And we know it by His Spirit.  By the Spirit of truth, He reveals truth to us in accord with His word.

He is training us to distinguish between what is good and what is evil and choose the good.  So that we may know that everything that comes from God is true – because God is true.  We are in the Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ – the true God and eternal life.  And we are protected from the evil one by His word.

And it is His word that teaches us…

1Jn 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  (…because God is love.)

Jesus came to save His enemies, not destroy them. 

Ro 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…  Ro 5:8 (But) God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Ro 5:9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  Ro 5:10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

In love, Jesus came to save humanity from ourselves.  We were already on the road to destruction, Jesus came to change our path. 

It says here that we were powerless.  Under the control of sin, we had nothing in our nature that aligned with God.  We were ungodly – His enemies.  But God showed His love.  Even when there was nothing in us deserving of His love, Christ died for us.

If He did this while we were His enemies, how much more will He do, now, that we have been reconciled and saved through His life.  Since God so loved us, we may love because God first loved us.  (1 John 4:19)

1Jn 5:3 This is love for God: to obey his commands.  And his commands are not burdensome, 1Jn 5:4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world.

Jn 15:17 This is my command: Love each other.

There is nothing burdensome about God’s commands because the basis of all of God’s commands is love.  Consider the 10 Commandments.  All were based on love for God and love for others.  And it is the love of God, working through His people that overcomes the world.

2Co 6:17 “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

As children of God, born of the Spirit of God, the kingdom of God is our country and God is our home.  We are in the world but not of the world, if we are in Christ. Righteousness is more valuable than money.

If God delivered Israel from Egypt to have a people of His own.  How much more will His people be delivered from their sins and become children of God who by faith have received Jesus Christ?  The sin that was once natural becomes unnatural, because we are born of the Spirit and are part of the kingdom whose architect and builder is God.

The things of this world are not as attractive, as they once were – and even though we may be tempted, we have a Helper to guide us in the way we should go, and when we fail; we have a Savior whose blood covers our sins.  Not so we may abuse His grace, but so we may quickly get back on our feet and on the path with Christ.

2Co 6:18 “I will be a Father to you, says the Lord Almighty, and you will be my sons and daughters.”

And He is a good, good Father.  He is our loving Heavenly Father, the Source of all that is good, who supplies all our needs.  Whose perfect plan of salvation rescued us from destruction and gave us His life, so that we may truly be His own sons and daughters.

After His resurrection Jesus told His disciples…

Jn 20:17  “I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”

Before, Jesus spoke only of His Father, but now He includes us with Him, because we have been reconciled with God and made true children through His Spirit.  We’re family.

Through the Spirit, the Father is our Father and we’re part of the family of God, with Christ.  We are the church.

2Co 7:1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. 

Such things are no longer natural to us, because we’ve been born of God.

Righteousness, Peace and Joy…

 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.  (Romans 14:17-18)

The kingdom of God

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”  (Luke 17:20-21)

The kingdom of God is not so much a place or a thing – but Christ in you.  The kingdom of God is the result of the presence of God and His reign. 

Jesus did say, In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.”  (John 14:2-4)

Jesus said to His disciples, I’m going to prepare a place for you; and “I am the way there”  But His relationship with them had to change.

He said to them after He arose, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”  (John 20:17)

Do not hold on to me… Because His purpose was not to come and stay in person, but to go and send the Holy Spirit to live within believers.  And wherever the Spirit of God lives, is the kingdom of God – and the qualities of the goodness of His nature reign.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  (2 Corinthians 4:18)

What can be seen with our physical eyes is temporary, but the qualities of the Spirit that through His presence we can have and experience, these we look for – not the things of the world, because the kingdom of God is unseen and eternal. 

We can see its effects.  But it is… Not a matter of eating and drinking

Above all, what are you most concerned about?  For some it is eating and drinking – things related to bodily needs and pleasures – things of this life.  But the kingdom of God is not a matter of those kinds of things though He created all things. 

God is eternal as are the things of God and the qualities of His being. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of the things that relate to outward, temporary things but the inward and eternal qualities of the Spirit.

The kingdom of God is a matter of righteousness, peace and joy… in the Holy Spirit.

What is righteousness?  What is unrighteousness?

Righteousness:  …What is right.  …What is in agreement with God.  …The state of being in right relationship with God.

It is like holiness, as God says, “Be holy, for I am holy.”  It is an essential quality of God’s eternal character – and the character of the kingdom of God.

…in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.  So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.  (2 Peter 3:13-14)

Americans should want America to be a home of righteousness.  The inward working of the Holy Spirit and our yielding to Him, that brings righteousness to fruition.

What is peace?  Harmony, tranquility; safety; a lack of strife, turmoil and war?  Wars are in the world because war is in the heart.  But the peace of God is in Christ.

What about peace with God?  When by nature we are no longer at odds with Him, but through Jesus Christ, are reconciled, relationship with God is established and through the Spirit, we walk in agreement with Him.

Peace with each other?  Inner peace?  World peace?  There can be no lasting peace, unless Christ is the source.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.  For he himself is our peace…  (Ephesians 2:13-14a)

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  (John 14:27)

Such peace is a quality of the Kingdom of God.  People are looking for peace, but do they know what peace really is?  As Jesus says, I do not give to you the peace that the world gives.  Suggesting, that the world’s peace is not really peace at all.

His peace begins by faith in Him, through which relationship with God is established through the Holy Spirit, who, with Jesus Christ is one with God; and who was sent to live and work in us to make us one with God as well.

In answer to Christ’s prayer: 

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:  I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  (John 17:22-23)

Because wherever the kingdom of God is, so are the qualities if the King.

In many places in the Gospels, Jesus preached and told others to preach, that “The kingdom of God was near.” – and it was near – in Jesus. 

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.  (John 14:16-17)

Then it was, You know Him, for He lives with you (in Jesus) – the kingdom of heaven was near (in Jesus); and will be in you – looking to the future.  That was then.  The Spirit was only living with them in Jesus, then.

But now you may know Him, not only because He is near, but because He is in you; by faith in Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit.  No longer ‘will be in you.’ But, Christ in you, the hope of glory is now how He is known and why He came.

So righteousness, peace and joy may be in all who believe – in all in whom His Spirit lives.  Because that is what the nature of the kingdom of God is; and the nature of the world is not.

Righteousness, peace and joy…

What is joy?  Rejoicing, happiness, gladness.  Is it a feeling?  Only a feeling?  More than just happiness?

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  (1 Peter 1:8-9)

Is this your experience?  Has it ever been?

A joy that is more than a feeling – inexpressible and glorious, the result of faith and salvation – of the Holy Spirit bearing witness with your spirit that you are a child of God?  A natural quality of the Kingdom of God.

Have you ever been filled with His inexpressible and glorious joy – His joy, because of His presence living in you.  There is no greater joy, along with the joy of seeing others come to have it.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  (Hebrews 12:12)

The author and perfecter – the Alpha and the Omega… The joy that lay before Him, enduring the cross, was the joy of pleasing the Father and the joy of saving you, so that you may have His joy…

In the Holy Spirit.

Righteousness, peace and joy come from being in the Holy Spirit, through Christ in you. 

Imagine trying to have the qualities of God, without the Spirit.  Making a law that required righteousness, peace and joy in our own power and strength.  This would be inauthentic and corrupt – Impossible.  Because the true qualities of righteousness, peace, joy, love, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control come from the Spirit, not human nature.

Scripture says… speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  (Ephesians 4:15-16)

Speaking the truth in love means love is the disposition of the heart by which the truth is spoken and the church is built up.  We love others first; speaking truth and working out of love for one another. 

Righteousness, peace and joy; love, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control and any other quality of God come from His presence within. The Spirit is your law.  His presence provides power to accomplish His purposes in you.  Not you trying to obey a written code in your own strength.  He is our Helper. 

Anyone who serves Christ in this way… Is pleasing to God and approved by people.

There may be some who are about trying to please God without caring about pleasing people, and others that are about pleasing people without caring about pleasing God. 

Wouldn’t it be better to do both?  Do you want to be pleasing to God and approved by people.  Serve Christ and others by the Holy Spirit.  Let righteous, peace and joy, and all of the qualities of the Holy Spirit come.  Let Him have His way in you and in your relationships, and He will draw people to Christ.

The kingdom of God will come and His will, will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

When Life Comes

There are two kinds of life:  Physical life and Spiritual life.

And God is the source of both.

He created life as we know it. 

Breathing, brain-waves, a beating heart; a physical body.

And more than that…

…the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.  (Genesis 2:7)

More than just breathing, brain-waves, a beating heart and a physical body – a living being – a being. 

I heard someone share recently that it seems that a key difference between previous generations and this generation is that previous ones were more about being, that is who you are.  And the current one is more about, what you do.

It is true that who you are influences what you do.  But if life is only about what you do, then you are just a machine.  Then as a song implies, apathy sets in which leads to heartlessness.  But you are as a living being, designed and made by God, to know Him.

A living being, a person, is not just a machine – more than an animal –that just lives by its natural appetites and instincts.  This time of year the highways are littered by the carcasses of deer that have been killed because of all the chasing involved in their mating season.  They have one thing on their mind – so to speak.

But we were made living beings, in the image of God – in His likeness.  We were created and redeemed to live not by natural instincts, but by the Spirit of the Lord.  Living beings with personalities, character and purpose, who, through the Spirit, are enabled to use our physical bodies in unity with Him. 

God had planned something better for us…  (Hebrews 11:40)

So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.  The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.  (1 Corinthians 15:45-46) 

God made Adam a living being.  But Jesus, is the life-giving Spirit.

(Like the age old question:  What came first, the chicken or the egg?  The answer:  Neither.  God did.  God came first – the Spirit came first.  But from our perspective, the natural came first – then the spiritual.  I was lost, now I’m found.

When through faith in Christ we receive the Holy Spirit, Spiritual life comes in us and we are born again; born of God.  We become living beings in a New way.

Like God said through Isaiah…

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.  (Ezekiel 36:25-27)

And as Paul wrote through the Spirit of the Lord,

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.  As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.  And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.  (1 Corinthians 15:47-49)

Dust is physical/ material.  But Jesus came from heaven and put on the material.  Adam sinned and we all inherited death.  Jesus came sinless from heaven.  And when He comes to live in us, we inherit His life.

He is life for those who know Him.  And through the Spirit of God, we do know Him – we, who were designed and made to know Him.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…  (Jeremiah 1:5)

The Lord had you in mind before you were conceived.  Parents don’t make babies, God does.  Parents have relations, but God is the one who designed and is active in the baby creating process, knitting children together in their mother’s wombs.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  (Psalm 139:13-16)

Even for those conceived inappropriately.  The ungodly use of sex takes many forms and they are all bad.  All sexual immorality is bad.  But babies are not bad.

Loose living, rape, incest, prostitution and whatever else are all bad.  But babies are not bad.  Sexual sins and babies are not the same thing.  They should not be thought of the same way.  Get rid of sin.  Don’t get rid of babies. 

Death is at the heart of all sin, including abortion.  One sin does not justify another.  Evil can never justify itself.  Only righteousness can do that.  Love and abortion have nothing in common.  But God loves us.

There is life in that baby.  And God placed it there.  Those who abort babies take away life that God has placed there.  So, do the righteous thing.  Do the loving thing.

Now, there is the physical body – the machine – that wears out and that can be destroyed.  Then there is the soul – a living being – that makes you more than a machine; but created in the image and likeness of God.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.  (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

When Paul says, spirit, soul and body, this indicates to me that we are, in a sense, triune beings – like God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), and are thus made in the image of God.

The body is the physical, the soul is who you are as a person and the spirit is the quality of who you are, the deepest and core part of your being.  But there is a problem with the quality of the human spirit. 

This problem causes people to use their bodies and personalities inappropriately – in all kinds of wrong ways, contrary to God’s image and purpose in His loving and creative design of humanity.

The problem is sin.  And sin is corruption.

We can see it take many form all around us.  And we see its effects on individuals, families, groups, societies, nations and the world.  Daily life, business, governments and whatever else humanity is engaged in, the presence of corruption is undeniable.

There are also good things that are happening by God’s grace.  Corruption does not have absolute and free reign.  Only God does.  But corruption is lurking in the dark. 

Like God warned Cain before he killed his brother:  “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 master it.”  (Genesis 4:7)

Corruption is ready to spring into action, when given opportunity.

It must be resisted.  It must be mastered.  But only someone greater can overcome it; someone better and more powerful than we are.

Jesus gave this illustration:  “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe.  But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.”  (Luke 11:21-22)

Sin has people bound-up and under guard and won’t let them go.  No worldly power is stronger.  But Jesus is more powerful.  He bore our sins on the cross and arose from the dead.  The power of sin, was broken.  He overpowered the evil one and by His Spirit, He overpowers the sin in us.  He takes away sins power, and sets us free. 

He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.  (1 John 3:8)

…now, in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.  …His purpose was to create in himself one new man...  (Ephesians 2:13-16)

As we read in Ezekiel…

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.  (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

This is what happens when life comes in.  As Paul wrote…

…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

If anyone is in Christ, new life has come and is at work in that person.  But, unless this happens, the destination of corruption is death.  Not just physical death, which we all face, but separation from Life Himself – the second death… unless His life comes in.

This is why He came and this is His purpose for all people including the unborn.  Even though He was entirely free of corruption, He became our corruption, died (and in Him we died).  He bore the eternal consequence of our corruption.  And He arose and we arose in Him.

And by His sacrifice and our faith in Him, we are spared and given eternal life.  We are made and being made corruption free in Him, through the Holy Spirit who comes to live within believers, and transform us from the inside out.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.   You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,” declares the LORD…   (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

Such are those in whom His life comes.

If anyone wants to be free from the power of corruption, there is one way and it is free.  All a person must do is believe and receive Jesus.  And the Spirit of God will come in and give new life – and be new life in that person. 

And for anyone who believes, He will bring to completion His perfect design and purpose He always had for you, even before you were knit together in your mother’s womb and brought into the world.

Silencing the World

Elijah was on the run from Ahab and Jezebel, whose words commanded destruction.  The prophets of God had been killed and he was the only one left and they were after him.   He was hiding in a cave on a mountain and…

1 Kings 19:11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.  After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

1Ki 19:12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

We must learn to silence the world, in order to hear the Lord – His gentle words – His presence.  Otherwise we will only hear the worst, be afraid, lose our confidence in Him, and hide.  But the Lord wants us to be able to stand on our feet and trust in Him. 

As the song that Denise heard in the hospital in her head, when she was dealing with the brain tumor… “God is in the house.”   And when the Lord is in the house, you fear nothing.  He’s got this.

1 Co 2:9-10  “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

The difference between every religion, or philosophy or whatever else people believe; the difference between them and Christ and Biblical truth is – the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit points people to Christ alone and authored Biblical truth.  Not the others. 

God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one and the others are not.  It is only through Christ that the Holy Spirit comes and He always operates in accord with Biblical truth – what else would He do.  The others don’t.  His presence is not with them.

God is on the throne and has great things planned for those who love Him.  And through the Holy Spirit we have a taste of heaven.  And we have been given His words about the future.  The Spirit confirms that truth in the heart. 

He confirms the sinner’s need for Christ to be saved so he/she turns to Christ and is saved.  And for the redeemed – He is our relationship with the Father and the Son – He our Spirit of love and truth and power.

He searches our hearts, and knows our needs.  He knows God’s purposes.  And His purpose for us is to lead and empower us accordingly.

1Co 2:11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

No one knows what you think more than God and you.  You are a soul with a body.  Not a body with a soul.  And who you are on the inside knows what you think.  And the condition of who you are on the inside listens to and produces thoughts and determines what you do with them.  Whether you live by the notions of the world and human nature that are corrupted; or the self – that like the others, are self-directed. 

But God is Spirit and the Spirit is God.  And He is producing a people, born of the Spirit who live and worship in spirit and in truth.  Because the Spirit of God always leads according to the thoughts of God.  He is the Spirit of God and is transforming the spirit of believers to think and live in oneness with Christ.

1Co 2:12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 

People without Christ live according to the spirit of the world that is coming to nothing.  Those who have been born from above through faith in Jesus Christ have received the Spirit from God, and He reveals to us what God has freely given us.

People without the Spirit do not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to them, and such people cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The language of the Spirit is a foreign language to those without the Spirit.  They have no clue what He says or what He means.  They live by speculations and perceptions, void other truth.  And such things without the truth, become delusions.  Not so when the Spirit of God is in the house.

People born of the Spirit make judgments about all things, but they themselves are not subject to any man’s judgment: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?”

We understand the things of God because the Spirit of God understands and reveals such things to believers.  The world may judge us.  But God is the Judge who judges all and He has put all things under Christ and Christ is in us through the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, in Him, We have the mind of Christ.  (1 Corinthians 2:14-16)

And through Him we may silence the noise of the world and follow the voice of Jesus.

Eph 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

The old self was corrupt with deceitful desires and attitudes. 

At one time we were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.  (Titus 3:3-7)

By His mercy, the washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit, we have been given a new self.  The new self has a new attitude, one created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.  So like Jesus we can discern temptations and attitudes that are against God, resist them, and apply what is right.

Jesus silenced the deceptive lies of the devil’s tempting by the Word of God.  So that we too, may also silence the devil, as we live by the Spirit of the Lord who always directs us by His word.  We are in Christ and He is in us.  So we may face temptations like He did.

Yielded to the Lord, we are enabled to silence the contrary thoughts and desires of the world, and live by the truth; as we set our hearts on Him.

Col 3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

There is a great deal of noise around us and at times there is noise within us too. (And I’m not talking about gas.) The noise in our heads can be distracting in its attempt to move the course of our hearts from the Spirit of Christ. 

But this world is no longer our home and that kind of thinking is no longer our baseline.  Since this is no longer our true home and worldly thinking, no longer our baseline, we look to God and His word.

Col 3:2-3 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

When our minds are set on what they should be set on, we silence the noise of worldly thinking through the Spirit of God.  The truth of God and His word overcomes the things of the world, and they have no power over us. 

1Jn 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

In Christ, you are not children of the world, but children from God.  The one who is in the world is the devil and those who follow his way of thinking. …the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  Some are overcome and others saved as you continue to live by the Spirit, because He who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

1Jn 4:5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.

Birds of a feather…  That’s how you can discern the things of God and the things of humanity.  That which has its origin in humanity, will have that viewpoint that has been corrupted by sin and the noise of the evil one.  This is what the world listens to because they have the same viewpoint.

1Jn 4:6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

When Christ is in people, they are people from God.  This is what the church is, people in whom Christ lives – the only true church. 

Whoever is from God, knows God and listens to others who know Him because their viewpoint is the viewpoint of God.  In Christ, we find ourselves in agreement because Christ is not divided and He is in us.  We cannot agree with the spirit of the world – the spirit of falsehood, because the Spirit of truth guides us and we recognize Him.

The noise of the world is only noise compared to the leading of the Spirit.  He is teaching us and leading us to discern between what we should listen to and what we shouldn’t.  So that what needs to be addressed may be addressed, and what needs to be done may be done; and what does not, can be let go.   

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  (Philippians 3:12)

Not that we are perfect in this – in silencing the world and speaking and living by the Spirit alone, but we press on toward Christ, trusting that He will finish His good work in us and in the world.

Rescue

Ac 16:16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future.  She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.

Ac 16:17 This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”

Ac 16:18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!”  At that moment the spirit left her.

Remember when Jesus disciples tried to drive out an evil spirit and could not and Jesus said it could only be removed by prayer.  Here, they were going to a place of prayer.

And they met a slave girl.  She was a slave in two ways:  (1) She was a slave to those who used her to make money fortune-telling through an evil spirit. And (2) she was a slave to the evil spirit that was in her. 

She followed Paul and the others disrupting their work, so Paul, in the name of Jesus Christ, commanded the spirit to leave, and it left.  Through Paul, the Lord rescued her from the evil that controlled her.

Jesus came on a rescue mission and continues to do so through the power of the Holy Spirit working through His people.

But along with the leaving of the evil spirit, so did her ability to fortune-tell and make money.  Which did not go well with her owners.  Remembering the words of Jesus, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”  This includes the kinds of inappropriate businesses people get into in order to make money.

Ac 16:19 When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.

Ac 16:20-21 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

These owners added evil to evil by dragging off Paul and Silas, and by lying about them causing an uproar in the city.  All because they lost their evil way of making money.  But it also did not take much to get the city stirred up against Paul and the others either, considering the society’s worldview.

Ac 16:22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten.

Ac 16:23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.

Ac 16:24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

As they had once said, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”  Those who had been sent by God to rescue and to set free, were themselves, being beaten and imprisoned.

As I was out walking a couple of evening ago, I was asking the Lord about how He works, especially with regard to praying with power that changes things.  And Acts 26:25-26 came to mind. 

Along with …our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  (Ephesians 6:12)

Ac 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

Rather than be depressed and upset for what happened to them, they had been given grace to pray and to praise the Lord.  Beaten and chained they experienced God.  God is not chained.  That would be like trying to chain the wind. 

Paul and Silas were praying and praising the Lord in the darkness – and other prisoners were listening. 

Maybe they were praying for the salvation of all who could hear and testifying and singing of the reality of God and His working.  In the midst of trouble, Paul and Silas had a kingdom perspective. 

And when, by the power of God, we have a kingdom perspective, God is at the forefront and not the problems of this world.  We are in the world but we are of the kingdom of God.

Our hearts see how things really are – eternal things that cannot be touched or overcome by the temporary things of this world.  The devil does whatever he can to get people to reject, ignore or misunderstand the kingdom of God, because otherwise – he and his demonic forces are defeated, as in the case of the slave girl.

God, through the power of Jesus Christ is still rescuing the lost and protecting his faithful followers from trouble.  And He wants us to be a part of His worldwide rescue mission.  Paul wrote…

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.  (Romans 8:19)

Souls are looking for something real – for the true children of God to be revealed; those who live by the power of God.  For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.  (1 Corinthians 4:20) 

Like Paul and Silas being watched by fellow prisoners, as they prayed and sang to the Lord.  We who profess Jesus are also being watched by those around us.  People whose souls are starving for God.

Ac 16:26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.  At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.

Two children of God, Paul and Silas were being revealed by God, through the power of His working and through their praise and their prayers to God.  In bondage, their mission was still rescue, to bring salvation to those imprisoned by sin through the gospel of Jesus; reconciling them with God. 

The prison doors flew open and everybody’s chains came loose.  (More ways than one.)

Ac 16:27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.  (A capitol offense)

Ac 16:28-29 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”    The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.

It was a miracle that the earthquake happened, and everyone was set free.  And it was a miracle that everyone was still there.

Ac 16:30-32 The jailer then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”   They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household.”  Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.

God had arranged this.  We don’t know who all was saved – the prisoners watching Paul and Silas must have told many about what happened.  But we know that the jailer who was about to kill himself and his family were saved.

Ac 16:33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.

Ac 16:34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God — he and his whole family.

Ac 16:35-36 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.”  The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace…”

And Paul and Silas were rescued – again.  Mission accomplished – go on to the next.

2Co 1:9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death.  But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

In Sunday school we read regarding Abraham that he believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.  In other words – he was saved, even before Jesus came because he believed what God said He would do.  This is known as The Promise that God had made to Abraham about his descendants, through whom Jesus came. 

Even when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the book of Hebrews says that he reasoned that God could raise the dead.  God stopped Abraham and supplied the sacrifice as a sign of what He would do for us in Jesus. 

To believe God is to rely not on ourselves but on God.  This is faith and it is by faith and prayers of faith that victories are won and people are protected.

He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.  On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.  (2 Corinthians 1:10-11)

The Lord has rescued us from the perils of hell.  Is there anything He will not do as we shield and empower one another through prayer? 

Israel has something called the Iron Dome that protects them from incoming rockets fired from their enemies.  Prayer is like an iron dome for believers through which God shields us from the spiritual rockets fired against us from the enemy of our souls.  And through which God rescues souls, overcoming evil with good.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.  He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.  They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.  He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.  (Psalm 18:16-19)

And because He delights in you, He rescues you too.

“You are the Christ…”

Mt 16:13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

Who do people say that Jesus is today?

Probably depends on who you ask?   What they think?  What they’ve been taught?  What they’ve experienced. 

It’s an important question.  It may be good to ask it from time to time.  We might be surprised by the answers.  But from the context of Judaism in that day…

Mt 16:14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah… These were certainly important men of faith.

But I would venture that very few today would try to call Jesus, John the Baptist or Elijah or Jeremiah.  It’s been too many years since then.  Worldviews and cultures today are probably quite different than they were then. 

Some might say today that Jesus didn’t even exist, that the stories about Him were fables.  Some today might say that he was a prophet or a great man or a good man.  But I am afraid that most would be afraid to try to say who they say He is because they either have no clue, or because they are afraid what others might think.

In whatever case, it is not a matter of opinion as to who Jesus is that matters.  Who He is, is not affected at all by who people think He is.  He is who He is.  But what people think, is affected by believing the truth of who He is, and receiving what He came to give.  Because in Him is power to believe.

Mt 16:15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

This is an even more important question, because it is a direct question and requires an honest answer – not just an opinion.  Who do we say Jesus is and is who we say He is, who He is?  So, who do you say that Jesus is?

Mt 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

I’m pretty sure that if you were asked who Jesus is that you would say the same thing Peter did or something very close; because I believe you have all believed in Him.

Is this something that you believe because you were raised to believe it?  Or is it what you believe because you believe it – you know it?  And if you said anything else, you would be lying?

What good are opinions, if they are not true? 

Mt 16:17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

This is key to faith.  It is beyond education and worldly experiences, because it is from God Himself.  And if it is from God, you know it’s true.  Because no one truly believes in Jesus unless the Father enables them.  Many people can preach Jesus Christ, and many people may hear the words of someone speaking them. 

But until the Father, until the Holy Spirit reveals the message to the heart with power to believe, there will be no inward confirmation that the message is absolutely true and there will be no lasting effects.  Faith does not come by hearing only, or by study only People believe in Jesus by revelation.  God reveals Him.  And to deny it, would be a lie.

Likewise, it is by revelation that people accept Biblical truth as the truth of God.  Thank you, Father for revealing Jesus to us that we may know Him and grow in Him.

Mt 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

The name ‘Peter’ means ‘rock.’  But it is not Peter, on whom Jesus will build His church.  No, we saw what happened when Peter was confronted three times about being a follower of Jesus.  In that case, hell prevailed against Peter.  That would not be a good foundation to build on.  But the story did not end there.  And it does not end there with us either. 

We too have failed to side with Jesus at key times.  But by faith in who Jesus is and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are not what we were.  Jesus is building His church.  It is by Jesus Christ and the power of His Spirit that God remade Peter and recreates all believers, so that the Church is built and Christ is the builder.

 “On Christ the solid rock I stand.  All other ground is sinking sand.” 

Jesus became the ‘Rock’ in Peter and He is the ‘Rock’ in us.  And I don’t mean the movie star.   And regarding His church of which we are… 

…It is not we who build.  He builds the church.  No man builds the church but Christ alone.  Whoever is minded to build the church is surely well on the way to destroying it; for he will build a temple to idols without wishing or knowing it.  We must confess—he builds.  We must proclaim—he builds.  We must pray to him—that he may build. 

We do not know his plan.  We cannot see whether he is building or pulling down.  It may be that the times which by human standards are times of collapse are for him the great times of construction.  It may be that the times from a human point of view are great times for the church are times when it is pulled down. 

It is a great comfort which Christ gives to his church: you confess, preach, bear witness to me (He says), and I alone will build where it pleases me.  Do not meddle in what is my province.  Do what is given you to do well and you have done enough.  But do it well.  Pay no heed to views and opinions, don’t ask for judgments, don’t always be calculating what will happen, don’t always be on the look-out for another refuge! 

Church stay a church!  But church confess, confess, confess!  Christ alone is your Lord, from his grace alone can you live as you are.  Christ builds.”  (Dietrich Bonhoeffer in, No Rusty Swords)

So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord… but join with faithful believers suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who 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.

Jesus is Lord of all.  He is Lord of the church.  Make Him be the Lord of your life, and all the things and pressures and philosophies of this world which are coming to nothing, will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

And it is by His own glory and grace that His love and truth continues to be proclaimed and shared by those who believe, so that all may come to believe in Him.

By the power of God, Christ saved us and by His power we may live holy lives – because of His own purpose and grace.  He builds.  And by that same purpose and grace we may live and minister to others by the power of God, so that they too may receive what Jesus came to give as He continues to build His church.

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.  (2 Timothy 1:8-10)

Imagine, before the beginning of time but revealed to us by the Spirit of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He is the beginning and the end.  Jesus destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to all who believe through the power of the gospel.  Can anything separate us from Him – all the way to the end? 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:35, 38-39)

Do you believe this?  Then what are we afraid of?

Jesus said to His disciples, and I believe He says to us…

Mt 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Jesus has authority to give the kingdom of heaven to whomever He is pleased to give it and He gives it to His people… a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit – the power of an indestructible life.  This power is in Him and He is in us and by the authority of His gospel, we may live and work.

Our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there…

Not from this world.  Most people are looking for saviors from the wrong places.

We await a Savior from heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.  (Philippians 3:20-21)

He will do it.  We must maintain our testimony and testify to the truth, making the most of every opportunity to reveal Him in a world in need of Him.  As Bonhoeffer said…

Do what is given you to do well and you have done enough.  But do it well.  Pay no heed to views and opinions, don’t ask for judgments, don’t always be calculating what will happen, don’t always be on the look-out for another refuge!  Church stay a church!  But church confess, confess, confess!  Christ alone is your Lord, from his grace alone can you live as you are.  Christ builds.”  (Bonhoeffer)

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  (Ephesians 3:20-21)

No Middle Ground

The Apostle Paul, once a persecutor of the church was chosen by Jesus, as Jesus said… to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.  (Acts 9:15)

…To carry the name of Jesus to Jews, Gentiles (Gentiles are any people who are not Jews) and their kings (which includes governments and their officials). 

And before one of those kings, Paul, quoting Jesus as to why Jesus said he had chosen Paul, said…

I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you…

To testify to the truth of who Jesus is and to the will of God.

I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’  (Acts 26:16-18)

The words sanctified by faith in Jesus mean set apart as holy and being made holy, by faith in Jesus and the power of His Spirit.

And this, God desires, for all individuals, communities and nations.

The Apostle Paul wrote, When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  (1 Corinthians 2:1-2)

Most of the world is looking superficially – seeing is believing.  Eloquence or superior wisdom are often treasured more than the pure testimony about God – that is, the truth.  As some sarcastically say, “Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.”

But not with Paul and all whom Jesus calls.  Because the only thing that will make any lasting difference in a person and in the world is Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  Because that is the only way to get sin out of the way and bring eternal life and power through the Spirit into human life, transforming lost people into children of God.

There is no other way.  No middle ground.  As there is none regarding Christ’s message of salvation to the world.  There is no other message by which this world can be saved but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

As Jesus said, “The person who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.  (Matthew 12:30)   There is no middle ground regarding faith.  Because faith without Christ is just false religion. 

Jesus said, If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.  (Mark 8:38)

This does not mean we must go around trying to force the message of Jesus on people. 

But to be ashamed of Jesus is to deny Him when we are confronted by the world.  When you are pressed into a corner or pressured by peers or supervisors or societies.  So you try to be like Switzerland and take a position of neutrality, rather than resisting evil and acknowledging the truth appropriately.

I know your (Laodicea) deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!   So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  (Revelation 3:15-16)

Loving the world and worldly reasoning, fear of rejection or persecution or of rubbing someone the wrong way are ‘what if’ temptations designed to get believers to protect the self, rather than to promote Christ.

Christ has put us into a position to speak of Him – to be witnesses of Him in order to open the eyes of the blind; to turn people from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.  But sometimes we have trouble.  Like Paul wrote…

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.   (Romans 7:15) 

If this is your struggle also, don’t let it knock you out of the race.  As Paul says, doing what you don’t want to do shows that you want to do what is right but are having trouble doing it.  The old nature is a stumbling block for us. 

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  (Romans 7:18)

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me… waging war against what I want, making me a prisoner of sin at work within me.  What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!  (Romans 7:21-25)

There is nothing good in human nature, unless the Spirit of Christ enters in.  He becomes our holiness and redemption.  Keep looking to the Spirit who is your life, learning to live through Him and His Word, relying on the blood of Christ to cover your imperfections and failures. 

Jesus was correcting Laodicea, not condemning them – exhorting them to get off the wrong path that they were on and to get back in step with Him.

You see there is no middle ground with Christ and His salvation.  We may sometimes get off track and sin, but we have been given the Holy Spirit to help us and protect us and keep us in connection with Jesus, so we may do the will of God.

You are not controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.  And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.  (Romans 8:9)

If you have received Christ, His Spirit lives in you.  His power is in control.  You are not as you were.  He is proof that you belong to Christ.  He is perfecting you as the blood of Christ covers your imperfections.

But if you are not sure if you belong to Christ, seek Him – ask Him to show you that you are His.  Tell Him that you want to belong to Him and He will receive you and give Himself to you.

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to you through his Spirit, who lives in you.  (Romans 8:11)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  (Romans 8:28)

Paul did not love Jesus before Paul was called.  He didn’t know Him and it is difficult to love someone that you do not know.  The purpose of God is the basis of His calling that brings lost people into relationship with Him, and that relationship has the basis of love, brought about by the good works of God and His good purpose for you.

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29)

Foreknew/ predestined:  God had you in mind before He made you.  And it was His purpose that you be conformed into the likeness of His Son, before He made you – to be realized after you were made and after you sinned.  Not that God caused you to sin, but that your sinful condition – the human condition passed on through Adam, may be covered by Christ.

And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.  (Romans 8:30)

God loved the thought of you before He made you.  You have been called into the good purpose of God because He predestined you.  And you were justified through the blood of Christ because you were called.  Because He called you, He saved you.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?  (Romans 8:31)

Because with God, there is no middle ground.  God is for you.  In love, you were created by Him and for Him.  Through love, He redeemed you through His one and only Son.  He freely gave you His Spirit to live in you, making you a child of God – not just born human, but born of God.

Therefore, if God is for you.  Why should you be worried about those that are not?  The church is for you and is here for you, because of God.  It’s all God.

…in order that God’s purpose in election (His sovereign will) might stand:  not by (our) works but by him who calls… (Romans 9:11-12)

It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.  (Romans 9:16)

For God has bound all people over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.  (Romans 11:32)

There is no middle ground for salvation.  It all depends on God and God’s mercy.  Not on you desire or effort or talents and abilities of lack thereof, but on the purpose of His calling and the power of His Spirit.

As he says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,” and, “It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ ”  (Romans 9:25-26)

Who are the ‘my people’  who were not my people, mentioned here?  Who is my loved one, who is not my loved one…  Who are the people who are not God’s people, who will called ‘children of the living God?’

We are.  Believers are, the church; people in whom Christ lives through the Spirit are. 

God has chosen us, not because we were somehow better than others, but because he who made us and loved us before He made us, chose to.  And He will bring us all to completion. 

Not Unaware of His Schemes

…be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.   (Ephesians 6:10-11)

…in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.  (2 Corinthians 2:11)

For those who may be interested, we are beginning a study of The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis on Wednesday night.  It is written primarily from the perspective of a mentor demon, named Screwtape, training an intern; and people are their patients.

C.S. Lewis in the prologue of his book The Screwtape Letters wrote:

We must picture Hell as a state where everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and advancement, where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives the deadly serious passions of envy, self-importance and resentment.

…Hence, naturally enough my symbol for hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the offices of a thoroughly nasty business concern… an official society held together entirely by fear and greed.

…’Dog eat dog’ is the principle of the whole organization.  Everyone wishes everyone else’s discrediting, demotion and ruin; everyone is an expert in the confidential report, the pretended alliance, the stab in the back. 

…Over all this their good manners, their expressions of grave respect, their ‘tributes’ to one another’s invaluable services form a thin crust.  Every now and then it gets punctured, and the scalding lava of their hatred spurts out…

But the kingdom of God is not like this.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all people.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

These, then, are the things you should teach.  (Titus 2:11-15)

Then in Chapter 1, Lewis begins his book, which is basically an allegory of ways that demons tempt people in order to keep them away or draw them away from Christ and the truth.  For instance…

Rather than having people consider that which is true and proven, and distinguishing them from things that are not; reasoning through them and adjusting ones behavior appropriately…  Evil wants to change this from thinking in terms of true and false or right and wrong, to that which is practical or impractical, or contemporary, or outdated, mean or nice, (or might I say, liberal or conservative).  Thinking in terms of jargon rather than true or untrue. 

I met someone very much like this a few days ago at afternoon coffee.  He had overheard our conversation and came over and joined in – from a perspective very much like what was just described.    

To get people to focus more on a stream of immediate sense experiences, rather than reason – based on truth.  To get them focused on the stream, calling it ‘real life’ without understanding what ‘real’ really means.  (Screwtape)

Like when the Lord begins revealing more of himself, giving clarity into His will, helping you distinguish more and more between good and evil, in order to choose the good; distractions come…  to try to lure you away…

If this can happen to believers, how much more to unbelievers?  For example…

A man, a sound atheist, was heading the wrong way… that is, toward the truth.

So… I struck instantly at the part which I had best under my control, and suggested that it was just about time he had some lunch… The Enemy (the Lord) presumably (one can never quite overhear what he says to them) made the counter suggestion that this was more important than lunch.  …for when I said ‘Quite’ this is in fact much too important to tackle at the end of a morning… Much better to come back after lunch and go into it with a fresh mind, He brightened up and headed toward the door.’ 

 …the battle was won.  (Screwtape)

I once heard Elizabeth Elliot refer to a temptation during her Bible study and prayer time of wanting to adjust a lampshade.  Like, how the thought of cleaning house or something else normally not inviting, can seem quite appealing, during prayer time.

Outside… I showed him a newsboy shouting the noonday paper, the number 73 bus going by…  I got him thinking about how weird what he was reading and thinking about was.  That compared to ‘real life,’ it just could not be true.  It didn’t align with ‘real life.’

Then the mentor demon continued, …don’t let him get away from the ‘real life’ stuff.  Give him the grand idea that he knows it all and that everything he happens to have picked up in casual talk and reading (and searching Google) is ‘the results of modern investigation.’  Remember that the job is to fuddle people, not teach them.  (Screwtape)

Jn 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

The forces of darkness have one purpose – to steal, kill and destroy your connection with Jesus who is your life.  But Jesus came so that all people may have life – eternal life, and have it to the full.  The motivation of evil is hate and lies.  Love and truth motivate Christ.

Evil wants to distract, confuse and deceive and use whatever else it can, to keep people from Christ, not because it is at all concerned about people, but because evil hates Christ.  Evil loves its own vision, but hates Christ and the truth. And all ideas and influences and trends that attempt to discredit or lessen who Christ is and what His words say, are not from God but from the evil one.

Jn 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

This is the nature of Christ and of those who live by His Spirit.  Hired workers are those who don’t know Christ and who are not motivated by what motivates Him; who only care about themselves and money, and nothing about people.  When danger or difficulty comes, they run away. 

Jn 10:12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.

Christ has much more of Himself invested in people.  (Your name is written on His hands.)  So when danger comes, He will not run away – He will never leave us nor forsake us, but demons don’t want people to know that and will do whatever they can to confuse things. 

Like Paul wrote, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.  (Galatians 1:6-7)

That is what demons try to do.  Trouble comes and then the demons want you to wonder where your Jesus is and why He allows such things to happen.  They don’t want you to know that the wolf trying to scatter the sheep is really, the devil. 

They want you to consider that God must not be very loving to allow such things; and/or you must have done so much wrong that he has written you off – or whatever, so that you don’t trust Him, and listen to their lies.

Jn 10:13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

Hired hands love themselves, their legacy and their vision, more than they love people – especially the people of God.  But Jesus desires that all people be saved and come to a knowledge of truth; to become a part of His church – to be a people in whom God lives by His Spirit.

Jn 10:14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — Jn 10:15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

When Jesus says He knows His sheep and His sheep know Him, just like the Father knows Him and He knows the Father, Jesus is talking about love.  Knowing is loving.  He knows us and all of our faults.  He knows His purpose for having created our inmost being.  He loves us.  Jesus and the Father are one.  God is Spirit. The Spirit of truth is the Spirit of love.  This is how God is and God does not change. 

Lastly, in the book of Jude we are warned…

“In the last days there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”  These are those who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.  (Jude 1:18-19)

As Scripture says… The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  (2 Corinthians 4:4)   That’s what devils do.

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.  (Jude 1:20-21)

Don’t allow the jargon of the evil one tempt you away from holding on to the truth and love of God. 

Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.   (Jude 1:22-23)

Staying in the love of God, showing mercy, doing our best to save people; never embracing and always resisting all forms of evil behavior by His power.

Now, to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be all glory, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forever!  Amen.  (Jude 1:24-25)

The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.  (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Debits and Credits

Ro 4:2 If… Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God.

Do you ever boast?  And why would we do such a thing unless we thought our actions somehow justified us as something, possibly better than someone else.

What if we tried to justify ourselves as good, maybe even better than someone else, before God.  Practice that in the mirror and see how it goes.  We might appear ridiculous.

Neither Abraham nor anyone else is justified before God based who they are or what they have done, but Jesus.  However, Scripture says that Abraham was justified before God, and we can be also – by faith, though we are not righteous.

Ro 4:3 What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Not, Abraham was a cool dude and a great guy, who did a lot of good stuff and not too much bad stuff.  God did not give him credit for that.  Abraham was given credit for being righteous, even though he wasn’t, because he believed God – he believed what God said God was going to do through Abraham.  His imputed righteousness was a gift.

Abraham believed God and He was accepted – justified, before God.  That’s how God followers were accepted prior to Christ’s coming.  They believed God and what He said He would do.  And God’s promise to Abraham is realized by all who by faith believe in Jesus.  Do we believe God?

The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”

 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”  (Genesis 12:1-3)

Abraham believed God.  And He left his own country, even though he did not know where God was taking him.

Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.  For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”  (Genesis 18:18-19)

God chose Abraham, so that nations would be blessed, through God’s working through him.  God chose Abraham so that through God, Abraham would direct future generations to do what is right and just.  And those who have been chosen by God, and through God and have that faith, go and do likewise.

Abraham’s grandson Jacob had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.  

There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.  I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.  Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.  All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.  (Genesis 28:12-14)

Regarding Jesus, Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

Then Jesus said, “You believe because I said I saw you under the fig tree.  You shall see greater things than that.”   He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”  (John 1:49-51)

Referring to Jacob’s dream, Jesus reveals to Nathanael who He is – He is the way from earth and heaven; He is the way to God.  All who believe in who Jesus is and what God has done through Him, may enter in.

Now let’s talk accounting.  Let’s talk debits and credits. 

No offense, but when I was in the MBA program at Wright State majoring in finance and took accounting, I had the thought that the intention of accounting was to make things more difficult than necessary so that one would have to hire a CPA to figure it out for them.

But let’s talk Debits and Credits, as they relate to God’s plan of salvation.

On a balance sheet, if my memory is correct, the left side is debits and the right side credits.  Debits are like what you owe (debts) and credits are how you offset the debits (like income) so that the sheet balances.  I liked the miscellaneous category because that’s where you could throw in whatever was needed to make it balance.

Miscellaneous is a little like what the Greeks tried to do when they created an idol to an unknown God.  Just in case they missed one, he was the one that they wanted to acknowledge in case their balance sheet was off; to even things out so that bad things would not come on them because they had a debit that was not matched by a credit.

Ro 4:4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.

Paul is saying, regarding jobs, employees and employers have an obligation.  When employees work, they can expect to get income, and the company expects to get income through the work employees provide to the operation. 

Payroll is hopefully offset by more than it costs, so that the company can turn a profit.  Employees are obligated to work and employers are obligated to pay.  And if that does not happen, employees quit or employers either lay off or fire them.

Imagine if that were how things were with us and God.  We would be in trouble.  God desires righteousness in us, proven by our actions.  So what benefit does God get through the works of sinners?  Can we expect to stand before God and be justified by what we have done for Him?

All people are sinners.  We have all fallen short of God’s requirements and will be fired – that is, removed from His presence and without any hope of heaven, unless God is gracious toward us and covers our debt by His gift; unless He credits us.

Ro 4:5 However, to the man (or woman) who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

Imagine going to your employer who had warned you regarding your performance and was about to fire you.  And there you are, promising to do a better job – though your employer knew that you did not have the ability to do better. 

Then your employer does something completely unexpected.  He promises to forget about your shortcomings and give you everything you need to do the job, if you believe that He will do so and trust Him.  He will equip you to do what you cannot do on your own.  You will not be fired, but blessed.

Ro 4:6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man (or woman) to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: Ro 4:7 “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

Ro 4:8 Blessed is the man (or woman) whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”

We are blessed rather than cast off.  Our sins are forgiven because we believe God regarding Jesus and by this faith, we are credited as righteous, though we are not. 

As the old Caedmon’s Call song ‘Thankful’ says, that I heard Denise singing in the kitchen yesterday,“I am thankful that I'm incapable of doing any good on my own…”

Because the Lord has become my righteousness.

Hear what the word says here in Romans 4:8: Blessed are those whose sin the Lord will never, never, never count against them.  That means covered and credited completely.  By faith, we are on the right side of the balance sheet because through faith, God has brought us to His side.

The promise of salvation comes by faith, so that by grace, those who believe God, regarding Jesus, are saved.  And with salvation comes the power through God to put His righteousness, which we have been credited with, into practice.

Abraham believed God and God made Abraham a father of many nations, and by that same faith we who believe God regarding Jesus, by grace are blessed by God.  Because it is the Lord Himself who gives life to those dead to God and calls things that are nothing, as though they were something.

Like Martin Luther once wrote:  God created everything from nothing, and until we are nothing, God can’t make anything out of us.

He makes us something in Him.  And like Abraham, we are convinced that God has the power to do what He promised.  God credits righteousness to us who believe Him who raised Jesus, who died for our sins and was raised for our justification.

And the Holy Spirit testifies in our hearts that Jesus did rise from the dead and is at the right hand of the Father in heaven, because the Holy Spirit says so, and would not have come to live in us, if this were not true.

Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?   Remember Abraham, “who believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

The Holy Spirit confirms in the hearts of those who believe God that we have been credited with righteousness, and are saved by faith in Christ, because we believe what God has done and is doing in us and in the world, through Him.

We who believe are children of Abraham.  Scripture foresaw that God would justify all people by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham saying, “All nations will be blessed through you.”

So we who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.  (Galatians 3:5-9)

Before the coming of Jesus, these believers were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.  (Hebrews 11:13)

So that by faith in Jesus, whom God sent through the ancestry of Abraham and his descendants, we can have the reality of what they hoped for. 

Strengthening

When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.  All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.  (1 Corinthians 14:26)

The purpose of preaching is not for the purpose of either beating people up or buttering them up, it is for strengthening.  Our spiritual gifts are not meant for show or for some kind of spiritual competition, but for the strengthening of the church.

The reason for our meeting together and using all our spiritual gifts, together, is for the strengthening of the church.  The work of the Spirit is always for this purpose. 

Col 1:9 For this reason… we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Praying in the Spirit, is deep calling unto deep. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  The Spirit is interceding for us – searching the deep things of God to fill His people with the knowledge of God’s will, through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.  Strengthening comes through wisdom and understanding from the Spirit.  He gives us insight into the will of God and power to do it. 

And so we pray.

Col 1:10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

Strengthening is for living a life worthy of the Lord; living a life in harmony with His Spirit – in heart, soul, mind and action.  It is living by Him.  This pleases God.  And as we are learning and continuing in this, we are growing in this and bearing fruit, in increasing measure, in every good work and we are knowing God more and more.  This growth and fruit comes through the Spirit of the Lord.

Col 1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joy…

The strengthening of the church can only come by the power of God’s glorious might.  Not by any human based might or power or authority, but by the Spirit of the Lord.  Through Him we may have great endurance and patience and joy.

Because the source of the qualities of the Spirit is not human based, but it is the Lord Himself.  Human based power has its source in humanity and is weak.  But the power of the church has its source in the Spirit of God.

“…The church as the one community of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Lord of the world, has the commission to say his Word to the whole world.  The territory of the one church of Christ is the whole world.  …it is the task of the church to make the claim of Jesus Christ clear to the whole world.  And this includes repudiation of the idea that there are divinely willed, special spheres of life which are removed from the Lordship of Jesus Christ, which need not hear his word.  It is not (just) a holy sacred part of the world which belongs to Christ, but the whole world.

     With whose authority does the church speak when it declares this claim of Christ to the whole world?  With the authority in which alone the church can speak, with the authority of Christ living and present in it.  The church is the presence of Christ on earth… For this reason alone its word has authority.”  (From No Rusty Swords, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

And by His power, we have great endurance, patience and joy as we draw from Him, our Spring of Living Water.

Col 1:12 (joyfully) giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 

When by His Spirit we receive His strength, we know who to thank.  Because it is our Father in Heaven who has provided – who, through Christ, has qualified us to share in the glorious riches of a Spiritual inheritance; shared by all believers in the Kingdom of God.  This is why we meet together – to strengthen and encourage one another in the Lord, who provides everything we need for life and godliness.

Col 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

Col 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The dominion of darkness is all around.  It blinds the unknowing and attracts the weak into many destructive realms of thinking and acting.  And because of its blinding and weakening power, its prisoners need to be rescued.  They cannot rescue themselves.

Our Father in heaven, rescued us.  We did not rescue ourselves.  Christ rescued us.  Self-sufficiency and self-reliance are part of the blinding nature of the dominion of darkness.  Evil wants its followers to think that they are their own gods.  But all are lost until they are rescued through Christ.

He has rescued us from darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of Light, where Christ is King and there is freedom.  In Him, we have redemption – restoration, revitalization, because we have been forgiven and freed from the power of sin and its lies.

We have power to resist the darkness of temptation, because the Spirit of Christ-in-us is stronger and strengthens us.

…The believer sees reality not in a certain light, but he sees it as it is and believes only in God and his power towards all and over all that he sees.  He does not believe in the world, not even in the world that is capable of development and improvement, he does not believe in his power to improve the world and its good will, he does not believe in men, even in the good in men which must eventually prevail, he does not even believe in the church in its human power.  The believer believes only in God, who makes and does the impossible, who makes life from death and who has called the dying church into life against and despite us and through us, though he alone does it…  (From No Rusty Swords, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Eph 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

His glorious Spiritual riches – that are not of this world, but of the Kingdom of God – is power through the Spirit of the Lord in our inner being.  Because that is where, who we are, originates.  And if the Lord lives there, we are strengthened with power through His Spirit.  The source of all power resides in Christ, in us.

Eph 3:17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

Faith opens the door to Christ to come and dwell in our hearts.  He is our Sabbath rest within.  Because we cease from our own efforts, being powered through Him.  This is what the unbelieving world does not know or have.

For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest…  (Hebrews 4:2)

We are strengthened by resting in Christ and learn to live by the power of the Holy Spirit rather than our own – waiting on Him, keeping in step with Him, putting His Word into practice with all Spiritual wisdom and understanding that comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

…rooted and established in love.  Not in sentimental human love, that is here one minute and gone the next and is swayed by every circumstance known to man.  No, this love has its source in Christ, who lives in those, who by faith have received Him, and who through the Spirit have His attributes within them; whose power is love. 

Rooted and established in the love of God. So that we…

Eph 3:18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

Eph 3:19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

However many dimensions of love and truth there are, whatever knowledge exists anywhere and everywhere, the love of Christ and the fullness of God are the source.  And if Christ lives in you, all of this resides in Him in you, and by His power may be realized and released in you and through you through Him. 

Through child-like faith and unconditional confidence in the love and power of God, who is in Christ – in you, this is possible – because nothing is impossible with God.

Is this more than you can ask or imagine?  Is this more than you can fathom?  Is this beyond your capabilities?  Of course it is.  But it is not beyond God.

Eph 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

Eph 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

On Labor Day we honor those who work with a day of rest.  At Communion we honor the Lord who is our rest within and who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.  And we give Him the glory for the work He did for us and is doing in us and through His church, from generation to generation, forever.

We share His gospel with the next generation for their salvation and we proclaim His word for their strengthening.  We should never cave in to worldly temptations and philosophies that exclude the only true God.  But hold to the truth, strengthened by the Spirit in the truth and love of God, and not shrink back if we are resisted. 

Through fears and doubts, the powers this dark age want us to take our eyes off of our source of strength; to yield either to a kind of fence sitting neutrality, or to lies.  And even if we do cower in fear, this does not change the truth of who God is.

And when by His power and love, we are brought back to our senses, we will not shrink back again.

The LORD is our strength and our song; he has become our salvation.  (Exodus 15:2)

And like the receiving into our bodies this bread and juice represent, when we receive Jesus Christ, His life comes to live in us and strengthens us by His Spirit within us as we yield ourselves to Him.

The Unknown God

Ac 17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

Greatly distressed

What distresses you about America?  What concerns the Lord?

Then the LORD said to Abraham, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”  (Genesis 18:20-21)

Is there an outcry against America?  Is there an outcry of the aborted, of the poor and needy; of those who desire what is right and not what is evil?

“‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.  They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.  (Ezekiel 16:49-50)

What is left of Sodom and Gomorrah can be seen in pictures online.  The incredible devastation.  And we can also see what is left of Athens and her idols – only pieces of her manmade temples and relics that have no life in them.

It seems wrong not to be somewhat distressed and concerned, when people in the world around us are living apart from God, and don’t know the difference. 

Ac 17:17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.

He reasoned.  His concern was so great that He reasoned with the people around him, regarding Jesus.  Have you ever been so properly concerned about souls that you could not help but reason with them in order to help them come to the truth?

But this can at times be met with various kinds of responses.

Ac 17:18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him.  Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

Some may dispute and others draw their own conclusions with regard to Jesus and Biblical truth.  But others may be open to listen and hear the truth of Jesus.

Ac 17:19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?

Ac 17:20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”

Ac 17:21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

Philosophers, both professional and otherwise with differing attitudes.  People only interested in talking about and listening to the latest and greatest ideas.  How many were really interested in what was true or only in what was new and entertaining?

What did Jesus have to deal with when He first started speaking to us?  But He sees our hearts and knows what He wants to do with us as we go with Him.

Ac 17:22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens!  I see that in every way you are very religious.

Notice that Paul did not begin by punching them in the nose.  Not by saying how sinful they were and how stupid it was to believe in idols.  He appealed to their paganism as a desire for the truth.

Ac 17:23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

Objects of worship – Idols.  Objects of worship have no life in them because only in God – in Christ, is there life.  God is Spirit and only through the Spirit of Christ, do we have life eternal.  This they did not know and needed to know.

An unknown God.  So Paul took their wild-card idol, to an unknown God to refer to the only true God.  This was a wild card idol, just in case, they may have missed a god out there somewhere. They wanted to acknowledge whatever god they missed, as if to give him/her credit, so that god would not become angry with them and punish them.

In how many ways is God unknown today?  In how many ways is God unknown by people afraid to own up to their unbelief, so they may be freed up to truly seek Him out and find out who God really is?

The true God.

Ac 17:24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.

This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.  Where is the house you will build for me?  Where will my resting place be?  Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD.  (Isaiah 66:1-2)

So what is all the ta-do about man-made temples and buildings?

Ac 17:25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.

So what is all the ta-do about what we should do for God?  Because He gives all people life and breath and everything else.  We must rest in Him.

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.  Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:9-11)

We must rest from our own works in order to enter into His. Think about this. This is life in the Spirit.

They asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”  Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”  (John 6:28-29)

If we serve God, it must be by believing and obeying Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit – the power of an indestructible life.

Ac 17:26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.

The history channel may have The People That Made America.  But they forget the one important fact.  Who made the people?  Who gave them brains and abilities and even a sense of direction and will to use the things God made.  What if God made all people from one man, for the purpose of inhabiting the whole earth?

What if He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  Every hair on our heads is numbered – not coincidental.

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”  (James 4:13-15)

God is no micromanager.  But He did create us with purpose.  And in fulfilling that purpose, through Him, we find our greatest fulfillment.

St. Augustine states in His Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

Ac 17:27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

This is not the kind of God that the devil wants you to know.  He doesn’t want people to truly know Jesus.

The problem is not that God does not want people to seek Him, it is that people don’t want to seek Him.  If He forced Himself on people – on you, and made you love Him, would that be love? 

But what if He truly loved you and wanted you to know Him; and you truly wanted to know Him, and you sincerely sought Him out?  Would it be love, if He denied you?  He is not far from any of us.  If you reach out for Him, you will find Him.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,” declares the LORD…  (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

Ac 17:28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

Beautiful and true.  As the psalmist wrote…

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  (Psalm 139:7-16)

Ac 17:29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.

Ac 17:30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 

You are witnesses of these things.  I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”  (Luke 24:45-49)

Repentance, that is, realizing that sin is bad and that we are sinners and you want to be free from sin and change your course in life, and that only Jesus can do that for you so you turn to Him.  This precedes forgiveness of sins. 

And forgiveness of sins, that is appropriated by faith in the death of Christ on the cross for our sins; and the resurrection from death that proves He accomplished it, precedes the coming of the Holy Spirit to live in us.

Admission of guilt and desire for new life in Christ, forgiveness and a new creation through the power of the Holy Spirit in you.

Ac 17:31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”

For mankind, it all comes down to what people do with Jesus.

Ac 17:32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”

These responses may happen to you, if you share the truth of Christ.

Ac 17:33 At that, Paul left the Council.

Ac 17:34 A few men became followers of Paul and believed.  Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

Likewise, by the power of the Holy Spirit, people may believe the truth that you share with them about Jesus Christ, and be saved.

Our Home

Jn 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.

Do we love Jesus?  How do we love Him?  I mean, how are we loving Him on a daily basis?  Do we feel like we love Him or say that we love Him?  Do we do what He says?

I remember when Jesus, after His resurrection, asked Peter three times if Peter loved Him?  Then Jesus instructed Peter on how Peter should love Him.  By feeding and caring for Christ’s people.

How are we obeying Jesus?  How are we not?  Are we caring for His people?  Am I?  How we are obeying Him is directly connected with loving Him.  Because if you love someone, you want to please them – especially if pleasing them is the right thing to do. Especially if it’s the best thing to do.

Could it be that the way Jesus loves us, is by giving us the Holy Spirit so that we may truly love others and participate with Him in accomplishing the will of God? 

Jn 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — Jn 14:17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Jesus knew how lost his followers would be if He left them all alone.  So out of love for us, He asks the Father to give us the Spirit of truth – the Holy Spirit.  So that we may be in union with the Father and the Son, through the Spirit of truth – living in us. 

The world cannot accept this because it does not accept Jesus.  The world does not know Him, but believers do.  For His followers, then, what Jesus is saying is a new kind of thing.  The Spirit of God lived with them in Jesus, but He was outside of them.

Like Adam and Eve walking with Jesus in the cool of the day.  He was outside of them in relationship – as Jesus was with His students here.  And so Jesus said, “He lives with you, and will be in you.”  Believers will have both.

So what is available for us now through the finished work of Christ, is what Jesus came to do and is more than Adam and Eve had.  The Lord left Adam and Eve.  And the physical Jesus left His followers, but He did not leave them alone.

He sent another Counselor – another Comforter, the Spirit of truth – the Spirit of God.  That’s why He told them… 

Jn 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

He came to them after the resurrection.  And He especially did so, at Pentecost.  And by the Spirit, He lives in believers today.  We are not alone.

Jn 14:19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

Jn 14:20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

Before long, Jesus would be crucified and seen no more by the world.  But His followers would see Him – about 500 of them after He arose.  And millions more, since the Spirit came to live in believers.  We live in Him now, and through the Spirit, He lives in us. 

When the Holy Spirit comes to live in a believer, that person realizes that Jesus is in God the Father, and we are in Jesus, and Jesus is in us.  He seals it.  There is no more guessing or assuming, when Jesus reveals Himself to us through the Spirit.

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba,Father.”  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.   (Romans 8:15-16)

Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”  So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.  (Galatians 4:6-7)

And now by that same Spirit – the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of truth, we have power to put His words into practice through that same Spirit.

Jn 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

Do we love Jesus?  Are we putting His words into practice?  If so, God the Father will love you and Jesus will love you too – not hypothetically or in word only, but Jesus is saying the He will show Himself to you.  He will show Himself to you in your heart.

Granted, some have testified that Jesus has shown Himself to them visually.  As far as I know, that is not my experience.  But He has revealed Himself inwardly, and that is truly where I need Him to be – in me.

The Spirit of truth removes the doubts and all false thinking, sets us on our feet and strengthens us for the job ahead of putting Christ’s words into practice.

Jn 14:22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

I think this is another example of the student trying to get the teacher to answer the wrong question the way he wants the teacher to answer it.  But a wise teacher always teaches what is needed and answers appropriately and Jesus always did that. 

And later on, through the Holy Spirit, His students would remember and understand what He said.  Jesus wasn’t yet finished with what they needed to know.

Jn 14:23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.  My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

We recall that Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for us in heaven.

Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

You know the way to the place where I am going.”  (John 14:1-4)

Here Jesus says that He is going to prepare a place for us to go be with Him and that He is the way to that place.  But He also said in verse 23, that He and the Father will come and make their home with us – that means, even now.  We are God’s home, and He is ours.  And we know this by the Spirit He has given us.

Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.  (1 John 3:24)

Our obedience shows where we are in our relationship with Jesus.

Jn 14:24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

If you love someone, you are more likely to want to please them.  Those who do not love Jesus don’t care whether they obey Him or not. 

Demons must yield to His authority and they, certainly, do not love Him.  But that is different.  If we obey Him because we have to, is that love?  But if we want to obey Him, because we know Him and love Him… With the help of the Spirit, we put a great deal of concentration and effort in doing what pleases Him.

Those who don’t love Jesus, don’t care about pleasing Him.  And they do not love God, either.  Because the words of Jesus belong to God, who sent Him.  All who love God, want to obey Jesus, whom God sent.

You know that Jesus appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.  No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.  (1 John 3:5-6)

Jn 14:25 “All this I have spoken while still with you.

Jn 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Does the Holy Spirit, on a regular basis, bring to your mind Biblical truths?  Does He, at times confirm and at times bring you to understand something new, regarding the will of God in life situations?  They called Jesus ‘Teacher.’  The Holy Spirit is our Teacher and reminder of the words of Jesus and all truth, appropriate for every situation.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  (2 Peter 1:3)

Jn 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

There is a certain peace that the world gives.  That’s why so many people run after so many things, thinking if they have them, they will have peace.  And for a short time they may.  But it does not last – and they start running after more things – sometimes, worse things.  They worry and are troubled and never really satisfied, because with a focus on worldly things, true satisfaction is impossible.

No, Jesus does not give as the world gives.  He knows what we need.  His Spirit instructs us regarding the use of things, not to set our hearts on them, but on God who richly provides us with all things. 

…remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

The peace Jesus gives us is extraordinary, because it is the peace of God.  It is associated with the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  And according to God’s kingdom…

Through the Spirit, Paul wrote…

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 4:6-7)

His peace is not generated by things or by our own wishful thinking, but by prayer.  By prayer, the Spirit of God fills us and protects our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  He protects us from all that is contrary to God’s will.

Faith and Freedom 2023

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.   (2 Corinthians 3:17)

God is Spirit.  And wherever He resides, there is freedom.  He is the Spirit of truth – the Holy Spirit, and included in all of His holy attributes, there is freedom. 

…But where the Spirit of the Lord is not, there is bondage and many ungodly attributes.

What is freedom?  What is bondage?  What do we want?

They promise …freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.  (2 Peter 2:19)

They, are those who live according to sinful human nature.  Peter uses the analogy of masters and slaves.  Masters rule over slaves.  Slaves are not free to live freely.  The sinful nature is the master and humanity is enslaved.

The sinful nature has humanity all bound up.  Without the Spirit, people are not free to live according to the glorious freedom of the children of God; people born of the Spirit of God – those in whom the Spirit of God lives, because of Jesus. 

Because the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  And wherever He is not, there is bondage. 

True freedom is not the liberty to do whatever humanity promotes, but the grace to do the will of God. To live according to what is good and not evil. To live by the Spirit of Jesus.

People may say, “Everyone has free will.  They can do good or evil whenever they want.  No one is a slave to sin.”  But Jesus said, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”  And all have sinned.  So, who are we going to believe?

The only truly free will is God’s will.  And until human nature is set free by the Spirit of Christ, people are not truly free to obey God.  They don’t yet have the Spirit of God and His resources within them.  Only the Spirit is able to do this.

Because wherever the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.  And the only way that the Spirit of the Lord ever comes to live within a person, is by faith Jesus Christ; in His death and resurrection, God’s only means of saving humanity – and through whom His Spirit comes to live in those who believe.

Everyone knows about the atrocity of the gas chambers and furnaces of the prison camps in Nazi Germany during WWII.  Imagine being in one of those lines.  Maybe you know what is coming, maybe you don’t.  But it’s coming.

Then all of the sudden a messenger comes up and says, come on – there’s an open gate to freedom over here – just this one, and if you are willing to just come and go through that one gate, you will be free.

But then doubts come.  Others may say, “He’s lying” or, “He doesn’t know what he is talking about – don’t listen to him.”  “It will be okay.  Just stay where you are.  There’s no danger.”  “One gate is the same as all the others.”  But they don’t really know where it all ends up.  And it’s just a matter of time.

The messenger then says, “So many have stayed in this line and are gone and you don’t know what happened to them.  Many others have believed the message, gone through the gate and are now free.  What do you have to lose?  All you have to do is believe and go through the gate, and you will be free.

Jesus is that gate.  The Bible says, Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.  The wages of sin is death.  But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  If the Son of God sets you free, you are truly free.

Jesus came to save us and set us free.  And when by faith a person receives this good news, and turns to Jesus, they are saved and set free by the Spirit.  Because the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

The liar – the devil, tries to distract, discredit and use whatever diabolical means is at his disposal to tempt people to accept his false ideas; to follow him and to go where he is going.  He promises good things, but he is lying. 

God sent Jesus to set us truly free – giving us a home in heaven when we leave this place.  Only Jesus has the power and authority to do this, and He does it through the message of reconciliation. 

…that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’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 5:19-21)

There is an open door for all who are willing to go through.  Eternal life is life in the Spirit.  Eternal life is the Spirit of Christ in you – the power of an indestructible life, the hope of glory with Christ in heaven. 

It’s having the reality of the Spirit of Christ in you in this life.  More than just words, or ceremonies, or wishful thinking.  But living faith in Jesus; who made it all possible – because God is in Him and He is in God.  And because of Him, we are in God and God is in us.  We know this through the Spirit He gave us.

In closing, The band Switchfoot has a song called “Where I Belong.”  And it has a line that goes like this…

…Feels like we're just waiting, waiting

While are hearts are just breaking, breaking

Feels like we've been fighting against the tide

I wanna see the earth start shaking

I wanna see a generation

Finally waking up inside…

…a generation that is truly free inside, filled by the Spirit of the Lord.  And if America is ever going to be truly free, it must come through the Spirit of the Lord. 

Where the weak are finally strong

Where the righteous right the wrongs

In a world where I belong…

Because the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. 

This is why Jesus came.  And it is good to be truly free.

Freedom and Confidence

Eph 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.

This gospel:  That all people are one through Christ.  And this reality comes, not by human effort or human ingenuity, but by the gift of God’s grace, through the working of His power.

Paul says that He became a servant of this gospel.  This did not happen by his own doing.  He was not chosen because he was deserving, just the opposite.  He was working against that gospel, until Jesus met Him on the road to Damascus and in power commissioned him and changed the direction of his life.

Paul was not looking for Jesus, but Jesus apprehended him.  Paul was working against Him, because He did not know Him but after he met Him, this changed everything.  Paul was changed forever and this came by God’s doing. 

We are always going in another direction, when Jesus finds us.  But when He reveals Himself to us and transforms us by His power, He puts us on God’s path and changes our direction in life forever.

Our direction in life is changed toward Him.  Not because God loves us more than someone else, but because God is love and desires that all be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.  And this included us.

And that is why He called Paul to become a servant of this gospel.  And why He is calling us.  Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, whatever your occupation – this is an opportunity for God to use you, by His grace and the working of His power, to help others be saved and come a knowledge of the truth – of Christ.

Paul writes,

Eph 3:8 Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

Eph 3:9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

Paul considered himself less than the least because of how he persecuted the church – even having Christian people imprisoned and put to death.  You may think that you are less than the least because of how imperfect you are, because of your past, because of your present performance or lack thereof – or for whatever reason.

But again, as Paul says – ‘this grace was given me.’  Because that’s what grace is.  It’s given.  Not earned.  Eternal life is all grace, otherwise no one would have it.  None would be called by God to faith in Christ.  And none would be commissioned to preach; to understand and tell others about the unsearchable riches of Christ.

A key word here is unsearchable.  That means that from the standpoint of the world and human power and intellect and whatever else is rooted in human nature, the riches of Christ cannot be discovered.  People may misconstrue, make things up and speculate about it.  But it has to be revealed by God. …by the gift of God’s grace and through the working of His power.

And this is given to believers for God’s purpose that He purposed in Christ…  And that purpose is …to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

…To make plain this unsearchable mystery – to make it known and experienced and lived out in people; that mystery which was kept hidden for millennia in God, Who created everything. 

Paul in Colossians says it this way, the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations …is now disclosed to believers. To them God has chosen to make known among the all people the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  (Colossians 1:26-27)

That mystery kept hidden in God, but is now revealed to believers, the unsearchable and glorious riches – of Christ-in-you.  And it is Christ-in-you, through the Holy Spirit, who is and gives us the hope of glory with Christ in heaven.

But Christ-in-you also means this…  That…

His intent (God’s intent) was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.   (Ephesians 3:10-11)

The purpose of God is that now – right now, through the church – through people in whom Christ lives, you and me who have received Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  God intends to reveal His wisdom – to reveal who He is as He did in Jesus Christ – to nations and governments and everyone.

Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth.  In Him there is no separation of church and state on earth or in heavenly places.  And if in America, there was separation of church and state, you would have to get rid of all Christians to have it.  No believer would be permitted to be employed in public service. 

Christians would not be permitted to participate in American government, because the church is people in whom Christ lives, not politics.  But this action of excluding Christians, would violate our Constitution.

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in the book, No Rusty Swords:

“Here lies the key to the understanding of the original significance of the American and of the American Constitution.  …American democracy is founded not on humanity or on the dignity of man, but on the kingdom of God and the limitation of earthly power.”

George Washington wrote, “While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion.  To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.”

Bonhoeffer wrote, “It is significant that notable American historians can say that the Federal Constitution was written by men who knew about original sin.  The human authorities and also the people themselves are shown their limits because of the wickedness of the human heart and the sole sovereignty of God…”

The cross, the resurrection, the ascension and Christ-in-you through the indwelling Holy Spirit is the only remedy for original sin.  Laws may, to a degree, limit or restrict sin.  But they don’t have the power to remove it and give new life.  Christ does.

John Adams wrote, “Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited!  Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow man; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God…  What a Eutopia, what a Paradise would this region be.

After Pentecost, Christ through the angel told the apostles to… “Go… and tell the people the full message of this new life.”  (Acts 5:20)

Hold nothing back.  Tell everyone the full message of this new life in Jesus Christ.  Because Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth.  And this includes …rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to God’s eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As Paul wrote…

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  (Ephesians 6:12)

Our enemy is not our fellow man, for whom Christ died.  Our enemy is the evil one who continues trying to lead our fellow man astray, through many forms of temptation that appeal to and mislead the sinful human nature.  But Jesus is our victory.

Tell our fellow man and the devil that Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth.  Proclaim Him and the full message of new life in Him.  Proclaim Him to rulers and authorities here and there, according to God’s eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Because…

Eph 3:12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Christ-in-you means that you are in Him.  And through faith in Him – the gift of God’s grace is given to us and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are changed. 

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Through the Spirit of Jesus we are free indeed.  We are and freed from the sin that once enslaved us, and being free, we may approach God without fear.

And this is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.  (1 John 5:14-15)

Whatever we need for life and godliness, we are free to approach God and receive grace and power to live the Christian life and to make plain to everyone, the mystery that is still hidden to so many – which is Christ-in-you, the hope of glory.

This is the gospel of Jesus to which we are called.

Worldly

2Co 5:14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.

Are we compelled – motivated by the love of Christ; by His love for us and His love for others?

Are we convinced that Jesus died for all humanity?  That in Him and through Him, sinful humanity died and arose anew.  And that this salvation is appropriated by faith – by trust in who Jesus is and what God has done through Him for all people. 

The Holy Spirit confirms and implements this reality in those who believe.

2Co 5:15 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.

So that…

We no longer live for ourselves, but for Him – who died and rose again.

How hard is it not to live for ourselves – in a healthy sense?  To consider Christ and others ahead of ourselves, on a daily basis?  By His love for all, He denied Himself, took up His cross and died for all.  So that we who believe might live for Him and for others for whom Christ died.  This is healthy.

Are we convinced of this?  Are we convinced that He came to save all and saves all who believe in Him?  And saves means transforms from death to life; from corruptible to incorruptible.  People who no longer live for themselves but for God and for one another.  A healthy community, by the power of God.

2Co 5:16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

What is a worldly point of view?  That is, how does the world view things?  How did we used to think of Christ, ourselves and others and the world, when we were not born of God?  How did we used to see Jesus and how do we see Him now.

Here are a couple of Biblical examples of worldly thinking with regard to Christ…

…when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do.  No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”  For even his own brothers did not believe in him.  (John 7:2-5)

Worldly thinking sees that Jesus should be thinking like a politician, campaigning to gain the following of the people.  This is pointed out here as unbelief.

…Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Not exactly what a political figure trying to get elected would want to do.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”  Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you don’t have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Jesus knew why He came.  Peter didn’t.  Peter was looking at it from his perspective, not God’s.  He in effect was tempting Jesus to choose some way other than a cross and keep Him from accomplishing what He came to do.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

This is Spiritual perspective:  To die in order to live; to lose in order to find.  The worldly say to live and not die; to keep and not lose.

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?  Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

How much is a soul worth compared to the material world?  How valuable are eternal things compared to temporary ones?  What is your soul worth?  If your soul was lost, what could you give – what could you pay to get it back? 

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.  (Matthew 16:21-27)

…According to what that person has done with Jesus.  Because our work is to believe in the one God sent.

A worldly point of view begins, and for that matter, ends with the world – with humanity, and not with God.  It is generated and has its hopes set by earthly and fleshly reasoning and desires and not by the Spirit of God.  One must begin with Christ, otherwise they will have a worldly perspective.

There are many perspectives that originate with humanity and not with God.  Any perspective that contradicts Scripture, is not of God.  Any philosophy or politic or religion or perception that is not consistent with Biblical Truth, is worldly.

And any philosophy or politic or religion or perception that does not profess that Jesus is Lord and endeavors to function in a manner inconsistent with who Jesus is, is worldly and anti-God.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.  (John 4:1-3)

Are you convinced?  Are you beginning and ending with God?  Is living by the Spirit of Christ your highest priority?  Or do you begin with the world and the things of the world and mere human based thinking?  Are your hopes set on worldly things or on the things of the Spirit?

The Spirit of Christ was sent to help believers with this.  That is why He is called the Spirit of truth.  He takes whatever is meant for us from God and reveals it to us.  He reveals the Father and Son to us, and directs us in a manner consistent with the Word of God, the Bible.

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

The grace of God has appeared to all people.  But not all people have noticed. 

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not just born the natural way, or by human will and desire, but born of God.  (John 1:11-13)

Tit 2:12 This teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

His grace teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions and ‘Yes’ to self-controlled, upright and godly lives…

His grace is related to His mercy when we realize the evil and severity of what God has forgiven us from. Through Christ, we are not getting what we deserve.  And not only that, but His grace gives us what we do not deserve – that is, He gives us the Holy Spirit, to help us and empower us with the power of Christ to resist ungodliness and worldly passions, and live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present worldly age; the evidence of which we experience every day.

Tit 2:13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,

While we wait… for the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…

This isn’t the kind of waiting where we are just sitting on our hands, waiting for time to go by – wasting time.  Or the kind of waiting when, a person thinks Christ’s return is a long way off.  So that thinking they have time, that person is not prepared and lives for themselves, however they please. 

Godly waiting is waiting on Christ’s return with a strong hope, convinced of Jesus and His word, actively doing good and resisting the evil of ungodliness and worldly passions, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is waiting on the return of Jesus, while living in obedience to Him while we are here.

Transformed Peter writes about worldly thinking in the last days…

First of 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 ‘(second) coming’ Jesus promised?  Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”  

But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.

By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly men.  But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.  (2 Peter 3:3-13)

We know what the end will be and who will accomplish it.  So we keep our eyes on Jesus.  The true Jesus…

Tit 2:14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

I am convinced that, in love, Jesus gave Himself for us – to redeem and purify us.  The Holy Spirit testifies to this in our hearts, helps free us from worldly thinking and leads us in a manner consistent with Biblical truth.  He is purifying us because we are His very own.  And through Christ in us, we are desiring more and more to do what is good, like He is good.

Tit 2:15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

In season and out of season, we are meant to encourage one another in truth and correct worldly thinking by the truth – by the authority of the Spirit of God. 

Resist evil.  Do good.  Don’t let the opposition discourage you.

Nature

1Co 15:46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.

Natural does not mean spiritual.  As human beings, we are natural.  We are less than spiritual.  Just as creation is less than Creator, especially creation that has been corrupted by sin.

1Co 15:47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.

Being created by God is not the same as being a child of God.  One is of the earth that God made.  The other is of the Spirit of God – of God Himself.  The two are different by nature – different by what they are.

There is nature like:  The birds and the bees, the flowers and the trees, and the moon up above…  Then there is that which is eternal – that which is of God.  This means that God is in it – that God is in them.  And the difference between the two is eternal.

1Co 15:48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.

…regarding God’s Son, who, as to his human nature, was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.  (Romans 1:3-4)

The power of an indestructible life that is in Jesus, who is by nature God, is in those who are in Christ. 

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.  

Jesus came from heaven – He was/is of heaven.

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  (John 14:10-12)

And those in whom Christ lives are of heaven, because the One who is of heaven is in them doing His work.  And He and the Father are one.  That is why it is possible for believers to do what Jesus was doing and even more, because the Spirit of God now lives in more than one man.

1Co 15:49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

We bear the likeness of the earthly man because we are human.  And we bear likeness of the man from heaven through Christ in you.  And in the future, we will bear the glorified likeness, because Jesus has gone before us and we are in Him.

Gal 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Gal 5:17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

The two natures are conflicted.  Do you ever feel conflicted?  Because we are still in the world and in these earthly bodies, do you ever feel conflicted between what you want to do and what Christ wants you to do, that is, what Christ wants to do in you.

Like Paul wrote…  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, 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 sin living in me that does it.  So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  (Romans 7:19-21)

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace…  (Romans 8:6)

Thanks be to God, through the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are not condemned and our mind, now controlled by the Spirit, is not conflicted.

Gal 5:18 …if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

Laws are made primarily for lawbreakers – to try to keep them from doing wrong using the threat of punishments as a deterrent.  When the desire to do what is right is not present and wrong behaviors are not deterred, punishment prescribed by laws are enforced.  Such was the law of God.  And because all have sinned, all are condemned.

But, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

The law of sin and death the law of the nature of humanity.  And the law of the Spirit of life is the nature of God, who overcomes the law of sin and death for us through Christ.

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.  (Romans 8:1-4)

Simply put, laws and the threat of punishments for breaking them cannot heal the problem.  The problem goes much deeper.  Therefore someone who is able, must go deeper, and free us from our problem.

Laws are powerless because the sinful nature goes against them, and they don’t have power to change it.  God has to do it.  Only God has the power.  So God the Son, came as fully human, and did it.  And for all that receive Him, His Spirit – His righteousness comes in, and overcomes the sinful nature so we may live by His nature. 

And the fruit of that nature, …the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  There is no law against the nature of Christ.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  (Galatians 5:22-24)

By prayer, perseverance and the power of God, the sinful nature is crucified and living by the Spirit increases.  There is no law against living by the Spirit of God.  And if there is, it is unjust and must be resisted.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.  (Colossians 3:5-6)

Such things cause turmoil in people and in the world.  Remember the man possessed by a legion of demons until Jesus removed them.  Afterward it says, the man was sitting at Jesus’ feet dressed and in his right mind.  This is what the world needs and only Jesus can do it.

The acts of the sinful nature 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.  …those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.  (Galatians 5:19-21)

Those who live like this cannot inherit the kingdom of God, because the two are incompatible by nature.  The kingdom of God, by nature is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 

And so the kingdom must come into people who come to Christ, so they may enter into the kingdom of God. When people come to Christ; God comes to them.

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  (Romans 8:5)

What are our minds set on?  What our minds are set on, reveals what are nature is.  The sinful nature is in conflict with the Spirit of God and will lead to a conflicted life.  But living by the Spirit of God leads to life and peace.

You… are not controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.  …if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.  (Romans 8:9-10)

2Pe 1:3 His divine power gives us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

His divine power from His divine nature is entirely sufficient for us.  His own glory and goodness come to us, through our relationship with Him and is gaining ground.

2Pe 1:4 …he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Through participating in the divine nature, the corruption of the sinful nature – that is the source of evil desires, no longer has dominion over us. 

We may be tempted.  Sinless Jesus was tempted. But like Jesus, Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)  Say, “Get behind me Satan.  Christ is sufficient for me.”  And Christ’s nature will guide you.

…make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

Grow in the qualities of the divine nature, especially in love.  Remember the branch that abides in the vine simply receives the sap and produces fruit.  Jesus is the vine.  We are the branches.  The Holy Spirit is the sap.  Remain in Jesus and He will remain in you and you will bear much fruit.

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (2 Peter 1:5-8)

And remaining in Christ you will possess these qualities in increasing measure.  Because His nature will supply you and protect you.

Psalm 84

Ps 84:1  How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty!

What makes the dwelling place of the Lord beautiful, is being in the presence of the Lord Himself.  From the perspective of the writer, that place was the temple in Jerusalem.

But remembering what Jesus said to the woman at the well…

…a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  …a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  (John 4:21, 23)

It’s not so much about where you worship.  Granted the Lord may want you to be a part of a particular local church.  But the real issue is what kind of worshipers we are.  And what kind of worshipers we are has to do with the spirit within us. 

Through Jesus Christ, our worship may now please the Father, because His Spirit lives within us and He is the Spirit of Truth.

“For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”  (2 Corinthians 6:16)

“…because the kingdom of God is within you.”  (Luke 17:21)

The believers of old were looking for and could only see at a distance what is available for people today through Jesus Christ and faith in Him.

Ps 84:2  My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Does your soul ever yearn and your heart and body cry out to the Lord, revealing your need for Him to come and minister to you.  The psalmist found his home in the courts of the Lord.  But in Christ Jesus, God is our home.  He is what we desire – to live in Him, and He in us.

Remember how Jesus said that He is standing at the door and knocking, and whoever opens the door and lets Him in will eat with Him, and He with them.  If only people knew it was Him and opened the door.

Ps 84:3  Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

…(and) you are worth more than many sparrows.  (Matthew 10:31)

The Lord is our safe place to build – where we can raise our families, near to the cross that bridged the gap between us and the Lord, who is our home. 

And this is also a picture of what the church is meant to be – a safe place to build and raise families, near the cross that bridged the gap between us and the Lord, who is our home.

Ps 84:4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.  (John 14:2)

…every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.  Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future. 

But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.  (Hebrews 3:4-6)

We are His house and He is our home.  And as we remain in Him, we are blessed.

Ps 84:5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

The sooner our nation realizes that our strength is in the Lord, and not in ourselves, the better off we will be.  This is true for individuals and nations.

Many religions have their hearts set on pilgrimage.  The Jews to Jerusalem; Muslims to Mecca.  But thanks be to God that our hearts may be set not on a place representing God, but on God Himself.

Ps 84:6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

The Valley of Baca is the valley of weeping – of difficulty.  David’s Psalm 23 mentions …the land of the shadow of death. 

But the reality for the believer is that although we may face difficulties and death in this life, the Lord is our Shepherd and we will fear no evil.  He turns our tears into sources of refreshment and the shadow of death into everlasting life. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Imagine the Lord serving up a picnic for you while you are surrounded by enemies.  They are looking on; but they can do nothing.  He fills us with the Holy Spirit so we may overflow with His joy.

Surely goodness and love will follow us all the days of our lives, and we will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.  (Psalm 23:4-6)

Ps 84:7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

The Lord is our strength.  His power never runs out, so we can keep our hope and confidence and our life in Him.  But that is not always easy in this life.  That is one reason why the Lord has given us prayer. 

If the circumstances of this life rule us, we will be unstable and miserable.  But if we go first to prayer and not to fleshly reactions, we will be kept from extremes and have greater peace because the Lord is our peace.

Ps 84:8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob.

Let the Lord be the first place you go when you don’t know what to do.

Ps 84:9 Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one.

The Lord is our shield on whom our faith rests.  Jesus is the anointed one who lives in us, and God always looks with favor on Jesus.

Ps 84:10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

As a boy I was taught about the courts of the Lord.  I believed in them.  I knew that they must be good.  I believed that God is good and that Jesus is God.  I knew little of the Holy Spirit.  I prayed to the Lord, especially in bad times. 

I believed He would answer.  When I was about 12 yrs old, I prayed that the Lord would enable me think about Him all the time, because I knew I needed Him and I knew how I was without Him.  But I couldn’t say that I had ever been in His presence.  I only thought that it would be good.

When I was of age, I dwelled in the tents of the wicked.  To dwell in their tents means to participate with them in ungodly behaviors.  Jesus associated with sinners, what else could He do?  But He did not embrace, promote or participate in what they did. Rather, He loved them and revealed the kingdom of God to them.

I believed in the Lord but lived like I didn’t.  When times got rough, usually the consequences of my choices, I would cry out to the Lord.  And He would straighten things out.  But I would go back to the tents of the wicked, and then cry out again and He would straighten things out again.

After a number of years that got old.  I knew I needed Him – I needed Jesus.  I gave myself to Him, and He gave Himself to me.  And I found out first hand that one day in His courts – that is, in His presence and His presence in me, is better than a thousand elsewhere. 

The tents of the wicked promise good things, but never keep their promises.  And that being a servant in the house of the Lord is better than being a king elsewhere.  Christ in me is better than anything this world has to give.

Ps 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

The Lord is our light and He is our power.  He is our protection.  He is the one who truly shows favor to us, because His love for us is perfect.  He withholds nothing that is for our good.  And to become one whose walk is blameless…

…it’s because of the grace given us in Christ Jesus.  In Him we have been enriched in every way… because Christ was confirmed in you.  …You do not lack any spiritual gift – He has given you everything you need for life and godliness…

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.  (1 Corinthians 1:4-9)

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.  (1 Thessalonians 5:24-25)

And so we know and we are assured…

Ps 84:12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man and the woman who trusts in you.

Truly blessed are men and women who trust in the Lord.

Begin with God

John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me…

Salvation starts with God.  It always does and it always must.  Otherwise, it doesn’t happen.

Reality starts with God.  The simple fact anything exists proves Him.  Everything that has existed and that exists everywhere, at any time was created by Him and for Him. 

And it is Jesus who said that no one comes to Him – no one believes in Him, unless the Father draws them.

So why do we preach and teach or tell anyone about Jesus, since God has to do it?

Well if you haven’t come to Christ; if you haven’t believed in Him, you shouldn’t preach or teach about Him.  But if you have come to Him, and you believe in His name – Jehovah the Savior, then you know both Jesus and the Father. 

You know that when you see Jesus you see God the Father.  And you know that it is the Father’s will to save people – that’s what Jesus’ name means.  So it is the will of Jesus to save people.  So because of His will within us, we preach it, teach it and tell people about Jesus.

Knowing Him, we want to begin with Him because His Spirit lives in us and it is the Spirit’s desire to draw people to Christ and we want to do His will.

It begins with Him.  We begin with Him.  And as the Father lives in Jesus and Jesus lives in us through the Spirit and the three are inseparable – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are One, and so are we one in God.

Beginning with God, God working through us, those who do not know Him may be drawn to Him.  We are His body, His ambassadors showing and telling others who He is and what He does.

The Father gives people to Jesus and through the Spirit, they are saved.  Through the Spirit they are born again so that they too may begin with God and live by Him forever.

Because with God is forever.

As Jesus said, All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

Never means forever.  Why would he drive anyone away?  He wouldn’t because that would contradict the purpose of God to save people through Christ. 

There are those that would try to keep others from coming to Christ, but not God; not Jesus and His church.

Jn 6:38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

Jn 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

The will of God through Christ is to lose none of those whom He has given to Jesus.  And none means none. 

Have you come to Jesus?  Then God has given you to Him.  Are you beginning with Him?  Do you look to Him?  His He your basis for living; your source of life and power.

Jn 6:40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Eternal life is the issue.  Sin is the obstacle.  Jesus removed the obstacle.  Do you believe in Jesus? 

Believing in Jesus – looking to Jesus isn’t just a one-time thing.

Yes… that first time saves us.  And, yes, when the Holy Spirit first comes to live in us, because the Father gave us to Jesus and we believed in Him, we are changed – we begin living a new life.

The old life is gone and eternal life has come.  So we continue looking to the Lord; we continue to be filled and led by the Holy Spirit and this more and more – in increasing measure, as we grow and mature in the grace of God.

Sometimes it may seem like two steps forward and three steps back.  It may seem like there has not been much progress.  But it is often through our failures that we mature the most because we are learning not to depend on ourselves but on God.

Everything begins with God and now so do we.   We no longer want to do our own will, but the will of the one who saved us and lives in us.  And it is His will that none, who the Father has given to His Son be lost.  That includes all Christians and all of those the Father desires to give to Jesus.

And who can say who God doesn’t want to give to Jesus.  That would be God’s call.  But our call is to continue looking to Jesus, being led by the Spirit to share with those whom the Father gives to Jesus, to tell them of Him. 

The One who lives in us, will supply us with words and power as we are yielded to Him.  As Jesus said, “…do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”  (Mark 13:11)

This can happen anytime and anywhere as we are yielded, as we are attentive to Him.  And we want to be yielded to Him because, as Paul writes in Romans 10:12-17…

...the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  

It is not difficult to be saved by the Lord. 

Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?  But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . .”  Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” (Matthew 9:5-6)

No.  It is not difficult for the Lord to save people.  He did the hard part on the cross.  People just need to look to Jesus; to call on Him.  But…

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  -- They won’t.

And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?   -- They can’t.

And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  --  This isn’t a hearing with the ears only, but hearing with the heart.  Only through words, revealing Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, can the heart hear.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.  (1 Corinthians 4:20)

And how can they preach unless they are sent?  …by God  --  They cannot and should not unless they have been sent by God.  …Unless God has given them to Jesus and they are yielded to His Spirit.

As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Has God given you to Jesus?

How many people do we know that do not know Christ?

Are we eager to share and yielded to the Holy Spirit?  We are eager to share good news with them.  What about The Good News?

Not all will accept it.  As Isaiah says, “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”  (Isaiah 53:1)

But that’s not our concern – it’s God’s.  Our concern is to share by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Faith comes from hearing the message.

Faith is the Holy Spirit impressing in the soul that the words – being heard regarding Jesus and Biblical truth are true.  No matter what anyone else says, the Holy Spirit, who is the author of truth, is more trustworthy than anyone.  And this truth proclaims…

That God was and is reconciling the world to Himself through Christ, not counting the sins of the people against them who believe. 

(He does, however, count the sins of the people who reject the message of faith against them.)

The message of the Spirit is heard through the Word of Christ – not through the words of men and women.  Hearts are opened to receive the message, and that comes through the Spirit of God and prayer.

How many times did you hear messages about Jesus before you sensed Him revealing Himself to your soul and you invited Him in?

We should not expect others to believe us, unless we are yielded to the Lord and He reveals Himself to them.  If we are about our own selfish will rather than the will of God, they shouldn’t believe us. 

But if the Father has given us to Jesus, then we will have something to say and to do.  And as our life is yielded to the Holy Spirit and He gives us the words of Christ, people will hear and believe. 

We are the body of Christ.  And each one of us is part of it.

Just as the Father sent Jesus, Jesus sends us.

Continually begin with God.  Be eager and yielded to the Holy Spirit, and as He fills and leads you to speak and live out the words of Christ, people will listen.

Waiting and Hoping

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

The Lord…the Everlasting God…the Creator…

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

Jesus said that this is the first and greatest commandment and that the second was like it:  Love your neighbor as yourself.

Because God is love.  (1 John 4:8)

…there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.  But not everyone knows this.  (1 Corinthians 8:6-7)

The Lord is life and in Him is life – the best life that we can have.  But too many don’t know what this means because they don’t yet know Him.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  (2 Corinthians 3:17)

When through faith in Jesus Christ, the Spirit of the Lord comes to live within a believer, He sets us free from the bondage – the slavery of sin, so that we may experience the glorious freedom of the children of God.

…the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King.  (Jeremiah 10:10)

He does not get tired, He does not grow weary; He never gives up and I’m glad He doesn’t give up on me.  No angel or demon or human being can plumb the depths of His understanding. But He gives life and understanding to us through His Spirit and His Word – to those who are willing to receive Him.

Isa 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

From the Lord comes strength and power to live by His life.

There are different kinds of weaknesses.  There is weakness of the body – physical weakness and emotional, that God does not experience, but that God understands because Jesus experienced it first-hand – as a man.  And because He experienced tiredness, rejection, suffering and death first hand, He truly empathizes with us and helps us, when we grow tired and weak and suffer and die.

Then there is weakness of spirit…

Yesterday Denise showed me this in a book she is reading titled:  Pastor from Gaza, by Hanna Massad…  He wrote…

Sebastian Seung, a professor of computational neuroscience at Harvard, calls the brain’s neuron network a connectome, which changes by reweighting, reconnection, rewiring and regeneration.

‘Reconnection,’ he explains, ‘means creation of an entirely new connection or the elimination of an old one.’  The Apostle Paul describes it as being ‘made new by every revelation that’s been given to you.’

He may be referring to Ephesians 4:22-24… You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 

Regeneration, reconnection with God, recreated to be like Him in true righteousness and holiness.  Being made new…  But… what about forgiveness?

What about forgiveness on a national level or ethnic level?  How can the State of Israel or the Palestinian people forgive one another?  (How about people in America or anywhere else in the world?)  Philip Yancey offers an encouraging illustration:

Two peacemakers…visited a group of Polish Christians ten years after the end of WWII.  ‘Would you be willing to meet with other Christians from West Germany?’ asked the two peacemakers. 

‘They want to ask forgiveness for what Germany did to Poland during the war and to begin to build a new relationship.’  At first there was silence.  Then one Pole spoke up.

‘What you are asking is impossible.  Each stone of Warsaw is soaked in Polish blood!  We cannot forgive!’

Before the group parted, however, they said the Lord’s Prayer together.  When they reached the words ‘forgive us our sins as we forgive…’ everyone stopped praying.  Tension swelled in the room.

The Pole who had spoken so vehemently said, ‘I must say yes to you.  I could no more pray the Our Father, I could no longer call myself a Christian, if I refuse to forgive.  Humanly speaking, I cannot do it, but God will give us his strength!’

(For those who know her story, this sounds like what happened with Corrie Ten Boom.)

Eighteen months later, the Polish and West German Christians met in Vienna, establishing friendships that continue to this day.

As someone once said, no word in the lexicon of mankind carries greater hope and the greater possibility of terror than the word ‘as’ the two times it appears in the Lord’s Prayer. 

(…on earth as it is in heaven and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.)

Only the Holy Spirit living within people, can bring as it is in heaven, on earth; and enable us by His nature, to forgive those who sin against us.  Human efforts alone are insufficient.

Today people are crying out for justice in a manner that demands punishment or revenge.  But the Lord says, “…forgive, as you have been forgiven.”

The flesh is weak, but the Spirit is willing.  And He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak, so that we may do as He does.

…the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion.  For the LORD is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for him!  (Isaiah 30:18)

Contained in the justice of God is mercy and grace, because God is love.  And in Him and through Him He give us power to love.

Isa 40:30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

We know what it is grow tired and weary, to stumble and fall, especially in ways that relate to our inner being.  Inner things that manifest themselves outwardly in ways that are not helpful.  But we have hope…

If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.  (Psalm 130:3-4)

Isa 40:31 …those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Another translation says, those who wait upon the Lord…

Isn’t it ironic that waiting and hoping in the Lord renews us and strengthens us to be able to do what would otherwise not be possible?  We are so used to struggling to do these things in our own strength, rather than by prayer – by waiting and hoping and trusting in Him to supply what we need.  Because this seems too good to be true.

But it is true.  And that is why so many have found comfort and encouragement and strength through these words… but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Because we want them to be true for us.  We need them to be true for us.  And in Christ Jesus and through His Spirit, they are true.  And so we are learning to put our confidence in the Lord and not in ourselves.

This reminds me of something that happened the other morning while entering McDonalds for morning coffee.  I opened the door for a man and he said something to me, I can’t remember exactly what, but I responded by saying something relating to depending on the Lord.  And to that, he responded, “God helps those who help themselves.”  And to that I responded, “well…” 

And it didn’t seem to be the time to get into a theological discussion, so I got my coffee and he got his breakfast and we went our separate ways.

God does not help those who help themselves.  That would be reinforcing self-centeredness.  I have learned that nothing good happens when I do that.  And at times it is a struggle not to take matters in to my own hands.

But by His grace and the help of the Holy Spirit, we are truly helped and enabled to do the will of God.

We wait in hope for the LORD; because he is our help and our shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.  (Psalm 33:20-21)

Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides the Lord, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.  (Isaiah 64:4)

Paul said it this way…

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.  (1 Corinthians 2:9-12)

The Curtain

Ge 3:23  So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.   Ge 3:24  After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

The way to God and eternal life was blocked because of sin.  Later, the Law was given through Moses to constrain the people from sinning, until the Promise of Salvation, previously given to Abraham, came through Jesus, to free us from sin.  The Law said…

Ex 26:33 Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

The key word here is separate.   According to God’s Law, this curtain was meant to separate sinful man from entering into the presence of God.  Only the appointed priest was permitted to enter in on behalf of the people, according to God’s instructions, to atone for himself and them and never without blood. This was the first covenant.

Lev 16:1 The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD (inappropriately).  Lev 16:2  The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he (too) will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.

Lev 16:17  No one is to be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.

The writer of Hebrews explains…

Heb 9:1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.  Heb 9:2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place.

Heb 9:3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, Heb 9:4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.

Heb 9:5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover…  (There were more details.) But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.   Go and read Leviticus.

Heb 9:6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry.   Heb 9:7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.

What about the sins that were done on purpose?  According to the law, willful sins were not forgiven.  How many of us have ever sinned and we knew that it was the wrong thing to do and we did it anyway?

Heb 9:8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing.   (God had not yet disclosed how people could truly come to Him.)

Heb 9:9 This is an illustration for that time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered (through required) were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.  Heb 9:10  They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings — external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

Neither the ceremonial nor the hypothetical can save anyone.  We needed the new order, that was coming and has arrived.

Mt 27:45  From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.  Mt 27:46  About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”   

Never before had Jesus been rejected by God, His Father.  But He was experiencing it.  He was bearing sin’s eternal separation and guilt for us – nailed to a cross.  God was killing sin, once and for all through Jesus.

Mt 27:47  When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”  Mt 27:48  Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.

Mt 27:49  The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”  (As if Elijah could save anyone?  The truth was hidden from them.)

Mt 27:50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.  (‘Father, in to your hands I commit my spirit.)  The sacrificial lamb – our sin offering was slain.

Mt 27:51  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.  Mt 27:52  The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

The ceremonial curtain, symbolizing the separation of mankind from God, was torn in two, showing that the way had been opened for us to God.  And resurrections occurred.

Mt 27:53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

Mt 27:54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

There were many witnesses.

Mt 27:55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.

Mt 27:56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Hebrews further explains…

Heb 9:11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.

All those things prescribed by the Law – the temple, holy place, most holy place, and articles used for worship were not the thing needed, they only illustrated something real and needed – not a part of this creation – but of the Kingdom of God.

Heb 9:12  Jesus did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption (for us).

Jesus tore the curtain in two and entered in on our behalf, opening the way for us. He is the way.  Not only that – He enters into the hearts of those who believe in Him, by the Holy Spirit.  Not only may we now enter into the presence of God, but the presence of God enters into us who believe.

Heb 9:13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.   Do we want ceremonial sanctification or real sanctification?

Heb 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

The blood of animals gave only ceremonial cleansing.  We need the real thing that unites us with God. The blood of Jesus, through the eternal Spirit cleanses us from sin and its remembrance – the guilt associated with it, so that we may know and serve the living God – real sanctification.

Heb 10:15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this.  First he says: Heb 10:16 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”

How much better is it to have the will of God in our hearts and on our minds, than only in books or on our tablets or cell-phones.

Heb 10:17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”  Heb 10:18 And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

Can you hear this?  “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more… no more.”   It’s a dangerous thing to not realize that sinful man is completely cut off from the life of God, and the end result, if it is not corrected, is hell.  

But God is now saying, “Your sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”  They are forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus and our faith in Him.  And there is nothing more you need to try to do to cover it.  With sin gone, we now have confidence to enter into the presence of God.

Heb 10:19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, Heb 10:20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, Heb 10:21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

Jesus is our new and living way – our great high priest.  Through the death of His body, resurrection life has now come to us by His Spirit.  Therefore…

Heb 10:22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

The blood of Jesus cleanses our consciences and the Spring of Living water, the Holy Spirit, living within us, keeps us clean.

Heb 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to this hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  Heb 10:24  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Heb 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as we see the  Day (the Last Day) approaching.

The Testimony

1Co 15:14 …if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.   1Co 15:15  More than that, we are false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. 

1Co 15:17 …if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  1Co 15:18  Those also who have died in Christ are lost.

…if Christ has not been raised…

What are the implications?  If Christ has not been raised, we have no business being here and calling it Resurrection Sunday.  We should just call it Easter Bunny Sunday. 

All that we have been taught about Christ, all that we taught our children about Him and the truth we wanted them to believe regarding Him, all that we have told others regarding who He is and why He came and even; Bible studies – even the Bible itself and our embracing and promoting the gospel has been a waste – and so is our faith. 

Because faith without truth is just false religion.  And if Jesus is not risen, any other religion is just as good as the one that we have so foolishly believed in and wanted others to believe in.  Even worse, if Jesus has not been raised I am a fool and a liar.  I quit a good paying job in order teach and proclaim and minister to others about a Savior, my Lord who died, arose and lives, but is actually dead. The Spirit of Jesus who saved me and called me to proclaim Him and His Word, is just my imagination.  

The prophets of old are all liars and so are all who proclaim a risen Savior.  Or we are all crazy and so is God, who told the prophets what He was going to do regarding Jesus years in advance.  And if there is no Savior who arose from the dead, we are all still dead in our sins and there is no eternal life.  We are lost and so are all our friends and relatives living and as well as all who have died, who believed in Jesus.  If there is no resurrection, our plug just gets pulled and that’s it – or there is just hell. 

So why don’t we just live it up to the hilt.  It doesn’t matter how we live, because in the end we die.  So party hearty, take up gambling, do whatever you feel like for in the end we all just die.  Our faith is futile, we are dead in our sins and are just lost – if Christ has not been raised.

1Co 15:20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead… 1Co 15:21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.   

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth… I will see him with my own eyes…  How my heart yearns within me!  (Job 19:25-27)

So now, what are the implications?

I don’t just believe this is true.  I know this is true because it is true, because God is true and because the Holy Spirit testifies to the living Christ in my heart.  Christ has not only been raised up from the dead, His Spirit, whom He promised to send, is living in me and in all who believe. 

Jesus could be raised a thousand times in Jerusalem but if He was not risen in me, it would do me no good.  Through Adam came death, but through Jesus comes everlasting life – and we who truly believe experience this and we are not ashamed to say so.  We would be ashamed, if we didn’t. 

The Apostle John says…

1Jn 5:9 We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.

Many would rather believe what strangers say on social media or the news or wherever.  But they refuse to believe what God says about His Son.  But when the Spirit of Jesus testifies in our heart that Jesus has died for our sins, and has risen and lives in us, it’s for real – not just what we’ve been taught, not second-hand information or hearsay.

1Jn 5:10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart.  Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

Do you have this testimony in your heart?  If you do not, ask God.  And if there is anything in the way, ask God to remove it so nothing stands between you and God.  God testifies that through the sacrifice of Christ and faith in Him, “Your sins and lawless acts are remembered no more.”  They are forgiven.  And there is nothing more to do, but believe. 

1Jn 5:11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  1Jn 5:12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

This is the testimony…  God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves eternal life is in Him, and the Holy Spirit testifies to it in our hearts.  He is transforming us from the inside out, so that we may have the fullness of the reality of God in our lives.  If you have the Son of God, you have life.

But if a person does not have the Son of God, the reality is that they do not have eternal life.  But they can have it, if they will turn to Jesus.  And Jesus says, “Whoever comes to me, I will never drive away.”  And we are His ambassadors.  As Paul wrote…

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 the sins of the people against them.  And he has committed to believers the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore people on Christ’s behalf to be reconciled to God.  Because 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)

Wheat and Weeds

Mt 13:24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

The Kingdom of Heaven…  Where God lives and rules and where its citizens live by His Spirit – a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The field is the world, and the word of God, spoken by the Spirit of God through a believing soul, is good seed. 

Mt 13:25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.

But in this world there still remains the enemy and enemies of the truth.  By stealth, and by darkness, evil is working to plant ideas in the minds of people that are not true, in order to corrupt what is true and pollute what is good.

Mt 13:26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

Over time, in both individual minds and in societies of people, the bad can get mixed in with the good.  Through His word and His people, God is always planting the good, and the evil one tries to corrupt it. 

Good always comes from God, evil ideas can come from anywhere and at times when people are not ready to resist it.  We must maintain in our hearts and minds the reality of the goodness and truth of who God is and the quality of His words that never mislead us.

The word of God protects us from the corrupt ideas of the ungodly.  We must learn to discern the thoughts of God from those of the enemy.  We must live by and act upon the truth and resist the lies.

Mt 13:27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

Mt 13:28 “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’