Country Preacher

Living By Faith

2012-02-18T02:10:00.000-08:00

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:

But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to, that at evening time it shall be light.”

Zechariah 14:6,7

I know that the 14th. Chapter of Zechariah obviously has reference to some battles for possession of Jerusalem, probably some to take place in the not too far distant future. Verses 6,7, however, and the parallel to the Christian life that they suggest, intrigue me.

There are those periods in the Christian life when things become a bit hazy. It is a time when “the light shall not be clear or dark” (v.6) Those times when it is not so dark that we cannot see at all but not light enough for us to see clearly. Of course we are to walk by faith and not by sight, but being human we kinda wonder just how things are going to turn out.

Jesus told us what to expect in this life! “...In the world ye shall have tribulation...” (John 16:33) That means that not everything is always going to go as smoothly as we would prefer. There will be troubled waters and bumpy roads to travel. There will be trials of which we wonder where and when they will end.

There is a precious promise in the 7th verse of Zechariah 14 that can be applied to your Christian walk and mine. “...at evening time it shall be light.” We have our times in life when the way is not clear, but our destination is assured and the closer we get to home the brighter the way becomes.

What a contrast to the expectations of those who deny God, reject the Gospel and arrive at the evening time of their day. To quote on outspoken unbeliever of several years ago, “I am about to take a leap in the dark.”

There will be no darkness in our evening time of life. We will leave the darkness of this world behind and enter into that place where it is always light. It will be the full realization of the promise of 1st.John 2:8 “...the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.”

Those who reject Jesus Christ the “True Light...”(John 1:9) will go to a place of eternal night. Those who accept Jesus Christ are destined to go where there is no night (Rev.22:5)

Dangers Of Going Our Own Wayt

2012-02-17T01:38:00.000-08:00

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6

And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed and turned unto the Lord.

Acts 11:21

A wrong turn decides between eternal gain or eternal loss! Those who “have turned to their own way” are headed for nothing but trouble while those (with much better judgment) who have “turned unto the Lord” have made provision for their eternal welfare.

People insisting on their own way is the basic cause of the world’s trouble. Mankind’s choice to “turn to their own way” results in eternal loss and Jesus chose to bear the iniquity of it that we might have a better choice.

Someone coined the cliche, “He (or she) is their own worst enemy!” God’s word is in agreement with that! If men are eternally lost they cannot blame it all on the devil. The deciding factor in where we spend eternity is our own choice. The warning signs are all in place! “Travel this road at your own risk!” There is no choice in life of the magnitude of our choice to “turn to our own way” or “turn unto the Lord”.

We have, in our years of ministry, traveled many miles by auto. It was not uncommon for me to make a wrong turn on occasion and discover that I was going the wrong way. Fortunately, I always had opportunity to reverse our direction of travel.

In October of 1949 my wife Carol and I, in our third year of marriage, attended church with our good friends, Howard and Marise Brady, where we knelt at an altar and made a choice. We said, “Lord, not our will but thine be done!” He has led us in the life that we have lived and we have never regretted that choice, The way has not always been smooth but it is leading us home.

The chorus of an old song describes it well! “His power can make you what you ought to be, His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free; His love can fill your soul, and you will see, T’was best for Him to have His way with thee.”

Amen” and “Amen”

Our Long Home

2012-02-16T02:06:00.001-08:00

“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth...because man goeth to his long home.”

Ecclesiastes 12:1,5

I thought of a verse from an old gospel song, “I’m going to make a trip, in the old gospel ship; I’m leaving this old world behind.” (I think I have the words right)

At the present time I am very happy and contented with the ministry that God has opened to me in my later years. With the E Mail address list and the Website combined I have, in the past five years, shared the Gospel with more people than I did in forty years of pulpit ministry. I am now reaching into all points of the U.S. and over 60 overseas countries and I want to keep it going as long as God will allow me to do so.

However,I am going to make a trip! When will I leave? That is not my concern; that is determined by God! Where am I going? That is my concern and God has given me the privilege and the responsibility of making that decision. That is a most important decision and is why I booked passage on “The Old Gospel Ship.”

A few years ago, after conducting a funeral, the brother of the diseased, approached me and asked, “What is out there, Pastor? Where is my brother now?’

The way I see it, the only one who really knows what is “out there” is the One who came from “out there” and that is Jesus Christ. He is the ship builder and the ship’s captain and will take the ship and it’s passengers to the good place that He promised.

You have heard of the “wild and wooly” promises of life to come, made by the clerics of the terrorist groups to the suicide bomber volunteers. However, the clerics themselves, seem quite content to stay where they are for as long as they can.

I suspect that the departed suicide bombers would like to return to where they were and send the clerics to where they are now, but that cannot be.

The Scripture above tells us that “man goes to his long home” meaning that we won’t return. We must make the right choice before we leave and Jesus is that choice. The false teachers describe their Valhallas, Nirvanas and Utopias but they have only been there in their own imaginations.

Jesus speaks with authority! Heaven is His hometown! He wants us to be where He is! I have placed my hope of eternity in what He has promised.

Reading God's Bible

2012-02-15T02:48:00.000-08:00

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Psalm 119:105

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

Proverbs 4:18

Over the years I have had some tell me that they never read the Bible because they cannot understand it. Usually, when I inquired what it was that they could not understand, they would reply that it was, that “beast rising up out of the sea” a “great red dragon” “all of those plagues, battles and bloodshed” etc. was too confusing.

There are some confusing things in the Book of Revelation, to be sure but the Revelation is the last book of the Bible and the recommended way to read a book is to start at the front. If you start at the first book of the New Testament you will find enough things in the Gospels that are easily understood to keep you busy.

If we accept and act on that best loved and easy to understand verse in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” We may not even see that creature who comes up out of the sea. He is bad news for the world alright, although, true to form, the world won’t recognize that fact at first. However, our acceptance of John 3:16 will be our security if we do remain here to see some of the plages of Revelation.

I am a firm believer in learning all I can, about the entire Bible. I have been reading it daily for more than 55 years and I still don’t know everything it contains. It is that kind of a book! If I did know it all then I would know as much about it as the Author and that cannot be. I do not believe in allowing that which I don’t yet understand, to interfere with my accepting and obeying that which I do understand.

Paul wrote, “For we know in part...” (1st.Corinthians 13:9) That can be applied to just about everything in life. God has promised us “light for our path” for the present and as the future unfolds we shall receive light for our journey.

Jesus said, ”If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine...” If we would know God’s will we must start doing God’s will. Those who do not and will not walk in the light that they have do not receive more light.

The Gospel

2012-02-14T03:42:00.000-08:00

...after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus...

And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Acts 5:40,42

And the word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

Acts 6:7

. The forces of unbelief and evil in the world have made greater effort to obliterate Jesus Christ from the lives of the peoples of the world than any person who ever existed, but it cannot be done.

The enemy will continue to try but evidently he never heard the expression, “an exercise in futility”. Jesus Christ and His Gospel is here to stay until God declares that the last ‘lost sheep’ and ‘wandering prodigal’ is home.

The religious leaders at Jerusalem had become alarmed at the large number of people joining up with the followers of Jesus and called an emergency meeting to decide what to do about it. One member reminded them that in the past a man named Theudas had gathered a following to himself but the whole enterprise came to naught, then another named Judas of Galilee did the same but it also perished and that if this gathering, then called “The Way” was of man, it to would fade away. (Acts 5:36-38)

Well! It wasn’t and it didn’t! It was from God and it survived all efforts to destroy it and is very much alive and strong at this very hour.

His final comment was, “But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it...” (v.39) He had that right! The gospel and those who live it will survive.

Read Paul’s words in 2nd.Corinthians 4:8,9 “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed: perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, struck down, but not destroyed.”

Why is this possible? Because the Author and Founder of the church promised that He would, “never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5) and He hasn’t. He is never hidden to the eyes of faith and is always available that we may, “obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16

Of all the religions of today’s world the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most feared and hated but it is still rescuing the ‘lost sheep’ and welcoming home the ‘wandering prodigals’ and it will survive because it is God’s answer to man’s need.

The Unmovable Kingdom

2012-02-13T02:47:00.000-08:00

See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven.

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

Hebrews 12:25-28

I take it that the “unmovable kingdom” is a reference to the great assemblage of people of every nation, kindred and tongue, who have believed the gospel and accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. In spite of the enemy’s efforts to the contrary, that ‘Kingdom’ is here to stay.

One day the, now, “Unmovable Kingdom” will be moved to a new location but that will be an advance not a retreat. It will be a victory, not a defeat! It will be at God’s calling not because of the world’s rejection.

The gospel has survived and thrived under, intense persecution from the very beginning. Many men of power, great intellect and influence have boasted that they will destroy the memory of this kingdom from the earth. There are more believers in the world now than ever before but where are the boasters?

Gamaliel the Pharisee had some wise advice for those who were trying to prevent the preaching of the gospel. “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.” (Acts 5:38,39)

Men are still fighting against God under many different banners now. It is “unconstitutional” “politically incorrect” “ offensive to the unbelieving mindset” etc. , etc. Their efforts are all doomed to failure! The “Kingdom” will stand! God says so!!!

Paul once said, “I do not frustrate the grace of God...” (Galatians 2:21) Men can frustrate God’s plan for their own life but frustrating God’s plan for the kingdom is another story. Men can refuse God’s offer of salvation and go to hell if they choose, because we all have a choice.

Now is the time for choosing! The day will come when our choice has become permanent. The “Unmovable Kingdom” is established and will survive forever; with or without, you and I.

You Are Not Alone

2012-02-12T02:45:00.000-08:00

And he said, ...I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

1st.Kings 19:10

Oh Lord, I beseech Thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name:

Nehemiah 1:11

This is the story of the prayers of two great men of God. One prayed with confidence while the other was quite discouraged.

Elijah had convinced himself that he was standing alone, (a state of mind to be avoided) and a matter in which the Lord corrected him. “Yet I have left Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Ba’al...” (1st.Kings 19:18)

Nehemiah was confident that others were concerned and praying about the matter that concerned him, “let now thine ear be attentive...to the prayer of thy servants.” Amazing things happen when God’s people are “praying in one accord.” A great blessing of this computer age is the prayer chain. In emergency times we can, by e-mail, share prayer needs with countless other praying Christians in a matter of minutes.

I believe that there are more faithfully praying Christians in today’s world than at any other time in history. Without doubt, there has never been a time when so many Christians can be concentrating in prayer on a single need as is possible now.

I belong to a prayer chain of nearly two million people pledged to pray daily for our President. The terror groups do not know it, but that prayer chain is a “weapon of mass destruction” as concerning the plans and endeavors of the arch-enemy and his followers.

I cannot imagine and I don’t want to know, first hand, what this world would be like if there were no praying Christians. Some of the “keep religion out of government” people will see the day when they will wish that the government had a little religion.

They can legislate, regulate, moderate and try to frustrate the efforts of the Gospel but prayer will win the day in the end and there is no law that can control a praying heart.

The devil would rather stop the praying than he would the preaching! Preaching without praying is not that much of a threat to the devil or his plans.

Don’t ever make the mistake of Elijah, great man of God that he was, and think that you are standing and praying alone. Believe me! You’re not!

A Fountain Opened

2012-02-11T02:38:00.002-08:00

“In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for impurity.”

Zechariah 13:1

“And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”

Revelation 21:6

Zechariah’s cleansing fountain and Revelation’s fountain of the water of life are one and the same. They both refer to Jesus Christ Who said, “If any man thirst let him come unto Me and drink.”(John7:37)

Each Old Testament prophet describes the Saviors ministry by the use of metaphors. In Jeremiah 8:22 He is called the “Balm of Gilead and the Physician” the One who heals all of our diseases. He is called the Sun of Righteousness; a Rock in a Weary Land and many more and in Zechariah He is the Fountain to wash away all sin and uncleanness from the human soul.

It is a fountain opened by Divine authority and history knows the time and place where it happened. It was a place called Calvary where the Lord allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross and shed His blood for the sins of the world. It is called a “fountain” because of its limitless supply. It has met every demand ever made upon it and it is more than enough to meet every human need.

It is called an “open fountain’ because it is open to all. The last promise in the Bible reads, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17)

The prophet looked forward to the day the Fountain would be opened and we look backward to the day that it was opened. To those of the Old Testament it was a “Help now-Pay later” proposition but to New Testament believer it is a“Paid in advance” promise.

It is one Fountain opened for all mankind and for the same purpose. To cleanse from sin and make ready for heaven. God opened it and no man can close it. No government has been powerful enough to silence it and it is the only hope for men.

The cleansing takes place this side of the grave! After we leave here it is too late and that is why it is written, “Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.” (2nd.Corinthians 6:2)

God's Offer Of Salvation

2012-02-10T02:17:00.001-08:00

And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”

Revelation 21:6

There are not many things in this life that are offered free of charge to “whosoever” will accept. Usually, if the commodity offered is of any value, the cost will come later.

The offer made in the above Scripture is genuine, the value of the commodity cannot be overestimated and it is offered to “whosoever” free because is has already been paid for.

Nearly three thousand years ago the prophet Isaiah looked into the future, saw the day of Christ and His salvation and cried, ”Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost... (Isaiah 55:2)

The Bible teaches that the most important matter in your life and mine is something called salvation. Bible salvation refers to a supernatural work of God by which we are made ready for heaven and also enabled to live a life on the earth with God as the controlling influence.

Unlike the, usually worthless, giveaway items that are offered to us via ‘junk mail’ service, the salvation offered by God was purchased for us at a price far beyond any man’s ability to pay. If the cost of your salvation and mine could be translated in to dollars, the national debt and the proposed budget combined would not be sufficient to pay.

I have been watching the advertisements of the movie, “The Passion of Christ!” produced by Mel Gibson. It is being criticized as being too violent and bloody. The death of Christ was unbelievably violent and bloody but it was the price paid for your salvation and mine.

It was a horrible, horrible occurrence and only the incredible love of Jesus for you and I caused him to suffer it. In the words of a song, dedication to Jesus Christ provides, “Hope for tomorrow and strength for today”

If the present examples of political decisions, court decisions and special interest group agendas are an indication of things to come, then we are in for, In Gibson’s words, “A wild ride” and we need God’s presence and help in our lives to see us through.

God's Plan

2012-02-09T02:13:00.000-08:00

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it.

And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths:...And he shall judge among the nations...and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall

not lift up sword against nation, and neither shall they learn war any more.

Read Isaiah 2:1-4

We hear talk of a “brave new world” that men plan to fashion. There will be a “new world” in God’s time but not of men’s design. Europe is nearly united in becoming a completely secular society; A network from, mostly Near Eastern countries, are teaching, practicing and exporting murder and mayhem and in our own country the judicial system is becoming more and more anti-God judging from the decisions that are being made. That is not the kind of world that God has in mind as described by Isaiah! Most countries are busily beating their plowshares into swords and their pruning hooks into spears.

The kind of world that men are developing now only leads to an Armageddon. The world is not changing for the better but people can! The choice is simple! Calvary or Armageddon! Accept Calvary and escape Armageddon or reject Calvary and, if you live that long, experience Armageddon.

Calvary was God’s plan; Armageddon is the result of men’s planning! Men’s plans are not brave, they are foolhardy and will self-destruct. It is already decided. “The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God.” (Psalm 9:17)

Developing a better world is a good thought but crowding God out of the planning is not the way to accomplish it.

I think that the present world is locked in on a downward course but there are many people in the world that can be changed. Jesus is still in the life changing business and when He changes a life the direction of travel changes also.

It is a matter of individual choice.

Press On

2012-02-08T02:56:00.001-08:00

“...forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13,14

Paul does not recommend looking back! There was a “mark” ahead that engaged his full attention. Looking back can be dangerous! Looking back on the old life with it’s failures, mistakes and unpleasant experiences can serve no good purpose. We all would like to do some things over but that cannot be!

I take it to mean that we should not be discouraged over what we did wrong, for which we have received God’s forgiveness, and we should be proud over what we did right, “Pride goeth before destruction..”(Proverbs 16:18)

The Psalmist wrote, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12)

Leave them there! God forgave us our past and gave us a future! Concentrate on the “mark” ahead.

Paul said “I press toward the mark...” Someone paraphrased that to read, “I’m going flat out for the finish!” I’m not sure that would hold up under investigation of the professional translators, but it sounds pretty good. We have no time to look back at trials or triumphs; the goal is ahead!

There is an exception! David looked back, with much thankfulness, remembering the ”horrible pit from which God brought him out.” (Psalm 40:2) and he had no desire to go back.

Jesus spoke about it. “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) I grew up on a farm. You cannot plow a straight furrow if you keep looking back! If you keep looking back you will end up where you didn’t plan to be.

I can’t go back to where I have been but when I get to where I am going I will be there for a long, long time so I will keep my eyes on the mark and my hand on the plow.

Regret and remorse are bad and we can’t change the past but we can live today so we won’t regret it tomorrow. Our past has been written but the blood of Jesus erased everything that God didn’t want to look at. Whatever your past may have been, if you have now accepted Jesus as Savior, you have a great future.

He Will Come

2012-02-07T02:42:00.000-08:00

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come...

2n.Peter 3:8-10

God never gets in a hurry! He is eternal and therefore can be very patient. On the contrary we seem to often be, as some say, “working against time”. We are trying to get things done before we run out of time. God doesn’t have that problem! One of God’s days is a thousand years as we reckon time. He will get everything done on time according to His reckoning.

Some people try to put God into our time frame and that gets them into trouble. The above Scripture states that “The day of the Lord will come...”! Verses 3,4 of chapter 1 tells us of some, in the last days, claim that because the “Day of the Lord’ has not dawned in the two thousand years since the promise was written that he is not going to come at all. That is a dangerous position to take! It has only been two days on God’s time -table and the day will come, just like He said.

God has plenty of time but we are not sure about how much we have. Some mistakenly think that they (As the Rich Farmer of Luke 12) have more time than they actually have. Some things need to be attended to while we do have time! Our relationship with the Lord is the most important matter in our lives and should not be neglected.

Many years ago the Israelites made that mistake and found themselves crying, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” (Jeremiah 8:20) The scoffers of 2nd.Peter 3:3 may find themselves saying “The day of the Lord has come and we are not saved.”

It is a great mistake for men to attempt to predict when God will or will not do certain things. It is enough to know that if He says that he will then He will. John had it right! When Jesus said, “Surely I come quickly.” John answered “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)

Paradise

2012-02-06T02:21:00.001-08:00

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into the kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise.

Luke 23:42-43

Jesus promised the repentant thief that he would, at his death that very day, be with Him in paradise. Paradise is Jesus’ name for the place where all believers go when they leave this life. There is a future place of habitation for the believers that is called the “The New Jerusalem” The City Foursquare” “The Celestial City” that will, in God’s time come down to be located on the new earth and we find some description of it in Revelation chapters 21,22”

We have practically no description of Paradise, also called the “Third Heaven” by Paul. (2nd.Corinthians 12:2) Paul visited this place once but not allowed to describe it to us.

I suppose that if we were allowed to see paradise we would want to go to that incredible place immediately and thereby leave our life’s work here undone.

It is a place prepared for a great group of people that Jesus calls His church. His church is made up of an innumerable multitude (Revelation 7:9) of people of every age, size, shape, color and language with one common denominator, their love and devotion to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Our future existence there is secure.

In answer to a question by Jesus as to who they, the disciples, thought that he was, Peter answered , “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus answered that God had revealed that truth to Peter and upon that truth He would build His church and “...the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:16,17)

The Bible informs us that there are two places where men go after leaving this life and our decision concerning Jesus Christ will determine to which place we shall go.

A little girl was born blind and at about ten years of age, an operation gave her the ability to see. It was a beautiful spring day and she looked upon the trees, green grass and colorful flowers for the first time and said. “Mother, Why didn’t you tell me how beautiful it is?” The mother replied, “I couldn’t describe it to you, Darling! You had to see it for yourself!”

That’s the way with paradise! It couldn’t be described to us in our mortal state, we shall have to see it for ourselves.

The Gospel

2012-02-05T01:57:00.001-08:00

Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel;

2nd.timothy 2:7-8

Paul preached the Gospel and he claimed it as his own (that which he had experienced and was committed to). He also explained the great foundational truth that distinguished his Gospel from false gospels that were being propagated. “Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead...”

Paul’s Gospel was the story of the resurrected Jesus and if Jesus were removed or His resurrection denied then there was no gospel at all. The Jesus, that some believe was simply a good man with a good cause and who died for that cause then slipped into oblivion, is not the Christ of the Gospel that Paul preached.

The Jesus who some teach was a created being who came into the world, died on a cross and whose body is preserved somewhere in space, is not the Christ of the Gospel that Paul preached. The Jesus that some teach, was just the product of an indiscretion by his mother Mary, is not the Christ of the Gospel that Paul preached.

The Jesus of the Gospel that Paul preached was “ That personal expression, that Word, that was with God and was God, and He existed with God from the beginning.” (John 1:2 J. B. Phillips) The Jesus of the Gospel that Paul preached was that One who said, “I am Alpha and Omega...who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty.” ...”Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, the Living One. I am He who was dead, and now you see Me alive for timeless ages...” (Revelation 1:8,18)

Paul warned the churches of accepting any other gospel than the Gospel that he had preached to them, saying, “ “As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:9) Not a politically correct statement but he makes his point.

Any watered-down version of a gospel that compromises the Deity of the Jesus of the Gospel that Paul preached is not only useless but under God’s judgment.

Since the enemy cannot deny “that He was” he tries to deny “Who He was and is” but our hope is in the Jesus who is exactly what Paul’s Gospel (and the rest of the Bible) claims that He is.

Regeneration

2012-02-04T02:37:00.001-08:00

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost:

Titus 3:5

Paul is speaking of a necessary work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of men and women to prepare them for eternal life in heaven. He calls it regeneration! Regeneration is not reformation! Reformation is an improvement of the old! Regeneration, in it’s Bible meaning, is the creation of the new.! “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; (not just repaired) behold, all things are become new.” (2nd.Corinthians 5:17)

Paul didn’t need reformation! He said, “...touching the righteousness which is in the law, (he was) blameless.” (See Philippians 3:3-6) Paul was about as ethically proper as was humanly possible but men don’t need to become more of what they already are, even if it is good. We need to become something that we never were before! We must become a “new creature” not a better “old creature” Jesus said that the very best “old creatures” cannot even see heaven.

He was talking to a man who, like Paul, was the best that the keeping of the law could produce. Jesus said “...Except a man be born again (become something new) he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

Nicodemus, to whom Paul was speaking, was convinced that people could be taught to qualify for heaven and he thought that Jesus was the best teacher that had come to Israel. “...we know that thou art a teacher come from God...” (John 3:2) Nicodemus was more discerning than many other religious leaders of his time but he still had farther to go.

He was right about the teaching of Jesus! No one ever taught as Jesus taught but after all He wrote the curriculum. Even the best students must be born into the family and Jesus taught that faith in, and acceptance of Him, as Savior, was the only way that could be accomplished. It can’t be learned; it must be experienced! “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth, so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

It was C.S.Lewis who said that to prepare ourselves for heaven We would have to “do what we cannot and become what we are not.” Obviously, we must depend on another to “do what we cannot and make us what we are not” and only Jesus can accomplish that.

The Harvest

2012-02-03T02:39:00.000-08:00

...The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat...

The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

...The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

Matthew 13:26,27,33,47,48

The three parables above teach, among other things, a common danger. The enemy manages to get the bad mixed in with the good!

The fact of the good cannot be denied so the enemy attempts to pervert, dilute and belittle the good. Skeptics are diligent to publicize and emphasize the tares, leaven and bad fish but give little or no attention to the genuine.

There could be no imitation if there were no genuine! There can be no hypocrite if there is no genuine!

The tares, leaven and bad fish are the result of unbelief in the authenticity of God’s word. The enemy started it a long time ago when he suggested to Eve that God did not really mean what He said (Genesis 3) and it continues today.

“It is a mistake in translation!” “It cannot be taken literally!” etc! etc!

God is not a politician campaigning for public office and He says what He means regardless of whether men vote for Him or not!

If the enemy likes tares so well why doesn’t he plant his own field? He does have some fields of tares but he wants to control God’s field also and his method is to plant tares. The tares are there but they don’t represent the field! Tares are like the terrorists of our time, they live among the wheat but their loyalty is to the enemy.

The “God doesn’t mean what he says” crowd would like to be representative of the whole field and much of the present liberal media promotes and publicizes their agenda.

The parables also teach that a day will come when the tares, leavened bread, bad fish and the world of unbelievers will know that He means what he says.

At the present time God is more concerned with preserving the good than in removing the bad but the time will come.

The Price Of Redemption

2012-02-02T02:51:00.000-08:00

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s

1st Corinthians 6:20

We are living at a time when men buy and sell for unbelievably enormous sums of money. It is not uncommon to read of one large company or corporation buying out another for billions of dollars.

The Scripture above refers to the purchase price of the redemption and reconciliation of fallen mankind. The price was a far greater amount than any recorded buying transaction of this or any other generation. When God created the universe He had only to speak the word but when He redeemed mankind He had to die on a cross.

Thousands have attended the theaters to see the Mel Gibson film, “The Passion of Christ”. There are, of course, a few protesters saying that it is “too graphic” “Anti-Semitic” etc. etc. but, “That is how it happened because that is how it had to happen” if the human race would be redeemed.

All of the money in the world could not pay the redemption price for one soul. Peter writes, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver and gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood , as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” (1st Peter 1:18,19)

I cannot explain why Jesus had to suffer the agonies of Calvary but if it had not been necessary it would not have happened and I shall praise and thank Him throughout eternity for His love and His willingness to do that for me.

There was no other way and for people to reject the cross is a very, very, serious offence against God and His love.

The Lord Jesus paid an unbelievably great price for our salvation and reconciliation, yet, we do not become His possession automatically. It is written, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say,Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17)

The price was paid but “whosoever will” must “come” and “take” It is our decision and the most important decision that we shall ever be called upon to make.

2012-02-01T02:16:00.001-08:00

...For whosoever would come near to God must (necessarily) believe that God exists...

Hebrews 11:6 Amplified N.T.

There have been a few times during my years as a minister that I have been asked for a Scriptural reference to prove the existence of God. The fact is that the writers of the Bible made no particular effort to prove that God exists. They did not believe it necessary, but took the position that God is a “self-evident fact” and needs no proof of existence.

The Scripture does remind us of considerable evidence all about us of the existence of the Almighty. Psalm 19:1 reads, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth His handiwork.” (Not an accident of nature but the work of the Great Creator) Hebrews 1:10 reads, “And Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thine hands.”

The above mentioned evidence points to the existence of the Creator God and any other explanation for that evidence falls far short of being believable.

Belief in a Supreme Being is universal but knowledge of the true God and what He is, has been sadly distorted. Phillip the disciple once said the Jesus, “Show us the Father..” And Jesus replied, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:8,9)

Martin Luther taught that men could only understand God by looking at Jesus Christ. Jesus came not only to reconcile men and women to God but also to teach and demonstrate what God is like.

When He multiplied the loaves and the fish He demonstrated that God is not only concerned about the needs of His people but is able to supply those needs. When He calmed the storm on Galilee He demonstrated that God is able to calm the storms of life and bring peace to the troubled soul. When He willingly suffered and died on the cross at Calvary He demonstrated the love of God in a way that no man ever understood God’s love before.

All the words ever spoken and all the books ever written could not explain God’s love for us as Jesus’ voluntary death on the cross explained it.

The text above further states that, “we must believe that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Surely a look at the cross will eliminate any doubt that the God Who loves us that much will reward our faith and trust in Him by changing our lives and bringing us into a place of fellowship with Him.

The Way Of Faith Will See Us Through

2012-01-31T02:00:00.000-08:00

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

Isaiah 54:17

The above promise was spoken by an Old Testament prophet about 2800 years ago but is a promise that we can and should appropriate for our present time.

We see many disturbing developments on our present society, all contrary to the Christian faith and we wonder what they will try next.

It seems that many, if not most, federal judges now can be depended upon to rule in favor of the opponents of the faith. In Congress, the opposition has the advantage in that, in most cases, they only need 1/3 of the vote to defeat any legislation that favors the Christian doctrine or way of life.

Morality is ridiculed while lewdness is promoted and protected, and like Lot of old, God’s people are ‘distressed’ by such conduct. (2nd.Peter 2:7)

How far will this trend go? I don’t know, but there is a limit, and in the end God’s people will be on the winning side. Legislation can change conditions where we are but no amount of legislative maneuvering can change what we are.

We are warned of times like these when, ”iniquity will abound and the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:121) Don’t let it happen to you! Actually, those who are promoting and indulging in, the kind of activities that “vex our soul” are not more numerous, they are just louder.

There is a great multitude of people in our land, who love God dearly, but most are trying to “live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1st Timothy 2:2) and are seldom heard from. We need to change that! We have some excellent men of God in Congress now and they need to hear from us.

Don’t mind the accusations! Our position is not ‘Radical Right’ ‘Right Wing’ ‘Christian Conservative’ or any of those pithy little titles coined by politicians, we stand in the “Righteousness of God” as imputed to us when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and we are not ashamed.

Because of that, weapons are formed against us but the promise above is that “they shall not prosper” and the “righteousness of God” will see us through.

John the Baptist

2012-01-30T03:48:00.001-08:00

“And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John...”

“Verily I say unto you. Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding that he is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Read Matthew (11:7-11)

Jesus has just claimed that there had been no prophet born up to that present time that was greater than John the Baptist! That must have fallen with a strange sound upon the ears of the assembled Jews who had always considered Moses to be the greatest of all prophets and probably, Elijah, running a close second. Moses was the Great Deliverer and Elijah the Defender of the Faith. Both called down judgment from heaven upon the enemies of Israel and many of the Jews of Jesus’ time would have liked to see that happen to the Romans.

I don’t believe that the greatness of John, as referred to by Jesus, had to do with miracles of deliverance or destruction of enemies, I believe it was a matter of privilege. The prophets had all looked ahead to the day when Messiah would come. Moses had said, “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him ye shall hearken.” (Deuteronomy 18:15)

John had the great and unique privilege of standing before Israel, pointing to Jesus and announcing, “There He is!” (John 1:29-34) There is no greater privilege!

Jesus made another strange statement saying, “...he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (John) Did He mean that we Believers are greater than John or the prophets? Once again it is a matter of privilege!

Most of us are not miracle workers in the class of Elijah & Company. If we must cross a river we shall have to use a bridge or boat and when the meal barrel is empty we usually make a trip to the supermarket.

We can look back at the cross! We have a message that the prophets didn’t have! We can say “Now is the day of salvation...” The redemption price has been paid! Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life...” It is the greatest message ever proclaimed! No prophet could match it!

When the rivers rolled back there were other rivers to cross and when the enemies were defeated they would regroup and attack again. When you share the salvation message of Jesus Christ with others you are offering them that which is of an eternal nature. Life that will last forever!

It is impossible to do anything greater than that!

The Greatest Question Ever Asked

2012-01-29T02:11:00.001-08:00

And he called for lights, and rushed in and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.

And after he brought them out, he said,, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.”

Acts 16:29-31

The jailer’s question is the greatest question ever asked and Paul’s answer is within the reach all! The salvation of the soul is, by far, the most important matter in any life but, often it is the last matter to be considered.

Matters pertaining to this life only, are carefully attended to while the matter of the eternal life to come often is left to chance and that is a direct violation of a command of Jesus. He said “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Like Martha (Luke 10:40) you can be careful and worried about many things but when you come to the end of the journey it has a way of changing your priorities.

Jesus said that it is best to seek Him first and Paul said that ‘right now’ is the best time to attend to the matter of our soul’s salvation. (2nd Corinthians 6:2)

Jesus spoke a parable, recorded in (Matthew 25:1-12) that we call the parable of the ten virgins. The explanations and interpretations for this parable are many but one point comes through very clear.

The five were not ready for the coming of the Bridegroom, they did not get ready, the Bridegroom came, the door was shut and the last time those five were heard from they were still on the outside.

Procrastination is a dangerous habit!

Any matter of grave importance in our life that must be attended to within a time frame is the target of the enemy. He will try his utmost to influence us to postpone the matter until the time is past. Men will neglect the matter of their soul’s salvation but the enemy will never neglect his efforts to cause men to continue to neglect.

The Philippian jailer took the right approach and brought about a happy conclusion. “And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds and immediately he was baptized and all his household.” (v.33)

Like myself, you may not be a vocalist, but it’s important that we be able to sing from our heart, “The old account was settled long ago.”

The Rent Veil

2012-01-28T02:27:00.000-08:00

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom…

Matthew 27:50-51 NAS

The above Scripture records the death of a man Who did not have to die! Death had no power over Him! He chose to die that we might live!

The death of Jesus Christ was accompanied by several extraordinary events. Consider the significance of the torn veil which separated men from God’s presence.

When Jesus died, an unseen hand tore the veil from top to bottom. No human hand could have torn the veil! No priest would have dared to try! The earthquake did not do it! It was not torn to shreds but cleanly and equally divided, opening the only access to the Holy place.

Who or what is responsible for the torn veil? It was the death of Jesus, the one and only permanent sacrifice for sin, that made the provision and it was the Hand of Almighty God Who performed it.

As the veil separated men from the “Most Holy place” in the Temple, sin separates mankind from God. Isaiah wrote “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God..” (Isaiah 59:2) God did not want the separation to continue and knowing that although man occasioned it, mankind could not correct it. He made provision! Jesus, Who knew no sin, became a sin offering. (2nd. Corinthians 5:2) Reconciliation was made possible and the outward evidence was the torn veil.

Men didn’t know what God was like but the life and death of Jesus revealed God. The life, the teaching and the miracles of Jesus during His ministry revealed what God was and His death and resurrection validated every promise that He made. He said that He had power over death and the empty tomb proves it! The terror of death is past and the hope of eternal life is made real. Jesus said, “No man comes to the Father but by Me” (John 14:6) and the rent veil symbolizes that access to God.

The veil has not been re-installed and repentant souls can, by virtue of that sacrifice, enter into the presence of God.

God's Mercy

2012-01-27T02:42:00.001-08:00

When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry...

Jonah 3:10 , 4:1

The sins of Nineveh had become so flagrant that God would tolerate them no longer and He sent Jonah with a message of judgment. After much persuasion by God, Jonah arrived and preached his message in the city. The people believed the message, repented in sackcloth and God decided not to send the threatened judgment, which aggravated the already disgruntled prophet even more.

Jonah had a false view of the purpose of God’s judgment, which some today share. God’s judgment is not a “get even” proposition! The purpose of His judgment is of a remedial nature if men will accept it as such.

The Apostle Peter informed us that “ ...God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent.” (Acts 17:30) If the threat of judgment will accomplish that which God desires then the actual judgment is not necessary. The choice is for men to make! Jesus also said that it is “...repent or perish...” (Luke 13:3)

If men will not repent and turn (Isaiah 55:7) at the threat of judgment then the actual judgment must fall and that is a thought too terrible to consider.

There is a limit! When the limit is reached, only God knows! The record shows that Sodom reached that limit where the message and the messenger was rejected (Genesis 19:9) and Sodom became only a scorched spot on the desert floor.

The matter of concern to us is the ‘Sodom’ philosophy emerging in our world today. Is it as widespread as the news media would have us believe? If so, has the world reached it’s limit? I don’t know; but it’s getting there! What are we to do?

We can’t condone that which God condemns. Your Bible reads the same as your grandfather and great-grandfather’s Bible read. God hasn’t changed! Romans 2 tells the story. Lot was the only believer in God in his city but God knew who and where he was and He knows about you and I.

The world has been warned but the world in general has rejected the message and ignored the threat, which assures a coming judgment. It is also written, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”(1st.Thessalonians 5:9) and that is a matter of individual choice.

the Fear Of The Lord

2012-01-26T01:43:00.001-08:00

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.

“Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.”

1st.Peter 3:12-14

We do not fear what the world fears but we do fear that which the world does not fear and that is where our paths separate.

The world does not fear the Lord nor try to walk in His ways. As a result, the things that they have tolerated and even approved have now begun to bear fruit and they are fearful of where it is leading. Ungodly living habits, legalized pornography, uncensored TV violence, and the rejection of God’s word have all resulted in a world of violence that is getting out of control.

We do fear the Lord and although we recognize the mounting dangers in our world we do not fear because we know that our future does not depend upon the world or it’s leaders.

God made the world, declared it good (Genesis 1:31) and placed men in charge but holds men accountable. It is about time to audit the books and it doesn’t look very promising for mankind in general.

Men recognize the danger but cannot or will not, admit to the cause. I remember a comic strip of many years ago called “Pogo” in which the little imaginary creature announced, “We has met the enemy and he is us!”

Contrary to the claims of some politicians, lawyers, judges and special interest groups, God is not the problem, God is the solution.

Men’s own conduct, behavior and rejection of God is the problem.

Paul spoke of such a time and said, in part, “...”Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” (The reason) “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:15-18)

We recognize the danger but as those who ‘fear the Lord’ we see beyond the coming judgment to the solution and we are not afraid.

The Mercy Of God

2012-01-25T01:40:00.000-08:00

O Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for his mercy endureth forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south. And He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.

Psalm 107:1,2,3,7

I think that most of you have had the experience of awakening in the morning with the words of a Scripture or a song in your mind. This morning I have had the words of the old hymn “God Leads Us Along” on my mind and I feel that I should share it with you.

“In shady green pastures, so rich and so sweet, God leads His dear children along; Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet God leads His dear children along.”

“Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright, God leads His dear children along; Sometimes in the valley in the darkest night. God leads His dear children along.”

Our journey through life is a combination of the, pleasant and the problem, the sunny and the stormy, the smooth sailing and the bumpy road, but leads ever on to our celestial home.

Through it all we have a traveling companion Who knows the way and promised “...lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20)

We have an enemy who doesn’t want us to continue our journey and will try to make the problems bigger, the storms stormier and the roads bumpier but the Psalmist gave us the solution for that, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.” (v.21)

Praises to God, are to the devil, like the handwriting on the wall was to Beltshazzar; It tells him that his presence is not wanted here anymore.

Following the Lord’s leading will not guarantee that we shall avoid the hard places but the promise is that we shall, with His help, go through the hard places and reach our destination.

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” (Isaiah 43:2)

With God leading, we cannot be stopped!

We're Going Through

2012-01-24T02:39:00.001-08:00

And straightway Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a ship, and to go before Him unto the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes way, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when evening was come He was there alone.

But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

Matthew 14:22-24

Contrary winds are a fact of life! We are on a journey and somewhere between here and there we shall all encounter “contrary winds”. Usually, the first question asked is “Why!” and usually there is no answer. One thing that we can be assured of is that God allows the storms to strengthen us not to destroy us.

Jonah encountered a storm because he was running from God so he didn’t have to ask why, he knew why! (Jonah 1:12) The disciples were following direct instructions from Jesus yet the storm descended on them and they probably wondered why.

They learned, by direct experience, that Jesus was the master of the storm and that He walks, even on troubled waters.(v.25)

Storms in the physical realm are not pleasant. I have been in two storms at sea and if God be pleased, I would prefer not to be in another one. We have faced storms and contrary winds in the spiritual realm in our service for the Lord and as we are not yet home there may be more. We were on a mission for the Lord when I was diagnosed with colon cancer. The panel of doctors said, “You cannot live! You will die” Jesus came walking on the troubled waters in the night and said, “You will not die! I have work for you!” That was twenty two years ago.

One important point to remember about this story is that when Jesus said, “I’m sending you unto the other side!” He didn’t mean that he was sending them to get halfway there and drown.

Notwithstanding the storms of life, I believe that, with God’s help and by His promise, we can finish our work and reach the other side.

Maybe we shall learn the reason for the storms then but more likely they will not seem important.(John 16:21)

We can go through life singing “Nobody knows the troubles I’ve seen” or we can sing “I’m going through, Jesus. I’m going through!”

Seek The Lord

2012-01-23T01:42:00.000-08:00

Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while he is near.

Isaiah 55:6

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you.

Hosea 10:12

Some things in life are inevitable! Some things are going to happen to you regardless of how you feel about it. Going to heaven is not one of those things! You and I share many experiences with all people. We are born, we grow up, we live our life and we die. What happens next is not a matter of fate it is a matter of choice!

We are traveling the way that leads to a future life with God or we are traveling the way that leads to eternal separation from God, (Matthew 7:13,14) and that by choice. Our choice to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior puts us on the upward path to life with God and our failure to accept Jesus allows us to continue on the downward path leading ever farther away from God.

Hosea assured us that “right now is the best time to seek the Lord” and Isaiah remained us to “seek Him while He may be found.” These statements warn us that, for every man, there is a time when God cannot be found and their final destiny has become fixed.

Now since God has never been known to become lost then our inability to find him must be the result of one of two things; We are not seeking Him with the proper attitude or we have waited too long and have entered that place where God never listens.

Jesus Christ is the “Way” and the only way of salvation (John 14:6 : Acts 4:12) and we are to seek Him as the only “Way” and we are to seek Him while in this life. Postponing the decision could be fatal!

We must seek Him on His terms. We are to seek Him, being convinced that without Him as our Savior we would be irrecoverably lost. It is not a decision involving a choice between two ways of life it is a choice between life and death.

It is not choosing Jesus as an insurance policy in case of future emergency, it is submitting to Jesus as our Lord and Him being in control of our day by day living.

God has provided many automatic benefits for all people, the water we drink, the air we breath etc. but salvation is not one of them. Salvation is available to all but comes to those who “seek the Lord.”

Our New Home

2012-01-22T01:58:00.000-08:00

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:2

There is much about our future existence that God has not chosen to reveal to us but John’s record of his vision as recorded in Revelation chapters 21 & 22 reveal some details.

I want to consider some facts this morning! There is a place prepared; Promised by Jesus (John 14:1-3) and described by John. Not everyone on earth will choose to go there, but for those of us who have chosen Jesus and made our reservation, it is natural that we want to know as much as possible about our future home.

The “place prepared” is described as a city, and such a city as the world has never built or imagined. It is an “eternal city” for the inhabitants of eternity.(2nd.Corinthians 5:1,2) All of the great cities of ancient times have crumbled into the dust but the city described above shall last, as those things that destroy on earth will not exist there.

There will be no nuclear devices to blow it away! There will be no earthquakes to shake it down! There will be no fire to burn it up! There will be no vandals to deface and destroy! The city has gates but they are never shut! “And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.” (Rev. 21:25) There will be no need for hospitals, police departments or insurance companies there for there will no crime there, the inhabitants will never get sick and Jesus is our ‘life insurance.”

It is a part of that “kingdom which cannot be moved” (Hebrews 12:28)

In our country where so many are obsessed with the obtaining of the uncertain riches of the world, it is somewhat of an enigma that many are unconcerned about the certain riches in serving Christ.

There isn’t an investment company in the country that can absolutely guarantee your investment! There isn’t a realtor in the country that can guarantee that your new home will not deprecate and need to be replaced.

An investment in God’s economy (Matthew 6:19,20) is the only real security available. Everything that we work for down here will be left behind and when we leave we won’t have time to look back. (1st.Corinthians 15:52)

Now is the time to make your reservation for a dwelling place in that eternal city seen by John.

Jesus The Christ!!

2012-01-21T02:40:00.000-08:00

He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said; Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build this church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:15-18

The true church is built upon the words of divine revelation that Peter spoke, “THOU ART THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.” And it is indestructible.

You may choose to belong to any one of a number of denominations but that in itself does not make you a true Christian. If you believe the truth of Peter’s confession and commit your life to that “Son of the Living God” as your Saviour, that does make you a true Christian.

Denominations rise and fall but the true church cannot be destroyed. The church has been viciously attacked since its inception but it is still here. It has been attacked in every generation, the present one being no exception but it numbers more true disciples now than ever before.

It is indestructible because it is not devised by men but is created by God. It consists of an innumerable multitude of people and it continues because it is built by Jesus, “I will build”, it belongs to Jesus, ”My church” and is sustained by Jesus, “The gates of hell shall not prevail.”

The attack continues but when the last complaint has been filed, the last legal brief has been presented and the last judicial decision has been rendered, the church will still be here.

When men’s rebellion has reached a climax and Armageddon is destroying it’s millions, the true church will still be here, or more likely , largely, up there.

If you want to be part of something that will not rust away, fade away and cannot be stolen away, (Matthew 6:19) the church that Jesus founded and still maintains is your answer. He is still saying “Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden...” Matthew 11:28)

In the words of the old spiritual, “Get on board, little chillen! There’s room for many a more!”

Priorities

2012-01-20T02:01:00.000-08:00

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Matthew 16:26

The verse above is about profit and loss! That is common subject right now. Like most of you we are barraged with phone calls and mailings advising us that interest rates are down and it is wise to refinance our home, accept another half dozen credit cards etc. What they say is, no doubt, true enough but I am more concerned with the profit and loss that Jesus is referring to.

What possible comparison could a serious person draw between material possessions that shall all be left behind, if they are acquired at the expense of our soul salvation?

There is an additional meaning here also because Jesus knew that the time would come when those who believed in Him who have to choose between their most precious earthly possession, their temporary life here, or their eternal life with Jesus. It was a choice that many have had to make, “Deny Jesus or we light the fire!”

There are countries in our modern world where disciples of Jesus are required to make that choice. We are not faced with such a decision at this time but it is a fact that life in the United States, for many, is a constant search for temporary possessions and prosperity which can result in the sacrifice of eternal things.

Jesus has warned us! Whether it be the threat of martyrdom or the love of earthly things, if it turns you from your journey the results are the same. The methods don’t matter much to the enemy, it is the result that he is interested in.

He is telling us that some would have to choose to stand true to Jesus and have their earthly life shortened but would to live with Him eternally. Others would deny Jesus and live out their earthly life and its enjoyments but when they leave, as they surely shall, there will be no eternal life with Jesus awaiting them.

The J. B. Phillips NT. Reads this way, “For what good is it for a man to gain the whole world at the price of his real life? What could a man offer to buy back that life once he has lost it?”

The answer is, of course, that nothing can be offered. We have this life to decide for, and live for, Jesus. When we leave we are in a permanent situation.

Knowing God

2012-01-19T02:16:00.000-08:00

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet have you not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, Show us the Father?”

John 14:8-9 NAS

Mankind has always had a longing to know about God! After having alienated themselves from God by disobedience and having further lost the knowledge of God by continued rebellion and disobedience men began to manufacture their own images and teaching of God.

Their teachings were false and became more so and they drifted farther and farther away from any confidence in or relationship with God.

God took the matter in hand and in the “fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4) Jesus came into the world. He was born into an ordinary family of Israel, grew up in the, otherwise, insignificant village of Nazareth, worked as a carpenter and at thirty years of age became an itinerant preacher. He taught about God and demonstrated God in ways that all men can understand, if they want to.

Jesus Christ was truly man and truly God and is God’s way of revealing to mankind what He is like. 1. Jesus walked, ate and slept as a man. He thought, spoke and acted as God. 2. He was born as a human but angels adored Him as God. (Luke 2:7-14) 3. He fell asleep in the fishing boat as a man, a tired and weary man but when He stood up and spoke to the storm, He spoke as God. (Mark 4:38,39) 4. Like a man He wept at the grave of Lazarus but when He called the dead man forth from the tomb, He was God speaking. (John 11:35-44)

As a man He was nailed to a cross but when the sun refused to shine, the earth shuddered in horror at the sight, the veil in the temple was rent and the dead arose, at least one discerning man said, “We have nailed God to a cross this day.” (Matthew 27:35-54)

When Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son from the beginning, (John 1:1-3) died on a cross that men “should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16) He demonstrated what God is like in a way that cannot be misunderstood.

Jesus is God’s ‘word’ to the world and He speaks in a language that all men can understand.

More Than A Man

2012-01-18T02:00:00.000-08:00

And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon Him with the elders, And spake unto Him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? Or who is he that gavest thee this authority?

Luke 20:1-2

After witnessing the miraculous things that happened at a word from Jesus the priests, scribes and other officials, to quote a modern cliche, “Just didn’t get it!”

They couldn’t, or wouldn’t, see that Jesus was not just a man. He did not need to be given authority, He was the voice of authority. He was the Eternal Word of John 1:1. When He spoke, things happened!

Jesus was asleep in a small fishing boat with a few of His disciples when a sudden storm swept down upon them. They were in imminent danger of sinking, along with the several other boats that were part of the fleet. Jesus stood and spoke three words, “Peace, be still!” and the problem was solved, the danger past. The elements dared not disobey that voice of authority and the raging wind became a gentle breeze. (Mark 4:39)

Men said, “No man speaks like this man!” (John 7:46) He spoke to evil spirits saying “Come out!” and the evil spirits ‘came out’. He spoke to a certain man who had been crippled for 38 years, saying, “Rise, take up thy bed and walk.” (John 5:8) and the man rose up and walked away.

He spoke to the ‘untouchable’ lepers saying, “Be clean” and they were made perfectly whole. Yet the scribes and chief priests said, “Who gave you authority to do such things?” Pray tell, religious leaders, “Where do you think the power to do such marvelous things comes from?”

After they had crucified Jesus, contrary to what they expected, the miraculous did not cease. People were still delivered and lives were transformed by the power of the Name of the crucified One.

No one prayed in the name of Ca’ia-phas or Annas with any results! That should answer the question as to who is in charge.

Court rulings and judicial decisions then, could not restrict the power of that Name and Court decisions and rulings of apostate judges at this time, cannot limit the power of that Name.

Make no mistake! The day is coming, when, “Eevery tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10,11)

Precious Faith

2012-01-17T02:01:00.001-08:00

Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

2nd.Peter 1:1

The word precious is a favorite with the apostle Peter! He uses it often! Faith is a most precious commodity to the Believer since we are people who “live by faith”. (Habakkuk 2:4 , Romans 1:17 , Galatians 3:11 , Hebrews 10:38)

The disciples once said to Jesus, “Lord, Increase our faith.” (Luke 17:5) Jesus answered “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, that is enough.”

So it is not a matter of having a bushel of faith it is a matter of having faith in the right object. Faith in Jesus Christ is of great value! It will get you to heaven! “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)

As concerning heavenly things, faith in anything except Jesus is a mistake and a waste of time. It has always been a characteristic of mankind to prefer trusting in almost anything except God. Consider the past and present millions who reject Jesus and trust in all manner of means, methods and men to get them to heaven. If you have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour of your soul, that faith is your most precious possession. Guard it well!

A present day Luciferian teaching that enjoys considerable acceptance even among professing Christians is that Jesus is a good way but He is not the only way. That there are many other good ways and that if you believe and have faith in those ways that although they may take a little different route, they will get you there.

We better follow Jesus! Heaven is His home town and He can come and go at will and I don’t know where those other teachers have gone. None of them have ever come back with a report.

We have faith in some people and that’s proper as long as we know they work under a ceiling and are limited. When it comes to making heaven our future home we must have faith in the only One who knows no limits and never fails. You will never hear Jesus say, “Sorry! I did my best but I can’t help you.”

God Working

2012-01-16T01:43:00.001-08:00

And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and he rested from all His work which He had made.

Genesis 2:2

And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, “My Father worketh hitherto and I work.”

John 5:16-17

Jesus’ statement that the Father never stopped working on the Sabbath and neither did He, was shattering to the Jews and infuriated them to the point that they wanted to kill Him.

The statement in Genesis had to do only with certain work. God rested from His six days of creation but He never stops doing, nor does Jesus. We read in (Colossians 1:16,17) “For by Him were all things created...and by Him all things consist.” (are held together)

If God stopped working for one day His creation would be in great trouble. His work of creation is complete but he is still in control of its operation. The rivers still flow, the rain still falls, the earth still rotates, the sun rises and sets and men live and die. All because God is working and we don’t worry.

The redemption process is still at work and when we have an emergency need and go to Him in prayer we are never told that it is His day off.

You never call on the “Royal Telephone” and hear a voice saying our office hours are nine to five Monday through Friday. He is Jehovah-Shammah—The Lord Who is there.(Ezekiel 48:35)

We can sleep because he doesn’t! “I will both lay me down in peace and sleep: for Thou Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8 ) “Behold He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:4)

1st.Kings 18 records the story of Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal. The sacrifice was laid out on Mount Carmel and the prophets of Baal were trying unsuccessfully to persuade Baal to send fire on the sacrifice. Elijah suggested that their god was asleep and therefore could not hear them.

Elijah called on the God who never sleeps and always hears and the fire fell out of a clear sky.

We can walk through life in confidence because God is awake, active and always working on our behalf and for our benefit.

Following Jesus

2012-01-15T02:38:00.001-08:00

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in His name, when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them because He knew all men.

John 2:23-24

Jesus calls for men and women to follow Him but Jesus wants men and women to understand fully what it means to follow Him. The crowds were attracted to the miracles that Jesus performed but they were less enthused about the “take up your cross” business. Like the rich young ruler of (Mark 10:17-22) they went away sad.

Being a follower of Jesus invariably caused suffering and Jesus wanted men to know that. There was a price to pay for becoming a disciple of Jesus but the eternal benefits of such a decision could not be priced. Paul wrote, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

The “loaves and fishes” preaching is very popular but what about the “take up your cross” part? In America we are seldom subjected to physical violence because of our faith in Christ, but it could happen. The enemy has other ways to try your faith and mine. When we dedicate our lives to following Jesus, opposition will come. You can plan on it!

It is written, “...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5) Hard times come to all of us but Jesus will not forsake us in the hard times. He knew “all men” and He knows that some would and do forsake Him in hard times. A poor decision! It is in the hard times when we desperately need His strength and help.

He also knows that there are those whose love and determination is only strengthened by hard times. Some have been called “fairweather friends” Don’t be a “fairweather follower.” Don’t be as the young man who said to his girl friend, “I love you so much that I would climb the highest mountain and swim the deepest river for you. I’ll see you Friday night, if it don’t rain!”

In the words of the song, “He is the God of the mountain and He is the God of the valley. He is the God of the good times and the God of the bad. He is the God of the day and the God of the night.”

Hard times will come to the child of God but we are not going down we are going up. With His help there aren’t enough hard times to keep us from “going through.”

Daniel

2012-01-14T01:20:00.000-08:00

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm... Then said these men, “We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of His God.”

Daniel 6:3-5

Daniel held a high ranking position in the ancient Babylonian kingdom and King Darius determined to appoint Daniel as, second only to himself in authority over the realm. (v.3) This offended a lot of people but they couldn’t find fault with the way that Daniel fulfilled his obligations so they had to think of something else.

They knew that Daniel prayed to God three times a day so they all got together, presidents, governors, princes, counselors and captains. They passed a law against Daniel’s praying and brought it to the king for his signature.

They really didn’t expect Daniel to stop praying but if they could pass legislation against praying, they could remove Daniel from his position. What these men would not accept, is that praying people are a benefit to any nation or civilization. There are still those who maintain that a person who prays is disqualified from public office.

Their plan worked, up to a point! The king signed the decree, Daniel did not stop praying and he was cast into a den of lions for the night. There is something here that those men did not understand and some men have never understood, that to oppose the practice of praying is to oppose the One to whom the prayers are offered and that can be dangerous, as these men found out

At this point their plans took a turn for the worse. The lions had no appetite for Daniel; he came out unscathed and his accusers took his place in the den with the lions..

Daniel knew the penalty but He prayed anyway. His attitude was as his three friends of chapter 3:17,18 “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

Daniel was faithful to all of his responsibilities but if praying to his God was a crime, he pled guilty and accepted the consequences.

Running The Race

2012-01-13T01:50:00.000-08:00

Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Isaiah 28:16

These are strange words for most twenty first century ears considering that the order of the day is to ‘make haste’.

We have highways with no speed limits (not that most people would notice anyway). We have ‘Quick Stop Stores’ with instant foods for those who are in a perpetual hurry and cell phones so people can talk on the run.

I guess ‘hurrying’ is not a new practice. Evangelist D. L. Moody, preaching a sermon about 1860, remarked, “It is getting to where our young men all think that they must have a new buggy and a fast horse.”

You have probably seen the plaque that some businesses have displayed that reads, “The hurrier I go the behinder I get”

I don’t believe that we should take the above Scripture to mean that, as Christians, we do not feel the urgency of the work. I believe that it has to do more with the effectiveness of our efforts rather than the rapidity. As believers in the Lord we take time to prepare for His work.

Isaiah 40:31 reads, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” We shall run when running is required but we shall also wait on the Lord to renew our strength else we just ‘run down’.

In 2nd.Samuel chapter 18 you can read of the young man Ahimaaz. He ran fast but he didn’t wait the get a message.

Waiting on the Lord is not wasted time! Paul spoke of this in 1st.Corinthians 9:26, “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly: so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:”

Paul waited on the Lord so that when he ran, he had a message to deliver and when he fought he hit the target.

At this point in time, physically speaking, I still walk a lot, but seldom run. Spiritually, I do feel the urgency of the time but I have learned the necessity of waiting on the Lord so I can run and run well.

God's Great Love

2012-01-12T02:06:00.001-08:00

Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two son of Zebedee and begin to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face , and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Matthew 26:36-39

It was in a garden that our ancestors lost a battle with temptation, were evicted from the garden and from the fellowship with God that they had enjoyed.

It was in a garden that Jesus won a battle with temptation over the coming sufferings in which He became a sin offering and restored the lost privileges.

The Gospel writers do not give details about the contents of the “cup” (v.39) but Luke added that Jesus was in such agony at the sight of it that he “sweat great drops of blood” (Luke 22:44)

It is also revealed to us that Jesus wanted the company of His disciples during this time of great agony and he asked them to stand by and watch and pray. (Matthew 26:38 , (Luke 22:46)

He wanted their support but it was not to be so, for when He looked in on them they were asleep. (Matthew 26:40 , Luke 22:45) It had been written , “Reproach hath broken my heart; I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.” (Psalm 69:20)

Jesus fought the battle alone and won that we do not have to fight alone. “...lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:20)

If we presume to fight spiritual battles alone we shall lose.

Herein is another great truth! God desires our fellowship! If He didn’t care why would He have suffered such agony to restore what man had lost?

God is love and needs objects upon which to bestow that love and we are chosen. The greatest sin a person can commit is to despise and reject that love that sent Jesus to the cross of suffering. Such ingratitude will build again the wall of separation that Jesus died to tear down and men shall be worse off than at the beginning.

God's Provisions

2012-01-11T01:27:00.000-08:00

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, For there is one God and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

1st.timothy 2:2-6

In former President Bush’s State of the Union address. He spoke of his “No Child Left Behind” program and said, “I refuse to give up on any child!” “For they should all have an open door of opportunity”.

God has opened the door of opportunity to all mankind and He doesn’t want anyone left behind. The Scripture above reads, “God our Savior, Who would have all men to be saved.” And in 2nd.Peter 3:9 we read, “The Lord...is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

The provision has been made, “Christ Jesus who gave Himself a ransom for all.” , God is “not willing that any should perish.” But it is that repentance part that will cause people to be left behind.

The Gospel is called Good News. In the world, that which is good news to some is bad news to others. A manufacturing company moves the operation overseas. That is good news to that country for people will have jobs but it is bad news for our country because people here will lose their jobs.

The Gospel is good news to everyone except the devil! The Gospel, if accepted, will help everyone and hurt no one! The Gospel makes no distinction! “Whosoever will (every nation, kindred, people and tongue) Revelation 7:9) let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17)

God has an open door of opportunity to a life of eternal existence with Him and only those who refuse His invitation are left behind.

Some will be left behind simply because they never found time to make their reservations. It was the Israelites of Jeremiah’s day who cried, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” (Jeremiah 8:20) Perhaps Paul had this in mind when he wrote, “ behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2nd.Corinthians 6:2)

God’s invitation is open and our acceptance of that invitation is far too important a matter to postpone or neglect.

Building A Life

2012-01-10T01:56:00.000-08:00

And everyone who heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Read Matthew 7:24-29

In order to complete our journey through life, avoiding such a catastrophe as is described above, we need help! We need to know how to build a life, represented above by a house, that will not wash away, blow away or come apart! All of the necessary instructions are given to us, by Jesus, as revealed in the Holy Scripture. To build contrary to the Scriptures is to build on the sand.

We can start with one fact that cannot be denied. Storms come into every life! We cannot know when they will arrive and we do not know how long they will stay but we can be prepared. Jesus did not show us a way to avoid all storms but He did show us the way to survive all storms.

First of all we need a solid foundation! A good building will come down if the foundation gives way. At one time I held a position in my denominational district in which I was to oversee several churches. A certain church building in a nearby town, was settling on one side and I went to determine the cause.

Many years ago it was the practice to build on a foundation called ‘mud sills” Two trees were cut down and laid out on the ground in a parallel position. The top side was leveled off with an axe and the building was built on the logs. This church was built on ‘mud sills’ and time had destroyed the sills and the building was coming down.

There is only one foundation that will hold you and I up through the storms of life and that is faith and trust in Jesus. (See 1st.Corinthians 3:10,11) It is the only foundation that time and circumstances cannot affect.

Hebrews 6:19 tells us that we also need an anchor. We need an anchor to keep us in our place when the storms come and the only sure anchor is the foundation of faith and trust in Jesus Christ. We were on Kodiak Island, Alaska during the great earthquake of 1964 and the following tidal wave. I saw a lot of things that were not anchored to a solid foundation carried out to sea by the flood.

The Scripture reads “By Him (Jesus) all things, are held together..” Colossians 1”17 Amp.N.T.) Jesus holds all things together including your life and mine. Without His controlling influence in our life it can and often does, come apart.

The time to build on the foundation and anchor our soul to it, is before the storms arrive.

Bearing Fruit

2012-01-09T01:18:00.000-08:00

Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall.

Genesis 49:22

The Scripture above is the prophecy of Jacob concerning his son Joseph and the influence that Joseph’s life would be for God. Joseph is considered a type of the Lord Jesus Christ in many ways but I also see in this prophecy, a description of the New Testament Christian. Joseph’s life was to bear fruit even as the Christian’s life is to bear fruit, some of which are identified in (Galatians 5:22,23)

The reason that Joseph’s life will bear much fruit is that he is planted by a well. This truth is also emphasized in Psalm 1 “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law doth he mediate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season...”

The reason the man (or woman) of God brings forth fruit that will, (reach over the wall to others) is that they too have a connection with a river of water. With out the well Joseph could never have endured the trials and been a blessing and without the river the man of Psalm 1 could not have produced fruit and not wither.

It all depends on our contact with the river! Jesus said, “If any man (or woman) thirst let him come unto Me and drink. He that believeth on Me as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37,38)

We are called to be a conduit for the water of life to flow through to needy men and women. To do this we must maintain our constant contact with the source of life and blessing.

Most of us are common people without a wide range of influence but there are a lot of us. We occupy a small spot in a big world but that small spot should be a little better spot because we have been placed there by God to share His living water. We can be a “bough whose branches run over the wall” and a “disciple out of whose innermost being living water flows.” And “brighten the corner where we are” and we will make a difference.

Jesus Is All He Claimed o Be And More

2012-01-08T01:50:00.000-08:00

The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.

John 1:12

Since Jesus stood up in the synagogue in Nazareth, read from Isaiah 61 and then claimed to be the fulfillment of the Scripture, a controversy has raged over who and what He is.

Scholars have attempted to explain how He could become “God in human flesh” and unbelievers have denied that He was. No man can fully explain the mystery of it (1st.Timothy 1:16) and no critic can successfully deny the fact of it. His disciples could not explain the ‘how’ of it but they were fully convinced of the fact of it to the point that they were willing to die agonizing deaths in support of their belief.

WHAT JESUS DID AND WHAT HE DOES REVEALS, BEYOND ARGUEMENT, WHAT HE IS!

The long, long record of life transformation in those who have believed on His name and committed to serve Him is undeniable proof of who He is. Lives changed from profligate to virtuous, from violence to gentleness, from criminal to citizen, from a liability to asset in the community, all as a result of faith and belief in Jesus Christ as God, Who , for a short time visited earth clothed in flesh.

Socrates was one of the more highly esteemed men of the ancient world but no one has been delivered from the living death of drug addiction by the power of his name. Bertrand Russell was one of the more honored of modern day philosophers but no one has received a hope of heaven by believing his philosophy or trusting in his name. In fact, Russell had no such hope himself.

Only Jesus has the power to transform and heal and we are not given an explanation but we are asked to believe. The Scripture does not say, “Whosoever can explain the mystery of the incarnation hath everlasting life” but it does say “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life...” (John 3:36)

Men will never be able to understand or explain the mystery of “God in the flesh” but men can believe and experience the benefits of the belief.

Paul wrote, “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world?” (1st.Corinthians 1:20) Mostly they are ‘disputing’ while the believers are enjoying the blessings. Salvation is not determined by your IQ it is determined by your ‘I will’. Jesus said that the truly wise man is the one who builds his house upon the rock.

Knowing God

2012-01-07T01:37:00.000-08:00

For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold the days come, saith the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah...because they continued not in my covenant, and regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

Read Hebrews 8:6-11

The writer of Hebrews points out that God’s covenant with Israel didn’t work! It was not the fault of the covenant; it was the fault of Israel. The words of God were on tablets of stone but they never got it into their hearts. They knew about God but they didn’t know God! There is a big difference!

The difference was revealed shortly after they left Egypt. (see Exodus 14) They arrived at the shore of the Red Sea and seeing Pharaoh’s armies behind and the sea in front, they panicked, while Moses was undisturbed. The Psalmist explains the reason. “He made known his ways unto Moses, but his acts unto the children of Israel.” (Psalm 103:7) They knew that God was out there somewhere but Moses was personally acquainted with Him and knew His ways.

When God is on the outside you panic and criticize; when God in on the inside you trust!

The word of God in the Bible on a shelf in the library is not the same as having the word hidden in your heart.(Psalm 119:11) We could sit and look at good food on the table and starve unless we put it on the inside.

God said the time would come when He would correct that situation. He promises a wonderful time in the future when everyone will know the Lord. The evangelists will all become worship leaders! God will no longer be on the outside!

In the meantime we are living in a world where many are blaming God for their own mischief and misdeeds. They plan a “brave new world” where God is not recognized. Don’t be disturbed by the news pictures of the Europeans parading and carrying signs maligning Pres. Bush. It has to be! That is antichrist country and they are parading against the God of whom Pres. Bush is a representative.

When all is over it will be as God has determined.

Life Him Up

2012-01-06T01:52:00.000-08:00

And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the pre-eminence.

Colossians 1:18

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so the Son of man must be lifted up: That whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:14-15

The Scripture in John refers to Jesus being lifted up upon a cross and the Scripture in Colossians refers to Jesus being lifted by the lives and the testimonies of those who love Him. That Jesus was lifted up upon a cross is a fact of history and cannot be disputed but His being lifted up as the sinless Savior is not accepted by some. Many men died on a cross but the question is who is Jesus and why did He go to the cross?

There have always been unbelievers and apostates who denied the Deity of Jesus Christ and they are still busy now. One group calling themselves “The Jesus Institute” (The Anti-Jesus Institute would be more appropriate) are devoted to this attempt. They and others associated with them have referred to Jesus as an illegitimate son of a Roman soldier, son of Joseph and a misguided zealot. Those were the kinder ones! Others would have the world to believe Him to be an adulterer with several wives.

When Peter, James and John were on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus (Matthew 17) the authoritative voice of God spoke saying

”This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased...” and that settles the matter for those who believe the Bible. The Bible is very clear that God is not pleased with any of the things that are ascribed to Jesus by these people. They may fancy themselves smarter than the average but it is not smart to call God a liar and they will, one day, come to that conclusion.

One of the thieves on the cross could see what these self-appointed experts cannot or will not see. He said “ ...this man hath done nothing amiss” and then he went a little farther and said, “Lord, remember me...” (Luke 23:41,42)

Jesus was lifted up on a cross one time and that is an established fact. It remains for you and I, by the lives we live and the testimonies that we share, to lift Him up as the sinless Savior of all who will believe on Him

The Fourth Man

2012-01-05T01:59:00.000-08:00

The kings command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, O king.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

Daniel 3:22-25 NIV

I have said this before, several times, but I do not apologize for saying it again. “Jesus Christ was alive before He was born!” His home was in a place that we call heaven but He visited the earth, that He made, from time to time.

His longest visit lasted from the manger to the cross but it was not the first time that He walked on earth in the form of a man. Jesus Christ was the fourth man in Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace! The man that the king said looked like “a son of the gods” was in fact, The Son of God Himself.

There is an old cliche that reads, “Man proposes but God disposes”. God created the world and gave man dominion over it (Genesis 1:28) but He reserved the right to interfere with some of man’s proposals.

Early in history men proposed to build a society contrary to God’s instructions but God was not unaware of their proposal, “And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower and the city which the children of men builded.” You can read the complete story in Genesis 11.

A descendant of those people, and a modern day resident of that country also proposed great things but God was watching. When the time arrived, God took action This time He sent American troops and the rebel, who fancied himself a direct descendant of Nebuchadnezzar, was found hiding in a hole in the ground.

Men are at it again. A spokesman for the A.C.L.U. has announced that they intend to remove every copy of God’s Ten Commandments from every public building in America. We’ll see about that! That’s an ambitious proposal on man’s part but God will have the final word. Sometimes God let’s man succeed and then wish that he hadn’t.

Revelation chapters 4-19 describes a world where public acknowledgment of God is forbidden and it doesn’t sound like a desirable place to be.

One thing to remember, No power on earth. can remove acknowledgment of God from your heart and mine.

Salvation

2012-01-04T01:07:00.000-08:00

Mercy unto you and peace, and love, be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful, for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Jude 2-3

Jude refers to God’s salvation as the “common” salvation! Webster’s dictionary defines ‘common’ as “Belonging to or related to the community at large.” A most apt description of the Gospel distinction.

It is the opposite of a restricted or exclusive lodge or club! Jude advises us to ‘earnestly contend’ to keeping it that way. The Bible uses phrases like , “whosoever will” (Revelation 22:17) “any man that thirst” (John 7:37) “Go ye into all the world...”(Mark 16:15)

Men and women are only excluded by their own refusal to believe and accept and that is one of the reasons that the Gospel is “Good News.”

When the angel came to the shepherds with the announcement of the birth of Christ, he said, “...I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” (Luke 2:10) Now Jude, the half-brother of that baby, called “Thy salvation” by Simeon , is warning us against those who would “add to and take from” (Revelation 22:18,19) the “common salvation” restricting the message and thereby excluding some people.

The world has it’s exclusions! People are limited and excluded by abilities, education, ethnic background, past mistakes and the list is endless but the Gospel is a great leveler. Some have to be brought down (in their self-estimation) and others must be brought up (from their hopelessness) and all must become “new creatures” (2nd.Corinthians 5:17)

None have cause to think that the Gospel is for them only, but all have reason to know that the Gospel is for them also. It is for “the community at large” (Noah Webster translation)

Another thought! The Gospel has a common source! The Gospel originated at the cross. It is not common in the sense that it is one of many, although some proclaim that. Of the millions who now possess a “new life in Christ” they have this in common, they all came by way of the cross.

Men are born with a desire to develop and improve and that is good as long as they don’t apply it to the Gospel.

We are to “earnestly contend” for the Gospel in its original form. There is no “new and improved” product.

The Manna

2012-01-03T02:04:00.001-08:00

They said therefore unto Him. “What sign therefore shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? What dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” Then Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth his life unto the world.”

John 6:30-33

The manna that came down from heaven in the wilderness to deliver the Israelites from starvation was a type of the provision that Jesus made on the cross to deliver the world from spiritual starvation. Let us look at some identicals and some opposites.

The Israelites were starving physically and they knew it! Much of the world is starving spiritually and don’t know it. God provided for the Israelites but the menu offered only one selection and He called it manna. They had two possible choices, eat the manna or starve.

God has provided for the spiritual starvation of the world but again we have only two choices. Accept Jesus and live or reject Him and die. This statement would throw many people into a panic and raise much indignation but the Apostle Peter believed it and said so. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Their physical situation and our spiritual situation are identical. They were in a wilderness where they could not grow, buy or manufacture food. Their only hope was in God’s help.

Spiritual mankind is on a downward course to destruction and cannot, buy, build or manufacture that which would reverse the direction,(although generally men like to think they can do whatever is needed)

Much of the opposition to the Gospel is directed at Jesus as “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6) Many who are promoting the world church idea will concede that Jesus is “a way” but that there are many other ways and they would prefer to make their own choice. The Word of God does not teach that!

Isaiah prophesied, long ago that this very characteristic of men was the big problem. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way...” (Isaiah 53:6) Men must turn from their own way and turn to God’s way if they are to survive.

The Savior

2012-01-02T00:49:00.000-08:00

The Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them...

Luke 9:56

That which occasioned the Lord’s above statement is explained in Luke 9:51-56. Jesus intended to go through Samaria and the Samaritans, at this time, would not receive Him. The disciple’s proposed solution to the matter was to destroy the opposition. Some religions in today’s world still hold to that practice. “Accept our belief or die!” is their motto and to it’s shame there have been occasions when the professing Christian church was guilty of that crime.

Jesus said that is not His way! He said that he did not come to earth to destroy men but rather to save men. If Jesus wanted to destroy men He didn’t have to come to earth to do it. He had several options!

He could have stayed at home and just spoken the word. After all it was by His word that the world was made in the first place.(Hebrews 11:3) and it could be destroyed by the same word. He could have dispatched an angel or two who could have completed their mission in short order. ( See Isaiah 37:36)

Actually Jesus could have just stayed in His heavenly home and let mankind self-destruct, but He came to earth to prevent that from happening.

God has invested much in mankind and His love, which is beyond our understanding, goes to great lengths, even to the death on the cross, to save men from destruction.

Mankind is still bent on self-destruction and with more possibilities now with which to accomplish it than ever before. Like the Samaritans of old there are many that that will not receive Him or accept His help.

In God’s time He will make a new earth but Jesus came to make “new creatures”(2nd.Corinthians 5:17) God will not ask for men’s approval when He makes a new earth but He makes “new creatures” only of those who believe His word, accept His offer and dedicate to living His way.

He will not destroy those who refuse Him! By refusing Him an entrance into their lives they destroy themselves. People have that choice to make! Jesus’ love and patience is great and he will knock again and again but some time He will knock for the last time and if entrance is still refused Him, that person is, by choice, destroyed.

2012-01-01T01:28:00.001-08:00

Jesus answered and said unto him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Jesus answered, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3-5

The word, verily, which is kind of an Old English word, corresponds to our words surely, and truly and is used to emphasize a point or truth. Jesus used verily four times in these two verses to emphasize His statement that we must be born again. I think that He meant for us to listen very carefully. It includes all people! There are no exceptions! It is the only way to be prepared for heaven!

Joining the church will add to the roster but it doesn’t make a Christian. Joining the church, in itself, only adds an “old” creature to the membership it doesn’t make a “new” creature (2nd.Corinthians 5:17) which Jesus is saying is necessary if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven.

He also uses the word “must” two times. “Must” lends emphasis to a statement and allows for no alternative. Jesus said “Ye must be born again” (v.7) and He said “...even so must the Son of man be lifted up.”

It became possible for men to be born again because Jesus was lifted up upon a cross. It is a tragedy when people will refuse to believe in the provisions of the cross and thereby render Jesus’ sacrifice ineffective for salvation as far as they are concerned.

Jesus further said, “No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6) and Peter said, “Neither is there salvation in any other:” (Acts 4”12)

I saw by a newscast that the United Nations have formed a commission to establish a world church that includes all beliefs. That is what it will be, a world church, not a heaven bound church. It may be acceptable to most of the world but it will be rejected by God.

The true church is not determined by the nations nor even identified by denominational labels but is made up of all those who believe in the cross and accept the One who died on the cross for the sins of mankind.

Jesus is the only way but it is not a private drive it is open to the public. “Whosoever will let him come...”(Revelation 22:17) All may come but all must come God’s way, not any other way.

Running The Race

2011-12-31T02:03:00.001-08:00

Wherefore seeing we are also compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2

As Christians we are described as running a race. Some people maintain that life at this point in time is too much of a race already. The race spoken of above is not run to determine who is the faster! God is in charge of the time clock. It is a race to be run with patience! We do not finish the race back at the starting place! We have a goal and we travel the course just one time. Each day we travel new ground! Jesus is our starting place and Jesus is our goal.

It is well here to remember the following words attributed to Stephen Grellet 1773-1855, along with several others, “I expect to pass through this world but once; Any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

The chapter begins with the word “Wherefore” which refers us back to chapter 11, which, I think, identifies some of the cloud of witnesses. Whether they can actually see us, as some teach, is, I believe, open to debate but their record speaks to us, saying, “You can run with patience! You can overcome every obstacle, survive every temptation, remain faithful in persecution and reach the goal! We know! We did it!

I was raised on a farm. I was very anxious to grow until I was allowed to take a team of horses and a plow into the field by myself. My Father, also my older brother, gave me instructions! We want a straight furrow! When you start, choose an object at the other side of the field and keep your eyes on it. Don’t look to the right or the left. Keep your eyes on the goal and when to arrive you will have a straight furrow.

Excellent advice for the disciple in running the race. Get your eyes on the goal; do not look to the right or the left, run with patience and you will get to where you want to go.,

The Mystery Of Godliness

2011-12-30T01:49:00.000-08:00

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

1st Timothy 3:16

Yesterday we covered the first two distinctives in the above list and the third is that He was “seen of angels”. Angels were, mostly unseen, but always near, during the time that Jesus walked on earth. Angels announced His entrance into the world at Bethlehem (Luke 2:8-14). Angels were there when He confronted the devil in the wilderness just prior to his beginning of public ministry (Matthew 4).

An angel ministered to Him in the garden (Luke 23:43) and there were twelve legions of angels waiting to rush to His assistance should He call (Matthew 26:53), and a mighty angel was there to roll back the stone at His resurrection.

If angels were allowed to speak to us they could tell us much about the “mystery of godliness.”

He was “preached unto the Gentiles and believed on in the world.” In spite of the unbelief, rejections, oppositions etc. of the world yet He is believed on in the world. The new birth itself is as mysterious as the wind that blows (John 3:8), but the effect of it is evident in the lives of the millions in the world who have believed.

He was “received up into glory”. Angels were there when Jesus returned to the land from where He came. As the disciples stood watching Him ascend up until He disappeared out of their sight, two angels were there to assure them that, at the proper time, He would return (Acts 1:1:9-11).

He does not walk on the earth as the “God in sandals” now. He now, ”sitteth on the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1) but He keeps in touch with His disciples.

Most of you who read this talk with Him each day. If you don’t, you should! He is your only contact with heaven! “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. When you leave this life He is your only means of transportation to your “prepared place” (John 14:1-3).

Maybe some time we will know more of the mystery of “God manifest in the flesh” but for now we know that Jesus of Nazareth, the Redeemer God, came to the earth to provide a way for us to go to heaven. We know that to “believe His word” and “accept His person” brings about a change that gives us confidence for this life and hope for the future life and that is enough.

The Mystery of Godliness

2011-12-29T02:56:00.000-08:00

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness” God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

1st.Timothy 3:16

Jesus Christ is referred to as the “mystery of godliness” and six distinctions of the mystery are recorded. The fact of His coming and the evidence of His having been here is manifest to all but much about His person remains a mystery to our finite minds.

He was “manifest in the flesh”! The great ‘Elohim’ , Creator God, and Jesus of Nazareth were one and the same (John 1:3 , Colossians 1:16). The evidence of His life, teaching and works provide the facts for that. God in human flesh is a mystery that we cannot yet understand. How the ‘Great Eternal’ could assume a human body is a bit too much for our limited understanding but therein is the reason. I have said this before but it will bear repeating that our personal relationship with Him is not a result of our ascending up to God but of God coming down to our level of understanding. Men could not understand or know the Great Creator of the universe but they could know and love Jesus of Nazareth, “God manifest in the flesh.”

Jesus of Nazareth and ‘Jehovah’ The Redeemer are one and the same. Our personal experience of salvation testifies to that fact although we cannot explain the mystery of it.

Other world religions mostly are about men who became gods (of some sort) but the Gospel is about the God of the Eternities Who became a man that we might become sons and daughters of God.

He was “justified in the Spirit” Most newer translations read “vindicated” Jesus was condemned by Jewish judges, their decision was approved by a Roman judge. He was beaten, humiliated, nailed to a cross, left to die, then buried with a Roman seal placed on the tomb.

God then vindicated Him! He overturned the court’s decision, had the stone at the tomb rolled back, ignoring the Roman seal, and opening the tomb, now empty, for all to see. Jesus had been raised from the dead and was alive for evermore. Justified and vindicated from all charges except that He was “a friend of sinners.” (Luke 7:34)

Unbelief has been trying to explain that away ever since but it cannot be done. There is a mystery to it but the facts are established.

“I can see this will take a little longer so I will continue tomorrow.”

The Price Of Redemption

2011-12-28T01:49:00.001-08:00

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

1st.Peter 1:18-19

I like the J. B. Phillips N.T. translation of these verses:

For you must realize that you have been ransomed from the futile way of living passed on to you by your traditions, but not by any money payment of this passing world. No, the price was in fact the life-blood of Christ, the unblemished and unstained lamb of sacrifice.

Perhaps it was an ancient Jew, trying to live in confidence toward God under the impossible traditions imposed upon him by the religious authorities, who coined the phrase, “an exercise in futility.” God saw the impossibility and provided a possibility! Peter assured them that there was a way provided by which they could live and walk in confidence toward God but it was not purchased with money.

That, in itself was good news since most of the early Christians had their possessions confiscated in the persecutions. “...you were cheerful when your own goods were confiscated...”(Hebrews 10:34 J. B. Phillips N.T.).

If we had to pay for salvation, even in our era of prosperity, it would narrow the list. No government give-away program could cover that need.

The above scripture states very clearly that there is only one commodity in creation that can purchase salvation for fallen mankind and it is “the precious blood of Christ.” All of the modern revelations, performances, liturgies and religions are as futile as the ones of old.

There is absolutely nothing that we can do to earn or buy salvation and that is a bit too humbling for some people to accept. They would prefer to think that they can pay their own way but it doesn’t work that way.

In the words of the song, “We were lost and undone, without God or His Son, when He reached down His hand for me.”

Salvation is not a matter of man climbing up to heaven, it is God coming down from heaven and offering a helping hand to helpless mankind. We have only to realize and admit our own helplessness and accept God’s help.

Read again the Golden Text of the Bible, “For God so loved the world , that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Walking By Faith

2011-12-27T01:36:00.001-08:00

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

1st.Peter 1:7-8

We are travelers through a land that is not our permanent home. Our journey begins when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ and will end when we reach the place that He has prepared for us (John 14:1-3). There are trials and tests between here and there as John Bunyan so vividly describes in his Christian Allegory, “Pilgrim’s Progress.”

We cannot avoid these experiences which Peter calls “the trial of your faith!” What we shall do about them is the question at hand. Some of them come simply because we are living in a world that is in rebellion against God and some are a direct attack by the devil.

The devil claims that God’s people only serve Him for the good things that He gives them. The devil once said to God, referring to Job, “You have built a hedge about him...remove the hedge and let some bad things happen and he will curse Thee to Thy face” (Job 1:10,11).

It is a serious charge! Let some trials come into the lives of those Christians and they will, complain, moan, cry, whine and blame God for it all. Peter disagreed! He maintained that Christians can and do rejoice with unspeakable joy while in the midst of trial.

That sets the Christian apart and reveals the devil as a liar. Everyone rejoices when the trial is over but the Christian can rejoice when the end is not in sight.

We have a security that no enemy can touch. We are safe in the love of Christ and there is no “tribulation or distress”, “Persecution or peril”, “principalities nor powers”, “things present nor things to come” that can separate us from Him (Read Romans 8:35-39).

We can lose some things! We can lose loved ones but we shall see them again. We can lose houses and lands but we cannot take them when we leave anyway. We can lose money but in the place prepared for us we won’t need money.

Beloved, when we are in Christ there is really nothing of value that we can lose.

A Day Of Separation

2011-12-26T02:42:00.001-08:00

Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Matthew 24:40-42

I believe that the fulfillment of the above prophecies should be positioned in the time of the coming Great Tribulation but there is a principle here that I would like you to consider.

Separation is a fact of life on earth! It happens all the time! A highway accident; One is taken and the other left! Cancer strikes; One is taken and the other left! “Ye know not what hour it might happen.”

We cannot avoid the separations of this life but the important question is, will they be temporary or permanent? In that matter we have a choice! The separations will come but our wise and proper choice will assure us of a great future reunion.

The reunion is not determined by color, nationality, ethnicity or any thing over which we have no control. It is decided by something over which we have control! Every individual who chooses to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior will be reunited in that place where there will be no more separation.

Separation from those that you love is a sorrowing experience but the knowledge of a future reunion makes it bearable. “Now we don’t want you, my brothers, to be in any doubt about those who “fall asleep” in death, or to grieve over them like the rest of men who have no hope.” (1st.Thessalonians 4:13,14 J.B.Phillips N.T.). We grieve but our grief is tempered by a hope of a future reunion.

It is our choice in this life that determines where the coming separation will take us. An example: two members of the Sanhedrin, Joseph, surnamed Caiaphas and Joseph of Arimathea, of which one bears the chief guilt of the crucifixion and the other provided a tomb in which Jesus was laid. Their attitude toward Jesus separated them in this life and unless Caiaphas had a change of heart that is not recorded, they are separated in death.

One is taken, the other left. One believes, the other does not believe. The separation is permanent. One is taken, the other left. Both believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. The separation is only temporary.

The Father's Love

2011-12-25T01:55:00.001-08:00

And he arose and came to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him.

Luke 15:20

As you have all recognized, the above is a verse from Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. I believe that we can take it that, in the parable, the father represents God, the younger son represents the rebellious wanderer and the elder son represents the self-righteous stay-at-home.

It is written that when his father saw him he ”ran”. I believe that this is the only place in the Bible where it is recorded that God got in a hurry. The elder brother wasn’t so happy with the development but I think that the father’s reception made it easier for the prodigal to endure his brother’s attitude.

Some people are not so forgiving as the Heavenly Father is. The prodigal was wrong but forgiven! The elder brother should have been thankful that he did not need forgiveness for living in a pig-pen but he should have remembered that he had his own problems that required forgiveness; his self-righteousness and unloving spirit toward his own brother, for starters.

If we are in fellowship with the Heavenly Father it is because we are forgiven. For one reason or another we are all in need of forgiveness.

Some people’s behavior and life style is a greater affront to God than others but God has a forgiveness that covers it all. It covers the Pharisee and the Prodigal! It covers the ‘up and out’ and the ‘down and out’! It covers the ‘little sinner’ and the ‘big sinner’, the white sinner and the black sinner. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Where would we be without the forgiveness of God? We can’t really comprehend the forgiveness of God but we can believe it and experience it. There was only one man who walked on earth who had no need of forgiveness and look at what the world did to Him. But as He demonstrated at the cross He is not the enemy of His enemies, He is their forgiveness.

There is just one type of person who cannot be forgiven and that is the one who does not feel the need of, nor ask for, the forgiveness of God so freely offered.

Dedication That Counts

2011-12-24T01:58:00.000-08:00

For which of you intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?...Or what king going to war against another king, sitteth not down first and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh nor all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14:28-33

Jesus told us (v.33) that these parables refer to discipleship. The first one has to do with counting the cost of living a Christian life. It does cost something to live a life for the Lord! Some family members may object! Some friends may disagree and even turn away. It could cost you some influence and promotion on your job. Are you able and willing to complete the building of the tower?

As to living the Christian life to the end, it is not a matter of having enough strength. It is a matter of determination and dedication! When the cost has been considered and the decision made, God will furnish the enablements to finish the course (2nd.Timothy 4:7).

The second parable has to do with counting the cost of not living for God. If you refuse God’s offer of salvation you are fighting against a King much stronger and with far more resources than you have. No amount of determination will help you in this battle. No man can fight against God and win.

You had better consider, very carefully, the cost of such a decision. If you would reject God’s offer you must be prepared to accept the consequences. The final cost will be realized at the close of this short life and you face Him at the judgment.

The choice is clear. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

Jesus said that the wise course of action is to approach the Strong King and negotiate for peace. “Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord...”(Isaiah 1:18)

The only conditions of peace, and they are reasonable, is unconditional surrender on your part. You then have a new life, a much better and more satisfying life, here and a secure promise for the life to come.

True Treasure

2011-12-23T02:36:00.000-08:00

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, and that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.

For to me is to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:20,21

Many people do not share the view expressed in the second part of the above verse of Scripture. Although the Scripture also reminds us that life is but, “…a vapor, that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14).

The man, Paul, who penned the words of the above text lived with the threat of violent death as a constant companion. To use a more contemporary expression he had learned to “cope with the fact” and the verse above reflects his conviction.

Death is an inevitability but not usually considered a gain. Yet Paul’s persuasion can be our persuasion. The latter part of the verse depends upon the first part. We must be able to say honestly, with Paul, “For me to live is Christ…” before we can understand that “…to die is gain.”

Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth…” but “…lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” (Matt.6:19,20)

Death is leaving one place and going to another. If our life here consists largely of “laying up earthly treasure”, then leaving the treasure would not be considered a matter of gain. To those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and are doing their best to walk in His steps, it is not a matter of leaving a treasure but a matter of going where our treasure is.

The thought of leaving our loved ones is always a distressing matter but to know that we are simply getting a few steps ahead and they shall soon follow, does, in fact, in Paul’s words, take the “sting” out of death. (1st. Corinthians 15:56)

I remember a few words of poetry. I think they are from Tennyson’s “Crossing the Bar”

He is not dead! This friend! Not dead!

But in the path we mortals tread,

Has got some few trifling steps ahead and closer to the end.

But when we too shall have passed the bend.

We shall see again, As face to face.

This friend! That some fancy dead.

At death all earthly treasure, houses, lands, bank accounts etc. will be left behind permanently but the real treasure, those we love, will follow where we shall never part again.

Open To Investigation

2011-12-22T02:06:00.000-08:00

Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth why don’t you believe Me?

John 8:46

Jesus invited complete investigation of His life, works and motives! The best men who ever lived did not dare to do that.

Jesus never had to correct a statement! He never had to apologize for an action! He freely forgave others but never had to ask forgiveness for Himself.

His enemies tried their best to discredit Him but finally had to hire false witnesses. (Matthew 26:59-61 NIV) “The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put Him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, “This fellow said, ’I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Their accusations and attempts to discredit Jesus were all motivated by prejudice and based on false evidence and wouldn’t even hold up in Governor Pilate’s court. (John 18:38)

The smear campaigns continue to the present time but as always, are motivated by prejudice and based on faulty and false information.

Our life’s record does have it’s blots and blemishes but, by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior His righteousness is credited to our account,(Philippians 3:8,9) and the sins and failures are all erased from the record.(Jeremiah 31:34 , Psalm 103:12)

There are people, of course, who never forget your sins and mistakes but God does and that is what is most important. It seems so inconceivable that so many in our own ‘Christian” country will defend any and all of the powerless false religions but vehemently oppose any mention of, or reference to, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

There is, of course, an enemy in the background who is promoting the opposition but no man can frustrate or alter the purpose of God in the lives of those who believe. God was not caught unawares! “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not, He came unto His own and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:10-12).

He is still “...the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth...” Romans 1:16).

God's Ways

2011-12-21T01:26:00.001-08:00

“He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel.”

Psalm 103:7

“ The children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them...And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?...And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord...”

Exodus 14:10-13

The Scriptures tell us that Moses was a man who knew God’s ways while the average Israelite could only recognize His acts. There is a difference! The crisis times will reveal it!

Moses had been in the desert of Midian for forty years but it was not wasted time. He was free from the influences, responsibilities and involvements as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter and he had time to become well acquainted with God.

It is in the time of crisis that the men and women who are well acquainted with God and know His ways will walk in faith and confidence while the crowd panics.

Job was going through the greatest trial of his life and Eliphaz the Temanite came to see him and offer advice. Eliphaz was not exactly an authority on everything that he said but he said one very good thing. “Acquaint thyself with Him (God) and be at peace.” (Job 22:21)

Actually Job was better acquainted with God than Eliphaz was but the words are very true. The better acquainted we are with God the more we shall be at peace in trying times.

In difficult times, people who know God and His ways will look to Him for a solution while others will look for someone to blame. We are living in a time of many world crisis situations and we desperately need God’s help for guidance and solutions.. It is a time when all need to work together but the “Blame Game” is quite popular. That was the Israelite’s idea of a solution but Moses had a better way.

Moses believed God and God rolled the waters back. The Israelites all crossed over on dry ground and sang and rejoiced, from the safe side of the problem, of course.

As the old saying is, “It separates the men from the boys!” Those who know “God’s ways” will stand firm in faith and confidence and be a part of the solution while the others will be a part of the problem.