Love and Faithfulness

Psalms 85:1-3 NIV

 

“You, Lord, showed favor to your land;

    you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

You forgave the iniquity of your people

    and covered all their sins.

You set aside all your wrath

    and turned from your fierce anger.”

 

Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, but not just to forgive them their sins, but to deliver them from their bondage (slavery, addiction) to sin, and to indwell them, and to empower them to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to God, for the honor and praise of God (Rom 6:1-23).

 

Psalms 85:4-7 NIV

 

“Restore us again, God our Savior,

    and put away your displeasure toward us.

Will you be angry with us forever?

    Will you prolong your anger through all generations?

Will you not revive us again,

    that your people may rejoice in you?

Show us your unfailing love, Lord,

    and grant us your salvation.”

 

But even those who have genuinely received Jesus Christ as Savior of their lives can, at some point, drift away from their pure devotion to Christ and need to be brought back (see Rev 2-3).

 

They can have divided hearts, for a time, to where their loyalties and their faithfulness are divided between serving the Lord wholeheartedly and serving him in addition to serving the flesh. Thus, they need to repent, to turn away from all unfaithfulness and divided hearts, and to turn to the Lord in total commitment to him.

 

Yet, some people teach that God is pleased with you no matter what you do, even if you are living in gross idolatry and sexual immorality. They say that as long as you “believe” in Jesus that God is pleased with you, and that he smiles on you. But that’s not true.

 

Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. So, we need to find out what pleases the Lord, and we need to make it our goal to please him. For, we have been instructed in how to live to please God.

 

We must live a life worthy of the Lord, to please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work. We are to keep his commands and do what pleases him. And we are not to try to please people, but God who tests our hearts.

 

For, whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction, but whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

 

[Rom. 8:8; 2 Co. 5:9; Gal. 6:7-8; Eph. 5:10; Col. 1:9-11; 1 Thess. 2:4; 1 Thess. 4:1; 2 Tim. 2:4; Heb. 11:6; Heb. 13:6; & 1 Jn. 3:22; Tit 2:11-14]

 

Psalms 85:8-9 NIV

 

“I will listen to what God the Lord says;

    he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—

    but let them not turn to folly.

Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,

    that his glory may dwell in our land.”

 

Yes, we absolutely must all listen to the Lord and do what he says. Amen! If we don’t, we are “shooting ourselves in our own feet.” We are bringing trouble upon ourselves because of our lack of obedience and discernment.

 

If we want to live in peace, and if we want to please God in all that we do, and if we don’t want to go astray, and if we don’t want to wander from our pure devotion to our Lord, then we must be faithful to our Lord in all things. And this involves listening to him and obeying him every step of the way.

 

Also, we must guard our minds and hearts against all that is of the flesh, of sin, and of the world, so that we don’t turn to folly, i.e., to what is foolish (unwise, imprudent, impulsive, and showing lack of good judgment).

 

And we must walk in the fear of the Lord. That means that we live to honor and to glorify the Lord in all that we do. And we treat God with reverence, honor, and respect, meaning we bow to him in submission to his Lordship, we obey his commands, and we turn away from all that is sinful.

 

Psalms 85:10-13 NIV

 

“Love and faithfulness meet together;

    righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,

    and righteousness looks down from heaven.

The Lord will indeed give what is good,

    and our land will yield its harvest.

Righteousness goes before him

    and prepares the way for his steps.”

 

I love this first sentence here! “Love and faithfulness meet together.” If we aren’t faithful to God and/or to our spouses, then that isn’t love. If we love God, and if we love our spouses with God-like love, which centers in moral preference, then we will be faithful to them both.

 

Also, if we are walking in righteousness and holiness, in the power of God’s Spirit, and righteousness and godliness are what we practice, then we will be at peace with God and within ourselves and in our own consciences. But if sin is what we practice, we will not be at peace.

 

So, if we teach righteousness, which is morality, decency, uprightness, honesty, godliness, and self-control, which results from being made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ, it prepares the way for us to follow in our Lord’s steps, in his ways (Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Tit 2:11-14).

 

He Lifted Our Burdens

 

An Original Work / February 15, 2014

Based off Isaiah 9:2-7

 

People walk in darkness.

They abide in their sin.

It has power o’er them.

True belief escapes them.

 

Jesus Christ came to save them.

He gave His life up for them;

Crucified; died for our sin,

So we might be forgiven,

And have life up in heaven.

 

Many come to know Him.

God’s love now o’erflows them.

They rejoice in vict’ry.

Their sin is but hist’ry.

 

We were once bound in slav’ry.

Jesus lifted our burdens;

Set us now free from Satan,

So we now walk in freedom.

Sin has no more dominion.

 

Praise be to our Savior!

He showed us His favor.

He took all our burdens;

Cast them all upon Him.

 

He is our mediator;

The Light which shines in darkness.

Counselor in our troubles;

He gives peace now in our hearts;

Joy which is everlasting.

 

https://vimeo.com/86854416

There are Conditions

Isaiah 43:10-13 NIV

 

“’You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord,

    ‘and my servant whom I have chosen,

so that you may know and believe me

    and understand that I am he.

Before me no god was formed,

    nor will there be one after me.

I, even I, am the Lord,

    and apart from me there is no savior.

I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—

    I, and not some foreign god among you.

You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘that I am God.

   Yes, and from ancient days I am he.

No one can deliver out of my hand.

    When I act, who can reverse it?’”

 

Many people today are looking for some politician or preacher to save them from their perception of evil. Or they are looking to drugs, alcohol, illicit sex, fame, fortune, possessions, education, entertainment, and/or some golden opportunity, etc., to rescue them from what ails (pains) them.

 

But all humans are but flesh. We have no power to save anyone.

 

“No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.” Ps 33:16-17 NIV

 

“Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.” Ps 146:3-4 NIV

 

God alone is all powerful and completely sovereign over all that he has made. Only he has the power to save. Only HE can deliver us from all evil.

 

God the Father sent his Son Jesus Christ to the earth to take on human form, to suffer and to be tempted like we suffer and are tempted, yet without sin, and then to die on a cross, taking upon himself the sins of the entire world so that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness (Jn 1:1-34; 1 Jn 1:1-10; Phil 2:5-11; Rom 6:1-23).

 

Then, God the Father draws us to Christ. We can’t come to Christ unless the Father first draws (persuades) us to surrender our lives to Jesus, to humble ourselves, to submit to Christ as Lord, to die with Christ to sin, and to now live to Christ and to his righteousness (Jn 6:44; 1 Pet 2:24; Eph 4:17-24).

 

When we surrender our lives to Jesus, by faith in him, and we die with Christ to sin, then we are reborn of the Holy Spirit to newness of life in Christ Jesus, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. And now that we have died to sin, we can’t live in it any longer (Rom 6:1-23).

 

For, if we do – if we go on living in sin, making sin our practice, we do not have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven no matter what we professed with our lips or felt we believed in our hearts. We will die in our sins, for we are all going to be judged by our works (Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Rom 8:1-17).

 

Isaiah 43:22-24 NIV

 

“’Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,

    you have not wearied yourselves for me, Israel.

You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,

    nor honored me with your sacrifices.

I have not burdened you with grain offerings

    nor wearied you with demands for incense.

You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me,

    or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices.

But you have burdened me with your sins

    and wearied me with your offenses.’”

 

Even though God revealed himself to all humankind through his created works, so we are all without excuse if we choose a sinful pathway instead of choosing him and the way of holiness, still many refuse to bow the knee to God Almighty and to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ (Rom 1:18-32).

 

Even though God sent his Son Jesus Christ to the cross to die for our sins so that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, and even though many people profess faith in Jesus Christ, they still refuse to submit to Christ as Lord and to surrender their lives to Him (Heb 12:25).

 

Many people today who want to be saved from their sins, so that they can escape hell and go to heaven when they die, are believing a lie. And the lie tells them that they can pray a prayer or acknowledge what Jesus did for us, or they can make a public confession of faith and that guarantees them heaven no matter how they live or what they do with Jesus here on earth.

 

Some are even being taught that they don’t have to repent (leave their lives of sin behind them), that they don’t have to obey Jesus, and that they don’t have to submit to his Lordship. For, they are being convinced that is works-based salvation, and they are not to work, and so they don’t have to obey.

 

But that is not what the Scriptures teach. True we are not saved by our own works. But we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them (Eph 2:8-10; 1 Co. 15:58; 2 Co. 9:8; Phil. 2:12-13; Col. 1:9-14; 2 Thess. 1:11-12; 2 Tim. 2:21; Tit. 2:11-14; Tit. 3:8; Jas. 2:17; Rev. 2-3).

 

Isaiah 43:25-28 NIV

 

“’I, even I, am he who blots out

    your transgressions, for my own sake,

    and remembers your sins no more.

Review the past for me,

    let us argue the matter together;

    state the case for your innocence.

Your first father sinned;

    those I sent to teach you rebelled against me.

So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple;

    I consigned Jacob to destruction

    and Israel to scorn.’”

 

So, it isn’t that God forgives you and now you are free to continue living in sin feeling as though God’s grace covers it all. God still sees you when you sin, and you will be judged by your deeds. For, if you obey sin, it will end in death, but if you obey obedience, it leads to righteousness, and it ends in eternal life with God (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8).

 

Forgiveness of sins comes by God’s grace, true. But forgiveness is conditional, as is our salvation, as is eternal life with God. And the conditions are that we must love God and obey him, that we must remain in Christ and in his word, and that we must walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh (Jn 14:23-24; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 8:1-17).

 

Do You Love Me?  

 

An Original Work / July 24, 2013

 

Do you love Me now?

Will you seek My face?

I have given you

My love and My grace.

Will you walk with Me

Ev’rywhere I lead?

Will you find in Me

All of what you need?

 

Won’t you meet with Me

Down upon your knees?

Will you obey Me,

And do what I please?

Will you hear My voice

Speaking now to you?

I am couns’ling you

To abide in truth.

 

I have died for you;

Taken all your sins –

Crucified with Me,

You have been forgiv’n.

I have set you free

From your slavery,

So that you can now

Live in victory.

 

https://vimeo.com/115908408

We Will Have Trouble

John 16:33 NIV

 

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

 

Trouble in the World

 

As the year 2020 is now coming to an end, and as we reflect back over all the events and situations of this past year, I think we can all clearly concur that in the world we will have trouble.

 

And I am fully aware that people of other nations (other than the USA) have had to undergo much more severe trouble than what 2020 brought upon us, and they have had to undergo it not just in one year, but perhaps all their lives. So, what 2020 brought us in the USA pales by comparison.

 

But even though one person’s or one nation’s troubles far outweigh that of another’s, it does not make it any less troublesome to go through difficulties, no matter how minor or major. Trouble is still trouble.

 

And it isn’t over. Anyone who has been paying close attention to the events which have been going on this past year, not just in the USA, but globally, can see where this is all headed. So, much more severe trouble is most certainly on its way. The Bible says so!

 

What that is going to look like for us in 2021, only God really knows. For, even though there are evil people out there in the world plotting evil against us, they can only do what they do if God allows it. He is still completely sovereign over all things. He is still the one in control.

 

In Him We Have Peace

 

Jesus was honest with his disciples about what was coming, which involved Jesus’ suffering and death on a cross. And it also involved them all deserting him when he was arrested and put on trial for a crime he did not commit.

 

But he also told them ahead of time what they could expect, too, once he was gone.

 

“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them.” Jn 16:1-4 NIV

 

But this wasn’t just for them for that time. Even though, in the USA, we as the body of Christ as a whole have not had to undergo such severe suffering for being Christians, thus far, it doesn’t mean we are going to escape such suffering. For, Jesus promised all of us we would have to suffer in this way.

 

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matt 24:9-14 NIV

 

We are already seeing much of this take place. Those who are really serious about their walks of faith, who are following the Lord in obedience, who are standing on the word of God, and who are not compromising with the world of sin, are being persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

 

Some (or many) of us have already experienced being put out of “houses of worship,” i.e., institutional churches, because we did not conform to the worldly marketing schemes being engaged by these “churches,” and because we remained true to the gospel, and we did not compromise the truth.

 

They may not have killed us physically, yet, but they have rejected, persecuted, abandoned, snubbed, ignored, falsely accused, and otherwise ostracized us because of our walks of faith and our obedience to our Lord. For, so much of today’s church has become one with the world.

 

We are already seeing many false prophets and teachers arise and deceive the masses, and the vast majority of what is called “church” turn away from their pure devotion to Christ to follow these false teachers with their false messages of salvation from sin based on a lie.

 

But with the internet right now still being open to us sharing the truth of the gospel, the gospel has been able to spread throughout the world. I don’t know if it has reached the whole world yet, but I know that people of many nations can read the preaching of the gospel on the internet.

 

But with all these things taking place in the world all around us, and trouble is everywhere, we can still be at peace. And that peace comes through surrendering our lives to Jesus, submitting to his Lordship over our lives, forsaking our lifestyles of sin and now walking in obedience to his commands. And it is an inward peace, not peace as the world gives.

 

He Has Overcome

 

The reason we can have peace is because Jesus overcame the world. He was already completely sovereign over all that he created, but in his death and resurrection he conquered sin, hell, Satan, and death on our behalf. And he did this so that we would be delivered from our slavery to sin, and so we would now become slaves of him and of his righteousness.

 

The false teachers will come to you with their false gospel proclaiming that Jesus died to forgive you of your sins and to guarantee you heaven based on some confession of Christ or some prayer that you prayed. Their message is partially true, but it is partially false, for it is a half-truth gospel.

 

The truth in Christ Jesus is, with regard to our former way of life, we are taught that we must put off our old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. We are to be made new in the attitude of our minds, of the Spirit of God, and we are to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:17-24; cf. Rom 6:1-23; 1 Pet 2:24).

 

And this is where the peace comes, when we surrender our all to Jesus, we commit our lives to him and to his service, and we trust him completely with our lives no matter what this next year brings, which could be much worse than the year which is ending.

 

Only God truly knows what is in store for us, but he said we would be able to recognize the times in which we live by the signs, which are fulfillments of what was prophesied in Scripture regarding these times. So, surrender your life to Jesus today.

 

Do You Love Me?  

 

An Original Work / July 24, 2013

 

Do you love Me now?

Will you seek My face?

I have given you

My love and My grace.

Will you walk with Me

Ev’rywhere I lead?

Will you find in Me

All of what you need?

 

Won’t you meet with Me

Down upon your knees?

Will you obey Me,

And do what I please?

Will you hear My voice

Speaking now to you?

I am couns’ling you

To abide in truth.

 

I have died for you;

Taken all your sins –

Crucified with Me,

You have been forgiv’n.

I have set you free

From your slavery,

So that you can now

Live in victory.

 

https://vimeo.com/115908408

Needing an Eye Exam?

John 1:1-5 NIV

 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

 

Jesus Christ is the Word. He was with God in the beginning, and he is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And he is our creator God. He is the one who designed us for his purposes. And we were made to worship God and to serve him with our lives.

 

Jesus is life eternal. He is the one who breathed the breath of life into us when we were born into this world, and he is the giver of eternal life to all who turn from their sins to follow Jesus with their lives, by faith in Jesus, empowered of the Holy Spirit to live godly and holy lives (Rom 6:1-23).

 

Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness. The light represents Jesus, his gospel, truth, and righteousness. And the darkness represents Satan, evil, wickedness, a false gospel, and lies of the enemy. So, the truth shines (is evident, is abundantly clear, is brought to the light) in the darkness.

 

The truth exposes the darkness for what it is, but it also brings out the truth in the midst of the darkness, in the midst of all the lies, deceptions, and manipulations of truth, too. And the truth shines into people’s dark hearts to convict them of sin and to call them to repentance and to faith in Jesus.

 

The darkness is opposed to the light, and it can lead people astray, and lead them to reject the light in favor of the darkness. But the darkness cannot overpower the light. For Jesus conquered that darkness in his death and in his resurrection. He overcame Satan, hell, death, and sin via his sacrifice.

 

Matt 6:22-23 NIV

 

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

 

If our minds and hearts/spirits are spiritually healthy (wholesome, pure, unadulterated) then our whole being is full of light (truth, righteousness). But if our minds and hearts/spirits are wicked, immoral, and vile, then our whole being is going to be full of darkness (wickedness, evil).

 

So, if the light within us is not light, but darkness disguised as light, then what is the solution? Or first, how does that even happen?

 

Well, there are many people who are believing a false gospel of grace, and they are receiving it into their lives, but it is a lie. They believe they are saved from their sins and bound for heaven when they are still living in bondage to sin and thus they are still headed to hell.

 

So, the light within them is a false light (truth) and thus it is darkness, not light. Thus, they are following a lie instead of the truth. And the lie convinces them that faith in Jesus Christ requires no repentance, no obedience, and no submission to the Lordship of Christ.

 

Or it convinces them that a prayer they prayed once in their lives or a decision they made or a confession they verbalized once is enough to secure them heaven for eternity, regardless of how they live their lives while they are still on the earth.

 

But the truth shines in the darkness exposing these lies and proclaiming the truth so that people have the opportunity to reject the lies and to embrace the truth, and to turn from their sins, and to follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his ways.

 

So, if your eye (mind, heart, spirit) is full of darkness, you need to go to the “eye doctor” to have your “vision” corrected. So, you need to go to the one who designed our eyes to begin with and who knows how to make those necessary corrections. And you need to let him examine your eyes (hearts) to show you what needs to be corrected.

 

He will do the correction, but you have to submit to him and allow him to do it, and you have to follow his instructions on how to maintain good vision so that your eyes don’t become full of darkness again.

 

So, basically we are talking about the gospel here, and we are talking about Jesus as our eye doctor at the Eye Design place (heaven). Jesus died on that cross for us that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. When we submit to dying with him to sin, He then removes that darkness from us and replaces it with his light.

 

But then we have to walk in that light, daily dying to sin and self, and daily walking in his righteousness and holiness, in his power and strength, according to his instructions to keep that darkness out and to keep the light shining in our eyes (Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Lu 9:23-26).

 

Matt 6:24 NIV

 

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

 

This isn’t just about money here. The word is “mamonas,” and it covers not just material wealth but also possessions, property or whatever we treasure in our hearts that is of this world and is opposed to God. It has to do with where we place our trust – in the things of this world or in God/Christ.

 

Paul covered this subject when he stated this (Rom 6:16 NIV):

 

“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

 

There is no middle ground. Now, I am not saying that Christians will be perfect and never sin, but true followers of Jesus have been set free from their slavery to sin, and they have now become slaves of God and of his righteousness (Rom 6:22-23):

 

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Basically, once we believe we are saved, if we continue living in sin, willfully, habitually, and even premeditatedly, the Scriptures say that our eternal destination is not heaven but hell. We will die in our sins. We won’t have eternal life with God.

 

For, you can’t be a servant of the Lord and a slave to sin at the same time. So, you have to decide if you want to go your own way, or if you want to go the way of Jesus, which is the way of dying with him to sin daily and daily living to him and to his righteousness.

 

For, if you choose your own way, it will end in death, not life. For, we are all going to be judged by what we do in this life (Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Lu 9:23-26).

 

Do You Love Me?  

 

An Original Work / July 24, 2013

 

Do you love Me now?

Will you seek My face?

I have given you

My love and My grace.

Will you walk with Me

Ev’rywhere I lead?

Will you find in Me

All of what you need?

 

Won’t you meet with Me

Down upon your knees?

Will you obey Me,

And do what I please?

Will you hear My voice

Speaking now to you?

I am couns’ling you

To abide in truth.

 

I have died for you;

Taken all your sins –

Crucified with Me,

You have been forgiv’n.

I have set you free

From your slavery,

So that you can now

Live in victory.

 

https://vimeo.com/115908408

Don't You Know Me?

 John 14:5-11

 

“Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’

 

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’

 

“Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’

 

“Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.’”

 

Jesus is The Way

 

Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to God the Father and to eternal life with God in glory. And HIS WAY is the ONLY WAY. No man-made gospel will do. No religious performance or ritual will do. No man-made sacrifice to God will do, either. Only through the cross of Christ can we be made right with God.

 

And what is the way of the cross? For us, it is dying with Christ to sin and living to Christ and to his righteousness. It is putting to death our old lives of living to sin and self so that we can now live godly and holy lives, pleasing to God, in God’s power and strength (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24).

 

Who Jesus Really Is

 

Jesus Christ is not just the Son of God. He is God! He is the second person of our triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Heb 1:3-9; Jn 1:1-18; Jn 8:24, 58; Jn 10:30-33; Col 2:9; 2 Pet 1:1; Rom 9:5; Jn 20:28-29).

 

God the Father called him God. He was in the beginning with God, and he is God. All things that were made were made through him. So, He is our creator God. Jesus is the I AM. He said, “Before Abraham was born, I AM.” The Jews wanted to kill him because he made himself out to be God. And he was God incarnate when he walked this earth.

 

So, when Jesus said that anyone who has seen him has seen the Father, he was speaking literally that he was God, as the Father is God. Jesus is the exact representation (replica) of his being (Heb 1:3).

 

But Philip did not recognize Jesus as such, which then prompted Jesus’ question, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?”

 

If You Really Know Me

 

I believe the Lord has this same question in mind for many people today who profess to know him, but who don’t really know him. They think they do. Someone told them they do because they prayed a prayer or they made a public confession of faith, but they have the wrong concept of Jesus.

 

They have been fed and they have accepted a false Jesus and a false gospel who/which conforms to their likeness, rather than the true Jesus and his gospel which requires that they conform to Christ’s likeness. Thus, they are following another Jesus and a different gospel than the ones of Scripture.

 

So, they are not receiving and choosing the Jesus and the gospel of Jesus of the Holy Scriptures, but they are accepting and choosing a Jesus and a gospel created in the minds of men (and women). For, the alternate Jesus and the alternate gospel are more to their liking.

 

In fact, they feel they have all the information they need about Jesus and they don’t need more of him. They don’t need more of his character in their lives or submission to his will. They have their “religion” and what they believe is their ticket into heaven, and they are content with that.

 

They are content with the “Jesus” who forgives them their sins and who they believe will never punish them for their sins, and who unconditionally assures them of his heaven as their eternal destiny, even if they barely acknowledge him, and even if they choose their own life path.

 

But they reject the Jesus of the Scriptures who demands that they die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. They say they have enough. They don’t want or need more.

 

They don’t want to hear that his love and grace are conditional, not that we do anything to earn our salvation, but that he saved us to good works which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them, and that we must walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh if we want eternal life with God (Eph 2:8-10; Tit 2:11-14; Rom 8:1-17; Lu 9:23-6; Gal 6:7-8).

 

For, if we live according to the flesh, and if we obey sin, and not God, and if we make sin our practice instead of righteousness, we will die in our sins, not have eternal life with God. But this is what they don’t want to hear (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10).

 

Instead, they will gripe and complain that people are telling them that they must repent of their sins, submit to Christ as Lord, and walk in obedience to his commands. So, they will try to make them look bad and themselves look good by comparison, for they want others to think evil of the Lord’s servants and of the gospel of Christ.

 

And they will try to gain pity for themselves, trying to convince others that the gospel of Jesus, in truth, is cruel, hateful, intolerant, and legalistic, while the cheapened grace of God, they say, is loving and kind because it makes no demands at all, and it offers forgiveness of sin regardless of how one lives his or her life from that moment forward.

 

God in Us and Us in God

 

[Rom 8:9; Jn 14:20-23; 1 Jn 4:16; Eph 2:22; Eph 3:17; Col 1:27]

 

But when we come to genuine faith in Jesus Christ, we enter into an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. God/Christ, in the person of the Holy Spirit, comes to live within us, and we live in him/them. So, our lives should reflect Christ much like Jesus’ life reflected the Father.

 

But if we don’t turn away from our sins, and if we do not obey the Lord, as a matter of practice in our lives, we are not truly in Christ and he is not truly in us, and we don’t have eternal life with God no matter what we profess with our lips. For, we should reflect Jesus’ character by how we live.

 

Have Thine Own Way, Lord

 

Words by Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907

Music by George C. Stebbins, 1907

 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Thou art the potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Search me and try me, Master, today!

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,

As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Wounded and weary, help me I pray!

Power, all power, surely is Thine!

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Hold o'er my being absolute sway.

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see

Christ only, always, living in me!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z11avpKNLsA

Are You Troubled?

John 14:1-4 NIV

 

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

 

Our Hearts are Troubled

 

What kinds of things trouble our hearts? We, as believers in Jesus, have unsaved loved ones. We long to see them turn their hearts to Jesus. We are grieved over them and their refusal to surrender their hearts to the Lord. For, we know their refusal will land them in hell, not heaven.

 

Those who have not surrendered their lives to Jesus, some of whom claim to have faith in Jesus, may trouble us through persecution, rejection, opposing the truth of the gospel, and attacking us for our stand on the truth, etc. Jesus went through that, as did Paul and the other apostles.

 

Also, as we see the world getting more evil as the days go by, we may be troubled over all the evil we are seeing daily in the news or on social media, or perhaps even in our personal relationships with others in how they treat us, or in how they treat those we love.

 

Also, as we see how the gospel has not only been watered down, and altered, but how it is now being turned upside down to where evil is now spoken of as being good, and good is now being spoken of as evil, it grieves our hearts, too.

 

For some, the year 2020 has been a troublesome year with all the news of a pandemic, and of people dying, and of having to wear masks, and of having to social distance from others, and having to not be able to gather with family and friends or with your local church fellowship.

 

It can especially be troublesome if you are one who believes that so much of what is going on in the world is not what it appears to be, but that so much of it is orchestrated and scripted, and that it all has a sinister plot that is being followed and carried out, so you know you are being lied to.

 

Overcome with Sorrow

 

So, should we grieve over the lost? Yes! Should it concern us that so many people professing faith in Jesus Christ are living the opposite of what they profess? Yes! Should opposition to the gospel concern us, too? Yes! Should all the evil in the world disturb us, as well? Yes!

 

So, it is not wrong for us to grieve or to be concerned about certain things. It is not even wrong for us to cry or to feel emotional or physical pain when we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. But then we should rejoice.

 

For, Jesus, when he knew he was going to be put to death for the sins of the world, began to be sorrowful and troubled. His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow (deeply grieved) to the point of death. Jesus cried to the Father to have the cup of suffering taken from him, which he knew was coming, if it would be possible, yet he submitted to the will of the Father (Matt 26:37-42).

 

And Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to have his thorn in the flesh removed, but the Lord replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Then Paul also submitted to the will of God (2 Co 12:6-10).

 

So, we should not worry over such things or be fearful so as to not trust in God with the circumstances of our lives. But there are certain things which should grieve us and concern us, but we have to not let them concern us to the point to where we are fearful. We must keep trusting the Lord.

 

We must surrender our lives and our circumstances over to the will of God, and we must trust in God’s sovereignty over all things. When we are in pain, emotionally and/or physically, we need to take it to the Lord in prayer, and trust him to work it all out, and then the peace will come.

 

He’s Preparing a Place

 

So, I believe the encouragement here is to not let our hearts continue to be troubled to the point to where we have no hope, or to where we become fearful, and to where we lose our faith in the Lord and in his promises. We should not wallow in our misery, in other words.

 

When we are suffering and/or grieving, we need to do what Jesus and Paul did. We need to take it to the Lord in prayer. And then we need to let the Lord encourage our hearts. For, this world is temporary. It is not our permanent home. We are just passing through on our way to heaven.

 

The Lord has placed us on this earth, though, for a purpose, and for a period of time. So, for each of us who have committed our lives to him, he has something he wants to do. So, we need to find out what that is and then do it. For, time is short, and many people need to be saved.

 

So, we need to remain eternity focused. We need to have our minds fixed on what is from above, not on the things on this earth. We should not allow ourselves to get caught up in the things of this world. We are not to get entangled in civilian affairs, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.

 

We shouldn’t be so focused on our Lord’s return, though, that we are not doing the work he has called us to do while we are still on this earth. Yes, we should be watching and waiting, but we should still be doing the work to which he has called us and has equipped us until he takes us home.

 

The main thing here, while we still live on the earth, is to keep the perspective in mind of God’s eternal kingdom. We are not here to help build earthly kingdoms or to put our trust and hope in human kings (rulers). Our hope needs to be in our only King, Jesus Christ, and in his promises.

 

And then we can live at peace even in this troubled world. And when we suffer, we submit to the will of God, and we let him be our comfort and our joy. He should be our best friend, and at times he may be our only friend if others reject us because of our testimony for Jesus and for his gospel.

 

The Kingdoms of Earth Pass Away

 

Lyrics by Henry R. Trickett, 1887

Music by James H. Fillmore, 1887

 

The kingdoms of earth pass away one by one,

But the kingdom of heaven remains;

It is built on a rock and the Lord is its King,

And forever and ever He reigns.

 

The tempest may rage and its anger acclaim,

Yea, the wind and the torrents may roar,

And the strong gates of hell may assail it in vain,

Still the kingdom shall stand ever more.

 

The kingdom of God is now open to all,

E’en the vilest may now enter in;

There’s a welcome for all who will turn to the Lord,

Full salvation and pardon for sin.

 

Chorus: It shall stand, It shall stand,

Forever and ever and ever,

It shall stand, It shall stand,

Forever and ever. Amen and Amen.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCAO2TpbeY0

*Caution: This link my contain ads

This "Packs a Punch"

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

 

*Please read all of Matthew 11 to get the full context.

 

The Weary and Burdened

 

Who are the weary and burdened? Well, in the context of what Jesus was teaching here, they are those weighed down with slavery to sin and with love for the things of this world. They are those under the yoke (burden) of the teachings of men, which are contrary to the teachings of Christ.

 

They are those who reject God’s messages and his messengers, and who find fault with those who are bringing them the good news of the gospel – the good news of the gospel that Jesus, John the Baptist, and the Lord’s apostles taught. They accuse them falsely of what they did not do.

 

They accuse them of being harsh and unloving, of being legalists, and of being those who are teaching “works-based” salvation. For, they view the true gospel as unloving, while they see the cheap grace gospel as loving and kind, gentle and caring about others.

 

They are the worldly, who try to convince those walking in faithfulness to the Lord that they need to be more like those who are of this world; that they need to be more “normal.” They try to convince them, too, that holiness and godliness are wrong and that living to the flesh is right.

 

They are the unrepentant who, although they have had the truth taught to them, have refused to submit to God, to surrender their lives to Jesus, and to make him Lord of their lives. They are continuing in their habitual sinful practices, for they are choosing the path of least resistance.

 

So, rather than go to the cross of Christ, die to sin and self, and follow Jesus in surrender and in obedience to his will for their lives, they choose to go to the cheap grace gospel when they are “struggling” with their sinful addictions, because it consoles them in their sin. It gives them permission to continue in sin without guilt.

 

His Yoke is Easy

 

When this says that Jesus’ yoke is easy and his burden is light, this is not talking about the cheap grace gospel. This is not referring to the path of least resistance. This is not giving permission for us to continue in our sinful practices, for that is the “easy way out.”

 

We have to read what Jesus taught, and we have to read what the apostles taught in the Scriptures, in context, studying the Scriptures verse by verse and chapter by chapter, rather than cherry picking Scriptures that fit with our lifestyles and how we want to live.

 

So, what is Jesus’ yoke? He said that if we want to come after him we must deny self and take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) him. For, he said, if we hold on to our old lives (of living in sin), we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our lives for his sake (die with him to sin), we will have eternal life with him (Lu 9:23-26; cf. Rom 8:1-17).

 

Jesus also said that everyone who has learned from God the Father comes to him (Jesus). And he said that unless we eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, we have no life in us. He said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (See John 6:35-58).

 

We must participate, thus, in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in his death to sin and in his resurrection to new life. We must die with him to sin, be born anew of the Spirit of God, and now live to him and to his righteousness (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9).

 

And we are to learn from him, not intellectually, but spiritually. We are to listen to what he says and then we are to do what he says to do. We are to follow him wherever he leads us and not go back to our former lives of living for sin and for self (Lu 9:23-26; Jn 8:31-32; Jn 10:27; Jn 14:23-24).

 

Rest for Your Souls

 

When we are still living in sin, under the control of sin, the flesh and Satan, we are not at peace. We are not at rest. We are troubled in our minds and hearts, flittering here and there from one thing to another which will never satisfy the deep longings of our hearts.

 

Especially for those who know the truth, and who claim to believe in Jesus, they know that continuing in their sinful practices is opposed to the teachings of Scripture, and that it is opposed to Christ’s righteousness and holiness, so they are never at rest when they keep sinning.

 

Especially if they are sinning in secret, and so they are covering up their sin with lies, they are not at peace. They may find ways to temporarily give them some relief in ways that are not good, but it is only temporary, and it never satisfies, but it usually only makes their situations much worse.

 

But this isn’t just talking about inward peace and absence of guilt and condemnation, which some people try to find with the cheap grace gospel. But this is speaking of peace with God, i.e., being bought back for God with the blood of Jesus so that we now honor God with our lives (1 Co 6:19-20).

 

And the rest Jesus is speaking of is also not “we do nothing” and God does it all. For Jesus said we must listen to him, we must obey him, we must leave all to follow him, forsake our sins and idols, die daily to sin and self, and live for him and for his righteousness.

 

Faith in Jesus Christ is not light and fluffy. It is the narrow road that few travel that leads to eternal life. It is total surrender to him, not looking back. We are either for him or against him. There is no middle ground. It doesn’t mean we are perfect, but that sin no longer controls us.

 

The rest Jesus is speaking of, thus, is eternal rest. And we enter into his rest by faith, but that faith, if it is genuine, results in obedience and surrender to his will, or it is not genuine faith. For in both the OT and the NT we are taught that disobedience is equivalent to unbelief (1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3-4).

 

So, if you are relying on a prayer you prayed, or a confession of faith you made at one point in your life to guarantee you heaven as your eternal destiny, think again. If you walk according to the flesh (in sin), you will not inherit eternal life, but you will die in your sin (Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6).

 

Do You Love Me?  

 

An Original Work / July 24, 2013

 

Do you love Me now?

Will you seek My face?

I have given you

My love and My grace.

Will you walk with Me

Ev’rywhere I lead?

Will you find in Me

All of what you need?

 

Won’t you meet with Me

Down upon your knees?

Will you obey Me,

And do what I please?

Will you hear My voice

Speaking now to you?

I am couns’ling you

To abide in truth.

 

I have died for you;

Taken all your sins –

Crucified with Me,

You have been forgiv’n.

I have set you free

From your slavery,

So that you can now

Live in victory.

 

https://vimeo.com/115908408

Treated Outrageously!

1 Thessalonians 2:1-2 NIV

 

“You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition.”

 

When we follow Jesus Christ with our lives, and when we hold to the truths of Scripture, and to the teachings of Jesus Christ, and to the gospel of our salvation as taught in Scripture, we will be hated and we will be persecuted.

 

And our greatest persecutors may not come from the people out in the world who make no profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but they may be those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, and who are ministers of the gospel, and who are leaders within the gatherings of the church (or what is called “church”).

 

We may be judged falsely by those in leadership positions within the church based on their own insecurities regarding their own walks of faith, or regarding their own personal prejudices or misconceptions based on the traditions of men and of culture, judging us by themselves, in other words.

 

Or they may judge us falsely on the basis of their training in the modern way of “doing church,” following marketing strategies for how to grow their churches (their businesses). And we may be told that they were warned about people like us with strong convictions or that we “don’t fit,” and so they will be glad to help us find someplace where we will be a “better fit.”

 

Or they may persecute us for our sincere faith, for our honesty and integrity, for our stand on truth and righteousness, and for not being willing to compromise with the worldly church and their marketing schemes. And they may even exercise severe and unwarranted cruel measures against us.

 

But no matter what kind of persecution we may face or who it comes from, we must draw on the strength of the Lord and not give up! We must continue to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with all who will listen. And, in fact, the persecution we face should strengthen us to keep sharing the truth.

 

1 Thessalonians 2:3-4 NIV

 

“For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.”

 

In today’s modern “church,” honesty, integrity, pure motives, and straightforwardness (no fakery) are often not met with praise but with scorn and derision, even from the leadership. And that is because so much of today’s marketing schemes are the opposite of that in approach.

 

The modern way is to withhold the truth from people, and to say only what makes them feel good about themselves. It is to not say anything that might make anyone feel uncomfortable or that might offend them, even if it is the truth that Jesus taught.

 

The modern way to do church is to entertain people and to pattern the gatherings of the church after what will attract the world to those gatherings and that will keep them coming back for more. For, they want the world to feel at home in “the church.”

 

But the modern way is not God’s way. It is man’s way, the way of the flesh. For God’s way is the way of holiness, righteousness, honesty, integrity, morality, and love (the way God loves). God’s way is to speak the truth in love so that people will be delivered from their slavery to sin, not so that they will continue living in sin without guilt.

 

1 Thessalonians 2:5-7 NIV

 

“You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. Instead, we were like young children among you.”

 

I love this! Oh, how I would hope this would be the testimony of every pastor today. Sadly, so many of them do use flattery, trickery, joking, entertainment, manipulation of people’s emotions, and even threats, to get the people to follow them their way.

 

And many, perhaps half or more of them do wear masks, not literally, but figuratively, in order to cover up all kinds of sins in their lives. They put on a show of righteousness, but many of them are involved in addictive sinful practices. Porn statistics alone give us a good picture of this.

 

It would be wonderful today if pastors were not concerned about people liking them or people liking their sermons or their services. It would be great if they didn’t pattern their church meetings after the world in order to attract the world to their gatherings, too.

 

It would be awesome if they were more concerned with what God thinks of them, and if they were willing to follow the Lord all the way, even if it meant people abandoning and hating them.

 

And it would be excellent if they were all humble servants of God, serving him above all else, willing to be despised and rejected of men in order to follow the Lord Jesus wholeheartedly with their lives and with their ministry.

 

I Do Not Seal My Lips  

 

An Original Work / January 13, 2014

Based off Psalms 37, 40

 

Do not fear when evil man

Has success in all their plans,

For like grass they’ll wither soon.

They’ll be cut off from the land.

 

Trust in the Lord and He’ll give you peace.

Find your delight in Him through all stress.

All of your ways commit unto Him.

All your desires from Him He’ll fulfill.

 

Wait for the Lord; keep His way.

Delight in His Word always.

He’ll be with you to the end;

Life eternal found in Him.

 

I waited patiently for my Lord.

He turned to me, and He heard my cry.

He set my feet on the Solid Rock.

He gave to me a firm place to stand.

 

Blessed are we, who trust the Lord,

Who do not turn to false gods.

Our desire’s to do God’s will.

His word is within our hearts.

 

I will proclaim salvation to man.

You put a new song now in my mouth.

I’ll not withhold your love and your grace.

I’ll speak forevermore of your truth.

 

https://vimeo.com/112330108