Just Are You

“And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying…” (Revelation 15:2-3 ESV)

“The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say…” (Revelation 16:4-5 ESV)

“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty…” (Revelation 16:12-14 ESV)

Just Are You  

An Original Work / August 26, 2013

Based off Revelation 15-16

Great and marvelous are Your deeds, O God.

Just and true Your ways, King of all the earth.

Who will not fear You; glorify Your name?

You are righteousness. Praise Your Name!

Just are You, O Lord, our Eternal ONE,

For You judge the earth in Your righteousness.

They have shed the blood of Your righteous ones.

You give their reward. They’re to blame!

Kings of all the earth gather, one accord;

Make haste to engage in a mighty war.

They oppose the Lord and His holy saints.

They serve wickedness, to their shame!

Jesus comes again, to some unforeseen. 

Blessed are those who wait for Him at the gate.

They’ll not be ashamed. “Glad” be their refrain.

When He comes again, He’ll remain!

https://vimeo.com/115579013

I Know that My Redeemer Lives

Summary Book of Job

Job was a righteous man in the eyes of the Lord, and he was a wealthy man, too, in the eyes of the world, for he had many possessions. But he was a man who was blessed of God, and he worshipped the Lord with all his being. But one day Satan stood before God, and the Lord asked Satan if he had considered the Lord’s servant Job, “that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil.” 

But Satan’s response was to say that Job was only righteous because God was protecting him and because the Lord God was blessing him. So Satan said to God, “But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And so the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

At first Satan arranged that all of Job’s servants (except for maybe a few), and all of his animals, and all of his children would be killed. But when Job received the news of all of this, he fell on the ground and he worshiped God. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

After this, Satan had another encounter with the Lord, and this time Satan said to God, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” So Satan “went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”

Then Job’s friends came to console him, and they sat with him on the ground seven days and nights, “and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.” And then Job was in much anguish, and so great was his suffering that he wished he had never been born. So he said, “For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.”

Then Job’s friends began to speak, one by one, but not to encourage him, but to accuse him falsely of sinning against the Lord, and of that being the reason for his suffering. And no matter what Job said to them to try to convince them otherwise, they would not relent from accusing him of sin and to advise him that he must repent of his sin to God. And this only added on to Job’s sufferings, for his friends did not believe him. (see Job 1-37)

Then the Lord responded to Job, and the Lord scolded him for questioning the sovereignty of God over his life (Job 38:1-41; Job 39:1-30; Job 40:1-2). And then Job responded to the Lord in all humility (Job 40:3-5), and then God responded to Job (Job 40:6-24; Job 41:1-34). Then Job answered the Lord again where he acknowledged the sovereignty of God over all things, and where he confessed that he had spoken of things he did not understand. And he repented in dust and ashes for his unwise words (Job 42:1-6).

And then God spoke to Job’s friend, Eliphaz, “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” Then he instructed Eliphaz to go to Job and to offer a burnt offering for themselves, and that he would have Job pray for them that the Lord would not deal with them for their folly, “For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” (see Job 42:7-9)

And that is the book of Job, in a nutshell, but not including everything that took place, but hitting just the highlights. So that is to give you some understanding of Job’s words in today’s passage from Job 19:23-29, for this was what was going on his life when he spoke these words:

“Oh that my words were written!

    Oh that they were inscribed in a book!

Oh that with an iron pen and lead

    they were engraved in the rock forever!

For I know that my Redeemer lives,

    and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

And after my skin has been thus destroyed,

    yet in my flesh I shall see God,

whom I shall see for myself,

    and my eyes shall behold, and not another.

    My heart faints within me!

If you say, ‘How we will pursue him!’

    and, ‘The root of the matter is found in him,’

be afraid of the sword,

    for wrath brings the punishment of the sword,

    that you may know there is a judgment.” (Job 19:23-29 ESV)

So, what is the essence of Job’s words that he spoke here? Well, first of all he was answering his accusers (his friends) and their charges against him. For they were tormenting him with their false accusations against him and with their refusal to believe the truth coming from his mouth. And they were not ashamed that they were wronging him. And then he went on to describe for them what God was allowing to happen in his life, including, “My relatives have failed me, my close friends have forgotten me.” (Job 19:14)

Yet, in all that he suffered – which was not for any wrongdoing that he had committed, but because he had led a righteous life, and because God was putting him to the test – he did not curse God, i.e. he did not reject God as his Lord, but he spoke with confidence that he knew that his redeemer lives, and he knew that, when he died, that he would see God. For he knew, even if no one else did, that he was not suffering because of sin against God.

Then he warned his friends that if they continued to pursue the course they were on with their false accusations – which felt to Job like vicious attacks against himself and against his character – that it would not go well for them with God. And he told them that they should be afraid of the sword, which was the judgment of God, if they continued to pursue Job in that manner, and if they continued to accuse him of sin he did not commit. 

And if we follow the Lord Jesus with our lives, in surrender to his will, in truth and in righteousness, we also will have our faith tested, and we will have friends and family and neighbors and fellow professing Christians and pastors and elders turn against us and falsely accuse us of wrong we did not commit. And this will be because they are not seeing things through the eyes of God but through the eyes of the flesh and through worldly thinking.

But in all that we suffer, we are not to lose sight of God and of his sovereignty over our lives. For our Lord does not promise us a life of ease if we follow him, but he promises a life of suffering, rejection, persecution, false accusations against us, and the like. So we must keep our focus on the Lord through all the trials that come our way, and keep pressing forward in obeying the Lord, no matter how others treat us. And we will be blessed.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Eph 6:10-20; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

What a Savior

By Marvin P. Dalton

Once I was straying in sin’s dark valley

No hope within could I see

God sent from heaven a loving Savior

To save a poor lost soul like me

He left the Father with all His riches

With calmness sweet and serene

Came down from heaven and gave His life blood

To make the vilest sinner clean

Death’s chilly waters I’ll soon be crossing

His hand will lead me safe o’er

I’ll join the chorus in that great city

And sing up there forevermore

O what a Savior, O hallelujah

His heart was broken on Calvary

His hands were nail-scarred

His side was riven

He gave His lifeblood for even me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRWCM-PFO8Y

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Deny Self and Preach Jesus

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8 ESV)

Jesus Christ is not only the only begotten Son of God, but he is God – the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And all things were made through him, so he was and is our creator God, too. And he was with God in the beginning, so he did not just come into being when he was born as a baby to a human mother, for he always existed with God (John 1:1-36). But it was God’s will that he should come to the earth and be born of a woman, yet conceived of the Holy Spirit, and not of man.

So Jesus Christ, who is God, left his throne in heaven, came to earth, was born of woman, conceived of the Holy Spirit, and he lived among the people of the earth for about 33 years before his death. And while he walked the earth he was fully God and fully human. But since he was not born of man, he was not born in the image of Adam like we are, with a sin nature. And although he was tempted to sin, for he lived in a flesh body, he never once sinned in all that he did and said when he lived on the earth.

And even though all of us humans were born with sin natures, in the image of Adam, and so we were born into sin, Jesus Christ came to the earth ultimately to be crucified on a cross to take away the sins of the world. For in his death, he who knew no sin became sin for us so that when he died and was buried, our sins died with him, and they were buried with him. And then he triumphed over them and hell and Satan and death via his resurrection from the dead on the third day, as he said would take place.

And because Jesus put our sins to death with him on that cross, we can now be delivered out of our slavery to sin and walk in freedom from bondage to sin, in the power of God, in walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands in holy living, for the praise and glory of God. And all this is by faith in Jesus Christ, which is gifted to us by God, and which is persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to turn from our sins to follow our Lord in obedience to his commands.

[Isaiah 53:1-12; Matt 7:21-23; Matt 26:26-29; Lu 9:23-26; Lu 17:25; Jn 1:1-36; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 8:24,58; Jn 10:27-33; Jn 20:28-29; Rom 5:8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 9:5; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 11:23-32; 1 Co 15:1-8; 2 Co 5:15,21; Eph 4:17-24; Php 2:5-11; Col 2:9; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 1:8-9; Heb 2:14-15; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Pet 1:1; 1 John 3:4-10]  

So, we who believe in Jesus with this God-gifted faith in him, whereby we are crucified with him in death to sin, and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness (Romans 6:1-23), we are to pattern our lives after Jesus’ example. And we are to humble ourselves before God in submission to his will and willingly lay our lives down to see others come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of their lives before our Lord returns and it is too late for them.

And we do this by surrendering our lives over to Jesus Christ to do his will, and by being his servants and messengers in taking the truth of the gospel of our salvation to the people of this world via the internet, radio, TV, in person, in letters, or via any other ways and means of getting out the truth of the gospel to people we know, even to those professing faith in Christ, and to people we don’t know, but who need to know Jesus. And so we need to pray for courage to speak the truth of the gospel boldly to other people.

But we first of all must deny self, die daily with Christ to sin, and then follow our Lord in obedience to his commands (Luke 9:23-26). For Jesus died so we would die to sin. And we should not preach to others what we are not living ourselves, in practice. For we lead first of all by example, and not just by words only, though not necessarily in absolute perfection. But we must speak the truth of the gospel of Christ to the people so that they will hear the truth and so that they will believe the truth and thus be saved. 

 

Jesus, Lead Me  

An Original Work / July 22, 2011

Jesus, lead me all the way.

Be my hope and be my stay. 

Gently lead me where I should go,

So Your Spirit, I want to know.

Open up my heart to You.

Fill me with Your love and truth.

Make my heart want to obey.

Be my Lord today. Gently lead always. 

Jesus, lover of my soul,

Cleanse my heart, and make me whole;

Be transformed in my heart today,

As I turn from my sin and pray.

Make Your will known to my heart.

May I not from You depart.

How I long to hear You now,

As I humbly bow. Jesus, hear me now.

https://vimeo.com/113559147 

Jesus Wept Over It

“And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.’

“And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”’” (Luke 19:41-46 ESV)

I believe that Jesus Christ still weeps over those who make professions of faith in the one true God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – and for the same reasons he wept over his people Israel when he walked upon the earth. And that is because so many of them are deceived into believing the lies and into rejecting the truth taught by Jesus and by his NT apostles. And he knows that they will not inherit eternal life with God but that they will die in their sins, without hope.

For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands, then we have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God. For he also said that not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one obeying God the Father.

[Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; Ephesians 4:17-24; Romans 6:1-23]

Now Jesus was not just speaking here of the judgment at the end of time or at the end of our lives on this earth when we will either enter into God’s holy presence or when we will end up in eternal damnation and torture. But he was speaking of a physical judgment on his people Israel that was to come which I believe occurred in 70 A.D., if I am not mistaken, which is when the Old Covenant temple of God (a physical temple) was destroyed, for it was no longer God’s temple, for his temple was now the hearts of his saints.

And the wayward and rebellious and lukewarm church of today is promised a similar judgment in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, where five out of seven churches were threatened with God’s judgments if they did not repent of their waywardness and if they did not turn and now follow Jesus Christ with their lives in humble submission to him as Lord (Owner-Master) and Savior of their lives. And after these warnings of judgment were given, then in the book of Revelation we have detailed for us the types of judgments to come.

And it is clear that Christians will exist during this time of tribulation, and that they will have to endure severe persecutions for their walks of faith in Jesus Christ, but that God will use this time to purify their hearts and to make them ready to meet their Lord at his return, which is when our salvation will be complete, and not before then, and only if we are those who are walking in obedience to our Lord in holy living in the power of God and if we are not walking in sin, making sin our practice (1 John 3:4-10).

And I believe that the church in America, at large, which fits the description of the church in Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22), and is fleshly, and is market-driven, is already under the judgment of God, and that soon we may see the physical institutions of human origin called “churches” being physically destroyed such as what happened in 70 AD when God visited his people Israel in judgment, and the physical structure which once was God’s holy temple, was destroyed, never to be rebuilt, because God does not live in buildings made by human hands, but in the hearts of those who serve him.

For we know that a time of great tribulation is coming, and that God is going to judge the people of the earth, but the book of Revelation begins with God threatening judgment to the churches which did not repent of their sins against the Lord, and then what followed was the declarations of judgments, whereby we learn of the persecutions of Jesus’ followers during this time, as well (Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13). So we need to take this seriously.

For right after we read of how Jesus wept over Jerusalem, we read of how Jesus cast immediate judgment on those who had turned his temple into a marketplace (a den of robbers, a house of trade, a place of business). And his temple today is the church, the body of Christ, which so many now have turned into places of business to be marketed to the people of the world just like any other businesses, using human marketing schemes and ploys to attract the ungodly to the gatherings of the church to grow their “churches.”

And God’s judgments are definitely upon those who have turned his temple into places of business and who are marketing “the church” to the world via worldly means and methods, and who are also turning his church into places of fun and entertainment, and who are thus altering the character of God/Christ and of his church and of his gospel message so as to attract and draw in large crowds of people from the world, and so as not to offend them with the truth of the gospel taught by Jesus and his NT apostles.

Thus, the Lord is calling out to his people to come out from among these institutions of human origin called “church,” which are just businesses of human making, and to not have fellowship with the ungodly, and to not partner with the ungodly (the world). And then he will receive us and he will be a Father to us, and we will be his sons and daughters. For we are not to take the “mark of the beast,” i.e. the influences and character and nature of the ungodly world upon us, but we are to be holy as God is holy.

We are to come out from among these market-driven and flesh-driven businesses called “church,” but which are honoring the flesh and not God, so that we do not participate with her/them in their sins and in their plagues, for this worldly and flesh driven and market driven “church” of today has piled her sins high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities, and he will judge her (Babylon) for her sins. So find a fellowship of believers in Jesus who are following the Lord and not human marketing schemes.

[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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Jesus, Rescue Me

Are you presently struggling with sin? What I mean is, not are you are being tempted, but are you giving in to the flesh thinking that sin or Satan has power over you and that you don't have the ability to say "NO!" to sin?

In the book of Romans, chapter 7, Paul described for us the struggle with sin that we have in our flesh natures. The good we want to do, we do not do, and the evil we don’t want to do, we end up doing. And Paul came to the conclusion, “Oh, what a wretched man I am!” But then, he asked, “Who will rescue me from the body of death?” And, then he answered the question with, “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” We, who believe in Jesus Christ with God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him, are rescued! We no longer have to be in bondage (slavery) to sin! (Romans 6:1-23)

Jesus delivered us, not just from eternal damnation, but from the power of sin over our lives. He already won this battle for us. He has given us all we need to live in victory over sin and the flesh. He has given us the Spirit within us to guide, lead, counsel, strengthen and empower us. He has given us the armor of God with which to fight off Satan's evil attacks against us. So, it is not a matter of who is going to win. Jesus already won! We just have to live like we believe he won this one for us, and we have to daily resist Satan, flee temptation, and draw near to God in full assurance of faith. 

And we have to use that spiritual armor God gave us, and we have to mean business with sin, i.e. we can't play with it and expect not to get burned. And, we have to take that way out from underneath the temptation so that we can stand up under it - the way of escape Jesus provided for us on the cross when he died so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. 

At the time the Lord Jesus gave me this song, I was going a direction which I thought was ok. I mean, I was not sinning, at least not that I knew. But, he sees what we don’t see ahead, which is why he often warns us of danger in advance, and we will do well to heed his warnings and to not go where he says don’t go. In this way, he is also rescuing us. 

Yet, there were times in my Christian life when I didn't take the way out, and I did yield to my flesh, and it was because I was convinced that Satan had power over me and that there was a question as to who would win, not that that was an excuse. We are never given permission to sin against God, i.e. God's grace is not a free license to continue in sin. Yet, we need to know that Jesus won the victory for us, and that in his power and in his strength, as we submit to him, and yield control of our lives over to him, we can be victorious over sin and the flesh, and that sin no longer has mastery over us.

Jesus, Rescue Me  

An Original Work / September 18, 2011

Based off of Romans 7:7-25 thru Romans 8:1-39

Jesus, rescue me today.

Listen while I bow and pray.

I need Your help to obey You;

Live for You always.

Meet me in my hour of need, Lord,

As I pray to You.

Help me walk in fellowship, Lord,

Living in Your truth.

Jesus, how I long for You to

Change my heart anew.

Father, God, my heart’s desire

Is to live for You this hour

In Your Holy Spirit’s power

Living in me now.

Teach me to walk in Your love, Lord,

Guiding me each day.

Help me to show love and kindness

To the lost, I pray.

Father, teach me to love others

As You love always.

Holy Spirit come in pow’r.

Revive our hearts in this hour.

Change our hearts to be like You, Lord;

Live for You each day.

Help us to forsake our sins, Lord,

As we humbly pray.

Teach us how to live for You, Lord,

Obey You always.

Holy Spirit come in power,

Revive us today. 

https://vimeo.com/126092919 

Wicked and Slothful Servants

Jesus Christ told this parable to a crowd of people who were gathered together in Jericho, which was the same crowd that grumbled against Jesus when he told Zacchaeus that he was going to go to his house. They said, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”:

“A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 

The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 

Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 

And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’” (Luke 19:12-27 ESV)

So, what’s the lesson here for us from this parable today? The first verse that came to my mind was, “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14), which comes from another parable that Jesus told, which has a similar and parallel message to this one, with a parallel and similar result: “Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” (see Matthew 22:1-14)

But it would appear here that the servant who buried his talent, and so his one talent was taken away from him, was not included among the Lord’s enemies who did not want him to reign over them, who the Lord then had slaughtered. But was he not among the slaughtered? For read the same parable in Matthew 25:14-30. There the Lord’s response to the servant who buried his talent was, “You wicked and slothful servant! … cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:26-30 ESV; cf. Matthew 22:1-14)

And this also goes right along with what Jesus said in John 15:1-11. “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (v. 2). “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned” (vv. 5-6). “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (v. 8).

So, what is the message to us today who profess faith in Jesus Christ? A profession of faith in Jesus Christ alone is not enough to secure us salvation from sin and eternal life with God. Yes, not one of us can be saved of ourselves. We can do nothing in our flesh to earn or to deserve our own salvation. It is the gift of God to us, as is our faith, which is persuaded of God and not of our own doing. But that gift is salvation from our slavery (addiction) to sin so we will now walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, and so we will serve him with our lives (Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 6:1-23).

We cannot, and we should not, give lip service only to God while we continue to live life to please ourselves and not to please God. For when God gives us the gift of salvation from sin, and he gives us spiritual gifts and spiritual assignments as his body parts within the body of Christ, he expects that we will walk in freedom from slavery to sin in walks of obedience to his commands and that we will bear much fruit (talents/gifts put into practice) for his heavenly kingdom, and for the salvation of human lives, too. For we are to be his witnesses in taking the gospel to the people of the world.

So, those who are telling you that all you have to do is to pray a prayer to receive Christ or that all you have to do is to “repent and believe,” which is not usually biblically defined, but who don’t tell you that God requires that you forsake your lives of living in sin and for self, and that you now follow him in obedience to his commands, they are either willfully lying to you, or at least they are failing to tell you the “whole truth and nothing but the truth” which you need to know and to put into practice, by the Spirit, if you are going to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Jesus, Lead Me  

An Original Work / July 22, 2011

Jesus, lead me all the way.

Be my hope and be my stay. 

Gently lead me where I should go,

So Your Spirit, I want to know.

Open up my heart to You.

Fill me with Your love and truth.

Make my heart want to obey.

Be my Lord today. Gently lead always. 

Jesus, lover of my soul,

Cleanse my heart, and make me whole;

Be transformed in my heart today,

As I turn from my sin and pray.

Make Your will known to my heart.

May I not from You depart.

How I long to hear You now,

As I humbly bow. Jesus, hear me now.

https://vimeo.com/113559147 

Jesus, My Savior

"So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:8-10 NIV84).

Truly God’s love for us is unending! Amen! His love for us sent Jesus Christ to the cross to die a cruel death so that we could be set free from slavery to sin and so we could have eternal life with God in glory. His love for us sustains us and holds us together. He loves us so much that he gave us his Holy Spirit to live in us to guide, lead, counsel, encourage, comfort and urge us in the ways of the Lord. 

My Lord not only died so that I could be free from slavery to sin, but he died so that I would no longer live for myself but for him who gave himself up for me. And, not only did he die, but he lived on this earth as a human being so that he suffered like we suffer, and so he was tempted in all ways in which we are tempted, yet without sin. He did this so that he could sympathize with us in our weaknesses, and so we would know his compassion, comfort and healing. 

Jesus, My Savior  

An Original Work / May 7, 2011

Jesus, my Savior, my Master and friend;

His love will guide me; of which there’s no end.

Saving and keeping and cleansing within;

Jesus, Messiah, my Lord and my King.

He died for me on Calv’ry’s tree.

Saved me from sin; made pure within.

Jesus, my Savior, my Master and friend;

His love will guide me; of which there’s no end.

Jesus, our God, our Creator; I AM; 

He came to earth, born of God as a man. 

He suffered so He could be our High Priest,

In love, compassion, and great sympathy.

He bore our sin; sin died with Him.

He conquered hell; with Him we dwell.

Jesus, our God, our Creator; I AM;

He came to earth, born of God as a man.

Jesus, Redeemer, His blood set us free.

He purchased our pardon, so we’d believe.

He loves us so, and He wants us to know

His love redeemed us; out from us should flow.

Repent of sin. Be whole within.

Follow His ways all of our days.

Jesus, Redeemer, His blood set us free

He purchased our pardon, so we’d believe.

https://vimeo.com/127213411 

Jesus Saw What He Could Be

Jesus Christ “entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’ So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’” (Luke 19:1-7 ESV)

We, as humans, don’t see like God sees. For “The LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 ESV). Humans see what people are, or what they appear to them to be, but God looks at what he can create within us, and who he intends for us to be and to do, in his power and strength and wisdom. For “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly and despised things of the world..” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28 ESV).

And he chose Zacchaeus, who was not well liked because he was a tax collector, and who was small in stature. So, where other humans despised Zacchaeus and had no use for him, Jesus saw what he intended to make of the man. Jesus saw what he could be. And he sees what we can be, too, if our lives are surrendered to him. But he knows what we will be, as well, because he is God. And he sees everything. 

So, even if we are small in stature, and even if we are despised by other humans, whether or not we are deserving of such disdain, God can use us for his glory when our lives are given over to him to be used by him in whatever ways he intends to use us to fulfill his purposes. For he is a miracle working God who intends to turn us from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that we can receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ (Acts 26:18).

But Zacchaeus was seeking after Jesus Christ, and even though he could not see Jesus on account of the crowd, who he could not see over, he did not let that discourage him, but he persevered. He ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, and the Scriptures teach that “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13 ESV). And Zacchaeus seemed quite in earnest to see who Jesus was. And he did find him. And he did not let the grumblings of the crowd discourage him, either, but he declared openly his faith and devotion to Jesus Christ.

“And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost’” (Luke 19:8-10 ESV).

This is a true picture of genuine faith and salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord. For when we believe in Jesus with God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are no longer to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, that leads to righteousness, to sanctification, and its end is eternal life (Romans 6:1-23).

Now no one had to tell Zacchaeus to do the things that he did, other than Jesus did tell him to come down from the tree, for Jesus said he must stay at Zacchaeus’ house that day. But Jesus already knew what Zacchaeus’ response to him was going to be, too. And he sought Jesus because God the Father was obviously drawing him (persuading him) to faith in Jesus Christ. And he knew right from wrong, so instinctively, or because God was putting this in his heart, he knew that he must make the wrongs right, and he must change from being a thief (if he was one) to being a giver to the poor.

For if our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine God-persuaded faith in the Lord, we are going to turn from (repent of) our sins, and we are now going to commit our lives to following Jesus with our lives. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow Jesus in obedience, then we have eternal life in him (see Luke 9:23-26). And that is what Zacchaeus did.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

A Believer’s Prayer 

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray 

To be Yours, and Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You, and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride, I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

https://vimeo.com/114796263 

Walk in Wisdom Toward Outsiders

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:2-6 ESV)

We who believe in Jesus Christ with genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ should be people of prayer. And we should be sensitive to the Spirit’s voice prompting us to pray for certain people at particular times when God knows that those people need prayer. For prayer is really two-way open communication between us and our Lord to where we can hear from him at any time of day or night, and to where we can speak to him about whatever is on our hearts and minds at any time.

Prayer does not have to be formal or with a written list, and it doesn’t have to be at a specific time of day or a routine we follow. We can talk with the Lord while we are cleaning house or washing the dishes or driving a vehicle or cooking a meal or while we are exercising or taking a walk, etc. For we are to continually be in a state of prayer (pray without ceasing), not that we are always verbalizing prayers to the Lord, but to where we have that open communication to where it is just natural to talk with him at any time.

Now I hear people talking about how we should pray for pastors of churches, and for missionaries, and for evangelists, and that we should pray for those who are sick or who are in physical need of some kind. But we should pray for anyone who is a follower of Christ who asks for prayer, and in the same way we would pray for a pastor or for the sick. For we all need prayer. And all who are following Jesus with their lives are ministers of the gospel and they are missionaries, because they are sharing the gospel with others.

And we should pray for people’s emotional and spiritual needs, too, and not just for their physical needs. For there are a lot of hurting people out there who need prayer and encouragement and who are laboring for the Lord much like Paul did, but without credentials, and without a title, and without recognition that what they are doing is as important or more important than many who have credentials and titles. For a title of “missionary” does not make us a “missionary.” We are missionaries if we are spreading the gospel.

And we should be praying in general for the truth of the gospel of our salvation to get out to as many people as possible so that they will hear the truth and turn their hearts and lives over to Jesus Christ, die with him to sin, then live to him and to his righteousness in the power of God. And we should pray that more people professing faith in Jesus Christ will share the message of the gospel of our salvation with other people, like on social media or in person, or over the phone, or via a letter or whatever means possible.

And when I say “truth,” I mean the truth that Jesus Christ and his NT apostles taught, if read and understood in context, and not from Scriptures removed from their context and then twisted to say what they do not say. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, we have the hope of eternal life with God (Luke 9:23-26).

And then we are to walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. We should not be allowing ourselves to get trapped into worldly living and into doing what the ungodly do because we are following the wrong crowd or because we are wanting to “fit in” and be accepted. And we should also seek the Lord for opportunities to share his gospel message with the people of the world in person or on the internet or via letters, or via whatever means we have available to get the good news out to people.

And when this says to let our speech be gracious, this is not talking about us watering down the truth of the gospel so that we don’t offend people with the truth of what the Scriptures teach. For if we lessen the power of the gospel message, we have won no one for genuine faith in Jesus Christ. For grace is kindness, and God’s grace to us instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return (Titus 2:11-14).

And this word “grace” means “leaning towards to share benefit,” the kind of benefit that Jesus provided for us via his death on that cross. For us, we share that grace (favor) via the message of the gospel of our salvation. For in Jesus’ death on that cross he freely gave himself away on our behalf in order that we might have the benefit of deliverance from slavery to sin and the empowerment of God to now live holy lives, pleasing to God, in walks of obedience to his commands in daily living (Romans 6:1-23; 1 Peter 2:24).

And if our speech is seasoned with salt, metaphorically speaking, salt signifies purification. In a figurative sense, it can mean wisdom or prudence (good sense). So, if we preserve the word of God, we maintain, uphold, obey, continue in, protect (safeguard) and defend it. And so if our words are seasoned with salt, we speak with pure words and with godly wisdom and with good sense in safeguarding and protecting the truth of the gospel. And this is what we all should be doing who love and serve Jesus Christ.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

A Believer’s Prayer 

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray 

To be Yours, and Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You, and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride, I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

https://vimeo.com/114796263

The Body of Christ

 

Teaching and Admonishing One Another

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:16-17 ESV)

The words spoken here were written to the collective body of Christ, not just to pastors, evangelists, or missionaries. This applies to us all. As members of the body of Christ, we are to be ministering to one another. We are to be speaking the truth in love to one another so that none of us will be easily persuaded by the cunning and craftiness of human beings in their deceitful scheming, and then end up chasing after false doctrines of faith. And we need to speak the truth in love to one another, as well, to help one another to grow to maturity in our walks of faith in Christ.

And we are to be being filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. And this is not talking about us attending a song service at a local gathering of the church (or what is called “church”). This means I have a song to share with you for your encouragement in the Lord, given to me by God, and so I share it with you for your strengthening in your walk of faith. And then you share a song or a poem or a psalm with me for my encouragement and for my strengthening in my walk of faith in the Lord, whenever God puts this on our hearts.

And we are to be letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly, which means we are dedicating time to the study of God’s word (in context), and that we are sitting at the feet of Jesus, drinking in his Word, praying for him to teach us what he wants us to learn and to apply to our own lives. And then we need to be putting those things into practice in our own lives so that we set the example for how to live those things out in our daily lives, and so that we are not trying to teach others what we ourselves are not living. And then we need to be teaching and admonishing (warning) one another in the faith.

Also, we are to exhort (insist on with a holy urging) one another every day so that none of us will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. And we are to stir (spur) up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, but encouraging (inspiring, urging) one another, and all the more as we see the Day (of judgment, of our Lord’s return) drawing near. And meeting together can be anywhere, any day of the week, any time of day or night, and in person or over the phone or on the internet, wherever other believers in Christ are gathered where we can encourage one another.

And if a brother or sister in Christ has been caught (trapped) in sin, we who are spiritual (who are walking in obedience to the Lord in holy living) should restore him or her (put back in proper working order what is out of joint) in a spirit of meekness (in gentle strength, not in weakness). But this engages the cooperation of the one who sinned. And then we need to keep watch over our own lives so that we aren’t tempted to sin. And if a brother or a sister should wander from the truth, whoever brings back that sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and he’ll be forgiven his sins.

And we, as the body of believers in Jesus Christ, if we are of genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord, which dies to sin and lives to righteousness, then we have all been gifted of the Spirit of God with spiritual gifts which we are then to put into practice, by the Spirit, for the mutual encouragement and edification of the universal body of Christ. And we are to be serving the Lord and one another in the specific areas of ministry assigned to us by God as he has chosen and has called us to do. And we are not to neglect our gifts nor our callings, but we are to be faithful to God.

[Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; Galatians 6:1; James 5:19-20; Titus 2:11-14; Philippians 2:1-8; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31] 

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

My Heart’s Desire  

An Original Work / June 29, 2013

Based off Rm. 10; Lu. 9:23-26; Ep. 4:20-24

Loved Ones, Oh, my heart’s desire

Is that you might come to Jesus.

Many appear zealous for God,

But they do not trust in Him.

They have not submitted to the One

Who saved them from their sins;

Not forsaken their sins,

Nor have they obeyed their King.

The word of the Lord is near you:

The word of faith we’re proclaiming:

That you must confess your faith

In Jesus as your Lord and King:

Believe in Him as your Lord, 

And follow Him where’er He leads.

Share the gospel; be a witness,

And meet others’ needs.

Beautiful are the feet of those

Who bring the good news of Jesus:

Anyone who would come to Him

Must deny himself today;

Die to sin and self, and

Let the Spirit transform you in heart;

Put on your new self in Jesus,

Yielding to the cross. 

https://vimeo.com/115643303 

So You Also Must Forgive

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:12-14 ESV)

Believing in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives is to make a difference in our lives. We are not supposed to be like we were before we believed in Jesus. That doesn’t mean that we will be instantaneously perfect in every way, but that we should have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are not to let sin reign any longer in our mortal bodies to make us obey its passions, for if we do, we will not inherit eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

And as we read the Scriptures, book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse, in context, we realize that the New Testament is filled with instructions to us on what we are to put out of our lives – like sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, lying, and slandering, and the like – and on what we are to put on in our lives – like compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, truth telling, and moral purity, and the like. For Jesus Christ died on that cross to free us from our slavery to sin so that we will now serve him with our lives and honor him with our bodies.

But we need to understand here that compassion and kindness are to be according to the Word of God and the will of God, and as demonstrated to us by the life of Jesus and by the lives of his NT apostles. And they are not to be determined by human thinking, reasoning, philosophy, and psychology. For we humans don’t think like God thinks, for many humans think that lying to people is both kind and compassionate. Now this doesn’t mean that you are hateful or nasty to anyone in order to tell them the truth, but that telling people lies is not kind. Speaking the truth in love to them is kind.

Now when it says here to bear with one another, this is not about tolerating deliberate and habitual sin in the lives of those professing faith in Jesus Christ within the gatherings of the church. This has more to do with differences of opinion and personality, I believe. Instead we are to speak the truth in love to one another, and exhort one another so that none of us are hardened by sin’s deceitfulness, and so that none of us are led astray by those who in their cunning, craftiness, and deceitful scheming, are leading many people to follow after a false and distorted “gospel of Christ.” 

[Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

And we need to be those who do not hold grudges, and who do not feel the necessity to “get even” with others who we believe have wronged us in some way. But we need to be those who make it our practice to forgive, but with the same message that Jesus gave, which was “go and sin no more.” For forgiveness is not to be with the intention of tolerating and accepting deliberate and habitual sin within the gatherings of the church (see 1 Corinthians 5:1-13). For it does not excuse away willful sin, but it confronts it, just like the Scriptures do. We just don’t retaliate. We love our enemies!

And the love that we are to put on is not human love, which is subject to fail, and which is based in our emotions and in the one being loved as being lovable. But we are to love one another with agape love which prefers to live through Christ, obeying his will, and choosing his choices. And it prefers what Christ prefers which is what is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord and to his commands. And so when we love with this love we will treat others as God treats us and we will do for them what is for their good and not do evil against them.

Jesus, Lead Me  

An Original Work / July 22, 2011

Jesus, lead me all the way.

Be my hope and be my stay. 

Gently lead me where I should go,

So Your Spirit, I want to know.

Open up my heart to You.

Fill me with Your love and truth.

Make my heart want to obey.

Be my Lord today. Gently lead always. 

Jesus, lover of my soul,

Cleanse my heart, and make me whole;

Be transformed in my heart today,

As I turn from my sin and pray.

Make Your will known to my heart.

May I not from You depart.

How I long to hear You now,

As I humbly bow. Jesus, hear me now.

https://vimeo.com/113559147

Jesus, Lead Me

I have known the Lord Jesus Christ since I was a young child. I was convicted of my sin, and I wept in repentance as I called out to my Lord in prayer, accepting him as my Lord and Savior, believing in him to cleanse me of my sins and to make me a new person in Christ Jesus. I continued to get to know him as I sat daily at his feet, praying and reading his word, listening to him speak to my heart, and as I followed him in obedience to what his desire was for my life. 

This has been a work in progress, though. And that is why the Bible describes our salvation in this way – I am saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved. Some call this the process of sanctification. 

Although we are forgiven of our sins when we believe in Jesus, and he cleanses us and he delivers us from the punishment and the control (power) of sin over our lives, the Christian walk of faith is a process of putting off the things of our flesh and putting on the things of God. It is a process of forsaking sin and walking by his Spirit in obedience to his commands and in his righteousness and holiness. And we need him daily to lead us and to guide us through this process so that we walk in his truth and in his ways and no longer in sin. For if we continue in sin, we will die in our sins.

Jesus, Lead Me  

An Original Work / July 22, 2011

Jesus, lead me all the way.

Be my hope and be my stay. 

Gently lead me where I should go,

So Your Spirit, I want to know.

Open up my heart to You.

Fill me with Your love and truth.

Make my heart want to obey.

Be my Lord today. Gently lead always. 

Jesus, lover of my soul,

Cleanse my heart, and make me whole;

Be transformed in my heart today,

As I turn from my sin and pray.

Make Your will known to my heart.

May I not from You depart.

How I long to hear You now,

As I humbly bow. Jesus, hear me now.

https://vimeo.com/113559147 

Set Your Minds on Things of God

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Colossians 3:1-10 ESV)

And in Romans 6:4,6-7,12 we read that “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.”

So, faith in Jesus Christ, if it is genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith, will result in us dying with Christ to sin, us being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, and us now walking by the Spirit in holy living in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. But this passage in Colossians 3 brings into question if that has indeed taken place, and if it has, then what is described here is what our lives should look like as followers of Jesus Christ who have died to sin and who are now living to God to do his will.

Many people today, however, are skirting over these passages of Scripture, or they are twisting them to say something different from what they are saying. For they are not teaching that we must die with Christ to sin and be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. But they are teaching that a mere profession of faith in Christ is enough to secure heaven for us for eternity, but regardless of how we live.

But it is impossible for us to read such Scriptures as this, and in Romans 6, and in many other passages of Scripture in the New Testament, and to honestly walk away convinced that our sins no longer matter to God and so we can go on sinning, for his grace covers it all. For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives, for the glory of God, while we wait for our Lord’s soon return (see Titus 2:11-14).

So please know that the Scriptures do not teach what so many charlatans and “wolves in sheep’s clothing” are teaching today which is that once we “pray the prayer” or we make a confession of faith in Jesus Christ that heaven is now secured us regardless of how we live. For in Romans 6 alone it teaches us that if we present ourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, we are slaves of the one whom we obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which ends in eternal life with God (see Romans 6:16-23).

Therefore, as those of genuine faith in Jesus Christ, who have died with Christ to sin, and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, we are to set our minds on the things of God and not on the things of this sinful world. So, by the Spirit, we are to put to death what is earthly in us. And that is a lifetime process of sanctification whereby we die daily to sin and to self and we walk in holiness and in righteousness in walks of obedience and in surrender to our Lord Jesus Christ (see Luke 9:23-26).

But just because this is a process of sanctification that does not give us permission to keep on in deliberate and habitual sin while claiming, “It is a process.” For we are to die to sin, not continue living in it. We are to put to death sexual immorality, impurity, evil desire, idolatry, malice, slander, obscene talk, lying, cheating, stealing, and the like. For if we do not, and we continue in these, we will not inherit eternal life with God, but we will die in our sins (Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 5:3-6; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; etc.).

And then we are to be seeking the things that are from above, which are of God, and not of this sinful world. We should desire to obey our Lord and not to try to find wiggle room for getting out of having to obey him. He should now be our desire, and we should long to please him with our lives. And we should take his Word seriously and obey it in his power. For our lives should now be surrendered to our Lord to do his will, and we should want for him to lead us in his path of righteousness, for we love him.

A Believer’s Prayer 

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray 

To be Yours, and Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You, and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride, I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

https://vimeo.com/114796263 

Not According to Christ

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 

“In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:8-14 ESV)

[NT stands for New Testament and NC stands for New Covenant]

We have many people today within the gatherings of what are called “churches” who are teaching what is “not according to Christ,” and which is not according to the teachings of his New Testament apostles, but which is according to human tradition and according to the thinking of human beings. Some of them want us to be more like Jews and to follow some of their customs and ceremonies. And some are legalists who want to put on us requirements that are not of God but are of the traditions of humans.

Yet others, and this is the most critical of all, are diluting and altering the gospel that Jesus taught, and that his NT apostles taught, in order to make the gospel and Christ more appealing and acceptable to human flesh and to the people of the world they are trying to attract to their gatherings. So they aren’t so much adding on to the gospel additional requirements, like others do, but they are pretty much removing most all of God’s biblical requirements for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God.

But genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ results in us dying with Christ to sin and being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are not to continue living in sin. We are no longer to let sin reign (be in control) in our mortal bodies to where we obey its passions and desires. For if sin is what we obey, it will lead to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, its end is eternal life (Romans 6:1-23).

For Jesus did not die that horrible death on that cross just to forgive us our sins so that when we die we get to go to heaven. For coming to faith in Jesus Christ means that we are circumcised spiritually of Christ in the putting to death of our sins so that we might now live for him and for his will and purpose for our lives, in the power of God. And we were raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, not like our old lives of sin, but now as followers of Christ in holy living and in obedience to his NC commands.

Therefore, see to it that no one takes you captive by human philosophy and empty deceit and trickery and the twisting of the Scriptures to make them say what they do not say if taught in their appropriate context. See to it that you don’t get trapped into thinking that you have to follow after others’ human traditions which have been passed down from generation to generation. Die with Christ to sin that you might live to him and to his righteousness in the power of God, in holy living, and in obedience to God.

And be students of the Scriptures who study them in their full context so that you don’t end up misinterpreting them, but so that you can see the truth that they are teaching. For if we are going to be those who are obeying the truth of the Scriptures which are taught to those who are of faith in Jesus Christ, then we need to know what they teach, in truth, and in their context, so that we are not being led astray to false doctrines being taught by people in their deceitful scheming. So know the truth! Obey the truth!

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Video Talk

https://youtu.be/OU7RM7qXcR4

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The Lord’s Anointed  

An Original Work / December 16, 2011

Based off Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sov’reign Lord on me;

Anointed to preach the Good News;

Sent me to bind up the brokenhearted;

Proclaim freedom for the captives.

He sent me to preach release for pris’ners

Who are walking in sin’s darkness;

Proclaim God’s grace to all men who’ll listen;

And tell them about God’s judgments;

Comfort all who mourn;

Give crowns of beauty;

Oil of gladness and thanksgiving. 

They will be called oaks of God’s righteousness,

A planting of our Savior, God,

For the display of our Lord’s splendor, and

They will rebuild God’s holy church.

God will renew them, and will restore them,

And you’ll be called priests of the Lord.

You will be ministers of our God, and

You will rejoice in salvation.

The Lord loves justice;

He is faithful to 

Reward those who are seeking Him.

I delight greatly in the Lord;

My soul rejoices in my Savior, God.

He has clothed me with His salvation,

And in a robe of His righteousness.

He has given me priestly garments to wear, 

As the bride of Jesus Christ.

As the garden of our Lord and Savior, 

He causes us to grow in Him.

He makes righteousness, 

Praise, and thanksgiving

Spring up before all the nations. 

https://vimeo.com/114836524

How Great a Struggle I Have

“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:1-7 ESV)

I like to be encouraged, don’t you? I love to hear good news and not bad news. I like to feel happy and joyful and not sorrowful and not in pain. But this word “encouraged” here isn’t all just the feel good stuff. It means “comfort”, yes, but it also means to “invite, summon, strengthen, beseech, entreat, beg, urge (with a holy urging), exhort, and admonish,” too, in the things of God and in the ways of the Lord and of his commands. 

And if we read this in this context, I believe that the word “encourage” is meant more in the sense of a “holy urging” than just offering comforting words. For what is the concern being addressed here? Paul was concerned that some of them were actively being or were in danger of being deceived (conned, duped, tricked) and led astray from the truth of the gospel. For he wanted them to come to know God and his word in their fulness.

And this comes on the heels of what he said, as recorded in chapter one, where he encouraged them to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work. And he encouraged them to live holy and godly lives, and that they should continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel. And so he warned and taught them the truth so that they would reach maturity in Christ.

So his struggle for them was that they would live the life that God saved them to live and that they would not be deceived into believing the lies, but that just as they received Christ Jesus the Lord, that they would walk (in conduct, in practice) in him. For Paul and the other NT apostles, plus Jesus Christ, made it quite clear to all who would listen that if we walk in sin, and not in righteousness and obedience to God, we will not have eternal life.

But we need to understand that this is encouragement, too. For we need to hear these things. We need to be warned against falling away and against falling back into our old sinful patterns of behaviors. We need to be urged to walk in holiness and in righteousness, and not in sin. We need to be exhorted to watch out for those who are telling us lies which may feel good but which may be leading us in the wrong direction.

Why? Because if we are out there in the world, and if we are on the internet, or if we watch television or listen to the radio or if we have smartphones and computers which are connected to the internet, we have thousands of voices speaking all sorts of messages to us, and most of those messages are not good, and they are not of God, and they are not what the Scriptures teach, but they are of human flesh. And some of those are in the church, too.

Yes, we need positive messages, too, but they need to be the truth, not the lies. For it is positive to tell people the truth that they need to hear, but it is negative to tell them lies which are going to lead them astray but which may make them feel good. Yes, we need to uplift one another, but not in fakery, and not just so others will like us, but in truth and in righteousness, and this involves encouraging others to live for the Lord and not for self, too.

And why would Paul be struggling if everyone was doing well spiritually? He struggled because he was concerned that some of them were being deceived and that they were not living for the Lord as they ought to, and so he reinforced for them the importance of submission to God and obedience to him and walking in holiness and of bearing fruit for the kingdom of God. And he let them know that they must continue in this faith steadfast to the end.

So, just because you “prayed the prayer” to “receive Christ” does not insure that you are genuinely saved from your sins and that heaven is your eternal destiny. For our faith is not something that we feel, but it is shown by what we do in heart and love response to Jesus Christ for what he did for us on that cross, so that we can now die to sin and live to righteousness, and walk in obedience to his commands, in the power of God, by his grace.

For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in walks of obedience to his commands, in holy living, then we have the assurance and hope of eternal life with God (Luke 9:23-26).

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

A Believer’s Prayer 

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray 

To be Yours, and Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You, and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride, I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

https://vimeo.com/114796263 

Jerusalem

"But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men... See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks." ~ Hebrews 12:22-25

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

"Jerusalem" is a song for the church, the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God, God's people, his bride, his saints. So much of today’s church is living in spiritual adultery against her Lord. She is filled with idolatry and is consumed with the ways of this world. The church has become so worldly, for the most part, that she does not stand out as the light of the world and as the salt of the earth. So, this is a call for revival of the church and for renewed faith and obedience to Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Jerusalem  

An Original Work / May 2, 2011

…you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God… Hebrews 12:22

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear now your King of kings.

He speaks to you, Jerusalem, in all His majesty.

Oh, listen now, Jerusalem, He’s calling out to you.

Hear Him call you, Jerusalem; He’s waiting now for you.

Won’t you bow down, Jerusalem? Let Christ make you anew!

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear God’s call to obey

Your Lord and Savior, Christ the King; trust Him without delay.

Turn from your sin, Jerusalem; let Christ rule in your hearts.

Invite Him now, Jerusalem, to save you; grace impart,

And purify, Jerusalem, your hearts of all your sin!

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear your God’s final plea

To come to Him, Jerusalem, right now on bended knee.

Make Him your Lord, Jerusalem; He’s your Messiah, King.

Honor Him as the Holy One, your off’rings to Him bring.

And serve Him now, Jerusalem, for He is Christ your King!

https://vimeo.com/125966150 

Warning and Teaching Everyone

I am reading in Colossians, chapter one. And the subject matter is Jesus Christ, faith in Jesus Christ, the gospel of our salvation, the grace of God, and truth. Included in these instructions are teachings on walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened by his power. And there is a reminder that God delivered us who are his from the domain of darkness (sin, Satan) and he has transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

And then we are reminded that Jesus Christ is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and that he is our creator God who made us, and that he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church, which is comprised of all true followers of Jesus Christ who have died with him to sin, and who have been raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. For Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (Romans 6:1-23).

“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” (Colossians 1:21-23 ESV)

And here I want to look at two specific words, the first of which is “redemption,” which has to do with God buying us back from our lives of slavery to sin and winning us back to him and to his righteousness and holiness. It involves us being rescued from what enslaved us so that we can now live for our Lord and honor him with our lives (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). It is about deliverance from our old lives of living in sin so that we can now live holy lives, pleasing to God.

The second word is “reconcile,” which means to change, exchange; properly, decisively change, as when two parties reconcile when changing to the same position; usually used in a redemptive sense of a sinner reconciling to the Lord; to change from enmity with God to friendship, fellowship, partnership with God. It is about exchanging the old life for the new life in Christ Jesus. Once we lived in sin and for self and not for God, but now we have changed, by faith, and we have died to our old lives of sin so that we can now walk in holiness and in righteousness, in obedience to our Lord.

Therefore, if we are of genuine faith in the Lord Jesus, we should no longer be hostile in mind against the Lord, and we should no longer be practicing evil deeds, especially deliberately and premeditatedly. But now we should be living holy lives, separate (unlike, different) from the world and we should be being conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. And we should be walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, and we should be those who are continuing in these walks of faith and obedience to God, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the truth of the gospel.

But there are many people who are not following that teaching, and there are many who are teaching the opposite of that, who are the self-indulgent, the sinful, and the wicked who are drifting and wandering and interfering with the presentations of the gospel message. They are scheming against the truth of the gospel, and against the Lord’s messengers who are bringing the truth of the gospel to the people, and who are warning the people against the lies and the liars who are telling them that all they have to do is profess faith in Jesus and heaven is now secured them for eternity.

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Colossians 1:28-29 ESV)

So we who are following Jesus Christ with our lives, in truth, and in righteousness, need to be those who are proclaiming the truth of the gospel that Jesus taught and that his New Testament apostles taught, in context. And we need to be exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness for what they are. For there are so many liars and deceivers among us who are leading the people to follow after a false and fleshly gospel that is not of Christ, and which gives their adherents permission to keep living in sin while claiming Jesus as their Savior and heaven as their eternal destiny.

For far too many people are believing the lies and they are still headed to hell on the promise of heaven because they have not died with Christ to sin, but they are still living in sin, and they are not walking in obedience to the Lord and to his commands, for they don’t want to, and they are being taught that they don’t have to, but that salvation and heaven are still secured them. So we need to be the Lord’s messengers in getting out the truth to the people so that they can have genuine salvation and forgiveness of sins and so they will grow to maturity in Christ and have eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

I Sing of His Mercy  

An Original Work / April 10, 2014

Based off Psalm 32 

Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven

By the blood of Jesus Christ.

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does

Not count against them; freedom found.

When, in silence, I did not confess 

My sin to You; had no strength.

Then I owned up to my sin and

You forgave and cleansed me within.

Therefore let the godly pray to You;

Draw near to You; grace they’ll find.

They will not be o’ertaken by afflictions,

But in Christ peace abounds.

Lord, You are my hiding place.

I find my refuge in You secure.

You protect me from all evil.

You give songs of vict’ry in You.

Lord, You teach me to walk in Your ways;

Counsel me in love, I know.

Help me to not be stubborn and

Unwilling to follow in Your truth.

Thank You for Your love and mercy.

I put my trust in You always.

I rejoice in my Lord and 

I sing of Him throughout all my days.

https://vimeo.com/91747192

Long for the Pure Spiritual Milk

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:1-5 ESV)

Faith in Jesus Christ, because it is authored and perfected by Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:1-2), and it is gifted to us by God, and it is not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of man (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13) – and because it is persuaded of God (John 6:44), which is the meaning of “faith,” it is going to align with God’s will and purpose for our lives. And it requires of us that we die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Peter 2:24).

Therefore, when we come to genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are not to let sin reign in our bodies to make us obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with Christ our Lord (Romans 6:1-23).

So, if we have indeed tasted that the Lord is good, via this God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, and so we have died with Christ to sin that we might now live to his righteousness and no longer in slavery to sin, then we are to put out of our lives all sinful practices, such as malice, deceit (lying), hypocrisy, envy, and slander, etc. These and other sinful practices are no longer to be active in our daily lives, deliberately and habitually.

And now we are to long for the pure truth of God’s word like a newborn baby longs for her mother’s milk. We should desire it in the same way to where if we do not have it that we end up hungering after it. We can’t wait until we have time alone with God to where we can drink in the truths of His word so that, by faith, and in the power of God, we may apply its truths to our daily lives, so that we now walk in obedience to our Lord and to his Word.

And this is so that we may grow up into salvation, that we might grow to maturity in our walks of faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, so that we can bear much fruit for the kingdom of God, in the power of God, by his Spirit. And this involves us denying self, dying daily to sin, and walking in obedience to our Lord in holy living. And this engages us serving our Lord in ministry in doing whatever it is he has called us to do for the glory and praise of God.

Now we who believe in Jesus Christ with this genuine God-gifted faith in our Lord are all part of his body, his universal church. He has gifted us all in various ways, by the Spirit, and he has assigned us all specific roles within the universal body of Christ which he wants us to fulfill. And we aren’t all going to be the same body parts, but all of us are necessary to the proper working of the body as she builds herself up in love and faith in Christ.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

And we are all to offer to God acceptable spiritual sacrifices to him, the main one of which is to offer our bodies to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, which is our reasonable and acceptable worship of God. And we are no longer to be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but we are to be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God so that by our lives we prove what is God’s perfect will for our lives (Romans 12:1-2).

For, Jesus didn’t die on that cross just to forgive us of our sins so that when we die we can go to heaven, and not hell. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, and that we might live for him and no longer for self. And he shed his blood for us to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now serve him with our lives in walks of holiness and in obedience to his commands.

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Luke 9:23-26]

But if we continue living in deliberate and habitual sin and not in walks of obedience to our Lord in righteous and holy living, by the Spirit, then, according to the Scriptures, we are not born of God, we do not know God, we are not in fellowship with God/Christ, we are not saved from our sins, and we are not on our way to heaven, but to hell. For true faith that comes from God leads us to die with Christ to sin and to live to his righteousness.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

The Lord’s Anointed  

An Original Work / December 16, 2011

Based off Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sov’reign Lord on me;

Anointed to preach the Good News;

Sent me to bind up the brokenhearted;

Proclaim freedom for the captives.

He sent me to preach release for pris’ners

Who are walking in sin’s darkness;

Proclaim God’s grace to all men who’ll listen;

And tell them about God’s judgments;

Comfort all who mourn;

Give crowns of beauty;

Oil of gladness and thanksgiving. 

They will be called oaks of God’s righteousness,

A planting of our Savior, God,

For the display of our Lord’s splendor, and

They will rebuild God’s holy church.

God will renew them, and will restore them,

And you’ll be called priests of the Lord.

You will be ministers of our God, and

You will rejoice in salvation.

The Lord loves justice;

He is faithful to 

Reward those who are seeking Him.

I delight greatly in the Lord;

My soul rejoices in my Savior, God.

He has clothed me with His salvation,

And in a robe of His righteousness.

He has given me priestly garments to wear, 

As the bride of Jesus Christ.

As the garden of our Lord and Savior, 

He causes us to grow in Him.

He makes righteousness, 

Praise, and thanksgiving

Spring up before all the nations. 

https://vimeo.com/114836524