Turn but No Return

Thursday, March 14, 2013, 7:57 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Seek the Lord” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 8:4-8 (NIV):

“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?

    When someone turns away, do they not return?

Why then have these people turned away?

    Why does Jerusalem always turn away?

They cling to deceit;

    they refuse to return.

I have listened attentively,

    but they do not say what is right.

None of them repent of their wickedness,

    saying, “What have I done?”

Each pursues their own course

    like a horse charging into battle.

Even the stork in the sky

    knows her appointed seasons,

and the dove, the swift and the thrush

    observe the time of their migration.

But my people do not know

    the requirements of the Lord.

“‘How can you say, ‘We are wise,

    for we have the law of the Lord,’

when actually the lying pen of the scribes

    has handled it falsely?”

God is addressing his people here. Today the church, the body of Christ, is the people of God. So, what I believe the Lord Jesus would have me examine today is in what ways we are like the people of God of Jeremiah’s day, and what we can do to change our ways.

No Return

God makes an appeal here to our sense of logic and reason. If we fall down, we usually will pick ourselves back up, or at least make an attempt to do so, or we will call for help. We don’t generally just sit there indefinitely on the ground or on the floor. If we are headed somewhere and we turn in the wrong direction, as soon as we realize our error, at the earliest possible opportunity (place to U-turn) we will turn around and go the right direction.

Yet, the logic and reason we apply to our natural world we often fail to apply to our spiritual world. We fall into sin and we either remain where we are, and continue, or else we wallow in self-pity for having fallen in the first place and thus we go nowhere. We remain stagnant in our relationship with Jesus Christ. We go in the direction of sin and rebellion and as soon as we realize we are headed the wrong way we either keep heading the wrong direction or we just stop dead in our tracks, but we never turn, and thus we never go anywhere.

Why can we be so logical, practical and reasonable about our natural world and yet be so illogical and irrational about our spiritual world? What God is saying here is that this does not compute. Even the birds of the world know when to turn, but God’s people don’t. We can be so smart about some things and yet turn around and be so stupid, you know? And, the longer we stay down or we continue the wrong direction the more our minds reason that it is the right thing to do. The more we give in to sin and we don’t return to our Lord in repentance, the more we become desensitized to our own evil within us to where we can rationalize it away. And, the more we wallow in self-pity for wrong decisions and thus go nowhere, the greater the risk of going right back to our mud. We can’t just stop sinning. We have to return (see Ephesians 4), and we have to become someone else.

Clings to Deceit

God says here that his people cling to deceit. Do we? Do we make things up as we go along to suit our own lifestyles and decisions? Do we give greater attention and faith to the words of men than we do the words of God? Do we even ask the Lord Jesus to show us where our hearts are being deceived, or are we content in remaining in our state of oblivion? Do we ever think to question the news media, our history books, our government and/or our religious leaders? The Bible says we are to test everything. Do we? Or, is it easier to just go with the flow? Do we follow the ways of our culture, religious heritage, superstitions of men passed down from generation to generation, worldly habits, and human traditions over and above the ways of God and his word? Are we willing to even ask God if we do this? Are we willing to seek the Lord’s face and ask him if we are deceiving ourselves into thinking we are ok when we are not? Some of the greatest deceptions come from within our own selves.

Pursues own Course

Do we take time each day to inquire of the Lord as to what he has planned for our lives? Or, do we, like this horse, just daily charge into battle with no forethought whatsoever as to whether or not this is the direction the Lord Jesus has for us? Do we take time to be holy, i.e. do we make time each day to sit at Jesus’ feet, to hear from him, to listen to what he is saying to our hearts, and then do we purposefully make a plan to obey him? I think we have all heard the saying, “If you don’t plan to succeed, then you plan to fail.” There is a lot of truth in that statement. If we stop stealing for a time, but yet we don’t work and we don’t then give to the needy, then we are just a thief between jobs. We have to become someone else (see Eph. 4). We have to turn and go another direction. We have to get ourselves up off the floor, and we have to start all over again to do what is right.

Yet, we cannot do this in our own will, in our own strength, and in our own flesh-power or we are “crusin’ for a bruisin’”. We cannot go it alone, pursuing our own course, thinking that we know what we are doing or deceiving ourselves into thinking that we will never fall again. We can’t make it through life if we choose to ignore our Lord Jesus and his instructions to us, and if we think we know what is best for our lives. We must daily seek God’s face for wisdom and direction, repenting of any known sin, relying upon His strength and power to fight off the attacks of the enemy against our minds, and we must seek his will and his ways for our lives instead of just going it alone, plotting out our own course.

Do Not Know

God is saying here, as well, that his people do not know the requirements of the Lord. Is that possible? Yes, it most certainly is, and that is largely due to the fact that the word of God is mishandled, manipulated and willfully misinterpreted in order to suit the fancy of those who would come under its teaching. It is willfully misrepresented by many in order to falsify its message so as to appeal to the flesh of mankind. This goes along with the picture of the religious leaders dressing the serious sin wounds of their people as though the sin is not serious. So, the people don’t know the requirements of the Lord, because they are not being taught, and, in fact, it is being taught that under grace there are no requirements.

What is happening much in today’s church is a move away from the true gospel of Jesus Christ to a gospel of mankind, which is a diluted gospel, a half-truth and thus a lie. The purpose of the diluting of the gospel is to assure the people that they can still live sinful lifestyles with free license to do so. This is a misconstruing of God’s grace, which does not give us a free license to continue in sin but delivers us from bondage (slavery) to sin. When we teach that repentance and obedience are not requirements of true believing faith and that God is pleased with us no matter what we do, we are, in fact, giving people a free license to sin, and that is no grace at all! Jesus came to set us free!

Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny (disallow; negate) his self-life, he must daily die to (forsake; put off) his old way of living for self and sin, and he must follow Jesus Christ in obedience and surrender to his will for his life. He said if we choose to hold on to our old lives of living for self and sin that we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our old lives for the sake of Jesus Christ, we will gain eternal life with God (see Luke 9:23-25). God, speaking through Paul, said that the way we come to know Christ Jesus is by putting off (dying to) our old way of living for self and sin, by being transformed in heart and mind (the working of the Spirit of God), and by putting on our new selves in Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (see Eph. 4:17-24; cf. Rom. 6; 1 John; Gal. 2:20; Luke 9:23-25). These are the requirements of God!

Seek the Lord / An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy, and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you,

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

http://originalworks.info/seek-the-lord/

The Ancient Paths

Wednesday, March 13, 2013, 7:57 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “It is Well with My Soul,” which was immediately followed by the song “Broken Hearts.” After I had read the passage of scripture, the Lord then put the song “The King is Coming!” in my mind, and I began singing it in faith believing he is truly coming for his children one day.

It Is Well with My Soul / H. G. Spafford / P. P. Bliss

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,

It is well; it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed his own blood for my soul…

It is well with my soul,

It is well; it is well with my soul.

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 6 (NIV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%206&version=NIV

I Cannot Keep Silent

I cannot keep silent.

For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;

    I have heard the battle cry. ~ Jer. 4:19b

To whom can I speak and give warning?

    Who will listen to me?

Their ears are closed

    so they cannot hear.

The word of the Lord is offensive to them;

    they find no pleasure in it.

But I am full of the wrath of the Lord,

    and I cannot hold it in. ~ Jer. 6:10-11a

I identify with Jeremiah’s words and the emotions I believe he felt when he said these words. God had shown him so much concerning the spiritually devoid condition of God’s people. He had heard the warning cries of God Almighty for his people to repent of their sins and to turn back to their God in obedience to his commands or else face God’s hand of judgment. The Lord had shown him the spiritual decay and rot of the family of God and how the people, for the most part, were completely oblivious to their own spiritual condition. The Lord had given him vivid pictures of the spiritual adultery and idolatry of his people, and he agonized over the idolatrous ways of his people and their refusal to listen to God’s messages and to come to repentance. Yet, even though the people largely stopped up their ears and refused to listen, Jeremiah could not speaking the messages of God to the people. And, I believe God is speaking these same messages to his idolatrous and adulterous church of today, and I, for one, cannot hold it in, and I cannot keep silent!

As though it were not serious

“From the least to the greatest,

    all are greedy for gain;

prophets and priests alike,

    all practice deceit.

They dress the wound of my people

    as though it were not serious.

‘Peace, peace,’ they say,

    when there is no peace.

Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?

    No, they have no shame at all; … ~ Jer. 6:13-15a

This is happening in today’s church, as well, though not in all the church, but in the idolatrous and spiritually adulterous church of today which has largely adopted the ways of mankind and of the world, over and above scripture. So many of our church leaders have bought into the marketing schemes of men for building Christ’s church, when Christ said he will build his church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. They follow the teachings and philosophies of worldly men, and they utilize worldly methods to attract the world, but to what? They water down the gospel of Jesus Christ and teach that repentance (turning from sin; radical heart change) and obedience to Christ and to his commands are not essential elements of believing faith for salvation. They tell the people that all they have to do is recite a prayer and that they now have their ticket into heaven, that it can never be taken away from them, and, as an added bonus, God will graciously rapture them out of this world before anything gets really bad (before the time of tribulation).

So, in essence, they are giving people a false hope of heaven based upon a lie and deception because many knowingly and willingly teach what is false in order to gain converts for themselves. In watering down the gospel they are thus dressing the serious wounds of people with a Band-Aid (a false gospel), as though the sin is not really serious. Many are also teaching that we should never confront one another with serious sin unless we have first developed a long-standing close relationship with people to where we have their trust, but then how many fail to ever confront once that relationship has been established because now they don’t want to do anything to hurt that relationship? They also tell them that God is pleased with them no matter what they do, and that he will never visit them in judgment (divine discipline). Yet many will hear on that day, “I never knew you!”

The Ancient Paths

“Stand at the crossroads and look;

    ask for the ancient paths,

ask where the good way is, and walk in it,

    and you will find rest for your souls.

    But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

I appointed watchmen over you and said,

    ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’

    But you said, ‘We will not listen.’ ~ Jer. 6:16-17

Crossroads are a point of decision concerning which way to go next. The “ancient paths” and the “good way” are the way of repentance, the fear (awe; honor; respect) of and love for Almighty God, and obedience to his commands, which are requirements for salvation by God’s grace through faith (see Eph. 4:17-24; Luke 9:23-25; Rom. 6; Gal. 2:20; 1 John, et al).

We are to no longer walk according to the pattern of our flesh so that we obey its desires, but we are to put off the deeds of darkness and our old selves, be transformed into new creatures in Christ Jesus via the Spirit of God, and to put on our new selves, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” We are to walk in the Spirit and in obedience to Christ and to his commands. Then we will know his peace and rest for our souls.

Yet, the people said “No,” and much of today’s church is also saying “No,” from the leadership down, because they don’t want to offend the people and lose people for their earthly kingdoms, yet they will lose many for the kingdom of heaven because they refused to believe and practice the truth themselves, and because they refused to teach it to others. And, God has appointed his servants today to give out these same messages to his church, and in many respects these messages are being met with the same or a similar response by the vast majority of today’s complacent, comfortable and accommodating church.

Not Acceptable

What do I care about incense from Sheba

    or sweet calamus from a distant land?

Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;

    your sacrifices do not please me.” ~ Jer. 6:20

God is not interested in our ritualistic, dutiful, and/or obligatory exercises of religious piety and practice, thinking our sacrifices for God will be pleasing to him. God wants our hearts fully devoted and committed to him in surrender and obedience to his will for our lives. He wants us as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, no longer conformed to the pattern of this world, but daily being transformed in our hearts and minds so that by our lives we can prove what is pleasing to him (see Rom. 12:1-2).

No matter how many church services or Bible studies or small group meetings we attend, or how many missions projects we involve ourselves in, or how many times we sing in the praise team or serve in the nursery, if what we do does not come from hearts devoted to God and to obedience to him and to his commands, and/or if we are knowingly living in disobedience and refusal to surrender all to him, then God will not be pleased with our sacrifices. He has no need of them.

Weep, mourn and wail

Put on sackcloth, my people,

    and roll in ashes;

mourn with bitter wailing

    as for an only son,

for suddenly the destroyer

    will come upon us. ~ Jer. 6:26

When judgment falls, and it is inevitable that it is coming, and it is coming to America very soon, I believe, those who have put their faith in a false gospel absent of the cross of Christ in our lives, and thus in a false hope of never having to suffer such discipline at the hand of God, will be ill-prepared for what is coming.

Yet I believe scripture (read Isaiah, for one) teaches that God will use this time of judgment to purify his church, and to revive and restore her, and that through her the gospel will go out throughout the world, and that people of all nations will flock to Jesus Christ, to his gospel, to the kingdom of heaven, to his church (his body) and to salvation, and therein lies much hope for our future.

Broken Hearts / An Original Work / December 14, 2012

Based off Jeremiah 31:15 (cf. Matt. 2:18)

Weeping in Ramah; Her children no more.

Rachel is weeping; Her comfort forlorn.

Jesus is waiting; Her comforter be,

When she calls on Him, Down on bended knee.

He has provided our sins’ sacrifice,

When He died for our sin, Paying the price.

Our hearts are broken; We’re feeling her pain;

Looking for answers and someone to blame.

Jesus is calling us; Him to believe;

Turning from our sins, So we can be free.

Trust in His promises. Lean on His grace;

Living for Jesus, Eternal life gain.

Days of confusion, Distress, pain and grief;

Looking for someone to give us relief.

Our God and Father in heaven above

Is looking down to us; Providing love.

Call upon Him in your Sadness and pain.

Trust your life with His Son; Live life again.

http://originalworks.info/broken-hearts-2/

The King is Coming! / Bill Gaither

Happy faces line the hallway, those whose lives have been redeemed

 Broken homes He has mended, those from prison He has freed

 Little children and the aged hand in hand stand all a-glow

 Who were crippled, broken, ruined, clad in garments white as snow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO-zaEidTeU

Broken Cisterns

Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 6:57 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with this song:

Broken Hearts / An Original Work / December 14, 2012

Based off Jeremiah 31:15 (cf. Matt. 2:18)

Weeping in Ramah; Her children no more.

Rachel is weeping; Her comfort forlorn.

Jesus is waiting; Her comforter be,

When she calls on Him, Down on bended knee.

He has provided our sins’ sacrifice,

When He died for our sin, Paying the price.

Our hearts are broken; We’re feeling her pain;

Looking for answers and someone to blame.

Jesus is calling us; Him to believe;

Turning from our sins, So we can be free.

Trust in His promises. Lean on His grace;

Living for Jesus, Eternal life gain.

Days of confusion, Distress, pain and grief;

Looking for someone to give us relief.

Our God and Father in heaven above

Is looking down to us; Providing love.

Call upon Him in your Sadness and pain.

Trust your life with His Son; Live life again.

http://originalworks.info/broken-hearts-2/

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 1-3. I saw how Jeremiah 1-2 fit with situations I was praying over at different times yesterday, which then led me to chapter 3 for today, yet all 3 chapters fit with this song.

Judgment will Fall

In Jeremiah 1, the Lord gave Jeremiah two visions. The Lord was ready to bring judgment on Israel for her sins, as had been prophesied by other prophets, evidently. Calamity was about to befall Israel/Judah. The Lord was to bring another nation and its allies to replace Judah’s government, it appears. The whole land would be brought under subjugation to this new rule. The Lord has spoken to me in other writings he has given me (America, the Beautiful?, The god of the Underworld, and Jupiter, in particular) concerning such judgments coming upon the USA as a nation and against the adulterous and idolatrous church here in America, as well, and for the same reasons.

Israel/Judah, as a nation, and as a people of God were to be judged by God because of their evil in forsaking the one true God, whom they claimed to follow, and because of their spiritual adultery and idolatry (the worship of “gods” they made with their own hands). The Lord Jesus has spoken often concerning the idolatry in our nation’s capital – a nation claiming Christianity as its roots, claims that it trusts in the one true God, and claims that we are one nation under the one true God, and many of its leaders lay claim to being “Christian” themselves while their words and actions speak otherwise.

Israel’s (the church’s) Sins

The Lord Jesus has also spoken often concerning the spiritual adultery and idolatry among his church here in America, which largely has moved away from the true gospel of the cross of Christ in our lives to a gospel of men that does not call for repentance and obedience but that entertains the sinner. Instead of allowing the Lord Jesus to build his church, they have turned the church into a man-made business which is marketed just like big business. True followers and disciples of Jesus Christ are often cast aside in favor of those who would compromise with the world, and who would agree to follow the ways of men instead of the truths of scripture in many cases.

In Jeremiah 2 we get a good picture of how God views his idolatrous and spiritually adulterous people, now the church in that same condition. He describes the problem: Their forefathers went far from God. They went after worthlessness. Wow, is that a picture of much of today’s church here in America! They did not honor God for all he had done for them, but their hearts were wicked and they sought after other gods. God’s people changed what should have been their glory – their salvation – for what does not profit them. They forsook God, “the fountain of living waters,” and they “hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (see 2:13).

They rejected the life-giving water of the Spirit of God in salvation and replaced the true gospel of salvation with what is fake and broken and cannot hold water (the Spirit of God). In other words they rejected the one true God and his plan of salvation for their lives in favor of following after man-made idols, and that is where much of the church in America sits today, as well. They have rejected the main truths about Jesus Christ and his gospel in favor of error and man-made religion in order to make Christianity more acceptable to the world and the gospel more palatable to its listeners. So, their sins, i.e. our sins will bring punishment upon us.

Repentance and Restoration

Then, in chapter 3 there is a call of God to repentance and promised restoration to the penitent. “Return, O faithless children,” declares the Lord; “for I am your master…”

The promised restoration then moves in the direction of the messianic age and is reticent of Isaiah 2, which I believe depicts most of what Isaiah is about – the promised Messiah, his life and ministry, the life of the church in the last days, God’s judgments against the church for her spiritual adultery and idolatry, her repentance, restoration and revival, and then her going forth with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and people from many nations flocking to the Lord Jesus, to his gospel, to the kingdom of heaven and to his true church, the heavenly Jerusalem, where he has his throne. I believe with all my heart this is what scripture teaches is about to take place – both the judgments of God and the revival of the church resulting in the salvation of people from all nations.

Behold, we come to you,

    for you are the Lord our God.

Truly the hills are a delusion,

    the orgies on the mountains.

Truly in the Lord our God

    is the salvation of Israel. ~ Jer. 3:22b-23 (ESV)

Living Sacrifices / An Original Work / September 14, 2012

Based off Romans 12:1-2; 6:11-14 NIV

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you,

In view of God’s mercy,

To give yourselves to God in love

As living offerings,

Pleasing to God, holy in love.

This is your true worship.

Do not conform to worldly lives.

Let God transform you today.

Then you’ll be able to

Test and approve of what

God’s will is – His pleasing

And perfect will.

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you –

Offer yourselves unto God.

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you –

Do not be conceited.

Humble yourselves before your God.

Do not be self-righteous.

The strength you have to live in love

Comes from your Lord God, so

Live your new lives in pow’r of God.

Be changed in heart, mind and will.

Do this because of what

Christ did for you when

He died on the cross to save

The world from sin.

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you –

Humble yourselves before God.

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you –

Count yourselves dead to sin,

But be alive to God in Christ.

Do not let sin reign in

Your earthly lives so you

Obey its evil desires.

Offer yourselves unto your God

As those who’ve been born again.

For sin shall no longer be

Your lord and master.

Give of yourselves to God

For righteousness.

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you –

Be alive to God in Christ.

http://originalworks.info/living-sacrifices/

Afraid, Yet Joyful

Monday, March 11, 2013, 7:30 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Servant of the Lord” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Matthew 26-28, most of which I will summarize.

Rise and Go

After Jesus prayed at Gethsemane, he went back to his disciples, chided them for still being asleep, and then he called them to rise and to go, because the time was near and his betrayer was now coming.

I believe Jesus Christ is giving much the same message to his apathetic, comfortable, lazy, socially acceptable and culturally relevant church of today. He is telling them to rise from their spiritual slumber, to realize the nearness of the time of his return, and that our betrayer (Satan and his antichrist) is on the way. We need to stop being consumed with the things of this world and we need to be about the Master’s business.

Judas arrived with a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Judas gave the kiss of betrayal, signaling that Jesus was the one to be arrested. Then the men seized Jesus and arrested him.

Some of our greatest enemies may be from among our own people, from our closest friends and companions, and/or from our own church and government leadership. So, we need to be spiritually awake and discerning so that we are not caught up in a lie, and so we don’t fall prey to the great deceiver. We need to daily be in God’s word, seeking his face, repenting of any known sin, asking for guidance and wisdom from above, and willing to follow our Lord Jesus Christ in obedience and surrender to his will for our lives.

Divine Providence

Everything that happened to Jesus was a fulfillment of scripture, for the prophets of old had prophesied that these things would take place (ex: Is. 53). It was God’s will that Jesus should be taken away to be crucified on a cross, because this was his plan of redemption for the people of the world.

God has a purpose and a will for each one of our lives, too, that he had planned for us even before he formed us in the wombs of our mothers (see Ps. 139). Most of what he has planned for us can be found in scripture. He has planned that we should all be given the opportunity to accept his Son, to die to our old ways of living for self and sin, and that we should live holy lives pleasing to God. And, in seeking his face and in being willing to obey what he shows us, he will also reveal his specific will for each one of our lives, too.

When Jesus was crucified, he took upon himself the sins of the entire world. When he died, our sins died with him, and when he was raised from the dead, he conquered death, hell, Satan and sin, triumphing over them by the cross. He went through all of this so that you and I would no longer be slaves to sin, but so we would be alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Go Quickly!

After Jesus had risen from the dead, Mary Magdalene and the “other Mary” went to look at the tomb. An angel of the Lord spoke to them. He told them that they were to not be afraid, and that Jesus had risen from the dead. He invited them to look inside the empty tomb, and then he instructed them to go quickly and tell Jesus’ disciples that he had risen from the dead. So, the women “hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” Jesus met them on their way. He told them: “Do not be afraid. Go, and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

I believe these messages to these women are still relevant to our lives and witness today. First of all, we should not be afraid, but we should trust the Lord Jesus. But, even if we should feel fear, which they did, we should go in faith and do what the Lord Jesus commands us to do, and believe he will take away our fear. I read a book a few years back called “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway.” That says it!

The next thing I see in these messages is that the women, even trembling in their boots, so to speak, did what the angel of the Lord and what the Lord Jesus told them to do. Not only did they obey, but they obeyed immediately and quickly (they hurried), enthusiastically (they ran to tell) and joyfully, even though they felt fear in their hearts.

Lastly, what I get out of this section of scripture is that they were instructed not only to not fear, to go quickly, and to tell the good news, but they were instructed to tell where the disciples could go to meet with or to see Jesus. What stood out to me about this is that not only are we to tell others the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but we are to tell them how they can meet Jesus.

Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must disallow or negate his self-life, he must daily forsake (die to) sin and self, and he must follow the Lord Jesus in obedience (see Luke 9:23-25). This is how we find Jesus. God, speaking through Paul, said that the way in which we come to know Christ is through dying to (forsaking; putting off) our old lives of living for sin and self, by being transformed in heart and mind (the working of the Spirit), and by putting on our new lives in Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (see Eph. 4:17-24). So, faith in Jesus Christ involves both repentance (dying to sin and self) and obedience (following Jesus Christ in holiness).

Opposition

While the women were on their way to tell the disciples, some of the guards reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. The chief priests and the elders met together and they concocted a lie saying that Jesus’ disciples came during the night and stole him away while the guards were asleep.

Satan is always working against us in opposing the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he will devise all kinds of lies in order to lead people astray and to try to convince them that the true gospel of Jesus Christ is a lie. And, he often works through religious leaders, who are and who can be some of the strongest opponents and adversaries to the true gospel of Christ. And, we have to know that as we step out in obedience to our Lord (while we are on our way), that opposition is going to come, yet we should allow it to strengthen us in our resolve to keep moving forward, and not allow it to discourage and to defeat us.

All Authority

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We don’t have to ever be afraid to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, because we have the authority of Jesus Christ and his word behind us if we are teaching the true gospel. So, on the basis of the authority of Jesus Christ – the Word – we are to “go.” Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ has to be a conscious decision on our part to do so, and we have to purposefully plan for this as a part of our daily lives. We have to actively be involved in purposeful evangelism, in other words.

Not only are we to go, and are we to share the good news, and are we to do so immediately, enthusiastically and joyfully, but we are not to just stop with sharing how people can come to know Jesus Christ, but we are to teach them how to obey his commands. This is called discipleship. And, this is what we are commanded to do, so we should all be doing it if we are true followers of Jesus Christ ourselves. In other words, we have a responsibility not just to evangelize, but to help new believers to grow in their faith until they can become mature disciples of Jesus Christ. So, let’s be about the Master’s work.

Servant of the Lord / An Original Work / July 26, 2012

Based off Romans 1:1-17 NIV

Servant of the Lord;

For the gospel you’re set apart.

Promised through the prophets of old:

Jesus, Son of God.

Through Him, and for His name alone,

We receive His grace

To call people, Him to obey;

Coming from their faith.

Servant of the Lord,

For the gospel you’re set apart.

Promised through the prophets of old:

Jesus, Son of God.

You belong to Christ;

Loved by God, and called to be saints;

Serving God with whole heart and mind;

Preaching Jesus Christ;

Always praying for others’ needs;

Helping hand to lend;

Giving courage to others’ faith,

For the praise of God.

You belong to Christ;

Loved by God, and called to be saints;

Serving God with whole heart and mind;

Preaching Jesus Christ.

Servant of the Lord;

Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;

For salvation, power of God

To those who have faith.

In the gospel find righteousness:

Being right with God.

Turn from sin, and trust Jesus Christ.

By faith, live in Him.

Servant of the Lord;

Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;

For salvation, power of God

To those who have faith.

http://originalworks.info/servant-of-the-lord/

Keep Watch with Me

Saturday, March 09, 2013, 6:30 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with this song:

Near the Cross / Fanny J. Crosby / William H. Doane

Jesus, keep me near the cross;

There a precious fountain,

Free to all, a healing stream,

Flows from Calvary's mountain.

…Help me walk from day to day

With its shadow o'er me.

Near the cross I'll watch and wait,

Hoping, trusting ever,

Till I reach the golden strand

Just beyond the river.

         

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Matthew 26:36-46 (ESV):

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Sorrowful and Troubled

Jesus had just finished preparing his disciples for what was coming, yet they really didn’t get it. He told them that he would be betrayed and that, in fact, one among them would betray him to death. He also informed them that they would all desert him. Peter declared he would not, but the Lord Jesus reaffirmed that, indeed, he would. In fact, he would deny Jesus Christ three times. Peter and all the disciples declared they would never disown their Lord, even if it meant their own deaths. Oh, how often we speak such passionate, yet careless words, without prayerful thought and consideration as to what we are truly saying, and whether or not we can really follow through with our bold declarations.

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He told all of them who were with him to sit where they were while he went “over there” to pray. Then he took Peter, James and John with him. He began to be sorrowful and troubled, because it was nearing the time when he would be handed over to death, and he would be severely beaten and then hung on a cross to die. Yet, I believe he was troubled and sorrowed in his heart not so much because of the physical suffering he was to endure, though that would be great for sure, and he was human, i.e. he felt pain just like we do, but what overwhelmed him with sorrow to the point of death was the reality of what must take place for him to save us from our sins. He would have to, and did, take the sins of the entire world upon him so that our sins could be put to death with him, and so that he could conquer sin, death, hell and Satan via his resurrection, so we could go free!

In Jesus’ time of preparation of his disciples for his death and his resurrection, he also prepared them for what they would and must suffer for the sake of his name and for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, yet they didn’t entirely get that, either. He told them that they would have to drink the cup he was to drink, which was a symbol of death and suffering, including severe persecution and death for his sake. He told them they would be hated for the sake of his name and for their testimony for Jesus Christ – that they would be persecuted, mocked, ridiculed, accused of being of Satan, thought crazy, beaten and that some of them would even be killed because of Jesus Christ.

As well, he prepared all of us for the time of the end when a time of great sorrow and suffering would come upon the earth, known as the time of tribulation, at which time the saints of God would suffer greatly at the hands of the beast, false prophet and the dragon, and when God will pour out his wrath on mankind. Yet, many of us don’t really get that, either. Numerous followers in Jesus Christ believe the church will be raptured before things get really bad. I can’t say with 100% certainty that something like this may not happen, yet I don’t see this scripturally. Yet, I am not here to debate this subject, either. I believe scripture teaches that the saints of God will be here and will suffer greatly, and many will be killed for their testimony for Jesus Christ, and that the letters to the seven churches are preparation for that, calling for repentance and warning of judgment to the unrepentant.

As You Will

Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man when he walked the face of this earth. He suffered just like we suffer and he was tempted just like we are tempted and in all the same ways, yet he did not sin. So, when faced with the reality of the nearness of the cross, his humanness called out to the Father to see if there was any other way our salvation could be accomplished, yet I think he knew the answer. Yet, even though he struggled with what he knew was the inevitable, still he yielded to the Father and to the cross. And, this needs to be the attitude of each and every one of us, that we would die to the flesh and to sin daily, and that we would willingly come to the cross and suffer whatever he has in mind for us to go through for his sake and for the sake of the gospel and the salvation of others. We must daily forsake our own desires and submit and surrender to the will of the Father in our lives.

For One Hour?

Jesus asked his disciples to keep watch with him. The idea here is one of a watchman who serves as a guard, who literally keeps watch for the enemy, warns the people of the approach of the enemy or of potential threats and dangers lurking, and calls the people to prepare for battle. So, when Jesus asked his disciples to keep watch with him in prayer, he was basically asking them to be fully aware of what is coming and to prepare their hearts for the battle that was to ensue. They needed this time in prayer to get ready, but instead they fell asleep, because they didn’t get the seriousness of Jesus’ words, possibly because they just couldn’t imagine such a thing.

I think many of us are there today. We go about life as though it will just go on forever with business as usual and we are not watching and seeing the approach of the enemy and the nearness of the time of the end and so we won’t be prepared for what is around the corner, and I think it will be beyond anything we could possibly imagine.

Jesus said that we should “watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And, the disciples proved that to be true, because they had great spirit, passion and enthusiasm for their Lord, yet they truly believed that Jesus’ words to them could not possibly come to pass for they would never desert their Lord, and yet when the rubber met the road they all deserted him.

So, it is possible to be full of enthusiasm for Jesus Christ but yet due to failure to keep watch and wait, and due to our own unwillingness to face the reality of our own weaknesses and/or of what is truly upon us, we may be caught off guard and we may fall prey to the temptation to desert our Lord, too. So, if we want to remain strong in our faith, and prepared for spiritual battle and for the inevitable persecution of the church that awaits us, we must daily put on the full armor of God with which to fight off Satan’s evil schemes against us, and we must watch for the enemy and pray that we will not fall into temptation.

To My Beloved / An Original Work / November 14, 2011

Based off I Pet. 5:6-9; Eph. 6:10-20; Jms. 4:4-10

Be strong in the grace of Christ, and

Put on His full armor in your fight

Against the enemy of your souls,

And resist him with all your might.

Take up the shield of your faith within you.

Salvation’s helmet – you put it on.

Put on the belt of truth,

And walk in the Spirit,

And you’ll not be ashamed.

Love your Lord Jesus; call His Name.

Call on your Lord and Savior, Jesus, and

Make Him Lord and King of your hearts.

Obey all of His teachings He has given

To you to follow in all His ways.

Repent of your sins. Return to your God.

Follow Him where’er He leads you now.

Humble yourselves in full

Surrender to His will

For your lives today.

Bow before Him, and humbly pray.

Be strong in the grace of Christ, and

Obey your Lord in ev’rything, always

Keeping His teachings in your hearts near you.

Walk with Christ in ev’ry way.

Resist the devil. He will flee from you.

Draw near to God, and He’ll be near you.

Wash your hands you sinners

And double minded.

Weep and wail o’er sin.

With Christ, your new lives begin.

http://originalworks.info/to-my-beloved/

Jupiter

Thursday, March 07, 2013, 10:21 p.m. – I was in bed trying to fall asleep when I had a strange vision: I saw what appeared to be a Greek or Roman mythological god. He was white haired and bearded and his lips were pursed as if he was blowing wind through his lips. This mythological god was facing me (south). Then I saw another mythological god of some sort west of the first one. He had his right hand (far west) pressed up against the right side of his face (west side). Then, he tipped his hat. He was also facing south (toward me). Then one of the gods got very angry and it was like it was lightning and storming.

I saw a series of what appeared to be Greek or Roman mythological gods or goddesses. Some of them got very angry, and when they had their outbursts of anger I felt these outbursts were associated with wind, lightning and storms. Many of them were facing south, but not all of them, and the outbursts of anger seemed to come from many directions. Somewhere in here I heard the name “Jupiter.” Then I saw clowns laughing, but then they would turn angry, and it was as though they were shouting. I also saw someone shoot an arrow from a bow in a SW direction. And, I heard, in mind, this scripture: “For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart” (Ps. 11:2 NIV84).

Then, in the background of all this storm activity I heard the song “Why So Downcast?” playing in my mind ever so quietly. Slowly it began to come more to the forefront as the images of storms and false mythological gods faded away in the distance. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Matthew 24:1-35 (ESV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2024&version=NIV

Naming of Storms

The weather channel has gone to naming winter storms as of last year. Many of the names are those of Greek or Roman mythological gods and goddesses such as Athena, Jove (another name for Jupiter), Nemo, Saturn, Triton, and Zeus, to name a few. Evidently “Jove” was a snowy winter storm that took place toward the end of January of this year. Saturn is the storm that is presently hitting the east coast, and Triton is the newest named storm battering the west coast, I believe. So, it appears to me that, first of all, the Lord Jesus is showing me all these winter storms named after mythological gods and goddesses.

But, then he gave me the name Jupiter, so I did some research on this Roman mythological god, whose counterpart in Greek mythology is Zeus. What I learned in reading this Wikipedia article - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_(mythology) - is that Jupiter was the “king of the gods” (like Zeus), and “the god of sky and thunder.” All these gods and goddesses I was seeing in my vision were in the sky. Jupiter’s “identifying implement is the thunderbolt, and his primary sacred animal is the eagle.” This got my attention. The eagle “became one of the most common symbols of the Roman army.” The god was often represented “in the form of an eagle holding in its claws a thunderbolt.” This sounded very familiar to me. Many of Jupiter’s functions “were focused on the Capitoline (‘Capitol Hill’) – cf. “The god of the Underworld” - http://originalworks.info/the-god-of-the-underworld/.

Back to the eagle with the thunderbolt in its claws - I looked that up, as well, and that led me to the Great Seal of the United States of America. The Great Seal can be seen on the one dollar bill. The Great Seal is a symbol of the New World Order, i.e. the “new order of the ages.” Many researchers of the meanings behind the symbols on the Great Seal have attributed these symbols to be Masonic, occultist and Satanic, and that the Seal is a symbol of the “Secret Destiny of America” (http://www.newswithviews.com/Horn/thomas112.htm). This article, which I read recently concerning the pagan statuary of Washington, DC, stated this about America: “America's capitol city was to be the new Rome and Athens because America was reviving the democratic and educational philosophies of the classical age” -    http://community-2.webtv.net/westernmind/WASHINGTONDC/.

The False Trinity

What I believe the Lord is showing me through all of this is that the first god I saw in my vision was Jupiter and he represented this front of the Great Seal. The second god I saw west of him, perhaps on the west coast, represents the back side of the great seal because he tipped his hat (the missing top of the pyramid) and he had his right hand covering the right side of his face so that only one side was visible, symbolizing the singular all-seeing eye. This Great Seal is a symbol of our government, but it is also a symbol of our military and that of the New World Order, which is in authority over our government and nation and is wreaking havoc on our nation right now with all these storms. If you are not yet aware, they have the ability to produce man-made storms via weather manipulation.

This is quite interesting, still reading from the Wikipedia article on Jupiter: “In the Greek-influenced tradition, Jupiter was the brother of Neptune and Pluto. Each presided over one of the three realms of the universe: sky, the waters, and the underworld.” They were kind of like a fake trinity, like the beast, the false prophet and the dragon. Interestingly enough, this latest storm is named Triton, a Greek god and “the messenger of the sea” and son of Poseidon (Roman counterpart is Neptune), Jupiter is the king of gods and the god of sky and thunder (counterpart Zeus), and Pluto (Hades) was the ruler of the underworld. Pluto was the husband of Persephone whose description fits perfectly with the statue on top of the Capitol building, symbolizing the god over the capitol, and the present storm in the east is named Saturn, who was the first god of the capitol in Rome (resource: Wikipedia.org).  

So, what I believe the Lord is showing me here is that this group of elitist “great ones,” who lord it over the capitol of these United States, represent the god of the underworld (represented by this storm Saturn), and this god of the underworld is in an unholy trinity with both the god of the sky and the god of sea, represented by Jupiter and Triton, symbolizing the two sides of the Great Seal of the United States and this “new order of the ages,” also symbolizing the beast, the false prophet and the dragon – the unholy trinity - and that this New World Order/Unholy trinity are storming against us. Yet, we are not to fear what is coming, but we are to put our hope and trust in God Almighty.

To the Word

Matthew 24 tells us about the signs of the end of the age. It is a time of great deception. We will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death. This is coming to the world and it is coming to America. We will be hated because of our faith and testimony for Jesus Christ. “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” The gospel “will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” “False prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, even the elect.” They may even perform a fake return of Christ. So, we need to be following the Lord Jesus Christ in full surrender to his will for our lives, repentant and obedient, so that we can be discerning concerning these false “gods” who perform false miracles in the sky to try to deceive the people of this nation. We need to do diligent research and to educate ourselves as to the history of this nation, the layout of Washington, DC, the pagan and idolatrous images all throughout our government buildings and architecture, and pray, pray, pray for understanding of it all.

Yet, we should never be afraid of what is most certainly coming, but we should put our hope and trust in God and in Jesus Christ, God the Son, our Savior and Lord.

Why So Downcast? / An Original Work / December 21, 2012

Based off Psalm 42

Why so downcast,

O my soul,

And why so disturbed

Now within me?

Put your hope

In Jesus Christ,

For I will praise His name.

He’s my Savior

And my God,

So therefore I’ll

Remember Him through

Storms and tempests

Sweeping o’er me.

Still I’ll praise His name.

Put your hope in God.

By day the Lord

Sends forth His love.

In the night

His song is with me.

I pray to the

God of my life.

I will praise His name.

I say to God my Rock,

“Why must I be called

To suffer this way?”

Foes attack me;

Satan sneering.

Still I’ll praise my God.

Put your hope in Him.

As a deer pants

For the waters,

So my soul pants

For You, O God.

My soul thirsts for

God who’s living.

When can I meet Him?

My tears have been

My food at night,

When men say,

“So, where is your God?”

I pour out my

Soul to my God.

I’ll still praise His name.

Shout with joy to Him.

http://originalworks.info/why-so-downcast-2/

Invitation and Response

Thursday, March 07, 2013, 6:58 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Crown Him with Many Crowns” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Matthew 22:1-14 (ESV):

And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 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.”

The Invitation

Jesus was describing the kingdom of heaven. As we have already learned through other passages of scripture, including in the book of Isaiah and in the Gospels, the kingdom of heaven is Jesus Christ – his deity, his life, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension into heaven, his second coming, his millennial kingdom reign and rule on the earth, and him as forever King. In other words, he is the embodiment of the kingdom. The kingdom is also his salvation, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the saints of God (the body of Christ) - heavenly Jerusalem, the City of God, and Mount Zion (the church), and eternity with God in glory!

The king is God the Father. The Son is Jesus Christ. Since Jesus was using this parable as a comparison to the kingdom of heaven, the invitation, thus, was not just to the wedding supper of the Lamb at the end of time as we know it, but it was in invitation into the kingdom of heaven. In other words, this was an invitation to accept Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah and Savior of the people, an invitation to the gospel of Jesus Christ, to salvation by grace through faith, and an invitation to spend eternity with God in glory. As well, it was an invitation into an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ as friend, lover, Savior, Lord (master) and King – to serve him and to obey him all our days. Yet, the invitation to his banquet is a symbol of an invitation to faith that endures to the end.

Those who were invited first were the Jews of Jesus’ time. Notice that they had already been invited and now it was time for the wedding feast, so they were being called upon to attend. The nation of Israel, i.e. the Jewish people of old had been given the gospel through Isaiah, the Psalms and other OT prophets, but also through other OT books in the Bible. So, they knew that a Messiah was to come as the Savior of the people. The invitation had gone out many, many years before. Now the Messiah (the kingdom of heaven) was among them and they were being called upon to accept him as thus, to receive his salvation and his gospel, and to put their hope and trust in him alone as their Lord (God) and Savior.

The Response

Yet they, as a nation, refused God’s invitation. So, he called them again, but they paid no attention, and they went about their business as usual. Some of them persecuted and even killed God’s servants and messengers, including they killed God’s Son. So, God was angry and he sent judgment upon them, he rejected them as a people of God, they were cut off of the vine and the gospel was given to the Gentiles. The Jews were cut off due to unbelief, but they can be (and are) grafted back into the vine through faith in Jesus Christ (see Ro. 11).

Yet, lest we should feel superior somehow concerning the fact that the Jewish nation was broken off and we were grafted into the vine, we must remember that they were broken off due to unbelief and that we stand only by faith, which is a gift from God. Should we not continue in God’s kindness (his grace), we, too, can be cut off from the vine (see Ro. 11).

Now, I know this might raise all kinds of theological eyebrows, but the fact remains that scripture teaches that true faith is enduring faith - continuous, persevering, and faithful to the end (see the letters to the seven churches in Rev. 2-3; also see 1 Co. 15:2; Col. 1:21-23; 2 Tim. 2:10-13; Heb. 3:14-15; 2 Pet. 1:5-11; 1 John 2:24-25; et al). I believe that is the picture here with the invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb. Many are called, but few are chosen, i.e. few accept God’s invitation to his Son and to salvation, i.e. to the cross of Christ, to death to sin and self, and to obedience to his commands.

The church is the Body of Christ, i.e. it is comprised of true followers of Jesus Christ, yet there is also the institutional church or public gatherings of the church where others besides true followers meet with the church. They, too, have received the invitation to the wedding banquet, as have all who have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, and yet not all have responded with genuine faith, though some think they have, but have not. So, God is calling again to those who have already been invited to accept the invitation to the banquet, i.e. this is a call to genuine, enduring, continuous, obedient and repentant faith that lasts to the end.

And, many within the institutional church of today, and not just here in America, are refusing the invitation to the banquet, they are ignoring the calls to come to the wedding feast, they are going about their business – life as usual – and they are even persecuting, mocking and rejecting those servants of God giving the call. And, I am not speaking here of those who obviously are refusing God’s invitation, either, but of those who, by their lifestyles, are refusing God’s invitation to righteousness and holy living, to repentance, and to obedience. Thus, they are refusing, ignoring and even persecuting the true gospel of Jesus Christ through which they can make themselves ready for the wedding banquet (see Luke 9:23-25; Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 6; Gal. 2:20; and the book of 1 John; et al).  

We learn in Revelation 19 that those who are ready for the banquet are those who have made themselves ready, and it has been granted for them to clothe themselves with fine linen, bright and pure (the appropriate wedding attire), “for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints” (see Rev. 19:6-8). The saints clothed in righteousness follow the Lamb, Jesus Christ, and they obey him. Those who show up, perhaps giving the appearance of having accepted the invitation, but are not dressed in the appropriate wedding attire will be cast out into utter darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

So, this is a call to make sure you have repented of your sins, you have turned to walk in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ, and that you have made Jesus Christ truly Lord of your life. If you have not, then I pray you will do so today so that you are not caught not having the appropriate attire (God’s righteousness and purity). I pray you will make Jesus Christ truly King of your life, that you will awake from your spiritual slumber, and that you will rise to give Him praise, honor and glory by your life for all that he has done for you (for us).

Crown Him with Many Crowns / Matthew Bridges / Godfrey Thring / George J. Elvey

Crown him with many crowns,

the Lamb upon his throne,

Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns

all music but its own.

Awake, my soul, and sing

of him who died for thee,

and hail him as thy matchless King

through all eternity.

Crown him the Lord of life,

who triumphed o'er the grave,

and rose victorious in the strife

for those he came to save.

His glories now we sing,

who died, and rose on high,

who died, eternal life to bring,

and lives that death may die.

Crown him the Lord of love;

behold his hands and side,

those wounds, yet visible above,

in beauty glorified.

All hail, Redeemer, hail!

For thou hast died for me;

thy praise and glory shall not fail

throughout eternity.