You Alone

Sunday, July 20, 2014, 7:26 p.m. – the Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “As the Deer.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Jeremiah 10 (NIV).

Ways and Practices

Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. This is what the Lord says:

“Do not learn the ways of the nations

    or be terrified by signs in the heavens,

    though the nations are terrified by them.

For the practices of the peoples are worthless;

    …their idols cannot speak;

they must be carried

    because they cannot walk.

Do not fear them;

    they can do no harm

    nor can they do any good.” ~ Jer. 10:1-5

What are some of “the ways of the nations” which we might be tempted to follow with our lives today? For one, I believe it is be consumed with television, movies, the internet, social media sites, games, and/or electronic devices, etc., which have the potential to distract us, and to fill up a lot of our time with a bunch of meaningless stuff, or with us finding enjoyment and entertainment in what is sinful. For another, through such mediums as these it is possible for us to be easily deceived, manipulated and duped into believing things to be true which are really just clever deceptions and dramatizations - pure fabrications for the sole purpose to deceive and to distract. Another is the likelihood; again via such mediums as these, that we might adopt the notion that life should be one big party and that we are just to have fun all the time, i.e. that we should be consumed with self-pleasure.

The sad reality of this whole thing is that the majority of evangelical Christians and churches today in America, by all appearances, has learned and has adopted “the ways of the nations,” and they have infiltrated the church. The church is following “the ways of the nations” by turning the church into big business and by marketing it just like a business of mankind. The church uses gimmicks, tricks, deceptions and manipulations of various kinds to try to draw in large crowds of people from the world around them. They also dilute the gospel message to make it more appealing, palatable, and acceptable to the world so the cross of Christ is no longer an offense to those who are perishing. “The ways of the nations” have replaced the ways of God and his word. The teachings of humans have superseded the teachings of Christ and the apostles. And entertainment has supplanted true worship.

Senseless Shepherds

The shepherds are senseless

    and do not inquire of the Lord;

so they do not prosper

    and all their flock is scattered. ~ Jer. 10:21

The shepherds are our leaders in our homes, nations, and in the church. Many are senseless because they do not inquire of the Lord, but they do inquire of humankind. Some of them spend hours upon hours reading books on how to grow their churches and how to market their businesses so that people will want to come to their meetings; and in attending business meetings to discuss such plans for making the church more attractive to the world. Numerous ones among them are so busy with all the fluff, and with all the gimmicks and entertainment, and with the plans of humans, that they have precious little time for prayer or for the study of God’s word so that they can lead their people to follow Jesus Christ, instead of leading them to be followers of humankind. In fact, countless ones of them have adopted “the ways of the nations” themselves, and so they are caught up in being distracted and/or in finding pleasure in what is sinful, too, so that they are not able to lead their people in the way of holiness.

No One Like You

No one is like you, Lord;

    you are great,

    and your name is mighty in power.

Who should not fear you,

    King of the nations?

    This is your due.

…But the Lord is the true God;

    he is the living God, the eternal King.

When he is angry, the earth trembles;

    the nations cannot endure his wrath.

“Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.’”

But God made the earth by his power;

    he founded the world by his wisdom

    and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.

When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar;

    he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.

He sends lightning with the rain

    and brings out the wind from his storehouses. ~ Jer. 10:6-7a, 10-13

No one or nothing can compare to our God. There is no one like him. No plans of humans, no marketing schemes, no edifices built by human hands, and no IPads or smart phones or computer equipment or software can even begin to compare to him. He alone is the creator of the world and all that is in it – that which was created of him. He created humankind, so he knows us inside and out. His knowledge and his wisdom are beyond human comprehension. He is our living God, our eternal King. There is no one wiser or more powerful than him. He always existed. He is more awesome and more beautiful than the best symphony or the greatest work of art. His way of holiness and his plan for our lives far surpass any ways of humankind or any thinking or reasoning of humans. The joy and the peace which he gives us far exceed any temporal happiness we may feel in this life. So, he deserves all of our honor, worship, praise, adoration, awe and respect.

Not Our Own

Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own;

    it is not for them to direct their steps.

Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure—

    not in your anger,

    or you will reduce me to nothing. ~ Jer. 10:23-24

You know, I think we would all do well to commit verse 23 to heart, and for the reality of what is taught here to truly sink into our brains. We were created for a purpose. That purpose is to worship God as our only God. As believers in Jesus Christ, we were bought with a price, so our lives truly are not our own. We are to honor God with our lives. It is not up to us to direct our own steps and/or for us to follow the ways of other humans. We should daily inquire of our God as to what plans he has for us, and what steps he wants us to take. Much of his will for our lives is made plain in scripture. The problem that exists here is not that people don’t know the will of God so much so as it is that they don’t do what they know. Jesus died so that we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us (See 2 Co. 5:15).

Jesus said that he disciplines those he loves. He said that if we are not disciplined of him, then we are not his. His discipline can come in many forms. He allows us to go through various trials in our lives. We get sick. We face persecution. We may be hated or falsely accused. We may face financial hardships or the loss of a loved one. Our house may catch on fire. We may be the victims of a robbery or of a hurricane, tornado, earthquake or volcanic eruption. We may live in war-torn countries. We may have to go through famine. His purpose in the things he allows in our lives is to purify our hearts, to make us holy, mature us in Christ, teach us perseverance, develop within us godly character, move us to obedience, and to draw us closer to him as we learn to call upon him in our suffering, etc.

Sometimes he must discipline us for our good because we have forsaken him as our “first love” and we have run after “other gods” which are not gods. And, we need to learn that he is to be our only God. He doesn’t do this because he wants to spoil all our fun or because he wants to make us miserable. He does this because he knows what is harmful for us, and he knows what we truly need, and what is best for us, and he wants what is best for us. It grieves him that so many who profess his name are following “the ways of the nations” and are making created things or man-made things their gods in place of their one and only true God. And, so divine discipline might be the best thing for us to get us back on track, to get us walking in the way of holiness, and to get us to truly long after God/Jesus and to make him our only strength and the desire of our hearts.

As the Deer / Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

 So my soul longeth after You…

You alone are my strength, my shield

 To You alone may my spirit yield

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

In These I Delight

Sunday, July 20, 2014, 5:57 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “Give Thanks.” Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 9 (NIV).

I Would Weep

Oh, that my head were a spring of water

    and my eyes a fountain of tears!

I would weep day and night

    for the slain of my people.

Oh, that I had in the desert

    a lodging place for travelers,

so that I might leave my people

    and go away from them;

for they are all adulterers,

    a crowd of unfaithful people. ~ Jer. 9:1-2

Jeremiah felt the pain of the sin of his people. He truly wept day and night over their adulterous ways. He felt the burden and weight of their sin upon him because he cared about them deeply. How he longed for them to return to their Lord God and to cease from their idolatrous ways. Although he was in the minority in his feelings, should he have been?

The Lord told the man clothed in linen to “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it” (Ez. 9:4). This is something that we, as followers of Christ, should all feel in the depths of our souls and in our emotions. We are the Body of Christ. That means we should feel what Jesus feels, and we should care about the things he cares about. But, do we?

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? ~ 1 Co. 5:1-2

For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. ~ 2 Co. 11:4

I believe that we have a serious problem of apathy and self-absorption in our day and age within the church to where very few believers in Christ truly weep over the grave sin condition of today’s modern church movement. We all need to be more like Jeremiah, not only in weeping and grieving and praying over the sin within the church, but in praying for God to bring revival, and in being devoted to encouraging and strengthening our brothers and sisters in the faith so that we are not hardened by sin’s deceitfulness; and also in following our Lord’s commands to come out from the sinful world and to be separate – set apart (unlike; different) from worldliness, and set apart to God and to his service.

Not By Truth

“They make ready their tongue

    like a bow, to shoot lies;

it is not by truth

    that they triumph in the land.

They go from one sin to another;

    they do not acknowledge me,”

declares the Lord.

“Beware of your friends;

    do not trust anyone in your clan…

Friend deceives friend,

    and no one speaks the truth.

They have taught their tongues to lie;

    they weary themselves with sinning.

You live in the midst of deception;

    in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”

declares the Lord. ~ Jer. 9:3-6

Lies and deceitfulness abound today, not only in the world in general, in advertising, in sales, in business dealings, in politics, in governments, and in the news media, but also within the church. Much of today’s church is run just like big business, which includes the massive use of marketing techniques and schemes in order to draw in large crowds of people. What goes along with such business dealings within the church are trickery, manipulation, lies and deception. As well, for those who consume much in the way of TV and movies, lying is commonplace in a lot of what is viewed, and these attitudes and values get passed on to us through these mediums. And, added to that, many cultures and traditions incorporate lying into their communications with people, often with the excuse that they are being “nice,” or as a way to avoid conflict. So, we need to be discerning, and we need to not blindly trust everyone or everything we read or hear or see.

Refine and Test

Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:

“See, I will refine and test them,

    for what else can I do

    because of the sin of my people?

Their tongue is a deadly arrow;

    it speaks deceitfully.

With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,

    but in their hearts they set traps for them.

Should I not punish them for this?”

    declares the Lord.

“Should I not avenge myself

    on such a nation as this?” ~ Jer. 9:7-9

Our Lord God loves his church. That is why he gave himself up for us so we could be saved. That is why he has given us his word to teach us how to live godly and holy lives in this present age. That is why he has given us his Spirit within us to counsel, encourage, teach, exhort, strengthen and empower us in our faith. That is why he has given us each other that we may help encourage, strengthen, build up, exhort, and instruct one another. That is why, too, he is sending some of his servants – his watchmen - out to give messages of warning against sin’s deceitfulness, against wolves in sheep’s clothing, and against falling prey to lies and deceptions, as well as to encourage us in our faith, and to exhort us to turn from our sins and to follow Jesus Christ in obedience and surrender to his will for our lives. Yet, it is also why he refines and tests us, because he disciplines those he loves.

Not Obeyed Him

Who is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?

The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” ~ Jer. 9:12-14

The “law” today is Jesus Christ and it is his word. In Is. 2:3-4 we read: “The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations…” This is a prophecy about Jesus Christ. He is the Mountain of the Lord. He is the Temple of the God of Jacob. He is the Law, and he is the Word of the Lord. He will teach us his ways that we may walk in his paths. Romans 10:4 says: “Christ is the culmination” (fulfillment; sum; goal) “of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” As well, Jesus said: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matt. 5:17). And, John 1:1 says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. ~ Jas. 1:21-25

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. ~ 1 Jn. 2:3-6

We must obey Jesus Christ and his word. This is not optional. And, it is not legalism, either. The New Testament is real clear on this issue. Obedience to Christ and to his word is evidence that we are in Christ and that we love God, as well as we will experience the blessings of God in what we do when we walk in obedience to him and to his word. Yet, this is not just following a set of rules. Obedience is complete surrender to our Lord. It is giving of our lives to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, no longer conformed to the ways of this world, but transformed of the Spirit of God in mind and heart. As well, we can only obey our Lord Jesus in the power and working of his Spirit within us.

Circumcised in Heart

This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom

    or the strong boast of their strength

    or the rich boast of their riches,

but let the one who boasts boast about this:

    that they have the understanding to know me,

that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,

    justice and righteousness on earth,

    for in these I delight,”

declares the Lord.

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh— Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places. For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.” ~ Jer. 9:23-26

We brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing with us when we go. All we have is from God. So, we should never have cause to boast about our own wisdom or own strength as though we have something we did not receive from God. All our praise should go to our God/Jesus Christ for all that he has done for us and within us. Even our faith is a gift from God, as well as is our ability or even the desire within us to obey him. We did nothing to earn or to deserve our own salvation. Only by the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross for our sins can we even have eternal life with God in heaven. Yet, we must put that faith into practice in our lives by submitting to the cross of Christ in allowing Jesus to circumcise (put sin to death in) our hearts. Our delight should be found only in HIM. [See Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14 & 1 Jn. 1-5.]

Give Thanks / Don Moen / Henry Smith

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks to the Holy One

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us."

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

As a Bride

Friday, July 18, 2014, 9:41 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “Near the Cross.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Jeremiah 2:1-4:4 (NIV). I will quote some and summarize some due to the length of the passage.

Exchanged Life

 “This is what the Lord says:

“‘I remember the devotion of your youth,

    how as a bride you loved me

and followed me through the wilderness,

    through a land not sown.

Israel was holy to the Lord,

    the firstfruits of his harvest… ~ Jer. 2:1-3a

Has a nation ever changed its gods?

    (Yet they are not gods at all.)

But my people have exchanged their glorious God

    for worthless idols.

Be appalled at this, you heavens,

    and shudder with great horror,”

declares the Lord.

“My people have committed two sins:

They have forsaken me,

    the spring of living water,

and have dug their own cisterns,

    broken cisterns that cannot hold water… ~ Jer. 2:11-13

When I read this, it brought to mind the Lord Jesus’ letter to the church in Ephesus as dictated to John, who then wrote it and sent it to the churches (See Rev. 2). The church had several things going for it. They worked hard, they persevered, they did not tolerate wicked people, and they even tested those who claimed to be apostles of Christ, but who were not, and found them to be false. They even endured hardships for the name of Christ, and they had not grown weary. Still, they had forsaken their first love, so they were to consider how far they had fallen, and they were to repent of their sin and to do the things they did at first. If they did not repent, Jesus would come and would remove their church from its place, i.e. some type of judgment would fall upon them from the hand of the Lord.

It is possible for us, as believers in Jesus Christ, to do so many things right; to do so many good things, and yet to fail in our relationships with Jesus Christ because of neglect of him and his word (his teachings), and due to failure to consult with him and to follow him wherever he leads us. He wants from us the kind of devotion a bride would give to her new husband. He wants us to be set apart (unlike; different) from the world of sin and set apart to God and to his service. When we come to Christ, we become his bride. Our decision to accept his invitation to salvation and to make him Lord of our lives is a lot like the vows we take when we marry. We promise to be faithful to him only and to forsake all other lovers. We promise to love, honor, cherish, respect, and to obey him always and forevermore. Yet, over time, we may forget the love we had at first for our Lord, and “other loves” may begin to take the place of God/Jesus in our hearts as our “first love.”

These “other gods,” though, are worthless to us. They are merely cheap substitutes for the real thing. And, they can come in many different forms. Basically, a false god is anything we give our hearts, minds, emotions, passions, time and energies to over and above our one and only true God. They are what we turn to when we are hurting, in need, and want comfort, or to fulfill the longings of our hearts for satisfaction and/or peace of mind. They can be medications, books, music, TV shows, movies, games, the internet, social media sites, internet discussion sites, the news, pornography, romance novels (stories), travel, spending money, possessions, new things, entertainment, sports, recreation, physical fitness, careers, church ministry, and church activities, etc. These are all destined to perish. They are empty. They will never satisfy the deep longings of our souls, nor will they bring us into fellowship with our Lord Jesus so that we can follow him where HE leads.

We Are Free!

They have turned their backs to me

    and not their faces;

yet when they are in trouble, they say,

    ‘Come and save us!’

Where then are the gods you made for yourselves?

    Let them come if they can save you

    when you are in trouble!... ~ Jer. 2:27b-28a

Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam;

    we will come to you no more’?... ~ Jer. 2:31b

Yet in spite of all this

    you say, ‘I am innocent;

    he is not angry with me.’

But I will pass judgment on you

    because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’

Why do you go about so much,

    changing your ways? ~ Jer. 2:34b-36a

This type of attitude and behavior is so prevalent in evangelical Christianity today. So many are teaching that “being saved” means praying a prayer to receive Jesus Christ into our hearts, that such a prayer thus guarantees us eternity with God in heaven, that Christ does it all, and nothing is required of us. While it is certainly true that we do nothing to deserve or to earn our own salvation, and that only through the blood of Jesus Christ can we be cleansed of our sins and made whole, we are also saved by faith. That faith is shown to be genuine by what we do (read the book of James). In other words, Jesus Christ died, not just so we could go to heaven one day. He died so we would no longer live for ourselves but for HIM who gave himself up for us (See 2 Co. 5:15). His grace does not give us a free license to continue in sin and to still have the assurance of hope of heaven. His grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled and upright lives in this present age while we wait for his return (See Tit. 2:11-14). This is why He died!

Yet, so many who profess Christ have bought into the lie. They use God’s grace as a free license for immorality, like a Band-Aid to cover over their sin, while they continue in it. Yet, scripture is real clear that we can’t continue to live in sin and to know God, too (See Ro. 6-8 and 1 John 1-5). We who have been crucified with Christ have died to our sin, so how can we live in it any longer? Coming to Christ means we die with Christ to our lives of sin, we are transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and we are given new lives in Christ, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 2:20). Yet, that is not what is being taught much anymore, thus many who profess Christ live just like the world, they follow after “other gods,” and they use God/Jesus as someone they call upon only when they are in trouble. God will judge his adulterous church, no matter what other people might be telling you. True grace delivers us out of slavery to sin.

God is Calling

 “‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord,

    ‘I will frown on you no longer,

for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord,

    ‘I will not be angry forever.

Only acknowledge your guilt—

    you have rebelled against the Lord your God,

you have scattered your favors to foreign gods

    under every spreading tree,

    and have not obeyed me,’”

declares the Lord.” ~ Jer. 3:12-13

God/Jesus is calling to the church to return to him and to make him her only Lord and husband, and for them to forsake all “other lovers.” This is not unlike a call that a faithful husband or a faithful wife might give to his or to her adulterous spouse. He loves us, and he married us, and he wants us to be faithful to him and to forsake all others. For those of us who are married, we should be able to identify with this plea. We want our spouses to be completely faithful to us, too, and to not commit adultery against us. We are to be one in Christ, and we are to be one with Christ. That is how God created us to be and to live. All else is outside his perfect plan for our lives. Outside his perfect plan for our lives we will never know true peace, love, joy and satisfaction. We are designed to live for God, to live holy lives pleasing to him, set apart from (different; unlike) the world, and set apart for God and for his service, to follow Him wherever he leads us, and to obey his teachings.

“Break up your unplowed ground

    and do not sow among thorns.

Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,

    circumcise your hearts,

    you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,

or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire

    because of the evil you have done—

    burn with no one to quench it.” ~ Jer. 4:3

If the church would return to her Lord in humility and repentance, and would make him her only Lord and husband, he would shower his spiritual blessings upon her. He would revive her heart, cleanse her from all impurities, restore her to fellowship with him, and she would walk with him all the rest of her days. No longer will she follow the stubbornness of her own heart, but she will follow her Lord Jesus with wholehearted devotion, honor and praise. She will put her detestable idols out of the sight of the Lord, i.e. she will discard them like garbage. Amen! She will no longer go astray. She will walk in truth and in the Lord’s righteousness, in the power and the working of the Spirit of God within her. And, she will be blessed of the Lord. This is the desire of God’s heart for his people. This is what he is calling his church to do, to no longer harden her hearts against her God, and to no longer follow after the ways of this sinful world, and after the gods our hands have made, but to humble ourselves before God in repentance, and to allow the Spirit of God to renew our hearts.

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.

Near the cross, a trembling soul,

Love and mercy found me;

There the bright and morning star

Sheds its beams around me.

           

Near the cross! O Lamb of God,

Bring its scenes before me;

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.

         

In the cross, in the cross,

Be my glory ever,

Till my raptured soul shall find

Rest beyond the river.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BasJqHsCIo4

We Must Go

Thursday, July 17, 2014, 8:56 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “To Be Like Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Jeremiah 1 (NIV).

Appointed by God

The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. The word of the Lord came to him… when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.

The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

    before you were born I set you apart;

    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

God/Jesus knows everything about us because he is the one who created us. We are fearfully and wonderfully made by him. All the days ordained for us were written in his book before any of them came into being, i.e. he has a plan and a purpose for our lives. We are not here by accident. He knows us inside and out. He knows when we sit down and when we stand up; when we sleep and when we wake up. He knows our thoughts even before we do. He is completely familiar with all of our ways. I like this part especially: He knows what we are going to say even before we know it, or even before we say it, so I often ask him to let me know if I am getting ready to say something I shouldn’t so that I don’t. There is nowhere we can go that he is not there. Amen! We can’t hide from God (See Ps. 139).

God/Jesus created each and every one of us with a purpose in mind. We are not here arbitrarily or at the will of a man and a woman. We were created by God to worship God and to serve him all our days. God has made himself known to all humankind, yet many choose not to glorify God or to give him thanks. They exchange the glory of God for their own gods which their own hands have made. They exchange the truth about God for a lie, and they worship and serve created things rather than the creator, so they are without excuse (See Romans 1).

Those of us who have received him as Lord and Savior of our lives have had the will of God made known to us through his word. The Lord also makes known to us his specific will and gifts he has for our lives through his word and through the witness of the Spirit within us. The Lord Jesus told his followers that when the Spirit came upon them that they would be his witnesses to the whole world. He told them, too, that they were to go and to make disciples of Christ of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them everything Christ had commanded them. He told his followers that they were to let their lights shine before men.

As followers of Christ, we are his Body, so that means we are his human representatives in this world to carry on the work he began when he walked the face of this earth. To equip us for the work of the ministry, God has given us all different gifts, as he determines. He has placed the parts of the body just as he wanted them to be, not as humans determine they should be. We don’t all have the same function (assignment), though. But, we are all necessary. And, so we need to hear God speak his words to our hearts, show us his will for all of our lives, have him show us what his will is specifically for each of us individually in giftings and in body parts, and then we need to begin doing what he has called us to do.

There are no excuses for whatever God has called us to do to get us out of it, because it is his Spirit within us empowering us to do the work through which we are able to accomplish what we might not be able to do in our natural selves. We all must go wherever God sends us, say what he wants us to say, and be whoever he created us to be, no matter what our specific assignments might be. And, we are not to be afraid of humankind or what they might say to us or do to us, for if we are doing and saying what God desires and wills, he is with us, and he will see us through every situation which presents itself to us.

To some degree we are all called to uproot and destroy, and to build and to plant. It means we speak the truth in love in order to help the body to grow and to develop as God intended, whether that means saying tough stuff sometimes or whether it means saying things that cheer people’s hearts. We have to be willing to do both, for that is how we grow (See Eph. 4).

I’ll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,

O’er mountain, or plain, or sea;

I’ll say what You want me to say, dear Lord,

I’ll be what You want me to be.

(M. Brown; C. Pryor; C. Rounsefell)

Entrance of the Gates

The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”

“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.

The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”

The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?”

“I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.”

The Lord said to me, “From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the Lord.

“Their kings will come and set up their thrones

    in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;

they will come against all her surrounding walls

    and against all the towns of Judah.

I will pronounce my judgments on my people

    because of their wickedness in forsaking me,

in burning incense to other gods

    and in worshiping what their hands have made.

There will always be humans who will set themselves up against us, who will hate us, reject us, fight against us, falsely accuse us, and who will try to get us to disobey our Lord and to go the way of the world. Yet, this is part of God’s plan and design for our lives. He told us we would be hated and persecuted if we truly follow him in obedience and surrender to his will for our lives. Not everyone will understand such dedication to the Lord, and they will think us crazy for separating ourselves from the world of sin and for not participating with them in the ways and customs of the world. Even within the church, which has adopted the ways and thinking of the world in order to “grow” their churches (businesses), we may stick out like a sore thumb, and we may even be invited to leave because we don’t fit.

Yet, God also brings people against us sometimes, not because we are doing right, but because we are doing wrong. Many of God’s people (the church) today are behaving wickedly, they have forsaken their Lord, and they have followed after the gods of this world instead. God has sent messengers time and time again to his church to warn them of judgment, to call them to repentance, and to promise them his blessings if they repent of their sins and they return to their Lord. And, yet so many have closed their ears and their hearts to the Spirit’s voice, and they are continuing to go their own way instead. And, so one day God will judge the church for her idolatry and spiritual adultery, and he will bring kings against her in order to get his church to repent and to turn back to him.

Get Ready!

“Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

So, we need to be ready for that time. Many believers throughout the world are already facing such severe persecution and even death for their testimonies and their stand for Jesus Christ, and at the hand of the “kings” of the world, i.e. the U.S., their allies, NATO, and the New World Order (Beast). And, this is coming to America, too. God will judge his adulterous church here because she has forsaken him as her “first love” and she has gone off to worship “other gods” of her own making. We need to be ready and know that such a time is coming here in America, too, and we must take a stand for Christ and not be afraid of those who can kill our bodies but who cannot kill our souls. We must be bold and courageous in the power of the Spirit within us and speak the words of the Lord to people, and share the gospel of salvation, because the time of the Lord’s return is not far away.

To Be Like Him / An Original Work

March 16, 2014 / Based off Scripture

Crucified you are with Jesus.

To be like Him, oh, you’ll be,

Because He died at Calv’ry,

So from sin you’d be free.

Oh, what joy He brings into your life,

Giving life with Him endlessly.

Oh, what plans He has for your life.

Share the gospel faithfully.

Show the people He loves them.

Now His witness you’ll be.

Tell the world of sin about Jesus,

How He died for them on a tree.

Purifying hearts, He saves them,

Who believe on Christ, God’s Son.

Turning now from their idols,

New lives they have begun.

Jesus saves from sin; we’re forgiven.

Over sin, the vict’ry He won!

When He comes again to take us

To be with Him evermore,

There will be no more crying.

Gladness will be in store.

Heavens joys will now overtake us:

We’ll be with our Lord evermore.

http://originalworks.info/to-be-like-him/

Submissive and Obedient

Thursday, July 17, 2014, 2:30 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “Arise and Shine.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Isaiah 66 (NIV).

Who Tremble

 “These are the ones I look on with favor:

    those who are humble and contrite in spirit,

    and who tremble at my word.” ~ Is. 66:2b

God has regard for and approves of those who are humble (not prideful), submissive, obedient, repentant (who turn away from sin), and who are respectful of God; who honor him as the holy God he is, and who revere and respect his holy word (Cf. Ps. 51:17; Ac. 3:19; Ac. 9:31; Ac. 17:30; Ac. 20:21; 2 Co. 7:10; Phil. 2:12; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 14:7).

So, what should this look like? Well, for one, I believe we must come to the cross of Jesus, humbled at the very notion that our God would have died for our sins, and that he would love such ones as us who are so utterly sinful. We must acknowledge our own sinfulness, and realize we are no different from anyone else. We are all sinners (See Ro. 3:23). Then, in accepting God’s invitation to his great salvation, we must willingly die with Christ to the sins which once enslaved us, we must allow the Spirit of God to transform our hearts and minds away from sin and to God, and we must then walk in Christ’s righteousness and holiness, in the power and working of his Spirit within us, no longer conformed to the ways of this world (See Ro. 6-8; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14 & 1 Jn. 1-5).

Then, as we grow in our relationships with Jesus Christ, in our daily walks of faith with him, we continually, by the Spirit, put to death the misdeeds of our bodies (See Ro. 8:13; Ro. 12:1-2; Eph. 4-5; & Heb. 12). We resist Satan, flee temptation, and we draw near to God (See Jas. 4:6-8; 1 Co. 6:18; 2 Tim. 2:22). We spend time daily at Jesus’ feet, listening to him speak to us through his word, and through his Spirit within us, and then we do what his word teaches us (See Jas. 1:22; Ro. 6:17; Heb. 5:9; & 1 Jn. 2:3; 3:22; 5:3). Jesus is now our Lord, i.e. he is now the one in charge of our lives. No longer is our desire to live in sin and to live for our own selfish desires, although we will still be tempted in that way, but our desire is for our Lord and to please him (See Gal. 6:8; Col. 1:10; 1 Thess. 4:1; 2 Tim. 2:4).

Their Own Ways

But whoever sacrifices a bull

    is like one who kills a person,

…and whoever burns memorial incense

    is like one who worships an idol.

They have chosen their own ways,

    and they delight in their abominations;

so I also will choose harsh treatment for them

    and will bring on them what they dread.

For when I called, no one answered,

    when I spoke, no one listened.

They did evil in my sight

    and chose what displeases me.”

In contrast to those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who respect and honor God’s holy word, are those who worship the “gods” of their own making, and who choose to go their own way, instead of following God’s way. Instead of delighting in the Lord, they find great enjoyment in their own disgusting and revolting acts. Instead of sitting at Jesus’ feet each day, listening to him speak, and doing what he says, they don’t listen to God, and they don’t answer the call of God upon their lives. And, instead of their desire being for the Lord and for doing what pleases him, they do evil in God’s sight and they choose what displeases him. This may be speaking only of those who make no claims to faith in Christ at all, yet the reality is that many who profess the name of Jesus as Savior of their lives live more like this than they do like the humble and contrite who live in respectful reverence of God’s word.

Your Own People

Hear the word of the Lord,

    you who tremble at his word:

“Your own people who hate you,

    and exclude you because of my name, have said,

‘Let the Lord be glorified,

    that we may see your joy!’

    Yet they will be put to shame.

Jesus Christ said that his followers would be hated as he was hated. Even his own people hated and rejected him. He told his brothers that the world hated him because he told them that what they did was evil. Yet, his own brothers rejected him and mocked him. His own family members thought he was crazy and they wanted to remove him from his work, probably because he was an embarrassment to them. The religious leaders of his day were jealous of him, hated him, rejected him, falsely accused him of being of Satan, and hounded him day after day, trying to discredit him. And, eventually they succeeded in falsely arresting and beating him, in giving him a mock trial, and then in hanging him on a cross to die, as though he was a common criminal, and although he had done no wrong.

If we are truly following Jesus Christ with our lives, we have forsaken our lifestyles of living in sin and for self, we have chosen the way of holiness, and we are walking in Christ’s righteousness and holiness, all in the power and working of His Spirit within us, we will be hated. And, it won’t be just the people of “the world” who will hate us, either. In fact, they may be in the minority of those who hate and reject us. Remember with me, if you will, that Jesus’ greatest opponents were from among his own family members, his own people from his own nation, and from among those who called themselves God’s holy people. His strongest adversaries, though, were the religious leaders, who were threatened by his teaching and the fact that people were following him, as well as they were insulted and bothered by his honesty in how he so pointedly addressed their own sins of hypocrisy.

So, don’t be surprised if some of your greatest persecution arises from your own people, whether from those within your own nation, town, family or church community. The more closely you walk with the Lord, and the more you listen to his voice and you obey his word, and the more you separate yourselves from this sinful world and you are set apart to God and to his service, the more you will be hated, rejected and treated with disdain, because you stand out, and you are different from (unlike) the world.

Since the institutional church of today, at least here in America, for the most part, has adopted the ways of the world in order to reach the world, if you do not join in with them, you will most likely be hated and rejected by them, and either made to feel as though you are not wanted, or you may actually be asked to leave because you don’t “fit” their mold, or because they were warned against people like you who have “strong convictions,” or because they were trained to “filter out” those who are not a “good fit” for what they are doing.

Judgment and Hope

Hear that uproar from the city,

    hear that noise from the temple!

It is the sound of the Lord

    repaying his enemies all they deserve…

 “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her,

    all you who love her;

rejoice greatly with her,

    all you who mourn over her…

“I will extend peace to her like a river,

    and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;

… and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

When you see this, your heart will rejoice

    and you will flourish like grass;

the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants,

    but his fury will be shown to his foes…

This last chapter of Isaiah pretty much says what is said throughout the book. The people of God have been warned against their idolatrous and adulterous ways. Judgment has been pronounced. Calls for repentance and obedience to God have been proclaimed. Yet, the people did not listen when God called and they did not answer. They ignored the warnings and the calls to repentance, and they continued in their evil and wicked ways. So, God must send judgment as his mercy in order to bring his wayward people back to him.

Yet, there is good news! The church will be revived and she will return to her Lord. So, those of us who have mourned and wept over the adulterous church of today can be comforted and we can rejoice in knowing that God will revive his church forlorn. In judgment, the people of God will be scattered, and yet some of them who survive the judgment will be dispersed among the nations so that they may proclaim the glory of God and the gospel of salvation wherever they go (are sent). And, many people will come to faith in Jesus Christ. Amen! Jesus will return for his bride, and we will forever be with our Lord. Then there will be a new heaven and a new earth. All sin, sadness, sickness, pain, heartache, and rejection will be gone! God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

This song (below), based off Isaiah 60, is an encouragement to our hearts, that even though we may see the church in great need of revival, and we may be heartsick over seeing so many who profess the name of Jesus still walking in the ways of this world, revival will come. It will come through judgment, but still it will come. Many who now hate and reject us, and who truly reject Jesus Christ by how they live their lives each day, will turn their hearts and lives over to Jesus Christ, and they will follow Him in his ways. Amen! So, we are to be encouraged, and we are to let our lights shine before humankind. And, we are to show those who still walk in wickedness the way to life in Jesus Christ. Amen!

Arise and Shine / An Original Work

March 6, 2014 / Based off Isaiah 60

Arise and shine; your Lord has come.

Allow His light to flow through you,

For many walk in wickedness.

Show them the way to life anew.

Arise and shine. Your Lord loves you.

Lift up your eyes, and look about.

Some do believe, while others doubt.

Believe in all God’s promises.

The many will, In Christ, find rest.

Lift up your eyes, and you’ll be blessed.

Arise and shine; salvation comes

To all who trust in Christ, God’s Son.

Forgiven of their sins, they’ll be,

When they repent on bended knee.

Arise and shine, so all will see.

Lift up your eyes, and see your Lord.

He will revive his church, forlorn.

Though humans have forsaken you,

They will find Christ, and walk in truth.

Lift up your eyes; God honors you.

http://originalworks.info/arise-and-shine/

He Rejoices

Tuesday, July 15, 2014, 6:13 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put the song “WAIT!” in mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 62 (NIV).

Her Vindication

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,

    for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,

till her vindication shines out like the dawn,

    her salvation like a blazing torch.

…As a young man marries a young woman,

    so will your Builder marry you;

as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,

    so will your God rejoice over you. ~ Is. 62:1, 5

All throughout the book of Isaiah we have prophecies of the Messianic era, of Jesus Christ, his life and ministry, his death and resurrection, and of his judgments upon his people and upon their enemies; of the spiritual revival of his people, of people flocking to Jesus Christ, of Christ’s return for his bride, and of his millennial kingdom reign upon the earth.

The people of God in the Messianic era are not the Jews, unless they believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Messiah. People outside of faith in Christ are not his adulterous people, so they are not the ones who are turning away from him and who he must revive, but they can be saved. Only those who believe in Jesus, but who have forsaken him in some manner, can experience his revival in their lives in him bringing them back into fellowship with him.

The Israel of today, which is true Israel, is not the physical nation, but it is the children of promise, the people of God, the Holy City, Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the church. Physical Israel today is numbered among the Gentile nations, for she is of Hagar, the slave woman. Just because they are physical descendants of Abraham does not mean they are Israel, the children of promise. When Jesus Christ died for our sins, he made the Jews and Gentiles one in Christ, so we are no longer Jew and Gentile, but we are saved or unsaved. [See Ro. 9:6b-8; Ro. 11; Gal. 3:26-29; Gal. 4:22-31; Eph. 2:14-18; Matt. 12:30]

So, Zion today is the church. All throughout the book of Isaiah is prophesied judgment against God’s people, the church, at the end of time, because of her idolatry and her spiritual adultery, her stubbornness and her rebellion, and her refusal to hear and to see what God is saying to the churches. Because the majority of the church of today, in particular the institutional church of the West, has strayed from her pure devotion to God and has gone the way of the world, she has profaned the name of Jesus. So, for the sake of God/Jesus and his name, God must visit her in divine judgment, not to destroy her, but to deliver her out of the grip of those who have deceived her so that her eyes will now be open, and her ears unstopped, and so she will see the error of her ways, will humble herself before God in repentance, and so he may revive, renew and restore her.

When the church of today is revived, renewed and restored, the people of the world will notice, the true gospel of salvation will go out from the church, and many will flock to faith in Jesus Christ. The book of Isaiah teaches this over and over again. Though I do not long for judgment, I do long to see the church revived! Amen! The Lord Jesus will take delight in his repentant ones. He rejoices over every one who repents of their sin and who turns to him in faith. He is our creator, our foundation, and the one who builds his church. Those of his who have been committing spiritual adultery, he will return to him. Many of those who now do not know Jesus Christ, including the Jews, will come to faith in Him. And, one day, when he returns, the wedding will take place, and we will be forever married to our Lord.

Posted Watchmen

I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem;

    they will never be silent day or night.

You who call on the Lord,

    give yourselves no rest,

and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem

    and makes her the praise of the earth… ~ Is. 62:6-7

A watchman is someone God has appointed to stand guard (watch) over, and to offer to God’s people, the church, the only means of protection for their lives from all manner of evil, i.e. as is taught in God’s word – Jesus Christ and the gospel of our salvation. He or she warns of approaching danger to our spiritual lives and our walks with Christ, and helps prepare the people for spiritual battle. God makes him or her aware of what is going on within the society, the church, and the world around him or her, so that he or she can address and confront the dangers that lurk about. He or she also shows the people of God the way of holiness as taught by Christ and the apostles, and shares with the people the joys and benefits of following the Lord Jesus in submission and obedience to his instructions for our daily living. He or she teaches this in very practical and understandable ways that are relevant to what is going on within the church, our society and the world about us today, so that we can know how to apply those truths to our present day circumstances.

The watchman of God calls the people to repentance and faith (or renewed faith). He or she understands that not all who call themselves Christian actually know Jesus Christ, so he or she warns of the dangers of a false gospel message and of wolves in sheep’s clothing - mere deceivers and manipulators of truth. He or she speaks the truth concerning the true gospel of salvation, and he or she warns that unless we turn from our sins, put our trust in Christ Jesus, and walk in his ways – in the power and strength of the Spirit within us – we will die in our sins. He or she also warns the people that if they do not take heed to the words of the Lord that a judgment of God – his divine discipline – is coming, but not to destroy, but to revive and to rescue his church from deceivers and deception, so that God - the Lord Jesus - may renew and restore her to fellowship with him. The watchmen (and women) whom God appoints will not be silent day or night until God restores his adulterous people, he revives his church, and the church becomes the praise of the earth. Amen!

Although this speaks to the role of God’s watchmen and women, these instructions here are not unique only to those God has appointed to his service to do this full time. We, as followers of Jesus Christ, are all to keep watch over one another, to encourage each other in the faith, to warn of the dangers of falling away, and of false gospels, and of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Encouragement is not just a pat on the back, nor is it false flattery, nor is it always words that cheer our hearts, though I certainly enjoy the cheering. To encourage means to give people hope and confidence, but not in themselves, but in Jesus Christ, their Lord. It also involves urging people to live holy lives pleasing to God. It involves counsel, exhortation, and appeals, as well as reassurances, promises, comfort and support (help).

Pass through, pass through the gates!

    Prepare the way for the people.

Build up, build up the highway!

    Remove the stones.

Raise a banner for the nations. ~ Is. 62:10

Your Savior Comes

The Lord has made proclamation

    to the ends of the earth:

“Say to Daughter Zion,

    ‘See, your Savior comes!

See, his reward is with him,

    and his recompense accompanies him.’”

They will be called the Holy People,

    the Redeemed of the Lord;

and you will be called Sought After,

    the City No Longer Deserted. ~ Is. 62:11-12

In Isaiah 40:10 we read: “See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.” And, in Revelation 22:12 we read: “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.”

One day Jesus is coming back to this earth. He is coming to judge and he is coming to receive his bride to himself, and to bring her salvation to completion. Those who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb will receive the reward of eternal life with God in glory. Those who refused to believe in Jesus, and who continued in their unbelief, will receive eternal punishment and eternal separation from God. In the meanwhile, we wait on our Lord and his return. We find our courage, our strength, our joy, our hope and our rest only in him. We trust in his sovereignty, believing that all things have a purpose, and that God has a plan for our lives. We also rest in the knowledge that our God is completely faithful in all that he does, he is true to his promises, and he will never leave us or forsake us. No matter what trials we may face in this life, he is there right beside us, leading and guiding our steps all the way. In his love we can find rest. Amen!

Wait! / An Original Work / February 8, 2014

Wait for your Lord. Be of courage.

Be strong, and take heart today.

God is always watching o’er you.

Trust Him with your life always.

Sing of your Lord. Praise His blessings.

Believe in His sovereignty.

He delivered you from your sin;

Gave you life eternally.

Rest in your Lord. Know His promise.

Beneath His wings rest secure.

Your God has a plan and purpose.

Let your faith in Him endure.

Trust in your Lord. He’ll not leave you,

Because He is faithfulness.

He will lead and guide; protect you.

In His love you can find rest.

http://originalworks.info/wait/

Bind up the Brokenhearted

Monday, July 14, 2014, 3:00 p.m. – the Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “Oh, To Be Like Thee.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV).

Proclaim the Good News

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

    because the Lord has anointed me

    to proclaim good news to the poor.

This is a prophecy concerning Jesus Christ and his ministry, and yet, as followers of Jesus Christ, and as his Body, we are to carry on the work of his ministry, for we are to be like him. If we are in Christ Jesus, by faith, then we also have the Spirit of the Lord upon us and within us, and we have an anointing of the Lord, too.

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Co. 1:21-22).

We, as well, are to proclaim the Good News of our salvation. Jesus told his followers that when the Spirit of God came upon them, they would be his witnesses throughout the world (See Ac. 1:8). He also instructed them that they were to go and to make disciples of Christ of people of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus Christ had commanded them (See Matt. 28:18-20). He told his followers, too, that they were to let their lights shine before men. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the Good News of the gospel of our salvation.

Freedom for Captives

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

    to proclaim freedom for the captives

    and release from darkness for the prisoners,

So, what is this Good News we are to proclaim? First off, we are to bind up the brokenhearted. To bind up a wound is to dress the wound. The dressing is “used by a person for application to a wound to promote healing and/or prevent further harm” (Wikipedia). A person who is brokenhearted is one who is overcome by grief or despair. In context, it appears that this is speaking of ones who are overcome by grief concerning sin, i.e. it appears they are sorrowful and repentant over their sin, though it may not be limited to just their sin. Still, the solution is the same. Jesus Christ, his blood shed on the cross for our sins, and his salvation is the dressing for our wounds. To bind means to secure. When we are secure in Christ, he brings healing to our wounds, our hurts and our suffering. He heals our sin sick souls, he delivers us out of bondage to sin, and he sets us free. Amen!

We are to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners; to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus (See Ac. 26:16-18). This means we teach them that coming to Christ means death to sin, new lives in Christ Jesus, and walking in Christ’s righteousness and holiness, all in the power and working of the Spirit within them (See Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-4; & 1 Jn. 1-5). It means we teach them that God’s grace is not a free license to continue in willful sin, but his grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled and upright lives while we wait for Christ’s return (See Tit. 2:11-14). And, it means that we teach that Christ died for our sins so that we would no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave himself up for us (See 2 Co. 5:15).

The Lord’s Favor

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

    and the day of vengeance of our God,

The year of the Lord’s favor is the year of his grace when God the Father sent his Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. When he died, he took upon himself the sins of the entire world. He put our sins to death on the cross, and he conquered them in his resurrection, too. We receive his grace into our lives by faith - a gift from God.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:8-10).

We can do nothing of our own accord to earn or to deserve our salvation. Our fleshly works will not save us. We can never be good enough to earn God’s grace. It is a free gift from God, yet we must receive it by faith. We do this by humbling ourselves before God, sorrowful and repentant over our sin, allowing his Spirit to transform our hearts and minds away from sin (out of darkness) and to God (into his light). This is God’s plan of salvation, not just so we could be delivered from the penalty of sin, or just so we could go to heaven one day, but his plan was to put sin to death in our lives, to give us completely new lives in Christ Jesus, and to empower us by his Spirit to walk in his righteousness and holiness. This is true grace, for it does not leave us still bound in sin, but it sets us FREE! AMEN!

Being saved to something means we have been saved out of something. All people who are still in their sins are subject to the judgment of hell and the fires of damnation for eternity. We cannot preach the true gospel of our salvation absent of the teaching on judgment. God will judge us according to what we did with his Son and with his great salvation. If we failed to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation from sin, we will face eternity without God and in eternal punishment. We must understand, therefore, what it means to believe in Jesus and what it means to truly be saved from sin – death to sin, but alive to God!

There is the judgment that will condemn people for eternity, but there is a judgment, as well - a divine discipline - that will take place, and perhaps has already begun, in which God will judge his adulterous church in order to bring them back to their Lord, so that he can heal them, restore them and revive their hearts. He will also judge the earth and the inhabitants upon the earth. I believe prophecy of scripture teaches us that many will flock to Jesus Christ during this time, yet many will continue in unbelief and stubbornness of heart, too. After this time, Jesus Christ will return for his bride and we who are in Christ Jesus by faith will be with our Lord forever.

Comfort and Joy

to comfort all who mourn,

    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

    instead of ashes,

the oil of joy

    instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

    instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

    a planting of the Lord

    for the display of his splendor.

When we come to faith in Jesus Christ, or when we return to Christ after having strayed away from him for a time, we receive comfort from our Lord, for he forgives us of our sins, and he gives us a new beginning or a restart (a revival). Instead of mourning over sin, or instead of the sorrow over the pain of unjust suffering, or in place of sadness due to having had to undergo divine discipline due to stubbornness or rebellion, he crowns our heads with the beauty and the authority of Christ and of his righteousness. He gives us joy over our newfound freedom in Christ, and over the healing he has brought into our lives.

We, as the Lord’s servants, are to be ministers of this comfort, healing and restoration in the lives of repentant sinners. We are to demonstrate for them the love, healing, forgiveness and restoration of our Lord to all those who, by faith, receive Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer / Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick

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