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2 Kings 16 Are You Pleasing Man or God?

2/9/2016

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For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10
2 Kings 16
Up to now the Kings of Judah and done what was right in the sight of the Lord. Although they had left the high places and let the people of Judah worship idols there, they themselves had not participated in that idol worship and had worshipped The Lord properly at the Temple and His altar. But this is not the case with Ahaz. Verses 1-4 read,
“In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done, 3 but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.”
Ahaz was completely dedicated to his idols. He worshipped at the high places and even at the trees and hills of Judah, taking God’s creation and turning it into an altar to false gods. He even sacrificed his own son to bow down to counterfeit deities. How did it get that bad? His father, his grandfather and his fathers’ fathers before him had tolerated idolatry in Judah all the way back to Solomon. At some point what his father taught him with his mouth was superseded by his actions and inaction of allowing the high places to remain. Ahaz explored the religions that some of the Judahites practiced and chose to follow them instead of The Lord. Ahaz cared about pleasing people, not God.
Ahaz’s idolatrous sin was not the only legacy he got from his father’s lack of action. While his father Jotham was king “The Lord began to send Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah” (2 Kings 15:37). But scriptures don’t record that Jotham responded to the threats. With Ahaz as king, leading Judah to sin worse than any Israelite king had led Israel to sin, The Lord let Syria and Israel attack. Verses 5-9 describe it.
“Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to wage war on Jerusalem, and they besieged Ahaz but could not conquer him. 6 At that time Rezin the king of Syria recovered Elath for Syria and drove the men of Judah from Elath, and the Edomites came to Elath, where they dwell to this day. 7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” 8 Ahaz also took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the king's house and sent a present to the king of Assyria. 9 And the king of Assyria listened to him. The king of Assyria marched up against Damascus and took it, carrying its people captive to Kir, and he killed Rezin.”
Ahaz did not turn to the Lord, he turned to Assyria. He didn’t make sacrifices and offerings to The Lord, he offered Assyria the treasures of The Temple. He tried to save himself and submitted to an earthly king when he could have submitted to the King of kings and let The Lord save him. He gave what was precious and made for worship to the king of Assyria and made it cheap capital.
Then Ahaz traveled to Damascus. Verses 10-11 read,
“When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details. 11 And Uriah the priest built the altar; in accordance with all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Uriah the priest made it, before King Ahaz arrived from Damascus.”
He saw Jeroboam’s imitation altar he had built for his fabricated and bogus religion meant to allow the people of Israel to worship The Lord without having to go to the true Temple in Jerusalem. The passage implies that the Assyrian king was impressed with this false altar. Ahaz wanted to impress and please the king of Assyria. He wanted Tiglath-pileser to come to Jerusalem and be further impressed. The bells and whistles and the finery of the imitation altar appealed to Ahaz and he wanted one just like it in Jerusalem. Jerusalem had the true Temple, but Ahaz didn’t want to worship The Lord, he wanted to lift himself up. His worship would not be about blessing God but enjoying the experience himself and looking good. While he stayed in Damascus and learned Jeroboam’s twisted religion, Uriah built Ahaz the altar he desired.
How many churches and denominations have taken the pure worship and relationship with The Lord and added to it to make it appealing to the masses? Today there are churches who meet in bars while people eat and get drunk, advertise their tolerance of sexual immorality, and otherwise change worship to make people want to come to church rather than testify about the love of Jesus Christ and eternal life. In order to avoid offending anyone many churches have removed the cross from their sanctuaries. Worse yet, they refrain from the name of Jesus Christ. They have twisted Christianity into something that looks like Christianity but is not. They bless the congregants and exalt the preachers instead of blessing and exalting The Lord. God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7). These churches mock Him and lead people to Hell. They will pay
Christianity is beautiful, but not in the way the world wants it to be. It is real, it involves difficulty and suffering. Matthew 10:32-39 says it this way,
“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Christ didn’t bring a pretty “feel good” message, He brought the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God which divides soul and of spirit, joints and of marrow, and discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). False worship is false worship. Without the whole Word of God, without Jesus Christ, there is no worshipping in spirit and in truth. 2 Peter 2:1-3 describes these churches and preachers.
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”
Ahaz went home after Uriah had built the false altar and he worshipped there. Verses 12-20 read,
“And when the king came from Damascus, the king viewed the altar. Then the king drew near to the altar and went up on it 13 and burned his burnt offering and his grain offering and poured his drink offering and threw the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14 And the bronze altar that was before the Lord he removed from the front of the house, from the place between his altar and the house of the Lord, and put it on the north side of his altar. 15 And King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, “On the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering and the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. And throw on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice, but the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.” 16 Uriah the priest did all this, as King Ahaz commanded.
17 And King Ahaz cut off the frames of the stands and removed the basin from them, and he took down the sea from off the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone pedestal. 18 And the covered way for the Sabbath that had been built inside the house and the outer entrance for the king he caused to go around the house of the Lord, because of the king of Assyria. 19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20 And Ahaz slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.”
Not only did Ahaz built a false altar but he defaced The Temple. He removed the sea which was made for the cleansing of the priests. He derided The Sabbath so that the people would not be reminded to keep that day holy, as they were supposed to be holy, as God is holy. And he made the king’s passage to the Temple go around the Temple instead of to it. He did this to impress Tiglath-pileser. He did not care about pleasing The Lord. He cared about exalting himself in men’s eyes and especially in the eyes of the Assyrian king.
Ahaz’s fathers tolerated idolatry and led him to practice it. Israel’s mockery of worship enticed him to sin worse. And he then led Judah to sin with him. We have to safeguard our children and teach them the truth. We have to safeguard the truth. We have been entrusted with preaching and teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and keeping that message pure (1 Corinthians 9:17). Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, there is no other way to The Father than Him (John 14:6). We preach the Gospel. Jesus is the Christ, The perfect Son of God crucified and resurrected. We do not appeal to men’s sensuality, Jesus appeals to the spirit and the soul. Galatians 1:6-10 reads,
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Believer, be aware of who you are trying to please. Whose approval are you seeking? If you are trying to please men, you are a slave to the men you want to please (2 Peter 2:19).
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1 Timothy 4 the Gospel is so Simple, People find it Difficult to Believe

11/4/2015

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​1 Timothy 4
There is a lot of wacky Christian-like, sorta Christian, and close to Christian teaching out there. People have such a hard time with the simplicity of the Gospel. They think there must be more to it, than “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9). They add lists of rules and rituals that have to be followed in order to earn God’s favor and salvation. It is our responsibility as Christians, as ambassadors for Christ to guard the Gospel, share the truth, and keep the liars out of the church. Verses 1-3 describe some of the twisted teaching people spread.
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”
These people can easier believe lies from demons than the truth of Jesus because they cannot give up their guilt and choose punishment and condemnation over freedom in the truth. God doesn’t forbid marriage. It is a gift for us and brings joy. (Deuteronomy 24:5). It is a mirror of our relationship with Him, and teaches us about His love. (Ephesians 5:22-33). God doesn’t tell us not to eat the foods He created for us. This earth and everything on it, belong to God and was created by God, so it is good. (Psalm 24:1). Verses 4-5 read,
“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”
God doesn’t withhold His good gifts from us. (Psalm 84:11).  He loves us. This relationship is a relationship of love, friendship, and sonship, not servitude, fear, and condemnation. (John 15:14-15, Galatians 4:7). Those people who follow laws in order to gain salvation, can’t please God. Romans 8:1-8 says,
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
In fact those who teach these lies lead people away from Salvation, away from God and straight to Hell. God does not take kindly to that. Matthew 18:5-7 reads,
“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!”
We must take responsibility, safeguard the Gospel, and teach it. Verses 6-10 say,
“If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”
Paul puts it this way, taking care of your body, exercising, and strengthening is good. It will allow you to live well on earth. But learning the truth of Jesus Christ, developing spiritually and deepening in knowledge of Christ is better. Spiritual development allows us to live a good life on earth and in eternity. We have to remember, this life is not about this life, it is about eternity. It is about the Kingdom of Heaven. Our bodies just like everything else we can see on this earth, is short-term. But our faith is in Eternal God and the promise of eternal life with Him. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says,
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
It is popular to follow these quasi-Christian beliefs. They seem right to people. It is easier to believe the road is hard, the burden is heavy and salvation must be earned than it is to accept that Jesus is the only way to the Father and Salvation is a gift for the asking. (John 14:6, Ephesians 2:8). Preachers , teachers, all of us can be tempted to look like the world wants us to look and not feel the ridicule of the monikers ascribed to us as Christians. We are called conservative, evangelical, and even extreme if we stick to the truth of the Word of God. We are called fools. Timothy was the pastor of the church at Ephesus, he was young and it is likely that some of the older church goers disrespected him and thought he ought to follow some of the other teachers out there. Like Timothy there are things about each of us which the world disrespects and chooses to criticize us about. We can’t give in. We have to remember who we are in Christ and we have to remember the Spirit of God Himself is within us. We can stand up and proclaim and teach the truth. Verses 11-14 say,
“Command and teach these things. 12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.”
Do you think you do not have the responsibility that the pastor has? Do you think you cannot defend the Gospel? You can! You must! You have the ability. You were given at least one Spiritual gift in order to uphold and edify the church. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Verses 14-16 read,
“Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
We ignore the naysayers. We stop the false teachers. We live bold godly lives using our gifts to edify the church and bring people to Jesus. We are commended to immerse ourselves in these things, to make our lives completely about Christ. Our continued maturity will be evident to everyone, the church, our friends, our family, the naysayers, and the lost. They will see the testimony of our lives and they will respect us enough to listen because they’ll see the fruit of the Spirit in us.
People will come to Christ because of the way you live your life or they will reject Him. People will grow closer to Him because of you or they will decide Christianity is a fallacy and faith does no good. Which testimony is your life giving about Jesus?
 
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1 Kings 14:21-31 There is no Substitute for The LORD

10/1/2015

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God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24 On photo of door by Donna Campbell
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24
​1 Kings 14:21-31
Worldly substitutions will never be equal to The Lord. Books about the Bible cannot replace the Bible. Listening to worship cannot replace worshipping. Idols cannot replace God. Men cannot replace the Holy Spirit. And pastors, popes, and apostles cannot replace Jesus Christ.
The last couple of days we’ve been reading about Jeroboam, the man to whom The Lord gave 10 tribes of Israel and who disregarded the Lord to create a false religion in order to keep Israel from returning to Jerusalem and joining Judah. But in the meantime Rehoboam was still king over Judah. Verse 21 reads,
“Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite.”
Rehoboam was the son of Solomon and Naamah the Ammonite. Interestingly enough he was not the son of Solomon’s favorite wife the daughter of Pharaoh, for whom Solomon built her own palace. But Naamah may have been Solomon’s first wife. She was the only queen mother to be a foreigner and this may have played a part in Rehoboam’s choices. Rehoboam was forty-one when he began ruling after Solomon’s death. Solomon had reigned as king for forty years, placing Rehoboam’s birth in the last year of King David’s reign. (1 Kings 11:42). That means that Rehoboam had every advantage. He was raised while Solomon was still following the Lord, while his father was using his vast wisdom to prosper Israel and he understood the importance of The Temple. But his mother must have had more influence on him than Solomon. We already read how foolish Rehoboam was, even at forty one when he should have had a measure of wisdom, he made a stupid choice that resulted in losing Israel to Jeroboam. (1 Kings 12). He replaced the joy of the Lord with the pleasures of the world.
Verses 22-24 read,
“And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 23 For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 24 and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.”
Israel had a past filled with times of evil, rebellion, and idol worship, yet Rehoboam led Judah to be worse than at any time in her sordid past. They followed the false religions of the nations who had been driven out of Canaan. They went further than Israel had ever dared to go, including sexual worship of cult idols. So the Lord had to move against Rehoboam and He did it using Egypt. Verses 25-26 read,
“In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26 He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house. He took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made,”
Shishak took away the treasures and riches that Solomon had collected. He stole Judah’s prosperity, the Temple’s opulence, and the protection of the king. Rehoboam made his own protection. He had shields made of bronze and gave them to the guards in place of the gold shields that had carried before. We can’t replace the perfection and holiness of God with brazen objects and efforts of our own making. Bronze will never be as good, pure, or valued as gold. But without the Lord, Rehoboam had no wealth. He could not prosper like Solomon because he was okay with substitutions, like bronze shields instead of gold ones and gods instead of God. Rehoboam gave those bronze shields to the guards and they were used to parade him back and forth to The Temple whenever he went there. He kept up appearances, he made a show of going to The Temple, but he didn’t worship the Lord in truth. He just made it look good. The pageantry of going to the Temple meant nothing to God. God doesn’t want ceremony and ritual, He wants us to know Him and love Him. (Hosea 6:6). He wants genuine worship with an understanding of who it is we worship. He wants us to worship Him in truth and in spirit, meaning we adore The One True Living God, not an icon we have imagined. We worship Him in the way He has prescribed. John 4:22-26 reads,
“You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
True worship of God requires a union with Him. That peace and reconciliation can only happen through Jesus Christ. That authentic knowledge of Him can only happen through The Holy Spirit. Jesus is the way and the truth, and the life. He is the only way to The Father. (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit completes our worship and perfects us. (Acts 19:1-7, Ephesians 1:13-14).
If you have not made Jesus your Lord (Master) and Savior (The Christ who died and resurrected and forgave your sins), then you are not worshipping the One True God in spirit because Jesus is God and it is through Him you receive the Spirit. If you have not been indwelled with the Holy Spirit, you are not worshipping in truth because you cannot know God without His Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9-16 says it this way,
“But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”--

10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
To worship the Lord in spirit and in truth, requires the mind of Christ, The Holy Spirit who helps us to understand the Word, discern the truth, and receive instruction from God. Do you worship The LORD? Or do you worship a substitution? Have you replaced the parts of God you don’t understand with bronze surrogates? Have you accepted less than the fullness of blessings of Christ? 
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Psalm 64 Why Do Evil Men Prosper?

7/24/2015

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Psalm 64

Does it seem sometimes, as Jeremiah complained that evil men prosper? Jeremiah 12:1-2 says what so many of us think from time to time.

“Righteous are you, O Lord,
    when I complain to you;
    yet I would plead my case before you.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
    Why do all who are treacherous thrive?
2 You plant them, and they take root;
    they grow and produce fruit;
you are near in their mouth
    and far from their heart.”


We look up from walking our difficult road in choosing right to see people who don’t care about God or beneficence or goodness, running past us toward money, power, and an easy life. It can be discouraging. But we are not alone in this grievance. And we are not seeing the whole picture either. When we take our eyes of The Lord and compare ourselves to the people around us, we can become blinded by faithlessness. David’s enemies sometimes seemed to be winning in their quest to destroy him. He like Jeremiah complained about it in Verses 1-6 of the Psalm.

“Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
    preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
    from the throng of evildoers,
3 who whet their tongues like swords,
    who aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from ambush at the blameless,
    shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose;
    they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see them?”
6     They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
    For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.”


Our enemy the Liar and his followers bitterly hate us. Their hate comes out in vicious words accusing us of many wrongdoings. The enemy lies in wait for us and even though we are forgiven and righteous in Christ, he attacks us. He is determined to destroy our walk with Jesus, our testimony, and our effectiveness. Our enemy thinks we are stupid and won’t recognize his attacks. Sadly many Christians do fall for his lies, accusations, and schemes. They do not know who they are in Christ. They forget who The Lord really is. And they succumb to Satan’s attacks. They are not wearing the full armor of Christ because they don’t understand their identity in Him well enough to wear that noble armor. Paul encouraged us in Ephesians 6:10-13,

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

Armor is protective. But it must be worn deliberately and properly to be effective. We have to put it on. We have to choose to know who we are and trust who God is to avail ourselves of God’s perfect protection. Paul described the armor in Ephesians 6:14-18,

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”

When we know that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, (John 14:6) we can understand who we are in Him and combat every lie with the Truth. When we know who we are in Christ and what He has done for us we know we nothing can take the eternal life Jesus’ righteousness gave to us. When we understand who God our Redeemer is we are able to boldly be a testimony to Him, always ready with the Gospel which makes peace between God and man. When we know who Almighty God is we can have faith in Him, and then the lies and attacks of the enemy bounce off of our Shield unable to hurt us. When we know who we are in Christ, Salvation which can’t be taken from us protects our minds and souls and gives us the ability to fight back. We don’t fight with just any weapon, we don’t sling useless retorts at the enemy, we cut him down with the Word of God, the Scriptures and Jesus Christ whose very name holds immense and holy power. When we know who God is and who we are, we don’t worry, we pray in The Spirit for all the saints battling the enemy.

Satan doesn’t care about justice. He lies to people and blinds them to the consequences of sin and the cost of rejecting Christ. But our Lord God Elohim is our Justice and our Righteous Judge. He is The Truth and the Way. He is our Righteousness, our Shield, our Salvation, and our Sword. He is The LORD. Verses 7-9 describe The Justice of The Lord for us.

“But God shoots his arrow at them;
    they are wounded suddenly.
8 They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;
    all who see them will wag their heads.
9 Then all mankind fears;
    they tell what God has brought about
    and ponder what he has done.”


God avenges us. He wounds the followers of the prince of this world. He gives them a chance to turn to Him. But whatever their choice, God’s mighty power and perfect love are demonstrated for the whole world to see. He is glorified. And more people can come to Him as we, wearing the readiness of the Gospel tell of the awesomeness of our Lord.

Why do evil men seem to prosper? So that when they fall the impact will be felt, seen, and heard by the multitudes. God will be glorified. And we will rejoice and glorify Him further. Verse 10 tells us to stop complaining and whining and rejoice instead because we know who The Lord is and we know who we are in Him.

“Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord
    and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult!”

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Titus 3 Saved by Faith for Good Works

4/21/2015

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Titus Chapter 3

Who were you before you were saved? What were you like before you were born again? What you’re your desires, your plans, and your hopes? They were likely different from your current desires. You were probably a very different person. But when you recognized Jesus as your savior, His Spirit entered you and made you new. He changed you and He continues to change you. Your will aligns more closely to God’s will.

We must be diligent about standing out from the world and being the image of Christ to them. They are lost and we can be the light that leads them to the Truth, the Life, and the Way. Paul encourages us to be different and live out our salvation, and to always be ready to do good for people. Verses 1-2 read,

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”

What if the other person is mean, rude, or a really bad sinner? Do we have to be kind to them? Do we have to do good for the person who is trying to con old ladies out of their pensions or the drug addict? Paul tells us to show perfect courtesy toward all people. Everyone needs Jesus, no one deserves His grace and mercy. You were once lost. What was it that brought you to Jesus? Did someone argue with you, judge you, and tell you to turn or burn? Is that what brought you to redemption? I doubt it. Or did someone lead you to Jesus with love, kindness, and truth? Verses 3-7 say,

“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life”

What He did for us, is not meant to be kept for us alone. He washed us and renewed us. He changed us. He poured Himself into us lavishly. We are saved by grace and now have the hope of eternal life for a purpose. We can’t continue living the way we used to live anymore because we are no longer the people we used to be. We are saved by grace but we are saved so that we can do good works. The good we do doesn’t justify us. It doesn’t make up for any sin. But it does give an expression to the Holy Spirit. It does testify to the greatness of The Spirit, the power of Christ, and the love of The Father.

The lost are lost because they’ve been led astray by the prince of this world. Jesus gave us the authority to show them the way to salvation. We show them the Way, the Truth, and the Life through good works, which is God’s love expressed and God’s word manifested. Faith saved us. Grace justified us. But it is good works, the exercising of our spiritual gifts and the fruit of the Spirit that builds the church and leads the lost to Jesus. Verse 8 reads,

“The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.”

Good works not only include working outside the church building but within it. Good works include using our gifts to edify one another, grow in knowledge and love, and become more like Jesus. Building up of the church and loving one another makes us more unified. Unity is a sign of maturity and shows the Holy Spirit in us. Union allows Him to work within us as a group and be manifested even more powerfully than He is as individuals. When Jesus was teaching about church unity and how to handle sin among the brethren He said,

“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

How He wants to do great and good things with us and through us! Jesus’ promise is not a little thing. He promised that our unity would make anything we ask happen. He promised that even if only two of us come together to agree that He would grant us our request. He promised that even if only two or three of us come together in His name (that is as His representatives doing His will) that He is there with us.

So it is very important to maintain unity. It is extremely important to ensure no one among us is teaching lies, starting arguments, and causing dissention. The dissident causes us to look like the world. He makes us take our eyes off God’s work and puts our minds on foolishness. We are not able to do good works if we are busy arguing over the size of the church bell or whether eating pork is a sin. Verses 9-11 read,

“But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.”

We are not saved by good works. We are not saved by our behavior. We are saved by faith. It is His grace that redeems us. But following Christ means we will do as He wants. We want to obey Him. We want to love as He loves. We want to communicate our gratitude. We want to express the Holy Spirit within us. We are not saved by our good works. We are saved by Jesus’ good work. We were led to Christ because a brother or sister did good works and we saw Jesus in them.

Verse 14 says,

“And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.”

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Colossians 1:15-29 Who is Jesus? What is the Truth?

3/23/2015

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Colossians Chapter 1 Verses 15-29

What is the Gospel? What is the truth? It is this; Jesus Christ is the only way to be forgiven, reconciled to the Father, and given a share in His inheritance. We can’t be redeemed by good works, positive thoughts, or happy words. Jesus is the only way to redemption. Who is Jesus? People want to know why they should believe the Gospel when there are so many philosophies they could follow, beliefs which tell them they are good, they are one with the universe, or free to do whatever they choose in this life. Believer we can tell them about Jesus. We tell them by the lives we lead, the changes Jesus makes in us, and by knowing Him well enough to tell people who He is. Verses 15-16 describe Him this way,

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

He is the image of the invisible God. That means He is God manifested or revealed so that we can see Him and know Him. What does it mean that He is the first born of all creation? Does it mean He was created first by God? No. He is God. Rather, the firstborn of all creation means He is the prototype, the template by which everything was created. We endeavor to become like Him, and as the Spirit perfects us, He makes us to the image of Christ. We become like Christ so that He is revealed to others so that they can know Him too. Everything in the heavens, on earth, including angels, spirits, lands, and governments were created by Jesus. He is not lower than God. He is not a creation of God. He is God and was with Him when all things were created and in fact all things were created through Him and by Him. John 1:1-3 puts it this way.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Colossians 1 Verses 17-20 read,

“And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

It is through Jesus, for Jesus and by Jesus that everything spiritual and physical exists. So He is before all things. He is the highest authority. And while that is true of all creation it is especially true of the church, His body, who reveal Him to the world. It is because He died for our sins, and raised from death to life that we, when we accept the gift of His propitiation for our sins are raised to new and eternal life in Him. Because of that, we are reconciled, that is reunited and united with God. Jesus was and is fully God, even when He became a man, the completeness and perfection of God was in Him. When Jesus makes peace between the Father and us, His Spirit dwells in us and transforms us to His perfection.

How awesome is it that we can be at peace with God? We can speak to Him, fellowship with Him, and commune with Him. And not just occasionally at appointed times, but always and continually because He is with us always and continually. That is because of the blood He shed. The horrible death He died to pay for our sins makes it possible. Verses 21-22 read,

“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,”

Once we were estranged from God, separated from Him by our sin. We had naturally antagonistic, selfish minds which led us to sin to get what we wanted. But because the Father loves us so much, because Jesus died and rose again, and because The Spirit indwells us we are no longer sinful children of wrath but now at peace with God we are considered righteous. None of our sins are held against us and we have a new mind, the mind of Christ. We want to please God. We no longer seek to please ourselves. As we are transformed and we mature, there is no more animosity between God’s will and our own.

But the Gospel doesn’t gel with the worldly beliefs, the spiritualisms, mysticisms, universalisms, and many other isms the world prefers. Her truth and his truth, my truth and your truth do not exist, they are lies. There is one truth, one Gospel. There are not many paths to enlightenment. There are many paths to delusion. There is no other way to the Father except Christ Jesus. He is God. He is the Son of God, the Image of God, the Word of God. Anything else is a lie. Paul encourages the believer to stay steadfast in that knowledge. Verse 23 reads,

“if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

We don’t have to doubt the simple truth. We don’t have to complicate it. We don’t have to shift from philosophy to philosophy. Jesus is the way, and the truth and the life. There is no other way to the Father except Him. (John 14:6). Suffering and trials may shake us. We may want to find an easier way, a way that makes it okay to be selfish, a way that blames others. But The Way gives suffering a purpose as we are matured and conformed to Christ. The Way makes us blameless in Christ when we take responsibility and repent from sin. The Way may not always be easy but we are never alone as we walk it and it leads to the awesome and beautiful promise of our inheritance in Christ. Verses 24-29 read,

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”

Our Christian walk is not alone. Not only do we have God with us. We have our brothers and sisters. Our walk affects theirs, and theirs ours. And our walk affects those watching from the outside too as we reveal Christ to them. The mystery they don’t understand is made known in our lives, how we walk, and how we handle life. We mature. We change. We grow. We live publicly for Christ together with the Brethren and in doing so we proclaim the Gospel to everyone.

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Ezekiel 20 God Will Not Allow His Holiness to be Defiled.

3/6/2015

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Ezekiel Chapter 20

This chapter begins with the elders coming to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. This simple act infuriated God. Why? Doesn’t God want His children to come to Him, to seek out His will, and find answers in Him? Yes, He does. But He wants us to come only to Him. Israel, including her leaders and priests were practicing various religions and mixing beliefs together to create a spirituality that suited them. They were treating the LORD God as if He were another wooden idol, His statutes as if they were disputable, and His law as if it could be rewritten. Whatever question they came asking, God did not answer. Instead He told them He would not put up with their idolatry.

The Lord told them what He had done for their forefathers. Verses 5-7 read,

“and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: On the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob, making myself known to them in the land of Egypt; I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God. 6 On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands. 7 And I said to them, Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.”

Then He described Israel’s reaction to His covenant and His choice of reaction. Verses 8-12 read,

“But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9 But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10 So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 I gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live. 12 Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”

But Israel still rebelled, still worshipped idols, and still refused to keep God’s laws. Israel profaned the Holy things God have given her by keeping their idols and practicing a convoluted version of the commandments God required. God could have destroyed them at any time. But He didn’t. He steadfastly loved them. He guided them. He disciplined them. Time and again He said, “I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules, 20 and keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.” (Verses 19-20). Time and again they rebelled and worshipped idols, profaned the sacred, and ignored the Lord. Yet God remained patient. He remembered His awesome power, perfect love, and great name. He remained I Am so the entire world would know that He is The LORD.

When Israel entered the Promised Land they prayed to the Lord, but they did it on the altars of false gods. God said to destroy the high places, asherah poles, and the other adulterous idolatrous places, but instead Israel re-purposed them to suit them. They sullied the Holy Name of the LORD. The Lord cannot be desecrated and He will not allow His name to be defiled. His perfect reputation calls the lost to Him. But when His perfection is degraded with false beliefs the lost remain lost, and those who think they have found God are worshipping a god of their own creation.

Verses 30-32 read,

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go whoring after their detestable things? 31 When you present your gifts and offer up your children in fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

32 “What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone.”

Don’t we too often think that we should be more attractive to the world? Or maybe some of the world philosophies sound appealing and we mix them with the word of God. What’s the detriment of some tantric mediation along with our prayer? Where is the harm of adding a touch of Taoism or nature worship to our walk? It is idolatry. It brings the Lord down from God to god.

The covenant God makes with us is that we realize we can never obtain life by being good enough. Israel couldn’t do it, even when they were face to face with God in the wilderness. We can only reach righteousness through the blood and grace of Christ Jesus. He is the way and the truth and the life. There is no other way. Jesus is the only way to the Father, full stop. (John 14:6). But we have choices. God says it is Him or gods. Pray to idols, ancestors, and a myriad of gods or pray to Him. Worship yourself or Him. You can’t have it both ways. 39 reads,

“As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord God: Go serve every one of you his idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.”

Israel never kept her side of the covenant with the LORD. From its inception they continually broke it. But God never did. Instead He promised restoration. That restoration happens through Jesus. Verses 40-44 read,

“For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord God, there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred offerings. 41 As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. 42 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your fathers.43 And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed. 44 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God.”

Not everyone will see the astounding and tremendous promise of reestablishment of New Jerusalem. No one who practices idolatry will enter into it. No one who corrupts the name of the Lord by bringing worldly philosophies into the pure relationship with Him will enter. No one who rejects the Word of God, Jesus Christ will come in. But everyone, every single person will know that Awesome God is The LORD. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess He is Lord. (Isaiah 45:23). Every person will realize the devastating truth of their iniquity. But for some, for most, it will be too late.

Do not contribute to dishonoring the name of the Lord by sullying the way. He gave you sacred things and holy knowledge. He gave you His name, His reputation, and His holiness. Don’t muck it up with fake spirituality, lies, and idolatry. Your life is a testimony. God will deal with you so that you will come to know Him and be transformed to Christ’s image and so that others can come to know Him. Do not lead people to a false god. Make sure it is the One True Holy God you worship and not a god of your own creation.

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Ezekiel 18 Your Sins are on Your Head. Someone Has to Pay.

3/4/2015

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Ezekiel 18

In Israel during Ezekiel’s time there was a popular proverb, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.” (Verse 2). This meant that the fathers sinned and their children paid the price. One can see why this was a popular saying as it might discourage men from sinning since their children would be the ones to suffer and die for their sins. But it also offered a kind of hopelessness. Why bother trying to follow God’s ordinances, when one’s ancestors’ actions required penance?

The Lord didn’t like this saying. It propagated a harmful lie. God said, “Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.” (Verse 4). He said, ‘If a person doesn’t sin, he will live but if he sins, he’ll die. It doesn’t matter what his father did, it matters what the man himself does.’

In Christianese society we have a ton of proverbs, sayings, and songs which we use to encourage one another, reassure the lost, and hearten the broken. We treat them like scripture. But they are not. Many of them promulgate lies. The truth sometimes hurts. These pretty little sugary nuggets of “wisdom” cheer the person who may finally have been at the point of admitting their need of Jesus. They turn the Christian from the difficult path to the easy one. They lead the believer to look for a way out of suffering rather than thank God for it and allow Him to transform him through it.

The proverb in Ezekiel 18 had people thinking their behavior didn’t matter and they could blame someone else for their choices. God said take responsibility for your own actions. In verses 5-9 the Lord describes righteous conduct.

“If a man is righteous and does what is just and right— 6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman in her time of menstrual impurity, 7 does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, 8 does not lend at interest or take any profit, withholds his hand from injustice, executes true justice between man and man, 9 walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord God.”

That is a long list but it boils down to a person who actively loves God first and foremost and treats his neighbor as he would want to be treated. Likewise God describes the evil man. He is described as the man who does not do the things listed above. And God says “he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.” (Verse 13).

God clarifies it by saying if the son sees the father being evil and chooses not to follow in his footsteps, the son will live. And God says, if the wicked man turns from his evil and does good, then his sin won’t be remembered and that man will live. Similarly if the man who practiced good changes and does practices injustice, his good will not be remembered and he’ll die. (Verses 21-24).

The Israelites didn’t like this idea. The lie of the proverb was deeply ingrained into them instead of the truth God gave them. Verses 19-20 read.

“Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. 20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

They wanted to blame others for their bad behavior. They wanted to say, ‘Joe is trash because his dad is trash and we shouldn’t expect anything from him.’ They wanted to discount people based on their heritage. But God doesn’t want to discount anyone. Every person has the same opportunity to choose life in Jesus’ righteousness or life chasing false gods. Each person is responsible for their own choices.  A man is not damned by his father’s choices, he is damned or saved by his own choices. Everyone’s sins must be paid for. We choose to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind by making Jesus our Lord, and living out His life by loving our neighbors. Or we choose to reject God and follow philosophies, false religions, and lies, or elevate ourselves to godship.

The Israelites cried foul! It’s not fair! But God answered them in verse 25 and said, “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?”

We do that. We call God’s ways unfair, especially if they do not agree with us or if His way ends badly for us. People cry, “A loving god wouldn’t send people to hell!” but God says, “How could I let evil go unpunished? How would that be justice?” God doesn’t want anyone to die, but His love and holiness demand that iniquity be requited. Verses 30-32 read,

“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.”

The great news is this we can repent, we can turn from all the evil. Sin must be paid for but God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to pay the price for us. All we have to do is believe and repent and let Jesus be the propitiation, the payment that placates the promise between the Lord God and ourselves.

You are responsible for your choices. It isn’t your parents. It isn’t the abuse, the suffering, the lack, or the excess. You made your choices. You and no one else must pay for them. And the only way to pay is with your life. But God loves you such, He made a way for you. Jesus came and He paid the price. He took responsibility for every wrong and gave you life. All you have to do is accept it.

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Ezekiel 17 A Parable about Keeping Promises and a Promise

3/3/2015

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Ezekiel Chapter 17

The Lord God taught in parables even in the days before Jesus was born to us. In chapter 17 The Lord told this parable in verses 3-10.

“say, Thus says the Lord God: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, rich in plumage of many colors, came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar. 4 He broke off the topmost of its young twigs and carried it to a land of trade and set it in a city of merchants. 5 Then he took of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil. He placed it beside abundant waters. He set it like a willow twig,6 and it sprouted and became a low spreading vine, and its branches turned toward him, and its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out boughs.

7 “And there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage, and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and shot forth its branches toward him from the bed where it was planted, that he might water it. 8 It had been planted on good soil by abundant waters, that it might produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble vine.

“Say, Thus says the Lord God: Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers, so that all its fresh sprouting leaves wither? It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it from its roots. 10 Behold, it is planted; will it thrive? Will it not utterly wither when the east wind strikes it—wither away on the bed where it sprouted?”

God then interpreted the parable, it was about the King of Babylon taking away Israel’s leaders, making a pact with a member of the royal family, letting Israel remain dependent on him. But then the king turned around and made a covenant with Egypt. The Lord takes vows seriously. Making a contract with someone and betraying the first party by making promises to someone else isn’t cool with God.

The Lord declared that the Babylonian king, whose word meant nothing would die for his crime and he would die while Egypt sat by and watched. Breaking a promise to God’s people is equivalent to breaking a promise to God. He takes it seriously and personally when someone breaks his word and much more so when that someone betrays His children.

Nebuchadnezzar made promises to Israel and broke them. The Lord made promises in return and kept them. The Lord never broke His covenant with Israel, even when she didn’t live up to her end. He never breaks His covenant with us either. God made this promise in verses 22-24.

“Thus says the Lord God: “I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. 24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.”

Nebuchadnezzar made plans to glorify himself and be even more powerful than he already was. God had granted him much of his power. He had allowed the king to take Israel into captivity. But when he made plans that God didn’t approve and betrayed them, God didn’t allow those plans to prosper.

But God had plans too. When God has a plan it will be carried out and it will succeed. He planned to send Jesus to save us. Jesus, the King of kings is the noble cedar. The horrible tree of the cross was exalted as the Father lifted Jesus up and made a way for our salvation.

God made a new promise through Jesus Christ. God loves us deeply. So much that He came to us, God with us. By Jesus perfect life and sacrifice, His blood makes us righteous. We only need to realize our need of Him that we can’t come to God because we can’t be good enough. His grace saves us and brings us to God, so that God will be our God and we will be His people. And nothing can snatch us away from Him. He gives us eternal life with Him. He makes us new. He transforms us. We no longer have to try keep laws and ordinances that are impossible to keep. We only have to believe, to call Jesus, Lord and we are saved. God does all the work. He gives us faith. He saves us. He transforms us. He is the noble cedar. We enjoy His shade, protection, and nourishment.

Picture
Standing inside a giant tree in Panama in 2011. Ezekiel 17:22-23
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James 1:9-18 How Do You Stay Faithful Through the Hard Times?

1/28/2015

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James Chapter 1 Verses 9-18

Life on this earth is difficult but it is also temporary. All the pursuits to gratify our cravings and create a pleasing life are temporary. Only God, His Love, His Word, and the life He gives are forever. The lost look at this current life as being all there is and so they seek fulfillment in earthly things. But those of us whom God calls His children, seek Him first and live with the knowledge of eternal life. Verses 9-11 reads,

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.”

Life is hard. Believers pursue the will of God and rejoice in Him. But the world seek money and other amusements to make them happy. They go through hard times and do what they can to get out of them. The poor suffer through them with complaints and anger. The rich buy their way out. Many turn to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain and fool themselves.

But believers submit to God’s sovereignty and go through trials with joy because they know that God is good. And God recognizes that faith, He rewards it. Verse 12 says it this way,

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

Love for God is expressed in action. We love God by serving the people around us, by loving our fellow believers and living out God’s will. As children of God, He has given us His Spirit. The Spirit is the nature and life of God. He gives us the faith to remain steadfast, steady and constant just as He is steady and constant. God is never-changing. He is steadfast and because He has given us His Spirit, we too can be. We have the hope of the promises of eternity.

But we are also human and imperfect. God’s Spirit, His nature is within us but so is our flesh nature. And so we will fall short sometimes. We do sin. The world likes to blame everything and everyone else for their sin. They especially blame God. If God had not made them poor, or rich, or orphans, or the middle child of many, or whatever they wouldn’t have sinned. People blame circumstances for their sin. They blame the broken world and call it god. But God is there to restore what is broken. Jesus is the way the truth and the life and He brings peace and healing.[1]

Even Christians like to blame God for their suffering and sin, saying God sent them this temptation to test them, or God sent them this trial to teach them. We have free will. We have the liberty to make choices and sometimes we choose wrong. Sometimes we let the desires of our flesh quench the faith and love of the Spirit. God doesn’t tempt people. He wants good things for us. He wants us to be conformed to Christ’s image. He wants to have a close and pure relationship with each and every child on this earth. God is light. He is good. In Him there is no darkness, no sin, and no evil.[2] God would never lead us to do wrong, ever. Verses 13-15 read,

“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

The bad stuff comes from the brokenness of this world. It comes from sin. When we are tempted it is because we have put our efforts into our fleshly desires instead of into loving God first with our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. God isn’t the source of evil. He is not the source of pain. People have been deceived and that lie keeps them from knowing God. God is the source of good. He is Love, Light, and Peace. [3] Verses 16-18 say,

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

He is never-changing. God is steadfast in everything including His love for us. He has always been the same and will always be the same. He doesn’t want us to trip up and fail. He is with is through good times and bad. It is attempting to fix our problems without God that we stumble and fall. Hebrews 13:5-6 read,

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
    I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”


How do we stay steadfast through trials? We remember who God is. We remember He wants good for us not bad. He wants us everyone to be saved. We exercise faith because we know God is light, love, and peace.

The greatest of all the blessings and good things God gives us is peace with Him through Jesus. He brought us to it by His the word of truth, His will manifested in actuality, Jesus Christ. And we are saved not so we can be the only ones but so we can share the truth and love of God with everyone, so that others will come after us and know God too.



[1] Isaiah 61:1-4


[2] 1 John 1:5


[3] 1 John 4:8, Judges 6:24 


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    October 21st 2015
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