Most Recent Blog Posts
-
126 – Jesus is the Gospel!
Jesus is the Gospel!
One of the most important words in the Bible is the word Gospel. The word gospel translated means “Good News” Jesus came preaching the Good News, and the point I want to make today is that Jesus is the Gospel. He is the Good News. Sometimes our focus is on what the good news of Jesus brings; He indeed brings health, healing, wholeness, prosperity, and sound relationships; all these things are important. However, if we miss the provider of all these things, Jesus, then we are pursuing what Jesus can provide rather than Jesus himself. You see, if you have Jesus, you have it all!
Even the Pharisees and Scribes of Jesus’ day missed who Jesus was. Because they were so focused on the promises of Abraham and Moses, they missed the one who would fulfill all of the scriptures. Jesus said to the Jewish leaders in John 5: 39, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of, Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” While it is the “hand of God” that attracts us to Him, it is the “face of God” that produces the eternal relationship.
Jesus makes it clear that we are to pursue Him and Him alone in John 14, Philip the Disciple asked Jesus to show him the way, and Jesus replied in John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Then look at John 6:44, Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Nothing could be clearer, Jesus is the instrument that our God has used to bring salvation, healing, and hope to a lost and dying world.
The word Gospel is used about 124 times in the New Testament. The first time we see the word Gospel is in Matthew 4:23 and is repeated in Mark 1:35–39; Luke 4:44; 6:17–19, “23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” You see, Jesus came preaching the Kingdom, the Kingdom presupposes that there is a king, and that king is Jesus. Jesus is described as the king of kings and the Lord of Lords in several places in the Bible, and one place is (Also, in 1 Timothy 6:15).
So, here’s the dilemma do we hunger and thirst for the promises of God, or do we pursue the one whom God has sent, Jesus Christ, who is also God in the flesh or God incarnate.
Have Faith in God!
Now here is a thought: When you believe the TRUTH about God, the windows of Heaven will be open to you!
As we begin this new series, it’s important to understand some of the foundational truths from which I will be teaching.
- The Trinity, one God in three persons.
- The unchangeable nature of God.
- The full impact of the power and authority we have because of our salvation through Jesus Christ. You are not simply saved for Heaven, but you are also saved for God’s purpose on earth!
- The difference between sin in the Old Testament (Covenant of the Law) and sin in the New Testament (Covenant of Grace).
- Learning the nature and character of God as displayed by the names and titles of God used in the Bible.
The Trinity
While the word trinity does not exist in the Bible, theologians developed the word trinity to explain the fact that the Godhead exists in three persons. God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit; three persons in one. The Trinity is a concept that is difficult to comprehend as human beings because as humans, we are limited in our ability to understand the awesome power and nature of our Father in Heaven.
Think about it, can you really understand or even imagine how God created the universe by simply speaking it into existence! When we experience a truth that we cannot fully comprehend the Bible teaches that we must accept it as true by Faith! I’m reminded of the verse in Isaiah chapter 55 that states that God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways and thoughts or sometimes beyond our comprehension; therefore, we must receive them by Faith. That means that we don’t walk by our understanding, but we walk in what God has revealed as true, in his word, the Bible. This is what Faith is built upon! Think about it, if you can comprehend it then you don’t need Faith, it is logical, and you are able to grasp it. However, when God makes a promise that is so glorious and magnificent, yet you don’t know how it will be possible… that’s when Faith kicks in. Remember 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We walk by faith and not by sight.”
There are three attributes of God that only God can have they are:
- God is omnipotent. He is all-powerful; nothing or no one is equal to him in power and authority. He created the universe by simply speaking it into existence.
- God is omniscient. He is all-knowing. There is nothing that he does not know. God does not learn, as humans learn. He simply knows! He is not limited by time and space He knows the past the present, and the future.
- God is omnipresent. This means again that he is not limited by time and space, therefore, can be anywhere anytime, everywhere at the same time, and nothing and no place is hidden from him.
As we study the Bible, we find that these three characteristics his omnipotent power, his omniscient knowledge, and his omnipresence can be attributed to God the Father or Yahweh, to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Since as Christians, we believe in only one God, the God of the Bible, the three persons the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit must exist in one person. Because God is infinite and we are finite this concept of the Trinity is impossible to understand, and so by Faith, we must accept it as true.
Three in One
God the Father; in the Old Testament, He was called Yahweh or Jehovah. Now, God, the Father is Spirit (John 4:24, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”) and no one has seen His Face because God said that no man shall see my face and live (Exodus 33:19-20). So, no one can see God the Father.
God the Son; is not some lesser person in the Godhead. Jesus is God incarnate who came to the earth with “skin on.” The term incarnate means in the flesh. Jesus is not simply a good man or a prophet of God; He is all of that, and more He is God.
Theologians use the term co-equal to describe the relationship between the three parts of the Trinity. Earlier I used the word incarnate to describe Jesus, God in the flesh. Now, listen to what the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 2:6-8, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (ESV). Jesus laid aside His deity to be an example to us as human beings. That doesn’t mean that He was not God; what it does mean is that for 33 ½ years He functioned as a human being. No different from you or me, Jesus experienced hunger, thirst, pain, and the rejection of many. He never resorted to His divine authority even while on the cross, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do! (Luke 23:24)” He fulfilled His mission on earth and now sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven.
Even His disciples didn’t realize who He was until after the resurrection. Listen to this exchange between Jesus and Philip in John 14:7-11, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”
Jesus’ statement is obvious. If you see me, you see the Father! Jesus and the Father are one. Jesus then says if you can’t believe that we are one, then believe that I am from the Father because only God can promise salvation, heal the sick and raise the dead, and I have done all these things.
God the Holy Spirit; The third part of the Trinity.
The Holy Spirit was in the beginning, Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” The Holy Spirit is found in many places in the Old Testament, but it is not until we read the New Testament that we see the fullness of the character and the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life.
Recall from scripture that Jesus promised to send us a “Paraclete” or comforter, helper, advocate, and teacher. He promised that after He was resurrected, He would send us the Holy Spirit. He would not leave us as orphans! John 16:7, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”
Personally, as for me, I like to think of the Trinity in this way:
- I am a son to my parents. As such my parents see me as a son.
- I am a husband to my wife. Therefore, my wife sees me as a husband and not a son.
- I am a father to my children. My children don’t see me as a son or a husband but as a father.
In each of these three roles, I function differently and have authority depending on how each of these three groups sees me, yet I am still just one person. In a similar way, God is one, however, He functions and is seen in three different ways, depending on the relationship.
I know that some Christians have a hard time accepting the truth of the Trinity and if you are one of them then I would urge you to search the scriptures for yourself. Don’t just accept what I say or rely on traditions or practices for the truth. John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” Remember, it is the truth that will set you free. Until the next time, may God richly bless you.
-
125 Jesus, Lord and Savior!
Outline
No Jesus no peace;
Know Jesus know peace!—–
“Lord and Savior” found in 2Peter four times; what does it really mean?
- Savior is Jesus’ work; no one else can save.
- Lordship is your work! No one else can choose to obey
Philippians 2:12, Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation* with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Character 1st then the call or assignment
*Salvation – sōtēria; rescue or safety (physically or morally): deliver, health, salvation, save, saving.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction (training) in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Process
Romans 12: 1, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
- We need to learn how to be Kingdom minded (New man) not worldly minded (Old man).
Take off the Old and put on the New
Ephesians 4:20, But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Colossians 3:8, But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
How to take off the old and put on the new – change our filter
Ie. Change the oil filter of a car… else you will have problems
- Learning how to filter (the word of God) our thoughts before we speak
- Learning how to filter our actions before we react, reaction to emotions often leads to regret.
- The Choice we make tell us a lot about our progress in making Jesus Lord!
- Before Christ in your life your conscience was developed by your world view which is by and large secular. Therefore, some of the thinking you have about what is good and acceptable is influenced by your soul and flesh. Now as a believe you have a new voice speaking into your conscience… the Holy Spirit.
- Making choices that the Holy Spirit prompts you to do. Take a step of faith and do it!
How to recognize His voice:
- It lines up with the Word of God- the Bible.
- You will never be able to discern the voice of God unless you know His character and nature which can only be learned from the Word of God, the Bible.
- Compare your thoughts or action in words and deeds with the Word of God!
- God’s voice will often prompt you to do what you don’t want to do or feel comfortable doing.
- To be truthful when you don’t want to
- To be honest when you don’t want to
- To go out of your way when you don’t want to
- To be loving, joyful, peaceable, patient, kind, good, gentle, faithful, gentle and in self-control
- The Holy Spirt removes the confusion and brings peace to your thoughts and decisions.
- Colossians 3:15, And let the peace of God rule (umpire) in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
I’m going to close with an old American Indian tale that illustrates the battle we all face in our soul.
One evening, an elderly Cherokee brave told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said “my son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is good. It is joy, peace love, hope serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “which wolf wins?” the old Cherokee simply replied, “the one that you feed”
In terms of the Lordship of Jesus Christ, if you feed the Old Man you will not succeed in making Jesus Lord of your life, however, if you feed the New Man, made in the image of Christ, you will receive the peace that passes all understanding and walk in the blessings of the Lord here on earth and in Heaven!
-
124 The Bible – “Seeing the Forest for the Trees”
Introduction
Today I’d like to spend some time talking about the Bible, the importance of the Word of God in which we place our faith. Our faith is based on the truthfulness of God’s word. There is no substitute for the Bible for no other book is spiritual in nature and must be spiritually discerned or understood.
When I came to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior over 40 years ago, it was because of the faithfulness of my wife, Dee, who was a Christian before me. She literally prayed me into the Kingdom!
Since she had become a Christian several years before me, I tried to catch up on my understanding of the Bible by reading books about the Bible instead of reading the Word itself. I thought there was a shortcut to understanding God, his character and nature by reading books written by authors who were Christians already. Reading books by other Christian authors was a help to understanding the Bible but in no way could it be a substitute for reading the Bible itself.
One Corinthians chapter 2 (verses 9-16) states that the Bible or the word of God can only be discerned or understood by those who have the Holy Spirit living in them. Having the Holy Spirit means that a person is born-again and has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is only then that we develop spiritual eyes, spiritual ears, and a spiritual mind to comprehend the things of God. You see the purpose of the Bible is to get to know the author of the Bible… God!
Offer of Free book
Now it may seem that I may be contradicting myself, but I want to offer you a book that I’ve written as a free download that I believe will help you in your understanding of the word of God. The book is called “Seeing The Forest For The Trees”.
My early frustration making sense of the Bible.
I can clearly remember, in the early days of my walk with the Lord, how difficult it was trying to learn all aspects of the Bible, the names of all the characters, the names of all the books, the separation between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Trying to discern if there was a single unifying message that could be found between Genesis and Revelation. The Bible was a complicated puzzle to me, until I recognized the importance of Covenants in the Bible. The word covenant can be used instead of the word testament; therefore, the Old Testament can also be called the Old Covenant, and the New Testament can be called the New Covenant!
When I took the time to understand Covenant Theology, I went from knowing about hundreds of things about the Bible; each fact or truth was like a building block or brick. What I had was like a pile of bricks but when I began to understand the importance of God’s covenants all the isolated “bricks” became a single structure, a building, founded upon Jesus Christ the foundation stone.
As a Pastor and Teacher, I was led to write a book that would help the members of my congregation and then Christians in general grasp the important truth that our God is a Covenant Making and Covenant Keeping God. This single truth helped me put the Bible in its proper perspective, that is a book of Redemption, restoring to God that which was lost back to a loving relationship with our Creator. From beginning to the end, the Bible represents the “Scarlet thread of Redemption!”
The Bible is consistent, understandable, and trustworthy. The purpose of my book is to give context or background to reading and studying the Bible. It is not meant to be exhaustive in scope nor is it meant to be a substitute for reading the Bible. Hopefully, it will provoke your interest and cause you to investigate further into the most important book ever written.
The Bible is a spiritual book
The Bible was never meant to be understood solely by intellectual means because it is a spiritual book, and the most important elements need to be spiritually evaluated. By spiritual I don’t mean in the pious sense of outward religion or rote memorization of Scripture verses but through an honest dialogue with our heavenly Father and the working of His Holy Spirit. The Bible is the most effective way that God can “speak” to us about His love and His healing for our souls.
My Book “Seeing the Forest for the Trees” is meant to help us get to the real issue of what is most important in the Bible and that real issue is redemption. A Biblical definition for redemption is the restoration of a lost humanity back to a personal, open, loving relationship with our Heavenly Father, through the completed work of Jesus Christ and through the agency of His Holy Spirit.
The phrase, “seeing the forest for the trees”, the title of my book, is often used to mean that it is easy to get caught up in all of the details of an issue and miss the “big picture”. It would be like trying to assemble a 5000-piece jigsaw puzzle without knowing what the finished puzzle should look like. Many people wouldn’t even want to try to put a puzzle like that together; they would see it as an exercise in futility. This is often how many see the Bible; the complexity of details obscures the purpose of the Bible and therefore it doesn’t seem to make sense. The “trees” are so plentiful that the forest, or the purpose of the Bible, is missed.
There is so much in the Bible to consider. For instance, there are 2 major parts of the Bible- the Old Testament and the New Testament with a total of 66 books. The Old Testament is made up of 39 books and the New Testament has 27 books. Learning the names of the books and the sequence in which they are found is a challenge all by itself. Then each of the books are broken up into chapters and then the chapters are broken up into verses. You can begin to see all the “trees” so to speak.
On top of all these details is the fact that each book is set in a time and place unfamiliar to our times and culture. Added to all those details are the obscure names of hundreds of characters from different eras and lands. When you look at all the details that can be found in the Bible, it is no wonder that so many give up reading it by the time they get to the book of Leviticus, the third book of the Old Testament.
The logical way to begin studying the Bible, as with any book, is at the beginning, but before we begin, we must have the end in mind. For instance, when we pick out a book for personal reading, we tend to pick out a certain genre. It might be non-fiction, mystery, romance, or a biography. What we choose determines what we expect to find in the story. The same thing is true of the Bible. We must ask ourselves what is the predominant message of the Bible in its entirety or put another way, for what purpose was the Bible given to us by the Lord? It is so easy to lose sight of the message because of all the details found in the Bible.
So, what kind of book is the Bible? Why are we reading it? What do we hope to get out of it? Some would say that the Bible is about the history of man’s beginnings. Others would say that the Bible is about wisdom or a guide for living. Still, others would say that the Bible is spiritual in nature. While the Bible is all these things, it is first and foremost a God-inspired book regarding His plan of redemption or salvation for mankind. Redemption from God’s perspective means to save from sin, to recover a lost relationship, to exchange blessings for curses, to pay off a debt, or to fulfill an obligation. From a human perspective, redemption means eternal security.
Human tendency is to look for what you expect to find. What are you looking for? If you look only for history, you will only see history. If you look for a guide to life, you will find that. What you get out of the Bible is colored by your expectations. If you have no idea of the purpose of the Bible, then the Bible will probably not make any sense at all. Many people give-up on reading the most important book in the world simply because they don’t know what they are looking for.
As I have said before the Bible is consistent, understandable, and trustworthy. It is, without doubt, the most influential book in history. The Bible has been translated into virtually every language known and found in every country of the world. For much of the world’s population, the Bible has been the most important wellspring of moral truths. The Bible is the foundation of the 3 most significant religions in the world today: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
My personal hope for you is that as you read this book you will find it informative, interesting, and most of all that it will provide an “anchor” for your soul. That anchor being faith in Jesus Christ and seeing that He really is… “The way, the truth, and the life”.
-
123 God’s Never-Ending Love!
123 God’s Never-ending Love
Let’s review the first three principles of Romans chapter eight.
1.. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. It is worth repeating that you must accept the truth and believe by faith that you are loved by God, totally forgiven, and the Holy Spirit lives in you.
The Holy Spirit is your helper to overcome temptation and break old unrighteous habits. You can’t do it without Him; He is your helper and comforter. When you stumble and fall into sinful behavior, the Holy Spirit will not abandon you because He is in you! The Holy Spirit will convict you, strengthen you and urge you to repent and turn away from that behavior that displeases the Lord. You can’t do it without His Help!
2.. We need to recognize that we have a new position in our relationships with the Lord, “we are sons!” The story of the “prodigal son” found in Luke 15 demonstrates how it is impossible to lose our position as a son even we stray from God’s plan for our lives. Once a son, always a son. You may recall the prodigal son who took his share of his inheritance, left home, and lived a wild ungodly life. It didn’t take long for him to lose all his inheritance, all his friends, and end up feeding the pigs for employment. He eventually came to his senses and decided to go back to his home, repent before God and his father and beg for a position as a hired servant. On his return, the father patiently waiting for the son’s return saw him afar off. The father ran to the son, hugged, kissed the son, had his robe, ring, and sandals brought to the son, and finally called for a party. Even though the son tried to convince the father that he was only worthy of being a servant, the father insisted, “rejoice for my son who was dead is now alive and returned to me. You see, a son is a son forever in the eyes of a father. Your heavenly Father sees you as a son— forever. So, walk and live with the confidence that you are a son of God most high. (I suggest you read Galatians 3:26-29, 4:1-7 for more about our new position in Christ.)
3.. Life is a struggle, and the Lord calls us to persevere! Life is sometimes hard and often unfair; however, you are never alone. We prefer that the Lord deliver us from trouble, but the Lord doesn’t always do that. There are times when you must go through the storm, but always remember when you are going through the storm, Jesus is with you. You are never alone; Jesus promised that He would never leave you nor forsake you. He is present in and with you through the Holy Spirit. So, no matter what you are going through, there is always hope in the knowledge that the Lord loves you, and nothing is impossible with Him!
The Final Principle in Romans Eight is, You are Loved by God!
The final principle that we find in Romans 8 is that “you are loved by God!” This is the most important truth that will lead you to overcome in this life. Nothing is more important than knowing that you are loved with an everlasting love and that nothing can separate you from His love. After all, God is Love! (1John 4:8, 4:16)
- Notice what the Apostle says in Galatians 4:9a, “But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God…” How powerful a statement that can easily be overlooked, you are known by God!
Love
We can misunderstand God’s kind of love if we connect it to our own experiences with love. God’s love is unconditional, and in the original Greek of the Bible is called Agape.
In the Bible, the word love is used about 418 times and 257 times in the New Testament alone. However, the word love is used to mean different kinds of love in the original Greek language, for instance:
- Agape – an unconditional love that means it is unearned and undeserved. You can’t perform or behave to deserve it. God has decided to love you, and that is it. It is His unmerited favor. I like the definition of Agape love as “living your life for someone else’s good.” That pretty much says it all about God’s kind of love.
- Philio – is a brotherly kind of love between 2 people. The best example of this is the love between Jonathan and David in the Old Testament. I’m also reminded of the verse in Proverbs 18:24, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” This friendship can also apply to the fellowship of two women.
- Eros – this kind of love is the “romantic” type of love we associate between a man and a woman. It is the type of love portrayed in books, magazines, and movies. If I say the word love, this is what comes to people’s minds. Eros love is an essential type of love in the intimate relationship of marriage.
- Storge – is used to describe family love. Parental love, sibling love, and love of family relationships. Perhaps you’ve heard the expression, “blood is thicker than water,” well that can be storge love.
Romans 8:31-39 God’s Everlasting Love
In Romans 8:31-39, the Apostle Paul uses the word love three important times, and every time it is Agape love, the love that imposes no conditions. So, keep that in mind as we go forward.
The Apostle Paul poses six rhetorical questions that point to the great Agape love God has for us, His sons and daughters. Rhetorical questions are asked not expecting an answer, but to make a statement.
Romans 8:31-39
- “31 What then shall we say to these things?
“These things” is in reference to the previous verses dealing with the hardships we face in life and the fact that through it all, Jesus is with us. We never have to deal with the trials and tribulations of life alone. This is emphasized in the following verse…
2. If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Here the Lord makes a statement that if He was willing to sacrifice His own beloved Son for us, how can we think that He would hold back anything from us.3. 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Here the Lord challenges anyone to bring a charge against us, His elect. Only the Lord can judge a person’s heart and behavior. No power or person has that right. Don’t judge others.4. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
As it says in John 3:18 a person condemns themselves when they reject the gift of grace in the salvation found in Jesus Christ. John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” No demonic force or natural person can effectively condemn another. The assurance of our salvation and sanctification is the fact that Jesus is making intercession on our behalf.5. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
No one has the power to cause the Lord to turn away from one of His sons or daughters. A person may choose to turn away from the Lord, but the Lord will never turn away from that son or daughter. The Lord’s love is Agape or unconditional.6. Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.This is a hard statement to make when you consider the hardships one may face in life, despite that we “win” in the end. If we endure till the end, we receive the prize, heaven for eternity. The difficulties of this life will be a faint memory in the glow of heaven’s promises.
Hebrews 10:35 “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”
The Great Conclusion
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Many theologians have speculated upon the identity of the agents represented in these two verses; suffice it to say that nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from the love of God.
A commentary writer says the following: Thus does this wonderful chapter, with which the argument of the Epistle properly closes, leave us who are “justified by faith” in the arms of everlasting Love, where no hostile power or conceivable event can ever tear us. “Behold what manner of love is this?” And “what manner of persons ought we to be,” who are thus “blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ?”
God bless you and be a blessing to others!
-
122 My Peace I Give to You…
122 My Peace I Give You.
As I have said in the last two messages, Romans 8 gives us four essential principles to receive by faith, and if we learn to walk by these four principles, we will indeed be able to say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” because He loves me and at the same time, He’s not finished with me.
Let’s review the first two principles.
The first principle is that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. It is worth repeating that you have to accept the truth and believe by faith that you are loved by God, totally forgiven, and the Holy Spirit lives in you. The Holy Spirit is your helper to overcome temptation and break old unrighteous habits. You can’t do it without Him; He is your helper and comforter. When you stumble and fall into sinful behavior, the Holy Spirit will not abandon you because He is in you. The Holy Spirit will convict you, strengthen you and urge you to repent and turn away from that behavior that displeases the Lord. You can’t do it alone!
The second principle is that we need to recognize that we have a new position in our relationships with the Lord, “we are sons!” The story of the “prodigal son” found in Luke 15 demonstrates how it is impossible to lose our position as a son even we stray from God’s plan for our lives. Once a son, always a son. You may recall the prodigal son who took his share of his inheritance, left home, and lived a wild ungodly life. It didn’t take long for him to lose all his inheritance, all his friends, and end up feeding the pigs for employment. He eventually came to his senses and decided to go back to his home, repent before God and his father and beg for a position as a hired servant. On his return, the father patiently waiting for the son’s return saw him afar off. The father ran to the son, hugged, kissed the son, had his robe, ring, and sandals brought to the son, and finally called for a party. Even though the son tried to convince the father that he was only worthy of being a servant, the father insisted, “rejoice for my son who was dead is now alive and returned to me. You see, a son is a son forever in the eyes of a father. Your heavenly Father sees you as a son— forever. So, walk and live as a son the Father would be proud of!
Today’s message is about the third principle in Romans; life is a struggle, and the Lord calls us to persevere!
Life is sometimes hard and often unfair; however, you are never alone. We prefer that the Lord deliver us from trouble, but the Lord doesn’t always do that. There are times when you must go through the storm, but always remember when you are going through the storm, Jesus is with you. You are never alone; Jesus promised that He would never leave you nor forsake you. He is present in and with you through the Holy Spirit. So, no matter what you are going through, there is always hope in the knowledge that the Lord loves you, and nothing is impossible with Him!
Why do I have to suffer troubles?
Remember what Jesus said in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Life is filled with challenges, and there are many reasons for life’s difficulties. We live in a fallen world. Some troubles are caused by others, and some we cause ourselves. Every decision anyone makes has consequences. It is like throwing a stone into a pond; the stone “plops in,” then it causes ripples to flow out from it. Good choices produce blessings, and obviously, bad choices have harmful consequences. Our choices, in a sense, are like seeds planted in our lives they are supposed to bear fruit. When it comes to the bad choices in our lives, we sometimes need to pray for “crop failure.”
Now before we look at some consequences, I want to make clear that in Christ, your past decisions don’t define you. You are a new creation in Jesus Christ, the old has passed away, and all things have become new. The Blood of Jesus can wipe away every and all sin; we should never take on guilt and shame because of the past, but the past can produce consequences to work through. Remember, you are loved, forgiven, and accepted!
Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). This means that the Lord can take that “which is meant for evil and turn it to good,” as it says in Genesis 50:20.
Let’s look at some examples of areas where we may have to deal with troubles.
- Dealing with the consequences of choices by others such as spouses, parents, teachers, friends, and employers. None of us live in a vacuum; we are all influenced by the decisions of others.
- Dealing with the consequences of our own past behavior such as lying, stealing, sexual behavior, abortion, drugs, and alcohol. All of these unrighteous behaviors can produce consequences long after the events took place.
- The struggle of living under the control of corrupt governments, cultures, and societies who embrace a secular world view vs. a Biblical world view and dealing with laws and policies contrary to the Word of God. If we are not careful, we can accept the world’s standards as normal when in fact they are against God’s best for us.
- Struggle with the temptations of the Devil. As Believers in Jesus Christ, we are called to obey the teachings of Jesus. The Devil’s objective is to get us to disbelieve His teachings and disobey. When we do what the Devil tempts us to do, he will immediately heap guilt and shame upon us. All of this to try and separate us from the love and grace of God that brings healing and wholeness. The temptations can be summed up in the following three areas: The lust of the eyes (material things), the lust of the flesh (improper sexual desires), and the pride of life (pride of position, authority, or control).
When the Holy Spirit brings to our attention some of these areas in our lives we need to repent to the Lord, learn to forgive others for their bad judgment; ask for forgiveness when we were the guilty party, make restitution wherever possible; and finally, to forgive ourselves.
You need endurance.
My wife, Dee, recently made the following statement, “We are redeemed in a moment, but we are renewed over time!” Christianity is about being born-again through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ; this takes place in an instant of time. What follows is a gradual renewing of the mind to conform to the teachings of Christ. Because renewal of the mind is a process that takes time, we must be willing to persevere and not give up when we stumble and fall. Pick yourself up and press into your relationship with the Lord. Like the Father of the prodigal son, He is waiting for you to return to Him.
Pass the test.
Some of the challenges we face are put there by God. These struggles are called tests. They are opportunities for our faith to be tested. Not that the Lord needs to know what we would do when we face trials, but so that we would know what we would do in the face of a test. Listen to what the Lord said to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 8:2, “And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” Here is a question, did God need to know what was in their heart? Of course not! The Lord knows all things, even the secret things of the heart, but the people of Israel need to see what was in their own hearts!
Some might argue that God does not test, but then I refer you to John 6:4, “Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.” Jesus wanted Philip to see that he was trusting in the availability to buy food instead of trusting in Jesus to make a way.
It’s easy to say that we will obey the Lord- words are easy, but the truth comes out in the test. As I heard someone say, “we are legends in our own minds.” It is only by testing that we can determine if we are legends or committed followers of Christ.
As a final note on the testing of God, remember the example in school, when you fail the test, there will be a retest! The Lord cares too much about you to allow you to be defeated.
Romans 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
My peace I give you…
John 14:25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Finding peace through Jesus means putting your faith in Him and trusting that He will make a way for you.
