Archive for the ‘god’ Category

The Value of Honor in Finding the Pathway of Blessing

Posted: January 5, 2009 in blessing, god, Honor, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Pathway of Blessing
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value-of-honorEver since the age of 12 I have been nudged to seek after God. Verses like Isaiah 55:6-9 touched my heart:

“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

I grew up with an awareness of a God whose thoughts were higher than my thoughts, and whose ways were higher than my ways. As I grew and became alive to God through the new birth in Jesus Christ, my desire to know this God increased. I read the Bible, not in a scholarly way, but with the illumination of my new teacher, the Holy Spirit. I read books by Watchman Nee, who had tremendous insight into the ways of God. I attended the Basic and Advanced Seminar taught by Bill Gothard. I saw tremendous insights into the ways of God from His teachings.

However, as I struggled in my early walk,  I realized that simply knowing the ways of God does not mean you are a Spiritual Christian. I had a tremendous head knowledge, but there was a huge void in my heart. After marriage, I continued to struggle in my Christian walk. I battled with enemies of pride, lust, greed, selfishness. I made many wrong choices. At one point in my life I remember thinking that I was a castaway like Paul mentioned in 1 Cor 9:27, that God had put me on the shelf and would no longer use me.

In my struggles with my walk with God, I would constantly turn to the Psalms. Here was a man (David) that I could relate to. His honesty with God encouraged me. I remember reading Psalms 25 and having my heart suddenly do somersaults.

Psalms 25:1-12 (KJV) 1 Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. 3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause. 4 Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. 5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. 6 Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD. 8 Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. 9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. 10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11 For thy name’s sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great. 12 What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.

I could go on for hours of how much this Psalm meant to me. Briefly, however, it meant that David struggled with his flesh and sins and enemies too. He got down, but out of the depths of despair, he held up his soul to Almighty God. He affirmed His trust in Him, and asked God to remove any shame from his life. Then he said something that I have meditated on for over twenty five years, and I still do not know the full depth of these verses, but such as I know I will try to explain.

He said “shew me your ways” or as some translations say, “make me to know your ways”. Then He said “teach me your paths.”

I had always thought David had got it backwards. I had wanted to learn the ways of God, but David said show me your ways. The Hebrew word for show means not just a head knowledge, but a knowledge gained by intimate, personal experience. David desired a personal, intimate knowledge of the way that God worked in his life. Way in the Hebrew means course, in a broad sense. It required a personal intimate relationship to know the course, the way God worked.

Then David prayed “teach me your paths”. Teach implies close attention to what is being taught. Path is the word for a literal, step by step path. David was telling God that if He would show David how God was working in every thing that was happening in his life, the rejection, the pursuit by enemies, the isolation of being on the run, then David would pay close attention to learn and see step by step the path that God was wanting Him to take.

God gave me a picture of a guy who was experiencing the hand of God in a very intimate way, and sometimes that hand left bruises, sometimes it was a gentle nudge, sometimes it was a slap on the rear, but David knew intimately what God was doing, and because he had this intimate knowledge of God’s way, he was learning which path to follow, which step to take, and it was a daily even hourly lesson.

All of a sudden I could look back at what God had done in my life, and realize that His ways were in everything that had happened. I thanked Him for His ways, I asked Him to show me what He was doing, I asked for forgiveness for my sins and failure to pay attention to what He was trying to do.

I asked Him to teach me His path, to teach me which way I was to go.

I am convinced with every fiber of my being, that if you desire first of all to know intimately the ways of God, He will show you. He will even take you through things that are painful and difficult to understand. But if you pay attention, you will know His way, and once you commit to knowing His way, then you can start learning the path He has for your life. It will be as if a giant searchlight has been turned on. You will see the steps pf God before you.

I believe that if you follow the path that God has for your life, it will be a path of Blessing. It may not be riches as the world counts blessings, but Blessing is experiencing the Presence of God. That is the True Pathway of Blessing.

It seems very rare when every aspect of our life seems blessed. Seems like there is always a struggle either in our job, our finances, our friendships, our family, our possessions. David found the Pathway of Blessing in every aspect of His Life. I believe, and based upon the life lessons God has made me to experience, that we can find the Pathway of Blessing in every situation we face. If you have never committed to knowing the ways of God, let me encourage you to do this. I must advise you that the ways of God cannot be understood until you experience them. But I will give you encouragement, if you look at the events of your life with this mindset, to know the ways of God, you will discover a Pathway of Blessing that you may never have seen before. It will be like these video games with secret passageways. When you commit to knowing the ways of God, you will have the key to seeing God’s pathway that He has only for you!

The Pathway of Blessing Leads to Rewards

2 John 1:8 (NKJV) Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.

John was a very elderly man looking back on life when he wrote this. He was writing with the benefit of a life lived walking in the truth of Jesus teachings. He had what John Bevere calls a “Grandfather Anointing”. It is when the young children listen to Grandfather because he is wise.

This last holiday God convicted me over not doing more to bring Jesus Christ into our family gatherings. We had tons of great family times with the kids and grandchildren, but other than a few prayers, I did little to bring the reality of Jesus into our gatherings. So I am going to institute the Pathway of Blessing Moment with Grandfather. I am committing to sharing with my children and grandchildren a lesson from my life and God’s Word in which God revealed His path for my life. Hopefully I can write these down and give them to my family so that when I am gone they will have an encouragement to learn the pathway that God has for their life.

From John’s “Grandfather Anointing” we learn a couple of very important things that will frame our study of the Pathway of Blessing.

1. John is speaking with a sense of urgency when he says “Watch out”

2. Don’t take this matter lightly, but look after this diligently.

3. Don’t lose your FULL REWARD!

Some of you who grow plants can understand this vividly. Imagine planting acres of corn or wheat, and then fertilizing, watching the plants grow, seeing what looks to be an abundant harvest, only to have a hail storm or tornado or something else wipe out the crop. All that work down the drain. Or perhaps you area businessman, and have built a great business, but because of a few bad decisions, or maybe right decisions but at the wrong time, you lose your business. All that work down the drain. Many recently have watched their hard earned money go down the drain because of someone elses bad decision. Most of us have experienced the loss of our labor. We know how empty and discouraged it can make us feel.

John cries out to us to watch out, so you may receive a full reward!

  • God is a Rewarder of those who Diligently Seek Him (Heb 11:6)
  • In Keeping the Word of God there is Great Reward (Psalm 19:9-11)
  • I will cry to God Most High, Who performs on my behalf and rewards me (Ps 57:2 AMP)

God loves to reward His children. He loves it when we seek Him and give Him our hearts. Now if it is possible to have a full reward, then it is also possible to have no reward or a less than full reward. Next week I intend to look at Rewards and how following the pathway of Blessing determines our rewards.

Scripture repeatedly tells us to FINISH WELL:

Matthew 10:22, 24:13-Those who endure to the end will be saved,

James 5:11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord–that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

Hebrews 3:14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,

Revelation 2:26 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—

Revelation 3:5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

endurance-runChristian Life is not a Sprint. It is an Endurance Run.

Life-Defining Moments

In the Bible we see people making Life-Defining decisions.

Consider Rehoboam:

rehoboamIn I Kings 12, we find a new King, Rehoboam, son of Solomon faced with a dilemma. Do I lower taxes as the people are requesting, or do I do something else to establish my throne. He listened to the advice of his father’s advisors, and they said to speak good words to the people and they would follow him forever. Then he listened to the words of his young friends whom he had hung around all his life-“His Posse”. They gave him different advice. So when the people came back after three days, Rehoboam told them: “My father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!”

This resulted in the destruction of the Kingdom his father had built, and 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel were permanently fragmented. One bad choice cost him dearly for the rest of his life.

Now this Life-Defining moment was not made then, it was made years earlier when young Rehoboam decided his friends and what they thought were more important that God or his dad. Rehoboam was one of these kids who rebelled against his dad and scorned what he said. When his life-defining moment came, he lacked the judgment to make the right decision.

Consider the Children of Israel

hebrew-childrenThe children of Israel were given every opportunity to develop a trust in the power of God to protect them and provide for them. They saw Him part the Red Sea, destroy the Egyptians, provide food and water, daily guidance. Yet they never developed that trust in an awesome God. Their lack of trust did not cause too many problems until there was one Life Defining Moment. God had them send in 12 men to spy out the land He was going to give them. Ten of the men came back and reported how impossible the situation looked. Two men said God could overcome any situation. The people whined and complained because they had never developed the discipline of trusting in the power of God. The result of their life-defining moment was wandering, death, and never entering into the rest of God’s Promised Land.

Consider What God Wants

what-god-wantsI went to a Bible College that believed if you obeyed the rules, you were a great Christian. But something in me said that was wrong. God showed me by sparing my life from a head-on collision with a tractor trailer rig, that it was more important to know His heart. To simply obey the rules did not bring joy to my heart. But when I obeyed because I knew His heart and what He was trying to teach me, it brought Joy. It brought meaning.

  • The young Rehoboam never caught the heart of his father Solomon, and so 10 tribes of Israel were lost.
  • The Children in the wilderness never caught the heart of Moses and so an entire generation of Israelites were lost.

If we as fathers and mothers do not learn to communicate this truth of the Pathway of God’s Blessing, we will lose an entire generation of children. We need to lead our children and grandchildren into catching the heart of God, and learning His path for our lives. As Solomon pleaded with his son Rehoboam, God also pleads with us:

Proverbs 23:26 (AMP) My son, give me your heart and let your eyes observe and delight in my ways,

Early in my life I made a decision that the God of the Bible was my God and guide for my life. Whatever I struggled with I would seek to know the Power of God’s Word in order to walk in the right path.

What Disciplines are Guiding Your Life? How are you dealing with the struggles within your soul?

The Value of Honor

If we are going to see the Pathway of Blessing that God has for our live, we must learn the importance of Honor.

The Ugly Package Reveals God’s Way

john-9-blind-man-honors-jesusIn John 9 we find a man who was blind from birth. The disciples ask Jesus whether this man sinned or his parents sinned to cause his blindness. Jesus said neither, but this happened so that the works of God should be revealed in him. This happened so that he might see the pathway of Blessing that God wants him to walk in. Jesus then took some dirt and spit in it. He worked the dirt and made a clay that he was able to place over the man’s eyes. Then He said, go and wash in the pool of Siloam. Now why did Jesus do heal the man this way. Remember, we prayed to be shown the ways of God. God’s way is to use ugly things to bring Him glory. Sometimes he gives us ugly packages and tells us to carry them around. In fact God wants us to rejoice in our ugly package. When we start walking then God gives us light and this ugly package reveals the path He wants us to walk in.

When the blind man honored Jesus and accepted the dirty clay, and then went and washed his eyes, they were opened and he could see the path God wanted him to take. The Blind man HONORED Jesus Christ, even before He knew him to be the Messiah. This man was holding an ugly package, blindness. He was scoffed at, spit upon, ridiculed. His parents avoided him, because blindness was considered a curse. Along comes a man of compassion. The blind man honors him by allowing him to put mud on his eyes, and then HONORS his command. As a reward, his eyes are opened and he can see. Later, Jesus reveals himself to be the Son of God. He asks the man do you believe? He says Lord I Believe!

Jesus is before each one of us this morning. He wants us to see the ugly package that we are holding. Some of us are holding more than one ugly package. Jesus says, are you willing to let me touch your ugly package and let me show you what I can do? Are you willing to believe that I am the Son of God? Are you willing to see how much Blessing can come from this ugly package? ARE YOU WILLING TO HONOR ME!

You may be struggling with your faith this morning. You may be struggling financially, You may be struggling in your marriage, in a friendship. You know what ugly package you have. It may be obvious to the world, or you may have succeeded in hiding it. But Jesus knows the distress of your soul.

He wants you to Honor Him this morning. He want you to believe that he can use the ugliness in your life to show you His Pathway of Blessing. He wants to Reward your love for Him, your obedience to Him, Hour Honoring of Him.

One more illustration to underscore the truth that Honor is the foundation of learning the Pathway of Blessing that God has for your life. If you fail to Honor Jesus Christ, you will never see the Pathway of Blessing. You will never realize your FULL REWARD!

Mark 6: Neighbors Refuse to Honor Jesus

mark-6-no-honor-no-mighty-worksIn Mark 6, we see Jesus entering into his own country, the country of his upbringing, Nazareth. The people were astonished at His claims to be the Messiah, to be the fulfillment of Prophecy. They said, “isn’t this the carpenter, the Son of Mary” Why just last week he was fixing my chair. Someone else said, mu Johnny went to school with Jesus. He used to play in our back yard. Mark 6:3 said they were offended at Him.

And then we read in verse 5: “Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.”

Here was the Son of God, the creator of the World, and the people of Nazareth kept Him from doing any major miracles. They were restraining the Power of the Son of God! How did this happen? What were these people doing to restrain the Son of God? Jesus reveals what was restraining Him in verse 4: A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives and in his own house.” The thing which prevented the Blessing of Jesus was their failure to Honor Him as the miracle working Son of God!

Honor Defined

To Show Honor is to Give Value. To Honor someone we consider them valuable, precious, just like gold or a precious jewel. Other words to describe honor are appreciation, esteem, respect. To Show Dishonor is to show no respect, to give no value. To treat it as common, ordinary or menial. We Show Honor in our actions, our words and even our thoughts. All true Honor originates in our heart.

honor-in-heartThe Pharisees had more head knowledge of God’s Word than any other people, yet they failed to see Jesus as the Messiah. He did not “fit” their image of what the Messiah would look like. They were looking with their physical senses. In Luke 17:20-21 they even asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. Listen to His reply:

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Jesus told them the key to seeing the Kingdom of God was seeing with their heart, for indeed, it is inside us. That is why they never saw Jesus as the Messiah, for their hearts were far from God, tin fact they did not honor God in their hearts.

On the other hand, Simeon honored God in his heart, and was able to recognize the baby Jesus as the Messiah. In Luke 2:25-32 we read:

“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

Simeon saw with his heart that Jesus was the Messiah. He honored God’s instruction to him, that he would see the Messiah, and he waited till God’s chosen one was revealed to him.

Do You Want to walk in the Pathway of Blessing in 2009. Do you want God to take all the ugliness in your life and turn it into a Pathway of Blessing and Life?

Do You want Jesus to do great and Mighty things in your life?discoverpathwayofblessing

You Must do Three Things:

  1. Commit your life to paying attention to God and letting Him Show you first hand His Ways, even when they are ugly and unpleasant.
  2. Honor Jesus Christ with all your heart, your mind and your body.
  3. Look for God to Teach You His Path for your life, day by day, moment by moment

Demonstrate that Honor with times of Delighting in His Word and with times of Delighting in Conversation with Him.

  • Do You Desire God’s Blessing in Your Life this Year?
  • Do You want to see the path that God wants you to take?
  • Do you want to know first hand the mighty miracle power of Jesus Christ?

You Need to take the step of Honoring Him with all your life. You need to take every ugly thing in your life and give it to Him and say thank you Jesus. I know you can take the ugliness in my life and make it beautiful. I know you can make my path straight, you can give me renewed strength and love for you.

Will You Honor Jesus Christ, the Son of God? Will You Allow Him to Work Mighty Miracles in Your Life.

Will You Commit to Honoring Him in Your Family with Your Grandchildren?

Eternal Father

Posted: December 16, 2008 in Eternal Father, god, Isaiah 9:6, Jesus, Uncategorized
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Eternal Father

Listen to this message

Once more we gaze upon the little baby being swaddled in Bethlehem, no room for him at the inn. After an exhausting journey, Mary gives birth and now holds him in her arms, cuddling him close because of the coldness in the night air.

Little does she know she is holding her “Eternal Father” as Isaiah prophesied 700 years before (Isaiah 9:6). Mary was literally holding her father in her arms.

Now if we were to travel back in time and ask if this was the understanding of the Patriarchs of Israel, here are some of the reactions we might expect to hear:

AdamRoving Reporter: Hey you in the Loin Cloth, who was God to you?

Adam: God is Elohim, my creator. He is the one who breathed life into me. He is the one who put me to sleep to make woman from one of my ribs. He is the one whom I walked with in the cool of the evening. He is the one whom I failed, and was cast out of paradise.

NoahRoving Reporter: Sir, with the hammer, do you know God?

Noah: Sure I do. He’s Elohim, the one I walk with.

Roving Reporter: Do You See Him?

Noah: No, but he talks with me. In fact He told me to build this Ark.

Roving: Would you call Him your Father.

Noah: I don’t think so. He’s my God!

Roving Reporter: You sir, walking with your son, do you know God?

AbrahamAbraham: Why yes I do. He is my Adonai Jehovah, My Lord God. I do as He commands. In fact, I’m taking my son up to yonder mount to sacrifice Him to My Lord.

Roving Reporter: Then you don’t see Him as your father, do you?

Abraham: No, but I do see Him as my friend. In fact, I know He can bring my son back to life. He is the Lord God.

Roving Reporter: You sir, looks like you’ve been wrestling all night, do you know God?

Jacob at PenuelJacob: Of course I do. He is El Shaddai, God all-sufficient. All my life I depended upon my own skill and deception to get what I wanted. Finally I just wrestled with God here at Penuel, and I have prevailed, but not before He touched my strength, and crippled me. He will be the one I depend upon from here on. He is my El Shaddai!

Roving Reporter: Is He your Father?

Jacob: Hardly, but He is God, my All-Sufficient God.

Roving Reporter: You there, with the long stick, is God your Father?Moses

Moses: God is the I AM THAT I AM. He is Jehovah Elohim, God of my father Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I have seen His glory, and I would never think to call Him something as intimate as Father.

Roving Reporter: (Now approaching the mother of Jesus) Young lady, do you know how special your baby is?

Mary and JesusMary: Yes, He is Immanuel, my Savior. He is the Son of God.

Roving Reporter: Did you know that Isaiah prophesied that His name would be called “Ad Avi” Eternal Father?

Mary: How could this be? He is my child. God is His Father. The Holy Spirit came upon me.

Roving Reporter: Listen Mary, one day you will hear your Son say: “I and the Father are one”. In fact one of His disciples will ask Jesus to show them the Father, and Jesus will say:

John 14:9  “He who has seen me has seen the Father. He will say “I am in the Father and the Father is in me!

I and the Father are OneMost of us are like Mary, surprised enough to realize that Jesus is the Son of God, but unable to fathom the truth that Jesus is also our Eternal Father. Most religions deny this title for Jesus because it would make Him equal with God.

But the truth is that Jesus is our Eternal Father. He is the Father to the Fatherless. He is the one that we come to for Salvation. He is the one we come to when we want to see God!

John 14:6 “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me!

This little baby did so much for mankind. In the Old Testament, the people feared to come close to God. The only way they could come to God was by approaching a physical place, a place so terrible that if they even touched the mountain, they would be stoned. Moses himself was frightened at the glimpse of God.  We have not come to a MountainAs we are reminded in Hebrews 12:

Hebrews 12: 18 You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. 19 For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. 20 They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 21 Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.”

But because of Jesus, we can approach God without fear. In fact, we come with confidence, and join a JOYFUL GATHERING! We see an assembly of God’s firstborn children, we come to God Himself, we come to the spirits of the righteous who are already in heaven, we come to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant that makes this all possible. Jesus Christ is the reason we can approach a loving God.

Hebrews 12: 22 No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. 23 You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

Compassionate JesusThrough Jesus Christ, we now see a loving face on our Eternal Father. We have a Mediator. We have an Intercessor, We have a Comforter. We have an Eternal Father who loves us and desires a relationship with us. We have the power to become children of God. Jesus Christ in that sense is our Eternal Father. Through His atoning death on the cross, that veil has been torn in two and we can come boldly before the throne of Grace. We can conclude that is the meaning of the title “Eternal Father”. Jesus is simply the representative of our “Eternal Father”. In fact, in the face of Jesus we indeed see our “Eternal Father”.

Jesus is the Compassionate Face of our Eternal Father.

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Matthew 23:37 (NKJV) 37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

  • Jesus is the Great Physician healing those who are sick and dying of sin.
  • Jesus is the Great Shepherd seeking His Lost sheep.
  • Jesus is the Great Fisherman, fishing for the Lost souls of men.
  • Jesus is the Great Sea Diver, seeking the Pearl of Great Price
  • Jesus is the Great Banker, seeking for every lost coin.
  • Jesus is the Great Comforter, comforting all those who are in distress and despair with the Hope of Abundant Life everlasting.
  • Jesus is the Great Emancipator, freeing all those from the Prison of Sin and Death.
  • Jesus is the Great Savior, seeking all who are lost in sin.
  • Jesus is the very face of Compassion.

Through Jesus we Know we have a Compassionate Eternal Father.

Jesus is Committed faceJesus is the Committed Face of our Eternal Father

In the face of Jesus we see our Eternal Father willing to sacrifice all for our salvation.

Matthew 18:14 (NKJV) Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

God knew from the beginning of time that man would sin and fall under the condemnation of sin. Jesus was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. God did not want any to perish.

2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

God provided the perfect sin offering to redeem all of mankind.

Jeremiah praises the Everlasting Father for His faithfulness when he says:

“Because of the LORD’S faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! I say: The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good to wait quietly for deliverance from the Lord.” Lamentations 3:22-26

Jesus shared the commitment of His Father. He knew that He was born a man to die for men. Jesus was determined to go to the cross. He was no coward. He knew before God even made the earth that He would dies as the Lamb Slain!

Jesus is Coming Face of Eternal FatherJesus is the Coming Face of our Eternal Father

The Apostle John knew Jesus Christ as well as any disciple. In fact, he called himself the ‘disciple whom Jesus loved’. John had seen Jesus walk on water, heal the blind, raise the dead. John had seen Jesus transfigured in His heavenly glory.  John knew Jesus as the Son of God. As he wrote in 1 John:

“We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:1-3 NLT)

John Sees JesusKnowing Jesus as he did, John still did not realize an amazing truth. Jesus Christ is our “Eternal Father”. He is not a representative of God our Father. Jesus is God our Eternal Father. When John was on the isle of Patmos, he was caught up to heaven in the spirit. He heard a voice saying in Revelation 1:8: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” John turns to  the voice and sees the Son of Man as John had never seen Him before. In fact, the vision of Jesus causes John to faint as if he were dead. Jesus declares: “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”

There can be no other conclusion but that Jesus was declaring that He was and is and always will be Almighty God. John fell at the feet of Jesus when he discovered that Jesus was actually God! Jesus was revealed to be our actual “Eternal Father”.

Jesus as the mediator of the new covenant fathered every born again believer. Jesus Christ could indeed declare “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me” because He indeed is our “Eternal Father”!

  • There is no worship of God without worshipping Jesus Christ.
  • There is no praying to God without praying to Jesus Christ.
  • All religions do not lead to the same God.
  • Only your personal relationship with Jesus Christ will lead you to our Eternal Father, Almighty God! Jesus and the Father are ONE!

One day our Eternal Father will return to gather His bride. When we are caught in the air, we will behold Him just as He is, our Eternal Father.

When He returns to set up His Kingdom, He will judge the peoples of the earth as God, for He is God!

Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming soon! We shall behold Him just as He is, our Eternal Father!

“We Shall Behold Him

Face to Face in all of His Glory

We shall behold Him, We shall behold Him

Face to Face our Savior and Lord

We shall behold Him as our Eternal Father!”

Jesus is Mighty God – El Gibbor

Posted: December 7, 2008 in El Gibbor, god, Hero, Isaiah 9:6, Jesus, King, Uncategorized
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Luke and Han are HeroesIn one of the most dramatic scenes on the big screen, we find a young naive boy being hotly pursued by a demonic monster. The young boy has only one chance to make an impossible shot that would destroy a weapon of mass destruction that is being directed at his friends. Just as the demonic monster has the young boy in his sights and is about to finish him off, his friend, Han Solo swoops down to save the day. He shoots at Dart Vader, disabling his ship, and this allows young Luke Skywalker to make that shot in a billion, destroying the Death Star and saving the rebel alliance.

Luke and Han return to the rebel base and are hailed as HEROES!

We love Heroes. Movies, books, video games, sports, are all about Heroes. Images of HeroesWe love Champions. We love Winners! We all have images, scenes burned into our minds of those heroic moments-Chariots of Fire (slow running), Braveheart (blue paint), Rocky vs Drago, even Elle Woods before a joint session of congress saving the animals.

Centuries ago we have a scene recorded in 1st Samuel. A warring nation of Philistines has the Israelites cowering before them. All because they have a Champion named Goliath. He’s big, really big, and the little Israelites are afraid to fight him.

David Holds the Gibbor GoliathUp steps a young boy, barely a man and fights their champion armed only with a sling and five smooth stones. With one shot he kills Goliath and as 1 Samuel 17:51 says “Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion (Gibbor) was dead, they fled.”

The word for champion is Gibbor. Gibbor means hero, champion, conqueror. It also means mighty as in warrior. It is a manly name, not a sissy name. David hero himself, attracted 600 similar “heroes” to his side while he was being pursued by Saul. When David became King, these 600 men became his elite military corps. He called them his Gibborim – “Mighty Men”.

In the context of battle, the word is better understood to refer to the category of warriors. The gibbôr is the proven warrior;

Jesus is Mighty God El GibborNow look with me at Mary & Joseph. Imagine seeing Mary holding a little baby. Joseph is by her side. The baby has just been born and is sleeping. Mary holds in her arms El Gibbor, God the Mighty Champion, God the Proven Warrior, our Divine Hero, God our Conqueror.

This was the second name ascribed to Jesus in Isaiah 9:6. Jesus is Mighty God!

In Isa 9:6, The child that is born, the son who is given, is called Wonderful Counselor, and then EL GIBBOR, translated in most of your Bibles as Mighty God. Modern translators have also said Powerful God, Strong God.

Moses Reveals God as El GibborWe first see God called El Gibbor in Deuteronomy 10:17. Moses in Deuteronomy 9 & 10 is preparing His people for their crossing into the promised land. He is reminding them of all God has done over the past 40 years. The way He miraculously delivered them from Egypt and how he sustained them in the desert wilderness. He recounts how God gave him the 10 commandments, not once, but twice. He reminds them of His covenant with them and how they must submit and not be stiff-necked. For God is God of Gods and Lord of Lords, MIGHTY (Gibbor).

Deuteronomy 10: 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.

God is Mighty in His ability to Keep His Covenant with His People. Only God Jehovah is Mighty and Strong enough to keep His Covenants with His children.

Psalms 24:8  Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

God Gave Jesus to mankind as our Mighty God, Our Hero, Our Champion

I. Jesus is Our Mighty Hero

Jesus is our Mighty God!He fought and defeated the enemies we could not.

A. Jesus Defeated His and Our Worst Enemy – Satan

1. He is the destroyer, the enslaver and He is the prince and power of this Word.  He rebelled from the throne of heaven and said in Isaiah 14:13-17 (NLT)

‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. 14 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’

a) No man has ever been able to defeat his power. His throne and reign on earth is absolute.

b) Jesus met Satan head on and defeated him at every turn. He defeated him by the Power of the Word of God!

c) He may still roam the earth as a roaring lion, but as everyone knows, only the weak old lions roar. The young powerful lions stalk their prey quietly, and then pounce.

d) No Satan is roaring because he was mortally wounded by our Hero God. His days are numbered and he knows it.

“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil”. I John 3:8

2. The rest of the story continues in Isa 14:15-17:

15 Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. 16 Everyone there will stare at you and ask, ‘Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble? 17 Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wasteland? Is this the king who demolished the world’s greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?’

The end of Satan is recorded in the Word of God:

Revelation 20:10 (KJV) 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.

B. Jesus has defeated Sin.

1. “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

2. Jesus was the second Adam who did not sin, and by defeating the power of sin in His flesh, enables all who believe in Him and walk in the Spirit, to escape the power of sin.

3. When God sees believer’s, He sees us in Jesus Christ. He sees us clothed in the righteousness of our Savior.

4. We are that spotless bride.

1 John 3:5 (NKJV) 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

Jesus is Our Battle Proven Warrior Hero!

Jesus is our proven Warrior HeroC. Jesus has defeated death

1. Peter in his sermon in Acts 2:24 “And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

2. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. I Cor 15:20-22

3. IF We are in Christ We SHALL LIVE!

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Cor 15

II. Jesus is Our Mighty Covenant KeeperJesus is our Mighty Covenant Keeper

A. Only Jesus, Mighty God has the Power to Keep the Covenant of Forgiveness and Eternal Life.

B. Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. Luke 22:20

Hebrews 12:24 (NLT) 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

III. Jesus is the Champion of our Salvation

Hebrews 2:10 (NKJV) For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Hebrews 5:9 (KJV) And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV) 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus is the Champion of our SalvationThe word for captain and author is archegos. prince or leader (Vines). It contains the ideas of supremacy, personal participation, being first. You can picture that first mountain climber to scale Mt Everest, he goes ahead of the others, chipping away footholds, inserting pitons, and extending the rope to his partners. You can visualize him as the mighty warrior going ahead in the battle and single handedly defeating the enemy.

Jesus is our True Champion. He was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. He is our true champion and the Savior of our souls. We owe Him our lives. We owe Him our obedience. We owe Him our reverence. There is no battle on this earth you can face that He has not conquered. There is no hurt that He does not feel. There is no suffering that He does not know. There is no storm that He cannot silence, there is no problem that He cannot safely guide you through.He went first and He won. He is the Champion that you need each and every day. There will be no drug scandal tainting His victory. There will be no moral scandal in his life. He overcame every possible obstacle, and He Won! He endured the Cross for you and me, and now He reins supreme.

IV. Jesus is Our Conquering King

Jesus is our Conquering KingJesus may not be sitting on a visible throne on earth today. But He reigns on High. And we are citizens of heaven. We are seated in the heavenlies as we walk here on earth. Christ is looking for people who will worship Him as King. You turn away from your sins, you way of living, and confess Him as your King. He becomes the Lord of your life. He becomes your reason for living. Christmas is not just about presents and parties, it is about living your life in obedience to our coming King

He will return, but it will be too late to give your life to Him:

Listen to how Christ is described in Rev 19:11-16:

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.  With justice, he judges and makes war.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns.  He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.  The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.  Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.  “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”  He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Some of you may be saying, El Gibbor, so what. He was just a baby born in a manger, no big deal.

There will be no change in your heart, no change in your life, no change in your priorities, no change in who or what drives your life.

There was a similar group of people who were shown, in living color, with powerful video, the EL GIBBOR. He freed them from the mightiest Nation, with  the mightiest army, He vanguished that army in one of the greatest miracles of all time, he fed those people with manna, with quail, he provided them water from a rock which travelled with them in the wilderness. He healed them from snake bites by simply having them look at a brazen serpent held up on a cross. He led them by a fire at night. His presence was visibly among them.

Hebrews 4:2-3 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest.

There is rest for the souls of those who give their hearts and lives to EL Gibbor. He has provided us the most precious gift, the gift of His Son, who himself is El Gibbor.

  • He is our Mighty God
  • He is our Warrior Hero
  • He is the Mighty Champion of Salvation
  • He is our Mighty Covenant Keeper
  • He is our Conquering King

Do You Know My King?

    Do You Know this Mighty God. He’s God’s Son. He’s My King!

    Do you know my King? (with homage to SM Lockridge)

    He’s the sinner’s savior. He’s unparalleled.  He’s unprecedented.  He’s supreme.  He’s pre-eminent.  He supplies strength for the weak.  He’s available for the tempted and the tried.  He sympathizes and He saves.  He heals the sick.  He cleanses the lepers.  He forgives sinners.  He discharges debtors.  He delivers the captives.  He defends the feeble.  He blesses the young.  He serves the unfortunate.  He regards the aged.  He rewards the diligent and He beautifies the meek.

    That’s my King. Do you know Him?


    He’s the wellspring of wisdom.  He’s the doorway of deliverance.  He’s the pathway of peace.  He’s the roadway of righteousness.  He’s the highway of holiness.  He’s the gateway of glory.  He’s the master of the mighty.  He’s the captain of the conquerors.  He’s the head of the heroes….He’s the governor of governors. He’s the prince of princes. He’s the President of Presidents. He’s the King of kings and He’s the Lord of lords.

    That’s my King.


    His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting.  His love never changes.  His Word is enough.  His grace is sufficient.  His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  I wish I could describe Him to you . . .but He’s indescribable….

    That’s my King.


    Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilot couldn’t find any fault in Him. The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him. He’s the King of righteousness. He’s the King of the ages. He’s the King of Heaven. He’s the King of glory.

    That’s my King.


    You can’t impeach Him And He’s Not gonna Resign. Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever and forever and when you get through with all the forever’s. AMEN!

    Now that’s my King.


    Do You Know this Mighty God. Does Jesus live in your heart? Do you Know my King?

    Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV) The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Though They Cry to Me I Will Not Listen

Posted: December 4, 2008 in Bailout, El Gibbor, god, Jeremiah, repentance, Revival
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Washington DC is ablaze with activity. We have a new President getting ready to assume power. We have the Big Three auto executives begging for money, we have Bernanke and Paulson trying to stem the financial crisis that has settled over America like the Black Plague. The Mudpreacher is not normally pessimistic. People would say he is an optimist. But God keeps telling me that HE IS TRYING TO GET OUR ATTENTION! What is happening today is merely the tip of the iceberg. By spring time it will be very clear that our Nation is in dire trouble. Unless Repentance and Revival comes to America the emotional and economic pain and suffering will surpass anything this generation has experienced. God is serious about us heeding the message of Jeremiah. The headlines are growing more ominous:

Economy rescue: Adding up the Dollars: The government is engaged in an unprecedented – and expensive – effort to rescue the economy. CNN details the 7.2 TRILLION Dollars the Government has ALREADY committed since December 2007.

Bernanke: ‘Work It Out. Now.‘ Bernanke is Worried“Federal Reserve chairman wants to see distressed mortgages modified quickly, and in large numbers.”Bernanke’s support for debt relief is a departure from February, when he told a U.S. Senate Banking Committee meeting that a bill allowing bankrupcty judges to modify mortgages to save people’s homes would be more of a cost to the US economy than a benefit.”

Pent up Anger Greets Return of Auto Chiefs to Capitol Hill Auto Executives on Capitol Hill“Confirming the fears that taxpayers could lose out, the economist Mark Zandi of Moody’s Economy.com said automakers probably needed much more than their requested $34 billion and perhaps as much as $125 billion. He predicted that the automakers would ask for more money by next fall.”

Dour Reports Show Cracks in ETFs, Economy: “Through the turmoil of the economic downturn, factory orders are getting buried, leaving an underlying weakness on Wall Street and exchange traded funds (ETFs). The deepening recession has left factory orders at their lowest point in eight years, with demand in steel, cars, computers and heavy machinery sinking.”

God wants our Nation to pay attention to the Message of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was dealing with leaders who were conspiring against God. They refused to hear God’s Words. They were going after other gods. Gods of money, greed, self-confidence. Listen to Jeremiah 11:9-12:

Again the LORD said to me, “A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers. Therefore, thus says the LORD, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them. Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble. (Jer 11:9-12 ESV)

imnotlisteningGod deliberately brought disaster upon Judah and its inhabitants. The warning from God was that “though they cry to me, I will not listen to them.” Then the leaders and people of Judah went and cried to their gods, but they would not save them in their time of trouble.

hallowed-be-thy-nameIf our leaders and if we as God-fearing Americans do not acknowledge God and plead with Him for mercy, wisdom and guidance, God will close His ears to our cries. We will be left to cry out to our gods of money and weapons, but sadly, they will not save us this time! America is bankrupt spiritually, and we will soon be bankrupt financially.

As God said in Jeremiah 11:7-8 “For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, Obey my voice. Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart.”

The time has come to humble ourselves before El Gibbor, our Mighty God. He is the Mighty Warrior, the Mighty Hero that we need. Only He has an inexhaustable supply of mercy and grace and wisdom for the weary and lost, the broken and bankrupt. Only God is Jehovah Jireh, the God who supplies all our needs. Turn and be reconciled, for His mercy endures forever!

Gay Marriage, Blotting, and the Word of God

Posted: November 27, 2008 in Blot Out, Ezra, Gay Marriage, god, Homosexual, Marriage, Uncategorized
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What a Blessed day of Thanksgiving for God and His Reign! “Thy will be done on earth just as it is in heaven!” But obviously California is exempt from God’s Will. Today Maureen Dowd published a little article titled “Gay marriage on the rocks” In it she quotes: “Feinstein felt sure that gays who have been married in the state since June are still married. “You can’t redact it,” she said. blot-out-gay-marriages“You can’t blot it out. It’s so intrinsic to the Constitution that you cannot remove it by a vote of the people.” Jerry Brown, the California attorney general who is also featured in the archival reels in “Milk” from his days as governor, agreed: “I believe those are valid,” he told me, saying that he will argue in the appeal before the state Supreme Court that there cannot be “a retroactive invalidation of these marital contracts.”

I never realized that sodomite marriage was such an intrinsic part of the Constitution of the United States. It must be a ‘California thing’. Jerry Brown says he will argue against the invalidation of these ‘contracts’, saying that they were valid. I realize I live in a world far removed from California, but I see marriage as much more than a ‘contract’. Besides, aren’t contracts meant to be broken? Isn’t that what lawyers do all the time?

GAY MARRIAGEI perform weddings as a mudpreacher, and I always point out to the couples that they are engaging in a marriage covenant, and the authority for that covenant is God’s Word. God has ordained marriage as an institution of His design. God's Law the Authority for MarriageThere are so many pictures of His relationship with us that are seen in a God-ordained marriage. That is why the corruption of the institution of marriage is a reflection of the corruption of our relationship with Jehovah God, the Covenant keeping God.

It may not seem ‘fair’ to invalidate these ‘contracts’ because of the vote of the people according to California law, But it is perfectly “JUST” according to God’s Law. In fact something very similar happened almost 3000 years ago, when the remnant Jews re-discovered the authority of God’s Law. After reading God’s Word for the first time in 70 years, the remnant Jews realized that they had married women not allowed by God’s Word. They reached a decision in unity-we must put away these wives, even if there are children. We must “redact” these marriages in order to obey God’s law! I remember reading Ezra 9 & 10 as a teenager and getting sick at my stomach when I thought of men getting rid of their wives and children. It did not seem “fair”. God dealt with my heart through several revelations of His Sovereignty in my life, and I now understand that this world is not about me and you, it is about God! When I center my thinking and my heart upon the Word of God, I understand that God Reigns and we must obey. That was the point of Ezra 9 & 10. Read the account of how this unfolds:

Ezr 9:1-7 Now when these things had been completed, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the local residents who practice detestable things similar to those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. Indeed, they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has become intermingled with the local residents. Worse still, the leaders and the officials have been at the forefront of all of this!” When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and my robe and ripped out some of the hair from my head and beard. Then I sat down, quite devastated. Everyone who held the words of the God of Israel in awe gathered around me because of the unfaithful acts of the people of the exile. Devastated, I continued to sit there until the evening offering. At the time of the evening offering I got up from my self-abasement, with my tunic and robe torn, and then dropped to my knees and spread my hands to the LORD my God. I prayed, ‘O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God! For our iniquities have climbed higher than our heads, and our guilt extends to the heavens.  From the days of our fathers until this very day our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities we, along with our kings and priests, have been delivered over by the local kings to sword, captivity, and plunder, and embarrassment— right up to the present time.

Of course, if you do not hold the Words of God in awe, you will do as you please. But if you DO hold the Word of God in awe, you will choose to obey His Word. This is what the remnant of Jews chose to do in the restored Jerusalem. They were standing amidst a graphic picture of the results of NOT obeying God’s Word. They were standing amidst the ruins of one of the grandest cities of all time, Jerusalem. That mighty city and nation had been utterly destroyed by invaders because a few years earlier the people had not obeyed God’s Law, nor obeyed the warnings of His Prophets.

The account of Ezra continues:

ezra weeps before the Lord GodEzra 10:1-5 While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself to the ground before the temple of God, a very large crowd of Israelites — men, women, and children alike — gathered around him. The people wept loudly. Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, from the descendants of Elam, addressed Ezra:  “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the local peoples. Nevertheless, there is still hope for Israel in this regard. Therefore let us enact a covenant with our God to send away all these women and their offspring, in keeping with your counsel, my lord, and that of those who respect the commandments of our God. And let it be done according to the law. Get up, for this matter concerns you. We are with you, so be strong and act decisively!”So Ezra got up and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath to carry out this plan. And they all took a solemn oath.

The people made an oath to follow God’s Law. Ezra continues:

Ezra 10:10-12 “Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have behaved in an unfaithful manner by taking foreign wives! This has contributed to the guilt of Israel. Now give praise to the LORD God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the local residents and from these foreign wives.” All the assembly replied in a loud voice: “We will do just as you have said!”

gods-word-vs-society1Everyone wants to know and experience God today. There is a great rise of ‘spirituality’ in America, indeed throughout the world. These people in Ezra wanted to know God as well. They read His word, and God revealed Himself to them, but in that revelation, they realized they had sinned against God. There can be no relationship with the True God without dealing with our sin. Any sense of spirituality we may have must have an antidote to the sin that curses our lives. That antidote is Jesus Christ. It is not our praise, our prayers, our ‘goodness’ that brings God into our lives. It is what Jesus Christ has done and our embracing of Him that makes us ‘accepted’ in the Beloved. Jesus Christ fulfilled the stringent requirements of God’s Law and His Holiness. Only when our lives are “in Christ” do we have forgiveness and acceptance before Jehovah God.

Is Your Name in God's Book of Life?

Is Your Name in God's Book of Life

We must be willing to follow God’s Word. We must hold His Word in awe! We must be willing to separate ourselves from the foolishness of this world and submit our will and world view to the Word of God! It may be difficult to invalidate these sodomite marriages, and certainly result in hardship and hurt, but the law must be obeyed. America is a great nation because of our laws! Obedience to those laws is the bedrock of the American Society. You may cry “You can’t blot it out!” but the truth is we must. We must obey God’s Word! If we stiffen our neck and close our ears to God, we ourselves will be blotted out.  Exodus 32:33 warns: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.” Praise God, we have a Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the guarantee that our sins will be blotted out, and we will be in God’s Book of Life.

As Colossians 2:14 proclaims:

Jesus Bloted out our sins

Jesus Blotted out our sins

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross”.  Praise God for His great love for us, that through the sacrifice of His Son, our sins would be blotted out and nailed to that horrible cross.

Obedience to God’s Word should be the bedrock of our lives. Anything else results in following a false god of our own making. Anything else will result in you being blotted out of God’s book. May you live a life of Thanksgiving because you enjoy Jehovah God living in you through Jesus Christ!

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