Mar 2010
Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord
28/03/10 08:42
Throughout
the history of mankind, the Lord had sent men to
proclaim His Word. They would reveal the will of the
Lord and speak, not just about God, but also for Him.
I would think that Enoch, the seventh from Adam would
be considered the first prophet that was sent from
God. His testimony is that he walked with God and
then was no more, he was taken from this life so that
he did not experience death. He could not be found
because God had taken him.
Jude tells us that Enoch actually prophesied of the coming of the Lord that would take place nearly six thousand years later. “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts that they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” Jude 14,15 That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? And if you think about it, God never really had to say any more did He?
What I am saying is this; God has been more than fair by sending His prophets to declare His will. Sometimes God would warn people, as He did for the Assyrians at Nineveh. Sometimes, He would encourage and at other times He would teach, as in Micah’s case: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 Whatever the intent, these men came and spoke to us all for the express purpose of revealing Him, who lies just beyond our reach.
These men were actually a blessing to us, because, they were willing to declare the Word and testify for God. I am certain that they shall each receive their reward in full and none shall be dismayed. Think about it; God had asked them to do a job for Him –a favor, as such- and they did it! You know that when someone does a favor for you, you want to bless them; how much more, the Sovereign God.
Think about it; Jesus said that even sharing a cup of water, in His Name, shall certainly not lose its reward. Yes, Isaiah described it well when he said, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.” Isaiah 52:7 And finally, think about Jesus’ testimony of John the Baptist. He said that of all the men born of woman, none had risen greater than John. And why was this? Because John delivered the message for the salvation of all mankind, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!”
This coming Sunday is the day that we commemorate the coming of the Lamb of God into the city of Jerusalem for the express purpose of declaring the greatest message from God, to all mankind. That message is this; “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Because, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe on Him, should not perish but have eternal life.” It’s no wonder then, that when Jesus was riding into Jerusalem, atop a colt, the foal of a donkey, the crowds shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Have a God blessed week. Pastor Jim
Jude tells us that Enoch actually prophesied of the coming of the Lord that would take place nearly six thousand years later. “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts that they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” Jude 14,15 That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? And if you think about it, God never really had to say any more did He?
What I am saying is this; God has been more than fair by sending His prophets to declare His will. Sometimes God would warn people, as He did for the Assyrians at Nineveh. Sometimes, He would encourage and at other times He would teach, as in Micah’s case: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 Whatever the intent, these men came and spoke to us all for the express purpose of revealing Him, who lies just beyond our reach.
These men were actually a blessing to us, because, they were willing to declare the Word and testify for God. I am certain that they shall each receive their reward in full and none shall be dismayed. Think about it; God had asked them to do a job for Him –a favor, as such- and they did it! You know that when someone does a favor for you, you want to bless them; how much more, the Sovereign God.
Think about it; Jesus said that even sharing a cup of water, in His Name, shall certainly not lose its reward. Yes, Isaiah described it well when he said, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.” Isaiah 52:7 And finally, think about Jesus’ testimony of John the Baptist. He said that of all the men born of woman, none had risen greater than John. And why was this? Because John delivered the message for the salvation of all mankind, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!”
This coming Sunday is the day that we commemorate the coming of the Lamb of God into the city of Jerusalem for the express purpose of declaring the greatest message from God, to all mankind. That message is this; “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Because, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe on Him, should not perish but have eternal life.” It’s no wonder then, that when Jesus was riding into Jerusalem, atop a colt, the foal of a donkey, the crowds shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Have a God blessed week. Pastor Jim
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Jehovah-jireh
21/03/10 21:55
In
the twenty-second chapter of Genesis, God tests
Abraham by asking him to take his son to a mountain,
that God would show him, and sacrifice his son there.
After a night of fitful sleep and prayer, Abraham
arises the next morning resolved to fulfill
God’s request. Abraham, Isaac and some servants
head toward Mt. Moriah with only one of them in the
group knowing what the day was to bring forth.
Abraham must have been beside himself. Even though he knew that God would provide and even though he reasoned that God could raise the dead, there was still this nagging thought that would plague him every step of the way to Moriah –“he would put an end to his son’s life!” Now, it came to pass that Abraham and Isaac left the servants and were traveling alone up the mountain when Isaac inquired of his father, “The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Abraham speaks without hesitation, “God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.” The two walk together in silence. What awful silence is was. I could hear Abraham’s thoughts; “Isaac, my son, you are that lamb!” Abraham continued in his thoughts. “What will you do when you see that I must bind you to the altar? How can it be that you are so willing to carry those sticks for the fire? I love you, my son. Even though you may not understand and even though you may be frightened, we shall trust God. He will never leave us and He will never forsake us –God will provide!”
When they reached the place that God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on top of it, praying the whole time, “God give me strength to carry out Thy will.” When the altar was prepared Abraham turned to his son and embraced him and gave him the news. “Son, you asked me where the lamb for the burnt offering was and I told you that God will provide the lamb. Isaac, you are to be the lamb for this sacrifice.” And with those words, Abraham began to bind his son to the altar.
The tears flowed from three sets of eyes that day. Isaac’s because he didn’t want to die. Abraham’s because he didn’t want to sacrifice the love of his heart. And God’s because He knew what both of them were going through and He felt the pain and sorrow. He knew the forsakenness and He experienced the hardship that obedience brought.
God watched the whole scenario play out on top of Moriah as empathetic as anyone could be. He would watch His Son be bound to a Cross. He would witness the cruelty of men against His own Lamb. Men acted without remorse and with unrepentive cruelty, which deserved the quickest and fiercest retributive wrath, but there would be no retribution –only forgiveness and mercy.
God watched Abraham bind his son to the altar and said, “Yes, Abraham, I will provide the Lamb and so there is no reason for you to lay a hand on the boy.” Abraham looked up and there in the thicket was a ram caught by its horns. And so Abraham and Isaac offered up the ram and Abraham called the place Jehovah-jireh –the Lord will provide.
Abraham must have been beside himself. Even though he knew that God would provide and even though he reasoned that God could raise the dead, there was still this nagging thought that would plague him every step of the way to Moriah –“he would put an end to his son’s life!” Now, it came to pass that Abraham and Isaac left the servants and were traveling alone up the mountain when Isaac inquired of his father, “The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Abraham speaks without hesitation, “God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.” The two walk together in silence. What awful silence is was. I could hear Abraham’s thoughts; “Isaac, my son, you are that lamb!” Abraham continued in his thoughts. “What will you do when you see that I must bind you to the altar? How can it be that you are so willing to carry those sticks for the fire? I love you, my son. Even though you may not understand and even though you may be frightened, we shall trust God. He will never leave us and He will never forsake us –God will provide!”
When they reached the place that God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on top of it, praying the whole time, “God give me strength to carry out Thy will.” When the altar was prepared Abraham turned to his son and embraced him and gave him the news. “Son, you asked me where the lamb for the burnt offering was and I told you that God will provide the lamb. Isaac, you are to be the lamb for this sacrifice.” And with those words, Abraham began to bind his son to the altar.
The tears flowed from three sets of eyes that day. Isaac’s because he didn’t want to die. Abraham’s because he didn’t want to sacrifice the love of his heart. And God’s because He knew what both of them were going through and He felt the pain and sorrow. He knew the forsakenness and He experienced the hardship that obedience brought.
God watched the whole scenario play out on top of Moriah as empathetic as anyone could be. He would watch His Son be bound to a Cross. He would witness the cruelty of men against His own Lamb. Men acted without remorse and with unrepentive cruelty, which deserved the quickest and fiercest retributive wrath, but there would be no retribution –only forgiveness and mercy.
God watched Abraham bind his son to the altar and said, “Yes, Abraham, I will provide the Lamb and so there is no reason for you to lay a hand on the boy.” Abraham looked up and there in the thicket was a ram caught by its horns. And so Abraham and Isaac offered up the ram and Abraham called the place Jehovah-jireh –the Lord will provide.
Have
a God blessed week. Pastor Jim
The Cross is Everything!
14/03/10 19:46
Of
all the Scriptures that amaze me,
John 19:28 stands
out like a shining star in the midst of a
constellation of guiding lights. We are told by the
writer of Hebrews to fix our eyes on Christ, the
author and perfecter of our faith. So, what better
place to see Jesus, than while He was on the cross,
at the moment that He purchased our salvation?
Jesus had been betrayed by one of His closest friends and denied by another. In fact, all of His friends had left Him to face alone, the most brutal sufferings known to man. He was spit upon and beaten beyond recognition. The Roman flog left His body torn and chewed, it was a wonder that He could even walk with the cross on His back.
Did you ever think about those few hours that He spent in jail with the two criminals who would be crucified with Him? The Bible says that these men railed against Him just as the Pharisees and the crowd did. The only thing that Jesus had going for Him was the fact that the Father had never left Him. The Roman soldiers mocked Him and pounded a crown of thorns into His forehead. The crowd that followed Him, showed no mercy in their verbal assault. He was nailed to the Cross-. Let me say that again; He was nailed to the Cross.
I think we have a hard time fixing our eyes on Jesus at this time in His life. It is much easier to see Him calm the waters, feed the multitudes and heal the sick. It is much easier to see Him teach the people and perform the miracles; but it is here, at the cross, where we see Jesus fulfill the will of God in the most difficult circumstances.
And isn’t that the reason behind the command –to fix our eyes on Jesus? It is right here that I stand amazed at John 19:28. As He is now on the cross, and the sin of the world has crushed His very Spirit, we see the power of our Savior in all its glory.
“Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’”
Can you imagine wanting to fulfill Scripture in your worst-case scenario? I think of how many times I want to have some “me time” after I go through some valley of tribulation. I even have a hard time getting spiritual when I’m a little nauseated. I excuse myself for being snappy and irritable when I’m sick because –I don’t feel good. When I get super busy and can’t find time to follow my daily routine, the last thing I’m thinking about is making sure that the Scriptures are fulfilled!
Now, that’s the mind of Christ! What we see here on the cross is the ultimate show of love for God. God desires obedience more than sacrifice. It is good to sacrifice for the love of God, but if we disobey His word –the sacrifice means nothing. What I see in Jesus, while He was on the cross, is His ultimate love for God in the midst of sacrifice. I also see the power of God for those who would live for Him. What I mean is this; I have an underlying fear that, if I was ever called on to serve God in the midst of great suffering, I couldn’t keep my head, and I would do Him a disservice somehow.
“O, God, may I receive the grace to want to see Your Word fulfilled in my life no matter what the situation.” And I believe that grace can be ours, just as it was for Jesus. Through all His suffering, through all the pain, whether physical or emotional, Jesus kept His head and was in His right mind. And the secret is that He loved God with all His heart, soul and mind. Therefore, during His greatest struggle, God was there for Him.
Beloved, do you want to fulfill God’s Word in your life? God, the Father, will give you the strength to see that you do. So, the next time you’re going through “it” let the cross be an example for you and know that no matter what you are going through –if you want to see Scripture fulfilled, God will see that you have the grace to accomplish your heart’s desire.
Jesus had been betrayed by one of His closest friends and denied by another. In fact, all of His friends had left Him to face alone, the most brutal sufferings known to man. He was spit upon and beaten beyond recognition. The Roman flog left His body torn and chewed, it was a wonder that He could even walk with the cross on His back.
Did you ever think about those few hours that He spent in jail with the two criminals who would be crucified with Him? The Bible says that these men railed against Him just as the Pharisees and the crowd did. The only thing that Jesus had going for Him was the fact that the Father had never left Him. The Roman soldiers mocked Him and pounded a crown of thorns into His forehead. The crowd that followed Him, showed no mercy in their verbal assault. He was nailed to the Cross-. Let me say that again; He was nailed to the Cross.
I think we have a hard time fixing our eyes on Jesus at this time in His life. It is much easier to see Him calm the waters, feed the multitudes and heal the sick. It is much easier to see Him teach the people and perform the miracles; but it is here, at the cross, where we see Jesus fulfill the will of God in the most difficult circumstances.
And isn’t that the reason behind the command –to fix our eyes on Jesus? It is right here that I stand amazed at John 19:28. As He is now on the cross, and the sin of the world has crushed His very Spirit, we see the power of our Savior in all its glory.
“Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’”
Can you imagine wanting to fulfill Scripture in your worst-case scenario? I think of how many times I want to have some “me time” after I go through some valley of tribulation. I even have a hard time getting spiritual when I’m a little nauseated. I excuse myself for being snappy and irritable when I’m sick because –I don’t feel good. When I get super busy and can’t find time to follow my daily routine, the last thing I’m thinking about is making sure that the Scriptures are fulfilled!
Now, that’s the mind of Christ! What we see here on the cross is the ultimate show of love for God. God desires obedience more than sacrifice. It is good to sacrifice for the love of God, but if we disobey His word –the sacrifice means nothing. What I see in Jesus, while He was on the cross, is His ultimate love for God in the midst of sacrifice. I also see the power of God for those who would live for Him. What I mean is this; I have an underlying fear that, if I was ever called on to serve God in the midst of great suffering, I couldn’t keep my head, and I would do Him a disservice somehow.
“O, God, may I receive the grace to want to see Your Word fulfilled in my life no matter what the situation.” And I believe that grace can be ours, just as it was for Jesus. Through all His suffering, through all the pain, whether physical or emotional, Jesus kept His head and was in His right mind. And the secret is that He loved God with all His heart, soul and mind. Therefore, during His greatest struggle, God was there for Him.
Beloved, do you want to fulfill God’s Word in your life? God, the Father, will give you the strength to see that you do. So, the next time you’re going through “it” let the cross be an example for you and know that no matter what you are going through –if you want to see Scripture fulfilled, God will see that you have the grace to accomplish your heart’s desire.
Have
a God blessed week. Pastor Jim
Only Christians are Truly Free
07/03/10 10:09
Last
week we discussed the fact that God gives us the
ability to choose the freedom that we all seek. I
hope that we all understood that, while it is true
one has the right to choose something other than God,
true freedom only comes from the decisions that God
would have us to make. Now, I know that there may be
some fellow out there who might think he’s a
little smarter than he really is and say something to
this order, “Well, if you choose something for
your life because God wants you to, well then, you
are really a slave to Him. You are not truly
free.” If that certain fellow wants to think
that way, he is certainly
free to
do so –no pun intended. And for that fellow,
Jesus’ words to all who would be disciples
means absolutely nothing;
…whom the Son sets free, is free
indeed.” But
let’s investigate Jesus’ words here for a
moment to understand how He can make such a claim.
Let’s go to the text, which is found in the
gospel of John.
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth; everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’” John 8:31-36
The dilemma that every man and woman has here on earth, or I should say, in this life, is the fact that no one is perfect! We all sin. The Scriptures speak without question – we all like sheep have turn away, each to his own way and God has laid on him (Jesus Christ) the iniquity of us all. God has bound all men over to sin – so that He may have mercy on us all. And again, all have sinned and fall short… and the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus. In short – if you live, you sin! And if you sin, you are bound, as a slave would be bound, to that sin. But let’s not even go there; let’s just talk about life here on earth. No one is truly free. We like to say, “So-n-so is as free as a bird.” Well birds aren’t free! They are bound by all sorts of things like food supply, fear of predators, ability and on and on. Man is bound to this earth by the same things that binds the birds and for that matter, the rest of the animal kingdom. No matter what it is, if it is created, it is bound and not truly free.
Philosophically speaking, only God can be truly free. God is self-existing and doesn’t rely on anything to exist. All creation and it’s being, is contingent on God – the Giver of life. So, whatever exists must necessarily be somewhat bound and limited. Then how can Jesus say that if He sets you free, you will be free indeed? Because, to all who would receive His Word and allow it to live in their hearts, He promised that He would come and live in them. Peter tells us that God has given us the opportunity to participate in the Divine nature and escape the corruption of this world caused by evil desires. In other words, the fullness of the Word of God is simply the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations but has now been disclosed to the saints of God. What is this mystery? CHRIST IN YOU – THE HOPE OF GLORY! Now, it is God who makes both you and I stand firm in Christ. He has anointed us and set His seal of ownership on us and He has put His Spirit in our hearts –guaranteeing what is to come–total freedom!
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth; everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’” John 8:31-36
The dilemma that every man and woman has here on earth, or I should say, in this life, is the fact that no one is perfect! We all sin. The Scriptures speak without question – we all like sheep have turn away, each to his own way and God has laid on him (Jesus Christ) the iniquity of us all. God has bound all men over to sin – so that He may have mercy on us all. And again, all have sinned and fall short… and the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus. In short – if you live, you sin! And if you sin, you are bound, as a slave would be bound, to that sin. But let’s not even go there; let’s just talk about life here on earth. No one is truly free. We like to say, “So-n-so is as free as a bird.” Well birds aren’t free! They are bound by all sorts of things like food supply, fear of predators, ability and on and on. Man is bound to this earth by the same things that binds the birds and for that matter, the rest of the animal kingdom. No matter what it is, if it is created, it is bound and not truly free.
Philosophically speaking, only God can be truly free. God is self-existing and doesn’t rely on anything to exist. All creation and it’s being, is contingent on God – the Giver of life. So, whatever exists must necessarily be somewhat bound and limited. Then how can Jesus say that if He sets you free, you will be free indeed? Because, to all who would receive His Word and allow it to live in their hearts, He promised that He would come and live in them. Peter tells us that God has given us the opportunity to participate in the Divine nature and escape the corruption of this world caused by evil desires. In other words, the fullness of the Word of God is simply the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations but has now been disclosed to the saints of God. What is this mystery? CHRIST IN YOU – THE HOPE OF GLORY! Now, it is God who makes both you and I stand firm in Christ. He has anointed us and set His seal of ownership on us and He has put His Spirit in our hearts –guaranteeing what is to come–total freedom!
Have
a God blessed week. Pastor Jim