Bible Ballistics: “BBs” #64   Transformers Pt. 2?????

In our Wednesday BBs, we talked about ‘transformers’, and made the comparison to the transformed life that Jesus gives to those who will come to Him for salvation. We looked at the coming ‘transformation’ when we go to be with the Lord, and receive a new “changed” or transformed body.

Today I’d like us to continue looking at this principle, but a little closer to home. What does ‘transformation’ have to do with the here and now? Well, you know the answer; let’s see what scripture says…

Paul tells us in Colossians that when we are saved we are ‘translated’ or changed. How?

Col 1:13-14, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” The blood of Jesus ‘changes’ or transforms us from Satan’s power to become HIS child, to be a part of HIS kingdom.

Let’s also look at Romans 12:1-2,

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

When we are saved, and walk in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, God ‘transforms’ us to show HIMSELF to the world. HOW can I do it?  By following Jesus and His word, and by trusting Him to do that which makes me more and more like Jesus. As Romans tells us:

Romans 8:28-29, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

So, here’s our shot for today???? You don’t have to buy a transformer, God made YOU one. Jesus saves us not only from Hell, but also from the very power of sin in our lives. He transforms us. How are you living? You must remember who you are:

delivered us from the power of darkness

          translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son

              transformed by the renewing of your mind

                  called according to his purpose

predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Son—Jesus.

So????  Do others see Jesus in YOU?   Trust Him and reflect HIM!!!!  

 

Bible Ballistics: “BBs” #63   Transformers!!!!!!

Transformers! Practically every American child has one or more of these phenomenal movie creations: cars and trucks that ‘transform’ into great creatures of power and might. What a thing, yet God talked about ‘transformers’ long before they were the buzzword of the Hollywood.

The Greek word ‘metamorphoo’, used in the New Testament, means literally to ‘change form’. It is this very word from which our English word ‘metamorphosis’ comes. That process which ‘changes’ a caterpillar into a butterfly. Well, enough of the science lesson, what does God say about ‘transformers’?

Matthew 17:1-2 talks about the ‘transfiguration’ of Jesus.

“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.”

Jesus himself was ‘transfigured’ (same word as transform) before His disciples, and they saw at least a measure of His heavenly glory in person. But Jesus isn’t the only one who can be transformed.

Paul talks about our being ‘transformed’ at the return of Christ in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52,

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,” We who are saved by His blood.

But our ‘transformation’ isn’t all future. We are being ‘transformed’ right now by the power of God that we receive upon our new birth in Jesus our Lord and Savior.

2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

We are being ‘changed’ or transformed by the Holy Spirit as we yield to Him and allow Him to accomplish God’s will within our hearts and lives. There is so much more, we’ll continue this in Friday’s BB’s.

Our Shot for today??? We will be ‘transformed’ when Jesus comes for us, or we meet Him in death.

But are you allowing God to transform you

into the image of Jesus

to the world?

As an old adage says,

“You are being a witness continually for Jesus,

when you claim His name.

The question is,

‘Are you being a good witness or a bad one?’”

Are you glorifying God with your life or

shaming Him?

Go before the Father as you consider these things.

Bible Ballistics: Memorial to Whom?? Vol 4 #3 May 25, 2014

As we spend this weekend honoring those in our military services, our thoughts go to those who now, and in the past have given themselves to guard and protect our freedoms. To honor those who made what we call the ‘ultimate sacrifice’. I’d like to take that thought and go in a different direction. While we are thankful for our servicemen and women, there is one who made the truly ‘ultimate’ sacrifice, who died to give us not only political freedom but eternal life and forgiveness of sin, for all who will trust Him.

Of course we are talking about our Lord Jesus Christ, and His sacrifice at the ‘Cross’. I’d like us to look at several scripture passages, and one rather lengthy passage, but well worth our attention. Jesus came, not to be a good example, though He was one, not to be a good teacher, though He was that also. All the good things that Jesus did: healing, teaching, preaching, leading, are good things but they are not why He came.

In the gospel of John, the apostle emphasizes the “I Am’s” of Jesus. One is John 10:9-11 and it reveals this same truth.

“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”

Jesus shares here that He is the ‘door’, and only way ‘in’, and that He gives ‘abundant’ life. That He is the ‘shepherd’ who gives HIS OWN LIFE for the sheep. The same principle that He proclaims in John 14:6,

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

And John 3:14-19, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

Jesus came to be lifted up—to give His life for us, that we can escape the condemnation of sin, yet only in Jesus. Because as Romans tells us, ‘all have sinned’, and ‘the wages of sin is death’, but ‘the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord…”. Yet men still reject the light and cling to their evil deeds and the darkness, knowing that Jesus gave His life for all who will believe: His light for man’s darkness of sin. Knowing that God…

“….. hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 ONLY IN HIM.

The death I deserved was put on Jesus—the sinless one. He, who created all of glory, put it aside to take on flesh, live a perfect life, and die a substitutionary death for ME—for YOU. Now let’s just look at the passage in Hebrews and see what it reveals about life in, with and through Jesus. Let God’s Word speak truth to your soul. His life for my death.  Because His death bought my life in HIM..

Hebrews 10:5-22, “Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.

He taketh away the first,

that he may establish the second.

10 By the which will we are sanctified

through the offering

of the body of Jesus Christ

once for all.

11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

12 But this man,

after he had offered

one sacrifice for sins for ever,

sat down on the right hand of God;

13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

14 For by one offering he hath

perfected for ever

them that are sanctified.

15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord,

I will put my laws into their hearts,

and in their minds will I write them;

17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

20 By a new and living way,

which he hath consecrated for us,

through the veil, that is to say,

his flesh;

21 And having an high priest

over the house of God;

22 Let us draw near with a true heart

in full assurance of faith,

having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience,

and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Just as John wrote, ‘….the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin’. (see 1 John 1:7). Things to ponder as we celebrate the sacrifice of our troops, and the sacrifice of our Lord, whose Holy Spirit writes Christ’s ways on our hearts when we come to Him in repentance and faith. May God bless, comfort and direct your steps to grow each of us in HIM.

As Paul called Timothy to do in 2 Timothy 2:1-4,

“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” Good soldier or AWOL???

Thanks for sharing your time and comments with me. You all are a blessing to my soul. ‘Praise God from whom all blessings flow’, past, present and future. What will you do with the ‘sacrifice’?

Bible Ballistics: “BBs” #6s   Seeking What Pt. 2 ?????

As we shared Wednesday, God is concerned about our hearts, that we’re seeking Him not the things of the world. Paul spoke important words to the church of Ephesus, as he left them for what was probably the last time. This is His warning to the “church”:

Acts 20:29-32, “ For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. 32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”

Paul knew, and we should also, that it may look like a duck, it may quack like a duck, but if it doesn’t align itself with the ‘whole counsel of God’—it ain’t a duck”. As Jesus himself said, we’ll face wolves in the world, and in the church—beware of who or what you are settling for, trusting and following:

Luke 10:3, “Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.” The world will be after us whenever and wherever Christ sends us out with the truth.

Matthew 7:15-16a, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. ……..?”

2 Peter 2:1, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”

They won’t just be on the outside; they’ll come into the fellowship. Check it out by the word, measure it true!!!

That is why we MUST read and study God’s word for ourselves. You can’t accept what someone says because they are charismatic, charming or alluring. Read the entire chapter of 2 Peter 2. You must know the word and stand on it. How?

By knowing Him and His Word.

2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

That means YOU and ME. Dig in and live it out. So you’ll know who is ‘wrongly’ dividing it!!!!

Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Keep your eyes on Jesus—

seek HIM,

don’t settle for the deceptions and lies.

 

Bible Ballistics: “BBs” #61   Seeking What?????

There are so many people around us searching for so many things. Fame, money, popularity, power, knowledge, influence. There is nothing wrong with any of these things; in and of themselves, but when they are our primary focus there is trouble. We all think that we are to be independent and providing for ourselves—especially Americans (well, some Americans)—but is that the right thing to seek for? Let’s see what we can find in God’s Word.

Wise men came to Jerusalem seeking a newborn king, and stirred up confusion.

Matthew 2:2, “ Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”

These men had one thing on their minds, to find the newborn king they had been ‘seeking’. Yet not one person followed them to Bethlehem to see if they found him. Why not? They apparently weren’t ‘seeking’ the Messiah.

John 12:20-21, “And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: 21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.”

A group of Greek men had come to Jerusalem and having heard about Jesus, came ‘seeking’ to worship HIM. Why? The religious leaders weren’t seeking to worship him, but to kill Him. Why were these men seeking Jesus? We’re not told the details but one thing speaks for itself, these who had come to Judaism to worship the true God, recognized the Messiah more readily than His own people.

John 1:10-11, “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not…”

What are you seeking today? Jesus and His will for your life? Or are you going along to get along? Are you standing for the KING of Kings, even when He is being maligned or ridiculed? Or are you so open-minded that you have no real thought for the Lord Jesus or His kingdom? Jesus himself gave us our marching orders—consider this, and we will see more next time.

Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

So?? Here’s our shot for today??? What or whom are you ‘seeking’? It’s a question with eternal import. Consider your answer and take it to the Lord, and ask Him if your ‘answer’ needs some attention.