Bible Ballistics: BBs #351     The Real GOOD NEWS!!!

 

“Moreover, brethren,

I declare unto you the gospel                        

which I preached unto you,

which also ye have received,

and wherein ye stand;

² By which also ye are saved,

if ye keep in memory what I preached

unto you,

unless ye have believed in vain.

³ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received,

how that Christ died for our sins

according to the scriptures;

⁴ And that he was buried,

and that he rose again the third day

according to the scriptures:

⁵ And that he was seen of Cephas,

then of the twelve:” 1 Corinthians 15:1-5

This is The Gospel—that Jesus “died for our sins”, my sin and yours; that He “was buried“—He died for us; and that He “rose again the third day”; all of this done “according to the scriptures“; all that we might have eternal life. Jesus Himself talked of this sacrifice in John 3. (See Is. 53)

“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.”  John 3:14-19

Jesus came that we might have life!

The choice is yours; will you believe in and receive what HE has already done for you? It is a choice of “life” or “death”, but death that has already been overcome if we will but repent of our sin, and trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sin.

“If we say that we have fellowship with him,

and walk in darkness,

we lie,                                                    

and do not the truth:

⁷ But if we walk in the light,

as he is in the light,                                        

we have fellowship one with another,

and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son

cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:6-7

The very same message that Jesus gave Nicodemus; it is a choice of light-vs-dark! Because “men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” they are condemned already. Jesus loves mankind, and died that we might have life, and yet many choose to refuse the grace and mercy of God and die in their sin. God has given every person the privilege to choose, but there is a consequence for every choice. You are either under the “blood” or you owe your own “sin debt”!

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23

“For the wages of sin is death;

but the gift of God is eternal life

through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Sin, we all have it, and there is a ‘sin debt’ due, but the Good News is that Jesus has paid the ‘sin debt’ for all who will come to Him in repentance and faith. What will you choose to do about your debt? Jesus is calling today!

Bible Ballistics: BBs #350     Only ONE Name Will Save!!!

 

“Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that

by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,

whom ye crucified,                                      

whom God raised from the dead,              

even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

¹¹ This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders,

which is become the head of the corner.

¹² Neither is there salvation in any other:

for there is none other name under heaven

given among men,

whereby we must be saved.

¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:10-13

As we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of The Lord Jesus Christ, I’d like us to take just a few minutes today to consider whether our focus is on the ONE who saves, rather than all the other distractions of the ‘season’.

What a great testament to The Lord’s great love, power and saving work, that the disciples of the risen Lord—the resurrected Lord—the soon coming Lord and King—would have it said of their behavior: “they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” What a testimony!!! May it ever be said of us that we have “been with Jesus”! And while we obviously can’t “be” with Jesus in the flesh, when we come to Him in repentance and faith, we are brought into His presence and His Spirit is given to us, that we might reflect His glory, grace and love to a lost and dying world that we have “been with Jesus”.

This encounter of the disciples, gives us one of the most powerful and concise proclamations of the Gospel in all scripture—they boldly proclaimed to the religious leaders who were questioning the healing of the impotent man, the truth that it was all about JESUS! And what was so powerful about what they said? It was the truth about Jesus!

“This is the stone….      

the head of the corner……

Neither is there salvation in any other…..

for there is none other name under heaven

given among men,

whereby we must be saved….”

And friends, that is what we celebrate in the Resurrection of The Lord Jesus Christ. He bought our salvation with “His own blood”! And regardless of what the world around us says—there is only One way, and His name is Jesus. Just like the little ditty that I saw recently; “It’s not about the ‘bunny’, it IS about ‘The Lamb” of God!

So my simple question to you is: What have YOU done with The Lamb? Do you know Him? If not He’s waiting for you to hear His voice and respond in repentance and faith to His sacrifice and victory for YOU! If you know Him, can it be said of your life that you have “been with Jesus”! Or do people ask it as a question: “He/she has ‘been with Jesus?” Give it some thought this week! Blessings on your day!

Bible Ballistics: Vol. 9 No.15    Rejoicing Or Rejecting!!!

 

As many celebrate “Palm Sunday”, the day that Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the First Day of the week into Jerusalem; the week that would bring His last days of ministry, His trials, His death, burial, and His triumphant resurrection one week later. And in all of this, we must understand that Jesus knew what was before Him! He had tried to prepare the disciples for what was coming; yet they had no way to understand what God was about to do! Yet we have the advantage of knowing, as Paul Harvey would say, the “rest of the story”! Jesus rose victorious over sin, death and hell, and because of His atoning sacrifice we can have eternal life through the ‘blood of The Lamb’!

So let’s jump in and see what we can learn from this event in the life of our Lord.

“ And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. ⁹ And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. ¹⁰ And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? ¹¹ And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.” Matthew 21:8-11

As Jesus came into the city, the crowds gathered—crowds that were in Jerusalem for the Passover; crowds that were curious about this itinerate Rabbi from Nazareth; crowds that were eager to see miracles; crowds that were looking for something. Yet many in those crowds only observers looking for a thrill rather than truth (ring any bells?). Why do I say that, you might ask? Well, I can say that because only a few days later their cry was quickly turned from shouts of “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him”! What happened? Nothing that doesn’t still happen every day—people motivated by a mob mentality rather than truth. In fact even as Jesus entered into Jerusalem, amidst the crowds praising God, there were those who were rejecting Him even then.

“And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; ³⁸ Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

³⁹ And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

⁴⁰ And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. ⁴¹ And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, ⁴² Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.” Luke 19:37-42

The leaders were “offended” by the people’s praise of this traveling Rabbi from Nazareth! They chose to reject who He was, what He did among the people, or any consideration of what HE came to do. They saw the “Messiah” of The Lord God Almighty, and failed to recognize Him. And because they rejected ‘who’ He was, they missed redemption, salvation and new life in Jesus! What about you?

“And he said unto them,

Ye are from beneath;

I am from above:

ye are of this world;

I am not of this world.

²⁴ I said therefore unto you,

that ye shall die in your sins:

for if ye believe not that I am he,

ye shall die in your sins.

²⁵ Then said they unto him, Who art thou?

And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.

²⁶ I have many things to say and to judge of you:

but he that sent me is true;

and I speak to the world

those things which I have heard of him.

²⁷ They understood not

that he spake to them of the Father.”   John 8:23-27

Jesus declared, “ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” Jesus is the Only Way—He said it clearly here and in John 14:6, “I AM The Way, The Truth and The Life”, and He also said plainly that “no man comes unto the Father but by me….”! In John 8, Jesus says clearly and simply that unless we believe that HE IS God—the God man, savior, redeemer, sent from the Father—we will die “IN” our sins. Jesus came to die “for” our sins, so that we wouldn’t have to die “in” our sins. Because the wages “of sin” is death! Only Jesus gives eternal life, redemption and the new birth of salvation—then and now! (See Romans 3:23 & 6:23)

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. ¹⁸ And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;” 2 Corinthians 5:17-18

When we receive salvation through the blood of Jesus, we are made “a new creature” in Him. And receiving HIM gives us cause to rejoice. Or you can reject Him and pay the eternal consequences of your own sin. Like the crowd who cheered for Jesus on Sunday, yet had a 180-degree change in just four days.

“And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? ¹³ And they cried out again, Crucify him. ¹⁴ Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.” Mark 15:12-14

“But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. ²¹ The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. ²² Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.” Matthew 27:20-22

“Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. ²¹ But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.” Luke 23:20-21

“And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! ¹⁵ But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. ¹⁶ Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.” John 19:14-16

The choice before the people on both occasions was “what would they do with Jesus”! And we face the same question today, “What will YOU do with Jesus?” Will you be with the crowd on Palm Sunday, and shout His praises with truth and devotion? Or will you be one of those who were praising Him one day and only a few days later, instead of shouting our “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest”, they were shouting “Away with him, away with him, crucify him……. We have no king but Caesar”! No king but Caesar? Really? What happened to the “son of David”—King Jesus? What happened then is the same thing that happens now, much like the parable of the sower and the seed, there are those who reject Him right off the cuff, there are those who shout His praises, but have no real recognition of His deity or His saving power because they have no relationship of salvation with the Master!

“Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. ¹⁹ When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. ²⁰ But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; ²¹ Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. ²² He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. ²³ But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Matthew 13:18-23

Without getting into the depths of this parable, for our purposes, I just want us to understand and see that there are always those who follow whatever others are doing—they follow almost mindlessly, they have no real relationship with Jesus at all. There are also those who jump on the bandwagon with seemingly great zeal, but they have no real root (they aren’t genuine!) and so they loose heart and interest when difficulty comes, or something newer comes along. There are also those who may or may not be genuine, but are drawn away by the lure of the world, and become unfruitful. And lastly Jesus describes those who come to Him in genuine repentance and faith—Jesus describes them as those who “heareth the word, …understandeth …. beareth fruit…and bringeth forth”!

It is so important that we don’t miss what Jesus said about those who “bear fruit”—Jesus said that they bear “some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty”! Not everyone has the same gifts, or the same opportunities, or the same places of service; but every believer is capable and responsible to allow The Lord to produce His fruit as we follow HIm and yield our lives to Him and devote ourselves to His work.

The question isn’t can we bear fruit, but will we bear fruit. Are we attached to the “vine”, Jesus? Are we following Him and His ways? Are we rejoicing IN HIM, His Word and His ways, or are we rejecting Him in subtle ways. Are we joining the crowd when they are praising, and just as willingly joining in when they scream, “crucify HIM”?

Will we choose to be faithful believers and followers of Jesus, and rejoice in all His ways? Will we follow Him in the difficult times as well as the good times? Will you rejoice or reject? Will you follow Him to the cross and trust Him for salvation, or will you be one of those who mocked Him at the cross, even as He was paying for the sin of the world?

“And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. ⁴¹ Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, ⁴² He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.” Matthew 27:40-42

“And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, ³⁰ Save thyself, and come down from the cross. ³¹ Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. ³² Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.” Mark 15:29-32

I find it interesting that they remembered His words, but they refused to believe! They knew that He claimed to be God, which made Him the “King of the Jews”, but they refused to believe Him. They saw with eyes that didn’t perceive truth, they heard the words with their ears but not their hearts. They were in the very presence of the Son of God, yet they chose not to believe; yet Jesus had already told them that without believing in Him as the very Son of God, they would “die in your sins”!!! They chose!

How about you? Have you trusted Him for your salvation? Are you praising Him for His grace and mercy? Or are you simply ‘going along to get along’? Will you stand fast for Jesus or will you reject the One who loved you enough to stay on that cross and not come down? And He could have come down! But for love of you and me—He died and rose victorious over sin, death and hell! Rejoicing or Rejecting? Choose wisely, there is a test at the end!

Bible Ballistics: BBs #349         Peace In HIS Presence!!!

 

With chaos and turmoil all around us, where do we find peace? In a word, real peace can only be found in “God”! And God’s peace is available to those who come to Jesus in repentance and faith—both “peace with God”, and the “peace of God”. Jesus paid the price for “peace with God” at Calvary, and those who come to Him have peace with God, but they also have the “peace of God” in their lives.

“Therefore being justified by faith,

we have peace with God

through our Lord Jesus Christ:

² By whom also we have access

by faith

into this grace

wherein we stand,

and rejoice in hope

of the glory of God.

³ And not only so,

but we glory in tribulations also:          

knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

⁴ And patience, experience;                            

and experience, hope:                                

⁵ And hope maketh not ashamed;              

because the love of God

is shed abroad in our hearts

by the Holy Ghost

which is given unto us.

⁶ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

⁸ But God commendeth his love

toward us,

in that,

while we were yet sinners,

Christ died for us.” Romans 5:1-8

Did you get that? God cares about us–“while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”—Jesus didn’t wait for us to become good enough, HE died for sinners; He saves sinners and transforms them into saints! Calvary’s sacrifice offers “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” to all who will receive the gift of salvation by grace, through faith in the life-changing atonement Jesus made on the cross, when HE shed HIS blood willingly for you and me!

But it doesn’t stop there, God doesn’t simply declare that we have ‘peace’; HE is our peace, in Jesus. Oh, the joy of knowing His presence and the peace that we have when we walk with Him, that peace which the world can’t understand!

“Be careful for nothing;

but in every thing by prayer

and supplication

with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known

unto God.

⁷ And the peace of God,

which passeth all understanding,

shall keep your hearts

and minds

through Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brethren,

whatsoever things are true,

whatsoever things are honest,

whatsoever things are just,

whatsoever things are pure,

whatsoever things are lovely,

whatsoever things are of good report;

if there be any virtue,

and if there be any praise,

think on these things.” Philippians 4:6-8

God’s peace accompanies our yieldedness and obedience, as we exercise control over our hearts, minds and actions. As Paul so succinctly reminds us, we must be diligent to “think on these things”. We must resist the temptations to be distracted, disturbed or depressed by the things going on around us, while resting in the “peace of God” that flows from having “peace with God”; remembering that He gave His all for our salvation and peace! That’s real peace!

“We love him, because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

Will you walk in His peace today? It’s your choice, His peace or the world’s turmoil. I’ll take Jesus every time!

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Romans 14:17

Bible Ballistics: BBs #348           Steadfast In The Race???

 

Talking about racing isn’t something that I’m very familiar with, since I don’t run—in fact I’ve always done well to be able to walk without stumbling. I’m a bit clumsy at times so racing was never something that I pursued or excelled at in the physical realm, but we are called to “run with patience the race that is set before us”. (See Hebrews 12:1-2)

The thing that I have observed about racing is that the runner must be focused on “his own race/lane” and not what is going on around him. If he tries to glance behind him, he will loose his own focus and perhaps slow down, stumble or even fall behind. It is the same in the spiritual realm! We must keep our eyes focused on the prize—Jesus; we must run “our own race” in obedience to what our LORD is leading us to do; we must persevere in practice, training and purpose to run successfully. And God calls us to run this race before us with patience, in His strength and power.

“That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;” Colossians 1:10-11

Did you get that? We are called to work, run, serve and minister in HIS strength and might; to be empowered by HIS “glorious power”; and, oh my, not the “P” word, with “all patience and longsuffering”! We are to exercise patience and longsuffering—the two biblical words that encompass all “patience”, one regarding circumstances (abiding under the load), and the other regarding people (putting up with)! But there’s even more—we are not only called to run with patience and longsuffering/endurance, but to exercise these “with joyfulness”!

Now I have to tell you that is a big one for me—I struggle to always and immediately rejoice when I encounter things that require patience and/or longsuffering on my part. But it’s what we are called to do. But how? Well my friends, there is only one way, and that is to always be walking “in the Spirit” of our Lord (See Galatians 5:16 & 25). To be “Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power”! We must avail ourselves of all the spiritual resources that are found only in Jesus! It is by His power that we can run successfully, and consistently. And we must run—other people’s eternity may depend upon it!

So take heart friends, Jesus has bought the victory for us, and we must simply follow Him, for it is by His power, strength, grace and mercy that we will find the hope and strength to patiently run—even those of us who aren’t necessarily ‘runners’ by nature. We are equipped and empowered by our Lord to “run to win”!

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:57-58

 Thank you Paul for reminding us that the victory belongs to the One who bought us with His precious blood. So take heart friend, we may get tired—but IN JESUS, we win!