Category Archives: ‘Come unto me

Without A Preacher??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #149

30 Monday Oct 2023

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A heart of faith, Abiding IN Jesus or the World?, All About Jesus!, Gospel, Heaven or Hell?, Jesus Is Coming Again., Power of The Cross, Preach Christ and HIM crucified!, Preaching Jesus, Preaching truth about SIN, The foolishness of preaching

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Without A Preacher???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #149

There is a lot going on these days that purports to be spreading the Gospel, but I find a lot of it not only deficient, but near if not total heresy!  So let’s see what God’s Word has to say to us today, and heed it, live it and share it!  Let’s begin with Paul’s ‘Gospel in a nutshell’.

“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

Take note that Paul not only shared the truth of Jesus being our only way of salvation succinctly, but he also made it very clear that the cause of the need for salvation is SIN; an issue that so many today don’t want to talk about.  They want to talk about prosperity, a good life, peace, joy, and love (and Jesus will bring you peace, joy, and love, but not without repentance and faith in HIS substitutionary, atoning sacrifice for SIN!) yet more often than not leave out the subject of sin—and if I have no sin, I have no need of a Savior!  Jesus Himself said that He came to call ‘sinners’ to repentance (See Matthew 9:13, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:32) for those who ‘think’ they are righteous have no need of a Savior.  I wish we had time to go through the first three chapters of Romans, where Paul leads us to see the three types of sinners, and just to simplify it for today, he starts by his bold declaration of his confidence of the Gospel, then on in chapter 1 to describe the openly, willful sinners; then in chapter 2 he confronts the “SELF-righteous” sinners; before going on to boldly proclaim the state of us all as the “NONE-righteous”!  But to keep it comfortable for people, we have compromised this message of and need for us to see our sin before we will ever come to the JESUS! We have conveniently neglected the message of “all have sinned” and call people to just ‘say this prayer’, ‘walk this aisle’, demand that God save you because you ‘called the name of Jesus’.

“So, as much as in me is,

I am ready to preach the gospel

to you that are at Rome also.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:

for it is the power of God unto salvation

to every one that believeth;

to the Jew first,

and also to the Greek.

17 For therein is the righteousness of God

revealed from faith to faith:

as it is written,

The just shall live by faith.”  Romans 1:15-17

Paul was confident of his preaching, for preaching was God’s chosen method to get the word out—not programs, props, or entertainment (not that there is anything wrong with those things in and of themselves, but they cannot take the place of ‘Preaching’ the Gospel)!

“Where is the wise?

where is the scribe?

where is the disputer of this world?

hath not God made foolish

the wisdom of this world?

21 For after that in the wisdom of God

the world by wisdom knew not God,

it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching

to save them that believe.”  1 Corinthians 1:20-21

And one of my favorite passages:

“For whosoever shall call

upon the name of the Lord

shall be saved.

14 How then shall they call

on him in whom they have not believed?

and how shall they believe

in him of whom they have not heard?

and how shall they hear

without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach,

except they be sent?

as it is written,

How beautiful are the feet of them

that preach the gospel of peace,

and bring glad tidings

of good things!”  Romans 10:13-15

It’s God’s WORD, and not only was Paul unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus, but he was confident in its power, and the clear truth that it is ALL about JESUS—HIS sacrifice for sin—and the need for salvation.  But if we never see our sin, if we never preach about sin, who will see the value of Jesus’ sacrifice?  NO ONE!  The other thing that we seem to have forgotten is that the convicting power of The Holy Spirit is essential to the genuine conversion of lost souls—Jesus words make it clear.

“No man can come to me,

except the Father

which hath sent me

draw him:

and I will raise him up at the last day.”  John 6:44

“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.

12 But as many as received him,

to them gave he power

to become the sons of God,

even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born,

not of blood,

nor of the will of the flesh,

nor of the will of man,

but of God.”  John 1:10-13

“Jesus saith unto him,

I am

the way,

the truth,

and the life:

no man cometh unto the Father,

but by me.”  John 14:6

Jesus is THE WAY—THE only way, and without HIS sacrifice for my/your sin there is no hope.  Who wants to go to heaven anyway, when you have no desire for God in this world, no desire for HIS ways, no pleasure in HIS Word, no time for HIS work or to hear the preaching of truth?

“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

Did you get what the opposition said about the disciples, “they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus”?  What do people notice about you and me?  Do they see that we have “been with Jesus” or do they see a reflection of the world instead of the ONE whom we claim as our LORD and Savior?  I believe that will be one of the greatest indictments of this generation when we stand before our God—and yes real believers will give an account of our actions (not for heaven or hell, but for rewards or lack thereof), our stewardship and our service to The King, and our integrity toward HIS WORD!  Those who have not believed and received Jesus’ salvation will also give an account but not for destiny, they will have already chosen hell—sad, but true!  What Gospel are you preaching with your life as well as your words.  Paul gives us some amazing tidbits of truth to measure our testimony by!

“For I determined not to know any thing among you,

save Jesus Christ,

and him crucified.”  1 Corinthians 2:2

“But God forbid that I should glory,

save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,

by whom the world is crucified unto me,

and I unto the world.”  Galatians 6:14

“For the preaching of the cross

is to them that perish foolishness;

but unto us which are saved

it is the power of God.”  1 Corinthians 1:18

“For we preach not ourselves,

but Christ Jesus the Lord;

and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

6 For God,

who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,

hath shined in our hearts,

to give the light of the knowledge

of the glory of God

in the face of Jesus Christ.”   2 Corinthians 4:5-6

So what Gospel are you/I preaching?  Living?  Sharing by our life, conversation, choices, activities?  Jesus is coming my dear friends, and HE knows all things and will reward every man accordingly—heaven or hell!  It’s your choice but choose wisely, there is a test!  (See Revelation 20:11-15). Have you been born again?  Is your name written in The Lamb’s Book of Life?   Jesus is the only way, it’s why He came– that we might have life—but HE will never force Himself on anyone, including YOU!

“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 3:16-19

“Therefore if any man be in Christ,

he is a new creature:

old things are passed away;

behold, all things are become new.”   2 Corinthians 5:17

May the truth of Jesus prevail in our lives!  Preach it, brother, preach it!!!

Amen and Amen!!!

Listening NOW Is Best??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #146

23 Monday Oct 2023

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Father's Love, A Form of godliness?, A heart of faith, Abiding In Jesus, Abundant Life In Jesus, Advice for the journey, All About Jesus!, Christ IN YOU, HOPE, Jesus Saves!, Jesus' Sacrifice, Jesus--our all in all, Redemption Through HIS Blood, Regrets, Restoration

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Listening NOW Is Best???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #146

“Finally, my brethren,

be strong

in the Lord,

and in the power of his might…

…11 Put on the whole armour of God,

that ye may be able to stand

against the wiles of the devil…

…13 Wherefore take unto you

the whole armour of God,

that ye may be able to withstand

in the evil day,

and having done all,

to stand.

14 Stand therefore…”. Portions of Ephesians 6:10-18

The armor of God is our essential to being able to “stand” for God, His truth, His Word, and His ways.  It makes me sad that today we are so deficient in teaching The Word of God not only to adults, but to our children.  We spend so much time entertaining them, giving them snacks and having ‘fun’ that there is little time to impress upon them the truths of God’s Word; and while I truly believe the the major deficiency is in the home, the church is also at fault.  It seems that we are so concerned with getting the “crowds” into our buildings, that we work to make them ‘feel good’ and forget that the convicting work of The Holy Spirit seldom ‘feels good’, but without it there will never be a real, genuine, or powerful work of God in our midst (and yes, that is my opinion).  Oh, that we might hear the voice of Jesus and turn our hearts and minds to Him that we might be able to “STAND” for truth in this “evil day”—and yes, my friends it is upon us!  Five times in this brief passage Paull reminds us to be ‘strong’ and to ‘stand’!  Will we stand on The Word of God or fail?

Jesus called us to stand for HIM and to follow HIM not the world, or the popular, or the plans, programs, and ideas that the world uses!  Now I am not against fun, I remember great and glorious times of fun, fellowship and delight as a child, but it never took the place of Bible Study or leaning The Word of God.  I remember two- and three-week Bible Schools, and revivals that lasted that long also—not just 3 days!  Don’t faint, they were amazing times of seeing God work, and we learned Bible verses by the score, many that I remember today came from that training of childhood; but that’s not the main thing I want to consider, but I do want us to base it all on The Word of God not my words; which I hope will help you, but our main-stay must be what God says, HE IS our Lode Star (a star that leads THE way!)

“Saying,

The Son of man must suffer many things,

and be rejected

 of the elders and chief priests and scribes,

and be slain,

and be raised the third day.

23 And he said to them all,

If any man will come after me,

let him deny himself,

and take up his cross daily,

and follow me.

24 For whosoever will save his life

shall lose it:

but whosoever will lose his life for my sake,

the same shall save it.

25 For what is a man advantaged,

if he gain the whole world,

and lose himself,

or be cast away?

26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me

and of my words,

of him shall the Son of man be ashamed,

when he shall come in his own glory,

and in his Father’s,

and of the holy angels.”  Luke 9:22-26

 Let’s assess this from the bottom up, if you would, for I think we often quote these verses but miss a real part of the meaning.  We get it that denying Jesus will result in condemnation (See John 3:1-19) but we can reject Jesus in more subtle ways that we often miss, and for some that will be an eternally consequent error!  We can deny Jesus by rejecting His sacrifice, but we can also be guilty of rejecting Jesus’ Words—scripture—for living; and in our culture we are denying it wholesale—we deny the creative order of male and female and try to rewrite what Jesus said clearly and without hesitation—isn’t that denying HIS words?  We say that salvation is a “pray this prayer, say these words, and Jesus will save you”, leaving off any word of seeing sin as sin, repentance, or cross-bearing!  Would this not be denying Jesus?  What Gospel are we sharing?

We need to listen to God’s Word TODAY!  As a ‘senior citizen’ (and I’ll leave it at that, but I’ve lived a long time and have an abundance of regrets some of which I hope to help you avoid!) I have experiences that aren’t the thing I want to share, but I want to share with you the heartache of failing to heed Jesus’ Words, of delaying obedience to my Lord, of just plain missing the boat!  And I must tell you that the pain of regrets is a reality, but it has no comparison to the joy of obeying Jesus—when, where, and how HE calls us to be, do and follow Him, taking the cross to a lost and dying world.  The eternal destiny of others can be dependent upon our choice to obey or reject HIS call; what will we do with Jesus and His Word.  Are you in The Word enough to know what HE has said?  There is a joy to obeying God that has no equal.  I can’t tell you the joy I find in Jesus and obeying HIS call; but I can also tell you that the pain of regrets of failing HIM, and missing the mark are often painful reminders of my own sinful flesh—but praise God for forgiveness, cleansing and restoration to useful service!  I am so grateful that JESUS is The I AM—The One who CAN—The One who WILL!!

Don’t let the enemy come and destroy your joy over past regrets and failures—you go to 1 John 1:9 and do business with Jesus in confessing your sin and failures, asking for HIS open arms of forgiveness to wrap around you, and letting HIM cleanse you and restore whatever needs restoring (yet remembering that some times and things that we have broken, can’t be put back together, but if they can, HE will, and if not He gives us the grace to go on with open eyes to our failures, and confidence in HIS power to restore us to usefulness to HIM and HIS kingdom.  He’s waiting for you today!

“If we confess our sins,

he is faithful and just

to forgive us our sins,

and to cleanse us

 from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned,

we make him a liar,

and his word is not in us.”  1 John 1:9-10

May we accept HIS love and care for us or be lost because we cling to our own way, our own righteousness, and miss heaven by a regret!  Remember Jesus’ own message to the church at Laodicea—a church who thought they had it all, but Jesus was ‘outside’ knocking on the door!  Are you in the church, but not IN Jesus?  He’s still calling!  Won’t you open the door and let The Master save, heal, and equip you for HIS service!  Jesus does good work—as I heard once, “Jesus doesn’t make any ‘Junk’!”

“Behold,

I stand at the door,

and knock:

if any man hear my voice,

and open the door,

I will come in to him,

and will sup with him,

and he with me.”  Revelation 3:20

I pray that you will hear HIS voice and open that door!

Amen and Amen!!!

Nothing Or Something??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #145

18 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Father's Love, A heart of faith, Abiding In Jesus, Abiding IN Jesus or the World?, Abiding In The Vine, Advice for the journey, All About Jesus!, Almost But Lost, Amazing Grace, Are you clean?, Are You Ready, Are you ready for Jesus' return?, Are you ready?, Grace, Greater is HE that is IN US!, JESUS, Jesus IN You!, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Jesus Knows, Jesus Knows YOUR Storm, Jesus Never Fails, Jesus Saves!, Something out of nothing

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Nothing Or Something???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #145

 

I have a relatively brief word for us today—and I say ‘us’, for I need this reminder and encouragement today, and thought you might as well.

Jesus’ message to His disciples just before His death, calls us to devotion with a most solemn statement of truth that we need to be reminded of—or maybe it’s just me?  Either way, let’s dig in.

“I am the true vine,

and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit

he taketh away:

and every branch that beareth fruit,

he purgeth it,

that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean

through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me,

and I in you.

 As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,

except it abide in the vine;

no more can ye,

except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine,

ye are the branches:

He that abideth in me,

and I in him,

the same bringeth forth much fruit:

for without me

ye can do nothing.”  John 15:1-5

Without Jesus, I would be nothing, but HE took this cracked pot—broken in pieces—and made it all anew by HIS blood, HIS love, HIS forgiveness, and HIS grace.  He gave me (and you, if you’ve been truly born again!) HIS indwelling Holy Spirit to guide me into HIS truth, by knowing HIS WORD, to convict, to encourage, to lead and intercede when we have no words!  OH what a Savior Friend is Jesus, and because of what HE has done in/for me, I can truly be one of God’s creations of ‘something out of nothing’, as Paul made clear.

“As it is written,

There is none righteous,

no, not one:” Romans 3:10

Because I was a lost and wandering sinner (even within and active in a church—a good church) Jesus came to me and broke my heart for my own sin and saved me.  I fell on my face before HIM, broken and wretched—I got up redeemed, forgiven and cleansed.  OH, what a Savior– to do for me what no one else could do, not even myself.  And because of what HE has done, I/we can now say “I CAN”!  All because Jesus said…”I AM”…”I can”….”I will”!  And HE did it all for you and me on Calvary!

“I can do all things

through Christ

which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13

Press on my friend, if you know Jesus walk on in power, grace, love, and wisdom; if you don’t know HIM, you can by hearing the voice of God’s Holy Spirit calling to your heart to see your sin as sin, to turn to Jesus in repentance of that very sin—yes all of it—and believing/trusting in HIS substitutionary, atoning sacrifice for your sin and mine!  OH, what a Savior!  Oh, what a friend!!!  I am praying for you even now!

“Giving thanks unto the Father,

which hath made us meet to be partakers

of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13 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:”                Colossians 1:12-14

Amen and Amen!!!

Like Jesus Not Each Other??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #142

11 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Father's Love, A Form of godliness?, Abiding In Jesus, Following Jesus, Help from The Lord, Here am I send me!, JESUS, Jesus call, Jesus IN You!, Jesus IS The Gift!, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Jesus Is Truth, Jesus Knows, Jesus Saves!, Jesus--our all in all, Like Jesus NOT Each Other, Not a competition

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Like Jesus Not Each Other???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #142

I’d like to share a word that The Lord brought to my mind and heart recently and maybe it will resonate with you as well.  We live in a hostile and divided world, a country where we are at odds with one another; it shouldn’t be so in the Body of Christ.

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,

beseech you that ye walk worthy

of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

2 With all

lowliness

and meekness,

with longsuffering,

forbearing one another

in love;

3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit

in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body,

and one Spirit,

even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord,

one faith,

one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all,

who is above all,

and through all,

and in you all.

7 But unto every one of us

is given grace

according to the measure of the gift

of Christ…

….11 And he gave some,

apostles;

and some,

prophets;

and some,

evangelists;

and some,

pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints,

for the work of the ministry,

for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith,

and of the knowledge of the Son of God,

unto a perfect man,

unto the measure of the stature

of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children,

tossed to and fro,

and carried about with every wind of doctrine,

by the sleight of men,

and cunning craftiness,

whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love,

may grow up into him

in all things,

which is the head,

even Christ:” Portions of Ephesians 4:1-15

We are called by God unto The Lord Jesus, who by the power and indwelling Holy Spirit, gifts, equips, and uses us when, where, how and as HE sees fit.  Yet so often we think that everyone else has to minister “like I do”!  Everyone has to understand what I do!  Everyone who is right with Jesus has to agree with “me”! Duh!  Not necessarily so!  In fact Paul was telling the believers in Ephesus (and us) that we are to work together by the power, gifting, and love of Jesus, which should produce “unity” NOT “uniformity”!  Sometimes we who live in America, forget that God calls us to ‘godly DEPENDENCE’ AND ‘godly interdependence’ NOT that “good ol’ American INDEPENDENCE”!  As the modern proverb is so often slung about, “It’s MY way or the highway!”  Jesus said something that I often have to be reminded of, because I forget it so often in my own zeal and ardor for The Word of God.  Just as Jesus sent out the ‘apostles’ to different places, to encounter unique and different people, with the truth of The Gospel—that Jesus, Himself, would be “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (See 1 Corinthians 15:1-5)!  Upon that we stand, not all the little nuances and uniquenesses of our individuality.  As long as it matches The Word of God, we are to work within our own giftings and callings from JESUS Himself!

We aren’t to be clannish, or judge others who carry out God’s work differently than “I” do, according to the truths in The Word!  Jesus had to adjust the thinking of His own disciples—those who walked the closest with HIM.  How about you and me; don’t we often miss it also (Just remember that the ‘wisdom of this world isn’t God’s wisdom)?

“Then there arose a reasoning among them,

which of them should be greatest.

47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart,

took a child,

and set him by him,

48 And said unto them,

Whosoever shall receive this child

in my name

receiveth me:

and whosoever shall receive me

receiveth him that sent me:

for he that is least among you all,

the same shall be great.

49 And John answered and said,

Master,

we saw one casting out devils

in thy name;

 and we forbad him,

because he followeth not with us.

50 And Jesus said unto him,

Forbid him not:

for he that is not against us

is for us.”  Luke 9:46-50

Sounds like a lot of believers today, doesn’t it?  Oh, that Jesus could mold my heart to see what HE sees, to go where, when, and how HE is leading “me” and allow others to do the same, as long as it isn’t in conflict with The WORD of GOD!  GRACE is a big word, that we often use selectively, and often remove the “amazing” from it!

Paul addressed this same issue in Romans 14, and I’ll share it with you that you may ponder what he says, and you and I can, as they say, mull it over—take it before our LORD—and walk worthy of our calling!  While this is a lengthy passage, I think it worth our attention, and I encourage you (as well as myself—for I can be as harsh as anyone, when my flesh jumps ahead of The Holy Spirit who is working ‘in me’ and ‘in you’) to consider that there are others besides ‘us’ who belong to Jesus!

“Him that is weak in the faith

receive ye,

but not to doubtful disputations.

2 For one believeth that he may eat all things:

another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

3 Let not him that eateth

despise him that eateth not;

and let not him which eateth not

judge him that eateth:

for God hath received him.

4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant?

to his own master he standeth or falleth.

Yea, he shall be holden up:

for God is able to make him stand.

5 One man esteemeth one day above another:

another esteemeth every day alike.

Let every man be fully persuaded

in his own mind.

6 He that regardeth the day,

regardeth it unto the Lord;

and he that regardeth not the day,

to the Lord he doth not regard it.

He that eateth,

eateth to the Lord,

for he giveth God thanks;

and he that eateth not,

to the Lord he eateth not,

and giveth God thanks.

7 For none of us liveth to himself,

and no man dieth to himself.

8 For whether we live,

we live unto the Lord;

and whether we die,

we die unto the Lord:

whether we live therefore,

or die,

we are the Lord’s.

9 For to this end

Christ both died,

and rose,

and revived,

that he might be Lord

both of the dead and living.

10 But why dost thou judge thy brother?

or why dost thou set at nought thy brother?

for we shall all stand

before the judgment seat of Christ.

11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord,

every knee shall bow to me,

and every tongue shall confess to God.”   Romans 14:1-11

May we each continually be “sharpeners” for God’s purposes and glory, and the good of all the brethren! (And remember that “the judgment seat of Christ” is for believers only!)

“Iron

sharpeneth iron;

so a man sharpeneth

the countenance of his friend.”  Proverbs 27:17

So, let’s get to sharpening!!!  Keeping our eyes on the PRIZE!!!

“Greater love hath no man than this,

that a man lay down his life

for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends,

if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants;

for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth:

but I have called you friends;

for all things that I have heard of my Father

I have made known unto you.”  John 15:13-15

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples,

If any man will come after me,

let him deny himself,

and take up his cross,

and follow me.

25 For whosoever will save his life

shall lose it:

and whosoever will lose his life for my

sake shall find it.”  Matthew 16:24-25

May we join with Paul, in his proclamation of faithful service to our KING in Galatians 2:20

“I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

yet not I,

but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live in the flesh

I live by the faith of the Son of God,

who loved me,

and gave himself for me.”

Amen and Amen!!!

Lies People Believe??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #135

24 Sunday Sep 2023

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Form of godliness?, Abiding IN Jesus or the World?, Behold the Lamb of God, Believe God?, Believe IN Jesus, God Knows, God's Faithfulness, God's Judgment, God's love, God's measure isn't ours, God's ways are not our ways, God's Wisdom, Lies That Defeat Us, Life or Death?, Satan, True Gospel, True Knowledge, Trust God, Trusting God

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 Lies People Believe???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #135

As I look around me, it seems that on every hand people are drowning in the lies of the enemy of our souls—Satan the great deceiver.  Who said so?  God’s Word says so, and if we don’t acquaint ourselves with what God has said in His Word, we are likely to fall for those lies ourselves.  Our young people have no hope, they don’t know who or what they are because the world is lying to them, and even professing Christians seem to be falling for and failing to recognize those very lies!  God’s Word isn’t outdated, or false, or unreliable—it is the VERY WORD OF GOD, and without it we have no hope at all—but God’s Word is true in every “jot and tittle” as Jesus said!  Whom will you believe?

“And the great dragon was cast out,

that old serpent,

called the Devil,

and Satan,

which deceiveth the whole world:

he was cast out into the earth,

and his angels were cast out with him.”  Revelation 12:9

There is a day coming when God will cast Satan and his angels down to the earth—an awful day of judgment for them, as well as for the inhabitants of earth.  I won’t get into the debate of the time of this event, but I will put it simply, they were cast out of any heavenly access.

“And there was war in heaven:

Michael and his angels

fought against the dragon;

and the dragon fought and his angels,

8 And prevailed not;

neither was their place found any more

in heaven.”  Revelation 12:7-8

The account described here, in my opinion, can’t have taken place before the ‘beginning’ and there is scriptural evidence that we will consider, simply for clarity.  If this event preceded the things that are recorded in scripture, then there would be no record of Satan encountering God in His heaven, but there are several places in scripture where this is referred to, and I want us to just let scripture say what scripture says (and I would encourage you to read Job 1 & 2 for the whole picture.).  In this particular context, the “sons of God” refers to angelic beings, not men!

“Now there was a day when the sons of God

came to present themselves before the LORD,

and Satan came also among them.

7 And the LORD said unto Satan,

Whence comest thou?

Then Satan answered the LORD, and said,

From going to and fro in the earth,

and from walking up and down in it.

8 And the LORD said unto Satan,

Hast thou considered my servant Job,

that there is none like him in the earth,

a perfect and an upright man,

one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said,

Doth Job fear God for nought?”  Job 1:6-9

And chapter 2 of Job reiterates Satan’s presence before God, and keep in mind this is after his encounter of chapter 1.

“Again there was a day when the sons of God

came to present themselves before the LORD,

and Satan came also among them

to present himself before the LORD.

2 And the LORD said unto Satan,

From whence comest thou?

And Satan answered the LORD, and said,

From going to and fro in the earth,

and from walking up and down in it.

3 And the LORD said unto Satan,

Hast thou considered my servant Job,

that there is none like him in the earth,

a perfect and an upright man,

one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

and still he holdeth fast his integrity,

although thou movedst me against him,

to destroy him without cause.

4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said,

Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath

will he give for his life.

5 But put forth thine hand now,

and touch his bone and his flesh,

and he will curse thee to thy face.”  Job 2:1-5

Those of us who are familiar with scripture know that God brought Job through a bevy of troubles, with a few so-called friends who accused Job of every failure under the sun, yet Job maintained his integrity before God; and in the end God honored Job’s faith in Him and restored him completely.  The enemy was a liar then and he’s a liar now, he accused Job causelessly, for he is the enemy of God’s own, and he is still the ENEMY!  How did Jesus, our Lord respond to him? (See Job 13:15)

“And when the tempter came to him, he said,

If thou be the Son of God,

command that these stones be made bread.

4 But he answered and said,

It is written,

Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that proceedeth

out of the mouth of God.

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city,

and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6 And saith unto him,

If thou be the Son of God,

cast thyself down:

for it is written,

He shall give his angels charge

concerning thee:

and in their hands

they shall bear thee up,

lest at any time thou dash thy foot

against a stone.

7 Jesus said unto him,

It is written again,

Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain,

and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world,

and the glory of them;

9 And saith unto him,

All these things will I give thee,

if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him,

Get thee hence, Satan:

for it is written,

Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,

and him only shalt thou serve.

11 Then the devil leaveth him,

and, behold,

angels came and ministered unto him.”  Matthew 4:3-11

If you’ll notice Jesus didn’t debate with the enemy—and we don’t have to either; Jesus answered the enemy’s attacks, temptations, and slanders with only one thing: The Word of GOD!!!  That is our best defense against the “wiles of the devil”.  The Word of God and the Armor of God are our greatest resources, but we must open The Word to avail ourselves of them!

Oh, how my heart aches for the lies that have broken families, sent our young people into the throes of suicide, sexual perversion, confusion, and rejection of God’s design for male and female, marriage, and the home!  Sadly many of our young people are taking these wrong roads following parents who have fallen for the same lies.  When will we realize the cost of abandoning God’s Word, God’s Ways, and God’s standard!  And even sadder still is the fact that even the church has, in many cases, abandoned the Word of The Savior and Lord whom they claim to follow.  If we truly belong to Jesus, we are called to “take up his (your own) cross daily and follow me”!  It’s the way to victory in Jesus—the only way!  As I’ve often said, “say’n so doesn’t make it so”!  James addresses this issue with great wisdom and truth—will we take heed?

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren,

let every man be swift to hear,

slow to speak,

slow to wrath:

20 For the wrath of man worketh not

the righteousness of God.

21 Wherefore lay apart

all filthiness

and superfluity of naughtiness,

and receive with meekness

the engrafted word,

which is able to save your souls.

22 But be ye doers of the word,

and not hearers only,

deceiving your own selves.

23 For if any be a hearer of the word,

and not a doer,

he is like unto a man

beholding his natural face in a glass:

24 For he beholdeth himself,

and goeth his way,

and straightway forgetteth

what manner of man he was.

25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty,

and continueth therein,

he being not a forgetful hearer,

but a doer of the work,

this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 If any man among you seem to be religious,

and bridleth not his tongue,

but deceiveth his own heart,

this man’s religion is vain.” James 1:19-26

“What doth it profit, my brethren,

though a man say he hath faith,

and have not works?

can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked,

and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them,

Depart in peace,

be ye warmed and filled;

notwithstanding ye give them not

those things which are needful

to the body;

what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith,

if it hath not works,

is dead,

being alone…

…26 For as the body without the spirit

is dead,

so faith without works

is dead also.” James 2:14-17 & 26

And I’ll close with Paul’s comments on vain faith and what the Gospel is in truth and power:  Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and risen again for our sin!

“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

Have you been to the cross for YOUR sin?  I met Jesus there some 40+ years ago, when HE came to me in my own living room and said as plain as if He spoke into me ear rather than my heart, when He said, “YOU aren’t mine!”!  I argued with Jesus most of the day before a friend came and pretty much said little just listened to me come face-to-face with my own SIN and call on Jesus to save me and transform me!  I was made a new creation, and while I didn’t get it all right in the beginning, HE has grown me into what I am today—not all I ought to be, but better than I was, and HE’s still working on me!  Oh, the glory that God showers down on we who come to HIM in repentance and faith in HIS substitutionary, atoning sacrifice!  Praise God from whom all blessings flow.  I’m so glad I believed Jesus’ assessment of my heart rather than the enemy’s who kept convincing me that I did ‘church’ really well, and that was enough!  It ain’t!  Only Jesus’ blood can cleanse us from sin, and only when we see our sin and turn to HIM in repentance and faith!!!  How about you?

“This then is the message

which we have heard of him,

and declare unto you,

that God is light,

and in him is no darkness at all.

6 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.

8 If we say that we have no sin,

we deceive ourselves,

and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins,

he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned,

we make him a liar,

and his word is not in us.”  1 John 1:5-10

Whom will you believe?  Will you come to Jesus’ cross?  He’s waiting for you to see your own sin and come to HIS cross in repentance and faith!  He’s waiting for you, but don’t wait too long, He may return today!  Don’t be one day too late!

“Behold,

I stand at the door,

and knock:

if any man hear my voice,

and open the door,

I will come in to him,

and will sup with him,

and he with me.”  Revelation 3:20

He who is “the way, the truth, and the life” loves you and died for your sin and mine.  Trust to HIS truth and save your soul today!  Don’t fall for the lies of Satan!  (see John 8:44)

Amen and Amen!!!