Category Archives: Jesus Is The Only Way!

Where Is Your Sanctuary??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #388

25 Friday Aug 2017

Posted by in Abundant Life In Jesus, Confidence, I Will Never Leave You, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Sanctuary, Strong Tower, The Only Way, The Word, The Word Or The World?, Walking With Jesus

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Bible Ballistics: BBs  #388   Where Is Your Sanctuary???

 

Just a few minutes of our time today, to consider a question; ‘Is your sanctuary Jesus, or a building?” It seems we often forget that Jesus IS the sanctuary NOT the building where we assemble together to worship Him, fellowship and grow in His grace, truth, and love together into mature believers.

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25

While it is a biblical imperative that we are to gather with our fellow believers—for our good, and Christ’s glory in HIS church—we are not to worship the ‘gathering place’! It’s not the building that saves and delivers from sin; it’s Jesus Christ our Lord, Redeemer, Savior and friend. Jesus came to ‘seek and to save’ the lost, and give us “life…..more abundantly”! He wants to be our sanctuary—the One who is there with us all the time, not just on one day a week when we are gathered together!

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. 11 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.” Proverbs 18:10-11

It is The Lord who is our “strong tower”, not a building, or something as fleeting as wealth, or ease, or security in worldly things, and we certainly shouldn’t rely on our “own conceit”! So the thing I want us to consider today is, “Is our confidence in The Lord Jesus and our Father God (through the power of His Holy Spirit!)?” “Or is your confidence in a ‘brick and mortar’ building, or any other earthly substance or thing?” Instead we ought to run to our “strong tower” in every situation, for He is The One who has promised to walk with us, assuring us that He will not forsake or leave us—ever!

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”   Hebrews 13:5-6

I love this passage of scripture; it is the conclusion of a list of instructions for successful Christian living, and it reminds me so clearly that “contentment” is a key element in the life of effective believers. Even as Jesus Himself told us:

“No man can serve two masters:

for either he will hate the one,

and love the other;

or else he will hold to the one,

and despise the other.

Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you,

Take no thought for your life,

what ye shall eat,

or what ye shall drink;

nor yet for your body,

what ye shall put on.

Is not the life more than meat,

and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air:

for they sow not,

neither do they reap,

nor gather into barns;

yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.

Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought

can add one cubit unto his stature? ……..

31 Therefore take no thought, saying,

What shall we eat?

or, What shall we drink?

or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things

do the Gentiles seek:)

for your heavenly Father knoweth

that ye have need

of all these things.

33 But seek ye first

the kingdom of God,

and his righteousness;

and all these things

shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow:

for the morrow shall take thought

for the things of itself.

Sufficient unto the day

is the evil thereof.”     Matthew 6:24-27 & 31-34

So take sanctuary IN Jesus, seeking first His Kingdom, for He is able to keep His own! We can run to Him, we can rest in Him, we can depend on Him—but we must let go of the world! Consider wisely, there is a test at the end—and Jesus IS the answer, always—and a sanctuary for His children!

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 1:6

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Hebrews 12:2

Check your perspective, you have a true sanctuary-Jesus!

How Will We Be Saved??? Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No. 7

20 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by in Choose You This Day!, Confidence, Every Knee Shall Bow, Faithful is He that has Promised!, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Salvation, SIN, The Only Way, The Word

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Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No.7 How Will We Be Saved???

 

We were blessed with a thought-provoking message this morning and I’d like to use its inspiration to share an often-neglected subject today!!! There have always been false teachers, preachers and prophets in the past, and they are still with us today! But we must understand truth, so we can recognize the subtlety of their deception. God’s truth ever stands, and we can stand in the power of His might, truth and sovereignty, resting assured in His provision. Peter gives us some great insight into this eternal conflict.

“Knowing this first,

that there shall come

in the last days

scoffers,

walking after their own lusts,

4 And saying,

Where is the promise of his coming?

for since the fathers fell asleep,

all things continue

as they were

from the beginning of the creation.

5 For this they willingly are ignorant of,

that by the word of God

the heavens were of old,

and the earth standing out of the water

and in the water:

6 Whereby the world

that then was,

being overflowed with water,

perished:” 2 Peter 3:3-6

Peter knew that there were those in His day that rejected the creation account of scripture, and they are still among us today, and if we aren’t in the “last days”, I don’t know where we are. Our culture and the world around us, just like those that Peter refers to, have chosen to deny the presence and work of God in our world. They not only deny His creative work, but also His very existence and certainly His presence among us. Believers are ridiculed for trusting in “myths” and “fantasy” or “pie in the sky”, but we can “stand fast in the evil day”, knowing God has saved and redeemed us because He loves us, and has called us to continue to spread the Good News of The Gospel of Jesus Christ! Yet Peter didn’t stop there, He also reminded us that as God judged the world and destroyed all living creatures in the flood of Noah’s time, He is coming again in the final judgment of this world, for sin and unrighteousness! And He will judge the world according to His Son Jesus!

“Because he hath appointed a day,

in the which he will judge the world

in righteousness

by that man

whom he hath ordained;

whereof he hath given assurance

unto all men,

in that he hath raised him

from the dead.” Acts 17:31

One of Paul’s most concise messages was this message to the Athenians, proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus to the them—the point at which they ridiculed him. But the point that Paul makes is that the assurance of the power of God, is the raising of Jesus from the dead– the assurance that HE will judge the world by Jesus! And I can’t help but believe that day is closer than we realize. And as an old gospel song says, “this time it won’t be by water, but by fire!” And only those who are ‘washed in the Blood of The Lamb’ will be delivered from that fire. All because of God’s amazing grace and love, which Jesus accomplished at the cross. He was lifted up in death that we might live and not experience the judgment of God.

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing,

that one day is with the Lord

as a thousand years,

and a thousand years

as one day.

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise,

as some men count slackness;

but is longsuffering to us-ward,

not willing that any should perish,

but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come

as a thief in the night;

in the which the heavens shall pass away

with a great noise,

and the elements shall melt

with fervent heat,

the earth also and the works that are therein

shall be burned up.

11 Seeing then that all these things

shall be dissolved,

what manner of persons ought ye to be

in all holy conversation

and godliness,” 2 Peter 3:8-11

Peter reminds us of the coming judgment of God, and encourages us to be bold and faithful in godly living and conversation (our words and deeds!). We must focus on God and living for Him, and to His glory–whether anyone believes us or not. We are called to share The Gospel, knowing that only The Holy Spirit of God can change and transform hearts and lives! And born again, redeemed men, women, boys and girls will not undergo this ‘wrath’ of God.

“Much more then,

being now justified

by his blood,

we shall be saved from wrath

through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies,

we were reconciled to God

by the death of his Son,

much more,

being reconciled,

we shall be saved

by his life.

11 And not only so,

but we also joy in God

through our Lord Jesus Christ,

by whom we have now received

the atonement.” Romans 5:9-11

Praise God it is the Resurrection Power that saves, keeps and delivers us from the wrath of God, and just as it did in the past, it is doing in the present and it will do in the future. To get to the real focus for today, let’s consider at a short passage in 1 Peter 4. First Peter was written to a people who were suffering for their faith, and he encourages them to press on, knowing that God is at work in everything around us, even our suffering. Peter also reminds us that we will give an account of our living and our service to Jesus, but without condemnation!!!

“For the time is come

that judgment must begin

at the house of God:

and if it first begin at us,

what shall the end be

of them that obey not

the gospel of God?

18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved,

where shall the ungodly

and the sinner appear?

19 Wherefore let them that suffer

according to the will of God

commit the keeping of their souls

to him in well doing,

as unto a faithful Creator.”    1 Peter 4:17-19

Peter assures believers that even when we suffer for Our Lord, it is God to whom we can ever “commit the keeping of their souls”! Even as Jesus reminds us:

“And fear not them which kill the body,

but are not able to kill the soul:

but rather fear him

which is able

to destroy both soul and body in hell.”   Matthew 10:28

Only God can destroy the soul in Hell, and those who refuse Jesus will recognize that too late, but they will bow:

“And being found in fashion as a man,

he humbled himself,

and became obedient unto death,

even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name

which is above every name:

10 That at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow,

of things in heaven,

and things in earth,

and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue

should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:8-11

Jesus gave His life for mine/yours, and we can commit our lives, our souls and our future to HIM! He is a worthy God, Savior and Redeemer, and by the blood of The Lamb, we live! But what does Peter mean when he says that judgment must begin “at the house of God”? I’d like to share a few thoughts in response to that question.

Judgment begins “at the house of God” because our sin has been judged at the cross. God saves our lives and souls from sin at the cross! The cross of Jesus brings us to God as His Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, births us into His Kingdom.

“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.”    Romans 5:1-2

“There is therefore now no condemnation

to them which are in Christ Jesus,

who walk not after the flesh,

but after the Spirit.

2 For the law

of the Spirit of life

in Christ Jesus

hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”     Romans 8:1-2

Praise God we are made free from condemnation and wrath; but we must remember that we are at war with the “prince of the power of the air”, the one who is ever against us in this world, Satan. He hates us, and all that God intends to do in, through and with us; and we will suffer persecution of one sort or another when we choose to live our lives faithfully before God. You can choose to blend in with the world, and loose your ‘saltiness’, and dim your ‘light’ so it won’t shine the light of Jesus, but when we choose to follow The Lord and His Word we will encounter opposition.

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12

Not a message that we hear often, but Paul told his son in the ministry, that suffering would be the norm for those who follow Jesus faithfully and “live godly in Christ Jesus”! Just as Peter told those he wrote to, we are to live in light of eternity, not our temporal circumstances! When we march to the beat of a different drummer, others will notice, but they won’t always like it. And in these days of “tolerance”, people seem to expect tolerance to be given to everyone except those who believe in the historical, biblical, Word-of-God Christian faith; those of us who believe that God hasn’t changed His Word or “the rules”!

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8

“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

Only One way then! Only One way now–and that way is Jesus! When we are saved by His grace, through His death, which bore our sin, and condemnation, while His righteousness was imparted to us. Judgment is a reality; experience it yourself, if you reject Jesus; or you can receive the gift that God offers in Jesus, “redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins”. (See Col. 1:14)

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Judgment begins with us, we who have been to the cross and accepted the substitutionary judgment that Jesus took for us at Calvary! But the rest of Peter’s question is the saddest of all things to me—there are those who will refuse the gift of God. As Peter put it:

“if the righteous scarcely be saved,

where shall the ungodly

and the sinner appear?”

When God offers the gift of salvation, those who reject His gift will face the consequences of their choice. They won’t stand before the cross and receive grace; they will stand before the throne of God and receive the just reward of their own choice!

“For what is a man profited,

if he shall gain the whole world,

and lose his own soul?

or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

27 For the Son of man shall come

in the glory of his Father

with his angels;

and then he shall reward

every man

according to his works.”     Matthew 16:26-27

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

The believer will give an account of his working out of his salvation, because our sins are under the blood of Jesus; but the unbelieving will stand before God and give an account of every word and deed without the blood of Jesus!

“And I saw a great white throne,

and him that sat on it,

from whose face the earth

and the heaven fled away;

and there was found no place

for them.

12 And I saw the dead,

small and great,

stand before God;

and the books were opened:

and another book was opened,

which is the book of life:

and the dead were judged

out of those things

which were written in the books,

according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead

which were in it;

and death and hell delivered up the dead

which were in them:

and they were judged

every man

according to their works.

14 And death and hell

were cast into the lake of fire.

This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written

in the book of life

was cast into the lake of fire.”    Revelation 20:11-15

“…….I will recompense them

according to their deeds,

and according to the works

of their own hands.”   Jeremiah 25:14b

So Peter’s question isn’t talking about ‘working’ for our salvation, but the difference of having our sin paid for in Jesus, or paying for our own sin our own self—which is eternal death in the Lake of Fire. But we who belong to Jesus will be the recipients of His promises and His eternal presence. All this by God’s grace, and we can walk in the confidence that God is working all things to His glory and our good! We can keep our eyes on eternity, by the power of His Spirit working in us—regardless of our circumstances.

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,

they are the sons of God.

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage

again to fear;

but ye have received the Spirit of adoption,

whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness

with our spirit,

that we are the children of God:

17 And if children,

then heirs;

heirs of God,

and joint-heirs with Christ;

if so be that we suffer with him,

that we may be also glorified

together.

18 For I reckon that the sufferings

of this present time

are not worthy to be compared

with the glory

which shall be revealed in us.”     Romans 8:14-18

There is no comparison of this life to the eternal life with Jesus in glory! And when we are called to suffer we can have total confidence in our God who is in control of it all.

“Nevertheless I am continually

with thee:

thou hast holden me

by my right hand.

24 Thou shalt guide me

with thy counsel,

and afterward receive me to glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but thee?

and there is none upon earth

that I desire beside thee.

26 My flesh and my heart faileth:

but God is the strength of my heart,

and my portion for ever.

27 For, lo,

they that are far from thee

shall perish:

thou hast destroyed all them

that go a whoring from thee.

28 But it is good for me to draw near to God:

I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,

that I may declare all thy works.”   Psalm 73:23-25

We can count on God’s faithfulness regardless of our circumstances. What are you trusting in today? Will you choose forgiveness and redemption through Jesus or will you choose to reject HIM and pay for your own sin. And may we who know Him, “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” May we joyfully and confidently proclaim with the Psalmist!

“But it is good for me to draw near to God:

I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,

that I may declare all thy works.”

Amen and Amen. Won’t you trust HIM and “declare all” HIS works to a lost and dying world. Eternity is ahead!

Less IS More??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #386

18 Friday Aug 2017

Posted by in Abundant Life In Jesus, Confidence, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Jesus SinLESS Son of God, Less IS More?, Let You Light So Shine, Salvation, SIN, The Word, Walking With Jesus

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Bible Ballistics: BBs  #386 Less IS More???

 

“Now then we are ambassadors

for Christ,

as though God did beseech you

by us:

we pray you

in Christ’s stead,

be ye reconciled to God.

21 For he 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 5:20-21

God grants salvation to those who come to Jesus in repentance and faith, and He does that on the basis of the substitutionary (in my place), atoning (paying a debt due) sacrifice (The offering made to satisfy the payment due.) of Jesus. His blood not only cleanses us from ‘sin’, but also gives us new life in HIM! The sinLESS Son of God paid the price for my sinFULLness!

“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

Jesus can make us new because He came, God in flesh, to deliver us from the penalty for SIN, through His sacrifice, making us a “new creature” with abundant life IN HIM!

“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.” John 10:10-11

Jesus came that you and I might have abundant life—more—in HIM!!! He paid the price for me and for you; for in His sinLESS deity, He sacrificed His life for mine!

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;

but was in all points tempted

like as we are,

yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly

unto the throne of grace,

that we may obtain mercy,

and find grace to help

in time of need.”   Hebrews 4:14-16

He came as the sinLESS Son of God, and paid for our sinFULness with His own body on the cross, giving more than HE owed (which was nothing) that we would owe, not only “less”, but nothing; all because He loves us and wants us to know Him and real, abundant life—MORE than we could ever comprehend!

“For even hereunto were ye called:

because Christ also suffered for us,

leaving us an example,

that ye should follow his steps:

22 Who did no sin,

neither was guile found in his mouth:

23 Who, when he was reviled,

reviled not again;

when he suffered,

he threatened not;

but committed himself to him

that judgeth righteously:

24 Who his own self

bare our sins

in his own body on the tree,

that we,

being dead to sins,

should live unto righteousness:

by whose stripes ye were healed.”    1 Peter 2:21-24

This sinLESS Son of God came and paid the price for me—for you. The choice is mine/yours—will we receive HIM and have ‘more’ through His blood, or will we settle for ‘less’ by refusing the only payment for our sin debt; for sin has a price—you can pay it yourself or open the door to the Son of God and receive His grace gift of salvation!

“For all have sinned,

and come short

of the glory of God;”   Romans 3:23

“But now being made free from sin,

and become servants to God,

ye have your fruit unto holiness,

and the end everlasting life.

23 For the wages of sin is death;

but the gift of God

is eternal life

through Jesus Christ our Lord.”    Romans 6:22-23

Will you choose more in the sinLESS Son of God? The choice is yours, but choose wisely, there is a test at the end! And if we are following Jesus, then we ought to reflect HIS life “more abundantly” and:

“Let your light so shine

before men,

that they may see your good works,

and glorify your Father

which is in heaven.”     Matthew 5:16

And we can only do this by HIS power and His Spirit’s presence and work within our hearts, as we die to ‘self’ and “live by the faith of the Son of God”! Less or More?

“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.”   Galatians 2:20

 

Erasing The Lines??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #385

16 Wednesday Aug 2017

Posted by in Choose You This Day!, Confidence, Erasing The Lines?, Every Knee Shall Bow, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Knowing God's Word, Lust, The Only Way, The Word, The Word Or The World?, Today and Forever, Walking With Jesus

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Bible Ballistics: BBs  #385 Erasing The Lines???

 

As I’ve watched the ‘news’ lately (which I don’t do often, because it’s so ‘not’ new), I was taken with a thought that I’d like to share with you today. It seems that all of the ‘old’ ideas, principles, morals and standards are being erased little by little, and much like the frog in the pot of water that is turned up gradually, we have been lulled into ignoring the danger about us. We are about to find ourselves in a lot of hot water! The lines are being erased, and those of us that still believe that there ought to be ‘lines’ may find that we are in that proverbial pot of hot water when it’s too late to jump out of the pot. It seems that many around us are truly jumping ‘out of the frying pan, and into the fire’!

Those of us who have committed our lives to Jesus Christ The Lord, must reassess where we are—are we focusing on Jesus or have we allowed ourselves to become so wrapped up in the events going on about us that we have forgotten the call of Jesus to be salt and light in a world of darkness? Are we, like an old McKamey’s gospel song, “Getting Used To The Dark”? May God help us to see that He has never lost control and we don’t need to panic, or join forces with evil, or compromise our Biblical faith and standards—but we must recognize the enemy and be willing to “withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand”! But to stand, we must know what we ‘stand’ for.

“In the beginning

God

           created the heaven and the earth.”     Genesis 1:1

It all began with God, and He hasn’t lost control yet! Our God still reigns and He is working in this world, and He will accomplish His purposes in His own time, but to be found faithful we must know truth and stand fast in it, by the power of His Spirit (who dwells within every true believer)!

“And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,

Alleluia:

for the Lord God

omnipotent

reigneth.” Revelation 19:6

Amen and Amen! This should be our battle cry, and yes friends we are in a spiritual battle, but so many who are claiming the name of Jesus are trying to fight the battle with worldly weapons and that is not what we are called to do. We have a higher calling, with a higher purpose—we are called to obey Jesus, even when it may cost us everything. And in this day we may be called to join those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for following the commands of our Lord Jesus. Are we willing to be like Jim Elliott and Nate Saint and their friends, and go where God sends us, armed with HIS weapons? We must be willing and able, and to do that we must know what our weapons are, and what they are not!

“For though we walk in the flesh,

we do not war after the flesh:

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,

but mighty through God

to the pulling down of strong holds;)

5 Casting down imaginations,

and every high thing

that exalteth itself

against the knowledge

of God,

and bringing into captivity

every thought

to the obedience of Christ;”     2 Corinthians 10:3-5

And believe me friends, when I say, Jesus has never called HIS people to walk in the flesh, to sin, to erase the lines! It’s not ok to sin! It’s not ok to hate! It’s not ok to be mean, to speak ungodly things, to run rampant with riot and mindless vengeance! God calls us to bring every thought—every thought—captive “to the obedience of Christ”! And we can walk in obedience to Jesus, because it is Jesus that is holding it all together, but we must depend on HIS faithfulness and sovereign power. He IS still on the throne with His Father!!

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2 Hath in these last days

spoken unto us

by his Son,

whom he hath appointed heir

of all things,

by whom also he made the worlds;

3 Who being the brightness of his glory,

and the express image of his person, and upholding all things

by the word of his power,

when he had by himself

purged our sins,

sat down

on the right hand

of the Majesty on high;”     Hebrews 1:1-3

We who serve the living God and His Son, Jesus, are to walk in His Spirit that and “not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Yet what is going on all around us? Full-blown “lust of the flesh”! In most of our world people have forsaken the truth of God and chosen to believe the lies—from the ‘father of lies’, Satan. But God has made it clear that the lines haven’t been erased. Sin is still sin and God will judge every person according to HIS Word and His standard, not the world’s! Will you stand in “the power of HIS might”, or fall to the “wiles of the devil”? The lines haven’t been erased, and God’s standard will be the judge. Where do you stand?

“For the word of God

is quick,

and powerful,

and sharper than any twoedged sword,

piercing even to the dividing asunder

of soul           and spirit,

and of the joints          and marrow,

and is a discerner

of the thoughts

and intents

of the heart.

13 Neither is there any creature

that is not manifest

in his sight:

but all things are naked

and opened

unto the eyes

of him

with whom

we have to do.”   Hebrews 4:12-13

What/who are you choosing to follow? Will you believe and follow God’s Word or the ‘eraser’ of the world? Will you choose the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ or the ‘works of the flesh’? It’s your choice, but choose wisely, there is a test at the end, and Jesus IS “the same yesterday, and today and forever”—no erasers allowed:

“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 3:19

Be Fruitful And Multiply??? Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No. 6

13 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by in Be Fruitful And Multiply!, Confidence, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Salvation, Sharing Our Faith!, SIN, The Only Way, The Word, Walking With Jesus

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Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No.6 Be Fruitful And Multiply???

 

I’m sure the title turned a few heads, and yes we will be looking at what God says about ‘fruitfulness’, but not just in the way you may be thinking about. I find it interesting that our world is facing a great conflict of hatred and division. And while division is a statistical fact—it shouldn’t be the driving force of a nation, or of a “United” people. But what are we united in? There is only one place where we are truly united, and that is in Jesus and in our single-minded devotion to Him, to God’s Word, and to His ways. But we have allowed the world to separate us from God—the world and its sin! And sin will always separate us from God and also from one another. And we can’t multiply effectively, if we are divided, and separated.

“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened,

that it cannot save;

neither his ear heavy,

that it cannot hear:

2 But your iniquities have separated

between you

and your God,

and your sins have hid

his face

from you,

that he will not hear.

3 For your hands are defiled with blood,

and your fingers with iniquity;

your lips have spoken lies,

your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

4 None calleth for justice,

nor any pleadeth for truth:

they trust in vanity,

and speak lies;

they conceive mischief,

and bring forth iniquity.” Isaiah 59:1-4

Isaiah assessed the problem of his people, and their problem was SIN, just as it is ours today! Their choice to sin instead of repent and turn to God had separated them from their God—and we see these same things abounding around us today. I hope that you will rehearse the list that Isaiah gave us—they were violent (taking innocent blood), they dabbled in sin, they abounded in lies, and things that are willfully contrary to truth and goodness, while justice was ignored. No one wanted to seek God, or desired to hear truth, much less take a stand for it; instead they trusted in vanity, lies and deception; they multiplied mischief and sin in all their ways. When we continually commit sin, and live in it, we are being fruitful in the wrong things! James paints an amazing picture of the ‘fruit’ that sin brings forth.

“From whence come wars and fightings

among you?

come they not hence,

even of your lusts

that war in your members?

2 Ye lust,

and have not:

ye kill,

and desire to have,

and cannot obtain:

ye fight and war,

yet ye have not,

because ye ask not.

3 Ye ask,

and receive not,

because ye ask amiss,

that ye may consume it

upon your lusts.

4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses,

know ye not that the friendship

of the world

is enmity with God?

whosoever therefore will be a friend

of the world

is the enemy of God.

5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain,

The spirit that dwelleth in us

lusteth to envy?

6 But he giveth more grace.

Wherefore he saith,

God resisteth the proud,

but giveth grace unto the humble.

7 Submit yourselves therefore

to God.

Resist the devil,

and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God,

and he will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands,

ye sinners;

and purify your hearts,

ye double minded.

9 Be afflicted,

and mourn,

and weep:

let your laughter

be turned to mourning,

and your joy

to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves

in the sight of the Lord,

and he shall lift you up.” James 4:1-10

James calls us to examine our lives and to be sure that we are living a life that seeks God and His ways, not the world and the lusts that drive people to do and say things that cause harm and shame God! What does this mean to us? I think it means we must not exalt ourselves, but instead we must simply “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up”! To multiply we must have life—the life of Jesus within us; we must be ‘born again’! Just as God gave life to Adam and Eve, He gives life to the lost sinner who comes to Him in repentance and faith in the substitutionary, atoning sacrifice of Jesus—the One who paid for our sin! Our only hope for ‘abundant life’!

What does all this have to do with the beginning? Let’s check it out to see.

“So God created man

in his own image,

in the image of God

created he him;

male and female

created he them.

28 And God blessed them,

and God said unto them,

Be fruitful,

and multiply,

and replenish the earth,

and subdue it:

and have dominion over

the fish of the sea,

and over the fowl of the air,

and over every living thing

that moveth upon the earth.”    Genesis 1:27-28

God created man and commissioned him to “Be fruitful, and multiply,” Man was created by God for communion with Himself, and to be the compliment and crowning glory of His wonderful creation. He gave us a command to “Be fruitful, and multiply,” that there would be abundant life on His new earth. But was God only referring to reproduction in the physical realm? Or can we glean more from this instruction than just physical reproduction? God spoke a great word of encouragement about Abraham, and his relation to his offspring that gives us some insight into this area.

“And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

18 Seeing that Abraham

shall surely become a great

and mighty nation,

and all the nations of the earth

shall be blessed in him?

19 For I know him,

that he will command his children

and his household after him,

and they shall keep the way

of the LORD,

to do justice

and judgment;

that the LORD may bring upon Abraham

that which he hath spoken of him.”    Genesis 18:17-19

God knew that Abraham would not only multiply physically, but that he would multiply the spiritual direction of his family by commanding them in the way of the Lord. Moses also spoke to this same idea of what I call “spiritual fruitfulness”! We ought to multiply spiritually by spreading the gospel beginning in our families, and going out into the world as we have opportunity. The need is great and we are the only plan of God to spread the “Good News”. Moses gave clear instructions to this end!

“Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:

2 That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes

and his commandments,

which I command thee,

thou,

and thy son,

and thy son’s son,

all the days of thy life;

and that thy days

may be prolonged.

3 Hear therefore, O Israel,

and observe to do it;

that it may be well with thee,

and that ye may increase mightily,

as the LORD God

of thy fathers

hath promised thee,

in the land that floweth

with milk and honey.

4 Hear, O Israel:

The LORD our God is one LORD:

5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God

with all thine heart,

and with all thy soul,

and with all thy might.

6 And these words, which I command thee

this day,

shall be in thine heart:

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently

unto thy children,

and shalt talk of them

when thou sittest in thine house,

and when thou walkest by the way,

and when thou liest down,

and when thou risest up.

8 And thou shalt bind them

for a sign upon thine hand,

and they shall be as frontlets

between thine eyes.

9 And thou shalt write them

upon the posts of thy house,

and on thy gates……

20 And when thy son asketh thee

in time to come, saying,

What mean the testimonies,

and the statutes,

and the judgments,

which the LORD our God

hath commanded you?

21 Then thou shalt say unto thy son,

We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt;

and the LORD brought us out

of Egypt

with a mighty hand:”    Deuteronomy 6:1-9 & 20-21

God wants us to clearly understand that our first responsibility is to have a relationship with Him, to “love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” And in order to truly love God we must know Jesus (In the Old Testament, to believe that HE was coming, now to know that He has accomplished the promised salvation at Calvary and His resurrection!). We must understand that God’s love is imparted to those who receive The Son.  And when we know and love Him, we have the opportunity to share with our loved ones and live out our faith.

“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

God multiplied His love, in Jesus, at the cross and by putting His love into those who come to Jesus! Not that we deserved it, or earned it, but because God chose to love us first, and we cant’ help but to share the love and grace He gives to us with all He places in our path.

“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 1:12-13

And John expands this teaching again in 1 John.

“Whosoever shall confess

that Jesus is the Son of God,

God dwelleth in him,

and he in God.

16 And we have known and believed

the love that God hath to us.

God is love;

and he that dwelleth in love

dwelleth in God,

and God in him.

17 Herein is our love made perfect,

that we may have boldness

in the day of judgment:

because as he is,

so are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love;

but perfect love casteth out fear:

because fear hath torment.

He that feareth

is not made perfect in love.

19 We love him,

because he first loved us.

20 If a man say,

I love God,

and hateth his brother,

he is a liar:

for he that loveth not his brother

whom he hath seen,

how can he love God

whom he hath not seen?

21 And this commandment have we from him,

That he who loveth God

love his brother also.”   1 John 4:15-21

Once again, we have a picture of the love of God that is given to us to be shared with others. God’s love will reflect itself in our responses and our actions toward others.

But there is even more in scripture that helps us understand the import of ‘fruitfulness’ in our lives—both physical and spiritual. We are to love God, life, and children—all which originate with God and His grace!

“Lo, children

are an heritage of the LORD:

and the fruit of the womb

is his reward.

4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man;

so are children of the youth.

5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver

full of them:

             they shall not be ashamed,

but they shall speak

with the enemies in the gate.”    Psalm 127:3-5

It saddens my heart that our culture claims to ‘love’ children, yet we kill the unborn, we choose self over parenthood, and we weigh parenthood by its convenience and cost, not by The Word of God! God says that children are His blessing—but are we choosing to pursue God’s blessings or the so-called blessings of the world—self, material gain and avoidance of parentage. It seems that we want to be ‘happy’ in our own ways—not God’s ways. But even more importantly we are also avoiding spiritual parentage. When we do help someone come to Jesus, we often abandon them to the world, rather than nourishing them and bringing them to spiritual maturity, a principle that is true in both the physical realm and the spiritual.

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4

Did you get that, “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”? We are to be fruitful and multiply on all fronts, and as Paul so aptly put it—the fruit is the evidence—both physical fruitfulness and spiritual fruitfulness!

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil the lust

of the flesh………

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;

Adultery,

fornication,

uncleanness,

lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry,

witchcraft,

hatred,

variance,

emulations,

wrath,

strife,

seditions,

heresies,

21 Envyings,

murders,
drunkenness,

revellings,

and such like:

of the which I tell you before,

as I have also told you in time past,

that they which do such things

shall not inherit

the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is

love,

joy,

peace,

longsuffering,

gentleness,

goodness,

faith,

23 Meekness,

temperance:

against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ’s

have crucified the flesh

with the affections

and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.”     Portions of Galatians 5:17-25

Our actions are our fruit; both physical and spiritual. And notice, it’s the “fruit” of the Spirit, not the ‘fruits’! God’s Spirit and His work within the redeemed is the evidence of His love within us that manifests itself in multiplied ways!!! So my question for today is, “Are we being fruitful, and multiplying in this world?” Do we truly have God’s vision toward physical life? Do we truly have God’s vision toward spiritual multiplication in this world? Am I doing my part? I pray that God will open our eyes to see as He sees. May we truly believe and sing together:

“Be Thou My Vision”!!! (By Dallon Forgaill)

May we see with God’s eyes in the physical and the spiritual!!  Amen and Amen!