Presents

 Here we are at Christmas time. A time of Presents and Giving.

John 3:16 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

A time that we celebrate the Birth of our Savior. I say our Savior for even if you do not believe in Him, He still died for you to give you the same chance, the same choice that He gives to all.

If you choose to reject Him remember this, He died for you anyway.

He died for you, He calls you, He gives you witnesses and Testimonies of Him and if you choose to ignore, to not hear or heed the Call, then it is your choice to go to Hell not His.

He is not sending you to Hell, He is honoring your choice, the blame lies solely on you.

We do not ATTEND church, We are the church

 

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

Upon this Rock (the Rock that is Jesus, the Son of God) shall the Church be built. Peter is not the Rock upon which the church shall be built, but upon his statement calling Jesus the Christ, Jesus is the Rock, the cornerstone of the church.

Neither is the Building we gather in the church, We call it church, but that is a construct of wood, steel or brick.

We do not attend church, this is a truth that we have forgotten. We the Christians, the followers of Christ ARE the Church. The church building means nothing except as a place for the Church to gather.

How we have forgotten this fundamental truth. We do not attend church, we The Church gather in a building to meet with fellow Church members in a spot we agreed to meet in.

We need to remember this.

He came that we might be as He, He was never as us

 

Joh 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

Jesus is God. Yes I know that He had a different perspective for He was not of us, never was never will be, but through Him we can be of Him.
He came that we might be as He, He was never as us.

Yes He was in human form, yes He ate and drank as we, yes He came and walked as we walk but never as us. He is/was/and shall ever be God.

How we have messed up this concept. That ad campaign that says He gets us, well that ad campaign does not “get” Him. He was here to lift us up, to show us God’s love and to let us know that this world, the one we stand on today, He overcame this world, He defeated death and Hell.
He was never as us, He never got us, He was here to help us understand Him.
That is a concept and a thought that so many have failed to see and I understand and why? Because they want to excuse their behaviors by making Him like them.

He was never like us. Born of a virgin, never will that be any of us. Perfect, sinless, never will that be any of us.

He came not to be on our level, even though we preach that up, no He came that we might be better than us. That we might be like Him and what have we done with that?

We have tried so hard to bring Him to our level rather than striving to rise to His level.

We tend to see things through the lens of this world, our experience and just like the disciples we can not understand.
It is because we do not understand that we fail to try.

Remember when He was resurrected, the disciples spent 40 days with Him, do you realize we have no idea what they said, what He said, other than a few words of that time here on earth?

Why? Because it was in that time, that their understanding of Him and who He is became so much sharper. Then they received the Spirit and that was what made lions out of lambs.

That same Spirit, that changed them when they finally knew who He was, and yes I meant that the way that it sounded. When they finally figured out Who He was, then the Spirit gave them courage and wisdom, strength and resolve.
Why have we so misunderstood this Christian life? Why have we toiled in mediocrity?
Because we do not understand fully who He is.

Renew your Covenant, your commitment to Christ

 Now the first thing for you to know is that when you call on the name of the Lord for Salvation you are choosing Him, you are putting your life and your soul into His hands. And it is your choice, your decision that leads to this.

Then you are entering into a covenant or commitment with Him that He is your God and you are His Bride, totally devoted and a servant for the remainder of your life here on this earth.

He delivers you from the bondage of sin, He gives you eternal life, He takes away death and Hell from your future.

What do you have for Him? Nothing. What can you do for Him? Nothing.

That realization of the fact that He died for you when it cost Him everything, and you have nothing, yet He still died for you. That realization should make you want to serve Him, should make you want to be His servant, spreading the good news to all your fellow man that need to hear of this God, this Savior.

He does not coerce us to serve, He does so much for us how can we do any less out of love, gratitude and the sheer knowledge of all that He has done? How can we not tell everyone?

I have said a lot lately that when you meet Jesus, truly meet Him you will have a changed life, a changed heart.

A covenant is a solemn and formal agreement, compact, or promise between two or more parties.

Do you hear that? Solemn, Formal agreement.

A formal agreement is one Written (the Bible) signed (His Blood shed) and agreed to.

As I said at the beginning, you agreed to this covenant when you call on His name. Hence you have entered into a covenant, a contract, a commitment with Him.

We have downplayed this part so much, we have made salvation a one way thing.

He owes us!

Oh, The hubris of humans makes their part so very much more important that His. The Architect is considered less than the recipient.

How prideful are we? A question we really need to ponder.

Come and see

 Come and see

Joh 4:39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
Joh 4:40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
Joh 4:41 And many more believed because of his own word;

The woman at the well met Jesus, then turned and told the whole city of the One she met, the One that changed her.
Many believed on Him because of her testimony and then many more believed for they heard Him.

Why do we not testify like this anymore? We do not talk of Jesus, we do not speak of the joy, the Spirit, the Word anymore and we are to be ashamed for that.

Speak to each other of this Jesus, renew Him in your hearts, then once you have a comfortability level of talking of Him with each other, then go out to them and the Spirit will guide.

Post a verse John 3:16 at the very least and have them ask you what that means. Start the conversation.

You don’t have to be glib and smooth. You just have to be willing.

How will they know if you don’t tell them? You may be the only one they will ever hear it from.
You may be the one that was assigned to speak to them, if you do not then they may face an eternity in Hell.

Yes I went there, it is time we realize what our inaction and timidity is going to cost them. It is time we realize this is life and death, eternity is at stake.

Stop the spirit of fear, be a witness, a light, a truth teller, and preach the Gospel.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

 The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

We saw today what happens when Good men do nothing. Then when someone dared to speak up and out they kill him for it.

The question is not why. The question is What are you going to do about the voice silenced? Are you going to raise yours? Are you going to cry out against the evil pervading the land?

Or are you going to allow the silence to stay silent? Fear? Yes be afraid, but courage is doing the right thing despite the fear.

Today a great voice was silent, not a perfect voice but one unafraid to stand speak and debate. He went to their campuses and debated.

We can not allow the silence to grow, nor can we allow it to silence us.

We must speak out, relearn the art of debate, agreeing to disagree but never again silenced.

The Free gift of God, it wasn't free for Him

 

We have taught it is the Free Gift of God, and God freely gives, but it was not without cost. A Gift by definition is free, the one who provides the gift has something of value that they are offering to you at no cost to yourself, but generally it cost them something.

The Gift of God as mentioned in Roman 6:23 is the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, He was beaten, abused, rejected, by man and God, that we might have the chance to be redeemed.

Why did He do that?

He SO LOVED the world. God’s Love is so great that when He got rejected in the garden, He kept going, when He got rejected by the Israelites who wanted a king, a man to rule over them He kept going. When He got rejected by Israel for idols, He kept going. Then when He came and walked this earth for 33 years, was rejected by both man and the Father, while suspended between Heaven and Earth, He kept going.

He gave us the Scriptures, men chosen to tell us, His Spirit, His Love, His own physical life here on this earth, and His time spent calling us to Him.

What have we done for Him in return and in comparison to all that He has done for us?

Well we have taken the gift….it might take me a minute to think of what we have done for Him.

You know the prize He gets for all His loyalty and Love? Us. That’s it.

Yet still we can not be bothered to read and study, we can not be bothered to give Him our time. We just can’t be bothered.

What would you do if your gift was so undervalued and mistreated?

For God So LOVED

 Have you ever stopped to think of what God received out of His Death on the Cross? He got you and I.

He died that WE might be able to Talk and Fellowship with Him.

He did all of this for us! He got nothing out of it that He Himself needed, except us.

If that doesn't boggle your mind, nothing will.

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.

When that hits, it hits hard!

The crooked woman

 

Luk 13:16  And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? 

Luk 13:17  And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. 

When He said these things all His adversaries were ashamed. This is even sadder when you realize His adversaries were the ones that were supposed to be the caretakers of God's people. 

The ruler of the synagogue, the actual place people go to worship, the one in charge is the main adversary in this passage. Why is he upset? Because this goes against his law and he is so very put out with the man that broke man's law.

The sabbath law was put into place for man's good. For man's rest and the praise and worship of the Father.

This man and so many before him turned this law into an overbearing, unnecessary burden.

This ruler was upset when Jesus healed a woman, bound by satan for 18 years on the Sabbath.

The ruler of the Synagogue was upset, His adversaries were ashamed, but the people? The people rejoiced over the healing of a suffering woman.

The people rejoiced when Jesus healed her, the people were rejoicing for on the Lord's Day Jesus worked a mighty miracle with the power of God on His Holy Day.

The people rejoiced. How often the people rejoiced while the rulers and elites were too caught up in their religion.

Jesus the Way the Truth and The Life, He can cause the people to rejoice even today yet how many would be upset for He ruined the daily agenda? The scheduled service?

Leave room in your service, in your day, in your heart for Jesus to work today and you might be surprised and the people just might rejoice.

Sending them out to prepare the way

 

Luk 10:1  After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. 

 

Have you ever noticed this writing before? We all know of the 70 disciples that He sends out and bequeaths some of His power to them.

Yet the most interesting fact here is that He sent them out to places that He Himself is going to. 

Isn’t that interesting? He sends people out to prepare the way, then when He gets there the people are ready to meet the Lord. Fascinating.

Even today we do the same, or at least we should be doing the same, getting out and preparing the way of the Lord. For the rapture is coming and we must prepare the people for it.

To a more immediate note, we are to prepare the people for each service, for each day that they will be ready when God shows up.

How dry are our churches that we miss the preparation of the way. Jesus is coming (so He promises in the Bible) to wherever we believers are gathered together.

Are we preparing the way? Are we getting people ready to meet Him? Or are we failing them by doing less than required to prepare them for their meeting with the Lord?

Be Zealous and repent

 

Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 

He still loves His church despite the fact that they have become ineffective, they have left Him and have put Him in the corner. Yet because He still loves them He must rebuke them and chasten them if they do not repent.

But notice He does not just say repent, no He says be Zealous AND Repent.

Zealous, ‘showing great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective.’

Be Zealous therefore – show great energy and enthusiasm for repenting, getting on fire for me and spreading my Gospel.

More than anything He hates the ineffective complacent church.

How many in today’s America would identify as the Church at Laodicea? Neither hot nor cold but lukewarm. Good for nothing.

Time for the church in America to repent of their pride  in their riches, of their complacency and get Zealous for Him and the things of Heaven.

Keep church business in the Church

 Keep the church business in the church

I believe we are no longer using the church as we should. We have turned it into a show to bring the world in, when in actuality it is for the Christian to shut the World out for a while and be safe.

We see the numbers on Sunday morning when the majority of the world attends, yet when the few faithful show up Sunday Night and Wednesday night we get down because the excitement, the crowds do not show, yet that is precisely the time to be there for that is when the Spirit is there, that is when you need it most. That is where you energies should be focused.

We have completely altered the purpose of the church. To our own detriment. It was never intended to be a House for the Lost it is a home for the church family.

It is a safe haven, a sanctuary, a family gathering place.

Way back when in the First church, the Apostle Paul expected the church Family to have nothing to do with the world’s system. Yes we are to work in it, yes we are to live there, sleep there, eat there but we are not to dwell there, not to abide there and not become a part of.

We are to come out from among them and be separate.

The Church is for the Christian, a place to meet and Worship. A place to gather and fellowship, it is to be your life after the workday, on the day off. +

The first church was so eager to talk of Jesus to meet and live for Him, they went from house to house as a body worshipping the Lord.

Paul is so dedicated to the notion of the church being THE place for the Christian that he even thinks you need to bring your disagreements there. Your disputes are to be solved there.

1Co 6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

Do any of you in the church having an issue with another, as a child of God, dare to go to the world’s courts? We are to be judged by the saints, those in Christ who can see the matter from a sanctified state. We are not to quarrel in the world, we are not to take our issues out amongst the world.

BE SAVED

 

A few weeks ago, this phrase caught my attention. Call on the name of the Lord and BE Saved. Not Get saved, not received salvation.

62 verses of BE SAVED.

0 verses of get saved. Got Saved, receive Jesus.

Many times, I get intrigued by Wording in the Bible.

For instance, in the Book of Mark

Mar 6:51  And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

Were they amazed? No they were sore amazed! Beyond Measure! And then they wondered. Mark gets his point across but frankly seeing Jesus walk on the water, then watching Him

I look at the wording of verses in the bible, and it says be saved.

Rom 10:12  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 

Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

It says call on the name of the Lord and BE SAVED. Not get saved, not receive salvation.

I don’t know why but that hit me as a strong thing to say. The Wording spoke to me. It is not a thing to achieve, a thing to work for, it is an enduring state - present and future bearing. BE saved.

We talked not too long ago about this same Jesus and the comfort that should bring to God fearing people.

Now we have Be Saved. Which Means call on the name of the Lord and Be saved. Be Saved. Don’t do a thing but call on the Name of the Lord, Believe and be saved. It’s all on Him at that point right? If you believe and call on His name, then by His Word you must be Saved. Of course this is not a flippant call and why? God knows the Heart.

Be saved. It’s a state of being. Be saved.

Walk around Being saved from the penalty of sin which is death and Hell.

Be, Saved. Not earn, not get not lose it. But BE SAVED.

Comforting for some reason.

Sin is rebelling against Divine Law

 So often we forget that SIN in any form no matter what the action, SIN is rebellion against God. Every single sin, every single time is a rebellion against God.

How often do we forget that? Water it down?

The Definition from the Oxford Language which is Googles Dictionary:

an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.

An act considered to be a transgression against Divine Law. SIN.

Sin is the act of rebelling against God and His Word, His Rules, His Holiness.

How far we have come from that definition.

We now call it sickness, disease, the way I was made, a defect.

Rather than an intentional act against God and His Law.

Christian remember this applies to you as well, not just the world. Your sin, your transgression of God's law, no matter how small it is in your opinion. is sin.

How do we get back to this?

We preach God and His Law, His standard, His Rules, His Holiness, and His Purity.

We preach the price He paid that we might escape death and the punishment for those sins.

We preach that His Holiness, imputed to us, is all the hope we have for life and freedom from the sin debt.

We preach living to His Standard, Being Holy as He is Holy for we are bought with a price. We are owned by Him yet accepted in as Sons and Daughters. What grace!

Carrying the family name, carrying that reputation, that Purpose, then we must live as pure as we possibly can for Him so that they might see Him through us and want to be with Him, the One that died for them.

God the Father, the lover of their souls, the perfect Sacrifice, the Just, The Alpha and the Omega.

He is all, we are merely here to further His Will. What is His Will?

That ALL might come to repentance.

How can we do that when we are slaves to sin? How can we represent Him when we are in the muck and mire of this World's life? When we are in the pigpen next to them?

The Christian will SIN, no doubt about that.

Yet, A True child of God Will not be able to stay there.

Man was never meant for Hell, but we caused it to be so

Satan rebelled, thought he could be God, God could not allow that to go unpunished thus hell is created.
Satan and his angels are going there.

Mat 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Then man rebels against God and does not listen to His word, so man and woman must now go there as well, for they have sinned against God.
God cannot allow sin into His presence so there must be a place for those that rebel and reject Him, hence Hell.

Now Remember God is everywhere, God is light so He had to create a place, a terrible place He would not go thus no light. A place that could not see Him, out of His presence.

That was what He did for the devil and his angels, and now because humans sinned in the garden, because they rebelled against God, they too will share a fate never intended for them.

So when the average person comes to you and says how can God send anyone to Hell, then you can tell them He is not.

He never intended that for man but because we are sinners, because we sinned, disobeyed and rebelled, He had no choice but to create a place for those that chose that path.

Think on these things

 Php 4:8 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 lovely; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

whatsoever things are true

whatsoever things are honest

whatsoever things are just

whatsoever things are pure

whatsoever things are lovely

if there be any virtue,

if there be any praise, think on these things.

Do you see what he is saying here? Think on the things that uplift, think on the things that cause productive positive constructive thoughts.

If there be any virtue in it then think on that.

If there be any reason to praise in it then think on that.

No Gossip, no double entendre, no hidden meanings.

What’s true? God, His love. His Son. Death and Hell. Think on those things and that will motivate you to get out there and tell them of Him.

What’s Honest? Think on that which is respectable, That which has run the test of time and has not watered down, has not corrupted.

Honest? Respected? Does the Word of God not fit that best?

What’s Just? Based on or behaving according to a moral standard. Where does our morality come from? The Law of God.

What is Lovely? God’s Creation, God’s design.

What are we to think on? The things of God. The things that have made us decide to choose Him and to be a Christiaan.

It’s really funny that all that we found and saw that drew us to Him, how we have outgrown those things. How we have become more than them.

Perhaps the way to revival is to first think on these things.

Rejected Once, He knew that rejection would happen time and time again.

 Rejected Once, He knew that rejection would happen time and time again.

When you stop and consider that when man sinned, God made a plan, a way out for man, that we might have life and escape the death we brought on ourselves.

That when this plan was made, the Maker, designed it so that He who knew no sin, Himself, was going to die for the one who sinned.

God made a plan thousands of years before He died knowing all along that He was going to pay the ultimate price for those that rejected Him.

He also knew, that once He died for all, that they might have life, He knew that most would reject Him all over again.

Knowing this, the rejection time and time again, knowing the pain, knowing the cost, He still set that plan into motion that we ourselves might be free of the sin debt when we so freely chase after the sin.

Joh 3:16 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.

Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Who among us would do so much just to be rejected time and time again?

What day Did He give up the ghost?

 

I have seen so many say, “it doesn’t matter which day you think Jesus died on, I don’t want to start the debate, you can believe what you want to.” But yes it does matter!

Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

3 days and 3 nights, Jesus tells us how long He will be in the grave and Friday crucifixion does not pass muster!

If Jesus says 3 days and 3 nights then that is how long it must be!

Born in Bethlehem, came true but wasn’t a time reference.

Born of a virgin. Came true.

If Christ was wrong about this 3 day period then nothing He said matters. Atheists, lost folks, all know He can not make so simple a mistake and be God!

It does matter. It is doctrine.

Thursday has to be the day. There are two Sabbaths on this Passover week and one of them must be Friday and one must be Saturday and Jesus died on Thursday the day of preparation for the High Sabbath (Passover).

It can not be Wednesday for 2 reasons:

1. That would total four days.

2. If there was a day between the two Sabbaths the women would have gone to prepare His body on that day.

It had to be back to back Sabbath Days. The Passover had to be this week, the death had to be this week for the Sacrificial Lamb to die and the Blood to be shed to meet the Passover promise.

Remember Passover is on a set Date not a set Day.

All those out there saying that it doesn’t matter, believe what you want?

It is time for us to stand and believe and say yes it does matter. For if Christ is wrong on this one point then how can we believe anything else He said?

We cant just shrug and say oh well.

It does matter.

He is the God of the Living

Mar 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

He is the God of the living not of the dead.

ARE you catching that?

Those dead in sins and trespasses are no longer His, they are consigned to Hell, for all eternity, for they have rejected Him.

Proof - Absolute proof that there is no second chance at life after death. Proof that life is temporal and that there is an eternal life and an eternal death on the other side.

Notice it is in the Words written in RED!

This is God Himself talking and He says God is the God of the Living. Those that choose Him and Choose life.

What a powerful statement yet so utterly underrated. This verse, this section should put a lot of falsehoods to rest but we do not study them enough, we do not listen to Him in His own Words Enough.

Purgatory? Not a thing.

Praying your loved ones out of Hell? Not a thing.

He is the Way the Truth and the Life.

That is the Truth they need to hear and know.

That is the Life they Need.

We have the Way to tell them how to get there.

He that believeth not is condemned already

 

John 3:16 – 21 is written in Red. What does that mean? That means Jesus Himself spoke these words, He spoke them to a man named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. A man that could have had Him killed, He spoke these words to Nicodemus who came to Him at night under the cover of darkness seeking the truth.

Nicodemus could have been ruined for this, killed for this, yes just coming to see Jesus could have been the end for Him. Jesus tells this ruler of Israel, this religious leader that there must be a belief in the Son to escape the condemnation to come. Nicodemus faced possible ruination, possible death for this conversation and in it he found life.

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

Joh 3:18  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. 

God sent His Son that the world might be saved, BUT. .and this is a very big but - for it says if you believe you are not condemned. Good News!

This is what we call the Good News of God or the Gospel (Truth) of Jesus Christ.

But them comes part B) He that believeth not is condemned already. Because? Because he hath not believed in the name of the Only Begotten Son of God.

Who is this Son of God? Jesus. Who is speaking? Jesus!

Jesus says. That is where all this leads to, what it all boils down to. For if you believe this verse John 3:16 then you must believe it all.

If you believe John 3:18 then you must believe that if you do not believe you will face everlasting Death and condemnation.

The Words on a piece of paper mean absolutely nothing if you can not back them up.

Therefore we have reached a point now where you must choose, right here right now.

Do you believe the Author of this Book? The Word of God?

If you believe this Book is the Word of God, If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, if you believe you are going to heaven because of that belief then you must also believe that those who do not believe in the name of Jesus are facing certain death and condemnation.

There is no other way to say it.