Friday, November 30, 2018

The Judgment of God



Isaiah 5:25 “Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people; He has stretched out His hand against them and stricken them, and the hills trembled. Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets.”

As I continued in my short Bible Study of Isaiah chapter 5, the lesson pointed out that judgment was coming to Judah because the people had rejected the law of God. They refused to keep His instructions, teachings and precepts as their fathers had done, and they threw God’s Law away from them as if it were nothing more than a piece of trash. Isaiah said that two things roused God’s wrath against His chosen people: their rejection of His law and their disdain for His Word. These are one and the same, the latter just being one step further down the path of apostasy than the other. The Jewish people had rejected the law as the standard for their conduct, but they didn’t stop there. They even despised it to the point that they mocked and ridiculed it, and hence derided the holiness of God.

Judah’s treatment of God’s law was not through ignorance or mistake, but through inveterate malice, that they shook off the yoke of God, and abandoned themselves to every kind of licentiousness; which was nothing else than to reject so kind a Father, and to give themselves up to be the slaves of the devil. This being the state of Judah, God’s wrath was kindled against them. They already had suffered some chastisement in the past, but they hadn’t learned from it. And now, in the days of repose and prosperity, they were being warned that God’s hand was still stretched forth; a more severe punishment than they could ever imagine was coming.


Isaiah said that punishment would come in the form of war. An enemy from “far off” would attack them. This would have made the Jews scoff, because they were currently at peace with their neighbors. But when God chooses to bring judgment on a people, He often does it by unexpected and unlikely means. Though the kingdom of Israel had faced God’s wrath, the kingdom of Judah was not yet overturned. The people thought themselves safe from the calamities of their brethren. But Isaiah warned them that God would command foreign nations to rise up against them, and in this case it was the Assyrians.

If God decides to bring judgment on a nation that has rejected His law and held His holiness in contempt, He will use any means necessary to that end. Judgment might come through pestilence, famine, war, or some other form. We don’t know. But one thing we can be sure of: if we no longer honor God’s law, judgment will come from the least expected place, and with it will come death and destruction. Justice is hardest when it is against ourself.

Love, joy and peace in Christ

Thursday, November 29, 2018

What's ion Your Heart? - Part 2



Continuing Michael's message, he states that some people say that "sanctification" is a process of making holy. It is that, but it is far more. It is the act of God's grace by which the affections of men are purified or alienated from sin and the world, and exalted to a supreme love to God. Sloppy Christianity denies the cross of Christ. Jesus said, "Whosoever shall be my disciple must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me." 

Galatians 2:20, "I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me.  And the life that I now live, I live by faith in the one who loved me and gave himself for me."  

The more abundant life is lived at the foot of the cross where we were made holy and righteous by Jesus Christ's willing sacrifice of His innocent blood for sin on our behalf. The problem with saying "I'm doing kingdom work" is that it's impersonal and no one can verify that my heart is right before the Lord. To "serve the body" is too often an excuse to satisfy our pride without the reproof and correction of the word of God. For whom the Lord loves, he chastens, reproves, and corrects. Correction means to "restore to an upright position."  

A recent survey revealed that only 15% of churches in America are growing. Of the 15% only 2% are growing through new conversions. The rest are growing by transfers from other churches and births within the congregation. Only 9% of professing "evangelicals" tithe (giving 10% of their income back to God through the ministry of the church). Giving to the work of the ministry should be an act of joy and rejoicing. God doesn't want your money. He wants your heart, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No man cometh unto the Father except by me." The solution to sloppy Christianity is true discipleship. A true disciple is a disciplined follower of his Lord Jesus Christ. The God-rejecting world says "discipline" is a dirty word. It limits my freedom to sin as I please. However, the abundant life is living to His honor and glory. True freedom is the liberty that we have in Christ to serve one another with a heart of love for God and His people. He has called us to build up, encourage, and edify his sons and daughters as we worship Him together in spirit and in truth. What’s in your heart?

May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ, Michael


Wednesday, November 28, 2018

What's in your heart? Part 1


  
This week, Michael writes: If God wanted to do something against the tradition of the church, would there be freedom for the spirit of God to move? If God can have His way with us as men and women of God in the church, then the framework of the church must be flexible enough to allow the spirit of the Lord to move freely. If the house is built on the foundation of the rock of Jesus Christ, the house may bend but it will not be moved. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has set you free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Freedom within a framework helps us walk circumspectly according to the Word of God. A disciple is a disciplined follower. Discipline is a key to allowing the spirit to work in you and through you.  The final fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 is temperance or self-control. The liberty that we have is freedom to control our minds, hearts, and actions according to the Word of God. This Liberty also allows God to work in us and through us to will and to do of his good pleasure.  

In 2 Chronicles 30, good King Hezekiah reinstated the feast of the Passover.  The tribes of Judah had forsaken the Lord God Jehovah for many years but when Hezekiah took the throne, he tore down the old structures of pagan religions that Judah had embraced.  The people had a heart to repent and turn back to God. They wanted to keep the Passover and to serve the Lord.  However, the people did not keep all of the details of the Old Testament law of sacrifices. God is more interested in our heart of worship to praise and glorify Him than in keeping the letter of the law. When God's people return their hearts to the Lord, they give generously to the work of the ministry so that the church will flourish and the Word of God will be preached and ministered.  A pastor's main responsibility is to be devoted to the Word of God and to prayer. 

2 Chronicles 31:4, “Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord.”

When the spirit of God moves within the church, the harvest will be an abundance of the fruit of the Spirit. For the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance....against such there is no law. According to proverbs, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. What's in your heart? To profess Christianity means that we're "professional" Christians. The profession means to "speak the same thing." Your profession means that you "practice what you preach" proficiently. It means that your heart and your mouth are coordinated with your actions according to the Word of truth.  

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

The Haughtiness of Men


Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

The prophet Isaiah righteously condemned a shamelessly immoral licentious and rebellious nation that preferred the ways of the wicked to the blessings of God. They would pay the price of judgment for their vanity and pride. God was angry with them because of their arrogant and prideful haughtiness in the face of warnings concerning the coming judgment of God. Many of the Jewish people were sinning openly and recklessly. They had dulled their consciences through their own vain delusions and presumptions. Even when God sent a prophet to warn them of the consequences of their sin, they refused to listen. Isaiah told them that God would judge them for their sin, but what was their response? Humility? Repentance? Sadly, neither. They laughed and said, “If God is going to judge us, then let Him do it now! We’ve seen no evidence of His hand, so if He is really going to do something about our sin, let Him do it now so we may know it’s true.” What made this haughty response so wicked was that these were not Gentiles. They were the children of Abraham, and yet they treated God with unmasked disdain and ridicule.

They had slipped so far from their covenant obligations that they twisted the very definitions of good and evil. That which was good they called evil; and that which was evil they called good. We can just imagine their corrupt leaders describing their adulterous affairs as necessary and justified, while they condemned good men for their admonitions against such behavior as divisiveness and intolerance. We don’t need to look beyond our current culture for signs of this particular evil. Every day, good is painted as evil and evil is cloaked under the pretenses of good.

Those who are willing to dare God to judge them, and to call light darkness, are capable of just about anything. They often can’t be reached through admonition and rebuke because they listen to their own counsel or the advice of the wicked. They sometimes dull their minds with pleasures such as intoxicating drink or drugs. They can’t be trusted to execute their duties faithfully because they often bring condemnation down upon the innocent rather than indicting the guilty. A society that has reached the point where this is common fare among its civic and spiritual leaders is a society that could be on the brink of judgment. Its collapse is only a matter of time. Justice hasn’t come yet, but there is hell to pay when it does.

Praise be to God

Monday, November 26, 2018

Blessed Assurance


Isaiah 32:17“And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.”

I’ve used the term blessed assurance before to help explain the concept of faith. The term immediately brings to mind, the old gospel hymn, the “blessed assurance, Jesus is mine” is a “foretaste of glory divine.” The word “assurance” is defined as:full confidence or trust; freedom from doubt; certain expectation; the utmost certainty. A short devotional on this Bible verse above points out that this assurance forever, together with true peace of soul and quietness of spirit, are products of the work of righteousness. Righteousness is defined in the 1828 Webster’s dictionary as: Purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law. Righteousness, as used in Scripture and theology, in which it is chiefly used, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law. It includes all we call justice, honesty and virtue, with holy affections; in short, it is true religion. A right relationship with God.

The New Testament exposition of genuine righteousness makes it clear that we who have received Christ’s work of righteousness by faith have been “made the righteousness of God in Him”. “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness”. Thus, salvation is the priceless possession of those to whom Christ’s work of righteousness has been imputed, through faith. On the other hand, the assurance of salvation, accompanied by quietness and peace of heart, is “experienced” only by saved believers who practice the work of righteousness in their daily walk with the Lord. 

If we truly have salvation, then we ought to manifest the “things that accompany salvation. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which you have showed toward his name. We can, indeed, know that we are saved simply through faith in His work and His Word. Nevertheless, to know that one’s faith itself is genuine, God has given us this test of faith in 1 John 2:3. “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments”. This is surely blessed assurance of salvation and a foretaste of glory divine! 

Blessings

Sunday, November 25, 2018

Turn your heart to God – Part 2


2 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

Continuing Pastor Kyle’s message from yesterday, (2) Secondly, godly repentance is remorse and mourning over rebellious sin, ignorance and poor choices while trying to obey, know truth and make better choices. We need to know the difference between “right” and “wrong” as defined by the Lord, learn from our mistakes and take deep personal inventory of our life. How do we measure up? God knows. 

Hebrews 10:23-25 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

(3) Thirdly, godly repentance is staying in a Christian-based support group who will direct us to God’s word and help us get out of our struggles. It is best to get the perspective from the people of God with reverential fear, remembering that only Christ is perfect and we support one another.  

Pastor Kyle told us four ways that God honors genuine, lasting repentance. First, by honoring us like sons and daughters who have special privileges. Psalms 1–41says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 

Secondly, by giving us hope when others find only despair. Every day is a new, fresh day. Choose righteousness, obedience, and hope in the rising of the sun each day.
Psalm 118:24 proclaims, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Feel the freedom in Christ joyfully, remembering the seasons of the past. God’s grace is sufficient for us.

Thirdly, by giving us success over the long haul (even if it doesn’t look like it today). God will keep us advancing and moving forward, beyond yesterday’s pains and troubles, towards a future with a sure hope. Isaiah 40:31 reassures us that,“those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” The eternal perspective is that at the end of the road is heaven.”

Fourthly, by using us to draw others to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Nobody comes to the Father in Heaven, except by Him. We are to point others to forgiveness and salvation in Christ at the foot of the cross. The Great Physician heals our affliction, breaks the chains of slavery to sin, saves the soul, regenerates the spirit, and reconciles us to our heavenly Father. Honor God through your repentance and turn your heart to God.

In Christ, Brian

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Turn Your Heart to God


Malachi 3:13-18 “Your words have been harsh against Me,” Says the Lord, “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God;
What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners
Before the Lord of hosts? So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.’” Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so, a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.” Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

This last Sunday, Pastor Kyle finished our Sunday sermon series through the books of the Minor Prophets with the third and fourth chapter of Malachi. He has heard frustrated people ask: “Why should I repent and follow God if it doesn’t do any good?” A fair question as nobody really wants no return for their efforts. It may feel like godless evildoers seem to prosper, but that is not the reality in a lost and fallen world. Creator God is on the throne, has authority and in control of human events and nature. Everyone will have to give an account of their life and accountable for their thoughts, words and actions, or the lack thereof according to His perfect Word, Will and Way. We desire justice, but forget that all fall short of the glory of God in sin and should, in repentance, truly desire mercy. We know this from Revelation 20:11-18 that justice comes; just not yet. 

Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

With the 1828 Webster’s dictionary definition of the word “good” being: “Having moral qualities best adapted to its design and use, or the qualities which God's law requires; virtuous; pious; religious; applied to persons, and opposed to bad, vitious, wicked, evil”, does our idea of “good” match. All of Christian life requires a daily act of remorseful repentance that needs to happen. We should ask our Creator God, “What part of our life is not in line with His Will for us?” 

Pastor Kyle presented three examples of what godly repentance looks like. (1) Godly Repentance is obedience while we sort out our internal questions. Being finite created beings, we do not see everything or have knowledge of the Divine purposes this side of eternity, so questions naturally happen in times of trials, tribulation and struggle of life. We need to honestly open up to the Lord about our circumstances and associated questions. By faith, we need to be able to say to the Lord, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24), while obediently placing our complete trust in God and follow Him – our Will aligned with His.

Let’s continue Pastor Kyle’s message on turning our heart to God in the next post.
In Christ, Brian

Friday, November 23, 2018

Active Obedience


John 8:46 “Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?”

I came across a short Study on the biblical topic of atonement that stated: No discussion of the atonement could be complete without a consideration of the
obedience of our Savior Jesus Christ to His Father. After all, Jesus saw His death as fulfilling His Father’s will. Moreover, when we talk about Christ’s obedience, we normally distinguish His passive obedience from His active obedience. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “atonement” as: Expiation; satisfaction or reparation made by giving an equivalent for an injury, or by doing or suffering that which is received in satisfaction for an offense or injury; with for. In theology, the expiation of sin made by the obedience and personal sufferings of Christ.

The atonement manifests Christ’s passive obedience because in His death He receives in His person the actions of others—His Father’s wrath and the torture of earthly authorities. Let us be careful here, for our Savior is not entirely passive in the atonement. He willingly allows the authorities to execute Him, actively submitting Himself to them as He lays down His life for His sheep (Believers). Still, the term “passive obedience” is useful because it emphasizes that Jesus offers no resistance in the atonement.

Christ’s “active obedience” describes His complete faithfulness to God’s commands, His living a perfect, sinless life in flawless obedience to His Father. We find an allusion to this unwavering obedience when Jesus asks, “Which one of you convicts me of sin?”. Clearly, Jesus expects the answer to be “No one.” Other passages, such as 1 Peter 2:21–25, teach that our Savior always kept God’s law perfectly.

Our Lord’s life of active obedience reminds us that His death was not all that was
required to redeem us. If that were so, He could have become incarnate as an adult and gone straight to the cross. By itself, Christ’s death for our sins only cleanses us from evil, restoring us to a position of neutrality before God in regard to His law, much as Adam was before the fall. Adam was free of sin when He was created, but He had no “positive obedience” of His own. He still had to obey God perfectly, taking dominion of the earth, multiplying and covering the earth with offspring, and not eating the forbidden fruit. We see this in that the obedience of Christ, the last Adam, secures eternal life. Except for Jesus, all human beings are born in Adam. That makes us subject to God’s demand for perfect obedience for eternal life. Jesus rendered such obedience, and when we rest in Him by faith alone, God credits His righteousness to our account, and we prove that God imputed our sins to Christ on the cross. Therefore, the Father sees us as having the perfect active obedience needed for eternal life.

Because we are sinners, we can do nothing in and of ourselves to merit eternal life. Even after we are saved, our best works remain tainted by sin and cannot produce the perfection we need for a righteous standing before God. Jesus’ “active obedience” to the Father, however, is put on our account when we trust in Christ, giving us confidence before Him. No work of ours is good enough for evil to atone. Your merit, Lord, is all we have; it saves and it alone.

Blessed atonement

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Outward Appearances



1 Samuel 16:7 “The Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

A devotional reading on this Bible verse stated that you cannot judge a book by its cover, but men and women do, indeed, look on the outward appearance rather than inward convictions. This has always been true, but never more so than in these latter days, even among evangelical Christians.

There is very little emphasis in the Bible on such things, however. As far as dress and adornment are concerned, Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:9-10: “that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.” Why? Because, in our sinful flesh, it doesn’t take much to make the saints stumble. The same principle surely would apply also to men. Men are naturally attracted to attractive women and women to handsome men, but outward appearances are not always what they seem. Curb-appeal can be deceiving. 

With respect to physical conditioning and development, the following is almost the only reference in the Bible: 1 Timothy 4:8 “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” Beauty (as attractive as it is) is only skin-deep and temporal. Inner-beauty in godliness of the heart, mind and soul is bottomless and eternal. There is nothing wrong, of course, with physical beauty or athletic prowess, unless they vainly center attention on self rather than Christ, but it is the “inner person” of the heart, where true strength and beauty should be sought. Therefore, as Jesus said in John 7:24, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment”. The Lord looks on the heart, and so should we.

Blessings

Monday, November 19, 2018

If God Says It, I’ll Do It – Part 2



Malachi 3:8-10 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”

Continuing my notes and thoughts from Pastor Kyle Sunday Sermon message, he explains that the tithing commandment of God boils down to three issues. (1) Our Heavenly Father God loves us. Ephesians 2:1-5 says, “You He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” Let’s not forget that.

(2) The Sovereign Creator of heaven and the earth owns everything, provides everything and has access to more than we’ll ever need. Remember that not every blessing is about receiving or financial prosperity. The Apostle Paul said in Acts 20:35 to “remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” There is a false doctrine called the “Prosperity Gospel” that is neither biblical or factual. Bogus claims that when a person accepts and believes in the savior and Lord Jesus Christ, money problems, health issues, and all other troubles in life disappear. The fact is that we live in a “fallen in sin” world on this side of eternity. Some of us have not learned to be satisfied in the Lord and the life He has provided.


(3) God says that “giving/tithing” is good for us. 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 says that the point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” He who supplies seed to the Sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

By faith, we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Everything we do is by faith really. Money is not our God. We need to be sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit. The greatest spiritual growth happens in obedience to God in areas that we are “tight-fisted” and fear exists. On the issue of tithing, all God desires is to have us respond in obedience in giving back a tenth of what He first has given us. James 1:17-18 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” In light of our sin nature, God is extravagantly generous to all of us. God is our providence; most importantly in forgiveness of sin and salvation. God sent Jesus to die in our place on the cross to pay for our sins, so that we could have eternal life.

In Christ, Brian

Sunday, November 18, 2018

If God Said It, I'll Do It




Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.

Last week, Pastor Kyle continued in our Sunday sermon series, through the books of the Minor Prophets, with the third chapter of Malachi. He stated that just about everyone has, at one time or another, used to think one way about something, then later thought the other way about it. And sometimes this pertains to the response in our heart to God’s Word. We can respond to God with either an open and soft heart or a closed and hard heart. But, we want to be the kind of Christian that responds to the Lord and does what He says. Father God wants to purify His people, as they are His temple for the indwelling Holy Spirit. The cleansing of our heart makes us useful for God’s ministry work. We correct wrong practices with repentance. This includes the changing of our hearts about our offerings to God.

Leviticus 27:30-32 “‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it. Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord.”

The word “tithe” is defined in the 1828 Webster’s dictionary as: the tenth part of any thing; but appropriately, the tenth part of the increase annually arising from the profits of land and stock, allotted to the clergy for their support and ministry. Tithes are 10% of personal income, predial (issuing from land), or mixed; personal, when accruing from labor, art, trade and navigation; grown or raised, when issuing from the earth, as vegetables, fruit, minerals, or oil; and mixed, when accruing from beasts, which are fed from the ground. In reality, it giving back ten percent of what God has first given us. Pastor Kyle explains that the practice is grounded in God’s character (specifically the fact that He does not change). This is called the immutability of God.

Deuteronomy 12:5-7 “But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.”

Pastor Kyle states that people have always struggled with the idea of tithing their income, but that’s no excuse to stay where you are at in not tithing to the Lord. Tithing is truly a response to God and provides the means and meets the needs for ministry outreach, ministry staff, and ministry facilities. The practice of tithing is one of the ways that we stay grounded in Jesus Christ and His mission. When we struggle in our mind and don’t bring the firth tenth to the Lord, we are robbing God and the work of the gospel on earth.

Let's continue Pastor Kyle message on "tithing" in the next post.
In Christ, Brian


Saturday, November 17, 2018

The New Creation



Galatians 6:15 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.”

I read a study on the term "new creation" that clarified that in the original Greek text of the New Testament, the word translated “creature” is the same as “creation,” so Paul, in our text, is stressing the vital importance of being a “new creation” in Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is nothing less than the mighty Creator of heaven and Earth, and the very same creative power which called the universe into existence must be exerted on each lost sinner to create in them a new nature, capable of having the eternal fellowship with God for which man and woman were created in the beginning.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

This new creation is not only for the purpose of saving their souls, but also for transforming their lives. Although good works can never bring salvation, salvation must inevitably bring good works. Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 4:24 to continually “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness”.

Genesis 1:27 points out that Adam and Eve were originally created “in the image of God”, but that image has been grievously damaged by unbelief and overt sin. Although still resident in mankind—in fact, distinguishing us from the animals—this divine image must be renewed through saving faith in our Creator / Redeemer,  Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Holy Scripture reminds all true believers that they “have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him”  (Colossians 3:9-10). We are a new creation on Christ.

Glory

Friday, November 16, 2018

The Mosaic Covenant



Deuteronomy 7:7–8 “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you . . . but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has redeemed you from the house of slavery”.

Of all the covenants that the Lord has made with His people, perhaps none is more misunderstood than the Mosaic covenant, which we more commonly refer to as the old covenant. Fundamentally, the covenant with Israel that was mediated by Moses is a gracious covenant. It is part of the unfolding of the covenant of grace, and does not introduce a new principle of salvation in opposition to the Abrahamic covenant of promise.

Romans 7:7 ‘What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”

We could say that in some sense the Mosaic covenant is “a renewed proclamation of the original covenant of works” in that it sets forth (for sinners) a theoretical  way of salvation via perfect obedience to its commands. But the Lord never meant for the Israelites to think that they could fulfill the covenant and keep His law with the perfection He demands for justification. The very existence of the sacrificial system, for example, presupposes that they would not. In fact, the sacrifices of the Mosaic covenant are a testimony to its being part of the one covenant of grace, added to show people their transgression and to cultivate the hope of a Messiah who would offer the final sacrifice for sin. But the Mosaic covenant is not a republication of the covenant of works in the sense that it is opposed to the covenant with Abraham; in fact, it is part of the covenant of grace, a gracious gift of God to reveal His demands, point people finally to Christ, and provide a blueprint that outlines holy living for those who have been justified by faith alone.

Romans 7:12 “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

In the Mosaic covenant, God’s promises to Abraham begin to reach a more glorious fulfillment. The twelve tribes made up of the patriarch’s descendants are constituted as a nation as the Lord starts to make the number of Abraham’s progeny as numerous as the stars. God comes to dwell among His people in the tabernacle, and the Israelites are called to be a holy nation that testifies to the Lord’s grace and encourages the Gentiles to come to Him for blessing.

The gracious character of the Mosaic covenant is most evident when we consider the context in which the Lord gave it. There was nothing in Israel that motivated God to enter into covenant with the nation. In fact, it was His decision alone to do so and keep the oath He swore to the patriarchs. Furthermore, salvation comes first. God saves the Israelites from Egypt, and only then does He reveal His law. By revealing His law to Israel after redeeming the nation from Egypt, our Creator establishes the basic principle of sanctification. Strictly speaking, we do not make ourselves holy. First, God saves us from sin and sets us apart as His holy people. Then, we receive and obey His law, expressing our gratitude for His gracious redemption. The Mosaic law is God’s gift of grace, given not as a means to save ourselves but to show us how to live in thankfulness for His salvation.

Galatians 3:24 “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

Blessings

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Born of God



1 John 2:29 “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

I read a teaching on this doctrine that pointed out that this is the first of seven occurrences of the phrase “born of God,” or “born of Him,” in the little epistle of 1 John. If anyone wishes to know how to recognize one who has truly been “born again; born from above”, these seven descriptors are available for that purpose.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

The first such test, in our text, is that such a person is one “that practices righteousness.” The second and third tests are found in 1 John 3:9: “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” That is, he will not practice sin because God’s own nature has been implanted in him.

1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” So, another evidence is genuine love.

1 John 5:1 “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.” Still another is genuine faith in Christ, which in turn produces genuine love.

1 John 5:4-5 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” Those who are truly born again will not be permanently defeated by the world.

Finally, 1 John 5:18 says, “We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.”

John 3:5-7 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”

The term “born again” is being used very loosely these days, and we need to realize that true “regeneration of the spirit” is a permanent, life-transforming miracle accomplished by God Himself in a believer’s life.

Born of God

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

His Word



Luke 4:32 “And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.”

We often take for granted the power of the living Word of God. We must stay in his Word, for the Word of God is are live. I read that God’s words, whether spoken by Jesus or written in Scripture, are indeed full of power, and it is noteworthy how many and varied are the physical analogies used to characterize and emphasize its power.

For example, consider Jeremiah 23:29. “Is not my Word like as a fire?, says the LORD; and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” The fire analogy is also stressed in Jeremiah 20:9, when the prophet became weary of the negative reaction against his preaching: “Then I said, I will not . . . speak any more in his name. But his Word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”

God’s Word is also called a sharp sword wielded by the Holy Spirit. As part of the Christian’s spiritual armor, we are exhorted to take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged 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” (Hebrews 4:12).

Even more significantly, perhaps, it is compared to light, for light energy is really the most basic of all forms of energy, or power. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light to my path.” “The entrance of thy words gives light” (Psalm 119:105, 130). The first spoken words of Christ our Creator were “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3).

But no earthly form of power can compare to the power in the words of the One who is Himself the living Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is actually “upholding all things by the word of his power” Hebrews 1:3.

Blessings

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD



Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

I’ve heard certain people say that the Old Testament is not necessary to read and study; that the new Testament is all that they need, even though the Lord Jesus and the Epistles quote directly from the Old Testament Word of God. I read where early in its history, the church confronted a heretic named Marcion of Sinope (85 – 160 A.D.), who believed, among other things, that the God revealed in the Old Testament is not the same deity who sent Christ to save us from our sins. As a consequence of that belief, Marcion also denied that the Old Testament is Christian Scripture, and he even cut out the references to the Old Testament found in those New Testament books that he did accept. Few professing Christians today would so blatantly deny the Old Testament as God’s Word to His people. Nevertheless, certain Marcionite tendencies remain alive and well in the covenant community. After all, many believers treat most, if not all, of Genesis–Malachi as an afterthought and less worthy of our study than the New Testament.


Whatever the reasons for this neglect of the Old Testament, such attitudes find no justification in the teaching of the New Testament itself. Old Testament allusions and direct quotations of the Law, Prophets, and Psalms are part of the underlying structure, base or foundation of the New Testament. In fact, the Apostles tell us directly that the old covenant Scriptures continue to have value for those who live under the administration of the new covenant.

Psalm 69:12-19 “I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me. But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. Hide not your face from your servant, for I am in distress; make haste to answer me. Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies! You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you.”

The lesson stated that the Apostle Paul quoted Psalm 69 to support his point that since Christ bore the insults of others as He suffered for our salvation, we should willingly endure the lighter suffering we undergo as we put up with the inconvenience of not exercising the fullness of our Christian freedom in front of immature believers. Psalm 69 and the rest of the Old Testament, Paul tells us, give us the encouragement we need to have hope. In seeing that the writings of the old covenant prophets are fulfilled in Jesus, we find assurance that Christ is who He says He is and that our hope of salvation in Him is secure. Moreover, the Old Testament Scriptures remind Gentiles especially that before Christ, we were people without hope in the world. Now that Jesus has come and fulfilled the prophetic hope that the Gentiles would serve the only true God — Yahweh, the covenant Lord of Israel. Those who are not Israelites according to the flesh are now full members of God’s covenant people in Christ. Thus, we possess all the rights and privileges our heavenly Father gives to His children.

John 1:9-13 “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

In conclusion, certain books and passages of Scripture have played greater roles in the history of theology than others; thus, it’s no surprise that some portions of the Bible are read more often than others. However, we must not make the mistake of thinking that there is any unimportant part of Scripture. The is a common thread of Christ that runs through every page of Holy Scripture. The Holy Spirit inspired it all, and it is all given for our edification. Let us therefore study the whole counsel of God and not just isolated portions of it.

Blessings

Monday, November 12, 2018

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Make the Picture the Reality – Part 2



Ephesians 5:22-33 “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

Continuing Pastor Kyle’s message on making the picture the reality, he reminds us that our relationships are not on auto-pilot and there are critical elements that must be maintained by focused attention and well thought out hard work. The same is true in our relationship with God. Our concerted effort allows us to grow and mature in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Problems arise when we do not work on and maintain our relationships because they are either growing or dying; there is no third direction. It may seem the opposite, but the truth is that it is more trouble to leave a relationship than to improve it because the reality in the consequences.

Jesus said in Mark 10:6-9 “But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” To pull two objects apart is different than pulling apart a single object (one flesh); something is going to be severely damaged. But, God has grace.

We must learn to find and fill our needs in the Lord. Do we go to the Lord to have our needs met first? James 4:2-3 says, “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” What change of perspective might we have if we look, not to others but, to the Lord with requested aligned with His Will for our life? The Lord says that we have the fleshly tendency to look at “selfish” passions and unrealistic expectations of getting them met that negatively drives us. Galatians 5:22-23 tell us that the love, joy, and peace that we desire and seek is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us, and they are always accompanied by patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Hurt people, hurt people. When arrows of discontent are shot, people duck. We like to act like we get hurt and don’t hurt others that we are in relationship with, but we do. Reality is that people want to be healed. People want to be listened to. Listening to hurting people is true hard, but it’s the only way to help them feel better. It takes faith to listen and be a “good” listener. Let them have the floor and be heard until they are done.  They just need to vent their feelings and frustrations. Remember the good is the goal and work to make the ideal the real. Be intentional in your relationships to make the picture the reality because, first and foremost, we have the picture of God sending His Son to die on the Cross for our sins as reality.

In Christ, Brian     

Saturday, November 10, 2018

Make the Picture the Reality



Malachi 2:13-16 And this second thing you do. You cover the Lord's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”

Our church has now been going through the Minor Prophet book of Malachi for several Sundays and last week Pastor Kyle continued in chapter two by first recapping that the proper response to God’s love is to give Him the best and the first of everything because our Almighty Maker deserves our honor, praise and respect for His loving protection and caring provision. Stop robbing God of His due and don’t rob others because in doing so, we rob ourselves of the blessed life the Lord has for us. Secondly, every Christian is a priest (in the royal priesthood of Believers), who represents the Sovereign Creator of Heaven and Earth to their world. Royal priesthood, do not allow corruption in the kingdom of God. There are times when everything seems to be going great and then they are not going so great. We must never lose sight of hope because the Lord God has blessed us all with miracle after miracle and life is going to have struggles; that is the reality of life.

It’s easy to look at he pictures of great moments in people’s lives and think of happy times. But, photographs are just images and memories. How do you make the picture the reality? We are constantly fighting to keep these ideals a reality, day in and day out, through the lenses that God sees us through.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Today Bible passage reminds us that the two most important relationship covenants in life are: (1) our relationship with our Heavenly Father God, (2) our relationship with our spouse.  God created the family. Equally yoked Christians go to church and take their children to Sunday School in order to produce godly offspring. This is not about nominal “checkbox” Christianity, but someone who believes and walks faithfully with the Lord. Marriage to Jesus as the bride is the church’s number one priority, but the marriage to your spouse  is our greatest earthly gift from God. It is natural to protect your treasures in heart and mind. Do not stop remembering to cherish your covenant vows, made before God, to your spouse.

Let’s continue Pastor Kyle’s message on making the picture a reality in the next post.
In Christ, Brian

Friday, November 9, 2018

Our Maker & Creator



Psalm 95:6 “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.”

As finite creatures, we tend to take for granted the infinite Creator God. Maybe that is because we cannot “create” something from nothing, but can only “make” something from existing material. I read an interesting article on Creator God; our maker, that pointed out that in the first chapter of Genesis we are told that God was to “make man in our (the Godhead’s) image.” Similarly, on the seventh day God “rested from all his work which God created and made”. God is, therefore, both Creator and Maker of all things, including the image of God in mankind. These two terms are not synonymous, though they sometimes seem to be used interchangeably. To “create” is the calling into existence entities that previously had no existence. No one except God is ever the subject of the verb “create”, because only God can create something from nothing. The work of making, on the other hand, is that of organizing created entities into complex systems.

It is interesting that God is called “Creator” five times in the Bible, whereas He is called “Maker” 16 times. God ‘created” His image in men and women, but He also “made” them in that image. That is, He called into existence the spiritual component of man’s nature, not shared in any degree by the animals. The article explains that He also organized the basic material elements into complex human bodies, the most highly organized systems in the universe, and these were made in that image that God Himself would one day assume when He became an incarnate human being (Jesus Christ). In this way, He is both Creator and Maker of His image in each person.

That image has been marred because of sin, but through the work of Christ we have been “renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created us.  Created and newly created, made and remade, let us humbly kneel before the Lord, our Maker and Creator.