Get in the Parade

Matthew 21:6-9 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!”

Last Sunday was “Palm Sunday”, the beginning of “Holy Week” leading up to Easter/Resurrection Sunday. Our Congregation’s CEO Dr. Willie Nolte continued in our “Passion” series and preached on the event in history known as the “Triumphal Entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem. Dr. Nolte defined the word “parade” as a procession with a purpose. The number one most significant parade in all of human history when Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, as the people laid down palm branches in the path ahead of Him and shouted “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!” Why was it the most significant parade? Because that Palm Sunday’s triumphal entry began the definitive fulfillment of Jesus’ mission to seek and save the lost. It set the stage for everything that would happen in this holy week. Jesus announces Himself as King and Savior, presenting this without a doubt and that requires a response. What Jesus specifically does (the what, the when and the where) is strategically detailed on purpose.

Revelation 7:9  “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands.”

We have an amazing picture of Jesus in Heaven that mirror the triumphal entry. Capture a picture in your mind of that throne room in heaven. Be there among all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues! Jesus is about to fulfill God’s redemption plan, while completely fulfilling the prophecy of the Holy Scriptures. Riding in on a donkey (the sign of royalty) was symbolic and making a bold statement, because the time was right. It was intentional in detail and timing. It is important that we have the Word of God to have the benefit of looking back, seeing the message in its entirety and understand it. A truly humble King would come in peace on a donkey. From here on out, there is no doubt who is King. Jesus is King; the Messiah.  

Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

The people of that day had a wrong idea of what a King and the Messiah would do. Jesus transcends our imagination of who and what He is … everything and more.  There is an ultimate power and authority. Jesus says in John 3:35, “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.” Jesus is above and beyond all earthly authority. In a world where might is right, Jesus Christ has all true authority. So, we can have confidence, regardless of the circumstances that we are currently in. Put yourself into the authority of Jesus; His principles and direction. Jesus is Lord and reigns. 

1 Peter 3:22  “(Jesus) who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.”

Make your mind’s picture of Jesus bigger, until Christ is King of kings, Lord of lords and Savior of the world. This Messiah Jesus delivered us from sin and separation from Father God, to righteousness, reconciliation, restored relationship and salvation unto eternal life. Yes, Jesus is our Redeemer and Savior. In was foretold in Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The people shouted “Hosanna, which literally means “save us”. As Savior, He speaks to the lostness, brokenness and pain of this world.

Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.”

Jesus is not messing around; He is the symbolic “Passover Lamb” and presents Himself as the perfect and permanent atoning sacrifice for sin. We look at the world today and know that there is a problem with humanity. Something is wrong. The soul of humanity is begging for connection with God, but sin caused separation, blindness, and brokenness. Now is the time. A choice must be made to watch or walk. Stand on the sidelines and watch life or walk with the Spirit and experience the abundant life in Christ. Now that Jesus has left no doubt, we have to make a choice to get into the Palm Sunday parade; watch it or walk in it.

Don’t be afraid that God loves you and saves you. There is a parade, so get in it. When Jesus shows up, get in the parade. Do not stand on the side of the road watching it go by. Today is a good day to join the parade. Jesus invites you now.

In Christ, Brian   

Take Up Your Cross - Part 2

Jesus said in, Luke 9:22-23 “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” Take Up the Cross and Follow Him Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Continuing Michael’s message, he writes that the weakest things of God are stronger than the greatest strength of men. To overcome the evil ones power of darkness is to walk in the light as He (Jesus) is in the light. Our identity with Christ is the Cross of Christ. For I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me.  And the life that I now live I live by faith in the one who loved me and gave himself for me – Galatians 2:20. We identify with Christ in our actions, not in our intentions. Love is an action verb. We were called to love our Lord by our actions for we are His living epistles (letters and dispatch). Anything we do that is acceptable unto God begins with our denying ourselves.  Anything done for our own self-fulfillment will come to naught. Pride is the first enemy needing to be defeated. We must crucify our sinful flesh desires in order to live for the Lord.

King Uzziah built up his military and became mighty according to the world's standards. In his strength, he was lifted up with pride and thought that he could approach God on his own terms instead of God's terms. According to 2 Chronicles 26:19-21: “Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also hurried to get out, because the Lord had struck him. King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. Then Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.”

According to Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” 

By his prideful disobedience King Uzziah did not accept God's warning. He suffered the consequences of his disobedience. The greatest test in life is not your success but your failures. When we fail according to the godless world's standards, then God can intervene. James said, rejoice in tribulation. For when we are weak in our flesh, then we are strong in the power of His might.  As John the Baptist said, "Less of me and more of thee ... I must decrease that he may increase."

As Martin Luther wrote in his great hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God: "Did we in our own strength confide, our battle would be losing, we're not the right hand on our side, the man of God's own choosing. Doth ask who that may be? Christ Jesus it is he.  And he must win the battle.

May God richly bless you! Happy Good Friday!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

Take Up Your Cross - Part 1

In Luke 9:23-24 Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”

Continuing Michael’s Holy Week messages, he writes that many Christians approach the cross of Christ. However, to be a true disciple requires more than approaching the cross. In order to live for Christ, we must crucify the worldly nature that we inherited from Adam to walk in the Spirit and live according to the heavenly nature we inherited from Christ. The cross is the instrument by which we die to self in order to live for Him. Galatians 2:20 says, "For I have been crucified with Christ." When we come to the cross, we must abandon our pride to enter into the place of personal abandonment and absolute trust.

The Roman soldiers did not kill Jesus on the cross of Calvary. They did not take His life. He lovingly and willingly gave up His life after He shed His life blood as the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. It was not the nails that kept Him on the cross, rather it was the love that He had for you and me. According to Hebrews 12:2, Jesus, for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down upon the right hand of the throne of God.

There are things going on in our physical bodies that only God knows and that only God can heal. Likewise, there are things going on in the church, the body of Christ, which only God can heal. Men and women of the unbelieving world and Christians often do things without knowing the purpose and value of their actions. Our challenge is to "put one on the scoreboard for our Lord."  For we are His living epistles known and read of all people.

How do we spread the word about the gospel of the good news of Jesus Christ?  Jesus rarely ministered to the multitudes. He taught by example those who followed Him closely.  The question is, "Who are your three inner-group and who are your twelve close group of intimate confidants?" The disciples asked Jesus, "Who's my neighbor." To answer that question, Jesus taught them the story of the Good Samaritan. The point of this story is that your "neighbor" is the person in need who is right next to you. Jesus came to bind up the wounds of the broken and the broken hearted and to show them the unconditional love of God in manifestation.  

There is a spiritual cause behind every earthly effect. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high. All men and women who have been “born again” of the spirit of life in Christ are engaged in spiritual warfare whether or not they realize it.  

Let's continue Michael's message on "Taking up our Cross" in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

The Spotless Lamb

During this Holy Week, Michael writes: Passover in Israel was celebrated every year according to the Old Testament Law. This is the time of the year beginning with Palm Sunday in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9 and Daniel 9, the prophecy that the Messiah would ride into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey. On that Easter Passover, Jesus Christ himself became the spotless Passover Lamb of God.  

Those of us who have died to the God-rejecting world system in order to live for Christ, convict the world of sin and separation from God. To confess is to "speak the same thing", meaning to align my heart with God's heart, my will with God's will and my word with His word.  Before the Passover feast was the inspection of the lamb. This is the "trial" of Jesus when they "inspected" Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. They found Him without spot and without blemish. The "inspectors" were mad at Jesus because He convicted them of their separation from God state. 

Why do we need to concentrate on the "spotless Lamb of God?"  Hebrews 12:14 says, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” “Churchianity” has taken "holiness" out of the church. It's too controversial a subject in a politically correct society. Holiness is not sinless perfection. Holiness means to separate according to the purpose intended by the Designer. Jesus' holy purpose was the cross of Redemption for the salvation of Sinners. The Cross of Christ was God's purpose for His only begotten Son’s coming.  

Likewise, the Cross of Christ is also our purpose for this life. When Jesus gave the "upper room discourse" at the "last supper" He said that the Holy Spirit will come after me. In order to be raised in righteousness we must recognize ourselves dead to sin. According to Psalm 91, Jesus made His Father His dwelling place. 

The requirement to approach the Cross of Christ is to die to our sin nature in order to live for Him. Confession unto salvation is to change from our lords to the Lord: to turn from my selfish nature to the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.  If you lost everything in this world, would you still have everything in Christ?  For what shall it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul?  

John 10:17-18 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

At the cross, the Roman soldiers did not kill Jesus, the spotless Lamb. He willingly laid down His life as the perfect and spotless Lamb of God. For He who was without sin became the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him.  

Happy Holy Week and may God richly bless you!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

Not What I Will, but What You Will – Part 5 – Doers of God’s Will

 James 1:22-25 “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

Continuing from the last post, Pastor Obie tells us that knowing the Will of God is half the battle. The other half is doing the Will of God and Obie gave us three ways to help us do it. The first is to be “doers” of the Word of God and continue in it. The best intention without actions is still wrong. Do what the word of God says, making it a part of who you are and what you do. Delayed obedience is still disobedience. The opposite is also true, that if any opportunity arises requiring a decision, but is in direct opposition to the Word of God then do not do it. God left us His holy Word of Scripture in the pages of the Bible, so that we may know His heart and will, follow it and do it.

John 6:38 “For I (Jesus) have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

Secondly, Everyday, commit yourself to being second in everything and God be first. To do the Will of God, we have to prioritize God’s Will above ourselves. “Not what I will, but what You will” was not a one-time prayer, but a lifestyle for Jesus and is our model. Place the Lord in the seat of priority in your life and let Him govern your steps and decisions. The third way to help us do God’s Will is to trust that God is your heavenly (Abba) Father, who knows the best and wants the best for your life. Get to know intimately, who you have a loving relationship with. Creator, Father God loves you and plans for your future to be prosperous in the things of God. You just have to trust Him.

James 1:16-18 “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 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.”

Trust and know that your heavenly Father knows what is best for you. He is motivated by love and wants the best for us. “Not what I will, but what You will” carried Jesus Christ through the Cross at Calvary to the resurrection, so that we could receive our redemption and free gift of salvation. There is no greater feat that you can accomplish in your life than walking in the ways of Jesus … than walking in the Will of God.

In Christ, Brian

Not What I Will, but What You Will – Part 4 – The Lord’s Will

1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.”

Continuing Pastor Obie’s message on God’s Will from the last post the second point within Scripture that reveal God’s Providential, Moral and Personal Will for us is that it’s God’s Will for us to be sanctified. God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness and purified from the bondage of sin to freedom from that bondage. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “Sanctification” as: the act of making holy. In an evangelical sense, 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. It is the act of consecrating or of setting apart for a sacred purpose; consecration.

But, true holiness and righteousness can only be obtained by accepting the forgiveness that Jesus Christ offers. All of us have sinned and fallen short of perfection. Lies (even little white ones), Stealing (even of the smallest things), adulterous lust (sexual immorality), selfish pride, idols (anything that we place a higher priority than God, hate (inter-personal strife, wishing harm or death of another), addictions (drugs, sex, alcohol, gaming, etc.) or coveting (greed) in thought or deed is sin. Nobody is perfect and if heaven is a perfect place that takes perfection to enter, then we are all disqualified from going there because of our sin. This is bad news, but God has good news.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

But, because Jesus (the Son of God) took the sins of the world upon Himself and paid the penalty that we all should have paid on that Cross at Calvary, we were redeemed as He traded His perfectly sinless holiness for our sins (suffering and dying in our place), so that we could be saved. This is His gift and all we need to do is accept it. This is the gospel and what Easter is all about. Know that what God wants for us is the “Best”, aligned with His perfect Word, Will and Way. His Will and desire is for us to be sanctified and live lives that are pleasing to Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

The third example is of God’s personal Will for us to be thankful. Thankfulness is a choice and there is something always to be thankful for. Thankfulness is a command, not a suggestion, but is a choice but us; and there is always something to be thankful for, when w stop and take a good look around us. Studies show that if we live a life of gratitude, we will be happier, have more joy and live a physically healthier life. It’s all for our best.

The Holy Scriptures tell us what God’s heart is for you and I, but it takes our Will to study God’s Word to learn and grow. When you get to know God and know God more, then our Will and Ways align with God’s perfect Will and Ways, by the renewing of our minds. Knowing is half the battle. As long as we have breath in our lungs, God is not done with us yet. The Lord is not finished with us and still doing a good work in us.  

There is more to this great message from Pastor Obie on the Will of God, so let's continue on the next post. Happy Holy Week!

In Christ, Brian

Not What I Will, but What You Will – Part 3 – What is God’s Will?

Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

Continuing Pastor Obie’s sermon, he proclaims that there are tremendous implications for “not my will, but God’s will be done” on our lives today (1) Through Christ it accomplished God’s “Redemption Plan” for us lost sinners, and (2) It serves as a model for us to live out in our lives. We have “free Will” to choose to do things our way or God’s way. The problem is that, because of our “sin nature”, our way is not always the best. Putting God’s will over our will leads to a life of blessing, having a potential to save your relationships today and your soul from eternal separation from God and eternal damnation.

1 Peter 4:1-2 “Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”

But, what is the will of God? The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “Will” as: That faculty of the mind by which we determine either to do or forbear an action; the faculty which is exercised in deciding, among two or more objects, which we shall embrace or pursue. The will is directed or influenced by the judgment. The understanding or reason compares different objects, which operate as motives; the judgment determines which is preferable, and the will decides which to pursue. In other words, we reason with respect to the value or importance of things; we then judge which is to be preferred; and we will to take the most valuable. These are but different operations of the mind, soul, or intellectual part of man. Great disputes have existed respecting the freedom of the will. Will is often quite a different thing from desire.

It is important to be able to distinguish between our own selfish reasoning, judgment, preferences and will, and the perfect will of God. To discern and understand God’s will, Obie categorize three types of God’s will. (1) God’s Providential Will, which will come to pass. (2) God’s Moral Will, which are pure and ethical. And, (3) God’s Personal Will for our life. God reveals His holy and just Will in a number of ways, like through revelation, through godly Prophets, Pastors and Teachers, but primarily through His Holy Word; the Sacred Scriptures found within the Holy Bible. So, read your Bible!

1 Timothy 2:3-4 “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;

4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

Pastor Obie explained three points within Scripture that reveal God’s Providential, Moral and Personal Will for us. (1) It is God’s Will that we be saved unto eternal life and come to know Him. Salvation is the whole reason that Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth. It was not for behavior modification, making bad people good, but to make spiritually dead people alive by bringing redemption to humanity, forgiving our sins and trespasses in order to provide a pathway to eternal life and a stairway to heaven. Through reading of the Word of God, we get to know God intimately in meditation and prayer, in connection with our Maker. The more we get to know God, the more we get to know and understand His Will, His thoughts, His Ways and His innermost desires. Then, our ways begin to align, Sync, and mirror Him, so that His ways become our ways. We get to know God’s Will so well that, in any situation, we are able to know the way God would have us act and go. God wants us to get a glimpse of His heart and truly know Him in a deeper way.

Let’s stop here, meditate upon Pastor Obie’s message here and continue his explanation of God’s Will plus three ways to help us do God’s will, in the next post. Blessings.

In Christ, Brian

Not What I Will, but What You Will – Part 2 – Submission Victory

Acts 17:3  Explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said.

Continuing from the last post, Pastor Obie reminds us that we are only a week away from the Easter Celebration for the Passion of the Christ; the suffering on the Cross at Calvary for the atoning sacrifice of the sins of the world, but also the glory of the Resurrection of the blessed Redeemer and Savior of the world, conquering sin and death. This is the single most greatest event in human history. It allowed for the greatest leap of mankind; from death and eternal damnation to eternal life in Christ.  

Acts 26:22-23 “To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

From the moment that Jesus set foot in this world, Satan wanted to stop him. At Jesus’ “make it or break it” moment in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed. If you are discouraged, it you are at your lowest point, if you are at the end of your rope, or if you’ve hit rock bottom, the greatest thing that you can do is stop and pray; fixing your heart, mind and soul’s eye upon God.

In Luke 22:42, Jesus prayed: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

The cup that Jesus was asking Father God to remove is the sin of the world (past, present, and future). The late Pastor D. James Kennedy wrote: When Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal, He realized how horrible was the cup that He was about to drink from—the cup of God’s wrath. This is why He prayed that the cup be passed from Him, if possible. It was not possible, so He submitted to drink it. It was placed to His lips, and willingly Jesus drank it down to the very dregs, and the Scriptures tell us that Jesus Christ, the Holy One of God, became sin for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Kennedy explains that after having been skewered to the cross, lifted up naked before all the world to see, Jesus endured the shame and the horror and the agony and the pain of the worst kind of human suffering. Nevertheless, when Jesus hung upon the Cross, He became the very quintessence of sin. For three interminable hours He hung there, until at last Christ committed His soul into the Father’s hand. The physical sufferings of Christ were so horrendous that we can hardly contemplate them at all. But it was the spiritual suffering that killed Him. Every sin and sorrow was laid on Him; He carried it all. Jesus saw all of that in the cup, and His soul recoiled against it. This was one of the last temptations of Christ, and our Savior met it magnificently. Jesus Christ paid for our sin in full.

Hebrews 9:22 “According to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”

Pastor Obie elucidates that if Jesus was swayed to avoid the Cross, Satan wins and humanity loses. If the crucifixion’s atoning sacrifice could have been stopped at that moment, then God’s redemption and Salvation plan for mankind would have been thwarted. But in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus’ prayer was not done, saying “Not what I will, but what you will”. And with those words, the battle for the Cross of Salvation was won. Jesus didn’t turn back or hit the eject button. He pushed through His “make it or break it” moment and was triumphant in conquering the grave. His victory here at the Garden of Gethsemane made the victory at the Cross of Calvary possible. It would cost Him His life, but death couldn’t hold Him. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ laid down His will and submitted to the will of the Father.

Matthew 26:28 “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

Let's continue Pastor Obie's message on God's Will in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Not What I Will, but What You Will – Part 1 – Make it or Break it

Mark 14:36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Just a couple Sundays ago, while I was up north visiting my dear old dad in the Central California Sierra Nevada mountains, Pastor Obie started an Easter Sermon series titled “Passion”.

Looking up the word “passion” in the 1882 Webster’s dictionary, I found the more common usage of the word defined as : (4) The feeling of the mind, or the sensible effect of impression; excitement, perturbation or agitation of mind; as desire, fear, hope, joy, grief, love, hatred. (5) Violent agitation or excitement of mind, particularly such as is occasioned by an offense, injury or insult; hence, violent anger. (6) Zeal; ardor; vehement desire. (7) Love. (8) Eager desire; as a violent passion for fine clothes. But, also the definition that our pastors intended for this new Sunday sermon series: (1) The impression or effect of an external agent upon a body; that which is suffered or received. A body at rest affords us no idea of any active power to move, and when set in motion, it is rather a passion than an action in it. (2) Susceptibility of impressions from external agents. The differences of moldable and not moldable, and many other passions of matter, are plebeian notions. [Little used.] And what Pastor Obie is preaching on – (3) Suffering; emphatically, the last suffering of the Savior (Jesus Christ).

Mark 8:31 “And He (Jesus) began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

Pastor Obie explained that every illustrious moment in history, every great victory and every major achievement will have to face a “make it or break it” moment, and those taking part have to dig deep, press on and make the accurate call, or risk failure. In our lives it is no different and we all will face these “make it or break it” moments many times. We will be challenged to make the correct decision and do the right thing; to press on pass the pressure, to stand strong and firm, and to face temptation, doubt and discouragement in order to come out on the other side victorious. So, what do we do when we face our “make it or break it” moments?

Luke 24:46-47 He (Jesus) told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

Let’s continue Pastor Obie’s massage “Not what I will, but what you will” on the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Jesus Christ Is Lord

Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The living Word of God is speaking to us as we read these Holy Scriptures within the pages of the Bible. One devotional cross referenced multiple passages to define the sovereign lordship of Jesus Christ. It states that often this passage (above) is thought of as an admission by all sentient beings of the deity of the Lord Jesus—and it certainly is that. There surely will come a point in time in which “every thing that has breath” will praise the Lord” - Psalm 150:6. Those of us who are the twice-born (born of the Spirit from heaven) will do so with great joy. Those who have chosen to reject the gospel will also do so—but with overwhelming terror. For if the free gift of Christ’s atoning sacrifice for our sins is not accepted and received, then the wrath of Creator God for the just payment of those sin remains on us and eternal damnation (the Second Death) is our deserved sentence. Either way, we bow to the King’s lordship.

Isaiah 45:22-23 “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.”

Philippians 2:9-11 applies this Isaiah passage to the great final judgment referred to in Revelation 20. Other insights in Revelation cite some of the songs we may sing and something of the ceremonies and pageantry associated with the celebration of Christ’s formal assumption of His role as King. The first New Testament quotation of Isaiah 45:23 is in Romans 14:11-12. Here, Paul applies the judgment to an open report of our deeds: “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Surely this broader sight should strengthen our resolve to “please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier”.

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Walking on the Water

This week Michael writes that Matthew 14 records the miracle of Jesus' feeding the five thousand. His disciples had said to Him that the people were hungry, but had no food. They wanted Jesus to dismiss the multitude so that they could go into town to eat. The disciples had not yet understood who Jesus truly was and the power He had at His command. Jesus told his disciples that they needed to feed the people and multiplied the food that they had. After Jesus had performed the miracle by feeding the five thousand from just five loaves of bread and two fishes, Jesus sent the crowds away and went alone to pray.  

Jesus told the disciples to take the boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  In the middle of the night Jesus was walking on the water and the disciples who were in the boat saw him, thinking it was a ghost. They were terrified. Jesus said to them, "Be of good cheer, It is I, be not afraid."  

In John 6 is the account of another miracle that Jesus performed. He was asleep in the boat when a storm arose. The disciples were terrified and thought the boat would sink. When they woke Jesus in their panic, he said to them, "O ye of little faith."  Then he said, "Peace be still."  Immediately the wind and waves ceased.  They marveled and said, "Who is this that even the wind and waves obey him." 

You can't have peace until you have the Prince of peace. Part of peace means, "capable of harmonious coexistence."  When the winds and waves of life are unsettled, can you trust the Lord Jesus Christ to come to you walking on the water?  Can the God who created the Universe and set the stars and planets in motion according to His Word overcome the little crisis in you life?  

1 Corinthians 3:1-2 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able”

We have been indoctrinated into the world's human-code. This human code says that we can't appear needy and incapable of making it on our own. This human code says that if you're working for the ministry of the church, you should be ashamed to ask the congregation to give into the offering plate. However, in giving the congregation will be blessed. Jesus said, "it is better to give than to receive."

The most frequent command in the Scripture is, "fear not." The antidote to fear is pure, believing faith according to the Word of God. If there were ever a time for men and women to come to Jesus "walking on the water," now is the time. God's children are not confused about their life mission. They are willing to take a risk by walking out on faith according to the promises of God. Our Lord has called us to do the impossible in obedience to His command. He has called us to live in the eye of the storm and ask Him without doubting. For he who doubts is like a man who is tossed about by the waves of the sea, for a double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Jesus had a heart of compassion.  However, He has called me, women and children of God that they might have life and have it more abundantly. The abundant life is a life lived according to the fruit of the spirit by walking in the spirit ... a life filled with love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self control align with God’s perfect Word, Will and Way.

We naturally make plans in life. What if God has a different plan. Would you still honor and serve him?"  Oswald Chambers said, "God requires extreme obedience with no complaining or questioning on our part and no explanation on his." Jesus has called us to live in the midst of troubled waters. The wind is fiercely blowing and the waves are crashing. You have no control over the storms of this life. God calls us and allows crises to confront us, even brings some of them upon us. These are challenges to turn away from the wind and the waves to focus our eyes on Jesus Christ himself. Like Jesus said to Peter, "Come walk with me." When we sink, this is our opportunity to cry out to our Lord, "save me!"  Not in my strength, but in His strength alone, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

May God richly bless you!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

The Meaning of Man

Psalm 8:3-4 “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”

Having purchased the new Institute of Creation Research video series on the Universe for our Wednesday evening Small Group Bible Study Group, I came across this uplifting devotion on mankind’s place in the Universe. This question in Psalm 8 has been posed as a rhetorical question by many generations of skeptics, especially in our present generation when the tremendous size of the universe is often used to argue that God, if He exists, could not possibly be interested in such a small speck of dust as our own planet ... the pale blue dot.

But, essentially, the same argument was used against Job by one of his three “miserable comforters” over 3,500 years ago. “How then can man be justified with God? . . . that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?”.This dismal type of reasoning, however, is utterly fallacious. Significance is not a function of size, but of purposeful complexity, and the human brain is surely the most complex physical system in the entire universe, as acknowledged even by such an eminent atheistic scientist as Isaac Asimov. Rather than being insignificant nonentities, men and women have been created in the very image of God and are the objects of His redeeming love.

Philippians 2:5-7 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”

The most wonderful measure of man’s importance is the fact that God, Himself, became a man! Christ incarnate, came “in the likeness of men” to be able to take our death penalty upon Himself. Furthermore, God’s love for man is measured not only by His substitutionary death for our sins, but also by His eternal creative purpose for us. He has redeemed us so that “in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” - Ephesians 2:7. There is the meaning of man because God created everything for a purpose.

Praise be to God!

Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”

My wife listened to the Bible Bus broadcasts of the “thru the bible” in five years radio program by the late pastor and author Dr. J. Vernon McGee. I later turned my car radio to the local Christian radio station in my car and listened to the verse-by-verse study of each book in the Bible, bring the whole Word of God to the whole world. The in-depth unpacking of the context and meaning of the living Word of God within the Holy Scriptures is loaded with application for living in every day and age for every generation, for the Lord intended for it to be that way. The radio program continuously goes through the entire Bible, book-by-book, and I encourage you to find the broadcast in your area and listen because you shall be blessed in doing so.

In a newsletter article that came lately, Dr. McGee discussed lessons on serving God that we learn from the book of Nehemiah. He states that if you’ve ever looked at a messy situation and thought, “someone ought to do something”, you’ll understand the passion Nehemiah felt for Jerusalem in his day. From distant Persia (modern day Iran), Nehemiah heard that its walls lay in rubble, even decades after Jews returned home. But what could he do?

That’s the question you may have when you consider some big need you see in your church or ministry or community. You may want to do something, but what can you do? You may not be in full-time ministry and you may not be trained in a Seminary, but when God wants to use you, those things do not matter. What God requires in His servants is a humble heart and courage to do God’s work, God’s way.

In Nehemiah 2:4, this Jewish Cupbearer to King Artaxerxes tells us, “Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.”

What a fabulous example of how to get something done. Pray before you start. Pray as you go. Pray when you’re between a rock and a hard place. Pray about everything. Nehemiah didn’t want to run ahead of God, so he prayed about it. He said, “Lord, if you want to use me, I am making myself available to You.” Know that God is not going to lead us all alike. God will lead you one way and He will lead me another way. God will use both ways. We are all designed and crafted by the Lord as unique individuals. Remember that God would rather have an original you than an imitation of anyone else.

Dr. McGee concludes that many unknown Christians will be called before the judgment seat of Christ and rewarded for their service to God. Understand that some of the greatest rewards will go to some of the unknown saints (meaning those who are sanctified) who live for God in this day.

Blessings in serving God.Go in peace. Serve the Lord

House of Prayer

Isaiah 56:7 “Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

This last week, Pastor Kyle continued in our “Passion” sermon series. He stated how time seems to fly by so quickly. Some past event may feel fairly new, happening not so long ago, but on looking closer at the details, we realize that they happened a long time ago. We all know that there are no guarantees in life and sometimes we come to a “fork in the road” in our life. Yogi Berra said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it. It is important for us, when confronted with whether to obey God or obey man, that we, by faith, choose a legacy of prayer, obedience, worship and praise of God alone.

Matthew 21:12-13 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

Jesus came to a fork in the road when He, in righteous encountered indignation, confronted the Jerusalem temple money-changer for commercializing religion, creating a loud and distracting business focus in a place of worship instead of bridges to God. Also, unfair business practices, with inequitable exchange rates of foreign currency to temple currency and sale of blemished sacrificial offerings turned the Courtyard for prayer in a den of thieves.

John 2:13-16 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” Note that Jesus refers to the Temple as "my Father's house", thus, making a claim to being the Son of God.

Pastor Kyle gave four keys to keeping the “right” kind of passion in our faith. (1) In godly love,always keep an evangelistic mindset in your Christianity. The need of the people is worship and the church needs to be healthy, both inside and out. We must always cleanse out sin and maintain an inviting God-centered worship environment in the House of Prayer that makes room for those who so not know the Lord yet. (2) Make space for Prayer. We need to clear out the things in our life, personally, that are keeping us from the things of God. The sacrifice, the tithing of our money, back to God for the work of the church in growing and maturing disciples and making new disciples of Christ can be a stumbling block for those who do not clear that space requirement. (3) Serve those who are struggling. Serve to change lives. Miracles happen outside of our comfort zone. Step out and broaden your horizons in serving others. (4) if something leads children to praise God, it should lead you and I to praise God also. When you see God working in lives, praise and rejoice, giving Him all the glory. Church is for all ages because all ages needs Christ. Resurrection life is the goal.

By faith, have the right kind of passion for Jesus and His House of Prayer. Turn tables over in your life.

In Christ, Brian