Sin - Spiritual Cancer - Part 1

 

Romans 6:20-23 “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Last Sunday, Pastor Herk asked the congregation of Little Church in the Pines to hypothetically think about how it would be if they had discovered a cure for cancer and no longer feel the distress of the fatal outcome of that disease in our world. Would you broadcast this cure to everyone you know or met so that they could also be cured of this terminal disease, sharing it with the world to save lives? The Bible teaches us that we all have a deadly spiritual cancer called “sin”. Sin is a dreadful disease, destroying us (our relationships and well-being) from within a little at a time. Not only does the cancerous sin cripple us right now (both morally and spiritually), but destroys us in the future, keeping us from the many blessings that god has in store for us.    

 

Ephesians 2:1,4-5,13 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. 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). Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

 

There was a time when all of us were far off because of sin. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says, “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.” Romans 3:10, 23 confirms, “There is none righteous, no, not one; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We were far away from Jesus and didn’t have the priority to get close. For those who are in Christ, all that has changed. We were without Christ, but now Believers are in Christ and the barriers that separated us from God have been removed; not by any of our efforts or merits, but by the atoning blood of Christ shed on the Cross for our sins.   

 

John 8:31-35 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever.”

 

For those of us who know Christ as Savior and Lord, we have found the miracle cure for spiritual cancer. Colossians 1:20 tells us, “by Him [Jesus] to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to share tis miracle cure for the spiritual cancer for sin. We need to take this spiritual cancer seriously because it is permeating our culture and destroying our society. Sin is devastating individuals and ruining humanity. Proverbs 14:34 states, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” Sin is as deadly poisonous as any assassin, cancer or contagion we know. 

 

Proverbs 21:3-4 “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice [for wrongs repeatedly committed]. Haughty and arrogant eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked [their self-centered pride], is sin [in the eyes of God].” The late Christian Theologian C.S. Lewis wrote: The sin of pride is a disease that eats the very possibility of love, contentment and common sense. Cannot we seriously say that any form of sin is a disease that eats away at our love, contentment and common sense, like a cancer? 

 

Ephesians 5:8-17 says. “for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), as you try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason, it says, “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but

understand what the will of the Lord is.

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on the spiritual cancer of Sin in our lives on the next post. In Christ, Brian

All Things Work for Good

This week, Michael writes that the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 24:6, there will be wars and rumors of war. There is so much confusion, strife, and division in this world today. People think that peace is the absence of war. However, there is no true peace without the Prince of Peace. Jesus said in John 14:27, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.

In light of recent world events, Romans 8:28 still holds true that “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Despite the trials and tribulations of this world ... despite the confusion around us, all things work together for His good. According to Romans 8:27-31, “And he that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

What does He know who searches the heart in verse 28? When Jesus healed a man born blind man in John 8, the religious leaders asked him, “The man who was healed answered, “I don’t know if he’s a sinner or not. This one thing I know... I was blind but now I see.” 1 Timothy 1:12 says, “for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day (of righteous judgement).” When we come unto him he opens the eyes of our spiritual understanding. Once I was blind but now I see. The highest purpose for man is that he would love God and that he would conform to the image of His dear Son to the praise of the glory of His grace. God is still Sovereign overall. He knows the end from the beginning, but we don’t. God knew that Adam and Eve would fall and disobey Him in the Garden of Eden. He allowed Adam to choose to sin. The purpose was to set in motion His plan of redemption ... salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.  

As we look back over the events of our life, we can see in retrospect God’s hand of blessing. The older we get, the more we can see how God has intervened to bless us according to the good purpose of His will. If the church has lost its impact, it’s because believers have lost their salt, their preserving influence on the godly foundation upon which our country was founded ... one nation under God with liberty and justice for all. God has an ultimate purpose in all things including the pressure of this world. For tribulation works patience and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope makes us not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.

Either a nation can humbly kneel voluntarily in prayer to God or else God will allow cataclysmic events to bring a nation to its knees. Isaiah 40 says, the nations are but a drop in the bucket. Kings and kingdoms come and go. Nations rise and fall. However, the Word of God lives and abides forever. God is no respecter of persons or nations. He is a respecter of the conditions in His word. The Apostle Paul said, not that I have already attained, but this one thing I do, I press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The hope is in the resurrection at the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has elected us, chosen us, and set us aside as a special “peculiar” people, that we would be a holy nation unto him. For our citizenship is in heaven. Our allegiance is to the country of our new birth ... the kingdom of our risen Lord. Regardless of the results of man’s election, we rejoice because we are the results of God’s election. 

The devil will deceive us into looking at our sins and failures. He will focus our minds on guilt, shame, sin and iniquity. Sin is the missing of the mark of God’s standards. To overcome sin, we concentrate not on the missing, but on the mark itself. God gives us a moment by moment choice. The choice is to press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. We have the hope of Heaven. Life in this world is but a nanosecond in eternity. We look forward to the hope of the return of our Lord ... for our light affliction which is but for a moment (here on earth) is not to be compared with the glory that shall follow (In eternity.). For when that which is perfect is come (Jesus Christ) we shall see Him as He is. Then we shall know even as also we are known. When we look forward to what God has in store for us, despite troubles, trials, and tribulations of this world, we can rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. As we walk in the light as he is in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The cleansing is in the walking. Then we will be “living epistles, God’s love letters, known and read of all men.  

Don’t you know that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit? We are God’s dwelling place. We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works that we should walk in the way that he has prepared for us in advance. Therefore, we press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth shall grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. Jesus Christ reconciled us to God through His atoning death and resurrection so that we could testify of Him. That we should be a witness of His mercy, grace, and goodness. For He who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. Therefore, 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 Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me that we would be to the praise of the glory of His grace! All things work for good.

Your brother in Christ, Michael

Inherit the Kingdom of Heaven

Last Sunday, our church's Small Group Bible Study discussed the Kingdom of Heaven and what it takes to get there, so we read and commented on a big handful of Bible passages that addressed the issue of Heaven and Hell that explained the matter in a clear and concise manner of righteousness and unrighteousness in the eyes of a just and holy, sovereign Creator's authority and judgement. Every kingdom has a King. It was humbling to study passage by passage, and compare each to the worldview today. The American Motto is "IN GOD WE TRUST" and by the grace of God may we find salvation and glory in Him alone, through Christ alone, by faith alone. Choices have consequences, but we must know and understand both choices in order to make informed and educated choices in life, for now and eternity. 

Here (below) are the passages that we studied. Please read and pray about each. Share them.

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

 

John 1:9-13 “That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

 

Romans 1:16-32 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 

For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise, also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

 

 

Galatians 5:16-25 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery [drug abusers], hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

 

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

 

Revelation 21:1-8 “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers [drug abusers], idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

 

Romans 8:6-10 “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

 

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you are disqualified.”

As my old Christian Mentor Bill Stiles used to always say, because of sin, "Hell is the default." Make the "right" choice, the "right in the eyes of God" choice, the "righteous" choice. Inherit the Kingdom! Go to Heaven! 

Trusting God, In Christ, Brian

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit – Part 3

 

Pastor Herk states that each and every creation of God is absolutely a work of art; For we are His workmanship. The infinite Lord tells finite us in Isaiah 55:9, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Sometimes, we need to open our eyes and expect the unexpected. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to help deliver the unexpected by divine intervention and divine coincidences to keep us on coarse. Sometimes, we don’t even realize what happened until afterwards and we think back on it. Many times, the perfect person we need to help us at the moment. They serve you and later you can pay in forward to someone else. The Greek word for ministry is “diakonia” meaning the ministration of those who render to others the offices of Christian affection; Spirit-empowered service guided by faith. By the Holy Spirit’s ministry, we can do things that we did not know we were capable of. 

 

Matthew 6:8 tells us, “your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” 

 

The Holy Spirit is Army Headquarters for Heaven, handing out missions and the equipment to achieve victory. The Holy Spirit sends you to help others, whether physical, psychological or spiritual warfare on their behalf, and give them hope. We are all part of the body of Christ. When you hear the “still, small voice” of the indwelling Holy Spirit, be obedient to it. God knows the “big picture” in redemptive history and we are a part of it from the moment we first believe and receive the Holy Spirit. At conversion and baptism, we surrender to God’s authority. We are given the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but we have to plug into the power into God’s power and magnify those gifts to make them work. We need to start thinking big. 

 

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” 

 

God has placed each member within the body of Christ as He desired. There are many members, but one body. Christians are all members of the body of Christ, necessary and needed together. There is no division in the body of Believers with Christ as our head and in the heart. 1 Corinthians 12:25-27 says that, “there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another. And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.” We are only as good as our weakest link. All parts of the body of Christ are vital. If we do not have love, it profits nothing. 

 

The only way that we can be the person that God designed, created and called us to be is to first allow the Holy Spirit cleanse us and make us a new creation in Christ Jesus. We can be the best that we can be by opening up our hearts and minds to the power and presence of God’s Holy Spirit within us. We can make a positive and lasting difference in our life and in the lives of those around us though God’s Holy Spirit. God see your heart. Being filled by the Holy Spirit is the first step that is going to enable us to make a difference lives and in our world. His ministry is to help us, to push us, to guide us, to rebuke and restore us to an upright position before the Lord, to encourage us and to supernaturally enable us and creates the boldness within us in order to be all that God desires us to be. 

 

Jesus Christ came from Heaven to Earth to make an atoning sacrifice, so that our sin could be forgiven, our spirit regenerated and the Holy Spirit of God given to be our Helper, Counselor and Guide to the work of God on paths of righteousness, living within us and ministering to us each and every day. May we, all God’s children, to our part to draw others closer to the Lord, pointing to the foot of the Cross where those who do not know Jesus as Savior and Lord would find salvation though saving faith and the indwelling Holy Spirit.  

In Christ, Brian 

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit – Part 2

 

2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

 

Continuing, Pastor Herk asks: What is faith? Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” In theology, faith is the assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of what God has revealed. Simple belief of the Scriptures, of the being and perfections of God, and of the existence, character and doctrines of Christ, founded on the testimony of the sacred writers, is called historical or speculative faith. Evangelical, justifying, or saving faith, is the assent of the mind to the truth of Divine revelation, on the authority of God's testimony, accompanied with a cordial assent of the will or approbation of the heart; an entire confidence or trust in God's character and declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to His guidance, and dependence on His merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief of God's testimony, and of the truth of the Gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation. 

 

Faith is knowing in your heart, mind, spirit and soul that God is behind the scenes working in us and our world for His purposes. As Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Why? Faith is the substance of things hoped for. Hope is the confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well-founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God's gracious promises; a Scriptural sense. In the future, when the Christian passes from this earthly pilgrimage to their eternal home in Heaven with the Lord, they will have, see and experience what they hoped for and faith is no longer necessary, but love transcends and continues forever. 

 

1 Corinthians 12:1-13 says, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. Therefore, I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Romans 3:23-24 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”

 

We all had pagan lives before we came to Christ. We thought that some of the things in that secular life were really important to us and striving after them, unaware of God in our everyday life. Where are those things that were so important, that we had to have? How did those “must haves” help us in our hard and dark times? They were just the worries and distractions of the world and the deceitfulness [the superficial pleasures and delight] that made us feel good for the moment. But, each and every time that the Christian cries out, it is the Holy Spirit that hears your voice and delivers it up to God the Father. Romans 8:26-27 explains that, “the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” 

Let's conclude Pastor Herk's message on the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit – Part 1

Last Sunday, Pastor Herk of the Little Church in the Pines continued in his Sermon Series on the person and work of the Holy Spirit. He asked: What good is faith if you do not use it? And, how can you use it if you do not know how faith works? We are living in confusing times where God is in control, but we do not understand what is going on around us. Though we cannot always see it, God is still at work in the world, so we can trust and stand on our faith. God makes a difference in the world, and we can also make a difference in the world today. The Holy Spirit working in us can equip and enable us to suppress evil, reach the lost and advance the Kingdom of God. Hebrews 13:8 proclaims, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Yet, we have allowed accountability to the Lord and integrity in godliness to be lost sight of in this generation. But, making a godly difference today in our world around us is not as difficult as it may seem. The Lord Jesus said in John 14:15-17, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. It is the Holy Spirit’s ministry to help us. Every “born again” Believer that knows and has Jesus Christ in their heart as Savior and Lord can make a positive difference. 

 

Be the person that Almighty God designed, created and called you to be. That is the key for each one of us: to be all that we can be for God. Our Maker has a plan for every one of us. We can either plug into His plan and be part of the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit in this lost and dying world or we can be in and of this fallen world. But, when we are the people that God created us to be, we find that we have the power to make a huge difference, not only to those around us, but to our society and culture for Christ’s sake. The Holy Spirit’s ministry objective is to keep us on track as followers of God, and holy (set apart for God’s purposes), not of the God-rejecting world system or to conformed to the image of the godless around us. We need to conform to the image of God and to make a difference in this world, being the kingdom worker that God calls us to be, living and breathing as God’s representative in the world. 

 

This requires being a person of integrity. Integrity is defined as: “The entire, unimpaired state of anything, particularly of the mind; moral soundness or purity; incorruptness; uprightness; honesty. Integrity comprehends the whole moral character”, being all that God wants us to be. Think about and pray about keeping God central in our lives and being the best person that we can be in serving the Lord. 

 

Use the example that Christ gives us. Jesus allowed the Holy Spirit empower Him, seen in Luke 4:14 “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.” The importance of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our world and in the lives that know Jesus as Savior and Lord. Continuing in Luke 4:16-19 So Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” The Holy Spirit lives within us and keeps our faith alive. 

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Everything We Need – Part 2

Continuing, Pastor Kyle has five truths about the Good Shepherd. (1) Our Good Shepherd makes sure that His sheep are never left wanting. God will not cast your true needs aside. The Good Lord knows what we are going through always and satisfies our needs that, “I shall not want”. This sounds counter-intuitive in our culture because, in our flesh on this side of heaven, we have an appetite, desires and needs all the time. We want more money, more influence, more control, more appreciation, more health, more love, and more. When we think about our lives, there is always something new tempting our desires. 

But, the “unwanting” life is the life of the child of God (Jehovah Jireh) and disciple of Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd. In realizing that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd of care, provision and protection, is the growing awareness that we have everything we need. In Luke 12:15, Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Our value does not come from who we are or what we have; our value comes from whose we are and the life that we lead in response to the Lord.   

 

1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

 

What the real problem, as Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, is that we love the things of the world. There are somethings sensational and stimulating to our senses and emotions, but they are never ultimately and finally satisfying. You see something, you want it, you get it, then tomorrow you are hungry for something else … that is the reality of this world. How is possible to not want? We may not get to the “unwanting” state that Jesus desires until we get to Heaven, but it is a process of wanting less and less, while trust the Lord more and more daily. Yet, because the Lord is our Good Shepherd, we will never be left wanting. Remember that Jesus laid down His life for us, so that we could be saved. The hope of the Christian life is that the Good Shepherd will lead us into the heavenly pastures of our eternal home when the sun sets on this one. God Himself is our provision and is more than enough to satisfy anything that we could want or need as long as we are under God’s protective covering, living in repentant, submissive obedience and a member of the body of Christ. 

 

(2) The Good Shepherd makes His sheep lie down. There are certain things in life that we have to be forced to do, or else we will never grow to do them. God makes us do specific things in order to reach greener pastures in life. The Lord may force us to stop and take a rest or stay in one spot to take spiritual nourishment in one particular fruitful location and restore our soul. We are ultimately dependent on the Good Shepherd for everything. Psalm 34:8 “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” – In God We Trust. 

 

(3) The Good Shepherd leads His sheep beside still waters to drink. The flock naturally fears running water, so shepherds look past their sheep’s shortcomings and irrational fears to so they can get what they need to survive. He provides the watering hole when we thirst. God makes accommodations for us behind the scenes all the time and we don’t even see or know. God meets us where we are at, but He will not leave us where we are at … He will lovingly lead us. 

 

(4) The Good Shepherd leads His sheep on the “right” path and stays extra close to them in the treacherous valleys of life. Sheep are prone to wonder, which can put them into harm’s way so, God will put the “right” thing right in front of us. He will not make it complicated, difficult to figure out, or confusing. God’s will for our life is not hard to discern, but very obvious in His Word, His Will and His Way; we just need to observe it, absorb it and obey it. The option of obedience of taking the path of righteousness or the disobedience of taking the path of rebellious selfish pride will always be in front of us. Our worldly culture and our sin nature feelings can tempt and betray us into doing the “wrong” thing. When we incline ourselves to do the “right” thing that the Good Shepherd puts in front of us, that when we can know for sure that when we are in that “valley of the shadow of death”, then He is right there with us because He led us to it to lead us through it with His protection. We can go through those valleys without fear because our Shepherd is right beside us. 

 

(5) The Good Shepherd disciplines His sheep when they need it. Proverbs 13:24 tells us, “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” We often think of God’s discipline as negative, but the correction of the Lord is gentle, redirective and protective with the intent of restoring us back to an upright position in the proper place. Proverbs 3:11-12explains, “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.” And Hebrews 12:6 confirms, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 

 

Isaiah 53:5-6 “He [Jesus] was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

 

Remember that God doesn’t discipline His children to punish them. God laid the punishment for sin upon Jesus on the Cross. The “fear of the Lord” is not trepidation for the Christian but reverential concern of disappointing our heavenly Father; our just and holy God. We are to find comfort in the reality that we serve a Good Shepherd who loves and cares for His flock, leading, providing and protecting us, so that we have everything we need, at any moment in our lives. Let me remind you that you have every key to succeed in your life in your hands. The Good Shepherd will never leave us wanting in this life or on the eternity shores of Heaven. 

 

In Christ, Brian

 

Everything We Need – Part 1

 

Psalm 23:1-6 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

 

A couple weeks ago, while I was in Michigan, Pastor Kyle open his Sunday message by pointing out how modern retailers market their wares to the consumer with the goal of establishing a “I need that or else I will be lacking” belief. As the social shutdown events of 2020-2021 unfolded, many of us rediscovered a simple life is as satisfying as God promised. Many of us have rediscovered satisfaction at home, in our loved ones, in quiet moments, and ultimately in the Lord. Truly, without the Lord, we have nothing and in our Lord God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). we truly have everything we need. 

 

The beloved Psalm 23, that is so near and dear to Believer’s heart, is recited at most funerals to bring comfort, but is especially powerful when we think about this passage in terms of life. The Lord is our Shepherd; the All-powerful, All-knowing, Ever-present Creator of the Cosmos, Universe and Earth, who created and loved us, (even knowing the mankind would sin and rebel against Him and that He’d have to send His Son as an atoning sacrifice to redeem us), that God is our Shepherd. 

 

John 10:7-18 tell us, Then the Lord Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. “Therefore, My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 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.”

 

The abundant life that the Good Shepherd provides is, above all, a life of contentment. Our contentment is based in the fact that our God is there in every emergency we face, and is able to supply all of our needs, according to His glory and His riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Whenever we are in a space in our own life where we are tempted to feel that we lack something, we need to remind ourselves that the Lord is our Shepherd. Just as helpless sheep know their shepherd and trust them for their necessary provisions of food, water, shelter and protection; we must trust the Lord (our Good Shepherd) for everything that we need and in Him, we lack nothing. Because of that focus, we are able to live this simple, unwanting life. If we focus on the paralyzing dark valleys and obsessing over our wants then we will always feel fearful and lacking in our lives. Keep walking because the Good Shepherd is right beside you. 

Let's continue Pastor Kyle's message on the Lord meeting our every need in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

The Loving Standard of God’s Word – Part 2

According to 2 Timothy 3:15, The Bible, God’s Word is God-breathed and is profitable for doctrine, reproof and correction which is instruction in righteousness. The purpose is that the man of God may be perfect (fully equipped and furnished) unto all good works. This verse is written to a “Child of God.” A child of God is God’s child. Lord means ownership. The phrase child of God is the genitive of possession. Christianity is not who we are but whose we are. John 1:12-13 says, “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

A disciple is a disciplined student/follower. A child of God through the Word of God is equipped for every good work. The King James Version reads the people of God may be perfect, through and thoroughly furnished unto all good works. The Word of God is the love of God in manifestation. God is His Word and God is love, therefore God’s Word is love. Love gives unconditionally from the heart of Christ in you, the hope of glory. Love does the right thing. 

When God said in Ezekiel 33, say, come now and say what the word of the Lord says. They will hear your word. Your words are like a beautiful performance... they gladly listen to your song, but they will not do them. But then when your words come to pass (according to God’s righteous judgement) they will know that you have spoken the word of the Lord.  

The world thinks that reproof is a bad word. However, whom the Lord loves, He chastises. The greatest life lessons are learned through life’s most difficult tests. If you’re not being rebuked, it’s not because you don’t need it. It’s because you can’t take it. Hebrews 12 says that the Lord disciplines those whom he loves. “Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” It’s painful to forsake your pride. Humility is learned in the refining fire and the crucible of my reproof. Reproof means to test and prove over and over that I, your God alone am your strength and sufficiency.”

When we approach the Word of God, as Paul prayed our prayer is, “Lord open the eyes of my spiritual understanding that I may know the hope of your calling and the riches of the glory of our inheritance of the saints.” People take notice when we live according to the loving standard of God’s Word. When we give grace and mercy instead of vengeance and retribution, the world sits up and takes notice. It’s not the world’s response to turn the other cheek, go the second mile, and recompense to no man or woman evil for evil.  

The sermon on the mount is contrary to the world’s definition of happiness. The beatitudes are God’s blessed attitudes. Humility is the prerequisite to receive the Word of God. Like a child that hangs on his father’s words, we need to receive the Word of God with childlike innocence and humility. Doctrine, reproof, and correction are instruction in righteousness. God gave us His Word so that we could live under the canopy of His Divine love and protection. The Ten Commandments were God’s “terms of endearment”, his wedding vows to Israel. He is our “sole” provider and our “soul” provider.  

To be adequate and equipped and fully furnished unto all good works, we are to be men and women of the Word. For God said through his prophet Isaiah, “As the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven and returns not thither, but waters the earth and makes it bring forth and bud, so shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please and it will prosper in that thing where unto I sent it.”

Thank God for opportunities to live the Word ... to demonstrate the power of God in manifestation that we may through a heart of love, live to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

The Loving Standard of God’s Word – Part 1

This week, Michael wrote that these are challenging times where the world is in manmade crisis. The late Oswald Chambers said, When the crisis comes and courage is required, God expects his men and women to have such confidence in Him that they will be the reliable ones. We have been separated from the darkness (sin and unbelief) of this world for such a time as this. Jesus is Lord; the Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice; we are people of prayer; we link together with like-minded Believers; and we give the Gospel away.

Navigators ministry teaches that following the Lord is like a wheel consisting of six elements: a hub, the rim, and four spokes. The hub at the center of the wheel represents Jesus Christ the center of our lives. The hub transfers God’s power to the rim which represents obedience to the Lord. The power of Christ is transferred to the rim through the spokes. The two vertical spokes represent the word of God and prayer. These two spokes align our hearts with God’s heart. The two horizontal spokes are witnessing and fellowship. These spokes define our relationships with believers and non-believers.

The first question is, Is Jesus Christ Lord of your life? If He is then He is the Word of God made manifest. The Bible was written on three continents by forty different writers. Among them were scribes, a doctor, pastors, kings and even a tax collector. Today, most bibles are published in China, where most Chinese Christians lack one. There are over 6,000 prophesies in the Bible of which over 3000 have already been fulfilled. Yet, in our day, the Christian church have given people permission to live according to the world’s standards instead of God’s righteous standard according to the Word of God. Those who are mature by reason of the (spiritual) maturity have their (spiritual) senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

According to John 1:1-2, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. The definition of “Word” here is the Divine expression and essential Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God, his minister in creation and government of the universe, the cause of all the world's life both physical and ethical, which for the procurement of man's salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, and shone forth conspicuously from His words and deeds.

 

To know Jesus Christ is to know the Word of God. He is the meaning of “the Word”. He is the Word of God manifest in the flesh. Therefore, blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree that is planted but he rivers of [living] waters. His leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

How do you get the Word of God into your life? The first way is to hear the Word. People only remember about 6% of what they hear. The next step is to read the Word. Then it’s important to study the Word. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needed not to be ashamed (of his workmanship) rightly dividing the Word of truth. The next step is to memorize the Word. Then in times of need God will bring the Word we’ve memorized back into remembrance. The final step is to meditate upon the Word. Therefore, meditate upon these things, commit thyself wholly and holy unto them that thy profiting may appear unto all.

The Word of God is an acquired taste. Jesus said, blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled. An intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ is built through meditating on the Word of God. Time in His presence, turning the Word over in our minds develops intimacy with our Lord. The prophet Jeremiah said, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.”

Let's continue Michael message on the Word of God in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

The Old Testament Holy Spirit – Part 2

 

Continuing Pastor Herk's message: The third purpose of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was to reveal sin and rebuke when we rebel against God and His ways. Sin is defined as: The voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. Sin comprehends not action only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God's commands or law. In Nehemiah 9:30a it says, “You [God] bore with them for many years, and admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets. The Holy Spirit used His prophets to reveal sin and the consequences of sin. The prophet Micah 3:8 says, “I am filled with power—with the Spirit of the Lord—and with justice and courage to make known to Jacob his rebellious act, even to Israel his sin.” 

 

The fourth purpose of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was to equip God’s people. We see this equipping of the saints (those who have been sanctified) in two ways. (1) Equipped to serve God. Ephesians 2:10 explains, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” God gives His people tasks, then equipping them to accomplish them. God says in Exodus 31:3 “I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship.” In the Old Testament, the equipping of the Holy Spirit in order to serve God consisted, primarily, of equipping His children to be His representatives in the fallen world. 

 

Numbers 11:24-25 tells us, “So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. Also, he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and stationed them around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied.” In 1 Samuel 16:12b-13 the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. God was equipping people in the Old Testament, but only giving the Holy Spirit temporarily. The Spirit was placed and rested upon them, but did not permanently reside and abide in them then. 

 

The other aspect of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was the process by which he gave the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was limited by God for specific purposes and temporary. The finished atoning work of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, in justification on the Cross made it possible for the Holy Spirit to indwell and abide within the “born again”, “born anew”, “born from above” and transformed Believer and be consistently at work in our lives, warring against the sin nature in our life, prodding and leading us on paths of righteousness. In John 14:25-26 the Lord Jesus tells us, “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” 

 

The work of the Holy Spirit was the sovereign choice of God. The people of the Old Testament used by God and experienced the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, neither expected the giving of the Holy Spirit or did anything to prompt the work of the Holy Spirit upon them. They didn’t pray for the Holy Spirit to come upon them; it was God’s sovereign choice and initiative in order to achieve His purposeful steps in the Plan of Redemption and Salvation. There is no evidence that all of the biblical patriarchs experienced the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s God’s plan and God’s choice. 

 

Even though, on this side of the atoning death of Jesus Christ, His Resurrection, His Ascension and Pentecost’s promised receiving of the Holy Spirit in repentant Believer’s (present in our lives today), it is no guarantee that we are automatically a spiritual or godly person; this side of eternity, we are still in the flesh nature with desires of sin. That is why    Galatians 5:16-18, 24-25 says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” 

 

We have to choose to listen to and walk in the Spirit. But, it is our choice to plug into the power of God. We need to make sure that we do not hinder God’s work in our lives. He has Kingdom purposes, tasks and goals that He wants us to accomplish in this very time and place on His over-arching Plan of Redemption of the world. That is why God sent the Holy Spirit to indwell and reside in us. When we put everything together of the purpose and work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, we find that it is the same Holy Spirit at work in the world and our lives today; just working differently than in the days of the Old Testament. Even though the design and most of the individual elements of how the Holy Spirit operates since Jesus rose from the grave and ascended to the right hand of the Father in Heaven, the basics are the same - God’s Divine power for God’s Divine work. How blessed we are to have the Holy Spirit with and in us today!

 

In Christ, Brian

The Old Testament Holy Spirit – Part 1

  

Last Sunday, Pastor Herk of Little Church on the Pines continued in his sermon series on the Holy Spirit with an overview of the work of the Old Testament Holy Spirit. The Bible makes it clear that God is immutable, therefore never changes. Malachi 3:6a tells us, “For I, the Lord, do not change.” James 1:17 confirms, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” Hebrews 13:8 reinforces that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” But, that doesn’t mean that God operated in the same way in the New Testament as He did in the Old Testament. That is particularly true concerning God, the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of God, the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son.

 

In John 14:16-17 Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” Jesus says that the Holy Spirit “abides” (present tense) with and in the Believer permanently and continuously. The word “abide” is defined as: to be, or exist, to continue; to dwell, rest, continue, stand firm, or be stationary for anytime indefinitely; permanently or in the same state; to be firm and immovable. Clearly, there is a change in the way that the Holy Spirit operates after Jesus’ earthly visitation. Let’s look at how the Holy Spirit operated in the Old Testament in order to understand this change in operational methods instilled. But, we have to understand that the character of the Holy Spirit has not changed, not one bit from the Old Testament to the New Testament. 

 

Know that there are two studies in Theology on the Holy Spirit: (1) Covenant Theology and (2) Dispensational Theology. Let’s see what we can learn from the operation of the Holy Spirit that are so very relevant, so we can see how we can accomplish “good works” goals that the Lord has for us now. Beyond this message, I encourage you to take some time to research and study the Holy Spirit more on your own. The term “Holy Spirit” or “Holy Ghost” is used only three times in the Old Testament (in Psalm 51:11, Isaiah 63:10, 11). But, there are other terms in the Old Testament that speak of Him and His work (the Spirit of God, the spirit of the Lord, My Spirit, Your Spirit, His Spirit, and the Spirit) used widely. 

 

We are going to concentrate and limit our discussion in this message to basically two aspects of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. (1) What was the purpose of God giving the Holy Spirit? and (2) what was the process by which he gave the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament? The ways of infinite God are above our finite comprehension, except for that which is revealed to us for our understanding. We cannot fathom ever reason and purpose that God gave the Holy Spirit to us, but we can focus on some of the things that are most significant and relevant for us, even to this day. 

 

The first purpose of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was to give life. Genesis 1:2 tells us that in the beginning, “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” God the Spirit played an integral part in the creation of the earth and life on earth. In Genesis 1:26 it says, Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” The three persons of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are present and involved in the Creation (physical) and establishment of Life (biological). Psalm 104:30 says, “You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the ground.” The Hebrew word for “Spirit” is rûwach, roo'-akh; meaning wind; by resemblance breath, exhalation; figuratively life. Knowing that breath is required for life, confirms that the Holy Spirit is the “Giver of Physical Life”. We have to keep that in mind as we get to the New Testament, that the Holy Spirit is the “Giver of Spiritual Life” as well. 

 

The second purpose of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was to reveal the things of God. Speaking of the Exodus from Egypt, Nehemiah 9:20a says, “You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them.” The Holy Spirit revealed God’s ways and led them according to God’s ways. Isaiah 48:16-17 tells us, “Come near to Me, listen to this: From the first I have not spoken in secret, from the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit.” Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go.” Psalm 143:10appeals, “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” One of the most important purposes and tasks of the Holy Spirit is to reveal the truth of God. This is the same basic work of the Holy Spirit in both the Old and New Testament. 

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on the Holy Spirit in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

God’s Mercy- Part 2

Michael continues that God forgives us of our sin when we’re “born again” of His Spirt, not because we deserved His loving mercy and grace, not because we were good, but because God is good ... remember that His nature is loving kindness and tender mercy.

Mercy was God’s plan of redemption through the sacrifice of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ at the crucifixion. Ephesians 4-6 says, “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), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Matthew 9:13 says, “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” To live within God’s mercy, Proverbs 21:3 says, “To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” Matthew 12:7 says, “But if you had known what this means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless.” According to Mark 12:33, “And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

To live according to God’s mercy, God doesn’t want our sacrifice, our earthly possessions, our work or our performance ... instead He wants our heart. Our true sacrifice is not our so-called “offering unto God”. The true sacrifice is in Romans 12:1-2: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The true sacrifice is not in burnt offerings and in giving when they pass the offering plate at church. Instead Hebrews 13:15 says, bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord.  

God who is rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He loves us has made us alive in Christ. He has separated us and set us aside for the praise of the glory of His grace. God has called us to give away that which He’s first given us. According to Micah 6:8, “He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Every godly thing is sacred.

 

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

The evidence of loving mercy is in walking humbly with the Lord. Why? Because we are His workmanship, God’s poem, His great work of art, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, fit for His purpose, according to the path that He has prepared beforehand for us to walk ... that we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace! 

Your brother in Christ, Michael