What's Next - Part 1

  

Psalm 77:11 “I will remember the works of the Lord; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.”

 

Last Sunday, Pastor Herk preached that as we remember and honor those who served and protected this nation’s freedom and liberty, where all sacrificed some and some sacrificed all, on Memorial Day, we need to remember and honor Jesus Christ, who gave His life to pay for our sins and to give us lasting freedom and eternal life. By the grace of God, through faith in Him alone, we have forgiveness and victory over sin and death has been won. But, where do we go from here, now that the victory for our eternal lives has been won at the Cross of Calvary? What’s next? 

 

Jesus bought our freedom over sin and death with His life and that can never be taking away from us. Why are Memorial days and events so important? We get so caught up in the preparations to get by the roadblocks into God’s purposes, promises and plans for our lives. Sometimes, with the temptations and distractions in life, we tend to lose focus. So, how are we to maintain our integrity, intensity, and purpose to continue moving forward once the goal is achieved? Unfortunately, far too many defeats happen after a victory, because there is no vision of what to do next. To continue to move on it God’s purpose after the victory, we have to build upon the victories. We have to look down the road and anticipate what comes next, then make precautions for it, all the while remembering the victory into the Promised Land that began it all. Have a memorial.

 

Joshua 4:4-7 Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, that this may be a sign among you when your c. hildren ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”

 

A memorial is that which preserves the memory of something; anything that serves to keep in memory. An object or act that reminds people of someone or something that happened in the past as part of our history (victories or tragedies). In the Bible, memorials were built to remind everyone of God’s mighty acts on behalf of His people. And how soon people forget! We read how God brought the seven plagues upon Egypt, provided the Passover, freeing them from captivity and slavery, provided a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night to lead the Israelites, parted the Red Sea for passage across on dry land, miraculously provided food and water in the desert wilderness, yet how soon they forgot. Take a good look at our country today. God has performed miraculous acts in the establishment and providential maintaining of this nation, and we are doing the exact same thing as the Israelites in Exodus.  

 

Psalm 106:13-15 “They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.”

 

There should be something that reminds us not to forget what God has done in our lives and in this nation. What has provided and given us; what God has done. All His redemptive works and wonders of old. God has changed the laws of nature in supernatural ways as we understand them, opened doors that could not be opened, miraculous healings and changed lives. But, we have also experienced setbacks and defeats in our lives. It hasn’t all been victories in this fallen world. There are tragedies, heartaches, loses and troubles in life, but by going through these setbacks and defeats, we sense and know that God is walking them with us. Our heavenly Father let’s us feels his presence and love in our lives at those times and our faith is strengthened. If we forget what God has done in world history and in our own personal history, we pay for it down the road. Set up a memorial to never forget  or stop thanking the Lord for what He has done for us. 

Let's continue Pastor Herk's memorial message in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Memorial Day 2022

Deuteronomy 26:19 "He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God."

Remember & Honor

Reversing Babel - Part 3

 

Luke 19:10 “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

 

Jesus’ goal in the Plan of Salvation was to reverse the deadly and damming effects of the Fall of Man due to sin. In Babel, God confused their communication because of their sin and self-dependence which excluded their sovereign Creator. And, because of our sin and self-dependence, God wants to reverse those deadly and damming effects in our lives today. At the Cross, what Jesus did was that he provided the only acceptable way for reversal of the penalty for sin and their effects in our lives. Justification by salvation in Christ is the beginning, Sanctification is the daily, on-going growth process while walking in the Spirit until Glorification in Heaven. 

 

Pastor Kyle gave three insights on how to reverse the effects of Babel. First, find and follow the lines of orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Orthodoxy refers to doctrinal correctness (correct teachings), whereas orthopraxy refers to right practice or correct behavior because of belief. There are lines where we deal with these issues in our lives and the first indicator when people are doing what the unbelieving pagan s around them are doing. The second indicator is when people are building a name for themselves instead of building and making great the name of God while advancing the Kingdom of God. The third indicator is in seeking security in what we can build for ourselves, but rather in how we can trust God instead. As a Christian, we are to find and follow the lines of orthodoxy in every situation in our life. 

 

Once we become aware that there is a line biblical doctrine from the Word of God, we become responsible to follow it; if the Bible says it, then we are to do it. If we are not sure what the Bible says on something, then we are responsible to ask and find out. This is Jesus’ church and we are just a steward of God’s kingdom for His purposes. Christians are building something, but for the name and fame of almighty God. In Matthew 28:18-20Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The Bible says it, so we are to do it. Seek and save the lost with Gospel truth.

  

The second insight is that improving communication improves outcomes. At Babel, God confused their language due to disobedience and made their goals unachievable. But, because of Christ, God has given us the ability to reverse the effects of sin and inequity by repenting and by receiving Jesus, he bears our sins upon Himself on the Cross and we are imputed His righteousness and by transformation receive a new heart reconciled to God, renew our minds and regenerate our spirit. Repenting means confronting painful, under the surface sinful issue that we’d rather ignore. Better communication after accepting God’s grace by faith through Jesus Christ. The kingdom of Heaven is our home and we are sojourners here, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Everyone improves with experience. 

 

The third insight is that if we want God’s order, stability, security and peace, then we have to do everything God’s way. We can be just as easily deceived as the people of Babel that our order, stability, security and peace comes from our own ability and towers that we build in our lives. We can enjoy the blessings of life that come from the hand of our Lord God. But, when we do things God’s way, God blesses us beyond what we could think, imagine or build ourselves. Yet, how can we tell if we are building for ourselves and our own glory, or if we are building for the Lord and His glory? Is the building upon the stormproof rock of Christ or sand of self. Building on the solid foundation of the Lord is a mindset and practice. 

 

John 3:35-36 “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

 

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are walking and building your life in darkness. If you know the Lord, but you are not following Him in His ways with their thoughts, words and actions, then you are not building your life on the rock of Jesus Christ. Are you growing in your relationship with God? Are you obeying God in your daily lives? Are you using your passions and possessions only for yourself and your own glory? If we want order, stability, security and peace, then we have to do everything God’s way. In doing so, you are reversing Babel in your life.

In Christ, Brian

Reversing Babel - Part 2

 

1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.”

 

Pastor Kyle continues: The lack of solid biblical knowledge and communication of the Gospel truth has caused division in our world. Conflict is actually a form of communication. Because of the “fallen in sin” world that we live in, conflict is unfortunately necessary to argue points, reason and come to a place of mutual and common understanding. Give, go, speak and bring the light of gospel truth that it may be examined, connected, understood and known. Also, every new stage and position of life takes new communication skills to learn to be productive. A lifelong pattern of improving healthy communication is a pivotal skillset that determines whether we grow.     

 

The Tower of Babel was designed for the purpose of pagan worship ceremonies, but from the beginning God was building a people for Himself, who were not supposed to worship other gods in any way, shape or form. The first two Commandments of God state: “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” - Exodus 20:3-5. Leviticus 19:2 says, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” The Greek word for “holy” is “qāḏôš”, meaning sacred, holy, saint, set apart. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “holy” as: whole, entire or perfect, in a moral sense. Hence, pure in heart, temper or dispositions; free from sin and sinful affections. Man is more or less holy, as his heart is more or less sanctified, or purified from evil dispositions. We call a person holy, when their heart is conformed in some degree to the image of God, and their life is regulated by the divine precepts. Hallowed; consecrated or set apart to a sacred use, or to the service or worship of God; Proceeding from pious principles, or directed to pious purposes.

 

In this fallen in sin world, God wants His people set apart from the pagan nations; a people who did not participate in the sinful thoughts, words and activities that the heathens partake in. In the days of Noah, God judged and destroyed the world by a global flood because, as Genesis 6:5-7, 11-13 says, the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

 

The Hebrew word for “evil” is “raʻ”, meaning evil (natural or moral):—adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, exceedingly evil causing great grief, harm, misery, sorrow, trouble, vex, wickedness, worst), wretchedness, wrong. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “evil” as: natural or moral. Natural evil is anything which produces pain, distress, loss or calamity, or which in any way disturbs the peace, impairs the happiness, or destroys the perfection of natural beings. Moral evil is any deviation of a moral agent from the rules of conduct prescribed to him by God, or by legitimate human authority; or it is any violation of the plain principles of justice and rectitude. The Tower of Babel was all about glory to self and making a name for themselves; their fame, not God’s. When you invest in anything that isn’t from God, trusting yourself instead of finding hope and security, its leads to your downfall.   

Let's conclude Pastor Kyle's message on reversing this lost and dying world.

In Christ, Brian

 

Reversing Babel - Part 1

 

Genesis 10:32-11:9 These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood. Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lords scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

 

Last Sunday, Pastor Kyle gave a sermon on the disastrous consequences of the Fall of Man and sinfully departing from God perfect Word, Will and Way. He states that just about everything that we succeed at and how far we go in our lives boils down to communication, determination and time. The quality and clarity of our interpersonal communications of truth almost always determines whether people come together and find common ground on ideology, theology and issues. 

 

Genesis 3:1-6 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

 

The devil skillfully crafted and introduced a lie that falsely presented a deceiving and restrictive Creator, asking “Did God really say …?, knowing exactly what God had said, but intending to create doubt in Eve’s mind. Then Satan set his deadly hook by proclaiming the lie that “You will not certainly die”, building on the doubt by proclaiming that her Maker lied to her. Then the devil reeled her in with the tempting deception that her Creator was keeping the best life from her by saying, “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened.” Everything was set up for the divisive blow that “you will be like God, knowing good and evil”. The lie that the creature would be like the Creator – a claim that actually proclaim the greatest Good (God) as evil. The doubt of God was complete and the Fall of Man was astronomically great. Sin and darkness entered the world, and along with sin entered death. 

 

All that was created by God suffered, for the wages of sin is death. We see the chaos of the sinful flesh desires, the God-rejecting world system and the on-going distracting deception of the demonic realm upon the societies and cultures on earth today. The world is rightfully judged and condemned by the wrath of God for sin. On Judgment Day, Revelation 20:14-15 says, “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” Sin must be punished and eternally in Hell. The only hope is that the loving and merciful Creator of Heaven and the Universe by grace provide a sinless Savior of the world to come and pay an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world; to reverse the curse. 

Let's continue Pastor Kyle's edited message on reversing this lost and dying world in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

More Than Enough - Part 2

Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

 

Pastor Herk continues: We can imagine something that is far greater than we will ever have in our lifetime. But, how can we ever ask God to do all that He has already done for us? We could not have even though of all the blessings and good things that the Lord has done already in our lives, asked for or not. How could we ever think of Him sacrificing His own son so that we could have our sins atoned for and forgiven, then receive a regenerated spirit, given eternal life, given a transformed heart that can spiritually discern, obtain reconciliation and direct access to Our heavenly Father, adopted as a child of God with other brothers and sister in the body of Believers, made a citizen of Heaven, indwelt with the Holy Spirit and gifted, and have all the promises and blessings that our Lord God has given to us; all by the undeserved, unearned and unpaid for grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ or Savior and Lord. 

 

Why would God do this after the way we have ignored Him and his holy Word, will and way clearly communicated? Why would God do this after the way we have disobeyed Him over and over? Romans 5:8says, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The Gospel is “Good News”, that is truly overwhelming news of God’s unimaginable love for us; more awesome than we know! And God wants us to look forward how our lives can bring glory to Him. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Sense the Christian church is the body of Christ and so intricately linked, that it is impossible to separate the body from the head. Colossians 1:17-18 explains that, “He [Jesus Christ] is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy.”

 

All of the spiritual blessings that we have and all of God’s power in our lives is only possible because of what Jesus has done for us; sent by God the Father, Christ came from heaven to earth, lived a sinless life, as a sacrificial Lamb of God – He died an atoning death on the Cross in our place to pay for our sins, He rose from the dead on the third day to conquer sin and death, then ascended into heaven to sit on the right hand of God and intercede for His repentant born-again followers, who believed and received Him as Savior and Lord. Because of Jesus’ finished work on the Cross, we are saved. How does God get glory through the church? As we fill ourselves more with God through our focused prayers, study, worship, ministry, we become more mature in our faith, and filled more with the fullness of God, then God receives the glory; not by our own power, but through God’s power at work and growing in our lives. Therefore, we, the church body, can come together for the glory of God; for He is more than enough. Ephesians 4:1 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” 

 

In Christ, Brian

More Than Enough - Part 1

Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

 

Last Sunday, Pastor Herk continued in his sermon series in the Epistle of Ephesians. He states that some people take this passage into God being like a big genie in the sky granting wishes and flood them with riches and prosperity in this world. No, the Lord tells us in John 16:33, that in this fallen world we will have trouble and in Matthew 5:47, that God makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6:6 that “godliness with contentment is great gain.” Our all-powerful heavenly Father is at work within every one of His children and is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine in that godly work. We cannot let Scripture taken out of context deceive us into thinking that we will receive health, wealth, safety and security in our earthly existence. We need to look back and see how the power of God has already been at work in our lives. The Lord will continue to work in our lives, if we do not hinder Him. That same power at work in our lives gives us the ability to live a life that brings glory to God as we are called to do. 

 

What is this power of God at work within us? Ephesians 1:19-23 answers, “what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” It is clear that the power at work within us is “resurrection power”. I pray that you get an overwhelming sense that God has been at work in our lives already and has blessed us in so many ways.  

 

First, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Secondly, God chose us in Him before the creation of the earth, to be holy and blameless in His sight. Third, in love, God predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ into His family. Fourthly, is the glorious grace that God has freely given us in Jesus Christ; the riches of God’s grace which He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. Fifth, God redeemed us, because in Jesus Christ we have redemption. Sixthly, God revealed and made known the mystery of His will to us. Seventh, God sealed us. Having believed, His children have been marked in Him with the promised Holy Spirit. 

 

Eighthly, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ, even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins. Ninth, God raised us up with Christ and seated us in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. Tenthly, God created us for good works. For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Eleventh, God reconciled us. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Twelfthly, God joined us together, members of one body, which shares together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Thirteenth, God reveals His wisdom through the church. Fourteenthly, God rooted and established in love. Fifteenth, God fills us to the measure of all His fullness. These things are immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.  

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on the sufficiency of God in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

      

Many Are Called but Few Are Chosen - Part 2

Michael continues: In Luke 10: 40-42, Martha was distracted from the Word of the Lord. She was encumbered about with much serving. She complained to Jesus, I’m doing all the work, but my sister Mary isn’t helping me. Jesus said, Mary has chosen that good thing; to sit at the feet of the Master with a spirit of meekness to receive the Word of God. Romans 8 says that no one can really say “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. Without the spirit of God in Christ in us, we cannot confess that Jesus is Lord; that he is lord and owner of my life. To confess Jesus is Lord means to turn around to repent from professing “I’m the lord of my own life” and to turn to Jesus, bowing down in meekness and humility to serve Him from a heart of love.

The prophet Ezekiel said, They come and sit before me to hear my words but they do not do them. They hear your words, Lord, but do not practice them. When the judgement of the Lord comes upon them, it will be too late. They will know that God’s righteous judgement has overtaken them.

When Jesus confronted the religious leaders of his day, he said, Well did Isaiah prophecy of you. You draw near me with your mouth and appear to worship me with your lips, but your heart is far from me. You are of your father the devil. He was a liar from the beginning and the father of lies and cannot speak truth. You are just like your father. Jesus said to the multitude at the Sermon on the mount, people worry about their material needs. He said, consider the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. They toil not, neither do they spin thread to make their clothes. Yet, Solomon in all of his royal splendor was not arrayed like one of these. If God so clothed the lilies of the field, will He not much more clothe you, oh you of little faith? Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things (your material needs) will be added unto you.

The devil appears as an angel of light to distract God’s people from entering into the narrow gate that leads to the narrow way. His lies are the same lie that he told Eve. God does not love you and His word is not true. If you disobey God and eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will be like God. Don’t worship God; worship yourself. In Luke 10:17-20 Jesus said, Even though you cast out demons in Jesus’ name, and. even though you saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning, do not rejoice because the demons are subject to you in my name. Instead, rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

The devil will condemn us for our failure to perform; for our missing the mark. However, God doesn’t want our performance, our works of our own self-righteousness. He doesn’t want our actions or our behavior. He wants our heart. Therefore, keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. For your life is hid with Christ in God that together we may live to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

 

Many Are Called but Few Are Chosen - Part 1

 

This week, Michael writes: In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus said, “Everyone who says Lord, Lord will not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Not everyone that said unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in Heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in your name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.”

Many are called but few are chosen. Many say they believe but do not follow through with actions that agree with their vows. Why? In Matthew 13:18-22 Jesus explained to His disciples and us, “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.

 

The Holy Scripture says that all men and women are liars. Nobody is perfect. We have all spoken words that we cannot keep. God alone is faithful to His word. According to Numbers 23:19, God is not a man that He should lie, nor the Son of Man that He should repent. God alone is righteous. All men have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The words of Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount are contrary to the world’s perception of “truth” (Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be). John 17:17 says, ‘Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth”. To do truth, is to practice what God commands. Following after Christ is not the difficult way ... it’s the impossible way when we rely on our own power. However, as the Apostle Paul said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  

According to Hebrews 12:14, Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. There is no peace with God without Jesus Christ, the prince of peace. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Without the righteousness of Christ, we cannot stand in the presence of God who is holy and righteous. When you call a someone a “man of God or woman of God,” most people will look down. When you ask a person why they’ll say, “because I feel unworthy.” In our own fallen flesh dwells no good thing. If we’re looking at the fallen nature we inherited from Adam, then we will be ashamed in the presence of God who is holy, just and pure. However, for us who have been born-again of God’s seed, Jesus Christ who was without sin became the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf, that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Let's continue Michael's message

The Fullness of God’s Love - Part 3

 

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

 

So many people do not want to hear the reality that we live in a lost and fallen world, which is living in the darkness of sin and unbelief, that needs the “salt and light” of Christ-following children of God to show and tell them about the love of God and how He has an unfathomable gift of forgiveness, redemption, reconciliation and salvation from the wide road of destruction in Hell, if they choose to repent of their wicked sin, accept the free gift of God given by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, making Him the Lord and Savior of their life. Grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge; Agape love. 

 

Jesus said in Matthew 10:28-32, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Whoever acknowledges me [as their personal Savior and Lord] before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.” The love of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) has immediate and eternal consequences, but the rejection of God has immediate and eternal consequences also. The opposite of spiritual awareness, wisdom and maturity is spiritual blindness and the aimless wandering of looking for love in all the wrong places.

 

John 1:9-14 “The true light [Jesus Christ] that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Receive Jesus Christ [the gift of God] as Savior and Lord of your life, walk in the Spirit and truly live be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

 

As created being with finite limited minds, we are not able to fully understand the complexity and extent of God’s agape love towards us, it’s beyond our grasp. But, we can know and grasp that we have His love as God reveals His love to us. We can seek and learn more about God’s love by believing and becoming more involved and remaining involved in God’s Word, Will and Way. We can never know this level of love just by reading about it, by hearing about it or by going through the motions, doing the least amount necessary to get by as a nominal or marginal Christian. Justification in salvation in Christ is the gate and a starting point for the lifelong process of sanctification on the straight and narrow path that ends this earthly existence in glorification in Heaven; all the fullness of God's love. Praise be to God for life, life eternal and the love of God! 

 

1 John 4:16 “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.”

 

In Christ, Brian

The Fullness of God’s Love - Part 2

Ephesians 4:11-13 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

 

The pursuit to attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ is part of our spiritual maturity. Our spiritual journey with never fully come to completion on earth, but it is God’s desire that His children work towards that goal, while striving and thriving along the path of righteousness as they grow in spiritual maturity. We are to work towards being more like Christ, because in doing so we become more spiritually mature. Keep the eternal perspective and never give up on your spiritual walk in the ministry of knowing God and making God known. Even though we may not arrive at full spiritual maturity in the fullness of Christ, the more mature that we get, then the close we get to being all that God intends for us to be.  

 

What breaks my heart is to look around and see all of the Christians that want to settle with just getting by, lukewarm and not growing. Some people do not want to do the hard work that is needed to get on the journey to spiritual maturity. The Christian life is a continual learning experience being deep rooted in the most abundant living available in Christ, yet unless we have someone come alongside us to encourage us and keep us focused on the path of faith-building and service, then we tend to dwindle and fade away by distractions and the cares of this world. That is why it is important to be together in the family of God at church on Sunday, in personal devotion time, in prayer groups, in Small Group Bible Studies, in congregational care, in community outreach and in witnessing the Gospel to others. 

 

 So many people could have the fullness of God in their stage of life, but they settle for the cheap imitations, thinking that we are barely getting by. If that is the case, who really is Lord and who am I really following? Where are we trying to get to and by what means? Our vehicle to experientially knowing the love of Christ is the grasping the four dimensions of how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, knowing that this love surpasses all our finite and limited knowledge. The way that we get closer to our spiritual maturity is by grasping the fact that God loves us so much; with agape love. John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already.”

 

The Bible tells us that all mankind has sinned multiple times in their life deserving the wrath of God, and (whether we admit it or not) have been judged and destined to Hell and eternal damnation already as our just and deserved punishment. But, our loving and merciful Creator God provided a way out by sending a Savior in His Son Jesus Christ to those who repent, believe and receive Him; through saving faith obtain the perfect atoning work of redemption on the Cross in our place to pay the price and giving eternal life in Heaven. Is this because we deserved salvation? No, Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That is the Gospel.

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on the fullness of God's love in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

The Fullness of God’s Love - Part 1

  

Ephesians 3:16-19 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

 

Last Sunday, Pastor Herk continued in his sermon series in the Epistle of Ephesians, asking how can we allow God to fill us with all His fullness, so that we can be all that He wants us to be. Infinite and eternal God’s “agape” love (a purely Biblical and ecclesiastical word) is so amazing that we cannot even fully understand the true fullness of that level of love; a love, affection and benevolence so great, generous and gracious that born-again believers cannot ignore it or reject it. If our hearts are right, we love God above all things, as the sum of all excellence and all the attributes which can communicate happiness to intelligent beings. In other words, the Christian loves God with the love of complacency in his attributes, the love of benevolence towards the interest of His kingdom, and the love of gratitude for favors received. The love of God is the first duty of man, and this springs from just views of his attributes or excellencies of character, which afford the highest delight to the sanctified heart. Esteem and reverence constitute ingredients in this affection, and a fear of offending Him is its inseparable effect.

 

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

 

The destination is to be spiritually mature, that you would be filled to the measure of all fullness of God. As His children, God’s goal for our life is that we experience a life that is filled to the brim with the fullness of God. How do you get to the point where your life is absolutely saturated with the fullness of God in a chaotic lost in sin world? That is why Jesus came – the Good Shepherd to lead us to green pastures and still waters (the abundant life of God’s fullness). What does “abundant life” means? When we make the decision to repent of sin, accept Christ as Savior and follow Jesus as the Lord of our life, God imparts His fullness to us in Christ, living in our heart. The Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 2:9-10, “For in Him [Jesus] all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over every ruler and authority.” 

 

With Christian living comes experience, godly maturity and spiritual fullness to be all that you can be! But, it increases exponentially through the process of sanctification (growing into the likeness of Christ) along our whole life journey as a sojourner of the Lord on mission for the kingdom of God. And we need to have the help of other Christians in the family of God and the body of Christ supporting each other in order to become more spiritually mature. We have to experience operating more and more of godly fullness in our lives, in order for us to become all that God wants us to become.  

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message not he fullness of God's love in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Life: An Unalienable Right

 

Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

 

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. These words of the American Declaration of Independence state three invaluable facts that are foundational to this nation. (1) all men are created. (2) their Creator (God) has endowed all with unalienable Rights (that cannot be alienated; that may not be transferred), and (3) the first of these Rights given by God is Life. 

 

Psalm 139:13-14 “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.”

 

Biological life is given by our Creator God, is sanctified (made holy; consecrated; set apart for sacred services). From the moment of conception, there is life; a living being created by God with a sacred body, soul and spirit with an unalienable Right to live. Yet, how sacred is the sanctity of life? Has mankind held this unalienable Right of life given by God sacred and sanctified? The Latin word “fetus” is the same word for the born child and the unborn child in the womb of its mother, because the word literally means baby, offspring, young and progeny. 

 

Because of sin (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), mankind fell into moral depravity and decay. Romans 5:12 explains, “Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” We have lost the sense of the sanctity of God-ordained life, God-given liberty and the pursuit of godly happiness in holiness, and replaced it with a pagan sanctity of self, secular lawlessness and pursuit of sensual pleasures. Life is seemingly cheap and what you make of it, because Creator God (the Giver of Life) is out of the equation in our deceived mind’s focus to live the dream in existential moments. 

 

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

 

Without a moral compass of God Holy Word, Will and Way, what is “right” or “wrong”? By Sinners saying that life is not sacred, does not make what the Creator of Heaven and Earth created sacred any less. Life is sacred from conception to the final breath, and almighty God determines both. Cherish and protect life; all life, from the unborn to the elderly, for Father God is their Maker, Provider, Sustainer and Glorifier of the lives He creates; it’s an unalienable Right.

 

In Christ, Brian

Heart is Where the Home is - Part 4

 

Hebrews 11:1 “ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

 

The fourth principle is that we have to trust in God’s truth through faith (belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by God, resting on His authority and veracity, without other evidence; the judgment that what God states or testifies is the truth). Faith is much more than our intellectual beliefs. It’s 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 of the God-breathed Bible. John 17:17 ‘Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” And trusting in Jesus Christ alone as the means of being made right with God is by faith, but that is only the starting point. 

 

James 2:18-19 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 

 

If you have real, genuine faith in God, His Word and His purposes in life, then it is going to be witnessed in your actions, because disciples make disciples and saved people save people by living godly lives and proclaiming the Gospel; pointing others always to the foot of the Cross. Intellectual accent is not a basis for salvation because a person can know of God and Jesus, but not know God through Jesus (not repent of sin and receive Christ for forgiveness, redemption and eternal life) nor put their trust in Him as Savior and Lord of their life, or make a dwelling place in their heart for Him. if we truly receive Jesus in our heart, that means we have the saving faith that trusts that as we obey the teachings of Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit, God will accomplish what is the very best for us, for He knows the end from the beginning. In 

 

John 14:23-26 Jesus proclaims, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. These things I have spoken to you while I am still 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 have said to you. In Galatians 5:16-17, the Apostle tells us: “ 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.” Believe that it is in your best interest, based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, to walk in the Spirit and do not fulfill the sinful lusts of the fallen flesh. And restates again in Romans 8:13-14, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” 

 

Robert Boyd Munger: The Hall Closet of my heart story - One day I found Him waiting for me at the door. An arresting look was in His eye. As I entered, He said to me, "There is a peculiar odor in the house. There is something dead around here. It's upstairs. I think it is in the hall closet." As soon as He said this, I knew what He was talking about. Yes, there was a small closet up there on the landing, just a few feet square—and in that closet, behind lock and key, I had one or two little personal things that I did not want anyone to know about and certainly I did not want Christ to see them. I knew they were dead and rotting things left over from the old life. And yet I loved them, and I wanted them so for myself that I was afraid to admit they were there.  Reluctantly, I went up with Him, and as we mounted the stairs the odor became stronger and stronger. He pointed at the door and said, "Some dead thing is in there!"  I was angry. That's the only way I can put it. I had given Him access to the library, the dining room, the living room, the workroom, the playroom—and now He was asking me about a little two-by-four closet. I said to myself, "This is too much. I am not going to give Him the key." "Well," He said, reading my thoughts, "if you think I'm going to stay up here on the second floor with this odor, you are mistaken. I will take my bed out on the back porch. I'm certainly not going to put up with that." Then I saw Him start down the stairs.  When you have come to know and love Christ, the worst thing that can happen is to sense His fellowship retreating from you. I had to surrender. "I'll give You the key," I said sadly, "but You'll have to open the closet and clean it out. I haven't the strength to do it."  "I know," He said. "I know you haven't. Just give me the key. Just authorize me to take care of that closet and I will." So, with trembling fingers I passed the key to Him. He took it from my hand, walked over to the door, opened it, entered it, took out all the putrefying stuff that was rotting there, and threw it away. Then He cleaned the closet and painted it, fixed it up, doing it all in a moment's time. Oh, what victory and release, to have that dead thing out of my life!

 

May the dead things in our heart be removed and cleansed so for Christ our heart is where the home is.

In Christ, Brian

Heart is Where the Home is - Part 3

Pastor Herk continues by asking: “How do we make our hearts God’s home?” The first principle is that we have to rely on God’s riches. The Apostle Paul prayed to God that “He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened”. We are limited in ability, time and resources. But, in preparing our hearts for Christ, we are not dependent upon our own resources, because we have access to the glorious resources of Almighty God. The born-again Believer has been predestined, chosen and adopted by God into His family. Jesus Christ has redeemed us on the Cross from our sinful life through His death and resurrection. The indwelling Holy Spirit lives in our lives as a guarantee of both our present and future spiritual riches. We have been joined together into the body of Christ worldwide for the purpose of revealing God’s wisdom on earth. If God has already done all this, then He is capable of preparing our heart and equipping us for that preparation to receive Christ. 

Philippians 4:19 “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

How do we plug into that power and strength that God provides? The second principle is that we have to submit to the Spirit to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man. The Holy Spirit is the conduit through which the glorious riches of God flow through. The Holy Spirit has a number of functions in the Believers life; one being to point us to Jesus Christ and walking on the straight and narrow path. In John 14:26Jesus tells us, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” Galatians 5:25 proclaims, “If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit].” 

 

The Holy Spirit reminds us of the teaching of the Lord and helps us apply those teachings in our lives. Though we receive the indwelling Holy Spirit at our born-again conversion, we can impede His work within us by not walking in the Spirit in obedience. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Do not quench the Spirit.” Do not ignore that still small voice of the Holy Spirit leading and teaching us. We have to be very much aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence. Ephesians 4:30 “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom. you were sealed for the day of redemption.” If we want to make our heart the Lord’s home, then we need to develop the habit of submitting our lives to the work of the Holy Spirit. So, when we read the Bible and pray, we need to do it with a proper attitude of humility and submission. We have to be willing to respond to the work of the Holy Spirit in our live, even before we know what He will reveal to us. 

 

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

 

The third principle is that we have to emphasize the eternal. Both our inner-being (which is the inner man) and our heart (the seat of man’s soul) describe the very center of conscious life. That involves our personality, our thoughts, our will, and our emotions. And is the part of our lives that we have to develop in order for Jesus to settle and reside at home vin our hearts. Not a cosmetic change, but we have to refine the inner being of our house by the renewing of our minds in the Word and person of Jesus Christ; for the long-term ability for our heart to serve as a home for the Lord. If you put a nice suit on a pig, then you’ll have a pig with a suit on that desires to be wallowing in the mud of the pigsty. It’s what is on the inside that matters.   

 

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

 

How do we develop that inner being? We tend to fix our eyes on the things that we see, and not so much on the divine and eternal things that are unseen. We need to develop a focus on those things that will last an eternity; like our character, our convictions, our thought life, our devotions, and our vertical relationship with our Heavenly father rather than on those things that are going to pass away. Less focus on the temporal things, like our physical body, our entertainment, our interpersonal relationships and our material possessions. It’s not that we are not to take care of our temporal things in life, but our main focus should be on developing those parts of our life that are going to last for all of eternity. If Jesus is going to make a home in our hearts, then it only makes sense that we ought to focus our time and resources.  

Heart is Where the Home is - Part 2

 

Ephesians 3:14-17 “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love.”

 

Pastor Herk continues: May Christ dwell in your heart through faith. The word “Dwell” here is the Greek word “Katoikeō”, meaning (1) to settle – metaph (supernatural). divine powers, deific influences are said to dwell in the Believers soul, to pervade, prompt, govern it. (2) to inhabit - to house permanently, reside as an inhabitant. God is said to dwell in the temple, i.e. to be always present for worshippers. 1 Corinthians 6:19 asks, “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “dwell” as: to abide as a permanent resident, or to inhabit for a time; to live in a place; to have a habitation for some time or permanence. Dwell imports a residence of some continuance. Acts 17:24-28 explains, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’” That Christ would settle down and be at home in the hearts of Christians. 

 

Take to heart that Jesus is living in your heart. The word heart here is defined as: The inner part of any thing; The chief part; the vital part; the vigorous or efficacious part. The seat of the affections and passions, as of love, joy, grief, enmity, courage, pleasure etc. We read of an honest and good heart, and an evil heart of unbelief, a willing heart, a heavy heart, sorrow of heart, a hard heart, a proud heart, a pure heart. The heart faints in adversity, or under discouragement, that is, courage fails; the heart is deceived, enlarged, reproved, lifted up, fixed, established, moved, etc. By a metonymy, heart is used for an affection or passion, and particularly for love. The heart is the seat of the understanding; the seat of the will; hence, secret purposes, intentions or designs. The Lord tries and searches the heart. Sometimes heart is used for the will, or determined purpose. The heart is the person; character; used with respect to courage or kindness, Courage; spirit; as, to take heart; to give heart; thoughts in the recesses of the mind. The heart is the disposition of mind, the real intention and the conscience mind, will and emotion of the soul.

 

When you look at a house as a potential permanent residence, you’ve invested a lot of resources to prepare and make it a place where you can settle down and be at home there. The Apostle Paul’s prayer here for us is that we would be able to do the same things spiritually with our hearts that most of us do with our physical homes; to make it a place where Christ can take up permanent residence. When you receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, you received the Holy Spirit in all that He can be and there was a change of mind and life direction, putting a whole lot of sinful thoughts and lifestyle behind us that was not “right in the eyes of the Lord”. Areas of our thoughts words and actions that Jesus feels not at home with in your converted heart, which you have not repented and hanging onto. The old saying goes: “when you bury the hatchet, do not leave the handle sticking out”. As the redeemed and justified Sinners, we repentantly lay our inequities at the foot on the Cross … some sooner than others as God clears the sin nature of the flesh out, so Christ can be at home in the heart and take up residence. Our goal is to make our heart His home.

The Apostle Paul, by stating “that He [God the Father] would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your heart, makes it clear that our lives are not quite ready for Him; it takes a little bit of time for us to clean house and be ready for Him. We embark on this process of sanctification by having our lives transformed that we can become more and more like Jesus; preparing our hearts to be a place where He can come, settle down and be at home.  

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on a heart for Christ in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Heart is Where the Home is - Part 1

Ephesians 3:14-17 “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love.”

 

How can we make our heart where Jesus can be at home? Pastor Herk explores that question in his sermon last Sunday, as he continued in his series through the Epistle of Ephesians. In these verses, the Apostle Paul is describing how God is carrying out His eternal purpose and He is doing iot through the body of Believers called the church. 

 

Do you ever think about why we pray or why it is necessary? God is sovereign - Supreme in power; possessing supreme dominion; as a sovereign ruler of the universe. God is the sovereign good of all who love and obey Him. It is God who chooses us. It is God who predestines us to become part of His family and citizens in the kingdom of Heaven. It is God who redeems us and guarantees that we will one day the inheritance that He has promised us. If we have trusting faith in the fact that God is going to do what He says, then why should we pray? The Apostle answers that in this passage, when he says: “for this reason”. Is it for the welfare of those reading, or desire for them to enter fully into the privileges with Christ, or because of the reconciling work of Jesus? The immediate context implies that God’s children have been brought together into the church body for the purpose of making God’s manifold wisdom evident here on earth. Praying allows us to be the vessels that we need to be in order to carry out God’s sovereign plan.   

 

Apostle Paul writes that he bows his knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The idea of bowing our knee is a picture of submission, reverence and awe in coming before the King of the kingdom of Heaven. The point that the Apostle is making here is that when we come before God to pray, we need to come with the “right” heart. We can come boldly to the throne because our access to God and audience with the King is guaranteed through Christ Jesus. But, we also need to come in humility and reverence. We cannot forget that this is the God of all creation; our almighty Maker. He wants us to come before Him, to have presence with us and hear what we have to say. But, we cannot forget that He is God. 

 

Paul writes that God is the Father from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. There is a reference here to God’s creation and that all created beings owe their existence to God; their Creator. Paul is emphasizing the idea that in Christ’s church, we all have the same Father. There is only one race; the human race created by God whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. Due to the fall of man in Sin and God’s plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ, there are unsaved and saved. John 1:9-13 explains that Jesus Christ “was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person. He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not accept 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 a man, but of God.” 

 

That is why John 3:16-19 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. Those who repent of their sin, seek forgiveness in contrition, believe in Jesus’ atoning death on the Cross to pay the debt of their sin, accept God’s free offer and receive His Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, receive eternal salvation, the regeneration of their spirit, a new heart indwelt by the Holy Spirit to see that which is spiritually discerned, adoption into the family of God, reconciliation with God for direct access to the throne as a beloved child, citizenship in the kingdom of Heaven, and coheirs with Christ. The born-again Christians are children of God and God loves all His children equally.  

Let's continue Pastor Herk message on the heart that Jesus makes His home in the next post.

In Christ, Brian