God is Good

 

In Psalm 86, Israel’s King David prayed, “Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me; for I am poor and needy. Preserve my]life, for I am holy; You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You! Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry to You all day long. Rejoice the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me. Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Your works. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God. Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. O God, the proud have risen against me, and a mob of violent men have sought my life, and have not set You before them. But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth. Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your maidservant. Show me a sign for good, that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.”

 

There is a responsive saying in many Christian churches, where the pastor says: “God is Good” and the congregation replies: “All the time”. Then the pastor says: “All the time” and the congregation replies: “God is good!” Yes, Good is God, backwards and forwards. Think of all the good that God does for you. He is not just our Maker, who created everything (time, space, matter and life); He made them all good. Genesis 1:31 tells us, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day [of creation].” Jehovah Jirah means God, my Provider, He is our Providence and every way possible providing good. 

 

The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “good” as benevolent; from the God’s attributes of merciful; gracious, out of God’s love. We tend to use the term “good” by Webster’s definition for us “doing good”, which is; Having moral qualities best adapted to its design and use, or the qualities which God's law requires; virtuous; pious; religious; applied to persons, and opposed to bad, vitious, wicked, evil. Having a moral mind and associated works; thoughts and actions which are just and in conformity to the moral law or divine precepts. Kind; wholesome, benevolent; affectionate, faithful, pleasant; Promotive of happiness; good will;

 

It reminds me of the Boy Scouts of America Slogan of “Do a good turn daily”. The Scout Oath is about being “good”: On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” The Boy Scout Law is equally based on “goodness”: A Scout is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous,  Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. These are “Good” attributes that reflect our heavenly Father and promote love, joy and peace for all. 

 

God is good. Maybe, we all need to think and do good in this world.

In Christ, Brian

 

The Heavenly Cause - Part 2

Michael continues: There are many “causes” that people follow in the world. What is the cost of following your cause? Following the causes of God as Almighty Creator and Sustainer of all and His holy Word, following Jesus Christ as Lord of all - His teachings and commands for living godly lives, following the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit through life, or following the causes of secular personal feelings, self-indulgence, personal pleasure, private gain or the causes of the unbelieving world. The Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 12:30, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” 

Later in Matthew 22:36-40 a Pharisee asked Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” They were talking about the commandments of the Almighty sovereign God, the Supreme Being who sits on the throne in Heaven reigning and ruling over all creation. 

 

A daily walk of living in the fallen Sin-nature with us on the throne of our life is the easy way. The greatest response to Lord God Almighty is the response to the most difficult challenge. Do you love a “good” challenge? (pun intended). Jesus Christ challenged the multitude that followed Him around with godliness, holiness and righteousness. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus stated, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Who do you truly serve?

 

The rich young ruler approached Jesus in Matthew 19 and said, “Good master, what

must I do to inherit eternal life?” For he knew that something was missing in his life. Jesus quoted the last six of the Ten Commandments regarding “love thy neighbor as thyself.” Jesus (God the Son) knew what was in the heart of all men and women. The young man said, these commandments I have kept since my youth. Then Jesus looked upon him with love and said, “then you need to sell all of your material possessions, give the proceeds to the poor, and come follow me.” The young ruler went away sorrowful because he had great wealth and could not bear losing his wealth. The problem was that the young man served the wrong god. He had broken the first of the Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” His wealth was his God and master he obeyed for personal gain. The first of the Beatitudes says, blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall inherit the earth. God cannot fill us unless we get off our self-serving throne and come to Him with empty hands.

Christianity is not a part-time job. The key to living “life more abundantly” as our Good Shepherd Jesus proclaimed, is to live for the heavenly cause to which He called us: that we would glorify Him in everything by living to the praise of the glory of His grace. If we worship the things of this world (for example: the people, worldly wealth and possessions, or the praise and accolades of others, to name a few), then we have the wrong god. The first of the Ten Commandments says in the Aramaic text, thou shalt have no other gods between your face and my face. Why? Because when we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, we see Him without obstruction and align our walk with His holy Word, Will and Way in love. This is the first and great commandment.

Jesus Christ is the one who died for the sins of the world and reconciles. He is the one who breaks down the middle walls of partition between our hearts and God’s heart, so that we can be reconciled together in fellowship with God and with others in the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. That in having prepared our hearts to live for the cause of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, we will love God above all in the unity of the Spirit, that we may forever live to the praise of the glory of God’s grace.

Your brother in Christ, Michael

The Heavenly Cause - Part 1

This week, Michael writes that Jesus gave his message now titled “the Sermon on the Mount” to prepare the multitude about his purpose ... to redeem them from the sin nature of the flesh that they inherited from mankind’s fall in the Garden of Eden. All men and women have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Jesus Christ defeated death at the Cross, which was the payment for sin through his atoning death and victory over death in His resurrection.  

In Luke 14, Jesus said there are three things that you cannot do. First he said, you need to love God above all, because you cannot love your others until you love God first. Second, you cannot live for your worldly possessions in this material world. Third, neither can you live for the praise of the lost and dying world. Jesus said, if you are preparing to build a tower, you must first count the cost. What is it worth to you? Do you have the resources of time, materials, manpower and wisdom to build a quality and stable tower? Without proper preparation and planning, you will be laughed to scorn when you cannot finish what you started or you build the tower and it falls down because you failed to plan.

Is there a crisis in anywhere the world today? Maybe, I should ask: Is there anywhere in the world that does not have a crisis today? When the crisis comes and courage is required, Almighty God expects his people to have such confidence in Him that they will be the reliable and dependable ones. There is safety in the midst of the crisis, when we trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not unto our own understanding. Nothing is impossible with Creator God. As the Apostle Paul said, Thy strength is made perfect in my weakness … thy grace is sufficient for me. When a disciple is dedicated and convinced of the majesty, glory, and value of the cause to which they have dedicated their life, then they will fear no evii or danger and “be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause.” For yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me. God is with us, Christ is by our side and the Holy Spirit is in us. 

If we have nothing to stand for, then we will fall for anything. If there is nothing worth dying for, then there is nothing worth living for. The born-again Believer believes in God, sees and understands the wickedness of sin against their holy, just and loving Maker, repented of their filthy and grievous sins, turned from the sin nature unto God’s holy word, will and way, hears, believes and willfully receives the free gift of redeeming salvation their the atoning sacrificial death of Jesus Christ in their place, receives the transformation of their heart and the regeneration of their spirit by the Holy Spirit, and takes residence within them to guide their life spiritually and existentially, exchanges eternal damnation to eternal life with the risen Christ in Heaven, receives adoption into the family of God as a loved child, and receives citizenship in the kingdom of God. We die to sin and now live for Christ, our savior and Lord.   

Let’s continue Michael’s message on the heavenly cause in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

 

The Nature of God – Part 3

In John 14:16-17, 26 Jesus “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper 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 remains with you and will be in you. 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.”

 

Continuing with the nature of the Trinitarian God as defined in the Disciple’s Study Bible. It states that [1] God the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost (In Greek, the “Agios Pneuma” - the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son, never referred to as a depersonalized force. 

 

[1] The Holy Spirit is revealed was (A) Promised by God. (B) Revealed at Pentecost. (C) Described in specific Scripture. 

 

[2] The Holy Spirit works for God’s Purposes. (A) in Creation. (B) In Redemption. (C) in Messianic Hope. (D) in Jesus. (E) in the twelve Apostles, (F) in Revelation. 

 

Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

 

[3] The Holy Spirit empowers God’s people. (A) Undergird the Church. (B) Energizes for Gospel Mission. (C) Guides in Mission work. (D) Calls and equips the saints and leaders. 

 

Galatians 5:16-22-25 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 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. 

 

[4] The Holy Spirit leads individuals. (A) Filling Christians, (B) Convicts sinners. (C) Regenerates born-again believers. (D) Permanently indwells the saved. (E) Protects the spiritually endangered. (F) Gives security. (G) Gives spiritual gifts to every believer. (H) Transforms the faithful. (I) May be resisted. (J) Guides the believer. (K) Must be obeyed. (L) Intercedes in prayer for the believer. 

 

[5] The Holy Spirit is God. (A) Presence of God. (B) Personal. (C) Acts in Divine Freedom. (D) Is the third of the Trinity. 

In each of these attributes of the Holy Spirit’s nature, there were multiple Bible verse references for putting together a message or study, just like with God the Father and Jesus Christ. But once again, even just reading through them individually and prayerfully meditating on who the Holy Spirit truly is, what He can do, what He has done, what He is doing today and what He is going to do in the future. The Holy Spirit is amazing!

 

Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

 

In Christ, Brian

The Nature of God – Part 2

John 1:1-4 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

Continuing with the nature of the Trinitarian God as defined in the Disciple’s Study Bible. It states that [1] God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel. (A) Scripture foretold His coming. (B) John the Baptist prepared the way. (C) He fulfilled Old Testament teachings and hopes. (D) He was the promised and expected Messiah. [E] He was the prophesied and expected Prophet. 

 

[2] Jesus was God in human flesh; incarnate. (A) His virgin birth was through the Holy Spirit. (B) He was Holy and Sinless. (C) He performed God’s miracles. (D) He displayed Divine Authority. (E) He is the Son of God. (F) He is the Son of Man. (G) He is the Wisdom of God. (H) He is the eternal Word of God. (I) He is Lord. (J) The Resurrection showed His Divine nature. (K) He endured physical and emotional suffering. (L) He is the Old Testament “I AM”. (M) He is the Creator. (N) He is God. 

 

[3] Jesus was fully man, a human being led by God’s Spirit. (A) He experienced human birth. (B) He endured temptation as all human do. (C) He experienced death as humans do. 

 

[4] Jesus fulfilled God’s purposes. (A) In His teachings. (B) As God’s Servant. (C) As God’s Shepherd. (D) In His Glory. (E) As the Truth of God. (F) As the Light of God.  (G) By completing His Mission. (H) As the Bread of Life. (I) In His Love.  (J) As the Cornerstone. 

 

[5] Jesus Provides Salvation. (A) As Redeemer. (B) As Savior. (C) As the Lamb of God. (D) As the Life. (E) As our Priest. (F) In His Atonement for us. (G) As our Hope. 

 

[6] Jesus continues to minister for us. (A) In Heaven after His Ascension. (B) Through intercession for us.

 

[7] Jesus is the Eternal King. (A) He was preexistent. (B) He is the Son of David. (C) He introduced the kingdom of God. (D) We await His final Coming. (E) He is the Judge in the Final Judgement. (F) Misunderstanding made the messianic secret necessary. (G) He is the expected King. In each of these attributes of Christ’s nature, there were multiple Bible verse references for putting together a message or study also. But once again, even just reading through them individually and prayerfully meditating on who Jesus truly is, what He can do, what He has done, what He is doing today and what He is going to do in the future. Jesus is amazing!

Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

 

In Christ, Brian

The Nature of God - Part 1

Matthew 6:9-10,13  Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

 

An old Christian friend sent me a text message asking if I had a Disciple’s Study Bible. He explained about the in-depth notes, graphs, references, charts and maps which made Bible Study much easier. I did not own one, so I went online and found a used leather-bound version for sale which once belong to a pastor in Las Vegas, Nevada, so I bought it. It is surely a very nice Study Bible and to my surprise there is a Bible Study section in the back of the book, which began with the nature of the Trinitarian God. 

 

It states that:

[1] God the Father is unique in nature. (A) He is constant in nature. (B) He is the One true God. (C) He is Holy. (D) He is Transcendent. (E) He is Immanent. (F) He is Eternal. (G) He is Spirit. (H) He is One in three, Trinity. (I) He reveals Himself in Glory. 

 

[2] God the Father is Intimate. (A) His is Living. (B) He is Personal. (C) He is Jealous. 

 

[3] God the Father relates to us and to His world. (A) He is Creator. (B) He is Judge. (C) He is Father.

 

[4] God the Father has distinctive qualities. (A) He is Love. (B) He relates in Mercy. (C) He saves in Grace. (D) He is righteous. (E) His goodness is unequaled. (F) His faithfulness can be trusted. (G) His Justice is impartial and fair. (H) He reacts to sin in Wrath. (I) He has perfect Wisdom. (J) He has all Power. (K) His Presence is always, Omnipresent and everywhere available. (L) He is all-knowing, Omniscient, (M) He is all-powerful, Omnipotent

 

[5] God the Father works in His world. (A) He redeems as Savior. (B) He fulfills His purposes in Sovereignty. 

 

Each of these attributes of God’s nature, there were multiple Bible verse references for putting together a message or study. But, even just reading through them individually and prayerfully meditating on who God truly is, what He can do, what He has done, what He is doing today and what He is going to do in the future. God is amazing! 

 

Deuteronomy 4:35, 39-40 “To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord

Himself is God; there is none other besides Him. Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”

 

In Christ, Brian

God's Choice

1 John 5:12-14 “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”

Salvation is an “if / then” offer, which means that there is something for us to do  in order to receive God’s forgiveness, redemption, reconciliation, consecration, restoration, regeneration, adoption, and eternal life. Romans 10:8-10 asks, But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. It sounds too simple, but it is God’s requirements and qualifiers so are the way. Yet, it is very difficult to for many to understand and accept for many reasons. Why?

 

I have a relative who recently told me that he goes to church, believes in God, and believes in Jesus, but doesn’t know if he is going to Heaven or not. He state, “You don’t know all the bad things that I have done in my life, which I am ashamed of and should be punished for, so it is God’s choice whether He let’s me into Heaven or not.” I explained that because of sin in our lives, nobody is good enough to get into Heaven on their own; us all deserve God’s wrath as punishment. I read John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. That, sure a holy and just God must judge and punish sin, but this loving and merciful God made the choice to sent His Son as a free gift [not earned, deserved and paid for by us] to take the place of any sinner who repents, accept and receives Him as their personal Savior and follow Him for the rest of their life as Lord. 

 

That was God’s choice, but we have a necessary choice to make to either accept this gift of God given by grace, or reject Jesus Christ and not enjoy eternal life in Heaven. John 3:35-36 goes on to say, “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.” No matter how bad you have been in the past, it’s not about what we do, but about what we believe by faith in our hearts and who we choose or refuse that determines whether how we live today and where we go at the end of this life. 

 

Ephesians 2:4-8 proclaims. “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, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” God made the choice to save you; the question is “will you make the sacred choice to be saved” 

 

In Christ, Brian

Ticket to Ride

 

John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

 

Where do you go when you die? is a standard life examining question that we all ponder. We have many “come to Jesus moments” in life where we have a moment of sudden realization, comprehension or recognition. That precipitates a major change. But one day, we are all going to meet Christ face-to-face. Hebrews 9:27 tells us, And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, where your ticket to heaven is checked. 

 

A friend of mine recounted a story that he had heard at church one Sunday, where a man died and appeared at the gates of Heaven and was told that he needed a ticket to get admission. Trains, planes, buses and ships all require a ticket to get onboard and ride. Amusement Parks, Professional Sporting events, Movie theaters and even heaven require a ticket to get in This reminds me of the evangelistic diagnostic question: If you were to die tonight and appear in front of God, when He asks you why He should let you into His kingdom of Heaven, what would you say? … what is your ticket?  

 

We understand that physical life has its limits, so the body wears out and eventually dies. Reality is that humans are a three-part being and when the vital signs are gone, our soul and spirit separate from the body and migrate into the presence of God, our Maker. What many do not understand is that we are all born spiritually dead and separated from God by original sin. Romans 5:12 explains, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” And Romans 6:23 explains that the wages of sin is death; we earned it by our many inequities, transgressions, trespasses and sins. The truth of Romans 3:23 is that all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Everyone needs a ticket, but what is that ticket to Heaven and how do we get one? 

 

That ticket is Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. John 3:14-17 says “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” You must believe that Almighty God exists, created everything including us, that sin corrupted the world and death (the penalty for sin) entered, that humans have no way by their own works to pay for their sins, understand the severity of their sin and repent of them, that God (by His love and mercy) graciously provided a way of salvation  by sending His sinless Son (the promised Messiah born of a virgin) as a free gift to die an atoning death on the Cross in our place to pay the penalty price, that by faith we accept Jesus Christ (fully God/fully man) as their personal Savior and Lord. That’s good news!

 

Romans 10:9 declares, “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” That is the ticket!

 

In Christ, Brian

For Such a Time As This

 

This week Michael writes that Jesus taught the multitude at the Sermon on the Mount that the life of a disciplined follower of Christ is through the narrow gate and in the narrow way. Jesus Christ himself is the Way, the Truth and, the Life. In Matthew 5:36-48 Jesus continued his teaching. His message was upside-down from the teaching of the Pharisees. Jesus said, you have heard it said that you should love your friends and hate your enemies. But I say unto you love your enemies; bless them that curse you, slander you, and despitefully use you.  

Why? Because tribulation works patience and patience experience and experience hope, and hope makes not ashamed because the love of God is made manifest in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us. The important thing is to think, respond, and act according to Christ’s heart behind our heart. When we act and react from a heart of the love of God, love covers a multitude of sins. The way to defeat your enemy is to make them your friend. Jesus Christ himself is the one who reconciles our hearts together in the unity of the spirt in the bond of peace.

How do we tolerate turning the other cheek when we’ve been slapped? How do we go the second mile when we’ve been unjustly compelled to go the first mile? According to Philippians 2:5, let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus. He humbled himself and became obedient, even unto death on the cross. He for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross and is set down upon the right hand of the throne of God.

The beatitudes are the godly attitudes. These attitudes are upside-down from worldly attitudes. These attitudes start with humility …. Blessed are the poor in spirit who mourn over the sin that separated our hearts from God’s heart. Blessed are they who are meek to be taught by the true Word of God. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst not for the things of the world, but for God’s righteousness ... the righteousness of God in Christ. 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. An attitude of gratitude for God’s gracious gift of His Holy Spirit is the prerequisite for loving and praising God through our thoughts and actions. The love of God is manifested in walking in the Spirit of life in Christ … His hands behind our hands, His feet behind our feet, His eyes behind our eyes as we are motivated by His heart of love and service behind our heart.

 

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

In an upside-down world, to live is to die to self. To be a leader is to humble our hearts to become a servant. To be “set free” is to be bound by the bond of love as a bondservant of our Lord. The ultimate victory is the ultimate surrender to His will. We have been called to liberty, which is the greatest freedom is to live captive to Christ. To be “lifted up”, is to be abased and to condescend to men and women of low estate. God is not impressed with our knowledge of the Word, for knowledge puffs up; it inflates our egos. In contrast to knowledge, love builds up. We’re called to edify, to encourage, and to love with the mercy, grace, kindness and peace of the Prince of Peace. As the people of God whom He has called for such a time as this, may we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!

 Your brother in Christ, Michael

The Forest

This last Sunday, Elder Dr. Willie Nolte preach on the connection of the Christian church and began with the illustration of the Pando Aspen Grove in Utah, which is a clonal organism representing an individual male quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) that spans 106 acres and is the largest known aspen clone. Pando was identified as a single living organism because each of its estimated 47,000 stems (ramets) possesses identical genetic markers And each of the stems also is generally connected by a massive interconnected root system. Incidentally, the idiom “can’t see the forest for the trees” means that the parts are distracting you from comprehending the whole. You can’t see the entirety as you are preoccupied with the details and overlook the bigger picture or the end goal. In this context, it signifies the trees are obscuring the fact that they collectively form a forest. This is also an illustration for the church.

 

1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 27 “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being 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 have all been made to drink into one Spirit. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” Born-again disciples make up the many part of the body of Believers with Christ as the head. The redeemed children of God, citizens of the kingdom of Heaven who choose to believe that God has a plan and purpose for their life, and that God wants His Will done in their life on earth. 

 

Dr. Nolte spoke of a methodical three-part grid that can be used to live a godly life by, (1) Use things, which speaks to stewardship and managing of everything that comes from God. (2) Love people, which speaks to obedience and the evidence thereof. In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” To love and obey God; the Supreme Being, His Laws and His Creation is also evidenced in our love and care of our fellow man in healthy relationships, for we all are created in God’s image. 

 

(3) Worship God, which is about life and peace. There is a saying: Know Jesus, know peace. No Jesus, no peace. But, to know Jesus as Savior and Lord, is to be connected as the church body and know the gospel of salvation, experience the abundant life in Christ and truly have peace in your soul. The individual Christian is not only a member of a local church body in rejoicing worship and praise of God, learning and growing, fellowship and service, but is interconnected like a forest with all Believers worldwide in Spirit and in Truth, the whole body of Christ in the presence of God Almighty in Heaven. 

 

Ephesians 4:14-16 “We should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

 

Dr. Nolte suggested three ways to by faith maximize connectivity in the church. (1) Show up – There is so much to do, but God equips the saints with gifts, ability, power, nourishment and encouragement. Do it and accomplish them. (2) Sign up – proactively connect and get involved in the church and the work of Christ, your continued knowledge and growth, family outreach, gospel outreach, community outreach, and/or world outreach. (3) Speak up – God determines what is right and wrong. His Word is Truth. Know and communicate God’s truth and spread the Gospel. It is His Will for our lives. Be the forest of God and the body of Christ that the world needs.

 

In Christ, Brian

Reverend Martin Luther King Day 2024

“I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land!”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘if I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But, the good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”

“Now, there is a final reason I think Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power that that eventually transforms individuals. Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love.  There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.”

“The end (the goal) of life is not to be happy, nor to achieve pleasure and avoid pain, but to do the will of God, come what may.”

“The early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days, the church was not merely a thermometer that records the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society.”

The Death of Death

In Genesis 2:16-17, in the garden of Eden, the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

 

Some time after this commandment, the serpent (identified in Revelation 12:9 as “that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world”) tempted Eve to doubt God, eat the forbidden fruit and also gave to Adam bringing sin and death into the world. Doubting and disobeying God was the original sin which is nonmaterial and doesn’t need to pass along to offspring via genetics. It is passed along spiritually by virtue that all are descendants of Adam. Everyone is born spiritually dead because the wages of sin is death. In the day that they ate of it, their spirit and associated connection to their Creator, followed by the eventual physical death of our bodies. As Ephesians 2:1-2 says. “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” Bottomline; because of sin, Romans 3:10 declares: “There is none righteous, no, not one;

 

Romans 5:12-14 goes on to say, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—to be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam. One might say, “I do not think it is fair that Adam’s sin was passed down to all flesh.” Let’s be realistic, how many of God’s commandments and Laws do you break regularly and how many sins do you commit weekly, monthly and annually? James 2:10 explains, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”

 

But Good News, by the grace of God, He designed, instituted and employed His Plan of Salvation for all sinners; death entered the world and death will leave for those that believe. Our loving heavenly Father did not have to plan and provide a Way for redemption and forgiveness, restoration and eternal life. But, He did and anyone who confesses their sin, repents of them all, believes God in their heart and receives Christ as their personal Savior by faith and obediently follows Him as Lord will saved. John 1:16-17 “Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

 

2 Timothy 1:8b-10 “God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” In Revelation 20:14-15, Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.Have faith, believe and receive Christ, follow the Lord and escape the second death with death itself in Hell. 

 

The final scene in heaven is the death of death in Revelation 21:3-4 where the Apostle John 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.”

 

Be a Born-again Believer; the old is gone and all things are new.

In Christ, Brian

What Shall We Do?

 

Matthew 19:16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

 

The incident of the “Rich, young ruler” in Matthew 16-22 was a lesson on human misconceptions about salvation. This young man, from his youth was raised in the church and obeyed God’s Moral Law of the Ten Commandments, which Jesus recited, but knew that something was still missing. Like him, we can know and live by the letter of the Law, but not by the spirit of the Law, thereby miss eternal life qualification. If your heart is not in it, then you are just going through the motions and that doesn’t save anyone. What he and we need is heartfelt faith in God and the Gospel. God’s Law and the Mosaic Law gave us godly direction, but never was achievable by fallen mankind, yet clarified for us our hopelessly sinful state, our need for salvation and pointed us to the Savior of the world in Jesus Christ that we might be born-again by saving faith.

 

In Galatians 3:21-26 the Apostle Paul states, “Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would indeed come through the law. But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be reckoned as righteous by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.”

Chapter 3 of the Gospel according to John explain this gracious gift by the mercy of God, receiving by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, yet also tells us that those that love the darkness of their self-centered sin will reject God’s free gift of salvation, the justified wrath of God against sin shall remain upon them and shall not have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. The Gospel is not “good news” for those who reject the Savior as Lord and Master of their life. The Rich Young Ruler was told by Jesus to “go all in” and follow Him as a disciple (learning from and obeying Christ Word, Will and Way), and he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions (and that was his idol, his true love, his other god). Do you have any other gods keeping you from going all in?

 

In Romans 10:8-10 the Apostle Paul declares,  “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word [the Gospel message, the basis] of faith which we preach because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His almighty power, absolute authority, and ultimate majesty as your personal Savior], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his or her justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth they acknowledges and confesses [their faith openly], resulting in and confirming [their] salvation. That is amazing grace.

 

In Acts 16:30 the Philippian Jailer recognized the hand of God and inquired of Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Saving faith in the Lord leads to a faithful walk of godly action in thought, word and deed. 

 

In Ephesians 4:1-3 this same Apostle Paul beseechs to us, “I appeal to you to live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called [that is, to live a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity, and mature behavior—a life that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation], with all humility [forsaking self-righteousness], and gentleness [maintaining self-control], with patience, bearing with one another in [unselfish] love. Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual working together to make the whole successful].

 

In Acts 2:36-40 the Apostle Peter preached: “let all the house of Israel recognize beyond all doubt that God has made Him both Lord and Christ (Messiah, Anointed)—this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart [with remorse and anxiety], and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what are we to do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways, accept and follow Jesus as the Messiah] and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is for you and your children and for all who are far away [including the Gentiles], as many as the Lord our God calls to Himself.” And Peter solemnly testified and continued to admonish and urge them with many more words, saying, “Be saved from this crooked and unjust generation!” This is what we shall do to be saved.

 

In Christ, Brian

Abundantly More in 2024

 

Ephesians 3:14-21 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, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

 

This last Sunday, Pastor Kyle preached on this passage and prayer in Holy Scripture, giving us two Biblical reasons to be continually focused on life advancement. (1) God saves us from something to something. Many times, the Lord saves us from ourselves, for our own good and the good of the kingdom of Heaven. Whatever vices He pulls us out of, He has a virtue which He puts us into. The Lord may put a hedge of protection around us from the enemy, but directs us to good works within the perimeter and boundaries. (2) Prayer has unimaginable power. Philippians 4:6-7 instructs us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Prayer changes things.

 

Pastor Kyle gave us three keys to experiencing abundantly more in 2024. (1) Start by cleaning up areas of disobedience and removing blind spots. From the heart, desire to do what is “right” in the eyes of the Lord. Psalm 139:23-24 beseeches the Lord, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (2) Think like a tortoise and work like a beaver. The old proverb says, “Slow and steady wins the race”, so take things step-by-step, moving forward with perseverance.” Romans 5:4 tells us that godly perseverance produces character; and character, hope. (3) Do not shrink back ever. Hebrews 10:39 declares that “we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. We are not the way we were or the way we are, but the way that we are become in Christ; always improving.

 

Remember that 2 Peter 3:9 proclaims, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. If God is for us, then who can be against us? We are to be growing in grace and in faith, so that we are living abundantly more in 2024, while advancing the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

 

Your brother in Christ, Brian

First Love – Part 2

  

Ephesians 3:14-19 “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, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

To know God is to know the love of God which passes earthly knowledge. This super-natural spiritual knowledge assures our hearts of God’s unconditional love. For we are the sons and daughters of God in the midst of a wicked and perverse nation among whom we shine as lights in a world of darkness. To forsake the darkness of the fallen world is to know the heart of God. Knowing God’s heart is to love Him above all ... to acknowledge, despite the God-rejecting world’s accusations, that we’re loved with the pure unadulterated love of God. We love Him because He first loved us.  

Apart from the spiritual agape love of God, worldly types of love are fragile and limited. Worldly love is conditional on the performance of the other party. To love with God’s love, we must approach his throne of grace on His terms according to His word. The love of this world will leave us frustrated and unfulfilled. However, Jesus said, come unto me all ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Within his grace, mercy, and love, it is God who worketh in us to will and to do of His good pleasure.  

What does it mean to accept Jesus as Lord? Lord means owner. The people of God is God’s people. This is the genitive of possession. Who are we when Jesus is Lord? Christianity is not who we are. Instead Christianity is whose we are. According to Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” What is the love of God? Herein is the love of God made perfect. 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.  

In order to turn from sin and unto the Lord, we must approach him with a contrite heart of repentance in humility. Therefore, 1 John 9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God has called us into fellowship with himself. When we give up the rights of our sinful flesh, then we can come to Him with a heart of humility according to His terms. God will come to us with the grip of His son’s nail-pierced hands. If He must break our hearts in order for us to reach for His hand, then thank Him for breaking our heart.  

The devil will tempt us to think that we need to be in control. The question is not who will sit on Christ’s right and left hand in positions of honor in God’s kingdom. The right question is, do you love me? You are not your own, You are bought with a price. Therefore we are His and He is ours. This is our challenge and our calling: to love God above all. For He alone is worthy. That we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace.

Your brother in Christ, Michael

First Love – Part 1

Is anyone smarter than God? Is anyone wiser? Is anyone more powerful? Do we know the future better than God? God alone is the one who knows the future. He alone is all powerful and all wise. Why then do we have difficulty believing and trusting in his word?  

According to Ephesians 1: 15-23 “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and 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.

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

It’s one thing to hear the word of God in its authority and power. The challenge is to do that which he commands. This is what it means to trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. The word of God is contrary to the word of man. To follow according to God’s command is to forsake the commands of man. Some of His commands may offend our sense of “human” rights. We’re commanded to turn the other cheek and to go the second mile. According to Ezekiel 33, the prophet was frustrated because the people would not heed the word of God. They hear your word but they do not follow them. Verse 31 says, “And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goes after their covetousness.”

Many don’t call Jesus Lord because they want to be in control of their own lives. The diagnostic question is, “why should God let you into His heaven?” Is eternal life on your own terms, or on God’s terms? God’s terms say that you can’t make it on your own. Your own performance is not good enough to deserve eternal life. If we’re to come to Him, we must enter in according to His terms, not ours. The question Jesus has for his disciples is, “do you love me?” Jesus had said in John 14:6 if you love me, keep my commandments. The first love is that God initiated love (agape) by loving us first. Romans 5:8 says, “But God commended his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” We received His gift of the Holy Spirit when we were born again. With His spirit we received the ability to love Him with spiritual “Agape love” in return. To know God is to love him. 

Let's continue Michael's message on love in the next post. 

In Christ, Brian 

Newness of Life

 

Romans 6:3-4 “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

 

People tend to like new things. The newest trends, fads fashions and interests are lively and socially motivated as progression leans towards quickly becoming bored of things and leaving the old and worn out behind for the next thing coming down the turnpike. Innovators, trendsetters and influencers have to constantly be discovering and communicating something new for the never-ending public fleshly desire of the soul (mind, will and emotions) for the newest fast-paced craze in life on earth. As the famous philosopher Mick Jagger once stated: “I can’t get no satisfaction”. And people do not want this trendy lifestyle to change. The adage you her is: “never grow up and never grow old.” Do you see it happening? But, there is another old saying: “The only thing guaranteed not to change in life is that things are going to change.”  

 

Whether we believe it or not, reality is that (1) we are all created by God, (2) sin came into this perfect world created by God, killing our inner spirit because our Creator is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness (Habakkuk 1:13) and corrupting our soul with self-centered, ungodly desires, and (3) the consequence is that we all are going to physically age, wear out and someday die, for the wages of sin against our just and Holy Creator s death - Romans 6:23a. But that is only the first death because there is life beyond the grave for eternity. The question is where will you choose to spend it – separated from all that is good in Hell or in glorious Heaven with the Lord? But, what was wrong with the old flesh, that it needs replaced? Well, because no choice is to remain in the sinful fallen flesh, which is judged already and the default is Hell.

 

We are all dead and condemned in our transgressions and sins against God and His righteous and holy Word (Ephesians 2:1), but Romans 3:20-24  says that “no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law [you cannot earn your way to sinless Heaven]; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin [seeing that we deserve to go to Hell]. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” You see, there is a plan of salvation and a newness effort for us underway to seek, redeem and save those lost on the highway to Hell.  

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That is why in John 3:3-7 Jesus answered the Pharisee Nicodemus and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” The Greek words for the term “born again” are “gennaō” (meaning conceived, created and delivered of God making men and women his sons and daughters by the power of the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ's work) and “anōthen” (meaning anew from heaven). 

 

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” God’s Gospel plan is that since sin kills us, He sent His Son Jesus the Christ to die and pay our penalty for all who believe that He exists, repent of their sin, trust in Him, accept the redemption in His atoning blood and receive His free gift of salvation, adoption and citizenship unto the kingdom of Heaven. If you haven’t already, make the choice to be made new and have newness of life in Christ. If you already have, then live it out daily in love, joy and peace.  Revelation 21:4-5 says that in heaven 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.” 

 

New in Christ, Brian

Bread of Life

 

John 6:31-40 “Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life;  and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Bible Commentator Matthew Henry explains that as much as the throne of God’s glory is above the clouds of the air, so much does the spiritual bread of the everlasting gospel excel the manna. He informs them concerning the true manna, of which that was a type: But my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven; that which is truly and properly the bread from heaven. As much as the throne of God’s glory is above the clouds of the air, so much does the spiritual bread of the everlasting gospel excel the manna. That Christ is bread is that to the soul which bread is to the body, nourishes and supports the spiritual life (is the staff of it) as bread does the bodily life; it is the staff of life. The doctrines of the gospel concerning Christ—that he is the mediator between God and man, that he is our peace, our righteousness, our Redeemer; by these things do men live. Our bodies could better live without food than our souls without Christ. That he is the bread of God , divine bread; it is he that is of God, bread which my Father gives, which he has made to be the food of our souls; the bread of God’s family, his children’s bread. The Levitical sacrifices are called the bread of God, and Christ is the great sacrifice; Christ, in his word and ordinances, the feast upon the sacrifice. That he is the bread of life, Christ is our life.

Deuteronomy 8:2-4 “And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”

The term “Bread of Life” is the Greek words “artos zōē” meaning food of the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God, and through Him both to the hypostatic "logos" and to Christ in whom the "logos" put on human nature for sustaining life - real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last forever. 

Let not your heart be hardened as stone, but may God by His Spirit, soften and melt it that you may say: “our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word and the Bread of life, I am the sinner for whom you died. There is nothing in me that would earn my salvation. It’s not because of what I’ve done, but in spite of what I’ve done that you love me and died for me. I yield my life to you. I repent of my sins and I trust in your atoning blood as my only hope. And I accept the free gift of eternal life right now? 

Our dear and heavenly Father, should there be any that read the words of my prayer throughout the nation and the world, who have never yet received the living, risen Savior into their hearts, may they do so right now. May they open their hearts and say: “Lord Jesus Christ, come into my heart. I believe and want to be a devoted follower and devout disciple in my heart. In thy name, Amen

In Christ, Brian