Happy Easter 2024

May you and yours have a truly blessed Easter! 

Christ has risen indeed! 

Rest in Hope

Matthew 12:40 “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” 

On Holy Saturday, Jesus continued in the grave just as long as Jonah continued in the fish’s belly, three days and three nights; not three whole days and nights: it is probable, Commentaries point out that Jonah did not lie so long in the whale’s belly, but part of three natural days (nychthemerai, the Greeks called them); he was buried in the afternoon of the sixth day of the week, and rose again in the morning of the first day; it is a manner of speech very usual in that era. What happen on the Second day, which we called “Holy Saturday”. 

 

While certain Christian traditions, including Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Reformed Protestantism (especially Anglicanism and Presbyterianism) have robust doctrines of the descent of Jesus between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, there are differences between these traditions in their understanding of the descent clause in the Apostles’ Creed : “I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary: Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell: The third day he rose again from the dead.”

 

Christ when he lay in the grave, is expressly said to rest in hope, as one assured he should not see corruption. The Apostle Paul proclaimed in Acts 2:22-27 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.” The wages of sin is death, but Jesus never sinned. Once the blessed Redeemer paid for our sin (the sins of the world laid upon Him) on the Cross, He had no sin for Himself to pay. 

 

Scripture affirms that Jesus experienced death as all other humans who pass away before Christ’s return experience it. His human body was interred and his human soul departed to the place of the dead, an intermediate state and that Jesus experienced it as all humans do. In Second Temple Judaism, the most common view of the afterlife—one reflected in Jesus’s language in the Gospels—expected indeed an intermediate state in a place called Sheol (Hebrew) or Hades (Greek). All of the dead, righteous and wicked, enter this state, but they enter distinct compartments. The New Testament speaks of the righteous entering “Abraham’s Bosom” or “Paradise”. It speaks of the wicked heading to “Gehenna” or Sheol/Hades. The doctrine of the descent says Jesus, who had a human soul, maintained consciousness in an intermediate state. Specifically, he journeyed to the place he himself called Abraham’s Bosom, or Paradise. 

 

King David says concerning the Christ in Psalm 16:8-10, ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Hades. Christ when he lay in the grave, is expressly said to rest in hope, as one assured he should not see corruption. The Apostle Paul proclaimed in Acts 2:22-27 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. In resurrection Christ conquered death forever. 

 

Psalm 22:26b-28 “Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever!

All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations.” Find rest in Hope with blessed assurance! 

 

We must take our measures from the last judgment; things are really, what they are eternally. In Christ, Brian  

Who Needs a Savior?

 

Luke 18:9-14 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

 

At our small group Bible Study this week, we looked at the parable of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee to see the reality of our “up-side-down” thinking on human reasoning of justification. We tend to rationalize our righteousness before God and call ourselves: “Good”. Almost nobody wants to believe that they are bad people and do good things, but we do not realize just how sinful sin really is, how great the Fall of Man actually was, or how everything which we think, say and do is tainted. As the Old Testament Prophet declared in Isaiah 64:4-7, “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved? All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over to our sins.” With such a declaration, you can throw the “grading on a curve” and the “good outweighing the bad” theory to get into Heaven out the window.

Such a claim by the prophet of God may seem over exaggerated about doing right and being good, but the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ in His earthly visitation echoed the same truth to the rich young Ruler in Luke 18:19 stating, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” This is not negativity, but the real condition of mankind which we need to come to grips with. This truth may make us feel only an inch high, but even that it too high. The Apostle Paul confirms in Romans 3:12 that we “have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.” No sinner is fit for Heaven, because as Romans 6:23 informs us, “the wages of sin is death.” The parable by Jesus edifies, the religious elite Pharisee was not justified before God by his outward acts, but the hated tax collector was justified by his unpretentious confession of sin, genuine remorse, heartfelt repentance and authentic saving faith.   

 

The Truth is that we cannot save ourselves from sin and deserve Hell as the rightful judgment of God; we are unworthy. In all actuality, everyone on earth needs a righteous Savior. In reality, we come to God with empty hands and nothing to offer. That is why, by the pure grace of God, He sent Jesus to save us; worthy is the Lamb of God. By Christ’s sinless life, He is the only One qualified to pay for the sins of the world as the blessed Redeemer of Mankind to all who contritely repent, believe and cleave; the born-again Believer. Their sins are nailed to the Cross and Christ’s righteous is imputed to them. They are then justified, sanctified, regenerated and transformed in salvation. Ephesians 2:8-10 concurs, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

    

Romans 3:9-26  concludes, “Are we better than [anyone else]? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks [that is everyone] that they are all under sin.

As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

 

This is why Good Friday is truly “good”, and Resurrection Sunday is pure glory!

In Christ alone, Brian

Holy Week

Matthew 21:8-9 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!”

 

This last Sunday, Pastor Obie preached on the eternal significance of Holy Week, which begins with “Palm Sunday” and culminates with “Easter’s Resurrection Sunday”. He stated that the story of the triumphal entry is one of the few incidents in the life of Jesus which appears in all four Gospel accounts (Matthew 21:1-17; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-40; John 12:12-19) and that repetition in the Bible begs for attention. We remember that momentous occasion of the sacrificial Passion of Jesus Christ.

 

Lent is the Christian season of spiritual preparation before Easter. In Western churches, it begins on Ash Wednesday and in Eastern Orthodoxy, the spiritual preparations begin of Great Lent, starts on Clean Monday. During Lent, Christians observe a period of fasting, repentance, moderation, self-denial, and spiritual discipline. The purpose of the Lenten season is to set aside time for reflection on Jesus Christ—to consider His suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial, and resurrection for our salvation.

Palm Sunday begins “Passion Week” (also known as “Holy Week”) with Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. Pastor Obie explains the three declarations that Jesus made on the day that He rode into Jerusalem that faithful day in history during the Passover feast. (1) Jesus proclaimed that He is King. And a King has a kingdom in which they reign and rule. Psalm 145:13 proclaims, “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.” The donkey on which He humbly rode in upon symbolized a king of peace. The palm branches laid in His path symbolized His victory. Cloaks laid before Him symbolized honor for the king. 

 

(2) Jesus proved that He is the prophesied Messiah. The “Christos”, the anointed One of God, the Messiah. The were over 300 prophesies about the coming Christ, which Jesus fulfilled (including the day and method of His entry into Jerusalem). (3) Jesus paved the path for our salvation. The eternal Passover Lamb was selected and arrived and Holy Week begins. 

 

According to tradition, Holy Monday is the day on which Jesus cleansed the temple, was praised by local children, and cursed the fig tree. According to common interpretation of the Bible, Holy Tuesday is when Jesus was issued various challenges by the Pharisees and Sadducees over subjects such as marriage in heaven, paying taxes to Caesar, and the source of His authority. By this same interpretation, this is the day Jesus commented on the widow’s donation and was approached by a number of God-fearing Greeks. Tuesday would also be the day Jesus spoke His seven “woes” against the Pharisees and the evening on which He delivered the Olivet Discourse.

 

Holy Wednesday is the day on which Jesus was anointed with spikenard (an aromatic essential oil) during a meal. The day is sometimes called “Spy Wednesday” since it is traditionally thought of as the day Judas conspired with local authorities to betray Jesus. Maundy Thursday is the name given to the day on which Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples, known as the Last Supper. The word Maundy is derived from the Latin word for “command.” The “Maundy” in “Maundy Thursday” refers to the command Jesus gave to the disciples at the Last Supper, that they should love and serve one another. Two important events are the focus of Maundy Thursday. First, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples and thereby instituted the Lord’s Supper, also called Holy Communion. Second, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet as an act of humility and service, thereby setting an example that we should love and serve one another in humility.

 

Good Friday, also known as "Holy Friday," is celebrated traditionally as the day on which Jesus was crucified. Why is Good Friday referred to as “good”? God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 Peter 3:18 tells us, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. Sin separated us from our just and holy God, but Jesus dying for our sin reconciles us and reunites us with God. Jesus saves. Holy Saturday is the name given to the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Christians recognize Holy Saturday, the seventh day of Holy Week, as the day on which Jesus “rested” from His work of providing salvation. As Jesus died, He called out, “It is finished!” There was no further price to pay; sin had been atoned for. He is the Savior of the world.

 

Faithfully and humbly reverence this sacred Great and Holy Week in gratitude.

In Christ, Brian

Triumph

 

Luke 19:28-42a And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem. And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! 

The triumphal entry is that of Jesus coming into Jerusalem on what we know as Palm Sunday, the Sunday before the crucifixion. The story of the triumphal entry is one of the few incidents in the life of Jesus which appears in all four Gospel accounts (Matthew 21:1-17; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-40; John 12:12-19). Putting the four accounts together, it becomes clear that the triumphal entry was a significant event, not only to the people of Jesus’ day, but to Christians throughout history. We celebrate Palm Sunday to remember that momentous occasion.

 

John 12:12-16 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.

 

The story of the triumphal entry is one of contrasts, and those contrasts contain applications to believers. It is the story of the King who came as a lowly servant on a donkey, not a prancing steed, not in royal robes, but on the clothes of the poor and humble. Jesus Christ comes not to conquer by force as earthly kings but by love, grace, mercy, and His own sacrifice for His people. His is not a kingdom of armies and splendor but of lowliness and servanthood. He conquers not nations but hearts and minds. His message is one of peace with God, not of temporal peace. If Jesus has made a triumphal entry into our hearts, He reigns there in peace and love. As His followers, we exhibit those same qualities, and the world sees the true King living and reigning in triumph in us.

 

Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was the beginning of “Holy Week” which ended with the Savior’s triumph over sin and death by His resurrection from the grave. And His Resurrection on Easter Sunday, all repentant Born-again Believers have victory over sin and death with Him. Rejoice at His triumphal entry today!

 

Hosanna, Triumph

In Christ, Brian

Do Good

Ecclesiastes 3:10-12 “I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives.”

 

Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary gives 40 definitions for the word “good”, and for the account of God’s “good” creation in Genesis 1, it is defined as: Complete or sufficiently perfect in its kind; having the physical qualities best adapted to its design and use; opposed to bad, imperfect, corrupted, impaired. In Genesis 1:29-31 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. [note: our Creator created all creatures in His creation as vegetarians]. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. The Hebrew word for “good” in this passage of holy Scripture is “ṭôḇ”, meaning pleasant to a higher nature: agreeable to the senses, excellent of its kind, valuable in estimation, appropriate and becoming, comparative as standard, prosperous of man’s sensuous nature, understanding of man’s intellect, kind and benign, right and ethical. 

 

Bad, imperfect, corrupt and imparted were not in this world until the Fall of Man ushered sin and death into creation. The Law of decay God’s creation changed from eternal to temporal. In Genesis 3:17-19, 23 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” Therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. Scores of distinguished scientists have carefully examined the most basic laws of nature. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics describes basic principles familiar in everyday life. It is partially a universal law of decay and entropy; the ultimate cause of why everything ultimately falls apart and disintegrates over time. Because of “original sin”, material things are not eternal now, but souls are ... good was corrupted by sin.  

 

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. By the grace of God, there is a plan of Salvation, redemption for the repentant, born-again Believer. We have the capacity to do another definition of “good”. Webster’s dictionary defines this “good” as: Having moral qualities best adapted to its design and use, or the qualities which God's law requires; virtuous; pious; religious; applied to persons – ethical and moral in the sight of the Lord, and opposed to bad, vitious, wicked, evil. 

 

There is a term for people who do good called being a goody two-shoes often used to describe someone seen as excessively virtuous, overly good, or goody-goody. This term can be used in various social settings, sometimes with a slightly negative or teasing connotation by secular society where doing “less than best” is the norm. The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes is a children's story published by John Newbery in London in 1765. The story popularized the phrase "goody two-shoes" as a descriptor for an excessively virtuous person or do-gooder. A "do-gooder" refers to a person who deviates from the majority in terms of behavior, because of their godly and holy morality. 

 

In a moral sense, Holy is defined as: pure in heart, temper or dispositions; free from sin and sinful affections. We call a person holy when their heart is conformed to the image of God, and their life is regulated by the divine precepts. Hence, holy is used as nearly synonymous with good, pious, godly. Hallowed; consecrated or set apart to a sacred use as God designed, or to the service or worship of God. Proceeding from pious principles, or directed to pious purposes. There is nothing bad about “good”, so do good!

 

In Christ, Brian 

Life's Battles - Part 2

Ephesians 6:13-17 “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

 

Pastor Kyle continues that there is an old saying that “it isn’t a matter of if a spiritual attack is going to come, but when a spiritual attack will come.” We have always had our fallen sin nature of the flesh, also the devil feeds us lies, deceives us and places many enticing temptations in front us which are sinful [containing sin, or consisting in sin; iniquitous; criminal; unholy; contrary to the laws of God], but today the rebellious God-rejecting world [a people laden with iniquity, with a morbid desire to burn in Hell] are attacking the people of God [and especially against children] with vengeance in their war against God. For they say “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will be like the Most High.” 

 

Yet, the Lord has equipped is Christian soldiers and orders His children to “put on the full armor of God, the armor of light, so that when the dark day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm” for the power of God is right behind us supporting. And the day is now! It is a real test of your values, reliance and dedicated devotion to your heavenly Father and His Word [a diligent observance of our duty to God and His kingdom] with the peace of God. 

 

Our spiritual protection [the energy and knowledge to stand] which the born-again Believer puts on daily and uses comes in the form of (1) the belt of truth. The Lord Jesus declares in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” To do truth is to practice what God commands in faithful obedience to God. (2) The breastplate of righteousness which protects their heart. No doubt, no guilt, just standing confident and unwavering in what is right in the eyes of the Lord. (3) protective shoes [ a prepared and resolved frame of heart, to adhere to the gospel and abide by it, which will enable us to dig in and hold tight during the fight, then walk with a steady pace in the way of religion, notwithstanding the difficulties and dangers that may be in it, in peace with God, a quiet mind which the gospel calls for. Being not easily provoked, nor prone to quarrel: but showing all gentleness and all long-suffering to all men, and this will certainly preserve you from many great temptations and persecutions, yet prepares for repentance. 

 

(4) The Shield of Faith which fully persuades us of the truth of all God’s promises. Our enemy the devil is here called the wicked one. He endeavors to make us wicked, oppressed and depressed. His violent temptations by which the soul is set on fire of hell are called fiery darts. Faith is the shield with which we must quench these fiery darts. (5) The helmet of Salvation where a godly knowledge of our sure hope of salvation, well founded and well built, will both purify the soul and keep it from being defiled by Satan, and it will comfort the soul and keep it from being troubled and tormented by the world. For Romans 6:23 proclaims, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The devil would tempt us to despair; but good hope keeps us trusting in God, and rejoicing in Him. 

 

(6) The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, in order to maintain within the spiritual warfare in which they are engaged and succeeding in it. Hebrews 4:12 states, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Word of God is perfect for defending the faith and holding back the enemy. God commands and His army, led by the Holy Spirit, obeys His holy Word with the sword of the Spirit and fights the good battle. Link arms with others Christians because kingdom victories happen when we stand together as a unit united in unity of the Word and the Spirit. Warriors stand together strong for the victory.

Ephesians 6:18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” The Christian soldier is armed with fervent and persistent prayer. Prayer must buckle on all the other parts of our Christian armor. We must join prayer with all these graces, for our defense against these spiritual enemies, imploring help and assistance of God, as the case requires: and we must pray always. We must pray in the Spirit upon all occasions, and as often as our own and others’ necessities call us to it. There is power in prayer and prayer changes things. Pray that the enemies in this war on God see the light of truth, that the Holy Spirit touch their heart, that they realize their sin and repent, believe and are saved, because that is the plan of Salvation through the Gospel. 

 

Christian, you do what you are, not are what you do. Use your God-given gifts. Evangelize the culture, defend the faith, spread the Gospel, advance and expand the kingdom of Heaven. But always be prepared in season and out for life’s battles. There is an enemy attacking sovereign God, His omnipotent reign and rule by His eternal Word of His creation, and His Believers. Ephesians 6:23-24 “Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.”

 

In Christ, Brian

Life's Battles - Part 1

 

Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

 

Yesterday, our pastor Kyle completed preaching through our Sunday sermon series in the Pauline Epistle to the Ephesians, stating that in our fallen in sin world, on this side of eternity we will constantly be enduring temptations and spiritual battles against the God-rejecting rulers, against the secular humanist and atheist authorities, against the demonic powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil of the devil in the heavenly realms. These spiritual attacks manifest themselves in real battles; Battles for the heart, mind and souls of everyone, battles against our children, battles against our grandchildren, our families and our fellow man. But 1 John 4:3-4 tells us, “Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

 

In 1529, the Father of the Protestant Reformation wrote the classic Christian Hymn, which begins “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing: For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal. Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same, and He must win the battle. And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.” Who can stand against the living God; Creator of all - [Jehovah Sabaoth - "The Lord of Hosts"]? 

 

In 2 Kings 6:17-20, Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. Open your spiritual eyes, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, become increasingly aware of the enemy, beware of his strategies and discover where he comes in; do not give the devil a foothold. Do not underestimate the devil. The Lord Jesus tells us in 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 enemy is delighted by nominal Christian who profess and call on the name of Jesus Christ, but live worldly lives; happy with material things, but are blind to godly things, therefore practical atheists. In Luke 4:46. the Lord Jesus that they profess asks, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 

 

On this side of glory there are three members of the “unholy trinity”: (1) our fallen flesh which lusts in unrighteousness and wrestles with our indwelling Holy Spirit in our heart. Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” (2) the God-rejecting world system, which is at war with their Creator; against His kingdom on earth, His reign and His people. Isaiah 1:4 declares, “Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.” (3) the devil, “the deceiver” tempting and telling lies in order to take as many as he can with him to Hell. 1 Peter 5:8 warns, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Watch against Satan’s tactics, arm yourself spiritually and stand firm. Let’s see how from pastor Kyle in the next post.

 

In Christ, Brian

A Higher Standard – Part 2

Michael continues: Today’s worldly standard of political correctness says, “I have the right not to be offended by God, God’s Word or God’s people.” The world will trick us to compromise, criticize, condemn, and complain. However, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes unto the Father except by me.” According to John 15, Jesus Christ is the standard. He said, “Unless the branch abides in the vine, the branch cannot bear fruit. I am the vine and you are the branches.”  

Outside of Christ, the Christian life is impossible; you cannot follow Jesus and not follow Jesus at the same time. Unless we have the power of Christ in us, we cannot truly forgive the unforgivable and love the unlovable ... not even ourselves. If our love doesn’t carry us above and beyond ourselves, then it’s not the agape love of God. 

Oswald Chambers said, “After being born-again in the transforming consecration of the Holy Spirit, I found myself on a mission to abide in Christ in every area of my life ... to bring all thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ as Scripture calls us to. I don’t need to change and arrange my circumstances, because the Lord planted me here and now for a purpose. Jesus found himself in the circumstances where God planted him. He always did His Father’s will. Therefore, seek the Lord while He may be found. In the early stages of a new Christian’s walk, it’s a deliberate effort. Then as we mature, abiding in Him becomes second nature.” God will bless your decision to proceed in the direction He’s given you.” 

 

Ephesians 6:10-14 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm. 

As the people of God we have been called to defend the faith, identify evil, expose darkness, and stand against the godless standards of this world. Also, we have been called to be witnesses for Christ and God’s grace, forgiveness, mercy, and compassion; pointing to the foot of the Cross where the fallen are restored to an upright position before their Maker. These are the qualities of the unconditional love of God which is His righteous standard. We cannot love our neighbor in our own power. However we are in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us God’s wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. 1 Peter 1:15-16 instructs us, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” In Christ, we were called to His higher standard ... as Jesus said, “to love one another even as I have loved you.”

God works all things for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. The lyrics to the song, “Is He worthy?”, are appropriate to remember God’s remarkable love wherewith He loved us ... for His love is His natural attribute – God is love. Because He loved us we can love Him. The greatest blessing is that we have the high and holy privilege of loving Him. In blessing Him that we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

A Higher Standard - Part 1

 

This week Michael writes that Isaiah 55:8-9 says God’s ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts than our thoughts. His holy Word is the higher standard. The characteristic of God, according to the Old Testament, is loving kindness and tender mercy. His steadfast love is singularly significant, His love is remarkable and extraordinary ... a divinely higher standard than the standard of this world.

In Matthew 5:43 Jesus said, “you have heard that you should love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” This is the world’s standard. However Jesus continued in verse 44, “but I say love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you and despitefully use you.” Why? Because unconditional love is the nature of God himself. God wants to reproduce His children “after His kind.” He loves us despite the fact that we were unlovable. He has given us His love with mercy and grace, even though we do not deserve it. He loved us not because we were deserving but because God is love .... not because of who we are, but because of who He is.

According to Acts 1:8, Jesus said, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you, you shall receive power from on high and you shall be witnesses unto me. The power from on high is the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the power of this world. Anyone can resent and wish evil upon their enemies. However the power of the Holy Spirit is to love the unlovable and to forgive the unforgivable. This is the love wherewith He loved us, for in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly – Romans 5:8.  

Ephesians 2:1-5 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the [a]course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”

The love of God is remarkable, uncommon, and above the standard of this world. Jesus said, therefore be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. The perfection is not in our own power. The perfection is in the power of the Holy Spirit [the third person of the Triune God]... the power of the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. For in Christ He has made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Obviously, our perfection is not in our sinful nature that we inherited from Adam. Instead, our perfection is in the righteousness of Christ which we inherited from God when we were born-again of the Holy Spirit ... born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the Word of God which lives and abides forever.

Jesus said in John 13:34, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. The ability to love one another is a gift the Lord gave to us. The purpose is that we shall be His witnesses ... that those who do not know Christ can witness the love of God which is not of this world through His born-again Believers. Therefore encourage one another to love and do good deeds.  

1 Corinthians 13 is called the “love chapter”; a higher standard and the “charity checklist” for the love of God, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a declares, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.“ 

Let's continue Michael's message on a higher standard in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

New Life in Christ – Part 2

 

Ephesians 4:25-32 “Therefore, putting away lying, Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.  Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

 

 Pastor Kyle continues that lying is not an attribute, but a vice. Proverbs 6:16-19 declares, “These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren. God detests lying. “Thy shalt not lie” is one of God’s Ten Commandment of His immutable Moral Law, stating in Exodus 20:16, “You shall not testify falsely [that is, lie, withhold, or manipulate the truth] against your neighbor (any person).” Speak truth. Psalm 120:2 prays, “Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.”

 

1 Timothy 1:8-9 “Now we know [without any doubt] that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully and appropriately, understanding the fact that law is not enacted for the righteous person [the one in right standing with God], but for lawless and rebellious people, for the ungodly and sinful, for the irreverent and profane.” How else would we know “right from wrong”, “good from bad”, “righteous form unrighteous”, holy from unholy”. God established those standards by which mankind is to live by.

 

Psalm 4:3-4 tells us, “Know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him. Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.” Let go of bitterness and anger, holding onto forgiveness and kindness. There is “righteous indignation” we can experience, but that is a corrective anger, not the ongoing character of the born-again Believer. God is angry with 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), and so should the child of God. It is unacceptable to accept what the Lord, our God does not accept as righteous in His eyes; God sets the standards. In Romans 1:16-19 the Apostle Paul explains, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.” This is not uncontrolled rage, but corrective anger to induce repentance unto forgiveness and restore the person to an upright position before God, and not give the devil a place in their life. 

 

Stealing is also a sin against God’s Moral Law of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:15, “Thou shalt not steal.” Doing so with an intent to take what belongs to another, and without their consent. Also, put off foul language and put on truth and grace in communication. “Swear words”, “cuss words”, and foul-mouthed profanities are ugly, ungodly and unnecessary. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 

 

2 Timothy 3:15-17 “From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Study God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures of the living Bible enough to have a Word for someone else. 

 

Logically, Romans 10:14 asks, “how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?" It is said that you don’t know what you don’t know, but you cannot teach what you do not know either. In the "seeking and saving the lost" mission ministry of God’s redemptive work for new life in Christ. In witnessing for the Godpel, we all need to grow in the knowledge of the Word of life. 1 Peter 3:15 instructs us, “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you.” That hope in Christ is unto salvation and eternal life in Heaven for eternity. Let us know God and make Him known.

 

In Christ, Brian

New Life in Christ - Part 1

Ephesians 4:17-24 “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

 

This last Sunday, Pastor Kyle continued in our church’s sermon series through the Pauline Epistle to the Ephesians. The born-again Believer, upon repenting of sin with a contrite heart, believing in the grace of God which provided redemption and salvation in Jesus Christ, the regeneration of the spirit and the transformation of soul, becomes a sanctified convert (inwardly putting off the old self and putting on the new self). It is a newness of life, no longer walking alienated in sinful lust desires, but putting on the life of Christ, walking by faith and walking in the Spirit. Romans 12:2 tells us, “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” This is a renewal that cleansed our soul, but continues to cleanse daily in sanctification. 

 

Psalm 51:10-12 prays, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”

 

To be consecrated is to make or declare to be sacred; to appropriate to sacred uses; to set apart by God for the purposes of God in earth. 1 Peter 1:15-16 instructs us, as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” The word “holy is defined as: whole or perfect, in a moral sense. Hence, pure in heart, temper or dispositions; free from sin and sinful affections. Mankind is more or less holy as his heart is more or less sanctified, or purified from evil dispositions. We call a man holy when his heart is conformed in some degree to the image of God, and his life is regulated by the divine precepts. Hence, holy is used as nearly synonymous with good, pious, godly. 2. Hallowed; consecrated or set apart to a sacred use, or to the service or worship of God. The calloused, hardened heart is petrified against God, but the true Christian has a self-reflecting soft heart which listens to the Holy Spirit, reads and meditates on God’s Work, fellowships with other Believers, confronts sin, and communes with God in prayer. Proverbs 4:23 declares, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” The children of God are in His likeness.

 

Lamentations 3:22-24 proclaims, Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”

 

 Let's continue PAstor Kyle's message on new life in Christ on the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Value

Proverbs 10:20 “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.”

 

This last week, our Wednesday night Bible Study group met for a biblical study on “value”. What on earth do we hold dear and precious in life? What do we truly value in life? What do we consider sincerely worth our time and consideration? We seem to all have things (goals, aspirations, achievements and prized possession) which we live for. But, what about our spiritual values towards God, Christ, the Christianity and Heaven?

 

Whether we realize it or not, each of our everyday existences are lived out “Corum Deo”, before the face of our all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful and ever-present Creator God. In your system of values, where does your heavenly Father rank? The first of God’s Ten Commandment in His Moral Law found in Exodus 20:3 is “You shall have no other gods before me”,ʿal pānîm, literally meaning “before your face and my face.” Anything that we value more than God and place before Him is technically an idol (another god). Do we value God above all as God? Our heart, mind and soul is to always be upon the Lord, our worthy God with His holy and perfect Word, Will and Way in thought, cognizance and intellect. 

 

In Matthew 13:44 Jesus tells us a parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “ Bible Commentator Matthew Henry states that  in this parable Jesus represents the kingdom of heaven as of great value in itself, and of great advantage to those who embrace it. Jesus Christ is the true Treasure; in Him there is an abundance of all that which is rich and useful: redemption, forgiveness of sins and salvation: all fulness of life: treasures of wisdom and knowledge, of righteousness, grace, and peace; these are laid up for us in Christ. The gospel is the field in which this treasure is hid. It is the greatest thing to discover the treasure hid in this field, and the unspeakable value of it. Those who have searched the scriptures, so as in them to find Christ and eternal life, have discovered such a treasure in this field as makes it infinitely more valuable. 

 

Immediately, Jesus tells a second parable in Matthew 13:45-46 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew Henry states that we are just material people living in a material world where all the children of men are busy, seeking fine pearls (the fine things of life): one would be rich, another would be honorable, another would be learned; but the most are imposed upon, and take up with counterfeits for pearls. Jesus Christ is the Pearl of great price, a Jewel of inestimable value, which will make those who have it rich, truly rich, rich toward God; in having Him, we have enough to make us happy here and forever. A true Christian is a spiritual merchant, that seeks and finds this pearl of great price; that does not take up with any thing short of an interest in Christ. Do we value Jesus Christ above all as Savior and Lord? Those who would have a “saving” interest in Christ, must be willing to part with all for him, leave all to follow Him. Whatever stands in opposition to Christ, or in competition with Him for our love and service, we must cheerfully quit it, though ever so dear to us. A person may buy gold, but not this pearl of great price; He is received by grace through faith.

 

Mark 8:36-37 “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” Being a child of God, a citizen of Heaven and a follower of Christ advancing the Kingdom Heaven is what we truly value for a fruitful life.

 

Seek the face of God.

In Christ, Brian

Path Three - Walk in Wisdom

 

Ephesians 5:15-21 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.

 

Pastor Obie continued that as Christ followers, stating that foolishness is rejecting God’s righteous will for our lives. Therefore, knowing and doing the right thing is the wise thing. Three factors help us to walk circumspectly (meaning cautiously, on guard and watchful in everything) in order to not be foolish - (1) Confession of sin, (2) Accountably to the Word, Will and Way of God and (3) Commitment to Christ and His church mission of advancing the Kingdom of Heaven. Theologian C. Samuel Storms wrote that true Christian repentance involves a heartfelt conviction of sin, confession and contrition over the offense to God, a turning away from the sinful way of life, and a wise turning towards a God-honoring way of life. Dr. David Jeremiah declares that this is God’s preference for all people today – that they would end their rebellion and come back to Him. 

 

Galatians 5:19-21 states that “when you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, drug abuse, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”

 

We live in a fallen world with temptations, deceptions and distractions on all sides which can cause us to drift onto the wrong side of the road. The fallen flesh nature, the God-rejecting world system, and the devil (Satan the deceiver) are our enemies. Sinful pleasures allure, entice and influence our souls unto aberrant lusts. Romans 1:21-22 explains “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” Drunkenness and recreational drug use for intoxicating pleasure leads to debauchery, which is sinfully intentional excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures of the foolish heart. Like sexual immorality, let these sinful thoughts, discussion or actions not even be named among you, as they are unfitting for the sanctified child of God. Truth and consequences.

 

In Galatians 5:16, 24-25 the Apostle Paul proclaims, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 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. 

 

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, opportunities and matters because the days are evil. Be filled with the Spirit and walk wisely with the Spirit. Pursue goodness, righteousness and godly truth. Expose darkness with the light of truth and bring hidden iniquitous acts and issues into the open. Continually seek God’s Will, propelled by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Live a worshipful life, honoring the Lord with praise and glory. Follow the Leader (Jesus Christ - the Word made manifest) and stay active in His blessed Words of the Holy Bible. Pray without ceasing and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost the dying world. That is walking in wisdom.

 

The path to love is light. Live out the “Golden Rule” of Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you”. Overcome evil with good and advance the Kingdom.

 

In Christ, Brian

This is my 4000th blog message.

Praise be to God!

Path Two - Walk in Light

 

Ephesians 5:8-14 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

 

Pastor Obie finished the first path [Walk in Love] by explaining that covetousness is truly human greed and idolatry. Colossians 3:4-6 proclaims, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.” The tenth Commandment in God’s eternal Moral Law is found in both Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 5:21 declaring,  “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” The Greek word of covetousness is “pleonexia”, meaning extremely greedy desire to have more; avarice. Webster’s dictionary defines the word as: A strong or inordinate desire of obtaining and possessing some supposed good or gain; usually in a bad sense, and applied to an inordinate desire of wealth or avarice. It is discontentment and dissatisfaction based on the greedy desire for more, which is idolatry. Let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints [a person sanctified; a holy or godly person; one eminent for piety and virtue] – a true Believer.

 

Imitators of God are intimate with God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The child of God imitates their heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ as they walk in the Spirit. They do not gratify the sinful desires of the fallen, sinful flesh, but cultivate an attitude of gratitude and they walk in the path of light, with truth and righteousness. John 3:21 declares, “he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” Count your many blessings every day. Do not be deceived; deceptions, distractions, temptations and lies are both untrue and wrong for the Christian walk. Fool me once, shame on you tricky devil. But, know the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, godly and ungodly then choose to be an obedient disciple of Christ, child of God and citizen of the kingdom of Heaven, never lacking reverence, honor and respect of God and His holy Word. 

 

Psalm 89:14-16 “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face. Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all day long, and in Your righteousness they are exalted.”

 

Compare everything you hear and see to the Word of God, the righteous Standard of life. Jesus said in John 17:17 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” Receive the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Pursue goodness, righteousness and truth. 1 John 1:6-7 decrees, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

 

Let's continue Pastor Obie's three part message in the next post.

Walk in light, in Christ, Brian

Path One - Walk in Love

 

Ephesians 5:1-21 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.

 

This morning at church, Pastor Obie continued in our sermon series through the Pauline Epistle of Ephesians, stating that the children of God are to imitate their heavenly Father. Being human, we are natural imitators, because we innately emulate what we like and love. It is instinctive to mimic what our imperfect but loving biological parents do (teaching values, virtues, truth, honesty, integrity, morals, community, courtesy, industry in our work ethic and healthy boundaries) during our formative years and adolescent years for life instruction and become productive adults in society. The same is true about our pure and unblemished loving Creator Father God. In Matthew 5:48 Jesus instructs us imitate God saying, “you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” The Word of God in the Holy Scriptures of the Bible instructs us to walk in love on paths of sacred righteousness (harmonious godly, holy and right living before the face of God), as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God. 

 

Luke 6:45 declares, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil.” Good produces good and evil produces evil. Therefore, in our fallen flesh of Adam we need to consciously and intentionally avoid impurity. The term “sexual immorality” in the Bible is the Greek word “porneia”, meaning any and all illicit sexual thought, word or deed (including adultery, incest, fornication, masturbation, homosexuality, pornography, etc.). Men and women were created by God for sexual purity. Marriage between one man and one women for life was designed and instituted by God and is sacred. Sex outside of the context of marriage is not love. It does not matter what sinful mankind says, because God created man and woman, so sets the standards by which we live. Sexual immorality in any way, shape or form, and all uncleanness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints (Christians, Believers, Followers of Jesus Christ, children of God, and citizen of the kingdom of Heaven) those who have repented of sin, accepted Christ as their Savior, been redeemed by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, and have been forgiven, received salvation and eternal life, been consecrated, blessed, hallowed and sanctified by the Holy Spirit).

 

For this you know, that no sexually immoral, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. The wages of sin is death. God defines life; Speak life not death. God defines what is good; Speak good, not evil. God defines what is constructive in life; constructively build up, not destroy. Walk in love and please God.

Let's continue Pastor Obie's three part message in the next post.

In Christ, Brian