Simply Said: July 31st, 2018

This morning I am feeling weak and physically unable, but I wake up, get up, and come to my office, realize once again how much I need my Savior, and I begin to rejoice. This old body of mine has been beaten to death, doing things that I should no longer be doing, and yet, rejoicing for each day my Savior gives me to live this life. How about you? In this world we have tribulation, but I am reminded this morning, that Christ overcame the world, defeated Satan, and put to death, death. Well, when we think about that, the wage of sin was death, but the gift of God is eternal life. What keeps us from living this life is the flesh. It is destined for the grave, but God intervened and brought eternal life to our door step, entered in, and we have now the gift of His presence quickening us to life. I think with God this morning,, and though my flesh is weak, my spirit is strong. Heavenly Father, I come to you today, as one who was without hope, a stranger from the covenant of promise, but you always bring me to this room, Lord, to quicken me to truth, to build me up, to enlighten my spirit, by the Holy Spirit and by the abundant grace I will continue to run the race set before me.

I would love to tell you how spiritual I am, but in reality, it is Christ who is my life, and the life I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God. My flesh profits nothing, but it is the Spirit that gives life. So many men are so afraid to be transparent, and yet if any man boast, his boast should be in the Lord. I believe this morning that God allows us to be reminded of the weakness of the flesh lest we be proud, arrogant in our pride, often acting like we are more than we really are. I don’t know about you. But I am what I am by the grace of God, and it is all about Him who called me and quickens me to life. Without Him, I can do nothing. Oh yes! That is exactly where I am. Many days I wake up excited to be awake, and yet God brings reminders, so that we are not proud and arrogant in our own nasty self. Flesh will always be flesh, but it is the Holy Spirit that quickens us to truth. No wonder we read, “Without me, ye can do nothing.” John 15:5 What is Christ talking about in these verses. We must have a connection to Christ, by the Holy Spirit.

Listen to these verses. “Every branch in me that bears not fruit, he takes away, and every branch that bears fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth much fruit.” We are not what we are by ourselves. We are what we are by the grace of God, and it is God that quickens us to truth and orders our steps, as we follow Him. He is the one that leads us in paths of righteousness, for His names sake. He is not afraid to remind us! Listen to verse 7 this morning: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” I want to ask you this morning this important question. “Who shall separate you from the love of Christ?” Romans 8:35 Someone’s opinion of you, or that fact that ye can do nothing without Him, that has any eternal value, is that what keeps you from going forward? So many begin in the spirit, but end up walking in the flesh. “The flesh profits nothing, but it is the Spirit that gives life.” So many spend so much time trying adjust their flesh, only because they have not been taught to be quickened by the Holy Spirit of God. Forget your flesh as I have to do in these wee hours of the day. I cast off the works of darkness, and I put on the light, and I begin my walk with a statement. “I am what I am by the grace of God, and Lord, I know I can do nothing without you!” God is never afraid to humble us in His presence. Why? Because humility is greater than pride. Pride comes before a fall, but humility keeps us in the grace of God, going forward one step at a time. By the Spirit of God Paul asks the question! “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ; shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, “For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death nor life, (interesting that he includes life which we have not without him), nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Amen!



Simply Said: July 30th, 2018

 Glorious morning this morning, after a fantastic message Sunday at Church. As I consider my path in this walk with God, I am blessed. God opened up the opportunity to go to a church where the Word of God was alive, we were quickened not only by the message, but by the love of the people. Isaiah 51:7-8 is powerful this morning. Yes, I am in the Old Testament this morning reflecting on the condition of Israel in times of trouble, including here captivities, and listen to the Prophet Isaiah. “Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law: fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.” We get caught up listening to the lies of the devil, Satan, and we weary in our walk. So many today who profess Christ, walk as dead men walking, without hope and strangers from the covenants of promise. Discipleship if far from them, and they stagger and fall for a lack of knowledge, and the strength of the Lord is far from them. God of late as been calling out to all of us, even those who draw near to God. Verse 9 is powerful this morning in this portion.

              “Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, and the waters of the great deep: that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over. Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion: and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy: and the sorrow and morning shall fade away.” My heart rejoices this morning, knowing that all the promises of God in him are yea and amen. To as many as believe on Him, Jesus Christ, all the promises of God in him are true, and he lightens our path, and makes a way for us in the wilderness of this world.

                “I, even I, am he that comforts you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and the son of man that shall be made as grass; and forgets the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? And were is the fury of the oppressor. The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail. But I am, the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waters roared: The Lord of Hosts is his name.” I love this next verse and rejoice as I read it. “And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.” The prophet by the Spirit of God, speaks loudly. He cried out in Chapter 52 “Awake, awake: put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust: arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come unto thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.” In verse 3 the Lord cries out. “Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.”

               Verse 7 of Isaiah 52 is wonderful, and yet so many are too busy to hear. “How beautiful upon the mountains ae the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace: that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! And yet this morning I ask the question. “Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Verse 6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him, the iniquity of us all. “ Paul was in Jerusalem, standing before Agrippa and he testified of His conversion in Acts 26 verse 19. He stated that he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. In reality, He saw the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus. Agrippa said to Paul in verse 38 of Acts 26. “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” If one is saved, I wonder in my heart this morning, how can one have assurance in their heart when they are double minded. They profess they love God, and yet instead of walking in the Spirit, they walk in the flesh and are fickle in their love for God. Having been a believer for over 51 years, I marvel that so many take vacations from God, the churches close down in the summer because people don’t come. How great a conviction do they have about eternal life? How can any afford to consistently miss services when the living God, the One who rose from the dead calls out to them. ‘How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.” Proverbs 6:9-11 As I write these portions I grieve from the church, that the call of God is not heeded in an evil day, as men and women depart from the faith, and give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. “Awake thou that sleepest, and rise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Eph. 5:14 We also read in Romans 14:11, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep,: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand, let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” He closes with verse 14 of Romans 14, “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the luststhereof.”



Simply Said: July 28th, 2018

 Paul was a remarkable man, full of conviction, and yet he understood the unbeliever better than many seeing he had been an enemy of Jesus Christ. Paul is waiting to 2 disciples, Silas and Timotheus while in Athens, and he was stirred in his spirit, when he saw the idolatry in the city. Have you looked around you yet, and seen the idolatry in your town or city today? Discerning the times and seasons is imperative for believers, for even believers get caught up in the trends of the times, and actually depart from the faith of Jesus Christ. Paul did not sit still, but disputed with them in the synagogue with the Jews, and in the market with devout people. In Paul’s heart and mind, the presentation of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ was imperative. I wonder where so many of the Christians are today? In my Christian experience we played sports for opportunities to glorify Christ, sharing the truth to those lost. We knocked on doors in neighborhoods to share truth, the truth with people in our community. We testified at work, if God opened the door. And this too was so common in Paul’s life that when the Epicureans philosophers, and some of the Stoicks encountered him, some said, “What will this babbler say? Other some, He seems to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. (Acts 17:16-18) Then it says, “And they took him, (Paul) and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speaks is? For thou brings certain strange things in our hears, we would know therefore what these things mean.”

        Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars hill, and said, “Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.” Acts 17:22 I grieve in my heart today, for many in the church today don’t spend time in the Bible, becoming familiar with the doctrine of Jesus Christ, but lay aside conviction for convenience, and lack knowledge of the one in whom they believe, if they believe at all. Do we declare unto those around us the truth? Paul was straight forward. “God hath made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands:” (not in statues, or reproductions of images in his likeness) “Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he gives to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitations.” The straight forwardness of Paul is amazing. He does not beat around the bush, but comes right to the point.

              So many dither about going around robinhood’s barn as the saying goes, and never get straight to the point. In verse 27 Paul is specific! “That they should seek the LORD, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not very far from every one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, “for we are also his offspring.” Paul used part of their philosophy to gain them by using one of their poets. Listen and learn today. “For as much then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent:

                Why would he say that? “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained: he hath given assurance unto all, in that he hath raised him from the dead. “ The concise glorious gospel of Jesus Christ! Why are we afraid to share those truths. We live in a philosophical world today, where people live by things outside of the truth. They are not afraid to share their philosophy. The deception of Satan operates in the realms of the world ,and yes, even governmental systems. God has been cast down in men’s minds and today, in many places you cannot preach on the streets now, in democratic societies, while the populace is going to hell in a hand basket. Wake up, ye that sleeps, rise from the dead, and give glory to the Lord Jesus Christ, and share your faith. Never be ashamed of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, for you heard of Him before you believed upon Him. Let God fill you mouth when opportunity arises and give the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many as will hear.

 



Simply Said: July 27th, 2018

  Ephesians 5:14-18 “Awake thou that sleeps and arise from the dead, and God shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” Wisdom is justified of her children, and in the reality of this life we live, men and women may get saved, but are not compelled to go forward in truth, putting on the Lord Jesus Christ. Proverbs 6:6-11 is powerful this morning. “Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise. Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her meat in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travails, and they want as an armed man.” What were those who followed Christ called? Disciples! Gee, even when they were told to wait, they wanted to follow Him who called them and didn’t want to miss out on anything. How about you? Are you hungry for truth?

       In all of our lives there comes a period of laziness, or a spirit of laziness invades our soul. Often it passes quickly, but at times can become a great hindrance to our spiritual walk, so when I write this I am speaking to Christians as well as those lost in the darkness of this life. When people get saved, often they don’t have a clue to who they are, but reality is this: “ According as he hath chosen us in Him from before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy and without blame, before Him, in love:” How great is that love? (Ephesians 1:4) It was great enough to transfer you out of darkness into His marvelous light, and we read about that in 1 Peter 2:9. Who did he transfer of our darkness? Those who believe on Him and receive Him as their Savior. We are talking about Jesus! Listen to verse 10. “Which in time past were not a people, but now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” God gives mercy severally as he will, and he calls those to himself, and yet sad to say, there are those that continue not in the Word as a disciple, but lust for the things of the world. Very often the Holy Spirit by conviction, turns the erring one back to truth, but at times there are those who continue in a path that leaves them without hope. Pastor, I thought that God looses none of his sheep? You are right, but there are some who becomes followers but are never converted! If you recall reading about Christ followers, we have the parable of the sower of the seed. “The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then comes the devil, and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” Also some are choked with the cares and riches of this life, and the pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. The devil has a plan, but God knows his own, and keeps them. I am not talking about isolated issues, but of those who turn their backs to Christ and follow no more. There are those who stumble, repent and keep going forward in the plan and will of God who will and have inherited eternal life. God is for us and never against us. Be diligent as a disciple of Christ, and listen to His voice as he speaks to you by the Spirit of God. Continue in the Word of God as a disciple, and your confidence will grow, and the Holy Spirit of God will order your steps in the Lord. Christ does not lose his own who He purchased with His own blood.

           This morning I write after being up quite late last night, having had three adopted grandchildren with me. These are children by adoption because their mom’s mom was lost to cancer, and I promised I would take care of the two daughters. I have and will continue because it is the right thing to do. But not having them around for a season made me realize how tiring it can be with three running around and having needs. One of the boys had a birthday yesterday, and he was guessing he would have a cake, but you should have seen his face when he saw the cake. It lite up like a huge beacon or a lighthouse, and we just sat and rejoiced to see him so happy. God looks in at us and hopes to bless us with the gifts of grace and he observes and sees the joy expressed on our face. Are you smiling at God this morning rejoicing in what you have received from him? If not, go back to the word and let God’s light shine in unto you and believe!



Simply Said: July 26th, 2018

Living in the doctrine of grace, with the effects of salvation working in your life, the possibilities are endless in what God is able to do in you and through you. When God called Noah, Abraham, and some of the early fathers of the faith, there was a direct confrontation with God, and in most cases it would not have been the men that we would have picked. When you add to that, the fact that Christ called men unto Himself, and yet they were often not understanding what God was doing, even though they were with Him on a regular basis, saw him confront the Pharisee’s, Sadducee’s and they were so caught up in their position that they did not recognize who Christ was. I will be very bold here this morning and say unto you that God still speaks to people by the Holy Spirit, and calls them by name, not only to salvation, but also to fulfill His will by trusting them in an assignment that is not the work of man, but the work of the Holy Spirit of God. I believe that there are numerous times that God calls out to individuals, yes to those who feel unworthy, and they don’t recognize the voice of God and surrender to His will. Imagine with me this morning. God continues to call sinners unto Himself, and in the process of redemption changes their lives by the investment of Himself within them, and by the work of the Word of God makes them new creatures in Christ.

         As we consider this, I hope you grab a hold of this reality. It is time to awake out of the flesh, and walk in the Spirit and fulfill the will of God for your life. The flesh is weak, but the Holy Spirit of God within you, will use you to glorify Himself, and bring others to redemption through testifying of His grace and mercy in your own life. Romans 12:1-3 speaks loudly this morning. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the acceptable, and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think: but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” These are very powerful words.

         Every believer has been called unto God, but in that call there is the work of the Spirit to conform us to Christ and we all do not hold the same office, gifts, and opportunities, but it is God who calls us to himself and then to a specific calling. We have a measure of faith. That is exactly what he tells us in verse 4 of Chapter 12. “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office.” I hope you listen carefully this morning, as you open your own Bible and read these truths. “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having gifts differing according to the grace that is given unto us, whether prophecy, let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teaches, on teaching: Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him doeth it with simplicity: he that ruleth with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good” Read the rest of that Chapter with diligence. In Chapter 13:1 we have these powerful words. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God.

 

        Saul, had an amazing confrontation with Christ on the road to Damascus. His life was changed, but the position and direct call he was given was unvailed moment by moment. He submitted himself to Ananias, who prayed over him as we see in verse 17 of Acts 9. Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou came: hath sent me, that thou might receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost:” Then it says in verse 19, and listen to this today, “And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests.” Instant transformation, but time alone shortly after his escape from Damascus, being taught by Christ in the wilderness. He was there 3 years before he returned to Damascus, and then went to Jerusalem to see Peter. Wow. He had 3 years, and learned through Christ, and we are afraid to be under the teaching of God, when God who called Saul, now called Paul, could take an adversary of God’s plan for mankind, set him free, instruct him and make him the chiefest of Apostles to the Gentiles. Hmm, not to the Jews, but to the Gentiles. Wow! What is God able to do in your life? Will he be able to send you, where you are to those in your neighborhood, in your state, in your nation, or even out as a missionary to other nations. If God could interrupt Saul’s life, he could do the same for you. Come to Christ today, invite Him into your heart, and be amazed, your life will change, and yes, some of you may be called to go, or where you are you will be called to do the will of God. Be blessed and receive with meekness the engrafted Word of God and with expectation listen to the voice of God, as he speaks to you by the Holy Spirit!



Simply Said July 25th, 2018

 I read early this morning in Isaiah 36 and 37, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had come against Judah, and took them, then sent messages and one of his challenges came right out of the pit of hell. In Isaiah 36:7 we hear this great challenge, which was and is often echoed throughout history to God’s people. “But if thou say unto me, We trust in the Lord our God: is it not he whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this alter? Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria”,…..then in verse 14 we read: “Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you. Neither let Hezekiah make you trust the Lord, saying, The Lord shall surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.” Our adversary has a myriad of means to question our faith in the Lord, though he speaks to men the devil has deception of his lips and unfortunately many get lured to sleep and many in this world enjoy the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

The threats were delivered to Hezekiah in Chapter 37, and he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. He then sent to Isaiah. Isaiah said in verse 4, “It may be the Lord God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the King of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard, wherein lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.” In verse 6 Isaiah sends a message back to Hezekiah. “Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him and he shall hear a rumor, and return to his own land, and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” The threat of the Assyrians continued. Who threatens you today in your walk with God. Is it not our adversary, the devil, who goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom He may devour? Where is our strength? It is always in the strength of the promises of God. Listen to the reply the Lord God gave, in Chapter 37:33: concerning Assyria, “He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold they were all dead corpses.”

          So often as believers we wilt under the assault of the devil, when we should resist Him, pray, ask and receive the power necessary to resist the devil. Each challenge to God, was turned away by God against the Assyrians adversary, and we read in verse 38, “as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, As Sennacherib, was worshipping Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons smote him with a sword: and they escaped into the land of Armeoia: and Esarhaddon; his son reigned in his stead.” The Devil had a plan for the Son of God also, and it was to kill Him and destroy the work of God, and yet Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son was crucified and yet the grave could not hold Him. God had a better plan!  He rose again and ordained men with a commission to go into the world and preach the good news. Christ overcame the grave, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and has given us exceeding great and precious promises that we might be partakers of His divine nature. We need to learn to cast down every vain imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and be ready to avenge every disobedience with obedience. Repent quickly, and destroy the works of Satan and be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. If we sow to the flesh, we shall reap corruption, but if we sow to the spirit, eternal life. If we stumble, we repent, get back up and continue forward in our walk with God. We cast down vain imaginations that exalt themselves against God, and we revenge every disobedience with obedience. Hold fast to faith and continue in the things you have learned and been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.



Simply Said: July 24th, 2018

            What a glorious thing it is this morning to awaken to the call of God in your life, if you know him, and if you know him not, today could be the day of your salvation. In Romans 13, Paul is chastising the believers who are resisting the higher powers, and in verse 2, tells them that; “they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.” You should read the whole chapter! And wake up as you get to verse 11: for the admonition of the Lord is about to be revealed. “And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day of the Lord is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let up put on the whole armor of light.” God is the God of all grace, and has called us unto Himself, to be light in a dark world, and yet God has been patient these many years, but will as it says in 1st Thessalonians 5:2 and many even living in the world have heard these words and mock them. “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, for when they shall say, Peace and safety: then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye brethren, (he speaks to believers at this point) are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”

         Who is Paul writing too? Those who were suffering and wondering, he writes to believers who belong to Christ and he makes this amazing statement in Chapter 4:13-17. “But I would not have ye be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, ( physically dead) that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (dead) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall arise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

             A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Look around you, observe, listen and hear the voice of the world and know that as multitudes have cast off the message of the glorious gospel, maybe it is time to awake out of your slumber and sleep, and take redemption seriously. If you are a child of God, and know Christ, it is time to awaken out of darkness and put on the whole armor of God. Be not deceived, God is not mocked, whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; be he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Will Christ return? Yes He will! When we read the scripture we see that everything concerning the coming of the Savior into the world was fulfilled just as the prophets of God had predicted. Now we have the Son of God testifying to the saints, the things pertaining to the times of His coming. Matthew 24 where the disciples asked him plainly in verse 3: “Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall bethe sigh of they coming, and the end of the world?” Jesus answered them saying unto them, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ: and shall deceive many. (In these past 50+ years I have heard many false teachers, and have seen people deceived by their message, and yet holding fast to faith, and the promise of God, the Holy Spirit gives discernment and we continue in faith and doctrine.)

      And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” In my life time, I cannot count the number of wars I have seen, and the amounts of devastation, deaths, and destruction, and yet this will pale compared to what goes on in the tribulation period of human history. Already today we hear of wars and insurgencies and bombings and attacks on innocent individuals in all walks of life, whose lives are lost, including children. We now abort babies like it really doesn’t matter, and yet God is not mocked, whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap. If a man sows to his flesh, he shall of the flesh reap destruction. So Paul writes and says to those believers in Thessalonica, “Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. (Now listen to this carefully and rejoice.) “FOR GOD HATH NOT APPOINTED US UNTO WRATH, BUT TO OBTAIN SALVATION BY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” I look for His coming knowing that God hath not appointed us unto wrath, and I pray that many others would come to Christ, even today, lest they perish in their sin, without repentance. I pray each time I share these truths, that God would open the eyes of the lost, that they might be found and that God would quicken them to life, having saved them. If you do not know Christ, ask Him into your heart today and believe on Him. He died for you! He was buried for you! And he overcame death and the grace and rose from the dead for you because death could not hold Him. He took your sin upon himself, and he waits for you to make a decision. Make that decision today and receive Jesus as your personal Savior!



Simply Said: July 20 2018

Yesterday is past, today is a new day, and your life is hid in Christ in God. Listen this morning and rejoice! “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God.” Then he expounds more specifically. “Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid in Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” So many spend so much time dealing with this life here on earth, and little time with learning who they are in Christ, like it says in Ephesians 4:13-14, “Til we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: The we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” Our adversary, goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, so what do we do. Learn of God, discern the spirit, whether it be of God, and walk in the light of the glorious gospel of grace and be not deceived. What a glorious way to live. Paul actually wrote in 2nd Timothy 2:15, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” For many that is foreign today.

         It was interesting that the disciples walked with God daily for 3 years plus, and often they did not understand Him, or what he was saying, and I believe that is true today also. But after Christ arose and ascended, in Acts 2:3 , he sent the Holy Ghost, and in verse 4 we read, “And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Their speaking in languages that were different then their own, gave people opportunity, in verse 6, to hear in his own language.” The beginning of the new era in Christ was upon them, and God was no respecter of persons, for every man heard in his own language, and they were amazed in verse 12, and yes, in doubt, saying, what is the meaning of this. Peter replies quoting from Joel 2:28. “And it shall come to pass in afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams , and your young men shall see visions.” Many of the prophesies of the Old Testament were for the time of Christ and for the church age. God did not only send the Holy Spirit into men that believed, but he empowered them with gifts severally as he would. The preaching of the Word of God, is for your benefit. It is God who empowers those who bring forth the counsel of God, and it is to glorify God, not the man who brings forth the truth. We too often today, make the deliverer of God’s truth a god instead of learning to come to God by faith, receiving with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. The work of the pastor or evangelist is to glorify God, and not themselves. Unfortunately today, some get filled with themselves, and they become proud, and in doing so they err, and yes, some get swept away in their pride. But the scripture is true, and God brings to light the hidden things of darkness.” Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but walk in the light, and let your light shine forth, and let the words of your mouth glorify God, staying humble as you live before Him who called you.

        Everyday is an opportunity for God to use you in this world for others. God does not just save us, but he also empowers us by faith to walk in the light as He is in the light, and to speak the truth in love, with compassion and mercy upon the lips of godly people, using the wisdom from God and the unction of the Holy Spirit, so that some are lead to Christ. If Christianity is all about what we get, and not about what God wants to do, so that others come to Christ, we may be deceived, or so occupied with self, so we must bring ourselves back to the Word of God that will quicken us to truth. “Be not deceived, God is not mocked, whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7 Have a glorious weekend and enjoy walking in truth, for the truth sets us free, and we shall be free in deed.



Simply Said: July 19 2018

In 1st Peter 1:2 we have a glorious promise: “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace be multiplied.” Redemption is the work of God, and so many want to make it the work of man. Yes, we are saved by grace, and not of works, but when we read this portion of Scripture, we rejoice. Listen this morning: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: from the dead.” Remember the wage of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life! “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you.” (Great promise to get a hold of.) Verse 5 and now verse 6. “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: “ I remember the days of my youth as a believer, being so blessed, having shortly come to Christ, and I was on top of the mountain, but eventually I was lead down into the valley, and my confidence was shaken, when temptation came, and of course, at that point I was hearing almost every service how I could lose my salvation. I remember thinking within myself, who then can be saved. It was a difficult time, and yet God was faithful.

            Maybe you are there even now, uncertain, in a trial of your faith, and wavering. Listen to the inspired writer of this portion. Peter, who denied Christ three times in one night, has been quickened to write this portion of scripture. Listen and rejoice! In verse 7 we read: “That the trail of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” Instead of gloom and doom, Peter, one who had been there, gloriously writes, about the salvation in verse 10 that the prophets inquired about. “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the gracethat should come unto you.” “Barns writes that God tests the quality of gold to remove those alloys so that by fire only the pure comes forth. It is a picture for us to see, that it is God the works in you to will and do of his good pleasure. It is he that transforms the life from being natural to being spiritual using the Word of God, by the Holy Spirit to do it. We did not walk with Christ, but now we are in Christ and Christ is in us by the indwelling Spirit. Peter in this portion writes beautifully. I sit here this morning remembering the quilt and condemnation I was under when I walked out of church, and yet by the grace of God, I continued in the Word of God as a disciple, sitting under the authority of another, (the Holy Ghost) being quickened by God unto repentance. Peter cries out in this Chapter and in verse 13, he speaks as one who is running a race. “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

           In verse 18 Peter gets specific. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver or gold, from your vain (empty) conversations received by tradition from your fathers: but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” Are any of us spotless? Without blemish? There was one Savior, Jesus Christ, the lamb of God who in verse 20 we read, “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory: that your faith and hope might be in God.” If we trust in ourselves, we will be deceived. But in verse 21, “who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.” Walk in the Spirit and have no confidence in the flesh, the flesh being weak, but by the Spirit we overcome the flesh and we walk in the light, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin and unrighteousness.” I am so glad this morning that the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, and we repent, and in verse 25 I love these words. “But the word of the Lord, endures for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. In Chapter 2:2-3 he say, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life!!! I am thankful this morning that we do not have our confidence in the blood of bulls and goats, but in the Son of God, who offered Himself for us, that the sacrifice was made once, and death could not hold Him, seeing he rose from the dead, gaining us victory through His atonement. Glory be to God and to our Savior, and to the work of the Spirit to bring light to us in the midst of darkness.

 



Simply Said: July 17 2018

I find in my years of serving Christ, that many do not take the time to learn of him, but get caught up in being served, and ministered to, and often allow the substitute of a Pastor to be sufficient to know truth and be a shining light. But actually, God gives men of God, Pastor’s, to preach the truth, that the conversion would be inward, then outward, that Christians would magnify Christ by the life they live, holding fast to the scripture, and being led by the Holy Spirit as the men of the New Testament did. After Paul’s conversion, he confronted the Jews in Damascus, and then after a short time had to flee, being let down over the city wall in a basket. He fled into Arabia, lest he be killed. Listen to his testimony in Galatians 1:15-17, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, (Very important portion, to reveal his Son in me) that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.” Then after 3 years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. Paul was sent to Tarsus and he was away for 14 years and then went with Barnabas to Jerusalem with Titus along also. Galatians 2:1

            Imagine with me, 17 years of your life learning and growing in Christ based upon you initial conversion, fellowship with the disciples at Jerusalem and the saints of Damascus, and yet the preparation took time to bring Saul, now Paul to be the Apostle he was. Each individual is accountable before God for their growth, and if they are not in a church hearing the full counsel of God, their growth is stymied. In some churches it is all about the gifts, in another it is all about the law of commandments, another about the letter, which if used inappropriately can kill the spirit and lead folks astray. Listen this morning, and understand, I go to church every time there is opportunity, Sunday morning, for most my life Sunday night, even now, Wednesday night, and yet, I am not idle the other days. I am in the Word of God because we never stop learning of Him. “When Peter came to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.” Galatians 2:11-14 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him: insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. “But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compel thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? In verse 16 we have this powerful statement. “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

             We all need a Pastor in our life to challenge those things that rob us from the fullness of God. The Pastor preaches the whole counsel of God, and this past Sunday’s message was powerful. I wonder how many went home and studied what they heard. Or is it on to the next thing. Who visits the sick, calls upon the person with a broken heart? Who uplifts the one cast down? Who seeks out those rejected by others? Who stands for Christ and shares their testimony, not only in church but within the community of people one knows who do not go the church.? I ask myself these questions also. “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.”

           Consider this verse and hear it like you may have never heard it before. “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. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Saul, met Christ on the Road to Damascus, and He was transformed forever. Now called Paul, there was no going back to the world, even though he was rejected by some. No quitting, giving up, but He kept his eyes on Christ, and ran the race set before Him, whether he was on the mountain top in Greece, preaching, or in a jail cell in any number of places as he was, when he was bit by a serpent, or challenged by others, He was who He was by the grace of God and it was sufficient.