The church is not the new Israel, the promises to Israel remain to Israel. There is a false doctrine that the church has replaced Israel in the promises, this is false.
Romans 11
"11 I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?
3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.”
4 But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
5 In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.
6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
7 What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened;
8 just as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes to see not and ears to hear not,
Down to this very day.”
9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
And a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
10 “Let their eyes be darkened to see not,
And bend their backs forever.”
11 I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.
12 Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!
13 But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.
15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 1
6 If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.
17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”
20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear;
21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.
22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;
26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 “This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”
28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers;
29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience,
31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.
32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?
35 Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?
36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen."
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Vote or Not
I do not judge anyone's choice to vote or not to vote in the presidential election. God never mandated that we vote, nor did He forbid it. We are free to decide for ourselves in following our conscience.
No man can tell another man it is "a sin not to vote", we find this no where in the Bible. We can use side ways arguments removing scripture from their context to justify intimidating others to vote, but it is not godly nor is it truth.
When we apply pressure to others to vote, we are claiming that it is God's will for them, but there is no Scripture to support this assertion.
There are many who feel a sense of violating their own conscience in voting for those who have no interest in Christ or His principles. There is also a lack of discernment when we base our choices merely on what the candidates tell us, without really knowing their lives.
Many have claimed to be Christian down through the ages, but they were cultural Christians at best, not caring about what God teaches in the Bible. The only reason to worry about voting is to attempt to preserve the lifestyle we have all loved and enjoyed.
I am not concerned about the economy, the borders, the preservation of our holidays, however, I am concerned about the spiritual cesspool we have created all across our nation. If that is not addressed in the debates, then none of the other things matter.
God has begun His chastisement of this country, there is no returning now, except that individuals may come to know Christ because of the hardship we are about to experience. Without that hardship there will be no turning from evil. Stubborn people do not change because things are easy, they only change when things are so bad there is no place to look but up.
We have no right to expect any more blessing from God, He has been there and done that, we were not grateful, we were contemptuous of His instruction and principles, while seeking after pleasure and wealth, adding Him on when it was convenient, even being embarrassed at the mention of His name outside of the church building.
We deny God in many ways while using His name as though that were all that is necessary to feel safe. We have taken His name in vain, not necessarily as a curse word, but rather in claiming to belong to Him while ignoring all of His principles.
Matthew 15:8 "'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME."
Vote if you like, don't vote if you like, remember we will have the leader we deserve and right now that should frighten those who claim to walk with God but negate Him at every turn.
Modeling Righteousness is the Key
Ezekiel 18:20 ""The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself."
Many good parents do the best they can in raising children, since there is no such thing as a perfect parent, God never told children to only honor those who are doing their parenting perfectly, He knew no one would. God the Father was the perfect parent to Adam and Eve and look what they did!
God gave the command to honor and obey parents...period. There were no excuses to dishonor, since children are not perfect, even as adults, they have no right to expect their parents to be perfect. Since adult children are not perfect they know they will not be perfect parents either.
God also never instructed Children to only honor one parent over another. We are told to listen to the instruction of our father and obey the law of our mother. Seems fairly simple to me.
Any adult child who thinks they are doing their parenting perfectly are teaching pride and arrogance to their children by example. Children will do what their parents do, more than do what they say. If adult children treat their parents with contempt, their children will learn to do the same to them, as well as all other authority figures.
Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
Proverbs 1:8 "Hear, my son, your father's instruction And do not forsake your mother's teaching;"
If we want our children to learn honor and respect for authority we must model it for them, rather than just speak it.
Many good parents do the best they can in raising children, since there is no such thing as a perfect parent, God never told children to only honor those who are doing their parenting perfectly, He knew no one would. God the Father was the perfect parent to Adam and Eve and look what they did!
God gave the command to honor and obey parents...period. There were no excuses to dishonor, since children are not perfect, even as adults, they have no right to expect their parents to be perfect. Since adult children are not perfect they know they will not be perfect parents either.
God also never instructed Children to only honor one parent over another. We are told to listen to the instruction of our father and obey the law of our mother. Seems fairly simple to me.
Any adult child who thinks they are doing their parenting perfectly are teaching pride and arrogance to their children by example. Children will do what their parents do, more than do what they say. If adult children treat their parents with contempt, their children will learn to do the same to them, as well as all other authority figures.
Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
Proverbs 1:8 "Hear, my son, your father's instruction And do not forsake your mother's teaching;"
If we want our children to learn honor and respect for authority we must model it for them, rather than just speak it.
The Arrogant Seek Themselves, The Humble Seek God
1 John 4:1-6
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
It is a command from God to test the spirits, be skeptical and stop believing every spirit simply because it claims to be of God or because it sounds good.
Just because something sounds good and we like it, is not evidence that it is truth.
False prophets hate those who question all things. They hate a challenge that exposes them. While I was in the Catholic church I began to question all that was done there, the more I questioned the more hostile those around me became.
Satan comes as an angel of light, pretending to be from God while operating contrary to Scripture with such clever deception that only those who are discerning are able to spot it. One of his very effective tactics is to rage when challenged, attempting to intimidate those who hold God's truth in highest regard.
For many years now the church has bought into the deception of all time, the very craftiness that tempted Eve in the garden, that of love of self, or as our culture titles it, "self esteem."
The church has been deceived into believing that if someone is sinning, they are doing so because of something bad that happened to them. Of course this makes no sense, because Eve disobeyed and dismissed God's wisdom by ignoring His command to refrain from eating the forbidden fruit. What wrong did God do that caused Eve to ignore God and do what she wanted to do? We know God never harmed Eve in any way, He sought to provide the best for her. She made the choice to follow what would make her feel superior.
The deception of "self esteem" has been around since the time of Eve and it has been taught as vitally important in our culture. This devilish teaching has brought us to the arrogance and rebellion we see now, increasing in intensity every day until the Lord returns.
We must ask ourselves if we are self willed, seeking our own pleasure and elevated status, or are we determined to get our counsel from the Lord to gain wisdom?
A combative arrogant man or woman lack humility, they desire to feel superior to others and even God. The more they are challenged to question their belief system, the greater they defend themselves.
A humble man or woman who deeply loves Christ will welcome discussion, check out what is being said through the Word of God to find truth and enjoy discovering God's principles.
The arrogant man or woman defends themselves to appear more exalted or excellent, everything is about themselves.
Proverbs 29:11 "A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back."
Proverbs 14:16 "A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless."
Proverbs 18:1-3 "18 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.
2 A fool has no delight in understanding,
But in expressing his own heart.
3 When the wicked comes, contempt comes also;
And with dishonor comes reproach."
The humble man or woman defends the truth and Scripture, they are not concerned about themselves, but about truth and righteousness.
1 Peter 5:6 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,"
Philippians 2:3-11 "3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
It is a command from God to test the spirits, be skeptical and stop believing every spirit simply because it claims to be of God or because it sounds good.
Just because something sounds good and we like it, is not evidence that it is truth.
False prophets hate those who question all things. They hate a challenge that exposes them. While I was in the Catholic church I began to question all that was done there, the more I questioned the more hostile those around me became.
Satan comes as an angel of light, pretending to be from God while operating contrary to Scripture with such clever deception that only those who are discerning are able to spot it. One of his very effective tactics is to rage when challenged, attempting to intimidate those who hold God's truth in highest regard.
For many years now the church has bought into the deception of all time, the very craftiness that tempted Eve in the garden, that of love of self, or as our culture titles it, "self esteem."
The church has been deceived into believing that if someone is sinning, they are doing so because of something bad that happened to them. Of course this makes no sense, because Eve disobeyed and dismissed God's wisdom by ignoring His command to refrain from eating the forbidden fruit. What wrong did God do that caused Eve to ignore God and do what she wanted to do? We know God never harmed Eve in any way, He sought to provide the best for her. She made the choice to follow what would make her feel superior.
The deception of "self esteem" has been around since the time of Eve and it has been taught as vitally important in our culture. This devilish teaching has brought us to the arrogance and rebellion we see now, increasing in intensity every day until the Lord returns.
We must ask ourselves if we are self willed, seeking our own pleasure and elevated status, or are we determined to get our counsel from the Lord to gain wisdom?
A combative arrogant man or woman lack humility, they desire to feel superior to others and even God. The more they are challenged to question their belief system, the greater they defend themselves.
A humble man or woman who deeply loves Christ will welcome discussion, check out what is being said through the Word of God to find truth and enjoy discovering God's principles.
The arrogant man or woman defends themselves to appear more exalted or excellent, everything is about themselves.
Proverbs 29:11 "A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back."
Proverbs 14:16 "A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless."
Proverbs 18:1-3 "18 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.
2 A fool has no delight in understanding,
But in expressing his own heart.
3 When the wicked comes, contempt comes also;
And with dishonor comes reproach."
The humble man or woman defends the truth and Scripture, they are not concerned about themselves, but about truth and righteousness.
1 Peter 5:6 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,"
Philippians 2:3-11 "3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Individuals Must Repent and Trust Christ
How many of you believe a better leader will save this country, raise your hand?
If we had no leaders at all and every person loved the Lord, we wouldn't need to have laws. Sort of like the believer who has Christ living in Him, we have the Law Giver living in us, we don't want to sin, when we do we confess it to be further cleansed.
1 Timothy 1:8 "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,"
If we had no leaders at all and every person loved the Lord, we wouldn't need to have laws. Sort of like the believer who has Christ living in Him, we have the Law Giver living in us, we don't want to sin, when we do we confess it to be further cleansed.
1 Timothy 1:8 "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,"
The leaders are not going to make the people good, they can only oppress us because the people are evil while being lawless. So....God is sending us oppressive leaders to punish our lawlessness.
The only solution for our country is for the people, each individual to confess their sinfulness and trust what Christ did on the cross, while desiring to be changed into a new creation by Christ. Only He can save a man and only He can change a nation, but He will not do it against the will of the people.
God is a gentleman, He never forces anyone, they must choose Him and then He will work.
Trusting Christ on the part of the people is the only way God will work in this country. Placing godly leaders over a wicked people will not change anything.
The only solution for our country is for the people, each individual to confess their sinfulness and trust what Christ did on the cross, while desiring to be changed into a new creation by Christ. Only He can save a man and only He can change a nation, but He will not do it against the will of the people.
God is a gentleman, He never forces anyone, they must choose Him and then He will work.
Trusting Christ on the part of the people is the only way God will work in this country. Placing godly leaders over a wicked people will not change anything.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)