When we consider that Christ had to shed His blood for us, how could we ever think that human effort to not sin would have any value? It is silly to think that we could keep our salvation by avoiding sin in our human effort when it took the shed blood of the Perfect Lamb to atone for it.
The only payment for sin is the shed blood of the Perfect Lamb, we could never atone for our own sin by working to keep from sinning, we can't even shed our own blood for our sin, because we are sinful through and through.
Hebrews 9:22 "And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."
1 John 1:7″… the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth
us from all sin.”
4. Revelation 1:5 “… Unto him that loved us, and washed us
from our sins in his own blood.”
5. Exodus 12:13 “… and when I see the blood, I will pass over
you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you,
when I smite the land of Egypt.”
6. Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood
of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony …”
7. Hebrews 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience …”
8. Hebrews 10:19, 22 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter
into the holiest by the blood of Jesus … Let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience …”
9. Exodus 29:37 “Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for
the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy…”
10. Hebrews 13:12 “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify
the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.”
God never said during the passover..."when I see how good you have been I will pass over you." NO! He said "when I see the blood I will pass over you."
The Old Testament account of the Passover lamb being killed, his blood being spread on the door posts, was an example of Christ to come and what He would do. His blood covered our sins when we trusted Him by faith. It was prophesy showing what God would do in the future. When Christ came, He fulfilled that prophesy, so that there was no longer any need to have the example, because the real Christ had finished that work.
When the Jews slaughtered the unblemished lamb and smeared the blood of that lamb on the door posts, the Holy Spirit would not bring death to that house.
When a person trusts Christ's shed blood on the cross for their sin, God looks at them and passes over us for judgement. We are no longer under the law of judgment for sin.
Then the Lord moves in, to be our helper, our counselor, our guide and our disciplinarian. All to grow us in holiness after being bought by His precious blood.
Later when the real Lamb of God was slaughtered on that cruel cross, He said that His blood was sufficient to cover the sin of all those who would place their trust in what Christ, nothing more is needed, not self effort of any kind will keep what we never earned in the first place.
John 15:26 "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:"
John 14:26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
John 14:16-18 ""I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
Notice in verses 16-18 of these passages that God said "that He may be with you forever", in reference to the Holy Spirit. I believe God when He said that He would be with us forever.
Romans 8:16 "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,"
"that we ARE of God." are words that speak very loudly to me. When we have trusted Christ we are signed, sealed and delivered.
Romans 8:26 "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;"
We can't even pray effectively, we need help with even that. When we know Christ is our righteousness, that we have none of our own, then we have no reason to think that anything we do would be of any value apart from Christ. There will be no boasting in heaven or on earth for those who have been born again.
Ephesians 2:1-10 "2 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
So you see, we have no part in our salvation except to believe, placing our trust completely in Christ, all that He did and all that He will do in the future. If you are still trusting in your own ability to be good enough, then you are not born again.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
The Godly Man is Mocked in the Churches
The way the unregenerate man looks at God's people and God's preachers! And you think we will escape the judgement of God?
Hosea 9:7-9
7 The days of punishment have come, The days of retribution have come;
Let Israel know this! The prophet is a fool, The inspired man is demented,
Because of the grossness of your iniquity, And because your hostility is so great.
8 Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet; Yet the snare of a bird catcher is in all his ways, And there is only hostility in the house of his God.
9 They have gone deep in depravity As in the days of Gibeah; He will remember their iniquity, He will punish their sins."
Hosea 9:7-9
7 The days of punishment have come, The days of retribution have come;
Let Israel know this! The prophet is a fool, The inspired man is demented,
Because of the grossness of your iniquity, And because your hostility is so great.
8 Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet; Yet the snare of a bird catcher is in all his ways, And there is only hostility in the house of his God.
9 They have gone deep in depravity As in the days of Gibeah; He will remember their iniquity, He will punish their sins."
Rejection has no Power Over the Believer
I have been researching the matter of rejection and what it causes in people who have been left out of things or ignored. It can cause very serious emotional lifelong damage, however, in Christ we have the ability to overcome it with prayer and Bible reading. God has so much encouragement for those who follow hard after Christ and are rejected for it.
If I had not known the verses in the Bible about the rejection of those who bring the truth of Christ to the unsaved, I might be tempted to think that I was a nut case, unworthy of anyone's love.
What I discovered in my study is that, without Christ, those who are treated with disdain in family situations, can become mentally unstable with life long malities that seem impossible to get rid of.
All the information I read, from secular psychologists and even Christian psychologists made claims that if we "do" certain things we will be able to pull ourselves up by our boot straps and carry on a normal life, choosing for ourselves those who might love us.
I felt sad that these "do" things were also seemingly impossible, since we are not able to control the responses of others, we can "do" whatever, but if the response that comes back is more rejection, then we have accomplished nothing except further sadness and depression. Since it is human nature to choose to be friendly to those that look good on the outside, are in style with their clothing, engage in all the party trappings and never challenge anyone, we can expect that manipulative ploys don't work unless we meet all the other criteria for being accepted.
God commanded us in His Word to obey HIS commandments, which include walking away from those who do not want our message.
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
We are capable of obeying God no matter what the circumstances, but through Him and not of our own devices.
The focus of the psychologists, was building your own self esteem rather than developing a closer walk with Christ.
Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;"
Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
When we seek to be acceptable to others by our manipulative ploys, we are setting ourselves up for failure. People do not respond the way we want them to and they are, at times, able to see through our disguise, not to mention the dishonesty of people and perception management through manipulation.
When the acceptance of people becomes our goal, then we have lost the battle. The goal of the believer should be to please God, grow in holiness and leave the decision of our companions to Him. There is much to say in the scriptures about those we choose to spend time with.
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
Those who have lived a life of rejection know that no matter what they it do, does not necessarily bring positive results. When we are dealing with a fallen world, a Christianity that looks more like a club full of beautiful people who are concerned more about fitting in than they do about Christ, we are left with a social organization that promotes popularity rather than holiness, no amount of manipulation will cause these people to live as they should, they must hear the truth of God's Word, that will reveal what is in their hearts.
Those who seek to manipulate their victims to be accepted by them, don't realize they are being dishonest. When we "play act" to win others, we are effectively lying to them. We are leading them to believe we love them, when in reality, we love ourselves and desire to be elevated in their eyes.
Love is not necessarily making others "feel good", that can happen when we show God's love, but there are times when love is discipline or correction. Correction and discipline are the most neglected and even denied forms of love on the planet today.
Verses about disobedience and discipline:
Acts 17:11-13, Deuteronomy 21:18-21, 1 Samuel 15:23, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, Proverbs 23:13-14, Colossians 3, 1 John 3:4-5.
Remember when you are rejected because you wanted to obey God, you are not only, not alone, in terms of others who have been, but you have Christ living in you that has not rejected you, but accepted you fully because you trusted in His shed blood on the cross.
If I had not known the verses in the Bible about the rejection of those who bring the truth of Christ to the unsaved, I might be tempted to think that I was a nut case, unworthy of anyone's love.
What I discovered in my study is that, without Christ, those who are treated with disdain in family situations, can become mentally unstable with life long malities that seem impossible to get rid of.
All the information I read, from secular psychologists and even Christian psychologists made claims that if we "do" certain things we will be able to pull ourselves up by our boot straps and carry on a normal life, choosing for ourselves those who might love us.
I felt sad that these "do" things were also seemingly impossible, since we are not able to control the responses of others, we can "do" whatever, but if the response that comes back is more rejection, then we have accomplished nothing except further sadness and depression. Since it is human nature to choose to be friendly to those that look good on the outside, are in style with their clothing, engage in all the party trappings and never challenge anyone, we can expect that manipulative ploys don't work unless we meet all the other criteria for being accepted.
God commanded us in His Word to obey HIS commandments, which include walking away from those who do not want our message.
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
We are capable of obeying God no matter what the circumstances, but through Him and not of our own devices.
The focus of the psychologists, was building your own self esteem rather than developing a closer walk with Christ.
Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;"
Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
When we seek to be acceptable to others by our manipulative ploys, we are setting ourselves up for failure. People do not respond the way we want them to and they are, at times, able to see through our disguise, not to mention the dishonesty of people and perception management through manipulation.
When the acceptance of people becomes our goal, then we have lost the battle. The goal of the believer should be to please God, grow in holiness and leave the decision of our companions to Him. There is much to say in the scriptures about those we choose to spend time with.
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
Those who have lived a life of rejection know that no matter what they it do, does not necessarily bring positive results. When we are dealing with a fallen world, a Christianity that looks more like a club full of beautiful people who are concerned more about fitting in than they do about Christ, we are left with a social organization that promotes popularity rather than holiness, no amount of manipulation will cause these people to live as they should, they must hear the truth of God's Word, that will reveal what is in their hearts.
Those who seek to manipulate their victims to be accepted by them, don't realize they are being dishonest. When we "play act" to win others, we are effectively lying to them. We are leading them to believe we love them, when in reality, we love ourselves and desire to be elevated in their eyes.
Love is not necessarily making others "feel good", that can happen when we show God's love, but there are times when love is discipline or correction. Correction and discipline are the most neglected and even denied forms of love on the planet today.
Verses about disobedience and discipline:
Acts 17:11-13, Deuteronomy 21:18-21, 1 Samuel 15:23, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, Proverbs 23:13-14, Colossians 3, 1 John 3:4-5.
Remember when you are rejected because you wanted to obey God, you are not only, not alone, in terms of others who have been, but you have Christ living in you that has not rejected you, but accepted you fully because you trusted in His shed blood on the cross.
Monday, December 29, 2014
From Such Turn Away
In case you were wondering where we are in the prophetic time line, these verses will clear things up:
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"3 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
I am noticing the last verse, that many people violate because of family and a desire to be accepted by those close to them. "from such turn away."
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"3 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
I am noticing the last verse, that many people violate because of family and a desire to be accepted by those close to them. "from such turn away."
And Ye Shall Be Hated By All Men
How many times have you wept over the choices and lifestyles of family members, trying to reason with them, bringing the Word of God to show them the way of salvation, confronting their sin only to be deeply rejected? Not only are we rejected by those we try to help, but they share their anger with others and those people take on the same attitudes of the one who remains in their sin, while no one speaks to you about the interchange that brought about the hatred.
While all the other family members are enjoying one another, no matter what the sin in their lives, they keep you at arms length because you wanted to bring a greater understanding about the purpose and meaning of life, that being Christ Jesus.
Gossip abounds, nearly all is based on half truths and lies. There seems to be no solution to the mess.
I suspect from my visits on facebook with those who love the Lord with all their heart, that many are encountering this rejection and gossip.
Let me encourage you, Christ said it would be this way. Our culture has been raised on "self esteem" any correction or instruction is considered mean and rude by those who desire to be elevated in the eyes of others more than they care about what God thinks.
We are living in a culture that is narcissistic, completely full of self. Most young people today have been taught how wonderful they are, how much they can accomplish and that if they believe in something, no matter what it is, then they are doing well. This thinking makes it impossible for them to see the evil that is within them, we know that until they are broken over sin they will not become born again. Satan has managed to remove any sense of shame in this generation, so much so, that they refuse the message of repentance that leads to salvation.
Much of the hatred is based on superficial non-sense and perceived wrongs rather than anything of substance. The devil has twisted the minds of many to see things in a perverted fashion, while working to keep us from having meaningful and productive discussion to clarify misunderstandings.
There can be no reconciliation with those who have rejected Christ and His principles.
1 John 1:6 "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"
Ephesians 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."
Those who don't love the Lord want to hang onto their prejudices against believers who are following hard after the Lord. They shrink from anything that may dispel their desired attitudes toward the believer. Refusing to listen to reason, refusing to find out the truth, they continue in their sin, making their companions those who will accept anything to remain friends.
Mark 13:13 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
Luke 21:17 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake."
1 Peter 4:12-19 "12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."
Much of the rejection comes in the form of favoritism toward those that accept sin while ignoring those who desire holiness.
Praise the Lord, you will be mocked, ignored, hated and rejected continually, knowing that they did the same things to Christ. Praise the Lord too, that we have one another, though many of us have hundreds of miles between us we are still one in Christ and family.
1 John 3:14 "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death."
Romans 12:10 "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;"
When we meet someone who loves to talk about the Lord, is transparent in their speech and who walks the walk as much as they talk the talk, then we can be sure we have met a brother or sister.
There are thousands of us out there, when we begin to feel alone, remember that fact.
We are never alone when we have Christ, and there are others around the world who are in the family of God, waiting for that day that we will be reunited with Christ and each other. His Spirit lives in us, one day we will see Him and each other face to face.
Revelation 22:1-7 "
1 Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;
4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.
5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.
6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who [e]heeds the words of the prophecy of this book."
1 Corinthians 13:12 "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."
Hallelujah, it is almost over now, one day everything will be fulfilled and we will be with our Lord.
While all the other family members are enjoying one another, no matter what the sin in their lives, they keep you at arms length because you wanted to bring a greater understanding about the purpose and meaning of life, that being Christ Jesus.
Gossip abounds, nearly all is based on half truths and lies. There seems to be no solution to the mess.
I suspect from my visits on facebook with those who love the Lord with all their heart, that many are encountering this rejection and gossip.
Let me encourage you, Christ said it would be this way. Our culture has been raised on "self esteem" any correction or instruction is considered mean and rude by those who desire to be elevated in the eyes of others more than they care about what God thinks.
We are living in a culture that is narcissistic, completely full of self. Most young people today have been taught how wonderful they are, how much they can accomplish and that if they believe in something, no matter what it is, then they are doing well. This thinking makes it impossible for them to see the evil that is within them, we know that until they are broken over sin they will not become born again. Satan has managed to remove any sense of shame in this generation, so much so, that they refuse the message of repentance that leads to salvation.
Much of the hatred is based on superficial non-sense and perceived wrongs rather than anything of substance. The devil has twisted the minds of many to see things in a perverted fashion, while working to keep us from having meaningful and productive discussion to clarify misunderstandings.
There can be no reconciliation with those who have rejected Christ and His principles.
1 John 1:6 "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"
Ephesians 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."
Those who don't love the Lord want to hang onto their prejudices against believers who are following hard after the Lord. They shrink from anything that may dispel their desired attitudes toward the believer. Refusing to listen to reason, refusing to find out the truth, they continue in their sin, making their companions those who will accept anything to remain friends.
Mark 13:13 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
Luke 21:17 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake."
1 Peter 4:12-19 "12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."
Much of the rejection comes in the form of favoritism toward those that accept sin while ignoring those who desire holiness.
Praise the Lord, you will be mocked, ignored, hated and rejected continually, knowing that they did the same things to Christ. Praise the Lord too, that we have one another, though many of us have hundreds of miles between us we are still one in Christ and family.
1 John 3:14 "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death."
Romans 12:10 "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;"
When we meet someone who loves to talk about the Lord, is transparent in their speech and who walks the walk as much as they talk the talk, then we can be sure we have met a brother or sister.
There are thousands of us out there, when we begin to feel alone, remember that fact.
We are never alone when we have Christ, and there are others around the world who are in the family of God, waiting for that day that we will be reunited with Christ and each other. His Spirit lives in us, one day we will see Him and each other face to face.
Revelation 22:1-7 "
1 Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;
4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.
5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.
6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who [e]heeds the words of the prophecy of this book."
1 Corinthians 13:12 "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."
Hallelujah, it is almost over now, one day everything will be fulfilled and we will be with our Lord.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
God Said Not To Worry
When we find that nearly all our conversations with believers and even non-believers has to do with perfect food, perfect health and a buff body, we are witnessing the paranoia that satan has placed in the heart of the unregenerate. Even believers have bought into this deception.
Natural this and natural that, climate, environment, obsession over organic food, organic this and that, is nothing more than a distraction.
Of course we don't need to be ingesting poison, but the little amounts we get from the food is not harmful. We are being manipulated to be paranoid about the food that God provides.
If we live in a constant state of fear over our food, the devil can keep us busy choosing the right kind, rinsing them the right way, and many other things that distract us from the important things.
We are told by God not to worry about what we will eat, what we will say and where we will go, He has all of that taken care of.
When we obsess over our food, surroundings and health, we are lacking faith that God can take care of all of that.
I have more important things to be doing than studying constantly about the right kind of foods to eat and meds to take or the exercise. He has given me what I need when I need it.
I am convinced that the obsession with exercise is not godly or necessary. I have known many people who have never "exercised" a day in their life, nor have they physically worked hard. Their work was not physically stressful, but they lived to be a ripe old age.
Normal body activity is good for anyone, but exercise for the sake of the perfect body, is obsession. Perhaps if we were to be honest we would be able to admit we exercise to "look good" to others, while bragging about what we do, much more than any real concern about our health.
The obsession with food, exercise and natural medicines has been so overblown that it is almost nauseating. When I am in a group of believers regularly and every conversation is laced with, if not entirely dominated by "healthy" this or that, I become bored feeling like I need to get away and put my mind on something that really matters.
Many women especially, are so caught up in this "natural" craze that it is impossible to hold an intelligent conversation about the things of the Lord. They seem to have little interest in Scripture, prayer or anything else that has to do with our Christian walk, but have much to say about food and exercise.
It is not my goal to offend those who are into this natural thinking, however I do want to warn believers that many things we think are so important, have been overblown to the point of insanity.
Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"
God said this and I believe Him!
Natural this and natural that, climate, environment, obsession over organic food, organic this and that, is nothing more than a distraction.
Of course we don't need to be ingesting poison, but the little amounts we get from the food is not harmful. We are being manipulated to be paranoid about the food that God provides.
If we live in a constant state of fear over our food, the devil can keep us busy choosing the right kind, rinsing them the right way, and many other things that distract us from the important things.
We are told by God not to worry about what we will eat, what we will say and where we will go, He has all of that taken care of.
When we obsess over our food, surroundings and health, we are lacking faith that God can take care of all of that.
I have more important things to be doing than studying constantly about the right kind of foods to eat and meds to take or the exercise. He has given me what I need when I need it.
I am convinced that the obsession with exercise is not godly or necessary. I have known many people who have never "exercised" a day in their life, nor have they physically worked hard. Their work was not physically stressful, but they lived to be a ripe old age.
Normal body activity is good for anyone, but exercise for the sake of the perfect body, is obsession. Perhaps if we were to be honest we would be able to admit we exercise to "look good" to others, while bragging about what we do, much more than any real concern about our health.
The obsession with food, exercise and natural medicines has been so overblown that it is almost nauseating. When I am in a group of believers regularly and every conversation is laced with, if not entirely dominated by "healthy" this or that, I become bored feeling like I need to get away and put my mind on something that really matters.
Many women especially, are so caught up in this "natural" craze that it is impossible to hold an intelligent conversation about the things of the Lord. They seem to have little interest in Scripture, prayer or anything else that has to do with our Christian walk, but have much to say about food and exercise.
It is not my goal to offend those who are into this natural thinking, however I do want to warn believers that many things we think are so important, have been overblown to the point of insanity.
Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"
God said this and I believe Him!
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Do You Work and Lack Peace?
Exodus 12:21-28
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. 22 You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.
23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you.
24 And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.
25 When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has [d]promised, you shall observe this rite.
26 And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’
27 you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’” And the people bowed low and worshiped.
28 Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
Christ was our passover Lamb, the blood of bulls and goats could not take away the sin of the world, but Christ did.
It was the sacrifice of spilt blood, that covered the sin of the Jews in the OT picture of salvation. But not the blood of the animals, that was merely a picture of their faith in what they knew would be coming in the future. The sacrifice of Christ on that cross.
No where in these accounts the picture or the fulfillment do we see the works of man entering into the covering of sin. It was the shed blood alone.
Hebrews 9:12-14
"and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
No where did God say to the Jews that they had to do something other than spread the blood on the door posts for a sign that they trusted the sacrifice of the Savior to come in the future, Christ Jesus. They didn't know His name or who He was, but they knew He was promised and what He would do.
Isaiah 53
53 Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors."
How could anyone add to what our Savior did for us? No one can affect their own salvation in any form, no number of good works would atone for our own sin. Only the shed blood of a perfect Lamb could do that. We cannot shed our own blood for the atoning of our sin, and nothing less than the shed blood of a perfect Lamb would do.
We do not work our way to heaven, nor do we keep our salvation by our works.
The only way we could work for or keep our salvation is to die and shed our blood, but it would have to be a perfect person and no one is that, since we know blood of the Perfect Lamb had to be shed for us.
Shall we rest in the arms of the Savior, knowing He did it all!!!!!!
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. 22 You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.
23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you.
24 And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.
25 When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has [d]promised, you shall observe this rite.
26 And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’
27 you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’” And the people bowed low and worshiped.
28 Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
Christ was our passover Lamb, the blood of bulls and goats could not take away the sin of the world, but Christ did.
It was the sacrifice of spilt blood, that covered the sin of the Jews in the OT picture of salvation. But not the blood of the animals, that was merely a picture of their faith in what they knew would be coming in the future. The sacrifice of Christ on that cross.
No where in these accounts the picture or the fulfillment do we see the works of man entering into the covering of sin. It was the shed blood alone.
Hebrews 9:12-14
"and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
No where did God say to the Jews that they had to do something other than spread the blood on the door posts for a sign that they trusted the sacrifice of the Savior to come in the future, Christ Jesus. They didn't know His name or who He was, but they knew He was promised and what He would do.
Isaiah 53
53 Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors."
How could anyone add to what our Savior did for us? No one can affect their own salvation in any form, no number of good works would atone for our own sin. Only the shed blood of a perfect Lamb could do that. We cannot shed our own blood for the atoning of our sin, and nothing less than the shed blood of a perfect Lamb would do.
We do not work our way to heaven, nor do we keep our salvation by our works.
The only way we could work for or keep our salvation is to die and shed our blood, but it would have to be a perfect person and no one is that, since we know blood of the Perfect Lamb had to be shed for us.
Shall we rest in the arms of the Savior, knowing He did it all!!!!!!
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