Satan had triumphed, or so he believed,
When Adam sinned and thus condemned the earth;
The death of God's Son men's bondage relieved,
Nothing else could be of sufficient worth!
Only God's grace, His undeserved free gift,
Provided men with faith to overcome
The shackles of sin; to forever lift
Higher than on his own he'd e'er become!
God did for us what we could never do;
He lowered Himself to be just a man;
Tempts that felled others He passed sinless through;
His blood washed our sins away, let us stand!
Saved by faith in Jesus through matchless grace,
We are set free from Satan's cruel embrace!
"But now a righteousness from God ... has been made known ... This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. ... for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood." (Romans 3:21-25)
A lot of non-Christians don't get it. They don't understand why a Christian friend, seemingly out of nowhere, would say such an unkind thing as, "You are a sinner, and when you die, you are going to hell." The friend did not make it up; that's what Paul says in the scripture from the Bible above. The non-Christian believes he is a decent guy, living a good life, and has never done anything to harm God. He may even believe that God exists; he might think that he is going to heaven, because God is loving. However, Paul says, "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God". If you read on in the book of Romans, you will see this, "The wages of sin is death" (6:33). This may come as a shock to you, but it is the Bible that says you have offended God and the penalty is condemnation.
The Bible (and maybe the friend) also gives every person a solution for the situation he finds himself in. Paul says above, there has become known a new way to righteousness (in other words, getting rid of your sin-debt) with God, and that way is to believe in Jesus Christ. The word "Jesus" has become anathema to the media in America today, which is bad, because Jesus is the word, the only word, that can save you from payment of sin. That way is to believe (or have faith) in Jesus as God who shed His blood for our sins on the cross. Instead of an innocent lamb being sacrificed to pay for Jewish sin, God, who was innocent of sin, sacrificed Himself for the sins of all the world! He paid our sins for us, and gave us freedom from sin by our belief. This is called "grace" in the Bible; it is given free; no works, good deeds, or gifts of money are required. So, though it is God, not the friend, who says you have sinned, it is also God who freely forgives your sins in exchange for your sincere belief! How great is that?
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
All People Are Guilty Of Sin
Dare God condemn all for the sin of one?
Yes, if He saves all when One's life is pure!
The first man did what God did not want done;
Then, His Son died, to make redemption sure!
Yes, God became One man, who did not sin,
Though weak, like us, no sin did He commit;
Innocent, Jesus died instead of men,
And all who believe are saved from the Pit*!
It's hard to accept, that He died for us;
The depth of God's love earth had never seen;
Yet, to embrace Him, each man surely must,
Or live forever in hell with that old Fiend**!
Don't kid yourself; Adam is not to blame;
Many times over, we have done the same!
*Pit = hell; **Fiend = Satan
"But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." (Romans 3:21-23)
In this passage Paul explains God's plan of salvation to Jews in Rome. As a Gentile (which is every non-Jew in the world), to understand it, imagine you are a Jew who has been taught nothing but the Old Testament, with its Mosaic Law and are familiar only with temple worship and animal sacrifice. Paul explains that all people in the world have sinned and are worthy of condemnation, but a new path of righteousness has been given the world by God; righteousness can be obtained by anyone who believes in Christ Jesus as Lord, and all his sins are forgiven and obliterated. The atoning sacrifice of Jesus is given by God's grace (unmerited favor) in return for a person's faith (belief).
He points out that "there is no difference" between Jew and Gentile, which is very difficult for Jews to accept. Men have all sinned; thus, the sin of Adam (first man) is not the sole cause of condemnation; also, each person to be redeemed from sin (justified) is required to believe in the divinity of Jesus and His Lordship over the world. You cannot just live a "good" life and be admitted to eternal life in heaven. The price of admission is free grace of God, but it must be by belief in Jesus.
Now you are as much a theologian as the finest preacher or priest. This is the key to God's master plan for the world. However, you don't have to know all this to be saved---just that belief in Jesus is essential. You may have been told something else, like, 'all religions lead to heaven', etc.; don't you believe it. That is a lie straight from the Father of Lies, Satan; maybe it came from Oprah or Obama. No way!
Yes, if He saves all when One's life is pure!
The first man did what God did not want done;
Then, His Son died, to make redemption sure!
Yes, God became One man, who did not sin,
Though weak, like us, no sin did He commit;
Innocent, Jesus died instead of men,
And all who believe are saved from the Pit*!
It's hard to accept, that He died for us;
The depth of God's love earth had never seen;
Yet, to embrace Him, each man surely must,
Or live forever in hell with that old Fiend**!
Don't kid yourself; Adam is not to blame;
Many times over, we have done the same!
*Pit = hell; **Fiend = Satan
"But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." (Romans 3:21-23)
In this passage Paul explains God's plan of salvation to Jews in Rome. As a Gentile (which is every non-Jew in the world), to understand it, imagine you are a Jew who has been taught nothing but the Old Testament, with its Mosaic Law and are familiar only with temple worship and animal sacrifice. Paul explains that all people in the world have sinned and are worthy of condemnation, but a new path of righteousness has been given the world by God; righteousness can be obtained by anyone who believes in Christ Jesus as Lord, and all his sins are forgiven and obliterated. The atoning sacrifice of Jesus is given by God's grace (unmerited favor) in return for a person's faith (belief).
He points out that "there is no difference" between Jew and Gentile, which is very difficult for Jews to accept. Men have all sinned; thus, the sin of Adam (first man) is not the sole cause of condemnation; also, each person to be redeemed from sin (justified) is required to believe in the divinity of Jesus and His Lordship over the world. You cannot just live a "good" life and be admitted to eternal life in heaven. The price of admission is free grace of God, but it must be by belief in Jesus.
Now you are as much a theologian as the finest preacher or priest. This is the key to God's master plan for the world. However, you don't have to know all this to be saved---just that belief in Jesus is essential. You may have been told something else, like, 'all religions lead to heaven', etc.; don't you believe it. That is a lie straight from the Father of Lies, Satan; maybe it came from Oprah or Obama. No way!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A Punishment Worse Than Death
Perhaps Lucifer's sin should not be called
The 'war in heaven', for that phrase implies
Violence between hosts, bloody bodies mauled,
Rampant carnage, the dead heaped to the skies!
War on earth is like that, but not on high;
The angels are made of sterner stuff;
They never need rest, sleep, and never die;
And the word of the Lord is food enough!
From heaven to hell the rebels were cast;
No worse fate could any creature receive;
All chance for redemption forever past,
Positions with God they never retrieve!
I am sure the fallen angels would agree,
Death is better than their exiles will be!
"And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down---that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray..." (Revelation 12:7-9)
The "dragon" refers to the "angel of light", or Lucifer, who was chief among God's angels; through his treason one third of the angels in heaven were expelled from the dwelling place of God. They were sent first to earth; here they continue opposing God by deceiving men and women into ignoring Jesus Christ and living sinfully, for which they will be condemned to hell with the fallen angels. Hell is described as a lake of burning sulphur in the Bible, prepared as a place of torment for the devil and his angels.
Many wonder why God did not kill them for trying to take the kingdom away from Him. He created them, and He certainly could have uncreated them; however, being forced to live in separation from God for eternity is a punishment worse than death. The Bible tells of two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, which were so wicked only one righteous man---Lot---could be found among their residents. Residing in either one must have been horrible for anybody. It would be like living in this world without churches and their influence upon morals, laws, and decency. There actually is a day coming when all Christians and the Holy Spirit will be called up from earth by Jesus Christ at His Second Coming, leaving only those who have rejected God. It is a terrible time for earth's remaining inhabitants, but it will not last long.
From hell's description, it seems that its torment will be a result of the fire from the burning lake, but probably not. Remember Moses saw a bush in the desert burning, but it was not consumed. The Bible speaks of fire surrounding God upon the throne, but it is not consumed. No, the biggest torment that hell has to offer is its separation from God. There will be no policemen in hell to keep order; no righteous officials or courts to protect residents from any who take the law into their own hands. There will be many prayers upraised to heaven, but they will not reach the ears of God; no relief from calamity will be available throughout the endless eons of eternity. I think God knew exactly what He was doing in punishing Lucifer and his followers.
The 'war in heaven', for that phrase implies
Violence between hosts, bloody bodies mauled,
Rampant carnage, the dead heaped to the skies!
War on earth is like that, but not on high;
The angels are made of sterner stuff;
They never need rest, sleep, and never die;
And the word of the Lord is food enough!
From heaven to hell the rebels were cast;
No worse fate could any creature receive;
All chance for redemption forever past,
Positions with God they never retrieve!
I am sure the fallen angels would agree,
Death is better than their exiles will be!
"And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down---that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray..." (Revelation 12:7-9)
The "dragon" refers to the "angel of light", or Lucifer, who was chief among God's angels; through his treason one third of the angels in heaven were expelled from the dwelling place of God. They were sent first to earth; here they continue opposing God by deceiving men and women into ignoring Jesus Christ and living sinfully, for which they will be condemned to hell with the fallen angels. Hell is described as a lake of burning sulphur in the Bible, prepared as a place of torment for the devil and his angels.
Many wonder why God did not kill them for trying to take the kingdom away from Him. He created them, and He certainly could have uncreated them; however, being forced to live in separation from God for eternity is a punishment worse than death. The Bible tells of two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, which were so wicked only one righteous man---Lot---could be found among their residents. Residing in either one must have been horrible for anybody. It would be like living in this world without churches and their influence upon morals, laws, and decency. There actually is a day coming when all Christians and the Holy Spirit will be called up from earth by Jesus Christ at His Second Coming, leaving only those who have rejected God. It is a terrible time for earth's remaining inhabitants, but it will not last long.
From hell's description, it seems that its torment will be a result of the fire from the burning lake, but probably not. Remember Moses saw a bush in the desert burning, but it was not consumed. The Bible speaks of fire surrounding God upon the throne, but it is not consumed. No, the biggest torment that hell has to offer is its separation from God. There will be no policemen in hell to keep order; no righteous officials or courts to protect residents from any who take the law into their own hands. There will be many prayers upraised to heaven, but they will not reach the ears of God; no relief from calamity will be available throughout the endless eons of eternity. I think God knew exactly what He was doing in punishing Lucifer and his followers.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Did We Vote For Abortion?
At least it lived, the poet's blushing flower
That bloomed in a dark cavern of the sea;
No hired surgeon stole its one living hour,
Like today's unborn of an unwed she!
Did we vote to let teen girls void their wombs,
Or did nine old men pass it five to four?
Fifty million gone, not even with tombs;
Do those old men care enough to keep score?
Has pre-teen sex replaced tag and hop-scotch?
Whatever happened to parents' restraint?
Do sixth grade pimples the joy in sex botch,
Or mouthfuls of braces kissing constrain?
When kids get pregnant, TV shares the blame,
For teaching them how adults play the game!
During this very day a bitter, one-sided political battle is raging in the not-so-hallowed halls of Congress over a national health-care reform bill that will add a whopping one-fifth of spending to an already colossal debt-increasing budget. The Democrats with a super-majority and President Obama are determined to pass a bill, and they can; the only real question is, Will Senator Olympia Snow, a Republican, be the only one of her party to vote in favor. The 1500 pages are not even printed or revealed yet, but the Democrats have loaded it with enhancements to legal abortion, such as using tax dollars to pay for the service and requiring medical providers to perform abortions whether their consciences permit or not. The current rate of abortions in the nation is 4000 per day; some estimates double that for the new law.
Gray's "Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard" contains a famous line mourning the deaths of great talents who live and die in out-of-the-way places: "Full many a flower is born to blush unseen in caverns of the sea". Consider the effect of the approximately 50 million lives of unborn babies taken away forever before emerging from the wombs in birth; how many Shakespeares, Michelangelos, and Amadeus Mozarts were in that mournful total?
It was wonderful to live in America in 1946. I was a young preacher just starting out; there was a national confidence that engulfed America; we had just rid the world of Hitler, Tojo, and Mussolini; airplanes were beginning to be equipped with jet engines; and there was a rumor sweeping the towns and hamlets that broadcast radios would soon have moving pictures to go with the spoken words. TELEVISION! That magic word was on every lip. We preachers had never seen one, but we stood before churches full of returning veterans and warned them not to have one in the home; that television would distort the values of children and poison America. I sat on a plank laid across sawhorses with other goggle-eyed first-timers in a country store and watched my first TV picture in January 1951. I recognized the voice of Milton Berle, but his figure was a dark shape among the blurring snowstorm that was the screen. It was like looking at a Philco radio dial and seeing movies.
Just 22 years later, the TV poison had permeated the homes of America; the average watching time per person per day was over 3 hours; and a revolution among the young rebelling against the Viet Nam War and the values to which we had clung as a nation changed it forever. The Puritan ethic, that had begun in New England with the Pilgrims; permeated the 56 founding fathers in 1776 and through the first 175 years of our history' was scrapped; TV had done what the preachers of post WW2 said it would; sex became free of restraint; and the right of women to choose legal abortion was established by the Supreme Court by a vote of 5 to 4 in a convoluted case in 1973, Roe v. Wade. The nation which fought in World War II is no more as it was. It has become wicked in God's sight
That bloomed in a dark cavern of the sea;
No hired surgeon stole its one living hour,
Like today's unborn of an unwed she!
Did we vote to let teen girls void their wombs,
Or did nine old men pass it five to four?
Fifty million gone, not even with tombs;
Do those old men care enough to keep score?
Has pre-teen sex replaced tag and hop-scotch?
Whatever happened to parents' restraint?
Do sixth grade pimples the joy in sex botch,
Or mouthfuls of braces kissing constrain?
When kids get pregnant, TV shares the blame,
For teaching them how adults play the game!
During this very day a bitter, one-sided political battle is raging in the not-so-hallowed halls of Congress over a national health-care reform bill that will add a whopping one-fifth of spending to an already colossal debt-increasing budget. The Democrats with a super-majority and President Obama are determined to pass a bill, and they can; the only real question is, Will Senator Olympia Snow, a Republican, be the only one of her party to vote in favor. The 1500 pages are not even printed or revealed yet, but the Democrats have loaded it with enhancements to legal abortion, such as using tax dollars to pay for the service and requiring medical providers to perform abortions whether their consciences permit or not. The current rate of abortions in the nation is 4000 per day; some estimates double that for the new law.
Gray's "Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard" contains a famous line mourning the deaths of great talents who live and die in out-of-the-way places: "Full many a flower is born to blush unseen in caverns of the sea". Consider the effect of the approximately 50 million lives of unborn babies taken away forever before emerging from the wombs in birth; how many Shakespeares, Michelangelos, and Amadeus Mozarts were in that mournful total?
It was wonderful to live in America in 1946. I was a young preacher just starting out; there was a national confidence that engulfed America; we had just rid the world of Hitler, Tojo, and Mussolini; airplanes were beginning to be equipped with jet engines; and there was a rumor sweeping the towns and hamlets that broadcast radios would soon have moving pictures to go with the spoken words. TELEVISION! That magic word was on every lip. We preachers had never seen one, but we stood before churches full of returning veterans and warned them not to have one in the home; that television would distort the values of children and poison America. I sat on a plank laid across sawhorses with other goggle-eyed first-timers in a country store and watched my first TV picture in January 1951. I recognized the voice of Milton Berle, but his figure was a dark shape among the blurring snowstorm that was the screen. It was like looking at a Philco radio dial and seeing movies.
Just 22 years later, the TV poison had permeated the homes of America; the average watching time per person per day was over 3 hours; and a revolution among the young rebelling against the Viet Nam War and the values to which we had clung as a nation changed it forever. The Puritan ethic, that had begun in New England with the Pilgrims; permeated the 56 founding fathers in 1776 and through the first 175 years of our history' was scrapped; TV had done what the preachers of post WW2 said it would; sex became free of restraint; and the right of women to choose legal abortion was established by the Supreme Court by a vote of 5 to 4 in a convoluted case in 1973, Roe v. Wade. The nation which fought in World War II is no more as it was. It has become wicked in God's sight
Monday, October 26, 2009
Justified And Sanctified!
Joshua stood for judgment before God,
His clothes smeared with the excrement of sin;
Satan stood beside to accuse the clod
Of unfitness God's presence to be in!
The forgiving Lord said, "I rebuke you,
Satan! He is 'a brand* snatched from the fire!'**"
To angels He said, "Dress him all anew,
Snow white, clean. Now, Satan, what is so dire?"
So the redeemed, before God, fearless stand,
Sinless and pure, for Christ dresses them clean;
They would be lost, but for His helping hand;
When Satan condemns, the Lord is between!
The Jewish high priest was guilty as we,
But God elected to declare him free!
*brand = a burning stick
**'a brand snatched from the fire' = a Biblical phrase meaning a lost person saved from condemnation by Jesus
Zechariah was a Jewish prophet who returned to Israel from captivity in Babylon 500 years before the birth of Jesus, His book in the Bible is second from last in the Old Testament. In chapter 3 he writes of a vision from God in which Joshua (a name meaning 'Jesus") the current high priest is standing before God in the temple's Holy of Holies. The high priest was the only one allowed to enter that room, and he could do that only once a year. The Holy of Holies represents God's dwelling place; this scene is a foreshadowing symbol of judgment for the redeemed of the new covenant that followed the rejection of Jesus. Just as Joshua had come before God with unforgiven sins clinging to him, so it is with born-again Christians who continue to commit sin after professing belief in Jesus as Lord. A person's sins are forgiven when he repents and accepts Jesus; this means, in theological terminology, he is "justified". Justification is essential for salvation; but so is "sanctification", which is what happens to one justified when he abolishes the commitment of sin from his life. In Zechariah's vision we see "the angel of the Lord" (a title that means "God" wherever it appears in the Bible) does not allow Satan, the accuser of men before God, to prevail in having Joshua booted out of heaven; God simply forgives Joshua's sins.
The vision is illustrative of the fact that a believer's past and future sins are forgiven by God, even if he dies without having fully rid himself of all sin. Even though Jesus commanded us in the Sermon on the Mount to "Be you perfect, even as the Father is perfect," He knew we could not live perfectly sinless lives. That is why He gave His own life on the cross---He did for us what we couldn't do for ourselves. He applied His shed blood to Joshua's unsanctification, and made him perfect; He will do it for you and me, also.
His clothes smeared with the excrement of sin;
Satan stood beside to accuse the clod
Of unfitness God's presence to be in!
The forgiving Lord said, "I rebuke you,
Satan! He is 'a brand* snatched from the fire!'**"
To angels He said, "Dress him all anew,
Snow white, clean. Now, Satan, what is so dire?"
So the redeemed, before God, fearless stand,
Sinless and pure, for Christ dresses them clean;
They would be lost, but for His helping hand;
When Satan condemns, the Lord is between!
The Jewish high priest was guilty as we,
But God elected to declare him free!
*brand = a burning stick
**'a brand snatched from the fire' = a Biblical phrase meaning a lost person saved from condemnation by Jesus
Zechariah was a Jewish prophet who returned to Israel from captivity in Babylon 500 years before the birth of Jesus, His book in the Bible is second from last in the Old Testament. In chapter 3 he writes of a vision from God in which Joshua (a name meaning 'Jesus") the current high priest is standing before God in the temple's Holy of Holies. The high priest was the only one allowed to enter that room, and he could do that only once a year. The Holy of Holies represents God's dwelling place; this scene is a foreshadowing symbol of judgment for the redeemed of the new covenant that followed the rejection of Jesus. Just as Joshua had come before God with unforgiven sins clinging to him, so it is with born-again Christians who continue to commit sin after professing belief in Jesus as Lord. A person's sins are forgiven when he repents and accepts Jesus; this means, in theological terminology, he is "justified". Justification is essential for salvation; but so is "sanctification", which is what happens to one justified when he abolishes the commitment of sin from his life. In Zechariah's vision we see "the angel of the Lord" (a title that means "God" wherever it appears in the Bible) does not allow Satan, the accuser of men before God, to prevail in having Joshua booted out of heaven; God simply forgives Joshua's sins.
The vision is illustrative of the fact that a believer's past and future sins are forgiven by God, even if he dies without having fully rid himself of all sin. Even though Jesus commanded us in the Sermon on the Mount to "Be you perfect, even as the Father is perfect," He knew we could not live perfectly sinless lives. That is why He gave His own life on the cross---He did for us what we couldn't do for ourselves. He applied His shed blood to Joshua's unsanctification, and made him perfect; He will do it for you and me, also.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
When Men Are No More
The final breath exhaled, man's charade's done;
His senseless gambol has come full circle!
Who's to commend him for victories won;
Or read the history of his debacle?
Great stone pylons boast fancy epitaphs
Of success in science, but heav'n needs it not
To make elixir* each redeemed one quaffs;
Nor nepenthe,** each lost soul longs to blot!
Zion's*** immortals, in flesh, chose Jesus Lord;
The others spurned God, embraced Satan's lies;
Death sealed their fates, gone their chance for reward;
Man's span but a test that ends when he dies!
While you breathe, choose the path that leads to God;
When you die, no chance to change roads you trod!
*elixir = heaven's drink that gives life
**nepenthe = Greek mythical drink of forgetfulness
***Zion = Jewish name for Jerusalem; Christians' heaven
The poem describes the situation each person faces while he/she lives. During the comparatively brief time he/she is in possession of full mental ability, God has so planned that he/she must make a choice, either to accept Jesus as Lord of his/her life, or not to. Many never consider God is real; they don't realize they are making the choice for their souls to spend eternity in hell. If one of these is you, I warn you that when you lose mental competence by sickness, old age, or death, you have lost your chance to spend eternity in the paradise of heaven. The reason is that you have sinned (meaning 'offended God') in living according to worldly standards, which have been irretreivably distorted by Satan without your knowledge. The place you will live in forever is described in the Bible as "the lake of burning sulphur", where you are tormented day and night forever (Rev. 20:10).
This makes your mentally competent lifetime a test. You need to think of it in those terms. The success of our technological scientists in the last 50 years has so increased our confidence in humanity's ability to survive that it rarely allows us to consider the grim warnings in the Bible that tell us the end of humanity on earth is certain. It seems to many theologians that its coming is very near; we may be living in the last few decades even now. If the trumpet of God sounds around the earth, and you still have not accepted Jesus Christ, it will be too late; your fate is sealed.
Will you turn to God before your chance to do so expires? I don't expect you to be convinced by my words, but there is an unseen power that can convince you; it is called the Holy Spirit of God. I tell you confidently that if you open a Bible to the book of John in the New Testament and read the first verse, John 1:1; then 1:12; 3:16; 14:6; 16:7-11; by doing so you will be spoken to by the still, small voice of God; hearken to Him, and you will feel an urge to know more. The Bible says if you confess with your mouth your belief in Jesus, and believe in your heart that He was raised from the dead, you will be saved. You can do it alone; you can do it in seconds only. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to take this step before it is forever too late.
His senseless gambol has come full circle!
Who's to commend him for victories won;
Or read the history of his debacle?
Great stone pylons boast fancy epitaphs
Of success in science, but heav'n needs it not
To make elixir* each redeemed one quaffs;
Nor nepenthe,** each lost soul longs to blot!
Zion's*** immortals, in flesh, chose Jesus Lord;
The others spurned God, embraced Satan's lies;
Death sealed their fates, gone their chance for reward;
Man's span but a test that ends when he dies!
While you breathe, choose the path that leads to God;
When you die, no chance to change roads you trod!
*elixir = heaven's drink that gives life
**nepenthe = Greek mythical drink of forgetfulness
***Zion = Jewish name for Jerusalem; Christians' heaven
The poem describes the situation each person faces while he/she lives. During the comparatively brief time he/she is in possession of full mental ability, God has so planned that he/she must make a choice, either to accept Jesus as Lord of his/her life, or not to. Many never consider God is real; they don't realize they are making the choice for their souls to spend eternity in hell. If one of these is you, I warn you that when you lose mental competence by sickness, old age, or death, you have lost your chance to spend eternity in the paradise of heaven. The reason is that you have sinned (meaning 'offended God') in living according to worldly standards, which have been irretreivably distorted by Satan without your knowledge. The place you will live in forever is described in the Bible as "the lake of burning sulphur", where you are tormented day and night forever (Rev. 20:10).
This makes your mentally competent lifetime a test. You need to think of it in those terms. The success of our technological scientists in the last 50 years has so increased our confidence in humanity's ability to survive that it rarely allows us to consider the grim warnings in the Bible that tell us the end of humanity on earth is certain. It seems to many theologians that its coming is very near; we may be living in the last few decades even now. If the trumpet of God sounds around the earth, and you still have not accepted Jesus Christ, it will be too late; your fate is sealed.
Will you turn to God before your chance to do so expires? I don't expect you to be convinced by my words, but there is an unseen power that can convince you; it is called the Holy Spirit of God. I tell you confidently that if you open a Bible to the book of John in the New Testament and read the first verse, John 1:1; then 1:12; 3:16; 14:6; 16:7-11; by doing so you will be spoken to by the still, small voice of God; hearken to Him, and you will feel an urge to know more. The Bible says if you confess with your mouth your belief in Jesus, and believe in your heart that He was raised from the dead, you will be saved. You can do it alone; you can do it in seconds only. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to take this step before it is forever too late.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Jesus: God, King, Judge
Much was settled when Jesus died that day;
The race was ransomed, their debt fully paid;
Yet, on He went, to conquer death's iron sway,
Leaving us no reason to be afraid!
He still was not done: To heaven He rose;
Was crowned King; given glory and power
To rule the universe, e'en as He chose;
And to judge all men, at time's final hour!
How now, Satan! You owned the souls of men;
It seemed you had Him, hamging on the tree,
But your 'triumph' turned into ashes when
He rolled the stone away and walked out free!
Sing! Hosts of heaven and redeemed He won;
Praise, honor and glory, for what He's done!
The fact that Jesus was resurrected from death is the linchpin of Christianity. Paul said, "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." (1 Cor. 15:14) The unbelieving world began at once a relentless campaign to prevent the truth of the resurrection by posting Roman guards at the tomb the very first night; nevertheless, Jesus came back to life, rolled the hugs stone away from the entrance, and walked away without their knowledge. They saw or heard nothing. Despite 2000 years of unabated attempts to refute the truth, no proof of falsehood has ever been presented; on the other hand, much evidence of its truth has been revealed.
"After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them..." (Acts 1:3-4a)
Paul said that He was seen by as many as 500 people (remember that Paul was there as a Pharisee named Saul, a rabid antagonist, at the time Jesus was showing Himself alive). Apostle Thomas was permitted to touch Jesus on the scars of nails in His hands and feet and spear wound in His side. Many saw Jesus leave the earth from the Mount of Olives and ascend to heaven.
"In my vision I looked, and there before me was one like the son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was let into his presence. He was given authority, glory and universal power; all peoples, nations, and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)
There can be little doubt that the "son of man" Daniel is describing in his vision is Jesus, for "son of man" was His favorite title for Himself. He used it 81 times in His words on earth, far more than any other. He surely wanted His Jewish listeners to link Him to this Old Testament prophesy. The prophesy describes what happened to Him upon His arrival back in heaven. The "Ancient of Days" refers to the Father, who crowned Jesus King and gave Him all authority, in essence turning all the powers of God over to Him. This is the mystery of the Trinity; remember , Jesus was with God from the beginning; He was Creator of the world and man; and He and the Father are one (See John 1:1; 14:9). He will judge men and angels at the end of the age, sitting on the white throne. He deserves every person's total love, praise, and gratitude, and all glory!
He rolled the stone away and walked out free!
The race was ransomed, their debt fully paid;
Yet, on He went, to conquer death's iron sway,
Leaving us no reason to be afraid!
He still was not done: To heaven He rose;
Was crowned King; given glory and power
To rule the universe, e'en as He chose;
And to judge all men, at time's final hour!
How now, Satan! You owned the souls of men;
It seemed you had Him, hamging on the tree,
But your 'triumph' turned into ashes when
He rolled the stone away and walked out free!
Sing! Hosts of heaven and redeemed He won;
Praise, honor and glory, for what He's done!
The fact that Jesus was resurrected from death is the linchpin of Christianity. Paul said, "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." (1 Cor. 15:14) The unbelieving world began at once a relentless campaign to prevent the truth of the resurrection by posting Roman guards at the tomb the very first night; nevertheless, Jesus came back to life, rolled the hugs stone away from the entrance, and walked away without their knowledge. They saw or heard nothing. Despite 2000 years of unabated attempts to refute the truth, no proof of falsehood has ever been presented; on the other hand, much evidence of its truth has been revealed.
"After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them..." (Acts 1:3-4a)
Paul said that He was seen by as many as 500 people (remember that Paul was there as a Pharisee named Saul, a rabid antagonist, at the time Jesus was showing Himself alive). Apostle Thomas was permitted to touch Jesus on the scars of nails in His hands and feet and spear wound in His side. Many saw Jesus leave the earth from the Mount of Olives and ascend to heaven.
"In my vision I looked, and there before me was one like the son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was let into his presence. He was given authority, glory and universal power; all peoples, nations, and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)
There can be little doubt that the "son of man" Daniel is describing in his vision is Jesus, for "son of man" was His favorite title for Himself. He used it 81 times in His words on earth, far more than any other. He surely wanted His Jewish listeners to link Him to this Old Testament prophesy. The prophesy describes what happened to Him upon His arrival back in heaven. The "Ancient of Days" refers to the Father, who crowned Jesus King and gave Him all authority, in essence turning all the powers of God over to Him. This is the mystery of the Trinity; remember , Jesus was with God from the beginning; He was Creator of the world and man; and He and the Father are one (See John 1:1; 14:9). He will judge men and angels at the end of the age, sitting on the white throne. He deserves every person's total love, praise, and gratitude, and all glory!
He rolled the stone away and walked out free!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
An Onslaught Of Temptation
Why do I yet yearn for forbidden fruit,
The evil lust that plagues my mind despite
Earnest efforts to dismiss and uproot?
Have I not placed Him first, with all my might;
Oft filled the pew; prayed both night and day;
My heart, mind, and soul fixed on holy things;
Old ways expelled; past habits willed away?
I have found that Satan much tempting brings,
A doubled onslaught when the convert's new;
He's always near me, even in the church,
Sitting alongside, in whatever pew,
Whispering slyly, hoping to besmirch!
Wonder not from where lusting rears its head,
Even in the pew, which devils ought to dread!
It is my hope and prayer that someone who reads my blogs will turn to Jesus Such a one must be warned that Satan attacks a new believer with redoubled fury, hoping to turn him back from God's "strait and narrow" to the "broad" path that leads to destruction. So long as one is drifting along in the grip of sin, the devil rarely approaches him. When one of his huge crowd seeks to turn his life around to God, Satan becomes an angry
tiger and does his utmost to reverse his course.
It comes as a surprise to the new believer to discover that the devil and his demons don't hesitate to invade any church. The non-Christian world generally believes that church members are perfectly righteous, or worse, they think they are. The fact is, church members are all sinners, both in their past lives and their present lives. They are still sinners; the difference is only that they have been forgiven by Jesus Christ, which includes even present and future sins, and, some more, some less, are trying to shed their old habits and to live more like Jesus did. The beginning Christian should be faithful in church attendance, because the truths of God are preached there, and Paul tells us that the way to build up meager faith in God is by listening to the preaching of the Bible; also, there are stalwart mature soldiers of Christ there who are eager to lend their encouragement and support.
It may surprise you to learn that sins can be committed in the mind; all sins are not physically performed. The sins of envy, covetousness, and a great many sexual immoralities are mental. Jesus said if one looks on another with lust in his mind, he/she has already committed the sin of adultery. But please understand this: Fleeting inappropriate thoughts enter the mind of every person; these are temptations of the devil and not sin. Dwelled upon; extended; recalled over and over; these are sins. Even in church, where God is closest to us, glimpses of "jigging bottoms and bosoms"; startling body language; suggestive remarks; etc., are temptations that induce us to sin, if we are not alert and don't put them out of mind quickly and completely.
The evil lust that plagues my mind despite
Earnest efforts to dismiss and uproot?
Have I not placed Him first, with all my might;
Oft filled the pew; prayed both night and day;
My heart, mind, and soul fixed on holy things;
Old ways expelled; past habits willed away?
I have found that Satan much tempting brings,
A doubled onslaught when the convert's new;
He's always near me, even in the church,
Sitting alongside, in whatever pew,
Whispering slyly, hoping to besmirch!
Wonder not from where lusting rears its head,
Even in the pew, which devils ought to dread!
It is my hope and prayer that someone who reads my blogs will turn to Jesus Such a one must be warned that Satan attacks a new believer with redoubled fury, hoping to turn him back from God's "strait and narrow" to the "broad" path that leads to destruction. So long as one is drifting along in the grip of sin, the devil rarely approaches him. When one of his huge crowd seeks to turn his life around to God, Satan becomes an angry
tiger and does his utmost to reverse his course.
It comes as a surprise to the new believer to discover that the devil and his demons don't hesitate to invade any church. The non-Christian world generally believes that church members are perfectly righteous, or worse, they think they are. The fact is, church members are all sinners, both in their past lives and their present lives. They are still sinners; the difference is only that they have been forgiven by Jesus Christ, which includes even present and future sins, and, some more, some less, are trying to shed their old habits and to live more like Jesus did. The beginning Christian should be faithful in church attendance, because the truths of God are preached there, and Paul tells us that the way to build up meager faith in God is by listening to the preaching of the Bible; also, there are stalwart mature soldiers of Christ there who are eager to lend their encouragement and support.
It may surprise you to learn that sins can be committed in the mind; all sins are not physically performed. The sins of envy, covetousness, and a great many sexual immoralities are mental. Jesus said if one looks on another with lust in his mind, he/she has already committed the sin of adultery. But please understand this: Fleeting inappropriate thoughts enter the mind of every person; these are temptations of the devil and not sin. Dwelled upon; extended; recalled over and over; these are sins. Even in church, where God is closest to us, glimpses of "jigging bottoms and bosoms"; startling body language; suggestive remarks; etc., are temptations that induce us to sin, if we are not alert and don't put them out of mind quickly and completely.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Sin Of Dissentiousness
Harry and Lisa were husband and wife,
Married for years, and hard to find apart.
They couldn't talk without contentious strife---
Any remark from one brought its retort.
Lisa might say, "It looks like rain outside."
Harry: "It's much too humid for a rain!"
The pitch of her voice rising, Lisa cried,
"The paper said it would!" But all in vain;
Harry rejoined, "Don't start with the whining!
I've told you, and told you, I don't like that!"
Screeching, Lisa yelled, "The sun's quit shining!"
"It won't rain enough to fill my golf hat!
That crying voice will be the death of me!"
Speechless, she decided to let it be.
An occasional dissent uttered to a friend, co-worker, or spouse, which is courteous and deferential, is not a sin. However, habitual dissent to a spouse that is dogmatic is sinful, because it violates Jesus' command to "love others as you love yourself". It is especially hurtful to a spouse; its effect is to "put down"; it makes him/her feel like a booby, and it comes dangerously close to breaking the marriage vow to God. When a person is invariably dissentious to everybody with whom he communicates, it is a very grievous sin. It has no place in a Christian's behavior.
In today's sonnet, we see Lisa's reaction to Harry's dissent. Her blood pressure and emotional stress immediately begin rising at his reply to her casual and non-threatening remark; these effects are revealed in the rising pitch of her voice. She has likely been rebuffed in this way many times before; she becomes agitated and her desperation to win his approval causes the pitch and volume to rise. Harry is insensitive to her reaction; he probably meant no disrespect, but his response conveyed it nonetheless. Sadly, if his son or fellow Christian attempts to call his attention to the fact that he has unconsciously developed a sinful habit, he is likely to become angry (which is another sin) and refuse to consider (a third sin) breaking the habit. Jesus expects His followers to accept a brother's advice and to rid themselves of all the sins they know they have.
Harry and Lisa have one righteous behavior which they conspicuously display to the world---they are still married after many years, despite their failure to communicate. This is what Jesus expects His Christian brothers to do: Keep your marriage intact, despite serious problems of communication.
I just learned that the Obama White House is not having Christmas trees this year. Instead, they are having Holiday trees. When candidate Obama asked voters to elect him for change in America, he didn't specify what things he wanted to change. Now we know; I don't like taking Christ out of Christmas.
Married for years, and hard to find apart.
They couldn't talk without contentious strife---
Any remark from one brought its retort.
Lisa might say, "It looks like rain outside."
Harry: "It's much too humid for a rain!"
The pitch of her voice rising, Lisa cried,
"The paper said it would!" But all in vain;
Harry rejoined, "Don't start with the whining!
I've told you, and told you, I don't like that!"
Screeching, Lisa yelled, "The sun's quit shining!"
"It won't rain enough to fill my golf hat!
That crying voice will be the death of me!"
Speechless, she decided to let it be.
An occasional dissent uttered to a friend, co-worker, or spouse, which is courteous and deferential, is not a sin. However, habitual dissent to a spouse that is dogmatic is sinful, because it violates Jesus' command to "love others as you love yourself". It is especially hurtful to a spouse; its effect is to "put down"; it makes him/her feel like a booby, and it comes dangerously close to breaking the marriage vow to God. When a person is invariably dissentious to everybody with whom he communicates, it is a very grievous sin. It has no place in a Christian's behavior.
In today's sonnet, we see Lisa's reaction to Harry's dissent. Her blood pressure and emotional stress immediately begin rising at his reply to her casual and non-threatening remark; these effects are revealed in the rising pitch of her voice. She has likely been rebuffed in this way many times before; she becomes agitated and her desperation to win his approval causes the pitch and volume to rise. Harry is insensitive to her reaction; he probably meant no disrespect, but his response conveyed it nonetheless. Sadly, if his son or fellow Christian attempts to call his attention to the fact that he has unconsciously developed a sinful habit, he is likely to become angry (which is another sin) and refuse to consider (a third sin) breaking the habit. Jesus expects His followers to accept a brother's advice and to rid themselves of all the sins they know they have.
Harry and Lisa have one righteous behavior which they conspicuously display to the world---they are still married after many years, despite their failure to communicate. This is what Jesus expects His Christian brothers to do: Keep your marriage intact, despite serious problems of communication.
I just learned that the Obama White House is not having Christmas trees this year. Instead, they are having Holiday trees. When candidate Obama asked voters to elect him for change in America, he didn't specify what things he wanted to change. Now we know; I don't like taking Christ out of Christmas.
Monday, October 19, 2009
"But I'm A Good Fella"
I was asked, "What must I do to be saved?"
"Repent of your sins; change your worldly life."
"What sins? Drink and drugs I have never craved;
I pay my bills; I do not beat my wife;
I'm a good fella; least as good as you!"
He stumped me there, as I was guilty, too;
So I said, "Yes, but my life's good as new;
God forgave my sins; did He forgive you?"
"But what have I done that needs forgiving?"
"You break His greatest commandment, for sure,
Which is: 'Love God most of any living';
Adam's sin, too, applies, makes you impure!"
Sadly, I watched him go, still unconvinced
That anything he had done gave God offense!
Our modern culture so engulfs and indoctrinates Christians and non-Christians alike that it becomes difficult to identify actions that the Bible says are "sinful". Television and movies are the twin monsters of evil that dominate and impregnate us from infancy with the values that govern our beliefs and actions; copying them, we commit sin pervasively and yet do not identify ourselves as sinful. Christians are as guilty as non-Christians; a recent study by Barna Research Group of California reported that only 11% of self-professed believers in Jesus had lifestyles noticeably different from non-believers!
"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: Sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galations 5:19-21) (See also Colossians 3:5-9)
Paul gives a partial list of behaviors that are sinful (meaning, they are offensive to God, and must be forgiven by Him for salvation) to the Christians in the church at Galatia in the first century A.D. They are evil today; it takes intellectual analysis and the aid of the Holy Spirit to apply them to our culture in the 21st century. It will help you to meditate on each of these; scrutinize your recent activities objectively; It would take a paragon of virtue to claim innocence in all of those listed, when you consider that, in addition to these comparatively few sinful actions, there are hundreds---nay---thousands more cited in scripture, plus many invented every day by the insatiably evil minds of men---there truly is no man that is free of sin and is not in need of God's forgiveness.
Space allows me to accentuate only a few. For example, your body is the "temple" or dwelling of God; hence it is a sin to harm it with tobacco, alcohol, drugs, etc. Most vows, as in marriage, resolutions, testimonies. are made to God; breaking a vow is sin. Breaking one of the Ten Commandments, God's laws engraved by Him personally in stone and given to Moses, is a sin, The sin that everyone born of woman is born guilty of is the first man Adam's sin of disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Jesus was innocent of this sin because Mary was impregnated while a virgin by God the Holy Spirit. All other men resulted from the sperm of a descendant of Adam. Sexual lust in one's mind; envy; covetousness; jealousy; anger; lying; cheating; breaking traffic laws; discourtesy; theft from employers, even a single paper clip; nonpayment of legitimate tax or bill; and many other routine actions are offensive to God. No one is free of sin. However, God graciously forgives all our sins, but we must ask Him to. When He does, we must make a determined effort to abandon the doing of those things; not to quit doing them is a sin, too; it is breaking a vow to God; that is serious!
"Repent of your sins; change your worldly life."
"What sins? Drink and drugs I have never craved;
I pay my bills; I do not beat my wife;
I'm a good fella; least as good as you!"
He stumped me there, as I was guilty, too;
So I said, "Yes, but my life's good as new;
God forgave my sins; did He forgive you?"
"But what have I done that needs forgiving?"
"You break His greatest commandment, for sure,
Which is: 'Love God most of any living';
Adam's sin, too, applies, makes you impure!"
Sadly, I watched him go, still unconvinced
That anything he had done gave God offense!
Our modern culture so engulfs and indoctrinates Christians and non-Christians alike that it becomes difficult to identify actions that the Bible says are "sinful". Television and movies are the twin monsters of evil that dominate and impregnate us from infancy with the values that govern our beliefs and actions; copying them, we commit sin pervasively and yet do not identify ourselves as sinful. Christians are as guilty as non-Christians; a recent study by Barna Research Group of California reported that only 11% of self-professed believers in Jesus had lifestyles noticeably different from non-believers!
"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: Sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galations 5:19-21) (See also Colossians 3:5-9)
Paul gives a partial list of behaviors that are sinful (meaning, they are offensive to God, and must be forgiven by Him for salvation) to the Christians in the church at Galatia in the first century A.D. They are evil today; it takes intellectual analysis and the aid of the Holy Spirit to apply them to our culture in the 21st century. It will help you to meditate on each of these; scrutinize your recent activities objectively; It would take a paragon of virtue to claim innocence in all of those listed, when you consider that, in addition to these comparatively few sinful actions, there are hundreds---nay---thousands more cited in scripture, plus many invented every day by the insatiably evil minds of men---there truly is no man that is free of sin and is not in need of God's forgiveness.
Space allows me to accentuate only a few. For example, your body is the "temple" or dwelling of God; hence it is a sin to harm it with tobacco, alcohol, drugs, etc. Most vows, as in marriage, resolutions, testimonies. are made to God; breaking a vow is sin. Breaking one of the Ten Commandments, God's laws engraved by Him personally in stone and given to Moses, is a sin, The sin that everyone born of woman is born guilty of is the first man Adam's sin of disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Jesus was innocent of this sin because Mary was impregnated while a virgin by God the Holy Spirit. All other men resulted from the sperm of a descendant of Adam. Sexual lust in one's mind; envy; covetousness; jealousy; anger; lying; cheating; breaking traffic laws; discourtesy; theft from employers, even a single paper clip; nonpayment of legitimate tax or bill; and many other routine actions are offensive to God. No one is free of sin. However, God graciously forgives all our sins, but we must ask Him to. When He does, we must make a determined effort to abandon the doing of those things; not to quit doing them is a sin, too; it is breaking a vow to God; that is serious!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Nitpicking 101
The young man paused, unsure the church of choice,
Of which to join, where Jesus would be taught;
From source unseen came a heavenly voice,
"Why tarry without? All are Bible fraught!
Any church is a fount of grace and truth,
And will suffice, of your Lord Christ to tell."
"But these folk are so old!" demurred the youth;
For them, not I, the grave soon tolls the knell!"
"See not the tomb in these snow-colored manes,
Deeply-lined faces, and red rheumy eyes;
Tho' their times are brief, the graveyard retains
Nothing but flesh; to heaven each soul flies!"
Long years of service build a trove of truth
That will enhance growth in wisdom of youth!
This poem selects a rather small example of the delaying excuses supplied by Satan in an accelerated assault upon a young new believer to keep him from immediately following his acceptance of Jesus with beginning his discipleship. He needs to follow his profession with a determined effort to overhaul his worldly lifestyle, to break himself away from old habits that offend God, replacing them with gentleness, loving others, and become an habitual churchgoer. A multitude of nitpicking excuses to put the new lifestyle off, maybe forever, immediately confront him within just hours of his new resolution to follow God. I'm sorry to say that a majority of new converts do allow themselves to be diverted from making the necessary change to a new life, and, therefore, their salvation to heaven for eternity is very much in doubt. You must be prepared for this assault of excuses from Satan, and to overcome them, so that you can be allowed to grow into a wise and determined soldier in Christ's war against evil.
The dissuading excuses are legion, but here are listed a few.
"I believe in God, but church is not my thing."
"They are always asking for money."
"The church is full of hypocrites."
"You can go to heaven without going to church."
"I don't like loud preachers."
"I don't get 'fed' there."
"I don't like the music."
"Sunday is my day to be with the family/"
"Sunday is my only day to relax."
"I must do my shopping on Sunday."
"The people are cold and unfriendly."
"Bible classes are segregated by sex and age."
"The services are too long."
"I don't like to leave my baby in the nursery."
etc., etc.
I'm sure you get the idea. The same kind of nitpicking leads to long-time Christians moving from church to church to church. It also leads to long-time Christians staying home altogether from church. We tend to forget what the church is for---it is a hospital for sinners, not a collection of saints on earth.
Of which to join, where Jesus would be taught;
From source unseen came a heavenly voice,
"Why tarry without? All are Bible fraught!
Any church is a fount of grace and truth,
And will suffice, of your Lord Christ to tell."
"But these folk are so old!" demurred the youth;
For them, not I, the grave soon tolls the knell!"
"See not the tomb in these snow-colored manes,
Deeply-lined faces, and red rheumy eyes;
Tho' their times are brief, the graveyard retains
Nothing but flesh; to heaven each soul flies!"
Long years of service build a trove of truth
That will enhance growth in wisdom of youth!
This poem selects a rather small example of the delaying excuses supplied by Satan in an accelerated assault upon a young new believer to keep him from immediately following his acceptance of Jesus with beginning his discipleship. He needs to follow his profession with a determined effort to overhaul his worldly lifestyle, to break himself away from old habits that offend God, replacing them with gentleness, loving others, and become an habitual churchgoer. A multitude of nitpicking excuses to put the new lifestyle off, maybe forever, immediately confront him within just hours of his new resolution to follow God. I'm sorry to say that a majority of new converts do allow themselves to be diverted from making the necessary change to a new life, and, therefore, their salvation to heaven for eternity is very much in doubt. You must be prepared for this assault of excuses from Satan, and to overcome them, so that you can be allowed to grow into a wise and determined soldier in Christ's war against evil.
The dissuading excuses are legion, but here are listed a few.
"I believe in God, but church is not my thing."
"They are always asking for money."
"The church is full of hypocrites."
"You can go to heaven without going to church."
"I don't like loud preachers."
"I don't get 'fed' there."
"I don't like the music."
"Sunday is my day to be with the family/"
"Sunday is my only day to relax."
"I must do my shopping on Sunday."
"The people are cold and unfriendly."
"Bible classes are segregated by sex and age."
"The services are too long."
"I don't like to leave my baby in the nursery."
etc., etc.
I'm sure you get the idea. The same kind of nitpicking leads to long-time Christians moving from church to church to church. It also leads to long-time Christians staying home altogether from church. We tend to forget what the church is for---it is a hospital for sinners, not a collection of saints on earth.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Work Of The Holy Spirit
God came to earth's lost men not once but twice;
First, Jesus, who died to pay for their sin;
Next, God's Holy Spirit, who gives advice---
To guide the saved, and to convict lost men!
He's still here, dwelling inside of us all;
His chosen hear His voice, and do His will;
But to the lost, He whispers soft and small,
Warning, "Your ways are evil to God still!
Unless you change, judgment awaits you nigh!"
Such are His tasks until Jesus returns,
To gather His church to Him in the sky;
Then it'll be too late for lost ones to turn!
The Spirit leaves with those without taint---
Ev'ry sinner Christ made into a saint!
"But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. In regard to sin, because men do not believe in me... I have much more to say to you, more than you can bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth." (John 15:7-9, 12-13)
Jesus told His apostles the evening before His crucifiction that He was going from earth for a time, but that He would send the Holy Spirit to earth. His task would be to warn lost men that they were in danger of God's judgment of condemnation unless they believed in Jesus and changed their sinful ways to righteous ones. They would not believe in Him unless their consciences troubled them and urged them to turn. The Spirit also was to lead believers into knowledge of truths that Jesus had not had time to teach them.
Christians believe in one God that has revealed Himself in three different beings in scripture. They are God the Father, always in heaven directing divine tasks; God as the only begotten Son, who came to earth as a man to call the world into repentance and belief for their eternal salvation; and God the Holy Soirit, who works inside people as described above. These three manifestations of deity, in a mysterious way, are the same. This is what we call the Trinity, a triune God. In fact, it does no harm to think of the man we knew as Jesus as God---Daniel Chapter 7 in verses 11-14 describe Jesus being given universal authority as Christ; John 1:1 (and other scriptures) calls Him the Word who created the world in the begining, etc.
The fact that God as the Holy Spirit indwells all people has led to a huge falsification popular in modern culture---that He is there to guide everyone into ALL truth, just as He does believers in Jesus Christ. That is a mis-contrual of John 15:7-9. If this were true, it would assume that all people are qualified for salvation. This is contradicted by John 14:6, which says emphatically and clearly that belief in Jesus Christ is the one and only way to be saved. Plainly, if you do not sincerely believe in Jesus as Lord which motivates you to follow His commandments, you are under condemnation and dead already. The only thing the Holy Spirit has to say to you is to nag your conscience that you are not right with God!
First, Jesus, who died to pay for their sin;
Next, God's Holy Spirit, who gives advice---
To guide the saved, and to convict lost men!
He's still here, dwelling inside of us all;
His chosen hear His voice, and do His will;
But to the lost, He whispers soft and small,
Warning, "Your ways are evil to God still!
Unless you change, judgment awaits you nigh!"
Such are His tasks until Jesus returns,
To gather His church to Him in the sky;
Then it'll be too late for lost ones to turn!
The Spirit leaves with those without taint---
Ev'ry sinner Christ made into a saint!
"But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. In regard to sin, because men do not believe in me... I have much more to say to you, more than you can bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth." (John 15:7-9, 12-13)
Jesus told His apostles the evening before His crucifiction that He was going from earth for a time, but that He would send the Holy Spirit to earth. His task would be to warn lost men that they were in danger of God's judgment of condemnation unless they believed in Jesus and changed their sinful ways to righteous ones. They would not believe in Him unless their consciences troubled them and urged them to turn. The Spirit also was to lead believers into knowledge of truths that Jesus had not had time to teach them.
Christians believe in one God that has revealed Himself in three different beings in scripture. They are God the Father, always in heaven directing divine tasks; God as the only begotten Son, who came to earth as a man to call the world into repentance and belief for their eternal salvation; and God the Holy Soirit, who works inside people as described above. These three manifestations of deity, in a mysterious way, are the same. This is what we call the Trinity, a triune God. In fact, it does no harm to think of the man we knew as Jesus as God---Daniel Chapter 7 in verses 11-14 describe Jesus being given universal authority as Christ; John 1:1 (and other scriptures) calls Him the Word who created the world in the begining, etc.
The fact that God as the Holy Spirit indwells all people has led to a huge falsification popular in modern culture---that He is there to guide everyone into ALL truth, just as He does believers in Jesus Christ. That is a mis-contrual of John 15:7-9. If this were true, it would assume that all people are qualified for salvation. This is contradicted by John 14:6, which says emphatically and clearly that belief in Jesus Christ is the one and only way to be saved. Plainly, if you do not sincerely believe in Jesus as Lord which motivates you to follow His commandments, you are under condemnation and dead already. The only thing the Holy Spirit has to say to you is to nag your conscience that you are not right with God!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Jesus Is God Forever
The critics say, "Nay! Jesus is not God!
While on earth, He never said that He was;
Roman Constantine, when he held the rod,
Promoted Him, for his own selfish cause!
Wrong! Jesus called Himself "the Son of Man,"
For us to understand, without a doubt,
That we, though tempted like Him, pure can stand;
To fulfill prophecy, the King who holds out
Is like son of man, not a beast who crawled!
At His trial, Caiaphas asked, "Are you Christ?"
"I am," He said, the blaspheme that so galled
The priests, that to the cross Jesus was triced!
He's Lord of the Sabbath, then and today;
He forgives sins then, and on Judgment Day!
Some scholars say Jesus never claimed that He was divine, was only man, though one to be respected and maybe a prophet. They say that Emperor Constantine (reigned 306-324AD) dreamed of a cross the night before a crucial battle; ordered one carried before his army and won; therefore, he promoted Jesus from a man to God and made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. This was despite the fact that tens of thousands of Christians had been martyred by his predecessors. Also, note that though Christ's own people crucified Him because He was not a military conqueror of Rome but gentle and meek, He did conquer Rome with His gentle ways by 312AD. That Jesus was actually both fully God and fully man was confirmed by the Catholic Church at the Council of Nicea in 325.
Another reason given to support this false claim is that Jesus never claimed to be divine, and when His apostles called Him Christ, He told them not to tell that to anybody. That admonition was meant to be only temporary, until His resurrection and the Jews had actually rejected Him. Isaiah 6:9-10 describes God's judgment on Israel to make them callous and dulled in spiritual insight so that they would not accept Him, and His plan for salvation would be exrended from Israel only to every person on earth. So Jesus used "the Son of Man" to refer to Himself 81 times in the gospels, more than any other appelation.
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like the son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was let into his presence. He was given authority, g;lory and universal power; all peoples, nations, and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:11-14)
Daniel 7 describes the coming Kingdom of God, launched by Jesus when He came to earth the first time, and every Jewish religionist knew it intimately. Jesus uses Son of Man deliberately as a title to connect Himself with the old prophesies of the coming of Messiah. Everybody that knew Jesus either hated, feared, or adored Him; they reacted to Him as they would to God. Constantine and the Catrholic Church were much too late to make Jesus God.
While on earth, He never said that He was;
Roman Constantine, when he held the rod,
Promoted Him, for his own selfish cause!
Wrong! Jesus called Himself "the Son of Man,"
For us to understand, without a doubt,
That we, though tempted like Him, pure can stand;
To fulfill prophecy, the King who holds out
Is like son of man, not a beast who crawled!
At His trial, Caiaphas asked, "Are you Christ?"
"I am," He said, the blaspheme that so galled
The priests, that to the cross Jesus was triced!
He's Lord of the Sabbath, then and today;
He forgives sins then, and on Judgment Day!
Some scholars say Jesus never claimed that He was divine, was only man, though one to be respected and maybe a prophet. They say that Emperor Constantine (reigned 306-324AD) dreamed of a cross the night before a crucial battle; ordered one carried before his army and won; therefore, he promoted Jesus from a man to God and made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. This was despite the fact that tens of thousands of Christians had been martyred by his predecessors. Also, note that though Christ's own people crucified Him because He was not a military conqueror of Rome but gentle and meek, He did conquer Rome with His gentle ways by 312AD. That Jesus was actually both fully God and fully man was confirmed by the Catholic Church at the Council of Nicea in 325.
Another reason given to support this false claim is that Jesus never claimed to be divine, and when His apostles called Him Christ, He told them not to tell that to anybody. That admonition was meant to be only temporary, until His resurrection and the Jews had actually rejected Him. Isaiah 6:9-10 describes God's judgment on Israel to make them callous and dulled in spiritual insight so that they would not accept Him, and His plan for salvation would be exrended from Israel only to every person on earth. So Jesus used "the Son of Man" to refer to Himself 81 times in the gospels, more than any other appelation.
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like the son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was let into his presence. He was given authority, g;lory and universal power; all peoples, nations, and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:11-14)
Daniel 7 describes the coming Kingdom of God, launched by Jesus when He came to earth the first time, and every Jewish religionist knew it intimately. Jesus uses Son of Man deliberately as a title to connect Himself with the old prophesies of the coming of Messiah. Everybody that knew Jesus either hated, feared, or adored Him; they reacted to Him as they would to God. Constantine and the Catrholic Church were much too late to make Jesus God.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Jonathan And Tara
My grandson and Tara stood before God;
To Him and to each other pledged their vows:
To love each other till death ends their plod;
To be one flesh, sharing all life endows!
God was pleased, because in His Book of Life
Both their names were writ even before time;
He knew their wills were firmly fixed for strife
Ahead---the future's not always sublime!
His gift of eros love had made them one,
Had served its purpose; but it would not last;
Both would let the Spirit's work all be done
To grow agape love, when eros passed!
If each puts the other first in all things,
Their oaths to God are kept; true happiness clings!
I am praising God for bringing my grandson Jonathan and Tara to His altar last week, where they pledged their vows to God and each other in a moving and sacred sacrament of marriage. Especially emotional for Janette and me; Jonathan is the oldest child of our son Rick, who died suddenly in 2003 at the age of 45. Tears of joy flowed in abundance, beginning with the nuptial pair and spreading throughout the huge crowd of families and friends. I'm positive Rick was there with us, smiling through his tears.
It was a "Christian" marriage, which presages a happy future for the two. They knew their pledges were made to God as well as to each other; they also know that God's Holy Spirit indwells each, and they're determined to let Him guide in all aspects of their life together. God does not take the breaking of vows to Him lightly; in most cases, divorce requires one or both to forsake his/her oath, and that is a sin for which a child of God is disciplined by a loving Father.
Eros love is sexual attraction. Television soaps teach a misguided value---that a person owes it to himself to follow his desires (read 'sexual interests'), even if it means breaking a vow made to another. Christians, on the other hand, know that the two most important commandments of God are to love Him (God) more than anybody (even your spouse); and to love others (yes, a nagging spouse for whom all sexual attraction has long vanished) as much as you do yourself. Eros love does slowly wear away; in its place the Spirit guides the Christian into a beautiful, satisfying, eternal love called "agape" love. It grows as the years go by; after 56 years of marriage, my wife and I love each other a thousand times more than on our wedding day. Her welfare is more important to me than my own; and she feels the same about me. It didn't come easily; but it will come to two Christians whose wills are pliable by the Holy Spirit.
To Him and to each other pledged their vows:
To love each other till death ends their plod;
To be one flesh, sharing all life endows!
God was pleased, because in His Book of Life
Both their names were writ even before time;
He knew their wills were firmly fixed for strife
Ahead---the future's not always sublime!
His gift of eros love had made them one,
Had served its purpose; but it would not last;
Both would let the Spirit's work all be done
To grow agape love, when eros passed!
If each puts the other first in all things,
Their oaths to God are kept; true happiness clings!
I am praising God for bringing my grandson Jonathan and Tara to His altar last week, where they pledged their vows to God and each other in a moving and sacred sacrament of marriage. Especially emotional for Janette and me; Jonathan is the oldest child of our son Rick, who died suddenly in 2003 at the age of 45. Tears of joy flowed in abundance, beginning with the nuptial pair and spreading throughout the huge crowd of families and friends. I'm positive Rick was there with us, smiling through his tears.
It was a "Christian" marriage, which presages a happy future for the two. They knew their pledges were made to God as well as to each other; they also know that God's Holy Spirit indwells each, and they're determined to let Him guide in all aspects of their life together. God does not take the breaking of vows to Him lightly; in most cases, divorce requires one or both to forsake his/her oath, and that is a sin for which a child of God is disciplined by a loving Father.
Eros love is sexual attraction. Television soaps teach a misguided value---that a person owes it to himself to follow his desires (read 'sexual interests'), even if it means breaking a vow made to another. Christians, on the other hand, know that the two most important commandments of God are to love Him (God) more than anybody (even your spouse); and to love others (yes, a nagging spouse for whom all sexual attraction has long vanished) as much as you do yourself. Eros love does slowly wear away; in its place the Spirit guides the Christian into a beautiful, satisfying, eternal love called "agape" love. It grows as the years go by; after 56 years of marriage, my wife and I love each other a thousand times more than on our wedding day. Her welfare is more important to me than my own; and she feels the same about me. It didn't come easily; but it will come to two Christians whose wills are pliable by the Holy Spirit.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Grief That Brings Joy
A human being, unaware of God,
Revels in thrills his sinful nature craves,
Till he learns that God in this same world trod;
Died a ransom; and sinners like him saves!
Then his world seems bleak as repentance reigns;
His heart grieves for previous neglect
Of the Savior his sins shamed with disdain,
But soon, being forgiven ends regret!
He wills to abandon the old-time ways;
To live as Jesus asked us all to do;
To love God and others through all his days;
To let the Spirit guide and make him new!
Alas, into sin all men are sure to fall,
But some are forgiven, by God's free call!
You may have heard the expression, "You must be born again!" In fact, Jimmy Carter stirred up the nation by claiming that he was 'born-again' and was 'guilty of the sin of lust by desire in his heart for a woman'. This phrase is used often by Christians to describe the 'new life' he begins to live after professing his belief in Jesus Christ as Lord. The Bible says that if a person professes with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that Jesus is resurrected from the dead, he will be saved. When this happens, it is usually the result of 'repentance', which is a desolate feeling of grief and shame for his former way of life. You may ask, What is wrong with a life lived without God? Well, for starters, he has broken what Jesus called the two most important commandments of God: To love God more than anything or anybody; and to love all others as yourself. Added to those are the sin of Adam; and no doubt there has been some vow-breaking, infidelity, theft, lying, etc.
As the realization of how his past-life has offended God, Who gave His life on the cross as a ransom for the human race who fell when the first man sinned, a believer grieves for his guilt. This sorrow turns into joy as he realizes his sins, past and future, are forgiven, and he is "saved"---that is, he is headed for eternal life in heaven. God's Holy Spirit, after convicting him that living without God is a mistake, now indwells him permanently and guides him in the renovation of his lifestyle. Now, he is born again, this time to live as God intended for man to live when he was created!
Revels in thrills his sinful nature craves,
Till he learns that God in this same world trod;
Died a ransom; and sinners like him saves!
Then his world seems bleak as repentance reigns;
His heart grieves for previous neglect
Of the Savior his sins shamed with disdain,
But soon, being forgiven ends regret!
He wills to abandon the old-time ways;
To live as Jesus asked us all to do;
To love God and others through all his days;
To let the Spirit guide and make him new!
Alas, into sin all men are sure to fall,
But some are forgiven, by God's free call!
You may have heard the expression, "You must be born again!" In fact, Jimmy Carter stirred up the nation by claiming that he was 'born-again' and was 'guilty of the sin of lust by desire in his heart for a woman'. This phrase is used often by Christians to describe the 'new life' he begins to live after professing his belief in Jesus Christ as Lord. The Bible says that if a person professes with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that Jesus is resurrected from the dead, he will be saved. When this happens, it is usually the result of 'repentance', which is a desolate feeling of grief and shame for his former way of life. You may ask, What is wrong with a life lived without God? Well, for starters, he has broken what Jesus called the two most important commandments of God: To love God more than anything or anybody; and to love all others as yourself. Added to those are the sin of Adam; and no doubt there has been some vow-breaking, infidelity, theft, lying, etc.
As the realization of how his past-life has offended God, Who gave His life on the cross as a ransom for the human race who fell when the first man sinned, a believer grieves for his guilt. This sorrow turns into joy as he realizes his sins, past and future, are forgiven, and he is "saved"---that is, he is headed for eternal life in heaven. God's Holy Spirit, after convicting him that living without God is a mistake, now indwells him permanently and guides him in the renovation of his lifestyle. Now, he is born again, this time to live as God intended for man to live when he was created!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Man's Flesh Betrays Him
Man's sinful flesh is never satisfied;
Oft sated, it soon engorges again!
Begone! How I yearn to be gratified,
To don the new body of Christ's domain,
That undying essence which clothes the blest!
With none of the faults of this earthly shroud,
It's forever replete and needs no rest;
No infancy, nor dour aging becloud!
With gender gone, love is all agape;
There wiil be no death, or parting sorrows;
No flesh, and so no lust, to cause us stray;
No frets for today; none for tomorrows!
Shed no tears at the passing of man;
Being rid of flesh, he will nobler stand!
Most people spend their entire lives trying not to think of death. Their bodies are both amazingly tough, yet incredibly frail. They are created by God of elements found in earth, and after our threescore and ten or however long we live, they decay back into the dust from which they came. The span of life may seem long to us while living it, but in the sight of God and those knowledgeable of His Bible, it is brief indeed. From his flesh comes many of the weaknesses that lead men to "sin", or acts that God wishes we would not do.
God gave us the gift of "eros" love, a powerful attraction that brings a man and woman together in exquisite rapture; however, His purpose in giving it is to motivate a lifelong commitment between the same two persons. By keeping the vows made to God in Christian marriage, eros love grows into "agape" love, which causes each to put the other above his own desires. They become "one flesh", which is His formula for propagating life and having it to exist in success and happiness. However, man's flesh usually overcomes his will to keep his vows; when eros love is all there is, sin abounds.
One who confesses his belief in Jesus as Lord with his mouth, and believes in his heart that He was raised from the dead will become a child of God; when he dies, he goes to be with God in paradise forever and ever. He knows that this life is short, but eternal life is what he keeps his eyes and heart fixed upon. Death to the Christian is nothing to dread or to grieve about; it is a victory; when it comes. he will live forever in a perfect ageless body!
Oft sated, it soon engorges again!
Begone! How I yearn to be gratified,
To don the new body of Christ's domain,
That undying essence which clothes the blest!
With none of the faults of this earthly shroud,
It's forever replete and needs no rest;
No infancy, nor dour aging becloud!
With gender gone, love is all agape;
There wiil be no death, or parting sorrows;
No flesh, and so no lust, to cause us stray;
No frets for today; none for tomorrows!
Shed no tears at the passing of man;
Being rid of flesh, he will nobler stand!
Most people spend their entire lives trying not to think of death. Their bodies are both amazingly tough, yet incredibly frail. They are created by God of elements found in earth, and after our threescore and ten or however long we live, they decay back into the dust from which they came. The span of life may seem long to us while living it, but in the sight of God and those knowledgeable of His Bible, it is brief indeed. From his flesh comes many of the weaknesses that lead men to "sin", or acts that God wishes we would not do.
God gave us the gift of "eros" love, a powerful attraction that brings a man and woman together in exquisite rapture; however, His purpose in giving it is to motivate a lifelong commitment between the same two persons. By keeping the vows made to God in Christian marriage, eros love grows into "agape" love, which causes each to put the other above his own desires. They become "one flesh", which is His formula for propagating life and having it to exist in success and happiness. However, man's flesh usually overcomes his will to keep his vows; when eros love is all there is, sin abounds.
One who confesses his belief in Jesus as Lord with his mouth, and believes in his heart that He was raised from the dead will become a child of God; when he dies, he goes to be with God in paradise forever and ever. He knows that this life is short, but eternal life is what he keeps his eyes and heart fixed upon. Death to the Christian is nothing to dread or to grieve about; it is a victory; when it comes. he will live forever in a perfect ageless body!
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