John The Baptist Was Elijah ‘A voice of one who cries: “Prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord. Make straight a way for our God in the desert … and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed’” (Isaiah 40:3 & 5). ‘Behold, I send My messenger and he shall prepare the way before Me.’ … ‘Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes, and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse’ (Malachi 3:1; 4:5 & 6). Jesus told His disciples the prophecy in Malachi was fulfilled. Jesus said, “What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes I tell you but one much more than a prophet. This is the one of whom it was written, ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You’. Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist … and from the days of John theBaptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has endured violence and the violent (zealous believers) seize it by force. All the prophets and the law prophesied up until John, and if you are willing to receive it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:9 to 15). Then again the disciples asked Him, “Why do the scribes say Elijah must come first?” Jesus replied, “Elijah does come and will prepare everything, but I tell you Elijah has come already and they did not recognise him and did to him as they chose.” … Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them about John the Baptist’ (Matthew 17:10 to 13). ‘As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “Behold I send My messenger before Your face who will prepare Your way. A voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord’” (Mark 1:2 & 3). ‘The disciples asked, “Why do the scribes say that it is necessary for Elijah to come first?” Jesus said to them, “Elijah, it is true, does come first to restore all things … but I tell you Elijah has come and people did to him whatever they desired as it is written of him” (Mark 9:11 to 13). ‘For he will be great in the sight of the Lord … and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb; he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God and he will go before the Lord (Jesus) in the Spirit and Power of Elijah to turn back the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared in Spirit for the Lord’ (Luke 1:15 to 17). “And listen! Your kinswoman (cousin or aunt) Elizabeth has conceived a son in her old age” … ‘and it happened when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby (the unborn John) leaped inher womb’. Elizabeth said, “Behold, the instant I heard your voice, the baby in my womb leapt for joy” (Luke 1:36, 41 & 44). “And you little one, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you shall go before the face of the Lord to make ready His ways, to bring the knowledge of salvation to His people by the forgiveness and remission of their sins” (Luke 1:76 & 77). ‘As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord and all mankind shall see the salvation of God’” (Luke 3:4 & 6). Jesus said, “What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes I tell you and far more than a prophet. This is the one of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face who will prepare Your way before You.’ I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John” (Luke 7:26 to 28). Jesus said, “Until John came, there were the law and the prophets. Since then the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is being preached and everyone is forcing their way in (to heaven)” (Luke 16:16). ‘There came a man sent from God whose name was John. This man came to witness that he might testify ofthe Light, so that all men might believe in it. He was not the Light himself but he came that he might testify about the Light’ (John 1:6 to 8). John the Baptist said of himself, “I am the voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness; “Prepare the way of the Lord” as the prophet Isaiah said’ (John 1:23). “I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent before Him to be His appointed messenger” (John 3:28). The end of the Old Testament and the start of the New Testament speak of John the Baptist. He was a righteous and a holy man (Mark 6:20). Following the prophecies in Isaiah and Malachi, we have the fulfilment almost word for word spoken by Jesus and confirmed by John himself. John knew he was the specially anointed messenger sent by God the Father to prepare the way for Jesus the Son to bring the Kingdom ofGod to earth. These verses prove scripturally, that Elijah is not coming a third time and John the Baptist was the Elijah who was to come when he came in the same Spirit and Power Elijah had. John the Baptist said he was the one sent who was prophesied about, and Jesus said John was Elijah who was to come. It is Jesuswho will come again, not Elijah. Jesus was careful to make those who did not believe it think again when he said, “If you are willing to receive it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” When people assume Elijah is coming again, then those people are not willing to accept the prophecy has been fulfilled, and they are not willing to accept the truth of the words of Jesus. When Jesus said John the Baptist was Elijah, then we have to believe it and stop looking for that prophecy to be fulfilled again.
John The Baptist Was Elijah
October 11th, 2011 · No Comments
→ No CommentsTags: End of the Age · Prophecy
Love
July 22nd, 2011 · No Comments
1 John 3:16-24 “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethern. But whoever has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the Love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in workd or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. beloved if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He have us commandment.”
→ No CommentsTags: Discipleship · Jesus
Jesus – Yahshua – Is the LIVING WORD OF GOD
March 31st, 2011 · No Comments
The good news of the Kingdom of God in and through Jesus (Yahshua) the Annointed One with the SPIRIT of GOD. Matthew 4:23 And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.”
the Law and the Prophets ended when John came on the scene, concurrent with the time when Jesus began preaching the Kingdom of God. So, Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets by fulfilling the prophecies and by perfecting the law. He did not abolish them, as he says Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
We now are called to obey the Word of the Kingdom of God – Jesus and the Word of God that Jesus spoke. The Laws of Love the principals of the Kingdom of Heaven.
John 6:63 “It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.”
John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
John 8:52 ‘If any one keeps my word, he will never taste death.’
John 7:37, 39 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
John 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth, for such the Father seeks to worship Him.”
Jesus said it is the Spirit that Gives Life. The SPIRIT comes through and by JESUS the ANNOINTED ONE – from the FATHER. The SPIRIT gives LIFE to the WORD. JESUS the ANNOINTED ONE(the word of God) and the SPIRIT are ONE with the FATHER. THEY are LIFE.
→ No CommentsTags: Gospel Message · Jesus
Whatever Can Be Shaken Will Be Shaken
March 10th, 2011 · No Comments
Whatever Can Be Shaken Will Be Shaken‘For thus says the Lord of hosts; “Yet once more I will shake the heavens, the earth, the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all nations’” (Haggai 2:6 & 7). ‘Yet once more I will shake the earth and also the heavens. Now this expression, “Yet once more”, indicates the final transformation of all that can be shaken – that is, of that which has been created in order that what cannot be shaken may remain. Let us therefore, receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship and awe, for our God is a consuming fire’ (Hebrews 12:25 to 29).bibleabookoftruth.com
God is not only shaking things on earth – He is also shaking things in heaven. ‘All the foundations of the earth are shaking’ (Psalm 82:5). ‘The powers of the heavens will be shaken’ (Matthew 24:29). Every Christian needs to be prepared to be shaken, and that is not easy. Why would God shake His people? To discipline us and purify us for the Kingdom of God (Titus 2:14); to separate the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:32). Remember, this Gospel is a Gospel of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 24:14); it is the power unto salvation. The Kingdom of God is the only thing that can never be shaken, and Christians who make Jesus their Rock and Fortress will not be greatly shaken either. ‘He is my Rock and my Salvation, my Defence and my Fortress; I shall never be greatly shaken’ (Psalm 62:2 & 6). Jesus said, ‘There will be violent earthquakes, famines and pestilences (epidemics, plagues etc); there will be sights of terror (terrorism) and great signs from heaven … in the sun and moon and stars (sun flares, cosmic disturbances etc); and upon the earth there will be distress of nations, bewilderment, perplexity, not knowing which way to turn at the roaring of the sea (tsunami’s). Men will faint and die with fear and apprehension; with expectation of the things that are coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken’ (Luke 21:11, 25 & 26). All these things will happen before Jesus returns. God is at work in the entire world, shaking everyone and everything everywhere. There is no use asking God not to shake us, because it is in His will, purpose and power to do it, so that only the things that cannot be shaken will be left.
What can be shaken? Empires, governments, monarchies, banks, businesses, churches, families, individuals and anything else that is not eternal. The only way we can cope with God’s shaking, is to commit ourselves into the hand of God (1 Peter 5:6). He is the only security mankind has (Psalm 91). We are told very firmly not to love the world or the things in it (1 John 2:15 to 17).
If our hearts are set on the world and the things the world can offer, the love of the Father is not in us and we will not stand up under the pressure of shaking. This world along with some of heaven is eventually going to pass away and be burned up and so we look forward to a new heavens and a new earth (2 Peter 3:10 to 13). Nobody has a permanent home here on earth. If we try to make our home in this world, then we will be greatly shaken, but he who does the will of God lives forever.
Even when we are shaken, if we are founded on the Rock (Jesus) and are doing the will of God, we will not be swept away (Matthew 7:24 to 27). The ultimate will of God is the coming of His Kingdom to earth as we read in the Lord’s Prayer. ‘Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2). That is His ultimate purpose and that is why we need to proclaim the full Gospel in the entire world before He comes. We need to seek the Kingdom of God first and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). God is busy preparing us for His Kingdom to come to earth. That is why the Lord is shaking His people.
Many Christians are being shaken by severe circumstances to purify them and make them ready for His coming. The unsaved are being shaken to bring them to God. Being shaken by God can be most unpleasant, but if we yield to His discipline, we will be purified and therefore ready to usher in His Kingdom when He comes.
Amen and God bless you.
→ No CommentsTags: End of the Age · Prophecy
Righteousness
February 11th, 2011 · No Comments
Isa 64:4 “For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
Isa 64:5 You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned— In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved.
Isa 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
Isa 64:7 And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities.”
Taking this scripture in context, it becomes clear that the prophet was lamenting how his people were sinful. And God will meet the person who “does” righteousness and rejoices about it. It bugs me when people take this out of context. There were righteous people on the planet in God’s eyes. They were few, but there were righteous people.
I DO agree that our righteousness is not enough to measure up to God’s righteousness. But it is easily proven from scripture, both old and new testaments, that God loves for us to practice righteousness. Since we are the light of the world for Christ Jesus, we should continue all His words and works. He practices righteousness. He spoke it and lived it.
But the true saving power and our hope is in the blood and body of Jesus the Christ, the only truly righteous one. It is not a matter of earning God’s favor, it is a matter of doing what pleases God and Christ Jesus.
Faith Does please God. Jesus was asked what works the people could do for God, and Jesus replies “This is the Work of God, to believe on the One (Jesus) God has sent.” John 6:29
Isaiah 58 is a good example of what pleases God. He of course loves Faith as well. Read Isaiah 58. Don’t forget that God is ALWAYS the same, HE never Changes. That is the Same for God the Son – Jesus. If they had to change, that means They are imperfect, and that will never be.
Isaiah 58
Isa 58:6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
Isa 58:7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Isa 58:8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Isa 58:9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
Isa 58:10 If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
Isa 58:11 The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Isa 58:12 Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
Isa 58:13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words,
Isa 58:14 Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
→ No CommentsTags: Discipleship · GOD · Jesus
God blots out sins
February 10th, 2011 · No Comments
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16
|
Are Sins Blotted Out? Do we really believe what is said in John 1:29? Do we believe it with all of our heart? John 1:29 The next day John sees Jesus coming to him and says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (I Corinthians 15:3 NASB) For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, But what does that mean? Does it mean for everyone all at once? From so many scriptures we understand that the sacrifice of Our Messiah is applied as each comes to repentance. At that time, the sins of that individual are covered by the blood of the Lamb and are washed away. Later, during our walk, we still sin. When we do and repent and change, that sin we have committed is again washed away. So the question has been asked, “What happens to sin when there is repentance?” Again, there are so many scriptures that explain—and this is foundational and fundamental to the belief of those who are called out. In this age a modern technology, we are blessed with so much information. Many of us have lap top computers and we have Bible and Bible Help software. We have E-Sword, Nelson’s, or more expensive software. And that is great. But there is a simplicity in the understanding of the fundamentals of the teachings of Messiah. One doesn’t need E-Sword, or Nelson’s works, or more expensive software to understand these foundational fundamentals. Let’s look at Acts 3:19-20 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, The concept here is that when repented of, sins are blotted out—they no longer exist. Psalm 51:1-2 A Prayer of Repentance To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David When Nathan the Prophet Went to Him, After He Had Gone in to Bathsheba. God is the only one who can blot out sin, the guilt of sin, and any reminder of sin 1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your loving-kindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. THE BLOTTING OUT OF OUR TRANSGRESSIONS Isaiah 43:25, tells us something supremely important about God and also about ourselves. Isaiah wrote: “I, even I, am the One who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and I shall not remember your sins.” The prophet said this although the people of Judah had been wicked, and although they still had to face stern discipline. Three verses later God still says through Isaiah, “I shall disgrace the dignitaries of your temple. I shall consign Jacob to destruction and Israel to scorn.” Cities in Israel had been practicing idolatry. God would not ignore His Word. He had said, many years before, that, if the people of any city worshipped other gods, the other Israelites had to put them to the sword and destroy the city completely (Dt 13:12-15). To “blot out” is from the Hebrew word H4229 מחה mâchâh maw-khaw’ A primitive root; properly to stroke or rub; by implication to erase; also to smooth (as if with oil), that is, grease or make fat; also to touch, that is, reach to: – abolish, blot out, destroy, full of marrow, put out, reach unto, X utterly, wipe (away, out).
The Hebrew word for “blot out” was used in an instructive range of contexts. It was used for a person wiping his mouth (Prv 30:20). It was used for wiping tears from the face (Is 25:8). In Numbers it was used for curses that had been written on a scroll, and washed off into bitter water to be drunk, to test whether a man’s wife had been unfaithful to him (5:23). In order to spare Israel after they had worshipped the golden calf, Moses interceded for them. He said that if the Lord would not forgive them, He should blot out his own name from the book that He had written (Ex 33:32-33). We can hardly imagine anyone who would volunteer such a thing. The picture of wiping off was a very vivid one when God denounced the idolatry of King Manasseh of Judah: “I shall wipe Jerusalem as someone wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down” (2 K 21:13). The word for “blot out” was often used in contexts of judgment. God threatened through Moses that, if anyone heard God’s stipulations, but congratulated himself and thought, “I shall be safe even if I go my own stubborn way”, God would blot out his name from under the sky (Dt 29:19-20). This does means complete removal from this present life. The same Hebrew word for “blot out” had the same meaning as “exterminate.” God sent the flood to blot out all existing things (Gn 7:23) together with human lives (Gn 6:7; 7:4). Full erasure from the face of the earth was also the meaning of this verb “blot out” in contexts of judgment. After the worship of the golden calf God had said, “Let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name under the sky” (Dt 9:14). People whom God forgives do not have to live righteous lives for a set time before they can be forgiven. Those whom God forgives continue to sin because of their sinful natures—but this is not the intent, or a habitual thing. God is eager to forgive. This is an amazing truth about Him, in spite of His justice and His wrath against sin. He had revealed His nature to Moses on Mount Sinai: “The LORD, the LORD, the merciful and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in unfailing mercy and truth. He preserves mercy for thousands, and forgives wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin.” YHWH’s merciful nature runs like a silver thread through the book of Isaiah. He had said, “Although your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow (Is 1:18). This is a powerful description of how forgiven people look in God’s sight. It helps us appreciate the picture of blotting out transgressions in 43:25. Another picture is used in the next chapter: “I have swept away your offences like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist” (44:22). Isaiah had used another picture in 40:2: “Her sin has been paid for.” The sins of the people of Judah had not been trivial. Quite often the Hebrew word for “transgression” is appropriately translated as “rebellion”, or “revolt.” We get closer to the meaning of blot out in Is 43:25 in another series of passages where this Hebrew word is used. In this verse “blots out your transgressions” is parallel to “I shall not remember your sins.” Blotting out from one’s memory means obliterating from the memory. David asked that God would no longer remember his transgressions against him (Ps 51:1). Further in the psalm he prays: “Blot out all my iniquities” (51:9). How comforting, then, for sinful people that God wants to be known as the One who blots out sinful people’s transgressions or rebellious acts, and does not remember them. The complete removal is put in another way in Ps 103: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (v.12). If we ask, “Why does God do such a thing?” this verse answers, “For My own sake.” There is nothing in sinful people to motivate God to act in this way. He does it for His own sake. It is His nature and His desire to blot out transgression. If anyone asks, “How can this be squared with the New Testament, which says that God justifies, or forgives, “for Yashua’s sake?” the answer should not surprise anyone. Yahshua Messiah is the same Lord who said “I am” at the burning bush, and who told the Israelites at Sinai, “I am: the LORD, your God, and I have brought you out of slave quarters in the land of Egypt” (Ex 20:1). Prophets foretold Jesus Christ as “the LORD, our righteousness” (Jer. 23:6). When anyone forgives, he chooses to pay the cost himself. The cost of the Lord’s blotting out of sin and erasing it from His memory was His own divine life, the shedding of the blood of His incarnate body in pain and shame. He blots out sin for His own sake, indeed! *** This concept of not remembering sin any more is the heart and core of the New Covenant, which Jeremiah foretold (Jer. 31:31 Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, Jer 31:32 not according to the covenant that I cut with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which covenant of Mine they broke, although I was a husband to them, says Jehovah; Jer 31:33 but this shall be the covenant that I will cut with the house of Israel: After those days, says Jehovah, I will put My Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Jer 31:34 And they shall no more teach each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says Jehovah. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more. Also in Hebrews 8 under the subtitle “A New Covenant” it quotes from Jer. 31. Hb 8:12 Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more.”
Recently I was reading an article that deals with this topic. It says: This has a good deal to say about why Christian people go to church. They certainly do not go to congratulate each other for being such fine, righteous-living people. They are not particularly outstanding. They go primarily to hear the good news about God’s forgiving nature and the self-effacing work of Yahshua Messiah, who earned this forgiveness for them at great cost. However, it is more than hearing about it. God is also particularly rich in the ways in which He offers, conveys, and seals His forgiveness to sinful people—who are brought to repentance: through the heard assurance of the Gospel in the readings and the preaching of God’s Word, and through the mutual encouragement of fellow-Christians. The confidence that God in Messiah has wiped out their own sin is the reason why Christians also pray, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The Scriptures use a rich number of ways in expressing this central article of the forgiveness of sins. Forgiving means that God does not credit our sins against us. Justification means that God credits us with the obedience of Yahshua Messiah Himself. Alongside these is reconciliation. God has Himself removed His just wrath against His enemies and proclaimed His peace (R 5:9-10). There is also the picture of being adopted, yes, even born anew, as children of God. In His parables Jesus used a series of concrete images for God’s forgiveness: debts wiped off, a lost sheep found, a prodigal son’s being given the best garment, shoes for his feet to make him different from a servant, a ring for his finger, (the equivalent of our right to sign checks), and the prime calf butchered for him in a feast of joy. There is joy in the presence of God over a sinner who repents. God Himself rejoices when He forgives and restores. Praise God that in Messiah He blots out our transgressions and erases them from His memory! The greatest need of man is forgiveness Step 1 – Admit (confess) our sin Step 2 – Repent – be sorry—Godly sorrow (enough to change) Step 3 – Receive God’s promised forgiveness. Our sins are obliterated, completely blotted out, and erased from YHWH’s memory—for all time—never to be remembered or brought up again. We all need to be LIKE God – freely receiving His grace and then GIVING out God’s grace to others These things I believe from the bottom of my heart. I believed this while young, still living at home. It is at the heart and core of my beliefs that the Messiah’s excruciating death paid the penalty for my sins. Those sins repented of are blotted out—obliterated, and removed from memory on earth and in heaven. Some who have committed horrific sins—and my sins were as horrifying as anybody’s—cannot fathom that YHWH could forgive their sins—even after repentance. Some continue to believe their sins still exist. That is unfortunate. I do not believe that. I do not believe that about my past sins—or the sins of anyone else who has repented. |
http://www.onlinetruth.org/Articles%20Folder/are_sins_blotted_out.htm
→ No CommentsTags: Gospel Message · salvation
Gods word passed down through generations
February 6th, 2011 · No Comments
Gods word passed down through generation, through us as believers.. Until his word is fulfilled. Matthew 24:34-35 “Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled- Psalm 78:2-7 4 We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we STAND, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
And hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: Romans 5:2
Matthew 5:18
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
→ No CommentsTags: Jesus
“What do I have to pray to be saved?”
February 6th, 2011 · No Comments
The plan of salvation is believing in Jesus. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life but the bible says that we must be born again.
When we ask Christ to save us we must also give up everything holding on to no sin. Because the bible says whosoever will lose his life for my names sake shall saved it and whosoever will save his life in this one will lose it. True repentance means to turn away from sin and go God’s way by keeping Jesus’ words and believing Jesus’ promises (Jesus spoke the Words of God).
Here is God’s plan of Salvation
the Bible says there is only one way to Heaven
Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6)
Good works cannot save you.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Trust Jesus Christ today! Here’s what you must do:
1. Admit you are a sinner.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23)
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12)
“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:10)
2. Be willing to turn from sin (repent).
Jesus said: “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:5)
God commandeth all men every where to repent:” (Acts 17:30)
3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you, was buried, and rose from the dead.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
4. Through prayer, invite Jesus into your life to become your personal Saviour.
“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:10)
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
pray:
Dear God, I am a sinner and need forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ shed His precious blood and died for my sin. I am willing to turn from sin. I now invite Christ to come into my heart and life as my personal savior God commendeth
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (John 1:12)
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior, as a Christian you should:
1. Read your Bible every day to get to know Christ better.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalms 119:105)
2. Talk to God in prayer every day.
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21:22)
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6)
3. Be baptized, worship, fellowship, and serve with other Christians in a church where Christ is preached and the Bible is the final authority.
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2 Timothy 3:16)
4. Tell others about Christ.
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)
“For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16)
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16) in Jesus. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life but the bible says that we must be born again. When we ask Christ to save us we must also give up everything holding on to no sin. Because the bible says whosoever will lose his life for my names sake shall saved it and whosoever will save his life in this one will lose it. True repentance means to turn away from sin.
Here is God’s plan of Salvation
the Bible says there is only one way to Heaven
Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6)
Good works cannot save you.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Now when we come to Christ and ask him to be Our Lord and Savior .He wants us to give him our life completely to serve him. Gods word tells us that if we love him them we obey him.
To love God means that we obey his commandments.
1 John 5:3 – For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
→ No CommentsTags: Gospel Message
Plead the Promises of God
January 12th, 2011 · No Comments
By Armin R.Gesswein, Founder and Director of Revival Prayer Fellowships, Inc.
An elderly Methodist lay preacher named Uncle Am always had assurance his prayer would be answered. A young preacher asked for his secret. He said, “Young man learn to plead the promises of God.”
-D.L. Moody: “Every work of God can be traced to some kneeling form.”
CHANGE IN THINKING
Early in the ministry, I had an experience which completely changed my understanding of prayer. What a transformation! I was called to start churches and had just discovered “prayer meeting truth” in the Acts. So I started a prayer meeting-the first one I ever attended.
In came an elderly Methodist one night. When he prayed, I detected something new. “I have never heard praying like that,” I said to myself. It was not only fervency-I had plenty of that. Heaven and earth got together at once when he prayed. There was a strange immediacy about it. The prayer and the answer were not far apart-in fact, were moving along together. He had it “in the bag!” so it seemed to me. The Holy Spirit was right there, in action, giving him assurance of the answer even while he was praying! When I prayed, God was “way out there,” somewhere in the distance, listening. The answer, too was in the distance, in the bye and bye.
DISCOVERY!
Eager to learn his secret, I went to see him one day. His name was Ambrose Whaley, and everyone called him “Uncle Am.” He was a retired blacksmith-also a Methodist lay preacher. I soon came to the point: “Uncle Am, I would love to pray with you.” At once he arose, led me outside across the driveway into a red barn, up a ladder, into a haymow! There, in some old hay, lay two big Bibles-one open. “What is this?” I thought. I prayed first, as I recall it. Poured out my heart, needs, burdens, wishes, aspirations, ambitions to God. Then he prayed-and there was “that difference” again. There, in that hay, on our knees, at the eyeball level, I said: “Uncle Am, what is it? …You have some kind of secret in praying…Would you mind sharing it with me?”
I was 24, he was 73 (he lived to be 93), and with an eagle-look in his eyes, he said:
“Young man, learn to plead the promises of God!”
THAT DID IT!
My praying has never been the same since. That word completely changed my understanding of prayer. It really revolutionized it! I “saw it” as soon as he said it. Saw what? Well-when I prayed there was fervency, ambition, etc. (The Lord does not put a “perfect squelch” on these either.) But I lacked FAITH. Prayer is the key to heaven, but faith unlocks the door. THERE MUST BE FAITH. Where does that come from? From hearing…the WORD OF GOD. Uncle Am would pray Scripture after Scripture, reminding Him of Promise after promise, pleading these like a lawyer does his case-the Holy Spirit pouring in His assurance of being heard. This man knew the promises “by the bushel.” He did not seem to need those two Bibles in that hay! I soon learned that he was a mighty intercessor. He prayed “clear through.” He prayed THROUGH THE BIBLE. He taught me the secret of intercessory praying. How can I ever thank God enough for leading me to such a prayer warrior!
WHAT HAPPENED? With this discovery, God really GAVE ME A NEW BIBLE! I had not yet learned how to make the Bible MY PRAYER BOOK. It gave me a new motivation for Bible study. I began to “dig in!” I would now search the Scriptures…meditate…mark its many promises…memorize, memorize, MEMORIZE! There are thousands of promises: a promise for every need, burden, problem, situation.
Young man, learn to plead the promises of God! These words keep ringing in my soul!
“In Him all the promises of God are yes.” (2 Corinthians 1:20, Berkeley)
D.L. Moody: “Tarry at a promise, and God will meet you there.”
PROMISES PREDICT THE ANSWERS. They are the molds into which we pour our prayers. They foretell what to expect. They shape our praying. They motivate, direct, and determine our supplication.
PROMISES LIKE THESE: Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (Jeremiah 33:3); All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. (Matthew 21:22); If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:14).
THIS MAKES CHRISTIAN PRAYING DIFFERENT! How? In a very real sense we pray FROM THE ANSWER…WITH THE ANSWER IN MIND…from the answer to it. This is the way of the Lord, the way of faith. He promises-we believe. We act on His Word. In this way answered prayer not only satisfies us; it delights the heart of God by fulfilling His own Word. And this is a most important thing with God.
EXAMPLE. Remember the old arithmetic book at school? It had all the answers in the back of the book! What a book! You waited, of course-first worked out the problem and then looked up the answer! You did not! You quickly looked back for the answer; you could not wait! Then you worked out the problem, WITH THE ANSWER IN MIND, TO MATCH IT.
This is how we pray. We pray from God’s promise which is His answer, and expect it to be fulfilled. Also, as with the arithmetic book, there are different answers for different problems. The Bible contains thousands of promises, and these hold the answers to our thousands of needs and prayers. They are so varied-all sizes and shapes. With them, our praying takes on another form, and moves into God’s action. HOW PHENOMENAL-THE BIBLE BECOMES MY ANSWER BOOK!
HOW DOES THIS WORK? Find the promise that fits your need. The Bible is just the right size. It is as big as LIFE: “The Book of Life.” It answers to every situation. The promises are life-size:
- There is a promise for that job you need: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)
- There are many promises for the guidance you are seeking: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14). Another is Philippians 4:6,7. Consult the Lord, not horoscopes! He will answer your “request” with “peace”-His inner green light, His go-ahead.
- Do you lack joy? Read Philippians. For more “faith” read Hebrews. Are you suffering? Look up 1 and 2 Peter. Are you tempted? Dig into Matthew 4 and Luke 4. Need encouragement? 2 Corinthians is loaded with help. Need healing? James 5, and many other Scriptures, like 3 John 2. Find also the many Scriptures that spur you on to pray for, and help the poor, the needy, the fatherless, the widows: like James 1:27, Psalm 41:1, Matthew 25:35 ff.
- Are you praying for revival and renewal? See 2 Corinthians 7:14, Habakkuk 3:2, Acts 2:17 ff. Revelation 1-3. And how about “prayer meetings?” Are you clear on the Scriptures here-the Bible basis for the congregational prayer meeting? THE WHOLE BOOK OF ACTS, THE “BOOK OF THE CHURCH.”
- ON AND ON LIKE THIS, until we learn to do “everything by prayer and supplications with thanksgiving” and learn to “live by every Word of God”. Philippians 4:6,7; Luke 4:4). Someone has said that we should never pray without reading the Bible, and we should never read the Bible without praying.
It all adds up to this: we must learn to make the bible our prayer book!
We hope you enjoyed this inspiring article! Now that the author has your attention, do you find yourself wondering what promises are in the Bible for you to “plead”?
Listed below are a few examples of some of the Bible promises that God has made to His children. As you read these verses, think about each verse as if it were written directly to you. When you pray, acknowledge to God that His word is true, and that this truth is a promise that you “claim” as His child. You will be amazed at the joy and comfort you will have when you agree with God and His word concerning you!
Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Psalms 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
Hebrews 13:20-21
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
→ No CommentsTags: Discipleship
The Words in Red – following Jesus
January 4th, 2011 · No Comments
John 14:15-16 “If you love ME, keep My commandments, And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” I think it is important to stay in the words in “Red” primarily. One of the promises that Jesus said that really stands out in my brain, is when Jesus said “If you abide in Me and My WORDS abide in you, you can ask whatever you desire and it WILL BE DONE FOR YOU. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be my disciples.” John 15:7-8. John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and MANIFEST Myself to him.” John 14:23 “…”If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We WILL come to him and make Our HOME with him.”
Start imagining what it means to have GOD making us HOME!!! Also I like that Jesus said He will MANIFEST Himself to the person who keeps HIS Words!!! Based upon these promises, we should dig deep into Jesus’ words and seek every opportunity to do His commands, so His promises will be true to us in all fullness.
John 1:12 “”But as many as received Him (JESUS), to then He gave the right (power & ability) to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”
I like the words in red because we know that Jesus spoke those things and He said His words where the words of that the Father told Him to speak. And Jesus said that if we abide in Him and His words Abide in Us, we can ask for whatever we desire and it will be granted to us! That is awesome.
The whole Bible is great. The Old Testament is interesting. For awhile, I really didn’t like the old testament and the harshness of the law. I was even kind of talking down about it. But then I thought I heard Jesus say that the Old Testament is all about Him. He is the word made flesh and the fulfillment of all the teachings of the Old Testament. Everything is an object lesson about Jesus basically. And He is the Righteousness of God by being the Word of God made flesh. All of the teachings on Holiness and Righteousness are good. The harsh corrections are reserved for rebels. I think the thing I resented was that it seemed like God was so full of vengeance and punishment. But, when it comes right down to it, God is Just, True and Righteous always.
Jesus is the Our Righteousness as it says in Jeremiah 23:5-6 “The LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS”. Jesus fulfilled all of the Righteous requirements of the Law for us. Our faith in His blood from the Cross is our justification and right standing with God. But everything that is taught in the Old Testament about living holy is still good and always will be. Jesus took that death penalty for our lawless deeds, and purchased eternal mercy for us.
The New Testament teaching of the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus are all good too for our instruction in living rightly before God.
But the words in Red are the words of the King of God’s Kingdom. They will never go away, ever. We are living to please Jesus. Therefore the words in Red are very important for us because we love Jesus and want to please Him. After all, He is our Saviour and King and Lord. He will also be the judge, based upon His words in Red, as Jesus already declared in the book of John 5:22-23 “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgement to the Son. That all should honor the Son just as the honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
I believe Jesus when He said He is the only One who has actually seen the Father and He is the only One who really knows what the Father is like. Jesus said He came from the Father and is the Only One who has seen the Father.
Also, since Jesus is really the only One who truly has known God the Father – the Most High; the only way we can know God the Father – the Most High, is to see Jesus. We cannot get an accurate view of God the Father from the Old Testament. We have to seek Jesus. As Jesus said in John 7: 6-11 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him”. Philip sad to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. so how can you say, “show us the Father?” “Do you not believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”
So, to find the Father we need to find Jesus. I know you already know that. But I was putting the emphasis on Jesus’ words in Red. I hear a lot of churches spending so much time exploring Apostle Paul’s words. Quoting Paul saying “Follow me as I follow Christ.” I think we should all just follow Jesus first and learn directly from Him. Jesus is the One who alone possesses the Holy Spirit from God – The Spirit of Truth. We are all brothers and sisters. Jesus alone is the One who absolutely pleased the Father as the Father spoke from Heaven and said so. Jesus also said that He Alone is the Teacher.
People try to point to others and say they have the gift of teaching. That might be so, but in reality, Only Jesus knows God. Jesus said in Mathew 23:8 “But you, do not be called Rabbi, for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father, for One is your Father, He who is in Heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.” What do people not understand about this? Jesus means what He says.
Therefore, once we have mastered the words of Jesus, then we can read on into the other studies of the book. After all, if we call ourself a Christian, then we are suppose to be a follower of Christ Jesus.
It is important to understand the historical setting of Jesus’ time and who He was speaking to. There is also the concept of “Rightly” dividing the Word of God. But Jesus’ words and teachings is where we will find God. He is the Way, the Truth and The LIFE. I like the promise in 1 John 2:27 “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” This refers back to John 14 about the Holy Spirit that comes from Jesus. We should call out to Jesus us to teach us and give us His truth.
→ No CommentsTags: Discipleship · Jesus