About two years ago I made a decision to turn down a full time position in a church to pursue the ministry I believe the Lord has called me to. Today I have scriptural evidence to assure me that I made the right decision and am exactly where the Lord wants me. Behind me is an enemy intent on destroying me; on either side are un-climbable mountains; before is an impassable Red Sea: It is good to be in the perfect will of the Lord!
“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9; emphasis mine).
Ultimately the Lord is the judge in our trial of faith, and in his mercy he condemns our human strength to death. We have the “sentence of death in ourselves” to keep us from placing hope in our impotence. The battle is the Lord’s and “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). The war we wage is spiritual; were you to drop a million atomic bombs on the devil it would not faze him.
Do you honestly think your “357 Magnum” could ever make a difference?
The Apostle Paul and those with him understood their sentence of death. Sentence here means an answer: "On asking myself whether I should come out safe from mortal peril, I answered, ‘I must die.” Paul asked the Lord in his trial, “What am I to do to get out of this?” The reply was, “You must die to any hope of carnal genius and natural ability.” This is the basis of true faith: an unconditional dependence upon the unseen hand of the Lord — an honest confession that if the Lord doesn't come and take things into his own hands, then we've had it!
Everyone has a breaking point.
Paul said he was pressed — weighted down— above measure. The test that came to the Apostle was “beyond” anything he had ever experienced: It was the “bale of hay that broke the back of the trailer.” He referred to it as trouble, which is the same as affliction in Acts 7:10, when it says that God delivered Joseph “out of all his afflictions.” Just as Josephs’ soul “entered into the iron” during the seemingly endless delay of his promise, Paul likewise “entered in.”
The end result is he “despaired even of life.” Despair means “to be utterly at loss, be utterly destitute of measures or resources, to renounce all hope. The root of this word means “to be without resources, to be in straits, to be left wanting, to be embarrassed, to be in doubt, not to know which way to turn. It is “to be at a loss with one's self, be in doubt and not to know how to decide or what to do: to be perplexed.” These are all qualifications of a miracle: If you can not relate to this, then you are not qualified.
Before there can be a resurrection there must be a death. “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:9-10).
There is always more in resurrection than there is in birth —B.H. Clendennen.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
IT IS TIME TO GIVE THANKS!
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).
It is human nature to take things for granted and truly not to realize the greatness of the power of God already demonstrated. It was power beyond human comprehension that created the world out of nothing and everything in it that lives and breathes. The same power that created the world is the identical command that keeps the whole universe together: The Word of God that is proceeding out of the mouth of the Lord!
Have we stopped today to consider the efficiency and precision with which the Lord commands the world? The rotation of the earth around the sun is so exact that you could set a clock thousands of years in advance and have perfect timing because there is a consistency that God has set in motion. Were he to let go for just one second the whole universe would be thrown out of kilter!
Do we understand that many of Jesus’ greatest miracles were acts of restoration? In these awesome “reinstallation” miracles, the power of God was demonstrated to bring back things to the original state that God had set in order. In the beginning God made the eyes to see, the ears to hear, the legs to walk, and the tongue to talk. When Jesus encountered people with whom these gifts were no longer functioning, he healed them, bringing all back to the original intent.
In other words, when Jesus raised the lame man from his bed, it was the power of God that brought strength to this man’s legs, enabling him to walk. Likewise, when God created Adam, it was a creative miracle that formed his legs and enabled him to walk in the first place! Ultimately, it is the grace of God that enables all of us to see, hear, walk, and talk. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God; this is nothing short of the "amazingness" of the Lord.
This is not to mention the million particulars that must function properly for us to live. The heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, blood cells, intestines, muscles, and brain are all works of God infinitely beyond human strength. Let just one of these become diseased and the body starts to suffer.
On top of this, consider the bountiful provision of oxygen and sunshine and water and food that he gives on a daily schedule. Were it not for his hand, we would quickly perish into oblivion. He provides trees and precious metals and a million other things so we can have houses with furniture and other comforts of life.
The Apostle Paul put it this way: “For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it” (1 Corinthians 4:7)? The answer is nothing; we received everything we’ve got.
There is no such thing as a self made man: Never has been, never will be. To truly be self sufficient, a man would first have to have someone kill him and cremate his body. Then he would need to have the dust that he is dumped into out of space. From there it would be up to him to create his life again and a universe and world that would be fully functional—all of this must be original, he can not copy what God has already done!
Ain’t gonna happen.
It is time to give thanks to the Almighty: Happy Thanksgiving!
It is human nature to take things for granted and truly not to realize the greatness of the power of God already demonstrated. It was power beyond human comprehension that created the world out of nothing and everything in it that lives and breathes. The same power that created the world is the identical command that keeps the whole universe together: The Word of God that is proceeding out of the mouth of the Lord!
Have we stopped today to consider the efficiency and precision with which the Lord commands the world? The rotation of the earth around the sun is so exact that you could set a clock thousands of years in advance and have perfect timing because there is a consistency that God has set in motion. Were he to let go for just one second the whole universe would be thrown out of kilter!
Do we understand that many of Jesus’ greatest miracles were acts of restoration? In these awesome “reinstallation” miracles, the power of God was demonstrated to bring back things to the original state that God had set in order. In the beginning God made the eyes to see, the ears to hear, the legs to walk, and the tongue to talk. When Jesus encountered people with whom these gifts were no longer functioning, he healed them, bringing all back to the original intent.
In other words, when Jesus raised the lame man from his bed, it was the power of God that brought strength to this man’s legs, enabling him to walk. Likewise, when God created Adam, it was a creative miracle that formed his legs and enabled him to walk in the first place! Ultimately, it is the grace of God that enables all of us to see, hear, walk, and talk. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God; this is nothing short of the "amazingness" of the Lord.
This is not to mention the million particulars that must function properly for us to live. The heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, blood cells, intestines, muscles, and brain are all works of God infinitely beyond human strength. Let just one of these become diseased and the body starts to suffer.
On top of this, consider the bountiful provision of oxygen and sunshine and water and food that he gives on a daily schedule. Were it not for his hand, we would quickly perish into oblivion. He provides trees and precious metals and a million other things so we can have houses with furniture and other comforts of life.
The Apostle Paul put it this way: “For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it” (1 Corinthians 4:7)? The answer is nothing; we received everything we’ve got.
There is no such thing as a self made man: Never has been, never will be. To truly be self sufficient, a man would first have to have someone kill him and cremate his body. Then he would need to have the dust that he is dumped into out of space. From there it would be up to him to create his life again and a universe and world that would be fully functional—all of this must be original, he can not copy what God has already done!
Ain’t gonna happen.
It is time to give thanks to the Almighty: Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
ONE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH
“Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed. Therefore sprang there even of one so many as the stars in the sky in multitude, and as the white sand by the seashore innumerable” (Hebrews 11; 11-12).
“There that should do it,” you say to yourself as you carefully set your last tomato plant.
Suddenly, a red Dodge Ram pulls into your yard. As you walk toward the truck to see who it is, the driver rolls down the window and calls your name.
“O My God!” you proclaim—you’d recognize that voice anywhere. “It’s Jesus.”
“How about coming with me,” he asks. “I have something I want to show you.”
“Me……You want….. Me?”
Laughing, Jesus opens the door and says, “Yes, get in.”
Taking Faith 23 north for about eight miles, the Lord takes a right on New Beginnings Avenue. Here he pulls into a 100,000 acre field that sits at the foot of Mount Petition.
“All that you see is mine,” he declares. “I want you to plant this in corn and feed the nations.”
Overwhelmed with faith and joy, you worship him.
“Should I buy the seed in one ton allotments?”
“No need for that,” he says, and hands you one seed.
“And he said, So is the kingdom of God as if a man should cast seed into the ground” (Mark 4;26).
God has placed in the nature of a seed the power to reproduce itself in unlimited numbers. From one seed can come trillions of other seed that look like the original, grows like the original, and tastes like the original. The only difference between the original and the trillions is a major one: The original is the root; the trillions are the fruit.
Let’s do the math on one seed of corn. Every country boy knows that one stalk of corn will produce two ears of corn. An average ear will have 820 kernels which times two is 1,640. Plant all these and you will have 2, 689,600. Repeat this a third and fourth time and you will reap an astonishing 7,223,948,160,000 kernels of corn! All from one.
“Now the Lord had said unto Abram… I will make of thee a great nation…unto thy seed will I give this land… that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven” (Genesis12;1,2,7; 22;17).
God builds nations and kingdoms from one seed. He promised a seed to Abraham and from that one seed came forth the nation Israel. Abraham had Isaac who had Jacob, who in turn fathered twelve sons. When Israel went into Egypt they numbered seventy: “And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls” (Exodus 1:5). By the time you get to Hebrews 11; 12, the seed had multiplied to innumerable proportions; just like he promised. All, from David to Paul, from the least to the greatest, came from one.
God is not looking for great strength; He can do all that is written with little strength!
What has he placed in your hand?
“There that should do it,” you say to yourself as you carefully set your last tomato plant.
Suddenly, a red Dodge Ram pulls into your yard. As you walk toward the truck to see who it is, the driver rolls down the window and calls your name.
“O My God!” you proclaim—you’d recognize that voice anywhere. “It’s Jesus.”
“How about coming with me,” he asks. “I have something I want to show you.”
“Me……You want….. Me?”
Laughing, Jesus opens the door and says, “Yes, get in.”
Taking Faith 23 north for about eight miles, the Lord takes a right on New Beginnings Avenue. Here he pulls into a 100,000 acre field that sits at the foot of Mount Petition.
“All that you see is mine,” he declares. “I want you to plant this in corn and feed the nations.”
Overwhelmed with faith and joy, you worship him.
“Should I buy the seed in one ton allotments?”
“No need for that,” he says, and hands you one seed.
“And he said, So is the kingdom of God as if a man should cast seed into the ground” (Mark 4;26).
God has placed in the nature of a seed the power to reproduce itself in unlimited numbers. From one seed can come trillions of other seed that look like the original, grows like the original, and tastes like the original. The only difference between the original and the trillions is a major one: The original is the root; the trillions are the fruit.
Let’s do the math on one seed of corn. Every country boy knows that one stalk of corn will produce two ears of corn. An average ear will have 820 kernels which times two is 1,640. Plant all these and you will have 2, 689,600. Repeat this a third and fourth time and you will reap an astonishing 7,223,948,160,000 kernels of corn! All from one.
“Now the Lord had said unto Abram… I will make of thee a great nation…unto thy seed will I give this land… that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven” (Genesis12;1,2,7; 22;17).
God builds nations and kingdoms from one seed. He promised a seed to Abraham and from that one seed came forth the nation Israel. Abraham had Isaac who had Jacob, who in turn fathered twelve sons. When Israel went into Egypt they numbered seventy: “And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls” (Exodus 1:5). By the time you get to Hebrews 11; 12, the seed had multiplied to innumerable proportions; just like he promised. All, from David to Paul, from the least to the greatest, came from one.
God is not looking for great strength; He can do all that is written with little strength!
What has he placed in your hand?
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
FAITH COMES BY HEARING
O Lord [pleads Jeremiah in the name of the people], I know that [the determination of] the way of a man is not in himself; it is not in man [even in a strong man or in a man at his best] to direct his [own] steps. [Psalms 37:23; Proverbs 20:24.] — Jeremiah 10:23 Amplified
I have good news for all that are in the middle of the storm of their lives: God in his wisdom and mercy has directed your steps. As the Omnipotent, Omnipresent sovereign Lord, He has gone before you, has never left you, and is coming to you! Make no mistake about it: Jesus always comes to the rescue of those who call upon his name. There is no power in hell that can stop him from walking on the sea of impossibility to get to you.
The issue is this: Will you recognize him when he comes?
“And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida (It was his direction)…And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened” (Mark 6:45-52).
There is a tremendously important principle being taught here: Faith doesn’t come by seeing; faith comes by hearing. We have thought that seeing a miracle would produces faith. But the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea and it did not produce faith in them.
What’s more, they were “sitting” on a miracle and their heart was hardened instead of believing. Jesus had just multiplied the five loaves and had commanded the disciples to put what was left into twelve baskets. These baskets were in the boat as they struggled to recognize the Lord! Faith comes by hearing the voice of Jesus, not by a bunch of soggy bread!
To teach otherwise is to place you and all who hear you at risk of deception. One of the foundational errors along this line is this: “Young people have to experience something first; then you can teach them doctrine.” This miscalculation is fundamental: It places faith into the realm of what you can see with your five senses—your “natural” eye. The devil can counterfeit a miracle and fool everybody that is basing faith on a sign and wonder — especially young people.
We must learn to lean on his voice: “And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.” They knew him not by seeing, but by hearing! If we can discern his voice in the storm everything will be all right. If we can receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of his word we can reach out and touch the hem of his garment—God grant it unto your servants!
The storm of all storms is fixing to hit: It is time to seek the Lord through the Holy Writ. Isn’t that the last message he left us?
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 3:13).
I have good news for all that are in the middle of the storm of their lives: God in his wisdom and mercy has directed your steps. As the Omnipotent, Omnipresent sovereign Lord, He has gone before you, has never left you, and is coming to you! Make no mistake about it: Jesus always comes to the rescue of those who call upon his name. There is no power in hell that can stop him from walking on the sea of impossibility to get to you.
The issue is this: Will you recognize him when he comes?
“And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida (It was his direction)…And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened” (Mark 6:45-52).
There is a tremendously important principle being taught here: Faith doesn’t come by seeing; faith comes by hearing. We have thought that seeing a miracle would produces faith. But the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea and it did not produce faith in them.
What’s more, they were “sitting” on a miracle and their heart was hardened instead of believing. Jesus had just multiplied the five loaves and had commanded the disciples to put what was left into twelve baskets. These baskets were in the boat as they struggled to recognize the Lord! Faith comes by hearing the voice of Jesus, not by a bunch of soggy bread!
To teach otherwise is to place you and all who hear you at risk of deception. One of the foundational errors along this line is this: “Young people have to experience something first; then you can teach them doctrine.” This miscalculation is fundamental: It places faith into the realm of what you can see with your five senses—your “natural” eye. The devil can counterfeit a miracle and fool everybody that is basing faith on a sign and wonder — especially young people.
We must learn to lean on his voice: “And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.” They knew him not by seeing, but by hearing! If we can discern his voice in the storm everything will be all right. If we can receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of his word we can reach out and touch the hem of his garment—God grant it unto your servants!
The storm of all storms is fixing to hit: It is time to seek the Lord through the Holy Writ. Isn’t that the last message he left us?
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 3:13).
Monday, November 23, 2009
SOMEBODY HAS BEEN MESSING WITH THE LAND MARK!
We live in a day where many have lowered the standards of the Word of God in order to not offend the proud seeker. Never mind that the movie “little Johnny” wants to watch teaches him how to murder and rape, and to blaspheme the Holy Ghost, it is not up to us to say he has no business as a professing Christian to watch it.
After all, Jesus wouldn’t want anyone to feel guilty.
Therefore anyone holding to the standards of the word concerning obedience, repentance, and separation from the world are labeled “legalists.” However, at heart those protesting the loudest are also legalists, and out of the abundance of heart they will speak if you “crash their hard drive.” Just run a red light and “total” their brand new Lexus: See if they don't hold you responsible to the law. The weight of what it’s going to cost them far outweighs any apprehension they may or may not have about making you feel guilty.
Consider the bewilderment that would occur if we applied this “user friendly” wisdom to a football game. Since our best running back runs a 12.4 forty and our biggest lineman is 155 pounds, we need to change the following rules:
1. Their will no longer be an out of bounds.
2. You have an infinite number of attempts to get a first down.
3. Since we never cross the goal line, a touch down will consist of crossing the 50 yard line which is the new goal line.
4. Their will be no personal fouls.
5. Their will be no referees.
“Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people” (Isaiah 62:10). Standard means “the level of quality or excellence attained by somebody or something.” This ultimately refers to Jesus and the highway of holiness that he attained for all who would follow him. Since this is obviously over the head of human strength, someone has taken it upon themselves to change the ancient land mark.
“Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set” (Proverbs 22:28). A landmark is “a prominent object, e.g. a tree or stone that is recognized as marking the boundary of a piece of land.” Ancient means “ancient time, long time (of past) and (of future); It is that which is “continuous existence, perpetual everlasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity.”
From eternity as a lamb slain from the foundation of the world, Jesus Christ anchored the “tree” of the cross into the bed rock of truth. This cross of Christ is the standard and boundary of the church. It is rigid in its demands, yet boundless in its mercy. It knows no compromise, but its miracle working power comes short of no promise: All things are possible to him that believes! In short, it brings the proud flesh of the first Adam into the death of Christ in order to raise all of mankind in the last Adam.
How it that what has always been true—the confession and repentance of sins through the Blood of the cross— is no longer in vogue? When did the “rules committee” of heaven convene to change that which has always been considered in and out of bounds? Here are four of the rule changes:
1. Our sin does not affect His opinion of us nor cause Him to withhold His blessing!
2. We don’t have to confess sin in order to be saved, to retain, or to maintain our salvation.
3. In fact, sin isn’t even an issue with God.
4. Sin does not affect your spirit.
I guess you can rape and murder little children and pray down the blessings of the Lord with innocent blood on your hands.
Somebody has been messing with the land mark.
Good thing for them it is no longer sin.
After all, Jesus wouldn’t want anyone to feel guilty.
Therefore anyone holding to the standards of the word concerning obedience, repentance, and separation from the world are labeled “legalists.” However, at heart those protesting the loudest are also legalists, and out of the abundance of heart they will speak if you “crash their hard drive.” Just run a red light and “total” their brand new Lexus: See if they don't hold you responsible to the law. The weight of what it’s going to cost them far outweighs any apprehension they may or may not have about making you feel guilty.
Consider the bewilderment that would occur if we applied this “user friendly” wisdom to a football game. Since our best running back runs a 12.4 forty and our biggest lineman is 155 pounds, we need to change the following rules:
1. Their will no longer be an out of bounds.
2. You have an infinite number of attempts to get a first down.
3. Since we never cross the goal line, a touch down will consist of crossing the 50 yard line which is the new goal line.
4. Their will be no personal fouls.
5. Their will be no referees.
“Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people” (Isaiah 62:10). Standard means “the level of quality or excellence attained by somebody or something.” This ultimately refers to Jesus and the highway of holiness that he attained for all who would follow him. Since this is obviously over the head of human strength, someone has taken it upon themselves to change the ancient land mark.
“Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set” (Proverbs 22:28). A landmark is “a prominent object, e.g. a tree or stone that is recognized as marking the boundary of a piece of land.” Ancient means “ancient time, long time (of past) and (of future); It is that which is “continuous existence, perpetual everlasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity.”
From eternity as a lamb slain from the foundation of the world, Jesus Christ anchored the “tree” of the cross into the bed rock of truth. This cross of Christ is the standard and boundary of the church. It is rigid in its demands, yet boundless in its mercy. It knows no compromise, but its miracle working power comes short of no promise: All things are possible to him that believes! In short, it brings the proud flesh of the first Adam into the death of Christ in order to raise all of mankind in the last Adam.
How it that what has always been true—the confession and repentance of sins through the Blood of the cross— is no longer in vogue? When did the “rules committee” of heaven convene to change that which has always been considered in and out of bounds? Here are four of the rule changes:
1. Our sin does not affect His opinion of us nor cause Him to withhold His blessing!
2. We don’t have to confess sin in order to be saved, to retain, or to maintain our salvation.
3. In fact, sin isn’t even an issue with God.
4. Sin does not affect your spirit.
I guess you can rape and murder little children and pray down the blessings of the Lord with innocent blood on your hands.
Somebody has been messing with the land mark.
Good thing for them it is no longer sin.
Friday, November 20, 2009
HEADSHIP OF ADAM
“Wherefore, as by one man {Adam} sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, {in whom — margin} for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12, brackets mine).
Bill McCoy sent me the following word:
“Adam the federal head of the human race was also the seminal head. The word seminal (seed) implies that everyone existed in seed form within Adam, and that he was the head of the human race. We were all in the body of Adam when he sinned, just as Levi was in the body of Abraham when he met Melchizedek: “…through Abraham even Levi who is receiving tithes, hath paid tithes, for he was yet in the loins of the father when Melchisedek met him” (Hebrews 7:9-10).
In that sense, every member of the human race played a part in the fall of man. When Adam sinned we were actually sinning with him.
Adam was also the federal head of the race. In this sense, Adams vote for sin is similar to the vote of a representative. By “Senator” Adams vote, he obligated his constituents for certain indebtness.
While Adam’s disobedience resulted in the human race being plunged into sin, the obedience of Christ (the last Adam) gives Christians the power to overcome sin in their lives (see Romans 5:12 – 21; Genesis 2:24). “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45).
This headship of Adam tells us that we were born of sin / into sin – therefore we must repent of our sins, ask and seek forgiveness from God; live at the Cross, and for me, most of all pray for God’s mercy and grace. Without God’s mercy and the forgiveness through the Cross on my soul, I would still be dead to sin and living in God only knows what kind of life at this point. Let those that have ears hear; we must repent and be forgiven on a daily bases.
The second Adam saved us; the first Adam killed us.”
This is a good word.
It is amazing that we were also in the Last Adam from before the foundation of the world. Therefore when he was on the cross we were in him and thus we WERE crucified with him, buried with him, and raised with him!! We were blessed in him with all spiritual blessings because he to was the "seminal" head. His seed was the Word of God!!!! We were healed in every which way you can be healed by virtue of this union just as we were cursed in every which way by our union with the first Adam.
Bill McCoy sent me the following word:
“Adam the federal head of the human race was also the seminal head. The word seminal (seed) implies that everyone existed in seed form within Adam, and that he was the head of the human race. We were all in the body of Adam when he sinned, just as Levi was in the body of Abraham when he met Melchizedek: “…through Abraham even Levi who is receiving tithes, hath paid tithes, for he was yet in the loins of the father when Melchisedek met him” (Hebrews 7:9-10).
In that sense, every member of the human race played a part in the fall of man. When Adam sinned we were actually sinning with him.
Adam was also the federal head of the race. In this sense, Adams vote for sin is similar to the vote of a representative. By “Senator” Adams vote, he obligated his constituents for certain indebtness.
While Adam’s disobedience resulted in the human race being plunged into sin, the obedience of Christ (the last Adam) gives Christians the power to overcome sin in their lives (see Romans 5:12 – 21; Genesis 2:24). “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45).
This headship of Adam tells us that we were born of sin / into sin – therefore we must repent of our sins, ask and seek forgiveness from God; live at the Cross, and for me, most of all pray for God’s mercy and grace. Without God’s mercy and the forgiveness through the Cross on my soul, I would still be dead to sin and living in God only knows what kind of life at this point. Let those that have ears hear; we must repent and be forgiven on a daily bases.
The second Adam saved us; the first Adam killed us.”
This is a good word.
It is amazing that we were also in the Last Adam from before the foundation of the world. Therefore when he was on the cross we were in him and thus we WERE crucified with him, buried with him, and raised with him!! We were blessed in him with all spiritual blessings because he to was the "seminal" head. His seed was the Word of God!!!! We were healed in every which way you can be healed by virtue of this union just as we were cursed in every which way by our union with the first Adam.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
WAITING ON THE LORD
A prominent teacher has made the following statement, “Your spirit is identical to Jesus Christ.”
This is to say that your spirit man is “exactly the same as or equal to God, or alike in every respect.” This is because Jesus is and was and will be Almighty God. Another teacher has said, “Whenever I hear God say that I am, I just smile and say ‘I am too!”
I don’t think so!
We are not in any way identical to Christ; we are identified with Christ. Jesus is the creator; we are the created. Of a truth His Spirit lives within us and we are one spirit with him by our union with him. But we do not become him no more than the wife becomes the husband because of her joining together with him. He is everything while we are still poor in spirit and nothing: “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (Galatians 6:3).
Isaiah 40:31 states, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”. One of the meanings for wait is “to collect, to gather, and bind together — perhaps by twisting.” At the cross of Christ God gathered the whole human race and “bound” us together with three nails. By virtue of our union with him He became a sacrifice for sin and by our union with him we became the righteousness of God.
A simple way to look at this is to compare a single thread to a massive logging chain. One is weak and one is unbreakable and indestructible.
Suppose your life depended on pulling a thousand ton bulldozer out of the mud. Were you to try to pull it out with the thread they would declare you legally insane.
If the thread had a “voice” and affirmed that it was identical to the chain they would proclaim it permanently insane!
However, if you were to twist the thread around the chain, then all of a sudden “Mr. Threadwell” could boldly state: “I can do all things through this chain which strengthens me!” Nothing would be impossible. He will be able to pull many souls to safety, making an eternal difference. He will have power to bind the enemy and plunder his house. He will be known in heaven and feared in hell as long as he keeps the right perspective.
The danger is in the fact that the chain is invisible to the natural eye and it will look as if Threadwell is doing all the work.
But he should no better.
After all, he was threadbare before the Lord found him.
This is to say that your spirit man is “exactly the same as or equal to God, or alike in every respect.” This is because Jesus is and was and will be Almighty God. Another teacher has said, “Whenever I hear God say that I am, I just smile and say ‘I am too!”
I don’t think so!
We are not in any way identical to Christ; we are identified with Christ. Jesus is the creator; we are the created. Of a truth His Spirit lives within us and we are one spirit with him by our union with him. But we do not become him no more than the wife becomes the husband because of her joining together with him. He is everything while we are still poor in spirit and nothing: “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (Galatians 6:3).
Isaiah 40:31 states, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”. One of the meanings for wait is “to collect, to gather, and bind together — perhaps by twisting.” At the cross of Christ God gathered the whole human race and “bound” us together with three nails. By virtue of our union with him He became a sacrifice for sin and by our union with him we became the righteousness of God.
A simple way to look at this is to compare a single thread to a massive logging chain. One is weak and one is unbreakable and indestructible.
Suppose your life depended on pulling a thousand ton bulldozer out of the mud. Were you to try to pull it out with the thread they would declare you legally insane.
If the thread had a “voice” and affirmed that it was identical to the chain they would proclaim it permanently insane!
However, if you were to twist the thread around the chain, then all of a sudden “Mr. Threadwell” could boldly state: “I can do all things through this chain which strengthens me!” Nothing would be impossible. He will be able to pull many souls to safety, making an eternal difference. He will have power to bind the enemy and plunder his house. He will be known in heaven and feared in hell as long as he keeps the right perspective.
The danger is in the fact that the chain is invisible to the natural eye and it will look as if Threadwell is doing all the work.
But he should no better.
After all, he was threadbare before the Lord found him.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
GRASSHOPPERS BY TWO TOUCHDOWNS!
“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).
The writer of Hebrews is referring to the Israelites who failed to enter the Promised Land under Moses. This generation saw the greatness of God’s miracles in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and the miraculous provision of food and drink in the wilderness, and despite this, saw nothing but themselves in there hour of crises. Listen to what God calls their evil report:
“But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:31-33).
To get to the heart of unbelief we need to see the root: What is it deep within man that is the foundation of all atheism?
I thought we were talking about unbelief: What do you mean atheism?
The generation that died in the wilderness was practical atheists. Their actions spoke loud and clear that God was no where to be found when they needed him most: “And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? Were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt” (14:3-4). Follow this “fruit of their lips” to its source and you will discover the heart of all unbelief:
Their faith was in their ability.
They accused the Lord of bringing them “to fall by the sword.” The truth is, it never entered into the mind of the Lord for Israel to conquer Canaan with their sword no more than he depended on such to bring them out of Egypt? It was the Ten Plagues that persuaded Pharaoh to let God‘s people go: Not the top ten swordsman of Israel!
Unbelief is misplaced confidence. It is being faithless: a belief that comes from hearing the voice of man rather than true faith which comes from hearing the voice of God. This voice of unbelief is universal and is “omnipresent” in every storm and every point of crises. It is the voice that cries deep within man and says with great conviction: “I do not have what it takes. Who am I to stand up to that which has killed millions just like me; stole from men greater than me; destroyed stronger than me?
God called it an “evil” heart that thinks like this. The word evil means, “Full of labors, annoyances, hardships, pressed, and bringing toils. It is “of a bad nature and is blind." It speaks of the “intense desire” in man to be independent—a “self made” man. This man’s faith is in self effort that drives him: “Try harder, dig in, give it all you’ve got! Make sure you confess the seven steps to success just right!"
After all: If you can think it you can achieve it!
This faith is “of a bad nature.” It is based on the natural assumption that all depends on “might and power.” The truth is, there was no lack of faith in their believing they couldn’t do it; unbelief was believing it was up to them: “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). Identifying and even confessing the giants was not the problem; the issue was in not discerning the presence of the Lord and failing to confess what He had say about the situation.
Sooner or later all faith in the natural dies in the face of impossibility; only the “faith of Christ” is eternal. Whose faith raised Lazarus from the dead? Whose faith enabled Caleb to posses what they said was unattainable? “But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it” (Numbers 14:24).
“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” Do not dare leave the Living God and face the giants in your own strength!
By the way, God could have defeated the giants with the grasshoppers.
It would not have been close: Grasshoppers by two touchdowns!
The writer of Hebrews is referring to the Israelites who failed to enter the Promised Land under Moses. This generation saw the greatness of God’s miracles in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and the miraculous provision of food and drink in the wilderness, and despite this, saw nothing but themselves in there hour of crises. Listen to what God calls their evil report:
“But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:31-33).
To get to the heart of unbelief we need to see the root: What is it deep within man that is the foundation of all atheism?
I thought we were talking about unbelief: What do you mean atheism?
The generation that died in the wilderness was practical atheists. Their actions spoke loud and clear that God was no where to be found when they needed him most: “And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? Were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt” (14:3-4). Follow this “fruit of their lips” to its source and you will discover the heart of all unbelief:
Their faith was in their ability.
They accused the Lord of bringing them “to fall by the sword.” The truth is, it never entered into the mind of the Lord for Israel to conquer Canaan with their sword no more than he depended on such to bring them out of Egypt? It was the Ten Plagues that persuaded Pharaoh to let God‘s people go: Not the top ten swordsman of Israel!
Unbelief is misplaced confidence. It is being faithless: a belief that comes from hearing the voice of man rather than true faith which comes from hearing the voice of God. This voice of unbelief is universal and is “omnipresent” in every storm and every point of crises. It is the voice that cries deep within man and says with great conviction: “I do not have what it takes. Who am I to stand up to that which has killed millions just like me; stole from men greater than me; destroyed stronger than me?
God called it an “evil” heart that thinks like this. The word evil means, “Full of labors, annoyances, hardships, pressed, and bringing toils. It is “of a bad nature and is blind." It speaks of the “intense desire” in man to be independent—a “self made” man. This man’s faith is in self effort that drives him: “Try harder, dig in, give it all you’ve got! Make sure you confess the seven steps to success just right!"
After all: If you can think it you can achieve it!
This faith is “of a bad nature.” It is based on the natural assumption that all depends on “might and power.” The truth is, there was no lack of faith in their believing they couldn’t do it; unbelief was believing it was up to them: “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). Identifying and even confessing the giants was not the problem; the issue was in not discerning the presence of the Lord and failing to confess what He had say about the situation.
Sooner or later all faith in the natural dies in the face of impossibility; only the “faith of Christ” is eternal. Whose faith raised Lazarus from the dead? Whose faith enabled Caleb to posses what they said was unattainable? “But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it” (Numbers 14:24).
“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” Do not dare leave the Living God and face the giants in your own strength!
By the way, God could have defeated the giants with the grasshoppers.
It would not have been close: Grasshoppers by two touchdowns!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
GOD HAS PREACHED YOUR FUNERAL
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Ephesians 1:3-4).
The Greek word for bless is “Eulogeo” and one of its meanings is to eulogize. A eulogy is a “speech or piece of writing that praises somebody or something very highly, especially a tribute to somebody who has recently died.” Paul, who wrote Ephesians and much of the New Testament, eventually finished the race set before him. Let’s listen in to his eulogy:
“We are here to honor our Brother Paul today, who, had he not answered the call of God on his life, many of you would not be here today. This man did many wonderful works: In the Name of Jesus he raised the dead, healed the sick, cast out devils and fed the poor. Through the ever growing love of God in his life, he won countless souls to the kingdom of God. He suffered much for the cause of Christ, yet none of these things ever moved him from his steadfastness of purpose. By the grace of God, he has left us many letters written straight from the Father’s heart to be a lamp to guide us. As you well know, many Churches are here today that stands as a testament to this man, and testify of him: He obeyed God.”
The amazing thing I want you to see is this eulogy was spoken from eternity, before the apostle had ever done one thing: “…who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world…”
God, who declares the end from the beginning, has blessed us in Christ before time ever began. Clearly the scriptures teach that we died with Christ at the cross and spiritually speaking this happened from eternity: “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8”). Therefore, our Heavenly Father "eulogized" all believers “in Christ” before the world was ever formed. This is why Paul could say in Galatians 1:15 that he had been separated from his mother's womb and called by grace even though he had previously been the greatest persecutor of Christ. God had blessed him by "turning him away from his iniquities" and called him with a "holy calling" according to the grace and purpose of Christ "before the foundation of the world."
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10).
Likewise, God preached your funeral before time began and spoke of your end: “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (James 5:11). I don’t have time here to repeat all of what was said about you, but I will give you the closing words:
“Not one good thing of all that I promised this beloved child of mine failed: All came to pass. As I was with Abraham, Moses, Paul, and even my Son Jesus, so I was with….”
You!
The Greek word for bless is “Eulogeo” and one of its meanings is to eulogize. A eulogy is a “speech or piece of writing that praises somebody or something very highly, especially a tribute to somebody who has recently died.” Paul, who wrote Ephesians and much of the New Testament, eventually finished the race set before him. Let’s listen in to his eulogy:
“We are here to honor our Brother Paul today, who, had he not answered the call of God on his life, many of you would not be here today. This man did many wonderful works: In the Name of Jesus he raised the dead, healed the sick, cast out devils and fed the poor. Through the ever growing love of God in his life, he won countless souls to the kingdom of God. He suffered much for the cause of Christ, yet none of these things ever moved him from his steadfastness of purpose. By the grace of God, he has left us many letters written straight from the Father’s heart to be a lamp to guide us. As you well know, many Churches are here today that stands as a testament to this man, and testify of him: He obeyed God.”
The amazing thing I want you to see is this eulogy was spoken from eternity, before the apostle had ever done one thing: “…who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world…”
God, who declares the end from the beginning, has blessed us in Christ before time ever began. Clearly the scriptures teach that we died with Christ at the cross and spiritually speaking this happened from eternity: “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8”). Therefore, our Heavenly Father "eulogized" all believers “in Christ” before the world was ever formed. This is why Paul could say in Galatians 1:15 that he had been separated from his mother's womb and called by grace even though he had previously been the greatest persecutor of Christ. God had blessed him by "turning him away from his iniquities" and called him with a "holy calling" according to the grace and purpose of Christ "before the foundation of the world."
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10).
Likewise, God preached your funeral before time began and spoke of your end: “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (James 5:11). I don’t have time here to repeat all of what was said about you, but I will give you the closing words:
“Not one good thing of all that I promised this beloved child of mine failed: All came to pass. As I was with Abraham, Moses, Paul, and even my Son Jesus, so I was with….”
You!
Monday, November 16, 2009
HAVE YOU BEEN TO YOUR OWN FUNERAL?
"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein" (Jeremiah 6:16).
We do not discover the truth as in searching out a new trail; we discover the truth when we find an old path. It is not new scars in Heaven that assure us of our spiritual and physical healing; it is old scars, that of a Lamb as it had been slain. It is an old path that leads to the cross which in essence became the operating room where our sins were surgically removed, not with a razor sharp scalpel, but with the scourging of a Roman whip and the piercing of three nails. These scars assure us that a New Covenant has been cut which provides everything we need in abundance: The operation was a success.
The life of Abraham provides an excellent commentary on this New Covenant:
“And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son” (Genesis 17:24-26).
God had just reiterated an old, but yet new promise: “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him” (Genesis 17:19). Abraham’s side of the covenant required the obedience of circumcision which was really a confession of utter dependence upon God. This cutting away of strength was a declaration of true faith: “Lord, here is my impotence. I bring to you that which is dead and can only be raised to life by resurrection power.”
Circumcision is God’s blueprint for a miracle: “And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you” (Genesis 17:11). Notice that these instructions came to Abraham at ninety-nine and not when he was eighty-five. This is because at a younger age death had not “set in” to that which was to be circumcised; at ninety-nine Abraham was as good as dead as to his reproduction abilities. The covenant of circumcision was to be an everlasting illustrated sermon entitled, “Impotence Never Meets The Requirements Of Omnipotence!” Circumcision is a sign of death to all hope in the natural and a faith in the supernatural: “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3).
We enter into worship when we can no longer be tempted to depend on our own abilities to get the job done, and yet believe and move toward a miracle. Abraham at this time could not be tempted to have any more “relations” with Hagar: “And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old…” (Romans 4:19). When he could no longer be “moved” to take things into his own hands, God moved and took things into His hands! This is the essence of walking in the New Covenant.
Circumcision is the cutting away of foreskin that which is there by nature: here it represents the pride of natural strength. It is there to protect man’s greatest pride: His ability to “duplicate!” The only trouble is man can never replicate that which is spiritual. He may come close, as Abraham did with Ishmael who looked a lot like Isaac—both were to become a great nation— but God ultimately rejected that which was of natural origin. It is only when we are cut off from natural hope in ordinary resources will God move. Abraham marked this step clearly, “Who against hope believed in hope…” (Romans 4:18).
You must see that before Abraham ever took Sarah to the delivery room, he first had to attend his own funeral!
What happens to a branch that is cut off from the tree? It dies. What happens when you cut off a foreskin? It dies and it will soon start to stink!
When Abraham circumcised his foreskin (and that of his household including Ishmael) it died the death that always comes with separation. Since you always bury the dead I am sure there was a graveside service as Abraham buried his “pride” and brought his own eulogy:
“I remember Abraham well. He was full of promise and full of assurance that he could get the job done no matter the mountains that stood in his way. Here was a man of action! Here was a man of faith! Here is a man that did everything within his power to get God to move in his time and even helped God along the way.
And he thought it had worked.
But here I bury Ishmael and all the hope that had come with him. May God have mercy.”
All that are in Christ are clearly evidenced in the scriptures as being crucified with Christ. Have you been to your own funeral?
We do not discover the truth as in searching out a new trail; we discover the truth when we find an old path. It is not new scars in Heaven that assure us of our spiritual and physical healing; it is old scars, that of a Lamb as it had been slain. It is an old path that leads to the cross which in essence became the operating room where our sins were surgically removed, not with a razor sharp scalpel, but with the scourging of a Roman whip and the piercing of three nails. These scars assure us that a New Covenant has been cut which provides everything we need in abundance: The operation was a success.
The life of Abraham provides an excellent commentary on this New Covenant:
“And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son” (Genesis 17:24-26).
God had just reiterated an old, but yet new promise: “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him” (Genesis 17:19). Abraham’s side of the covenant required the obedience of circumcision which was really a confession of utter dependence upon God. This cutting away of strength was a declaration of true faith: “Lord, here is my impotence. I bring to you that which is dead and can only be raised to life by resurrection power.”
Circumcision is God’s blueprint for a miracle: “And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you” (Genesis 17:11). Notice that these instructions came to Abraham at ninety-nine and not when he was eighty-five. This is because at a younger age death had not “set in” to that which was to be circumcised; at ninety-nine Abraham was as good as dead as to his reproduction abilities. The covenant of circumcision was to be an everlasting illustrated sermon entitled, “Impotence Never Meets The Requirements Of Omnipotence!” Circumcision is a sign of death to all hope in the natural and a faith in the supernatural: “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3).
We enter into worship when we can no longer be tempted to depend on our own abilities to get the job done, and yet believe and move toward a miracle. Abraham at this time could not be tempted to have any more “relations” with Hagar: “And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old…” (Romans 4:19). When he could no longer be “moved” to take things into his own hands, God moved and took things into His hands! This is the essence of walking in the New Covenant.
Circumcision is the cutting away of foreskin that which is there by nature: here it represents the pride of natural strength. It is there to protect man’s greatest pride: His ability to “duplicate!” The only trouble is man can never replicate that which is spiritual. He may come close, as Abraham did with Ishmael who looked a lot like Isaac—both were to become a great nation— but God ultimately rejected that which was of natural origin. It is only when we are cut off from natural hope in ordinary resources will God move. Abraham marked this step clearly, “Who against hope believed in hope…” (Romans 4:18).
You must see that before Abraham ever took Sarah to the delivery room, he first had to attend his own funeral!
What happens to a branch that is cut off from the tree? It dies. What happens when you cut off a foreskin? It dies and it will soon start to stink!
When Abraham circumcised his foreskin (and that of his household including Ishmael) it died the death that always comes with separation. Since you always bury the dead I am sure there was a graveside service as Abraham buried his “pride” and brought his own eulogy:
“I remember Abraham well. He was full of promise and full of assurance that he could get the job done no matter the mountains that stood in his way. Here was a man of action! Here was a man of faith! Here is a man that did everything within his power to get God to move in his time and even helped God along the way.
And he thought it had worked.
But here I bury Ishmael and all the hope that had come with him. May God have mercy.”
All that are in Christ are clearly evidenced in the scriptures as being crucified with Christ. Have you been to your own funeral?
Friday, November 13, 2009
DEATH BY LETHAL INJECTION
For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. —Psalms 5:4-6
Consider the following attributes of God.
1. He hates evil and loves righteousness.
2. He can not lie.
3. He is a God of justice.
4. He is love.
How can you reconcile the truth that God hates all workers of iniquity to the assurance that God so loved the world?
At the cross of Christ: “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24. It is as there that Justice met Grace as the wrath of God was poured out upon Jesus because of our sins. “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).
It is essential that we understand that the God of Justice never compromised the law found in Ezekiel 18:4: “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Exodus 34:7 declares that God “will by no means clear the guilty.” Jesus the author of the New Testament never compromised concerning this principle: “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).
Therefore any one who comes to Jesus must understand that as the Living Word of God, Jesus demands your death! There is no plea bargaining; there is no legal loop hole to crawl out of. You have sinned against the Almighty and as such you are an enemy of the state and as such you are herby sentenced to the death of the cross!
The justice of God demands that it be so.
His mercy commands it!
God’s unconditional acceptance of you just as you were was joined with his unconditional command of your “execution” at the cross of Christ. It was there that your sin died of lethal injection of the precious Blood of the spotless Lamb! “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Romans 6:6)
God in His mercy never reconciled your old man to himself; you were reconciled to God as a new man in Christ.
Consider the following attributes of God.
1. He hates evil and loves righteousness.
2. He can not lie.
3. He is a God of justice.
4. He is love.
How can you reconcile the truth that God hates all workers of iniquity to the assurance that God so loved the world?
At the cross of Christ: “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24. It is as there that Justice met Grace as the wrath of God was poured out upon Jesus because of our sins. “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).
It is essential that we understand that the God of Justice never compromised the law found in Ezekiel 18:4: “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Exodus 34:7 declares that God “will by no means clear the guilty.” Jesus the author of the New Testament never compromised concerning this principle: “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).
Therefore any one who comes to Jesus must understand that as the Living Word of God, Jesus demands your death! There is no plea bargaining; there is no legal loop hole to crawl out of. You have sinned against the Almighty and as such you are an enemy of the state and as such you are herby sentenced to the death of the cross!
The justice of God demands that it be so.
His mercy commands it!
God’s unconditional acceptance of you just as you were was joined with his unconditional command of your “execution” at the cross of Christ. It was there that your sin died of lethal injection of the precious Blood of the spotless Lamb! “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Romans 6:6)
God in His mercy never reconciled your old man to himself; you were reconciled to God as a new man in Christ.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
DEAD TO RIGHTS
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. —Romans 5:10
Thank God that we were reconciled to God by the Blood of the Lamb: That is beyond dispute. But there is something to be desired in modern thinking if we pass over the fact that we were enemies—somebody who hates or seeks to harm somebody or something. It is a total lack of understanding of the fear of God that teaches contemporary evangelist’s to bring God’s enemies to him and "reconcile" them without any sign of brokenness, or trembling, or sorrow for sins on the part of the new “card carrying” member. These wholesale conversions amount to little more than sharing a recipe that may or may not ever be prepared by the recipient.
A present-day case in point would be the United States government running down Osama Bin Laden and offering him a full pardon of his crimes and giving him full access to our country without any change of condition on his part. “Osama, since you have been reconciled to God by grace, there is nothing required of you: no remorse, no restitution, and no repentance!
An example that I have actually witnessed goes something like the following:
“Hey Sis, do you know Jesus?”
“No.”
“Do you want to know him?”
“I guess.”
All you have to do is repeat the ‘sinners’ prayer: "Jesus, you said in your word that if any man confesses with his mouth the Lord Jesus and believes in his heart that God raised him from the dead, then he would be saved. Jesus, I believe. Forgive me of my sins. In Jesus name amen!”
Praise the Lord Sis: You’re saved!!”
The sinner is the one leading the prayer.
Proverbs 1:7 teaches us that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” The fear of the Lord is the manifest presence of the Almighty—initially it is the stark terror of being exposed before him undone and unclean because of sin. It is the sudden dread brought on by an awareness of being in the hand of your sworn enemy whose power it is to destroy both soul and body. Knowledge here comes from the word that means to know intimately as Adam “knew” his wife. If there is no fear of the Lord in a salvation experience, can there be a true knowing of the Lord?
Saul is a picture of a true conversion of an enemy of God coming face to face with the Lord. As an active enemy of the Lord he was “yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples” when suddenly he came into the presence of the Lord. Jesus asked him, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me—why are you my enemy? What happens next is a demonstration of the fear of the Lord that marked a brand new beginning for Paul, thus ending his old life: “And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
Jesus had Paul “dead to rights” and poured out his mercy instead of wrath! But look at Paul’s attitude: He trembled, “shaking continuously and uncontrollably from fear.” He was astonished at the mercy of God, that just as David of old spared King Saul when he could have killed him, Jesus the Son of David was sparing his life.
Paul lives the rest of his life showing the proper response of enemies pardoned by such mercy.
He was dead to rights!
Thank God that we were reconciled to God by the Blood of the Lamb: That is beyond dispute. But there is something to be desired in modern thinking if we pass over the fact that we were enemies—somebody who hates or seeks to harm somebody or something. It is a total lack of understanding of the fear of God that teaches contemporary evangelist’s to bring God’s enemies to him and "reconcile" them without any sign of brokenness, or trembling, or sorrow for sins on the part of the new “card carrying” member. These wholesale conversions amount to little more than sharing a recipe that may or may not ever be prepared by the recipient.
A present-day case in point would be the United States government running down Osama Bin Laden and offering him a full pardon of his crimes and giving him full access to our country without any change of condition on his part. “Osama, since you have been reconciled to God by grace, there is nothing required of you: no remorse, no restitution, and no repentance!
An example that I have actually witnessed goes something like the following:
“Hey Sis, do you know Jesus?”
“No.”
“Do you want to know him?”
“I guess.”
All you have to do is repeat the ‘sinners’ prayer: "Jesus, you said in your word that if any man confesses with his mouth the Lord Jesus and believes in his heart that God raised him from the dead, then he would be saved. Jesus, I believe. Forgive me of my sins. In Jesus name amen!”
Praise the Lord Sis: You’re saved!!”
The sinner is the one leading the prayer.
Proverbs 1:7 teaches us that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” The fear of the Lord is the manifest presence of the Almighty—initially it is the stark terror of being exposed before him undone and unclean because of sin. It is the sudden dread brought on by an awareness of being in the hand of your sworn enemy whose power it is to destroy both soul and body. Knowledge here comes from the word that means to know intimately as Adam “knew” his wife. If there is no fear of the Lord in a salvation experience, can there be a true knowing of the Lord?
Saul is a picture of a true conversion of an enemy of God coming face to face with the Lord. As an active enemy of the Lord he was “yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples” when suddenly he came into the presence of the Lord. Jesus asked him, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me—why are you my enemy? What happens next is a demonstration of the fear of the Lord that marked a brand new beginning for Paul, thus ending his old life: “And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
Jesus had Paul “dead to rights” and poured out his mercy instead of wrath! But look at Paul’s attitude: He trembled, “shaking continuously and uncontrollably from fear.” He was astonished at the mercy of God, that just as David of old spared King Saul when he could have killed him, Jesus the Son of David was sparing his life.
Paul lives the rest of his life showing the proper response of enemies pardoned by such mercy.
He was dead to rights!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
THE BLOOD NEVER DEPRECIATES
Anyone having listened to the latest teaching on grace could easily come to the conclusion that there are entirely two different God’s in the Bible. The angry God of the Old Covenant has been replaced by the genteel God of the New Covenant. The one was always looking for an excuse to clobber one over the head for the slightest infraction. The other never commands the necessity of repentance based on the personal wishes of those who insist that obedience is now legalism. We are saved by grace and not works. Obedience is clearly a work that you do and to require it as a prerequisite to salvation would be to add to the finished work of Christ.
Or so they say.
Isn't Jesus Christ the revealed Lord of All in both covenants? Does not the Word of God declare in Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever?”
Could it be that the God of the Bible has not changed after all?
“And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6-7).
God is Holy and a God of justice. All sin must be washed away by the Blood of the Lamb which IS the abundant Mercy and Grace and longsuffering of the Lord. It is clear from the letters to the seven churches’ that if they did not repent of their sins that they would have to pay the wages of sin which is death. I know that this is highly controversial but the words of the Lord—kill your children with death; you have a name that you livest but you are dead; spue you out of my mouth—indicate that He never got the memo explaining today’s grace message. (See the letters to the seven churches’ in Revelation.)
God, who can not lie, will never clear the guilty the way a human judge might arbitrarily free a murderer. The problem with this is the murderer goes free and justice has never been served: The payment of death has not been paid so therefore the murderer is still guilty and innocent blood has not been avenged. Therefore for the guilty to stand in the Lord’s presence would be “to melt like wax” because the wicked perish at the presence of the Lord. It is impossible for it to be any other way: It would be like the darkness standing in the light of the sun at full strength.
When the Lord abundantly pardons a murderer, it is not that he reduces the severity of the penalty: It is because He took the severity of God’s wrath upon himself and satisfied the Justice of God by paying the price of death with His precious Blood! This same exact Blood that bought you is the same Blood that keeps you: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10). We must confess our sins under the New Covenant and repent of them according to what the Spirit said to the churches in Revelation’s.
He is the same God with the same standards. The church of today would do well to realize this and walk in the same reverential fear of the Lord that the Jews walked in. There were certain Names of God they considered to Holy for mortal man to utter.
We should show the same reverence to the Blood of the Lamb!
There is no remission of sin's without the shedding of Blood.
The grace of God freely given to you cost Jesus everything. We dare not demean the Almighty Blood of Jesus!
The Blood never depreciates!
Or so they say.
Isn't Jesus Christ the revealed Lord of All in both covenants? Does not the Word of God declare in Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever?”
Could it be that the God of the Bible has not changed after all?
“And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6-7).
God is Holy and a God of justice. All sin must be washed away by the Blood of the Lamb which IS the abundant Mercy and Grace and longsuffering of the Lord. It is clear from the letters to the seven churches’ that if they did not repent of their sins that they would have to pay the wages of sin which is death. I know that this is highly controversial but the words of the Lord—kill your children with death; you have a name that you livest but you are dead; spue you out of my mouth—indicate that He never got the memo explaining today’s grace message. (See the letters to the seven churches’ in Revelation.)
God, who can not lie, will never clear the guilty the way a human judge might arbitrarily free a murderer. The problem with this is the murderer goes free and justice has never been served: The payment of death has not been paid so therefore the murderer is still guilty and innocent blood has not been avenged. Therefore for the guilty to stand in the Lord’s presence would be “to melt like wax” because the wicked perish at the presence of the Lord. It is impossible for it to be any other way: It would be like the darkness standing in the light of the sun at full strength.
When the Lord abundantly pardons a murderer, it is not that he reduces the severity of the penalty: It is because He took the severity of God’s wrath upon himself and satisfied the Justice of God by paying the price of death with His precious Blood! This same exact Blood that bought you is the same Blood that keeps you: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10). We must confess our sins under the New Covenant and repent of them according to what the Spirit said to the churches in Revelation’s.
He is the same God with the same standards. The church of today would do well to realize this and walk in the same reverential fear of the Lord that the Jews walked in. There were certain Names of God they considered to Holy for mortal man to utter.
We should show the same reverence to the Blood of the Lamb!
There is no remission of sin's without the shedding of Blood.
The grace of God freely given to you cost Jesus everything. We dare not demean the Almighty Blood of Jesus!
The Blood never depreciates!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
CONVICTED!
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. — John 16:8-11
Before the Holy Ghost ever represents you as your defense lawyer, He comes to convict you of sin as your prosecutor. The ultimate sin of all mankind is the murder of Jesus Christ either directly or indirectly: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6). There is indisputable evidence that places you at the scene of the crime:Your finger prints; your blood; your DNA.
Therefore the Court of Heaven has signed a warrant for your arrest: You are charged with murder—guilt by association. Your iniquity alone was enough to cause the crucifixion of an innocent man---Not only did Jesus die willingly because of his love for you; He died violently because of you.If convicted you will face the death penalty. Someone has to pay the price. To let the guilty go free would be an outrage of justice!
There is a Hell to pay!
I am aware that some teach that this “hell and brimstone” preaching is not needed because everybody knows they are sinners.
Do they?
What a shame that the omniscient Almighty God did not know this and determined that there was a need of the convicting ministry of the Holy Ghost.
Others will insist that the only sin he will convict of is the unbelief of Jesus. This is true but you must understand what that means. To not believe in Jesus is to automatically embrace every sin known to man. He is the only way; He is the only truth; He is the only life: No man comes to the Father except through Him! To reject Him is to embrace the crooked path; the biggest lie; the eternal death known as the Lake of Fire. Nothing good exists outside of His Kingdom of Righteousness: Outside the Blood of the Lamb we all are of the same root of evil that Adolph Hitler was. Outside the grace of God we all would be demon possessed lunatics!
What good in you could possibly keep from such an end? Can you quote one scripture that praises the goodness of man outside of Christ? Can you find any evidence of man ever initiating contact with the Almighty seeking repentance? Is it not true that we need the Holy Ghost to reprove us of sin because no man cometh to the Father except the Spirit draws him?
Reprove means “to convict, generally with a suggestion of shame of the person convicted. It is to bring to the light and expose, to reprehend severely. It implies the manifestation of the truth of the charge and the results to be reaped.” Shame is not a bad thing within this context: A rapist of a little girl who shows no remorse or shame for his actions would be labeled by even the most liberal as extremely repulsing! The attitude of the tax collector is still the right attitude: “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13)! He had had an encounter with the convicting power of the Spirit of God.
Conviction of sin is the first ministry you see on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Ghost wasted no time getting to the heart of the message: “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Acts 2:23). They were guilty as charged and could not deny it in the face of such irrefutable evidence. What a startling revelation this must have been: I chose a murderer over the Prince of Life. How could I possibly be more deceived? How could I possibly be more wrong? Uh oh…..I am going to bust hell wide open!!
Men and brethren, what shall we do?
“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). Jesus Christ was that someone who paid the price of death with His life.He was the only Living Son of Man that could have paid such a price. Only the living can give their life: A dead man has no life to give.
Had the Holy Ghost not come, do you think that the three thousand that repented that day would have known that they were sinners?
Before the Holy Ghost ever represents you as your defense lawyer, He comes to convict you of sin as your prosecutor. The ultimate sin of all mankind is the murder of Jesus Christ either directly or indirectly: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6). There is indisputable evidence that places you at the scene of the crime:Your finger prints; your blood; your DNA.
Therefore the Court of Heaven has signed a warrant for your arrest: You are charged with murder—guilt by association. Your iniquity alone was enough to cause the crucifixion of an innocent man---Not only did Jesus die willingly because of his love for you; He died violently because of you.If convicted you will face the death penalty. Someone has to pay the price. To let the guilty go free would be an outrage of justice!
There is a Hell to pay!
I am aware that some teach that this “hell and brimstone” preaching is not needed because everybody knows they are sinners.
Do they?
What a shame that the omniscient Almighty God did not know this and determined that there was a need of the convicting ministry of the Holy Ghost.
Others will insist that the only sin he will convict of is the unbelief of Jesus. This is true but you must understand what that means. To not believe in Jesus is to automatically embrace every sin known to man. He is the only way; He is the only truth; He is the only life: No man comes to the Father except through Him! To reject Him is to embrace the crooked path; the biggest lie; the eternal death known as the Lake of Fire. Nothing good exists outside of His Kingdom of Righteousness: Outside the Blood of the Lamb we all are of the same root of evil that Adolph Hitler was. Outside the grace of God we all would be demon possessed lunatics!
What good in you could possibly keep from such an end? Can you quote one scripture that praises the goodness of man outside of Christ? Can you find any evidence of man ever initiating contact with the Almighty seeking repentance? Is it not true that we need the Holy Ghost to reprove us of sin because no man cometh to the Father except the Spirit draws him?
Reprove means “to convict, generally with a suggestion of shame of the person convicted. It is to bring to the light and expose, to reprehend severely. It implies the manifestation of the truth of the charge and the results to be reaped.” Shame is not a bad thing within this context: A rapist of a little girl who shows no remorse or shame for his actions would be labeled by even the most liberal as extremely repulsing! The attitude of the tax collector is still the right attitude: “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13)! He had had an encounter with the convicting power of the Spirit of God.
Conviction of sin is the first ministry you see on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Ghost wasted no time getting to the heart of the message: “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Acts 2:23). They were guilty as charged and could not deny it in the face of such irrefutable evidence. What a startling revelation this must have been: I chose a murderer over the Prince of Life. How could I possibly be more deceived? How could I possibly be more wrong? Uh oh…..I am going to bust hell wide open!!
Men and brethren, what shall we do?
“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). Jesus Christ was that someone who paid the price of death with His life.He was the only Living Son of Man that could have paid such a price. Only the living can give their life: A dead man has no life to give.
Had the Holy Ghost not come, do you think that the three thousand that repented that day would have known that they were sinners?
Monday, November 9, 2009
INDICTED!
Isaiah 30:18 declares that the Lord is a God of judgment. This truth of God's judgment has both a positive and negative connotation. For the guilty whose sins have not been repented of and washed in the precious Blood of the Lamb, there is the stark terror of the wrath of God and eternal torment in the Lake of Fire. For the righteous whose sins have been forgiven, judgment is a positive enforcement of all that Christ has promised, in this life and the world to come.
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. — John 16:8-11
The text clearly states that the Holy Ghost has come to convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Grand Jury of heaven has convened and found enough evidence against all of of mankind to return an indictment of murder,treason, and other serious crimes against God. Consequently, at some point, everyone receives a summons to appear in court to answer the charges brought against him/her by the Word of God. These charges are very grievous:They all carry the death penalty.
Eternal death.
The word judgment means a separating, a decision given concerning anything, condemnation and punishment. The Greek word translated judgment in John 16:8 is translated condemnation in John 3:19: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Thus the Holy Ghost has come to convince men of their separation from God and the resulting condemnation of eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire if they do not repent.
This convicting ministry of the Holy Ghost is absolutely necessary for man to be brought back into right relationship with God. Without it man in his fallen state would never realize just how guilty he is and would not understand his need of deep repentance and cleansing by the Blood of the Lamb. Therefore the Holy Ghost has built his case of truth based on the unchangeable Law of God: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Romans 3:19). Without this sense of guilt it is impossible for man to repent because he is blind, spiritually dead, and altogether self assured of a self righteousness. Only the Light of the Word of God can bring man to the cry of, “What must I do to be saved?” Without this light we will be like the Jew’s of old that Peter preached to: We will think we have done God a service when in truth we are guilty of the murder of Jesus!
Amazingly this truth has been bypassed by the “Seeker Friendly” church. In there deficient wisdom they seek to reconcile man to God without ever showing mans dire need and imminent danger. If you were to relate this to the medical field, it would be like trying to convince a man to have open heart surgery without showing him his clogged arteries. This would be next to impossible; especially if that man thought he was all right and would live another hundred years.
The sad truth is that man in his fallen state became the “children of disobedience” and as such took on the nature of their father the devil: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). Romans 3:12 says man has “become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” This simply means that man became “good for nothing.”
How dare we compromise the ministry of the Holy Ghost and preach to man how inherently good he is when God said he was good for nothing. We preach the "convincing of righteousness" and leave off the convincing of sin and judgment. This is nothing but pride that says we really do know more than the Almighty. B.H. Clendennen says, “Not since the Pharisees called Jesus Beelzebub, has there been a greater insult to the Christ than the so called "user friendly" gospel.” He basically says that to lower the standards of the Word of God to make Christ acceptable to a world that hates him is an abomination to God. Amen.
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. — John 16:8-11
The text clearly states that the Holy Ghost has come to convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Grand Jury of heaven has convened and found enough evidence against all of of mankind to return an indictment of murder,treason, and other serious crimes against God. Consequently, at some point, everyone receives a summons to appear in court to answer the charges brought against him/her by the Word of God. These charges are very grievous:They all carry the death penalty.
Eternal death.
The word judgment means a separating, a decision given concerning anything, condemnation and punishment. The Greek word translated judgment in John 16:8 is translated condemnation in John 3:19: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Thus the Holy Ghost has come to convince men of their separation from God and the resulting condemnation of eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire if they do not repent.
This convicting ministry of the Holy Ghost is absolutely necessary for man to be brought back into right relationship with God. Without it man in his fallen state would never realize just how guilty he is and would not understand his need of deep repentance and cleansing by the Blood of the Lamb. Therefore the Holy Ghost has built his case of truth based on the unchangeable Law of God: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Romans 3:19). Without this sense of guilt it is impossible for man to repent because he is blind, spiritually dead, and altogether self assured of a self righteousness. Only the Light of the Word of God can bring man to the cry of, “What must I do to be saved?” Without this light we will be like the Jew’s of old that Peter preached to: We will think we have done God a service when in truth we are guilty of the murder of Jesus!
Amazingly this truth has been bypassed by the “Seeker Friendly” church. In there deficient wisdom they seek to reconcile man to God without ever showing mans dire need and imminent danger. If you were to relate this to the medical field, it would be like trying to convince a man to have open heart surgery without showing him his clogged arteries. This would be next to impossible; especially if that man thought he was all right and would live another hundred years.
The sad truth is that man in his fallen state became the “children of disobedience” and as such took on the nature of their father the devil: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). Romans 3:12 says man has “become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” This simply means that man became “good for nothing.”
How dare we compromise the ministry of the Holy Ghost and preach to man how inherently good he is when God said he was good for nothing. We preach the "convincing of righteousness" and leave off the convincing of sin and judgment. This is nothing but pride that says we really do know more than the Almighty. B.H. Clendennen says, “Not since the Pharisees called Jesus Beelzebub, has there been a greater insult to the Christ than the so called "user friendly" gospel.” He basically says that to lower the standards of the Word of God to make Christ acceptable to a world that hates him is an abomination to God. Amen.
Friday, November 6, 2009
THE MATRIX
But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb. —1 Samuel 1:5
It is consistent with the teaching of the scriptures to believe that before Hannah ever received the seed of Elkanah, she had received the seed of promise from the Lord. How her heart must have leaped in faith when the Lord assured her that her son would be used mightily of the Lord: after all, Elkanah was a Levite. No doubt she remained strong during the first few years when nothing happened, probably reminding herself of Sarah and Rachel’s testimony of birthing Isaac and Joseph after years of waiting. The trouble with patience however, is that it has a tendency to wear thin.
At some point Elkanah gave up on obtaining children by Hannah which means grace. If it is true that Elkanah married Peninnah in order to have children by her—a compromised grace— how devastating this must have been to Hannah. It magnified her barrenness and amplified her fears that something was obviously wrong with her: “I must be worthless.” This was echoed when Elkanah asked: “Am not I better to thee than ten sons?” What he was really saying was, “Come to grips with the fact that you are barren and appreciate what you do have. Start a new career: Not everybody can have a baby.”
To make matters worse, the yearly trip to Shiloh was the national holiday for Israel. Holiday’s are always extremely difficult for the “have not’s” because those that have tend to take inventory:
“Isn’t he adorable Peninnah!”
“Yes, but after ten sons, I wish I could give Elkie more daughters: He so loves the twins.”
“What color did you paint the new baby room?”
“I got Hannah to paint it for me. She picked out a pretty pink.”
“Oh: Hi Hannah, almost didn’t see you hiding back there. Anything going on with you?”
Year by year this had been going on. Hannah no doubt had voiced her vision: "The next Christmas will be different,” but here she was again. Same song, still out of tune.
Everyone has a breaking point. Hannah’s expectation had suffered postponement after postponement to the point of wounding her heart to the point of death: “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12). Sick is translated wounded in 2 Chronicles 35:23-24: “And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded…and he died”. Could this be where God was leading Hannah all along? Is not resurrection only possible after death?
Hannah would later testify that this indeed was the case: “The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill…”(1 Samuel 2:6-8). David Wilkerson preaches that God always follows a promise with a corresponding sentence of death upon the very thing He has promised. But the way he says you can know that it is of God, is that it keeps coming again and again, because on the other hand it refuses to die.
Has God shut your womb and brought it to the grave? Womb is also translated matrix: “a situation or set of circumstances that allows or encourages the origin, development, or growth of something.” In God s wisdom, Samuel was growing more and more in Hanna’s spiritual womb before he ever grew in her natural womb. All the suffering, all the heartache, and all the persecution worked together to form a prayer within her that changed everything: “And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head” (1 Samuel 1:11).
What is it that keeps kicking in your matrix? “And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine” (Numbers 3:12). Vow to give it back to the Lord and may the Holy Ghost bring glory, honor, and praise to the name of Jesus Christ!!!
It is consistent with the teaching of the scriptures to believe that before Hannah ever received the seed of Elkanah, she had received the seed of promise from the Lord. How her heart must have leaped in faith when the Lord assured her that her son would be used mightily of the Lord: after all, Elkanah was a Levite. No doubt she remained strong during the first few years when nothing happened, probably reminding herself of Sarah and Rachel’s testimony of birthing Isaac and Joseph after years of waiting. The trouble with patience however, is that it has a tendency to wear thin.
At some point Elkanah gave up on obtaining children by Hannah which means grace. If it is true that Elkanah married Peninnah in order to have children by her—a compromised grace— how devastating this must have been to Hannah. It magnified her barrenness and amplified her fears that something was obviously wrong with her: “I must be worthless.” This was echoed when Elkanah asked: “Am not I better to thee than ten sons?” What he was really saying was, “Come to grips with the fact that you are barren and appreciate what you do have. Start a new career: Not everybody can have a baby.”
To make matters worse, the yearly trip to Shiloh was the national holiday for Israel. Holiday’s are always extremely difficult for the “have not’s” because those that have tend to take inventory:
“Isn’t he adorable Peninnah!”
“Yes, but after ten sons, I wish I could give Elkie more daughters: He so loves the twins.”
“What color did you paint the new baby room?”
“I got Hannah to paint it for me. She picked out a pretty pink.”
“Oh: Hi Hannah, almost didn’t see you hiding back there. Anything going on with you?”
Year by year this had been going on. Hannah no doubt had voiced her vision: "The next Christmas will be different,” but here she was again. Same song, still out of tune.
Everyone has a breaking point. Hannah’s expectation had suffered postponement after postponement to the point of wounding her heart to the point of death: “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12). Sick is translated wounded in 2 Chronicles 35:23-24: “And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded…and he died”. Could this be where God was leading Hannah all along? Is not resurrection only possible after death?
Hannah would later testify that this indeed was the case: “The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill…”(1 Samuel 2:6-8). David Wilkerson preaches that God always follows a promise with a corresponding sentence of death upon the very thing He has promised. But the way he says you can know that it is of God, is that it keeps coming again and again, because on the other hand it refuses to die.
Has God shut your womb and brought it to the grave? Womb is also translated matrix: “a situation or set of circumstances that allows or encourages the origin, development, or growth of something.” In God s wisdom, Samuel was growing more and more in Hanna’s spiritual womb before he ever grew in her natural womb. All the suffering, all the heartache, and all the persecution worked together to form a prayer within her that changed everything: “And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head” (1 Samuel 1:11).
What is it that keeps kicking in your matrix? “And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine” (Numbers 3:12). Vow to give it back to the Lord and may the Holy Ghost bring glory, honor, and praise to the name of Jesus Christ!!!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
THE HANNAH COMPANY
Elkanah…had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. — 1 Samuel 1:1-2
I believe that Hannah represents the last day’s church that has received a heavenly vision for birthing souls into the Kingdom of God. For the most part, this Hannah Company is represented by Godly pastors with small congregations that refuse to compromise the standard of the Word of God. As Hannah of old was grieved, this remnant of believers are provoked by the Peninnah church that boasts of many children and a miracle a day, but has no discernment of what God is about to do. Like Eli of old, they mistake true unction for being drunk while their “sons” make people “abhor the offering of the Lord.”
Hannah means grace and is a picture of the true gospel of grace. Peninnah means jewel: She looks good but can never accomplish the heart of God because she represents another gospel. The truth is, Elkanah should have never married Peninnah because in the beginning God did not make Adam and Eve and Esther! It was their culture at that time, but it would later be revealed as “ignorance that God winked at” but now commands to be repented of. Therefore in a sense, all of Peninnah’s children that she was so proud of were really the offspring of adultery “They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions” (Hosea 5:7).
Matthew Henry says that “It is probable that Elkanah married Hannah first, and, because he had not children by her so soon as he hoped, he married Peninnah.” Tragically this is much of what goes on today. Godly men who start out with an honest desire to see souls saved lose patience with “Hannah” and turn to the world’s methods. Hannah’s insistence on the preaching of the cross with the Holy Ghost from heaven as the only power that could birth souls into the kingdom was taking to long; Peninnah’s easing of the cross with reference to the Holy Ghost brought results.
And fast.
The only problem was there was no presence of the Lord, only empty boasting of that which would soon fade away: “Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble” (1 Samuel 2:3-5).
Are you part of the Hannah Company? Do not be dismayed by the empty confessions of those that boast of there need of nothing. While you may have to confess that you have prayed for years for the same thing, they only have to pray once and confess it is done. While you are praying like the widow woman who kept asking with shameless persistence till she was avenged of her enemy, they are celebrating their superior understanding that places them above Daniel—it took him twenty-one days whereas it takes them only a moment. Satan can not hinder them even though he did hinder the Apostle Paul: “Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us” (1 Thessalonians 2:18).
While Peninnah was “living large and taking charge” with no need to pray, Hannah was pouring out her heart to the Lord. Samuel means “asked of the Lord” and represented that which was in the heart and mind of the Lord. Is that your heart? May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ grant you your petition!
I believe that Hannah represents the last day’s church that has received a heavenly vision for birthing souls into the Kingdom of God. For the most part, this Hannah Company is represented by Godly pastors with small congregations that refuse to compromise the standard of the Word of God. As Hannah of old was grieved, this remnant of believers are provoked by the Peninnah church that boasts of many children and a miracle a day, but has no discernment of what God is about to do. Like Eli of old, they mistake true unction for being drunk while their “sons” make people “abhor the offering of the Lord.”
Hannah means grace and is a picture of the true gospel of grace. Peninnah means jewel: She looks good but can never accomplish the heart of God because she represents another gospel. The truth is, Elkanah should have never married Peninnah because in the beginning God did not make Adam and Eve and Esther! It was their culture at that time, but it would later be revealed as “ignorance that God winked at” but now commands to be repented of. Therefore in a sense, all of Peninnah’s children that she was so proud of were really the offspring of adultery “They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions” (Hosea 5:7).
Matthew Henry says that “It is probable that Elkanah married Hannah first, and, because he had not children by her so soon as he hoped, he married Peninnah.” Tragically this is much of what goes on today. Godly men who start out with an honest desire to see souls saved lose patience with “Hannah” and turn to the world’s methods. Hannah’s insistence on the preaching of the cross with the Holy Ghost from heaven as the only power that could birth souls into the kingdom was taking to long; Peninnah’s easing of the cross with reference to the Holy Ghost brought results.
And fast.
The only problem was there was no presence of the Lord, only empty boasting of that which would soon fade away: “Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble” (1 Samuel 2:3-5).
Are you part of the Hannah Company? Do not be dismayed by the empty confessions of those that boast of there need of nothing. While you may have to confess that you have prayed for years for the same thing, they only have to pray once and confess it is done. While you are praying like the widow woman who kept asking with shameless persistence till she was avenged of her enemy, they are celebrating their superior understanding that places them above Daniel—it took him twenty-one days whereas it takes them only a moment. Satan can not hinder them even though he did hinder the Apostle Paul: “Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us” (1 Thessalonians 2:18).
While Peninnah was “living large and taking charge” with no need to pray, Hannah was pouring out her heart to the Lord. Samuel means “asked of the Lord” and represented that which was in the heart and mind of the Lord. Is that your heart? May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ grant you your petition!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
EVER HEARD OF SAMUEL?
1 Samuel 1:1-2 tells of a man named Elkanah who “had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.” The word no here is translated elsewhere as incurable, infinite, and helpless. Her situation seemed absolutely hopeless and terminal with no end in sight. The “natural” evidence her adversary presented in her trial of faith was undeniable: She had gone childless “year after year.” Thank God the Judge of Heaven “overruled” the lesser authority of Peninnah and all she stood for!
Known unto God are all his works from the foundation of the world: You can be sure that God had declared to Hannah the beginning from the end. God had given her a “heavenly vision” through the promise of a son but the “vision had tarried.” With no reservations the scripture tells us that “The LORD had shut up her womb.” Revelation 3:7 proclaims that the Lord “openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.” Notice it did not say that the Lord shutteth and would never open that which He had shut. It says that no man can open what He has shut: Man can never open for you what the Lord has prepared for you! No amount of networking, no working the phones, and no amount of positioning or “aligning” yourself with the apostles of our day will bring it to pass. It is the Lord’s work and in his time no man can stop it! Only the Lord can open the door of your womb and birth the promise He has given you.
Hannah knew that Peninnah’s children could never answer the ministry that God was birthing in her, that which represented the pure Word of God. Peninnah stands for that which comes easy and has never had to endure anything. While Hannah refused to “lower the standard” of true ministry, Peninnah had no trouble adding to the growing numbers of Phinehas and Hophni’s “youth revival” with all of its fog machines and blind faith in the “prophetic” word. Peninnah was in the baby manufacturing business, but only that which is of inferior quality can be mass produced cheaply: Does anyone remember her children’s names? Ever heard of Samuel?
Have you long waited for God’s promises in your life? Do not fret when others seemingly leave you far behind as they build their “mega” ministries. The Lord’s greatest work will be for those who have kept the word of his patience: “For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:37). The Lord will have the final say: “The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that
the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble” (1 Samuel 2:4-5).
“For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off” (Proverbs 23:18).
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:—1Peter 1:6-7
We know that in a trial the prosecution presents evidence and testimony from eyewitnesses to convict the defendant of their guilt based on what they have done. A witness never testifies to what he believes is going to happen—if he predicts the future it will be impermissible evidence. Therefore a faithful witness is “somebody who gives evidence after hearing or seeing something."
When it comes to the trial of your faith, the devil will try to prosecute you on a mountain of natural evidence. He will present witness after witness of the sins you have committed, the defeats you have suffered, and the utter impotence of your best efforts. If he can get you to agree with him concerning the undeniable circumstantial evidence of things that are seen, he will win a conviction every time!
Jesus, who is the Wonderful Counselor of Truth who is your sworn Advocate, has a rock solid defense based on eternal evidence. This evidence is “something that gives a sign or proof of the existence or truth of something, or that helps somebody to come to a particular conclusion.” This substantiation is seen through the “eyes of faith” in heaven and becomes the ground of hope that we stand on. Paul put it like this: “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal”(2 Corinthians 4:18).
It is most vital to understand that the trial of our faith is ultimately tried in the court of heaven as it pertains to us obtaining a righteous judgment and acquittal against the enemy. The last place the enemy wants this trial to take place is in the Court of Heaven because he knows that we are fellow citizens with all the saints and have all rights as such! The devil knows that in the Light of God’s glory his case built on circumstantial evidence will get thrown out every time! God never judges anything based on the flimsy “facts” of circumstances; He judges on the concrete proof of his Word which originates from his mouth and is a done deal. The accuser never wins a case in heavens court because God has already “struck a deal” with Jesus the defense lawyer: A done deal!!
Jesus taught his disciples to pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.” If you see by faith anything already done on heaven then you are to pray until it is manifested on earth. In other words, we receive the verdict of truth in our trial of faith in heaven as we hear from heaven what God has to say about it. It is there that we receive a "judgment" against the enemy. We are pray until that “judgment” is executed on earth by the “High Sheriff of Heaven" who has all jurisdiction and authority and power in heaven and earth. Matthew 16:19 in the Amplified puts it like this: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven.”
Are you in a trial of faith that is a matter of life and death? As a paralegal to the Attorney of Truth I have good news to bring: I have found a precedent— the doctrine that requires a court to follow decisions of superior or previous courts. This evidence I am about to tell you about has already won in court for a “great cloud of witnesses.” These witnesses have endured their trial of faith and was found to be holy and blameless in Christ before God.
This eternal evidence that wins every case is the Almighty Blood of Jesus Christ: This Blood is surly seen in heaven and speaks better things than that of Abel! This Blood speaks of forgiveness and deliverance from all sin and total healing from all sickness and disease! This is clearly seen as being evidenced by the scars of the Savior. This Blood assures you of blessing when all you can see is a curse; of victory when circumstances shout defeat; of strength in place of weakness! This Blood is one with the Spirit of his Word which testifies of a way through the impossible even to the raising of the dead! Above all, this Blood testifies on your behalf of mercy!
And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony: You do get to take the witness stand in your own defense. Confess the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God!!
We know that in a trial the prosecution presents evidence and testimony from eyewitnesses to convict the defendant of their guilt based on what they have done. A witness never testifies to what he believes is going to happen—if he predicts the future it will be impermissible evidence. Therefore a faithful witness is “somebody who gives evidence after hearing or seeing something."
When it comes to the trial of your faith, the devil will try to prosecute you on a mountain of natural evidence. He will present witness after witness of the sins you have committed, the defeats you have suffered, and the utter impotence of your best efforts. If he can get you to agree with him concerning the undeniable circumstantial evidence of things that are seen, he will win a conviction every time!
Jesus, who is the Wonderful Counselor of Truth who is your sworn Advocate, has a rock solid defense based on eternal evidence. This evidence is “something that gives a sign or proof of the existence or truth of something, or that helps somebody to come to a particular conclusion.” This substantiation is seen through the “eyes of faith” in heaven and becomes the ground of hope that we stand on. Paul put it like this: “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal”(2 Corinthians 4:18).
It is most vital to understand that the trial of our faith is ultimately tried in the court of heaven as it pertains to us obtaining a righteous judgment and acquittal against the enemy. The last place the enemy wants this trial to take place is in the Court of Heaven because he knows that we are fellow citizens with all the saints and have all rights as such! The devil knows that in the Light of God’s glory his case built on circumstantial evidence will get thrown out every time! God never judges anything based on the flimsy “facts” of circumstances; He judges on the concrete proof of his Word which originates from his mouth and is a done deal. The accuser never wins a case in heavens court because God has already “struck a deal” with Jesus the defense lawyer: A done deal!!
Jesus taught his disciples to pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.” If you see by faith anything already done on heaven then you are to pray until it is manifested on earth. In other words, we receive the verdict of truth in our trial of faith in heaven as we hear from heaven what God has to say about it. It is there that we receive a "judgment" against the enemy. We are pray until that “judgment” is executed on earth by the “High Sheriff of Heaven" who has all jurisdiction and authority and power in heaven and earth. Matthew 16:19 in the Amplified puts it like this: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven.”
Are you in a trial of faith that is a matter of life and death? As a paralegal to the Attorney of Truth I have good news to bring: I have found a precedent— the doctrine that requires a court to follow decisions of superior or previous courts. This evidence I am about to tell you about has already won in court for a “great cloud of witnesses.” These witnesses have endured their trial of faith and was found to be holy and blameless in Christ before God.
This eternal evidence that wins every case is the Almighty Blood of Jesus Christ: This Blood is surly seen in heaven and speaks better things than that of Abel! This Blood speaks of forgiveness and deliverance from all sin and total healing from all sickness and disease! This is clearly seen as being evidenced by the scars of the Savior. This Blood assures you of blessing when all you can see is a curse; of victory when circumstances shout defeat; of strength in place of weakness! This Blood is one with the Spirit of his Word which testifies of a way through the impossible even to the raising of the dead! Above all, this Blood testifies on your behalf of mercy!
And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony: You do get to take the witness stand in your own defense. Confess the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God!!
Monday, November 2, 2009
THE D.N.A. OF ABRAHAM
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:—Peter 1:6-7
Abraham at 100 years old was summoned to court to go on trial for his faith. He had spoken with great assurance that he would be a father of many nations and now unbelief was out to convict him of perjury. The prosecuting attorney in this case was a shyster named Lydell Doubtfire. The defense attorney for Abraham was Counselor J. Lamb. Presiding over this case was the Honorable Justice of Peace, whose last name was Grace.
To say that the prosecution was over confident would be putting it mildly. There was some concern when the defense got a change of venue and had the trial moved to New Jerusalem, but a key witness know as Circumstance was ready to testify that Abraham was childless as for as Sarah was concerned. Besides, they had an expert forensics scientist lined up to confirm that Abraham and Sarah were physically unable to bear children: They were both dead. Despite all of this, Counselor Lamb refused to “plea out” and except a lesser sentence concerning Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Hagar.
The first witness for the defense was a man known as the beginning and the end:
“Is Abraham a father of many nations?” sneered Doubtfire.
“Yes he is.”
“Have you any evidence of this?”
“Yes, I have made him a father of many nations, it is a done deal.”
“And just when did this occur?”
“It was finished from the foundation of the world.”
“Why on earth would I believe this to be true,” Doubtfire screamed.
“Because my word is my action: What is done in Heaven will be done on earth” declared the Beginning and the End.
“Can you prove this?”
“Yes, I have a “live feed” from the courts of New Jerusalem. “
Suddenly Doubt and his fiery darts of fear melted in the presence of Consuming Fire as a loud voice was heard in the courtroom saying: “Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” These voices were coming from “a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.”
D.N.A. evidence from the forensic authority concluded beyond a shadow of doubt that ALL of the great multitude came from the seed of Abraham.
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