The Life Within

“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” – Luke 1:35

The belief in the virgin birth is a cornerstone of Christian.  Jesus Christ came into the world in a supernatural way.  The holy thing that was formed in Mary was the Son of God.  Now, having never personally carried a child myself, I can only speculate as to the way Mary must have felt.  However, I believe some common assumptions can be made; that I am sure are close to fact.  First of which is that Mary herself knew well that a child was within her.  There was no doubt about this.  Secondly, this was not something easily forgotten.  The angel had appeared unto her and told her she was going to have a baby; Mary replied with the obvious “how can this be seeing as I know not a man?”  Then the angel spoke the words found above “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”   When the Son of God was created in her she most defiantly knew that 1^st she was pregnant and 2^nd it was by divine power.  Carrying the Son of God within her is not something that she would forget; nor is it something that she would need to be reminded of.  It’s not like she wakes up every now and again and thinks “oh yea I am still pregnant.” Or as though she says: “oh yea, I got to have this baby today.”  This is/was a life changing event and a life defining event.  Mary will now and forever be the Mother of Jesus Christ the Son of God! 

It seems as though this Christmas Season is surrounded by promptings and reminders, such as “keep Christ in Christmas” and “Jesus is the reason for the Season.”  Perhaps I am merely taking a cynical view on things; this could be argued, but we must be very careful not to harness our spiritual lives to the “holiday schedule.”  That is to say when Thanksgiving comes around we are thankful.  When Christmas arrives we recognize or rather are “reminded” of Christ.  When Easter comes we praise him as the victorious one and Lord of all.  The meaning of Christmas is a meaning that we live, or rather, lives in us throughout the year; throughout our years.  One must understand that Christ is Christmas.  This should not be something that we need to be prompted of, but rather something that cannot be ignored; because to the Christian, Christ is born in us.  When a man or women finds a born again experience, they know that the Holy Ghost abides within and there is no doubt about the birth within.  Jesus Christ was born into this world so that he could one day be born in us.  So that one day the Son of God could abide in the heart of man teaching us and guiding us every day of our lives.  It is an experience that is known immediately, and something you cannot be convinced otherwise of.  Furthermore, it is not something that you need to be “reminded of” that is to say it is not something that you need to be prompted to turn on, but rather it becomes you and defines you.

Perhaps this year the only recognition of Christ was because of a “reason for season” church sign or Sunday sermon.  If this is so, and the clutter of life has encumbered your soul, know that the Holy Ghost can come upon thee and the power of the Highest can overshadow thee, and you can have born in you the Son of God.  This inward birth will change you, it will define you, and it will bring more joy, peace, happiness, than ever thought possible.  The greatest of all gifts is surly this: that God sent his only Son into the world that “we might have life and have it more abundant.”  Merry Christmas; today, tomorrow and those that may follow.          

Unconsciously contrary

“I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” – Acts 26:9

            Hypothetically, if you could poll every drunkard, wife abuser, slander, anyone and everyone that is living in sin among us; if you could poll all of them with this question: “Do you think you are doing many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth?”  What do you think their answer would be?  Take a moment and think back, those of us who have been called out of sin and into the fellowship of Jesus Christ; think back to when you were lost……Did you feel you were doing many things contrary to Christ?  I myself confess I did not feel that way, and then, all of the sudden, I most certainly knew that I did.

Perhaps for many of us, when we were lost in sin, did not go out each day thinking “I am going to do many things contrary to Christ today.”  We just went out and lived how we wanted to live; according to our own lusts and desires.  Then, by and by, we began to leave a pattern of “bad deeds.”  You can fill in the blank, we each one know our sins against God.  The sum of them is this, we didn’t love God and we didn’t love our neighbor; we loved ourselves.  Allow me to digress a moment, in our land and country today the home is under attack by the devil.  He is working hard to destroy the sanctity of marriage and by default Godliness in the home.  He is doing this not only in the deception that homosexuality is “ok”; because it’s not; it’s a sin like any other.  The homosexual needs to be saved, just like the drunkard; and Jesus has all power, he can save to the uttermost!  Both might say “well I was born this way”; true enough, you were “born in sin and shape in iniquity” like we all, and God can CHANGE your nature.  He can drive out every propensity to do contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.  Furthermore, the devil is working hard to belittle the covenant; to the point that we have some earthquakes that last longer than marriages these days.  Beyond this, those that do “stay together for the kids” create an environment for their children that often produce only more of the same; all the while the institution of the home, a pillar of humanity is being eroded.  Godliness in the home is slowly becoming a lost ideal, and yet, few believe that they are doing “many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.”  Our lives are too busy to think about things like this right?  Why concern yourself with trivial things like your soul?  We need to GO, GO, GO!  There is not a moment to lose!  The realization that one is doing many things contrary to Jesus of Nazareth is masked by the gluttony of worldliness.  Yet even now many things are being done. 

Saul before he was Apostle Paul made distinct and calculated steps to suppress the ministry of Jesus Christ.  He thought about it, and made conscious steps toward resisting it.  There may be one reading just now who is committing the converse error.  One who is taking distinct and calculated steps to suppress the ministry of Jesus Christ, but doing it unconsciously.  If that is your testimony; good news!  There is hope for you; just as there was for Saul!  If the Holy Ghost is pricking your heart and speaking to you saying: “you are doing many things contrary to my name and you can deny it no more.”  If that is occurring in your being, even now; resist no longer!  Stop reading and fall on your knees this very instance and repent.  Care not for the words to say or phraseology to use; only pour out your heart to God!  He will save you, and he will help you.  Jesus Christ will forgive and make you anew.  Whether you are consciously or unconsciously doing things “contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth,” continue down this path no longer; “repent and believe the Gospel.”  For one thing is certain “it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”(Acts 9:5)      

The comfort of being known

“Oh Lord thou hast searched me and known me.” Psalms 139-1

God knows us so well, better than we know ourselves.  He knows the thought behind the thought; he knows the action we intend to take and why we intend to take it.  He knows our deepest sorrows, greatest fears, and most intimate secrets.  Perhaps the most secluded place on earth is the inner workings of the human mind.  We, each one, can go to the darkest of places or climb to the highest of mountain tops all within the cavities of our minds, and without many around us knowing otherwise.  Everyone walking this earth has thoughts and intents so intimate that if they were to be formulated into a movie picture or penned downed into a story book, for the entire world to see, it would horrify that person.  God knows that part of you; he knows every thought and intent.  He knows where it came from, why it formulated, and the everlasting effects of it, if any.  To the sinner, this should be terrifying, because even if one was to fool all those around he or she.  You cannot fool God; he knows.  You have been searched and known.  To the sinner this is unsettling, but to the saint, reassuring.   

The scripture labels Satan as a “roaring lion seeking about whom he may devour.”  Lions hunt in packs; they single out the weak, separate one from the pack and go in for the kill.  The devil is the same way.  He wants to isolate you, and make you feel like you are all alone; he wants you to believe that no one understands your situation, and like many of his convenient lies, that may be partly true.  There are some situations that may come up in life where no one can completely relate, or rather, you cannot complete disclose all the details for them to understand so they can relate.  Whether the former or the latter is true the bottom line is; Satan wants us to feel isolated, but with God there is no isolation. 

     “O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.  3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.  4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.”(Psalms 139:1-4)

When you have the Lord in your heart you are never alone.  He is a “very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) He UNDERSTANDS.  He understands you, he understands your situation.  He understands your deepest fear, your greatest weakness, and your innermost personal battles.  How great the comfort that the Lord has searched us and known us.  When no one else on this earth can comfort, he can.  There could be or will be times in your life when you have a situation or a burden that you cannot articulate.  Even in those cases God can provide in full force. 

To live a life pleasing to God and to know that you have the ear of the Almighty is a wonderful blessing.  True, the comfort of the Holy Ghost may never show up in your bank account.  It will never be on a resume, you probably will not receive a special award or honorary recognition, but that makes it no less real.  Although forever unseen by man and never noted as a personal asset on your ledger sheet; the abiding peace of God in your heart can be your greatest treasure. 

With all this being true, one must ask themselves.  When we have the guiding hand of the Almighty Father readily available; why would you lean to your own understanding?    

The Minor Alteration

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not parish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”- John 3:16 & 17 

In our land and country today a major Biblical truth has been tampered with; this is not a statement made with great pleasure, or high-minded feeling, but rather extreme sadness.  This truth, that some have conveniently altered is this: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners; on a personal, case by case, basis.  Now, how has this been altered?  As such, Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners; and did, you are now saved, no personal change required.  In short, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote: “It is justification of the sin, without justification of the sinner.”  A minor alteration, to a major Biblical truth, that has caused and is causing massive issues. 

When Adolf Hitler was campaigning for political power in Germany; one of the political institutions that he needed behind him was the German Church.  Dietrich Bonheoffer (the same man as mentioned above), who was right in the middle of it, wrote that if the German Church would have shunned Hitler instead of embracing him; odds are good he would have never been able to make it to the status of Fuhrer (dictator).  However, the atmosphere of the German Church at that time was one that: confirmed, offered sacrament, and ordained; pretty much anyone.  In short, they had been, and were still, a Church without any Biblical standards.  They were a church that encouraged zero personal salvation.  So, when Hitler began persecuting the Jews; the “Church” should have stood up for them, but they stood behind Hitler.  Moreover, the people of Germany stood behind Hitler as well.  Why was that?  The German Church had cultivated a country of spineless Christians; and a spineless Church.  They were being led by those who “desire to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.”(1 Timothy 1:7)  These men tampered with that most base Biblical truth, and cultivated a Christian culture that had no Biblical knowledge and no personal experience with Jesus Christ.  So, when their country needed them the most, needed them to be their moral compass that compass had lost its heading and Germany was lost to the storm of this madman.   

The minor alteration of justification of sin, without justification of the sinner; gives rise to just that, a nation of sinners who are not justified.  This ideal of Jesus saved everyone no matter how you live totally undermines all that Christ stood for; all that he died for.  He died to “save his people from their sin;” in “this present world.”  God has always wanted a personal relationship with his creation and to say otherwise is not only grossly untrue, but counterproductive.  As an illustration of what I am trying to say; consider if you were to walk into the doctor’s office next week for a check-up, and the doctor finds some cancerous cells.  However, when returning to see you he simple says: “yep, fit as a fiddle.”  You go home thinking all is well, but then by and by your health tells you otherwise, but it’s too late.  The failure to deliver the truth results in a lack of action to change your lifestyle, to seek treatment, to eradicate the sickness that is killing your body.  The same is true for your spiritual man; the failure of those who know the truth to deliver the truth results in a lack of change, and the sickness of sin continues to destroy.  Moreover, it raises a crop of Christians who affirm in themselves and others the very thing that is destroying them, and we wonder why our country is losing its moral compass.  

The truth is the antidote to the apathy.  It will eradicate the false influence, and abolish the inbred sin in a man’s heart and life.  What is the truth?  Jesus Christ.  If Christ be lifted up he will “draw all men unto him.”  He is the healing of the nations.  Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners, on a personal level.  He came to save us, each one, from our sins.  He has saved and will save all who come unto him.  So, let us “search the scriptures” for in them we will find a treasure to call our own.       

The Savior

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” – 1 Timothy 1:15 

The apostle Paul was not a delusional man; rather an ignorant one.  With great zeal he persecuted the churches, ripped apart families, blasphemed the name of Jesus; yet all the while Christ looked down on this man with love and compassion.  By the apostles own testimony he was the chief of sinners; the worst of the worst, and God saved him.

Jesus Christ can save ANYBODY from sin.  To say otherwise is not to reject any one man, but to reject God himself.  His purpose, the reason he came is to save sinners; and if to save them, than to save them from what?  Sin!  Sin, in all of its awful, binding, miserable unrest.  Jesus came to save us from the committing of sin, and the very nature of it living within man.  The sin in a man’s heart and life can ruin him, because harboring sin in your heart is to harbor the devil himself, and we know that the thief cometh not but for to “kill and to steal and to destroy.”  The apostle Paul understood this, and he whole heartily fought it once he was delivered from it.  To a degree, we all have to come to a “chief of sinners” state, before we can truly find salvation.  There must be an undeniable realization of ones lost condition, and a feeling of sharp conviction.  Only a vision of the holiness of Jesus can bring about a realization of the ungodliness within man; and when the condemnation of your sin is brought to the surface, and you look your ugliness in the face; all that is left is a plea for mercy and a press for forgiveness.  This is the state where one feels that they are the “chief of sinners;” the state of realization, which is, hopefully, followed swiftly by repentance.   

            It is not a stretch to believe that some, perhaps many, have come to this state, or at least taken steps toward it; but how the enemy would come and did come.  Often the lie is spun in the hearts of those pressing back toward God: “you are too far gone.”  He tells those lost in sin that they are too lost and he tells those that are living in righteousness that they are too righteous; both are lies.  Paul declares plainly that Jesus came to save sinners, and he was just that indeed, but he obtained mercy, and if he obtained mercy, why cannot you?   Imagine if the United States Coast Guard borrowed millions from the American people; your taxes increased and increased still further, but with this money they planned to build a magnificent vessel.  A vessel designed to save any man lost at sea; no matter how lost and no matter how far, they could be reached and they could be saved.  If so much was sacrificed; would they not use it to the utmost?  If so much was given, would it not stand to reason that it would save souls?  How much more the blood of God’s own Son to save?  Not from “doing” sin only but from the nature that causes you to do it.  Jesus Christ came on this earth to save sinners, now and forevermore, to save you! 

            What is needful to consider is not how lost you are, but how long you wish to remain that way?  The choice is yours, do you want to remain a sinner or do you want to be saved?  Do you desire peace or unrest?  I humbly ask, what could profit more than having the love of God reigning and abiding in your heart?  Jesus Christ can save you from all sin; he can make your life anew and give you peace.  There is nothing other than Christ that can accomplish this; only he saves; only Jesus saves.       

The temptation to tangible

“And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.” –Exodus 32:3 

Humanity is not incapable of trust and belief; in fact we are extremely capable of it.  One would even venture to say that we find it easy, with certain stipulations attached of course.  One of those stipulations is, whatever we are placing our trust and belief in, must be seen.  We will trust in the tangible to the point of madness; going to ridiculous lengths to put our faith in something that is seen. 

In the 32^nd chapter of Exodus we find the children of Israel doing just that.  Moses, their leader and spiritual advisor, was up on a mountain talking with God.  Now, mind you, this Moses (by the helping hand of God) had bested the Pharaoh that had enslaved them for 400 years.  This Moses, by the helping hand of God, parted the Red sea before their eyes.  They witness and experienced marvelous miracles wrought at the hand of Moses, and for the most part, followed him, but now God was calling them to wait.  He was calling them to wait at the bottom of the mountain for Moses to return with instructions. They did none of the sort, but quite the opposite.  They petition Aaron (he was 2^nd in command) to make a golden calf; something tangible for them to worship.  So, he told them to brake off their golden earrings and bring them to him; he then used the gold to fashion an object for them to worship.  Notice that they used something on their person to provide the materials to create their idol.  It was something close by, within their reach that they used to worship.  When Moses had gone, and they were expected to wait in faith, they turned to the natural. 

The devil would have us fall after the same “example of unbelief.”  Sometimes in our spiritual walk with Christ we find ourselves in a spiritual desert.  This is not the same as being lost in sin.  It’s “knowing” you are right with God, but not “hearing” from him in a while.  You pray daily, read often, go to church, but yet…..you haven’t felt the move of the Holy Ghost; you haven’t had a fresh blessing, true worship, undoubtable communion.  What do you do? 

Don’t begin to panic and fashion yourself gods of tangible nature.  The devil would have us think that God has forsaken us; he is gone, never to return, and he would have us search for something, anything, within our means to fashion a god out of.  It may be your: job, husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, hobby, ANYTHING; and perhaps it is not just one thing, but multiple little things melted together to create no space for Christ.  You go from one “I got to” another “I need to” and then all that’s left for God is your spare time.  This is how gods are created in our day and age, not by gold and silver melted and beaten into an image; but by giving too much of your time, money, and energy to something temporal.  The temptation to trust in the tangible is never more potent then when you cannot “feel” Jesus there.  So what then?  What do we do when God doesn’t answer?

We do the only thing that we know to do……..continue; continue reading, continue praying, continue believing, continue praising.  Thank God for his goodness and trust him for tomorrow.  There is a reason for the desert and a purpose for the suffering.  Continue, then one day, one glorious day, the Spirit will come down from heaven and pour out a wonderful, overwhelming blessing on your soul, and you will be glad that you didn’t break off the golden earrings!  You will be glad that you waited on the Lord to come down from the mountain.  

The Necessary Covenant

^“3 And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.” – 2 Kings 23:3

            If one seeks to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ there must first be a covenant made.  This is not to say an agreement or barter.  Rather a sincere vow; “Lord I am going to do your will, follow after your ways, obey your commandments.”  The covenant marks the complete yielding of your strength, the renouncing of your ways, and the determination to conform to his.  It is the beginning of a union between God and yourself; and the destruction of sin in your life.

The scripture tells us that God stands all the day long with his hands outstretched.  Jesus said himself “come unto me…..”(Mat 11:28) Furthermore, the Bible itself ends with a glorious invitation “and the Spirit and the bride say come.”(Rev 22:17)  With these scriptures in mind we can certainly deduce that Jesus Christ is always ready and waiting to inhabit the repentant human heart, any human heart, no matter how: lost, vile, wretched, or sin stained; when that person pleas for grace and forgiveness that person is forgive.  Jesus is standing in the fullness of himself, with his hand outstretched ready to pull the sin sick soul out of the horrible pit that it is dwelling in. 

As an illustration of what I am trying to say, I offer the following. A common form of entertainment down here in South Georgia is a practice known as “muddin” or “mud-dogin.”  Basically, a group of people design their vehicles, typically trucks or jeeps, to withstand the wettest and muddiest terrain.  They then test their design by driving in the wettest and muddiest terrain they can find.  Inevitably someone gets stuck in the mud.  Despite their precautions, which include the size of their engine, tires, and “lift”; once their stuck, they remain stuck.  They will then proceed to rev that engine and rev that engine; cramming the gas pedal to the floor board trying to drive that truck out of the mud, but when all the commotion is over with, they only find themselves deeper than they were to start with.  The only thing that can save them from their state is another vehicle; a buddy, who has to come, and pull them out of the mud.  The covenant with Christ is not a business arrangement or a “let’s make a deal” scenario, because his statues are everlasting and his laws unbending.  It is not a matter of what do I have to offer, and what does Christ have to offer, let’s sit down and enter into a negotiation; it’s not about negotiation, it’s about abandonment.  The saving hand of Christ will only find those who totally abandon all that they are, and wholly resign to follow all that Christ is.  It will find only those who say “Lord, not my will but thine be done.” (Luke 22: 42)

Jesus Christ died for you.  He died so that we might have fellowship with him.  We, everyone, have a choice, we can live this life according to what suits us: “eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.”  That is the slogan of the sinner.  We can spend this life equipping ourselves with every possible device to combat the dirty trappings of sin, and yet we will find ourselves only sinking deeper and deeper into the mud.  Or you can choose to make a covenant before the Lord; vow to follow Christ, and he will save, he will guide, he will “keep you in the way.”  You must recognize your state of hopelessness before you can realize the way of escape.  Recognize that you need a savior; trying to plod along in sin, in this life, is like being stuck in the mud.  Reach out for the saving hand of Christ and wholly resign yourself to follow him.     

    

Carnal vs. Spiritual

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” – 1 Cor 3: 1-4

“Are ye not Carnal?”  As the Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians, the sorrow in his heart spills out onto the page.  Not sorrowing for their loss, no; but sorrowing for their state.  There was division, envying, and strife; one person saying “I of Paul” another saying “I of Apollos.”  They were boasting of their conversion and worse still, they were ascribing the doctrine of Jesus to a man!  This being proof positive, right off the bat, that they were clearly carnal.  So, what is meant by this rhetorical question “Are ye not carnal?”  How does it apply to us today?  

The book of 1 Corinthians (specifically chapters 2-6) like the story of Samson is a wonderful example of what not to do.  Yet, with the scriptures readily available to all men, we still find many falling into the same trap as the Corinthian’s were ensnared in.  The sum of which is this; their focus was on self, and on the physical, natural things of this life.  A short list of the Corinthians short comings as set forth by the scriptures is this: they were ascribing their salvation to a man, boasting of his teachings rather than searching the scriptures and finding out what Christ had in store for them.  Furthermore, there was fornication among them, and “brother was going to law against brother.”  That is say one person in the church taking another in the church to court; over some matter.  Does this not happen today?  Someone will have a death in the family, and a marvelous squabble will break out over that lost family member’s possessions. Or a business transaction goes wrong between two persons in the church, and one sues the other for the sum of money.  Paul writes on the subject: “Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?”  Clearly we begin to see the characteristics of one who is carnal.  A great amount of emphasis put on self, and on the natural, physical things.  Furthermore it is a complete unwillingness to abase oneself, and perhaps the most disturbing of all, the inability to see past the physical, therefore rendering oneself incapable to understand the spiritual.  Ask yourself: “What draws my attention?”  “What governs my life?”  Is it yourself, another man, or something that is tangible?  Or perhaps, what drives you is something unseen; perhaps you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ.  Are ye yet carnal or spiritual?  Carnal, we know well what this is, and if still you are unsure, look around how “men walk” (that is to say conduct their lives) that is carnal.  So, what is spiritual? 

Spiritual is not the same as “spirituality”.  There are many today who sit in classes, read philosophy novels, meditate, etc. and this is considered a quest for greater spirituality.  But what saith the scriptures?  That “God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)  The Bible says God is a spirit, and we know through the scriptures that he is the creator and maker of all things; therefore if any spiritual experience can be obtained it must be obtained by him and through him.  Spirituality (in my opinion) is a trinket you add on to your current lifestyle; spiritual is the overhaul of the lifestyle itself.  It is a total yielding to the gospel of Christ.  It is a complete surrender of your will and a total adhering to the will of God.  Spiritual or he/she who is spiritual is the opposite of carnal.  In short, one who is spiritual is one who is Christ-like, Bible-like, focused on heaven; one who is a pilgrim and stranger here.

To be spiritual is to be Christ.  However, we do not adopt Christ, his “ideals and philosophies” are not an addition to our life; no, rather, he IS our life, and if he is our life we cannot be our own.  This is why we cannot and should be carnal, because carnal is pride and the exalting of self; which flies in the face of all that is Christ, and therefore prevents us from being spiritual.  One must renounce their self, their pride, their will, their wishes, and plead for Jesus in the person of the Holy Ghost, to come in and take the helm of their whole life.  He is not an addition to life, but life itself.  So, flee all things carnal, and cleave to that which is spiritual.     

       “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” -Matthew 16: 24

It took the Blood (Part 2)

  “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” –Hebrews 10:10

 “The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)  This is the blood that will do the job; this is the sacrifice that sanctifies.  He was the complete and perfect sacrifice to provide atonement for carnality.  He settled the sin question once and for all, furthermore, in the same action; he ushered in a new dispensation and solidified a new covenant.  So, what does that mean for us here today?

Simply put, it means that we can be sanctified.  Jesus himself said: “I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” (John 17:19) The blood of Christ has provided provision to atone for all sin that exist in a man’s heart.  We could not approach God with anything that could rid us of the inclination to sin.  You cannot buy your way out of sin, or learn your way out of it.  There is an inclination to disobedience in every man’s heart that is born into this world; and the only atonement for this inbred wrongness is the perfect, precious, blood of the Son of God.  It was the love of God that formed man in the beginning and the love of God that redeemed man in the end of the world.  The world has reached an end; not in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense.  The lust of the flesh, of the eyes, and the pride of life that exists in a man’s heart can be purged through and by the offering of Jesus Christ.  It was love in the beginning and love in the end.  It has always been love, and will always be love.

We can “love God will all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves.”  We can have the pure and perfect love of God abiding in our soul day, after day, after day.  He settled the score, he paid the debt.  The blood is the access to the fire that sanctifies the soul.  Sanctifies: sets a soul apart from sin by purging it from all sin, and simultaneously giving that soul an inherent desire to do the will of God; it is God with us!  The blood is the arc of the covenant that the priest had to bare up in order to stop the Jordan waters, so they could cross into Canaan (Joshua 3) His blood was shed on the cross, so we could have a New Testament victory testimony, not an Old Testament defeatist testimony.  

There is provision made for you to live a life free from the bondage of sin.  He put away sin, and rose again a conquering savior to appear in heaven for us, and send the Holy Ghost as a witness to us.  The plan of salvation is a perfect plan.  The grace of God forgives us of all sins we committed, those in our past. Sanctification gives us the power to live a life pleasing to God, going forward.  This made possible by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  This glorious experience can be obtained by any person, through faith.  

It took the blood

“For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” – Leviticus 16:30

“Praise the Lord for full Salvation

God still reigns upon his throne

And I know the blood still reaches

Deeper than the stain has gone” –Lester Roloff

When there is a need for atonement; then by default, there must be an act of wrong doing.  The scripture tells us that the law was our “schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.”  What an effective teacher it is!  Under the old law, if a man or women committed sin, they atoned for it by sacrificing a: lamb, goat, dove, etc.  The blood that was shed was for atonement for sins committed; and it happened often.  Why did it happen so often?  Why did the children of Israel have to continually offer sacrifices for sin?  Well, because they kept on sinning.  Why did they keep on sinning?  It could not make the “comers thereunto perfect.”(Heb 10:1)  The blood of animals could not purge the conscience of “dead works.”  There was an inclination in every man that could not be eradicated; the stain of sin was too deep for the blood of bulls and goats to cleanse.  This is why we need a Lamb of God to “take away the sin of the world.” 

Allow me to digress for just a moment; on this point.  One might hear the following line of thinking.  Some quote “behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”  They will then argue thusly.  Jesus came and died and “took away” all sin; whatever you do, no matter how vile, your sin is gone because of Jesus.  As long as you recognize this fact then you’re “covered by the blood.”  Is there a more readily damning theology in existence?  Not only does this fly in the face of virtually all of the basic principles to which the Bible counsels men to seek, including the very title itself “Holy Bible”; but and perhaps more grave, it promotes the very thing that Jesus himself died to destroy.  “For this purpose the son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil.”(1 John 3:7-9)  The scriptures will plainly bare out that the blood of Christ is an instrument of eradication, not a merely a blanket of toleration.  “Examine yourself, whether ye be in the faith”

So, to what end did Christ die?  What a question indeed.  I do not believe this electronic document, despite its amazing capacity, could contain the whole of what the blood of Jesus did for mankind; even if one could tell it all (which I am certain I cannot).  However, we can, by the scriptures, bring a few obvious facts into focus with hopes to “persuade men.”  As previously stated above, there was atonement made available for sins committed.  There was provision made for adultery, fornication, idolatry, etc.  Sins manifested in action could be cleansed through blood of bulls and goats; however, the stain of sin on the soul was more stubborn that just manifestations of it (lying, cheating, stealing, etc.).  The stain of sin on the soul was found on the conscience as well.  It was inherited and imbedded in the very fabric of our being.  For this, no atonement was available.  What sorrow those under the old covenant had to endure!  These men and women had an earnest heart to serve God, but found only a defeatist testimony could be obtained.  They would strive with all their might to do right, but only for a while was this accomplished before they were overcome by an evil inclination within.  No amount of discipline or will power could combat this monster that lived inside!  By and by they would commit sin, and then, back to the priest they went with their best goat (and their guilt) in hand.  Now we see our school master teaching us; showing us that atonement is needed.  Not needed only for committed sin, but for the inclination to sin, for the inbred sin.  But one might question: “if the blood of bulls and goats will not do the job; then what will?”  “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

Thus concludes part 1 of “It took the Blood.”  Part 2 to be issued next Wednesday, God be willing. 

A Glorious Weapon

“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” – 1 Peter 3:12

Prayer: what an odd concept to the world.  How often has the devil tried to tell a servant of God; “who are you talking to?  He is not there to hear.”  The devil is a liar: “the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers.”  Prayer is a divinely appointed vehicle of accomplishment.  You can find this vein of thought throughout the scripture; much has been accomplished through earnest prayer of the righteous.  Do you affirm this?  Would you agree that prayer changes things?  If so, when we can do nothing else, we can pray.  Living a righteous life and engaging in effectual, fervent prayer will do more good than we can quantify.  

            What is prayer?  What is the act of praying?  The scriptures will bear out that it is an avenue to which one can approach God.  Stop and consider the gravity of this.  We as mortal man can approach the throne of the Almighty with our: requests, our problems, our thankfulness; we can communicate with God; we have his ear.  With this in the forefront of your mind, recall recent occasions where you have engaged in prayer; did you pray as though you were standing in the presence of the King of Kings?  Was your prayer earnest?  Was it from the heart?  I will confess that I am guilty of being in the place where I view my prayer life as a life raft; rather than the engine itself.  The falsehood of thinking my little boat of life needs only to pray when the storm is raging; how satan will deceive us!  “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much!”  Prayer works!  It is an effective weapon for this warfare we are engaged in.  We must cast aside the lie satan is telling us: “you are but one, you can do nothing.”  Not so!  If you can get a prayer through to God; you can do so very much!  Prayer can move mountains; prayer can change lives!  Prayer can bring about revival!  It has before, what is to stop it from doing it again; except ourselves?  Though we sometimes cannot see the profit that comes from our prayer that does not mean that no profit comes from it; “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9)

            Every day, I hear bad news.  I hear about the bad government we have, I hear about the bad school system, the bad economy, the bad church attendance, the bad people, living in this bad world, and every time I hear it I think the same thing………what can I do?  Pray……”yes Lord I know but what else.”  Pray.  “I am going to do that, but are you sure there is not a……”  Pray.  Really and truly pray; commit your time to it; like more than 5 minutes worth.  Pour your heart out; allow you soul to be burdened for the lost, for the poor, for the broken.  When did praying and living holy become not enough?  When did programs, human ingenuity, fancy lights, and flamboyant worship services take the place of soul burdened and earnest hearted prayer?  Prayer has worked and will continue to work; if we believe in it and practice it.

            Prayer is not an institution of man, but rather an institution of God.  It requires humility, faith, obedience, and belief; all the things that are “foolishness to the world.”  Let us examine ourselves and ask: “Are we using this great weapon of prayer to fight the enemy? To fight for the souls of those we love, and those we ought to love?”  Or do we settle for something man designed, or rather, spend our time to design something ourselves.  Prayer has worked, does work, and will work.  So, if you have a story or a testimony of when you prayed and your prayer was answered; share it.  Share it to a friend, neighbor, brother or sister.  Post it or publish it so that others may believe “for the very works sake.”  Now, this instant, let the call ring out to the masses that prayer works, and the saints must pray; and if we are praying now, let us pray the more earnestly and fervently still.  For the “eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers.”                  

Thou art the Man

“7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;” – 2 Samuel 12:7

It’s hard to look in the mirror, when you first wake up in the morning.  I scarcely have known anyone who will bare more than a glance at themselves; really just glancing to see what needs to be primped.  I don’t believe I have ever woken up in the morning and looked in the mirror only to say; “Yep, I look great!  I am ready for the day!”  The plain fact is this; we don’t want to see our reflection for too long because it is unattractive to us.  The big puffy eyes, hair going all over the place, it just brings about that feeling of “UHH”; then (perhaps for some of us) “where’s my coffee?” 

When something is unpleasant the tendency is to look away or run away.  Nobody stops and stares at road kill, you won’t find a painting of a dumpster, odds are good the homeless man begging on your local street corner is not going to make the cover of the latest fashion magazine.  Why do folks change the channel or look away when the UNICEF commercials come on?  Because nobody wants to see starving children in Africa, it simply reminds us that there are starving children in Africa.  Frankly, a greater majority of the world is saying “your pain is not my problem, and don’t bring it to my doorstep.”  Not only is the tendency to ignore it, but also to find unpleasantries in others.  Stop and ask yourself, am I swift to point out the sin in others?  Are we quick to spot our neighbors shortcomings?  King David found himself, for a moment, as such a man.

King David was a great and honorable man who made a grievous mistake; he took what was not his (the following is found in 2 Samuel 12).  By and by God sent the prophet Nathan to preach to David, and not David only but to his sin.  Nathan began by telling a story of a poor man with one little lamb.  This poor man loved his little lamb, cared for it and nurtured it. The scripture says that the lamb was to him as a daughter.  He didn’t have much but he had his lamb and that was enough.  Then a rich man came along, and stole the poor man’s lamb he loved so great; and this rich man killed it, and served it to a traveler staying at his home.  While David thought on this tale, an urge for justice must have filled his heart; “this rich man must pay for his great transgression!” he must have thought; for when Nathan asked David.  “What shall be done to this man?”  David responded “Kill him and restore the poor man four fold.”  Then Nathan spoke those cutting words to the great king: “Thou art the man.”  You see not to many days prior, David had taken the wife of his noble servant Uriah; and got her pregnant.  He then sent Uriah into battle and called the armies to draw back, murdering him as a cover up.  Finally, once Uriah’s death was known, he took the wife that Uriah loved so much……he took her and made her his own.  David was the rich man, and Uriah the poor.  “Thou art the man.”

We hear often of others who fall into the trappings of sin.  It seems so easy for humanity to see the sin in others, and often even easier to see it and do nothing.  But when the Holy Ghost speaks to your heart, and declares plainly: “Thou art the man” there is no denying it.  You cannot turn away from the unpleasant ugliness of your sin; you cannot point your finger at anybody but you alone.  God has declared plainly your unrighteousness and all that is left is to fall to the ground and plead for mercy.  All that remains is the earnest declaration of the obvious, as David said: “I have sinned against the Lord.”   The clutter and business of life can provide a convenient excuse to ignore the obvious.  However, let me beg and implore of you; stop and “consider YOUR ways.”  Has the Holy Ghost pointed the finger at your life?  Declared specifically to you……..“Thou art the man.”                  

                

No Adult Supervision

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” –Proverbs 16:18

Last Saturday we had occasion to go to “Turtle Park” in Albany, GA; a place of absolute pandemonium.  It seemed that every toddler from far and near descended on this enormous outdoor play park, which was outfitted with every playing apparatus their little minds could possibly dream up.  On the eve of entering the “danger zone” we noticed a sign with the following words written on it: “Adult Supervision Required.”  The statute was obviously placed there to try and influence parents to watch over their children, rather than stick them in this play park and let anarchy begin.  On the heels of this thought the question arose: “What if there was no Adult Supervision?”  Imagine, if you will, 60 or more 5 to 10 year olds, running around in the most rambunctious fashion: jumping, crawling, sliding, pushing, climbing; sugar rushing through their veins and their little minds constantly devising ways to promote more and more enjoyment for themselves; with little regard for all else.  They shove one another aside to be the first in line; they provoke and encourage their fellow playmate to try something hazardous to his/her health.  The idea of advancement and self-gratification is the theme of this environment.  Now take this scene, as wild as it already is, and remove the adults; take away those who understand ideas such as sharing, giving, fair play, restraint, love, courtesy, kindness, etc.  Take away those that have the ability to discipline and correct; what do you think would happen? 

Whether you choose to admit it or not, when you resolve to leave God out of your life, you resolve to live a life of “No Adult Supervision.”  Like children, we adults can glory in the smallest of matters.  A child climbs to the top of a jungle gym and they raise their hands in triumph; we as adults: design, build, and create; then raise our hands in triumph…….yet God sees us as the small child on top of the jungle gym.  “Pride goeth before destruction” because pride exalts yourself.  It lends you to want your way and your will; essentially you become one who has no adult supervision; and like those children in the park who had “no adult supervision” they very soon were: lost, hurt, or in danger.  In the play park, a lot of the anguish that was inflicted on a child, by a child, was a direct result of disobedience. In fact, most of the unrest (crying, hollering, screaming, etc.) found in the play park was a direct result of disobedience.  One must understand that carnality cannot be allowed to run amok unchecked.  I don’t pretend to know the answer to why there is so much pain in this world.  I can’t understand how someone could murder a child, why the good seem to die and the wicked seem to thrive.  I do know this however…….If we as a people willingly accept the constraints of the gospel and take our stand against all sin; both committed and carnal, this world would be a much better place to live.  However, letting pride take hold and thinking us the master of our own lives, puts us in a place of no adult supervision, a place of total anarchy.  Is this really what you want for your life?  Is this really what you want to teach those coming behind you?  That there is no adult supervision needed?

God wants us to become as little children.  He wants us to trust and rely on him; to look to him for guidance and direction.  He wishes for us to seek his approval and take comfort in his supervision.  If we, like a good son/daughter, take the counsel of the Father and follow after his constraints it will serve both us, and those around us.  Though some may not want to admit it, adult supervision is required; although not imposed.  God will not guide your life unless you let him.  We implore you; let God be the master of your life. 

Answer of Peace

^“And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” - Genesis 41:16

Life is filled with uncertainty.  Every new day brings new challenges, new questions, and more uncertainty.  With all the questions and concerns that life brings, I ask you, has this world ever been able to give you an answer of peace?  Many of us have the world’s knowledge at our fingertips; Google gets over 1 billion queries a day.  There is a constant felling of lack, which produces a want for more stuff to fill it; as it says in the book of Haggi: “6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.”  There are plenty of questions out there, and plenty more answers, but none from the world can offer an answer of peace, because the only answers you will find in the world are answer from man.  

We are all born into this world with enmity between us and God.  There is always warfare going on internally; while we are in the flesh.  So preachers will tell you that this warfare will continue until you die, they will tell you that there is no peace within.  This is a lie; the scripture says “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)  When the Word talks about being in the flesh, it is saying that your spiritual man is in the flesh; this is to say “in sin” or “in carnality”; basically you are bent to sin and thereby separated from God.  There are those who spend their whole lives in this state of sinfulness trying to numb their feeling of separation from God; by various endeavors.  The most notable is substance abuse of every imaginable kind.  Others, more discreet, can be hobbies and group affiliations; often you see men and women who find they NEED to be loved so badly, that they will sacrifice most anything to be loved.  The short of what I am trying to say can be summed up in one verse namely this: “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” (Isaiah 57:21) This is because in man’s search for answers to questions of uncertainty they can find no answer of peace, because only God can give an answer of peace.  You cannot find reconciliation and redemption anywhere, but in God and through Christ.  No matter how popular the book, how gratifying the love affair, how intense the rush; no matter what it is, or where it is coming from; if not from God, then there will be no answer of peace.  We were separated from God so we must be reconciled to God, only then will we find true peace.  Jesus told us that “my peace I give unto, and not as the world giveth.”  (John 14:27)  He was speaking of a day when the Comforter would come, and abide in the heart of the converted.  This Holy Ghost would give us an abiding peace. 

Stop and imagine for me, if you will, a harsh, rugged, snow covered mountain side; barren, dark, and cold.  On it sits a small log cabin, with two square windows on the front side and a big, heavy, wooden front door; shut and locked.  Inside the cabin through the front windows you can see a man nestled into a comfy chair, with a warm blanket draped over his body.  He is seated close to a roaring fire, with a hot mug of coco in his hand, gazing introspectively at the fire, and glad for shelter from the cold blizzard outside……….This is the peace of God to the sanctified soul.  It is a glorious resting place, in the fellowship of Jesus Christ.  Outside the world swirls and blows; no life can be found, no comfort, no peace.  However, inside the fellowship of Jesus Christ, the glorious resting place of his Spirit we find peace, contentment, and comfort.  This place cannot be found through the answers of man, but only through God and his Son Jesus Christ.             

Why would you be Judged to Judgment?

“10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.” Genesis 7:10

We all stand in need of the grace of God.  His grace keeps us alive; in both a temporal sense and a spiritual sense.  It is only by his word of grace that we are kept.  Destruction would come to us all if not for the grace of God. 

Grace is often spoken of in a sense of the pardoning ability of God.  God can pardon the vilest sinner, no doubt, but he is not in the pardoning business; rather, he is in the delivering business.  Furthermore, in order to bring deliverance he also had to bring about judgment.  A dividing line was struck when Jesus came on this earth; “he condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3).  In Noah’s day the only thing that kept back the flood was the word of God.  God’s grace toward mankind kept the waters in check, physically speaking.  Now, we he told it to rain, it did, and only Noah and his family were saved.  We all stand in the same situation today, though it may not always be a flood, the only thing that keeps us from physical death is God.  Individually, he could call my name and/or your name, right now; and our lives would be over.  If we are living in sin, the question of where we are headed will not be up for debate for that is already known; like those outside of the ark, if you are in sin you stand condemned, all that remains is the flood waters.  Now, just because you are in sin and stand condemned; that does not mean that you must remain that way.  Think of it like this: before Noah shut the doors of the ark, every one of his neighbors stood condemned; however, any one of his neighbors could have chosen to get on the boat BEFORE the doors were shut.  However, after they shut, it was too late.  In like manner, those living in sin, as long as they are physically alive are only being “reserved unto fire against the day of judgment.”  Heaven and earth exist only as long as you are conscience of its existence.  When God’s word ceases to hold back death in your life, you are no conscience of heaven and earth.  Christ condemned all in sin and therefore those who choose to remain in sin are only living until the door is shut on the ark and the flood comes.  In short, the only hope you have in this life, is…….IN this life; there is no hope beyond the grave. 

Who do you say Jesus is?  Do you believe he was a good man, a model citizen? Or do you believe he was the Son of God.  Do you believe that he forever brought judgment to sin?  Do you believe he brought about a salvation that delivers from all sin; both sins committed and inbred sin?  Do you believe it enough to step out of a world of sin and into an ark of safety?  Why walk this earth condemned?  Jesus has made provision for you to be completely delivered from all sin.  We can be cleaned up, the old man of sin moves out, the new man of righteousness moves in, and we can have a little bit of heaven in us that lets us know that we are going to heaven when we die.  You can know it!  You can know that there is not one sin on the books.  You can know that you have a conscience void of offence toward God and man.  That you are no longer condemned to judgment.  You can be free; if you believe.          

Patience Required

“2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” – James 1: 2-4

Oftentimes, we hear the word the patience attributed to a person who waits without complaining; and rightly so.  We see someone standing in line at the DOT or the grocery store, and the clerk or sales attendant is taking forever; yet there that person waits, patiently.  This is in fact patience, but an elementary patience; for the patience of the saint must far exceed simply not getting flustered at the grocery store.  The saint must be patient in knowing that God’s way is the best way.  This kind of patience will work in us a desire to want nothing; and if we want nothing, the devil has nothing to lure us out of the will of God. 

In the book of Genesis we find the story of Joseph.  The story of Joseph is a story of faith and patience.  Joseph was a righteous man who was sold into slavery by his own kin.  However, God was with him and he eventually became a trusted steward over his master’s entire house; until he was wrongfully accused and put into prison, but God was with him.  He was soon promoted to the head of the prison and made the keeper of the keys.  Not long after, at the recommendation of the butler, Joseph was called out of prison and elevated to second in command of the whole kingdom.  When famine struck the land, it was Joseph who held the keys to the storehouses full of Egyptian corn; he had the supply and the world was in demand.  This demand included his betraying brothers.  When he, and his brothers who sold him, finally met face to face and they realized it was their younger brother who they had sold into slavery; this man, now holds their fate in his hands; they trembled in fear for surly he would send them away to starve.  However, Joseph simply said “for God did send me before you to preserve life.” (Genesis 45:5) Joseph’s faith and his resolve were tested; but he LET patience have her perfect work; knowing throughout that God was in control, never once “forcing” the issue.  He served God as a slave, as a jailor, as chief of staff, no matter his: position, status, or place in life, the resolve is still the same: “I am trusting that God’s way is best.”  The seed was sown in a vision in Joseph’s youth, and it took a long time before the fruit was fully come, but it did come and Joseph was patient.   With this story in mind, one can begin to see how important it is to have Biblical patience.  God has something beautiful planned for our lives, but if we are not in the will of God; how can that plan come to pass? 

Patience bends us to the will of God; maybe you have a health situation that is out of your control; have patience, stay in the will of God, he has a purpose.  Perhaps you are single longing for a mate, have patience, stay in the will of God, he has a purpose.  No matter your trial, no matter the temptation, have patience, for if you let patient have her perfect work you find that you want nothing, and Satan has no tool which to coax you out of the will of God.  The scripture says “But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed” (James 1:14).  The hardest animal to catch or kill is one that wants for nothing.  You can kill a deer by dumping a pile of corn on the ground.  You can catch a fish by using a worm.  However, if the deer is not hungry and the fish ain’t bitin’………..you’re going home empty handed. 

So, let patience have her perfect work; stay in the Word, pray oft, go to church, surround yourself with the counsel of the righteous, let patience have her perfect work; the devil will have no wiggle room, and God will have his way.      

Better Things

The concept of a human mediator between God and man was never meant to be a permanent solution.  The same can be said for the concept of “sin and repent” salvation.  The permanent solution for sin was ushered in by Jesus Christ.

        “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews: 13-14

If one was to study of the book of Hebrews and the Old Testament, one will find that the process of atonement under the old law include the following:  1^st The blood sacrifice (this could be a lamb, ox, dove, etc.) 2^nd A priest that was a descendant of Aaron. 3^rd The temple and all that were therein, such as the: alter, pots, basins, etc.  Those who had committed a transgression against God would take their best farm animal to the priest who was in the temple.  He would then kill the animal and offer the sacrifice on the alter.  This process of atonement could only account for sins committed; however it could not atone for what caused them to commit the sin.  Mankind stood in need of a savior who would save us from, not only sins committed, but from the “want to” sin.  Jesus Christ was this very savior; he was the consolidation of all things, he was the mediator of a new covenant.  I don’t know how you feel about it, but I don’t believe we will ever fully understand the depth of what Christ did for us.  However, this much I am certain of: he did not bleed, suffer, and die, so things could continue on as they had been for centuries before he came.  There was already an institution in place to atone for sins committed before Jesus came, as described above.  What cause would there be to send the Son of God to die for our sins committed; when a calf or bullock would already do the job?  The Son of God bled for a greater purpose than simply the justification of sins committed.  He is so much more than just the “great sugar daddy in the sky.”  This theology of sin and repent is painting Jesus to be just that.  As if to say “sure go ahead and live it up!  Sin, sin, sin, it’s on my tab, bought and paid for by my own blood.”  Christ suffered, bled, died, and rose; so that we might have life; a life in perfect fellowship with the father.  Christ came on this earth, so that we might be one with God, and live this life “holy and without blame before him in love.” (Ephesians 1:4)  Jesus died so that we might have a life apart from all willful sin, not stuck in the drudgery of sin and repent; the constant feeling of failure and neglect, he sanctified himself so that we might also be sanctified. 

A preacher once said, “The book of Hebrews is the book of better things.”  Jesus was the consolidation of the old law, and the institution of the new.  He was the better high priest, better sacrifice, better tabernacle, and better mediator of a better and more perfect covenant.  He was all these things so that we might have a better life in him; so that we might have a salvation that justified the sin and the sinner, a salvation that brings about perfect fellowship with the Father; a salvation through “sanctification of the Spirit and a belief of the truth.”  (2 Thessalonians 2:13) 

Prepared as a Bride

Preparation is going on all around us, every day.  In our personal lives we prepare for work, school, and travel.  In the business world, people prepare for meetings and presentations.  At this very moment farmers are preparing to harvest their crop; the very same crop that they planted back in April/May, and they spent February/March preparing the ground to receive that crop.  Brides spend months preparing for their ‘big day”.  A great concern is placed on temporal preparation for things of this life; should not an equal concern be placed on spiritual preparation? 

 “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Isaiah 40:3

 The Bible tells us that the only way to be received into the kingdom of God after death is to first receive the Son in this life (1 John 5:12).  A testimony that you have received the Son and he has received you should be the most important focus of every human being; both obtaining that testimony and keeping that testimony.  Satan does all he can to distract and disrupt the finding and keeping of this testimony.  A sanctified life is a married life.  “So, can you be single and sanctified?”  Of course you can; because the marriage is between you and God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.  Moreover, the scriptures will bear out that the institution of marriage between a man and women (not a same sex marriage; there can be no such marriage no matter what the world says or a piece of paper) was meant to be an allegory to the relationship that Jesus wishes to have with you.  He will be a: faithful, loving, caring, providing husband; and we are to be a faithful, loving, caring, obedient bride.  This union operates under the common banner of edifying God and advancing his kingdom.  Now, as in a temporal marriage, the bride will prepare for the receiving of her husband.  So our spiritual man must prepare for the reception of the groom (Jesus Christ).  How is this done?  The heart prepares to receive the Holy Ghost by a singular, earnest act of repentance.  Not “I’m sorry I got caught” type of repentance, but a: broken, contrite, penitent, forsaking, repentance.  This is only logical, what husband would receive a wife that was not willing to forsake all others?  What possible chance could a marriage have if the wife was not prepared in her heart to be devoted to her husband? So the act of repentance prepares the heart of man for the reception of the Holy Ghost.  You forsake the world, and its vices; you are then forgiven, cleansed, and made ready.  You are made ready to make a covenant, ready to make a vow, ready to receive the Son and be received.

The blessing of forgiveness can and is often confused with the blessing of full salvation.  The feeling of forgiveness and being “cleansed” is a wonderful feeling; so wonderful that one could believe “this must be the height of the spiritual experience with God.” “This must be all there is.”  The Bible will declare plainly that this is untrue.  It is only the preparation phase, there is another work to be done; there is a marriage that must take place.  It is entirely possible that there are many, many people who have been made ready to receive the Son of God and never made it to the alter to make a vow to him, to commit their life to him, to receive him and be received.  As in a marriage, emphasis must be given to both the preparation and the union; however the whole of the service is not about the preparation but the union.  It is the union of God and man that brings full salvation; that brings new life.  A life devoted to a: loving, caring, providing, sympathizing, guiding, Jesus Christ; a wonderful life, a complete life, a sanctified life. 

Convenient vs. Inconvenient Lies

A lie that is sown in the soil of truth is easier to accept than one that is outright falsehood.  The fact that they have a bit of truth laced in makes them convenient to believe, but they are just as damning to entertain as an inconvenient lie.  Moreover, convenient lies are often easy to entertain because of the circumstances you are in.  

^“4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:” Genesis 3:4

An inconvenient lie is difficult to entertain.  If you have been raised in a Christian home; odds are good that when Satan tries to tell you that “God’s not real” you’re not going to entertain it very long.  It is too great of an inconvenience to entertain it, and there is no truth in it. So to the church goer “God is not real” is an inconvenient lie, and to the Christian who is both attending church and born again it is almost pointless to mention. 

The greatest example of how to deal with the devil was given by The Example himself, namely Jesus Christ.  The scripture tells us that if we draw nigh to God he will draw nigh to you. (James 4:8)  From this scripture one can deduce the following: the closer we press towards God, the closer he presses towards us.  This is truth, so it stands to reason that the closer you are to God and His Son Jesus (for they are one) the closer you are to the light, and common sense will yield that the closer you are to light the less likely you are to find no darkness.  Jesus was as close to God as any man had ever been, for he was God.  So when the devil came to bug him, what did the devil use?  He used convenient lies.  The devil told Jesus Christ (paraphrasing): “You’re the Son of God, make these stones bread.”(With no food for 40 days Christ must have been hungry).  True, he was the Son of God, true he could make the stones bread, but that was not the will of the Father.  It was a convenient lie to believe because of circumstances, but false nonetheless.  He then told Christ (paraphrasing): “Jump off this cliff here, the scripture says that angels will catch you.”  True the scripture promises that, and true, God could catch him, but it was not the will of the Father, and he was not going to tempt God; again convenient to believe but ultimately false.  Finally he said to Jesus, and this is what he is trying to accomplish with every lie he tells (paraphrasing again): “Look at all the land and kingdoms of men.  I will give it to you if you worship me.”  True the devil has power to give things of the world (only the power that God allows though), but the world does not satisfy and it can never measure up to what God can give; moreover, Satan’s ultimate game is to: steal, kill, and destroy.  Many a man has left God to serve the devil because Satan promised him the world; only to find that Satan over promises and under performs.  Through this scripture in found in Matthew 4 we can see that Satan will tempt with the convenient lie; and often tempts with it.  He will tell you: “You feel alone so you must be alone” FALSE....and true.  True, we all sometimes feel alone, some of us very alone; but that does not make us alone.  God is always right there if we draw nigh.  He will tell you: “You’re so far out in sin there is no way you can live a holy life” FALSE...and true.  True, there is no way you can live holy on your own will power, but false in the sense you can never live holy.  You can live a godly & holy life through the power of the resurrected Christ.  Jesus made sure of that when he came out of the grave; conquering the devil. 

He is consistently telling saints and sinners alike convenient lies because they are the ones that we are most apt to listen to.  However, every lie no matter convenient or inconvenient is automatically dispelled by the Word of God.  So it behooves us to constantly draw nigh to God, and be in close fellowship with the Father and the Son.  This will shed light on Satan’s darkness, no matter how convenient or believable that darkness.