Month: August 2012

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus  Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1Peter 1:3-5

Though God was known as Creator and Redeemer in the OT, He was rarely called Father. Christ , however, always addressed God as His Father in the gospels, with the exception of His separation on the cross. In so doing Christ was claiming to be of the same nature , and being in essence as the Father. Also, by speaking of “Our” Lord, Peter personalized the Christian’s intimate relationship with the God of the universe through His Son, an important truth for suffering Christians in his day, as well as for us today to remember. The reason God provided a glorious salvation for mankind is that He is merciful. A sinner, in which we all are, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, needs God’s mercy because with out it, no one would survive. He has begotten us again—God gave the new birth as part of His provision in salvation. When a person comes to Christ, repents and admits their a sinner who has broken God’s commandments, yet puts their faith in Him, they are born anew into God’s family and receives a new nature. a living hope—The living hope is eternal life. “Hope” means confident optimism, and comes freely from God, because it is a gift of grace. Now may the God of hope fill you  with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13). The Holy Spirit confirms this to the Christian while He defends the them from attacks of Satan, in which He also sustains us through our trials which produces joy (James 1:2-4) and is fulfilled in Christ’s return looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).  Peter showed those persecuted Christians of his day how to look past their troubles to their eternal inheritance: Life, righteousness, joy, peace, perfection, God’s presence, Christ’s glorious rewards, and still more indeed. Being reunited with loved ones who have went on ahead of us. This inheritance is not subject to passing away, nor liable to decay. Undefiled—This word means “unpolluted, unstained or marked by evil. The undefiled inheritance of a Christian is in stark contrast to an earthly inheritance all of which is corrupted, defiles and does not endure, but fades away. All of this Peter says, is kept by the power of God—Supreme and sovereign power of God, keeps the believer secure. No one can steal the Christian’s treasure, nor disqualify him from receiving it.

Beloved friend, It is through faith in Jesus Christ, and His atonement for your sins that a person is given eternal life. Genuine faith, which Peter went on to say, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ v.v.6-7. God’s purpose in your trial is to test the reality or genuineness of our faith, which will bring eternal rewards.

May the Lord bless your walk today!

See what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, theses would compel you to be circumsized, only that they not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For not even those who are circumsized keep the law, but they desire to have you circumsized that they may boast in your flesh. But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. Galatians 6:11-15

Many people consider themselves to be religious and their conduct to be pleasing to God. Paul here is addressing Judaizer’s of his day who thought by keeping the law, at least in their own minds it was an acceptable way of practicing their own self- righteousness, and then forcing others who were not like they were to feel less than what God wanted from them. Hypocrisy in the church is longstanding in its history, but the long term effects it has had on people is still why many won’t come back to look again at what God is really saying in His Word. Let me explain, People suffer, you suffer, I have suffered many things from our past. It is not something that is easily gotten over or else their wouldn’t be a need for all the counselors, and therapist’s, not to mention what all the most topic’s are on day time talk shows. God cares deeply for your well being, He seen your hurt, and what has caused your hurt, and even when you did the right thing and turn to spiritual counsel, but yet, it didn’t make it better, in fact it made it worse. When you see or hear recently all the tragic suffering people have gone through from childhood at the hands of adults who were supposed to be there for their benefit and protection, and instead have turned into victims of abuse, both sexually and emotionally and mentally; It grieves the heart of God that people are still without knowledge of His remedy  for the sick and poor soul of mankind is a new creation that’s in Christ Jesus. You see, the Scripture’s tell us that the Savior was:  He was despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him (Isaiah 53:3). If you’ve been hurt by someone, let down by someone, or have even been unjustly accused falsely by someone, or even hated by someone, your in good company. Because they did that and even more to Jesus Christ, by nailing Him to a cross, thinking that would be the end of Him, it actually became our greatest victory! He conquerered death for us so that He may give to those whose own life has been marred by sin, a new life. Eternal life in Christ Jesus is to be born-again and to have a fresh new start at no matter what age you are. Jesus told Nicodemas “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)  People suffer everyday all over this world, some justly, but for the most part unjustly because we live in a fallen world. Paul is saying here to us, as he demonstrated in his own life of afflictions, it was said that he suffered from an eye affliction that for the most part limited his own abilities but made him rely on God’s power through the Holy Spirit. He is saying, whether your life is lived in obedience to the laws of God or not, the only thing that matters in the end, Are you born again! Were gonna suffer in this life, but are we willing to let God love us through our painful past, and deliver us from this life of condemnation and strife, and be set free! Jesus said, The theif does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

May the Lord bless your walk today!

 

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus (Pronounced Zac-key-us) who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost.” (Luke 19:1-10)

This is one of my favorite passages of God’s love demonstrated through Christ for many reasons. First, Zacchaeus, probably oversaw a large tax district, and had other tax collectors working for him. The city of Jericho alone was a prosperous trading center, so it is certain that Zacchaeus wealth came to him because of it. On a contrasting note, Jesus declares just one chapter earlier, as Luke records the account of the rich young ruler and Jesus’ statement about “how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:24)  Here in our text, Jesus is now showing God’s transcending love that when received with joy, changes the heart of sinful man, and transforms them into a people who want to please God. Not just by words spoken in declaration, but in a heart-felt attitude of love and restitution, reminding us that his conversion was genuine. Here Jesus demonstrates that with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 18:27). Jesus was probably traveling with a large entourage of pilgrims to the Passover in Jerusalem. But “the crowd” apparently refers to people in Jericho who lined the road to see Him pass through.His combined fame as healer, and teacher stirred the entire city when word arrived that He was coming. I must stay at your house—This was worded not as request, but rather as a mandate, and it is the only place in all of the gospels where Jesus invited Himself to be someone’s guest. Such a despicable sinner was Zacchaeus, a typical tax collector might have been deeply afraid of such a visit from the perfect, and sinless Son of Man, but Zacchaeus heart was prepared to receive Him. For he judged his own crime severely, acknowledging that he was guilty as anyone who has ever appeared before Christ. We all will appear before Christ one day, The Bible says, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11). The Greek word for “confess” means  “to acknowledge,” “affirm,” or “agree” which is what everyone will eventually do. In fact, the entire intelligent universe is called to worship Jesus Christ as Lord (Psalm 2). This mandate includes the angels in heaven (Revelation 4:2-9), the spirits of the redeemed (Revelation 4:10-11), obedient believers on the earth (Romans 10:9), the disobedient rebellious on earth (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9), along with demons and lost humanity in hell (1 Peter 3:18-22). One thing is for certain, no one who has ever lived will be unjustly judged, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17:31).

Beloved friend, God gives to those who come to Jesus Christ peace, eternal life is offered to everyone who comes to Him by faith, agreeing with His Word that we haved sinned against Him and broken His commandments. But what victory we have because our righteousness is given to us through Christ. If you haven’t made this decision yet in your own life, then ask yourself why? What will you gain from not turning to Him? Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6), It seems like a win win decision to me! Has salvation come to your house?

May the Lord bless your walk with Him!

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25

James most likely wrote this epistle to believers scattered as a result of the unrest and persecution recorded in Acts ch.12. James, with his direct and often sharply incisive statements on wise living, reminiscent of the Book of Proverbs. Gives us practical emphasis, stressing not theoretical knowledge, but godly behavior. He wrote with a passionate desire for his readers to be uncompromisingly obedient to the Word of God. By the fact that here in our text, James calls professing believers to be “doers” rather than simply to do, emphasizes that their personality should be characterized in this manner. Deceiving yourselves—Literally “reasoning beside or alongside” as in “beside oneself ” This word was used in mathematics to refer to a miscalculation. Professing Christians who are content with only hearing the Word are finding out that they have made a serious miscalculation. The Book of James is known for a reference made in Ch. 2, “Faith without works is dead”. Meaning if we confess to be a Christian, it should show in our behavior of obedience and in the pursuit of doing good, and not in deceptive works of darkness.  If not, then by the world’s standard of judgment, they see us as not what we say we are, and thus will not take heed to our testimony of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that can transform them from dead in their sins and trespasses to being made alive in Christ. And even more serious than that, use our lives of inconsistency as a reason of not becoming a Christian. Observing himself— A forceful Greek word meaning to look carefully and cautiously, as opposed to taking a casual glance. First century mirrors were not made of glass, but metallic, made of bronze, silver, or for the wealthy—gold. The metals were beaten flat and polished to high gloss, and the image they reflected was adequate but not perfect (1 Corinthians 13:12). Unless professing Christians act promptly after they hear the Word, they will forget the changes and improvements that their reflection showed them they need to make. Perfect law of liberty—In both OT and NT, God’s revealed and inerrant sufficiently comprehensive Word is called “law” (Psalm 19:7). The presence of His grace does not mean there is no moral law or code of conduct for believers to obey. Believers are enabled by the Spirit to keep it by daily presenting their bodies to God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2) and have genuine freedom from sin. As the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer in Christ enables the principles of Scripture to be applied to the believer’s hearts, they are freed from sin’s bondage and enabled to obey God and give Him the glory (John 8:34-36).

Beloved friend, Jesus said, “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” Those whom Jesus Christ liberates from the tyranny of sin and the bondage of legalism are really free. But Christians are still struggling with their freedom not only from sin, but the perception that their freedom isn’t really freedom because we haven’t paid the cost. A lie from Satan. But a truth from God is that Jesus paid the price for us, thus we’ve no need to worry over our redemption by God through Jesus Christ for us, just simply believe!

May the Lord bless your walk!