Monthly Archives: April 2014

Above it all

by

0


Twelve disciples, a little fishing boat, a raging sea, and a Lord who is above it all.

No one has ever witnessed such a thing before.  Not only did the Lord walk on top of the sea, he walked on top of a raging sea!  It happily resided in his heart to show his disciples something from heaven.

The disciples of Christ, a boat of grace, a ragng sea of wicked men, and the Lord is above it all.  Who could guess?  Even angels longed to look into these things.

The people of God, tiny piece of wood in the shape of a cross, a raging torrent of holy law, and the Lord Jesus who is above it all! 

How could this be?  He was crucified by those who kept the treasury of law.  Dressed in blood among a murderer and a thief.  The righteousness of God murdered as a law breaker.  For this reason Jesus is above it all.

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”  (Matthew chapter 14)

Life Happens

by

0


If the Lord is willing, I will get in my car and drive to the place I intend to go.  You might say, “He is there”, before I even leave.  If I begin to prepare a good meal for the family, you might say, “They have eaten and are full and satisfied.”

We all know there are things that need to happen in between the desire and completion.  But if all things go well, we can expect to be able to refer to our tasks as if they have already happened.  In a perfect world this would be the case, wouldn’t it?

Well, there is a perfect world, my friends.  And the One who dwells there is faultless.  Bad things never happen to His plans.  When He says something will happen, it absolutely will.  When we consider His promises we can refer to them as if they have already come true.

The promises of man are not like this.  They are but hopes.  They are assurances of intent.  And the one who lives as if his desires can be so reliable as to consider them complete before they have begun will suffer.  He is like the one spoken of in Isaiah 44, “Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself. . .”

Place no trust in man’s promises.  Understand that he intends to do good.  But his intent has no strength of surety.  Place all your trust in the Living God’s words.  His words are life.  When He speaks, life happens.

Another Religion?

by

0


Why do Christians preach to man?  What right do we have to firmly believe that we have the answers? Men will say to us, “You are just like us.  We see your sins.  We perceive your faults.  There are plenty of religions among us.  What need do we have for yours?  By some reason, you think what you believe belongs in the belly of everyone.  You are no different from any other cultish behavior of any other obnoxious religion.”

We are just like you.  Therefore we know the extent of man’s rebellion against God.  We too are sinners with plenty of faults among us.  And what we preach presents itself faultlessly as the final answer to all man’s troubles.  From without, you cannot understand what we say.  But if you would enter Christianity the Lord would prove His words to you.

However, your problem is that once you enter you will find yourself compelled to stay.  By your questions you prove you are not ready or willing.  But neither were we.  We do not preach fables.  We do not believe as we do because a man has told us.  We believe because the Heavenly Father has drawn us to His Holy Son.

Because of the rebellion of man against the Holy One, there are plenty of religions, indeed!  But we have found that man’s need is not satisfied by opinion.  We have found that Christ Jesus fulfills every need of every religion.  He leaves no stone unturned.  He is Holy Truth embodied.  For this reason (That the Lord Jesus is the embodiment of truth) we are obnoxious to you even as the Lord Jesus was once obnoxious to us.

The pride of man will refuse to believe that he is nothing.  The pride of man builds his own answers, as if a man can say he has seen the Holy Living God.  But as we believe, the Lord strips that rebellious spirit from us.  Humility comes to understand.  Humility fears the Living God.  Humility is the necessary first step in understanding what is Holy and Good.

Jesus proves to His people that He has every right to claim the singular title of “Son of God”.  We are not tossed about, as are other religions, by every desire and fabrication of man’s mind.  Yes there are many who claim to be Christians yet offer a seriously blemished testimony of God’s perfect commands.  And the best of us will falter from time to time.  But Christ Jesus remains the same in His Holy command to, “Be holy, even as your Father in Heaven is holy”.   And He teaches His people to understand these things.

You may find fault with us.  But you will also find absolute truth within us.  Ask.  Provoke the testimony within us.  Keep asking questions.  The Lord will testify from within His people.  We willingly confess our lack before all who ask.  But you will not find fault with the Son of God.

You will say, “How can you be sure that what you believe connects with Heaven?”  We know it by the living words of the Bible.  And it is confirmed within us by the Holy Spirit He gives; the Spirit which is sent from the Living Lord Jesus Himself.  Though it is by faith, this faith is not like that faith a man holds in things unseen.   The faith we have is given to us from the Heavenly Father. He confirms His Lovely Son’s position before Him.   There is a leading from the Lord.  There is a “proof”, which over time, confirms without doubt those things we preach to the world.

Mr. “No-Name” (Who’s that?)

by

0


Imagine living your life without any name.  It might be impossible to us to imagine that.  For we are named from our birth.  And even at our death, out name is placed on our grave.

But unless you receive the Mercy of God in Christ Jesus His Holy Son, your name will be utterly blotted out of eternity.  You will not be mentioned or thought of ever again.  You will cease to be of any importance at all.

For now a man might be important by causing trouble.  If he is incapable of any righteous behavior, at least he can be known for wickedness.  How many wicked men have bragged that others will remember them by their violent behavior?  But that “name” will be taken away.  Even your opinion will not be honored with thought at all.

This is the promise of God toward the unholy, unrighteous, rebellious, those who love false religion, those who love pleasure of the world more than the Righteousness of God, and those who worship anything other than the Living God.

Perhaps you have not considered this.  It is likely.  For it is impossible to imagine living our entire life without a name.

You may say, “I don’t believe any of what you’ve written here.  You’re simply a self-righteous bigot who hates the freedom of man.”  What is such boasting to me?  If you continue in that way, your name will cease.  You will find your end.  You won’t cease because I have told you these things.  The Holy Lord will establish His eternity.  No wicked thing will be allowed to continue past that point.  A new “age” of righteous men made perfect will appear.  And all who have despised the Lord will simply vanish.  “You will look for them but they will not be found.”

The Lord has prepared a staggeringly beautiful place for all who love Him.  Do you seriously think you will be of any importance at all when His people enter the place the Lord has prepared for those who love Him?  No.

You will know your own death.  You will cease to be.  What will that be to those who serve the Living God forever?  Why would you point your finger at such as me?  Why would you chose to blame others for the unholy faults you now embrace?

 

Arrant Chads of Wicked Men.

by

0


“He rebukes them in his anger
    and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 ‘I have installed my king
    on Zion, my holy mountain.’” (Psalm 2)

They hate the Lord and perceive Him as a wicked task master because their ways are wicked and arrant.  They are blown about by every wind of desire that enters their wicked mind.  They do not know His Holy commands.  They do not know His salvation in Jesus.  Therefore they cannot obey.

God dresses the humble in righteous desire.  But His opposition is forward at the proud.  He steadfastly denies hope to all who lift their chin in rebellion.

Let them humble their hearts.  Let them consider their sins. Let then admit that they have not known the Path of God in this “Place of Testing”.   Let them come to know that the Lord is Good, by fear of God.  Let the terror of punishment fill their hearts to over flowing.

Then the Lord will show kindness.  Then, and only then, will they perceive rightly the beauty that is God the Father.  And if they continue in that manner, perhaps the Father will draw them to His Holy Son.  By continuance in the humble posture of heart the wicked learn that loving God is proper.  And their continuance provokes the Mercy of the Most High God.

Warnings vs The Power of God

by

0


Christians are warned, all day long, to abstain from a variety of worldly delights.   “Don’t watch questionable movies.  Don’t listen to ungodly music.  Don’t read the books printed by godless souls.  Don’t dress to entice or to display your wealth.  Don’t purchase necessities that are ornamented to promote your position in life.  Watch your tongue, lest you speak filthy words.  Love everyone with a godly love.”  On and on it goes.  Warnings are spouted day and night.  And even I have warned against many such things.

But do the warnings work?  Or do they do more harm than good?

Take a look at the members of your church.  Consider those you know who profess themselves to be Christian.  I’m not asking you to judge them.  I’m asking you to assess the viability of warnings.  Do you see holy living appear in most professing Christians?

There is a distinct difference between obeying the words of another, and becoming obedient yourself.  If you are doing simply because someone told you to do, you are falling short of the possible height to which God can raise you.

Those who warn you are doing so from two possible sources.  Either they have heard or read that such warnings are useful.  Or they have come to understand the Christian life personally.

To read about the life of a saint is a good thing.  But to use the writings to create your own Christianity is not a good thing.  “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builder builds in vain.”  Don’t only emulate what is good.  Come to know the Living God through Christ Jesus yourself.  Then you will begin to see His Holy hand create the things of Christ within you.

When He is your God (and you cease from allowing the understanding of others be the power of God within you) you will see a transformed life that requires no work from you.  For now, you work hard to remember how to act and do righteousness.  But when the power of the Spirit dresses your soul, your heart becomes transformed to emulate the Living God.

Warnings no longer apply to you.  Now you see possibilities.  Your mind is freed from concentration on the words and lives of others.  Now you become one of those whose life can be an example of all that is holy among men.