Bible Prophecy and Inspiration

People more than ever are living their lives by their own beliefs.  That’s why I believe the Holy Spirit has me writing on this again.

To take the Bible and choose what you like about it and then discard what you don’t is a form of creating your own Gospel.

In fact, like I mentioned it before it’s like having a spiritual buffet.  I’ll have a little of that, and that, oh I like that.  Wait a minute, I don’t like that at all.  I don’t even understand why that item over there is even in the buffet, it’s not appealing at all.  Who likes that?

By the time 100 people choose to go through the spiritual buffet route, we have 100 different spiritual beliefs.

Is that a problem?  Yeah, it is when we are supposed to serve a perfect God who gave a perfect Word to a fallen corrupted human race.

Proverbs 14:12 –There is a way that appears to be right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

God wants us to serve Him.  He wants us with a free will choose to obey Him.  How can we do that?

Without a guide book how could we ever blindly follow and please Him?  We can’t.  We have to follow His commands and words to please and serve Him.  Where can we find this Word?  In the biggest most sold book of all time.

Not exactly a needle in a haystack is it?  The most sold BOOK of all time.

So why do an abundance of people dislike the Bible.  Cause it points out our faults.  The Word of God warns of coming judgment for those who don’t want to ask for forgiveness and serve Him.  It points out our faults.  Its audience pertains to 100 percent of those who have lived on earth.  The One who doesn’t need the forgiveness part is the One it’s completely about.

In America, for many years now, we have taught how to be a self serving, self seeking bunch.  We have a very unsatisfied society.  God didn’t make us to be self seeking beings.

Romans 2:8 – ⁸ But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

God really wants us to seek Truth and not our own beliefs.

Here’s a great domino effect that needs to happen.  We seek God and what He wants for our lives and in return we will love and serve others in His name.  Not in our name, in His name.

God wants to be God of our lives.  That means we can’t be.  If you haven’t ask for forgiveness of your sins and accepted God’s perfect sacrifice, don’t wait any longer.  Jesus needs to be your Lord and Savior.  He was involved in creating us and was willing to die for us.  He is worthy.

1 Timothy 6:6-11 –⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹ Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  ¹¹ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

So what does it seem like every American around us is pursuing?  Righteousness?  Godliness?  Faith?

The world looks at those things as almost an unrealistic mock.  As a result the world is a sad place.

Why?

John 10:10 – ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; ……………

Many a time, people as a whole don’t seek God past one commitment.  Sounds like the old school joke of a couple that gets married and the husband tells his wife that he told her once he loved her and if that changes he’ll let her know.

That’s how people can base their life with Christ.  They ask Jesus once to forgive their sins and then never seek Him ever again.  They never really sought Him in the first place.  They never really made Him Lord.  They never change anything about their lifestyle, so I suppose go and try to sin no more is out also.

Others make the Lord what they want Him to be, then they seek that.  Convenient, but no truth to go along with it.

So what’s a good start to seeking God and Jesus?

Be content what the blessings you have.  You aren’t taken one possession out of this world.  By the way that’s not a nice philosophical statement that most pass it off as, but the truth and a warning.  Those who want to get rich fall into temptation.  Those who want to get rich…love money.  That love is the root of all sorts of evil.  Then eventually comes grief.  So we know those are things we should stay clear from.  How about more do’s?  We should pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.  Know His Word.

How does John 10:10 end? …. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

In the time period we live in, it’s tough not to see the goals in America.  It doesn’t matter if one has wealth or doesn’t, the obsession appears to be to try and achieve it for the majority of people.

What does the New Testament have to say on these issues?  Where does it indicate we should be putting our resources?  Where are some the hints that we should take note of?

Matthew 13:44-46 – ⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.  ⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Luke 12:33-34 – ³³ Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Luke 18:22-30 – ²² When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” ²³ When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. ²⁴ Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” ²⁷ Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
²⁸ Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” ²⁹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God ³⁰ will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

In all of those verses mention above it doesn’t sound like, get a great job, invest, build an empire on earth, build up wealth, and also just acknowledge Jesus.

No I think it’s warning pretty clearly that we are to not concentrate solely on ourselves, but to live for the Lord and show love to others.  Our King didn’t come down with a gold spoon in his mouth as His example.  He was fully capable of doing so, He’s made everything and certainly powerful engough.  No, He came down as an example of how He wants us to live.

Matthew 23:11-12 – ¹¹ The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

We’re not to exalt ourselves.  We aren’t supposed to take ego classes and build up our self esteem.  We’re to be humble and servants.

Now that we see how we can invest above.  Let’s see the warnings on trying to invest mightily down here.

Luke 12:15-21 – ¹⁵ Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
¹⁶ And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. ¹⁷ He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
¹⁸ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. ¹⁹ And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
²¹ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Matthew 13:22-23 – ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Luke 16:13 – ¹³ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

It takes faith to deny yourself today and invest into what you can’t see yet.  Do you think God likes that kind of faith?

Hebrews 11:6 – ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

It’s pretty elementary.  If love yourself, your going to invest everything into yourself.  If you love the Lord you’re going to invest into Him.

As you can see the Word of God really isn’t silent on the issue.  The problem is man and his sinful nature wants to believe we can believe Satan and God at the same time.  Have the cake and eat it too.

God wants our obedience.  He wants us to faithfully believe His Word and serve Him.

Let’s invest into the Lord and not ourselves.

Matthew 28:16-20 – ¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Mark 16:15 –¹⁵ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

The commission for us all is to proclaim the Good News.

Isn’t it ironic that one of the things the world wants you to do is keep your faith to yourself?  Why do you think that is?  Because the deceiver knows that if the Good News is preached throughout the world, which Jesus is Lord and has died for their sins, his end will come.  Satan hates God.  Satan hates all.  He selfishly wants people to worship him and the reason is because he has always wanted to be god.

What did Jesus tell Peter to do if he loved Him?

John 21:15-17 – ¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

You see that is what we are supposed to be doing for our Lord.  Some will feed thousands.  Others will feed hundreds, others tens of people.  The Lord will use any of His own that are willing to feed and nurture others.  It can be done in many ways and always needs to be done with the love of our Lord in mind.

Jesus said this in a parable:

Matthew 25:23 – ²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!

That doesn’t sound like the Lord is saying, just believe and take it easy, or sit around, enjoy life to the fullest and don’t burden yourself with things.  After all it’s about grace, right?

No, the Lord has given us all a commission.  We are all different and have unique gifts, but all of us are geared to be able to feed the Lord’s sheep one way or another.

If you love Him, feed His sheep.  Be responsible and faithful with a few things and allow Him later in the Kingdom to put you in charge of many things.