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Archive for the ‘Reflections’ Category

Whose Feasts Or Festivals Are They?

17 Sep

Leviticus 23:1-2 – 1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. NKJV

To many Christian’s, many who are guilty of replacement theology have written off things because they believe it was from the Jews who blew it. Replacement theology wants to take all the blessings of Israel and give them to the church and let all the bad and curses remain with the Jews. Crazy? Yes. Yet popular amongst those who don’t take the Bible literally.

The Lords Feasts are very important. Jesus fulfilled the Spring Feasts when He came the first time. The Bible indicates He will fulfill the fall ones when he comes back the second time.

Where are we at on God’s timetable? Our biggest indicator is based on Israel. The Jewish people are back in the land. That started the end time clock ticking. Do you know why people have been looking for the Lord’s returns for years now? That’s the biggest reason for those who take the Bible literally. I encourage you to learn about the Feasts. Why? One, they are the Lords and He intends to fulfill them all. Two, it pulls together Bible Prophecy and gives you even more understanding.

 

Is It About You Or Is It About God?

02 May

For some reason people in America think that God wants for us exactly what they want for themselves.  However, when I read the next scriptures, I read that God wants us to want we He wants from our lives.

Matthew 10:39 – 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 16:25 – 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

Mark 8:35 – 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Luke 9:24 – 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.

Luke 17:23 – 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.

I read that and I see a God and Lord that is warning me I don’t have good ideas, unless their His ideas.  Who’s trying to convince me that God gave me a brain and by golly I am capable of knowing what is right and wrong and what’s good and evil?

Genesis 3:1-5 – 1Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Serpent indicates that by knowing good and evil like God, opens your eyes and you can be like God.  Have people today embraced that idea?  I sure see it.  Most people could care less what God thinks.  They are the god of their own domain.  Well, that’s what the devil was selling Eve.  She bought into it and the wide path of people are doing the same.

So I believe we should be narrow minded.  I believe narrow minded leads to the narrow path.  It also gets us to the place of wanting to believe what’s right in our Creator’s Mind and not chasing after our own fallen sinful desires and ideas.

Matthew 7:13-14 –  13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

It’s His way or the wide way.  Most choose their own way which is the wide way.

Proverbs 14:12 –  12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

We need to choose God’s way.  What way is that?  Since Eve fell because she bought the lie of Satan, we all inherited that sinful gene that has been passed down.  If anyone is honest with themselves, it isn’t hard to identify that gene.  The penalty of sin is death.  Someone has to die for our sins.  There’s two choices.  It’s either one yourself, or two, God in the flesh.

Romans 6:23 – 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

The Lord’s sacrifice is sufficient for us to spend eternity with the Lord.  Dying in our own sins leads to separation from God forever.

God wants to be God.  He wants us to freely choose to ask for forgives and then choose to walk the way he wants us to live and walk.  God doesn’t want you to be God.

Choose to make Jesus Lord.  Ask for Him to forgive your sins and accept His sacrifice in the place of your own.  Choose to die to your own life and find it by walking with Him.  For those who have not accepted Jesus as Lord, I have a page over to the right in the column you can click on to help you get started in your new life.

Pride help cause the devil to fall.  Pride is what will keep many people from choosing God to be their God, instead of them being their own God.  Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord.

 

If They Persecuted Me, They Will Persecute You Also

26 Mar

John 15:18-25 – 18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

Living true to the Word is becoming increasingly unpopular in the American culture.  The world today is geared up for the new world religion, which endorses all roads that lead to Rome.  The only intolerance is to state there is only one way.  What did Jesus say?

John 14:6- 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Man has a choice to choose the Lord and Creator’s way, or to believe whatever he wants and choose his own.  Only one leads to the Father and Heaven from our fallen sinful state we are all in.

There a many absolutes in this world, but when it comes to God, they want Him to be whatever it is they want Him to be.  That’s not reality.

Choose to serve the Lord who gave you His Word which happens to also be the number one best seller of all time.  He is the One which created you and paid the penalty for you so you don’t have to.  Times are going to continue to reflect what’s written in John 15:28-25 more and more every day.  The world has nothing to offer you.  Your loving Lord and God has everything to offer to you.  But one has to choose Him.

 

Back From The Break

03 Mar

Well time to get back from the break.  My Mom caught shingles back around the time I stopped writing in the middle of December.  With that I decided to take a little break.  I thought we might lose her as the medicine she was taking for her arthritis depleted her immune system, so getting shingles on face and close to the brain was a perfect storm.  She has recovered rather well now although the infection took a little toll.  She is in a close by nursing home where we get to pop in on her every day.

God is wonderful as always.  The thing my brother and I prayed for was the right answer.  We went to the hospital the next day about a week in and serious considerations had to be made on the next steps.  Mom had her best day by far and the answer was given to us.  Praise our wonderful Lord.

Much has been happening in the world.  Much has been happening in our country.  I enjoyed the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl.  I’m a big fan.  In the sports world as also in the rest of the ends of the earth we are getting a full dose of gay rights.  If one takes the stance of literal Bible interpretation the matter, the world stands ready to pounce on you.

I hate racism.  God made all skin colors, races, etc.  Today the media is using Jackie Robinson’s story and putting it along the same lines as those with the choice of sexual preference.  Those who disagree about it being right or wrong are being thrown into the same category.  This is the way Satan works.

Love the sinner, hate the sin.  Those in the world and without the Word of God can’t distinguish between the two.

What is sin?  It’s missing the mark on God’s ways.  We are all sinners.  God died for all sinners.  However we are asked to look at it as sin and ask for forgiveness, not elevate it as our natural way of life.  This is on all sin, not just one.  The Lord wants us to keep on moving closer to Him in our lives.

We all know that in racism it begins at hating someone because of a certain ethnic background or skin color.  Where does racism end?  When you don’t hold any hateful or ill feelings towards a race or ethnic group because they are from that origin.

Where does sexual preference end?  Man and Man, Woman and Woman?  I don’t think so.  There are many different groups of sexual preference.  Where does it end?  Others will feel discriminated against.  There are those who prefer young children, others who prefer animals, etc.  Don’t kid yourself.  They may be more of a minority, but if the Bible isn’t your guide, where do you have the right to say it’s wrong?

Where does morality come from?  Society?  Whatever the populous says is alright makes it alright?  Right now many in society say it’s alright to abort a life that has started.  That’s bringing life to a halt.  Don’t intervene and it continues on.  Does the populous vote to allow abortion make it right?  If in America the law stated you could kill one person a year if you were drawn in a tag, would it be alright?

No.  Democratic vote doesn’t make something wrong or right.  The One who created everything and the rules, is the One who has authority to say rather it’s right or wrong.

Leviticus 18:1-23 – 1The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. 3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. 4 You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. 5 Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.

6 “‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.

7 “‘Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

8 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; that would dishonor your father.

9 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.

10 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonor you.

11 “‘Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.

12 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.

13 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative.

14 “‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.

15 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.

16 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would dishonor your brother.

17 “‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.

18 “‘Do not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.

19 “‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.

20 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her.

21 “‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

22 “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.

23 “‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.

You know what the devil was selling as the serpent in the Garden of Eden?  If you eat of that fruit you will be like God knowing good and evil.  You will be the God of your own life and can choose to do anything you want.  That was the fall.  That the lie.  Anyone that believes that whatever they choose to believe is right and wrong and that is all that matters has bought into that lie.

We need to seek God.  We need to choose His sacrifice of forgiveness and accept that death of Jesus on the cross as our own.  We then need to make Him Lord.

Because the only opinion that will matter when we take our last breath and stand in front of the Creator, is His.

We need to continue to love everyone like our Lord commanded.  But we are also to stand firm on the Truth of His Word, not the world.

 

Quiz: What Did God Create First?

02 Nov

Make your guesses.  Think back to what you’ve read.  What did God create first?  Remember?

It’s not found in Genesis 1.

Proverbs 8:22-31 – 22 “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,
before his deeds of old;
23 I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
when there were no springs overflowing with water;
25 before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,
26 before he made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth.
27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
28 when he established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
29 when he gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
30 Then I was constantly at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
31 rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.

Of course it’s not the only the area where we find that God had a helper from the very beginning on creation.

John 1:1-3 – 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Proverbs 8 isn’t the only place where we learn Jesus helped create, but it is the place that confirms He was the first of God’s works.

Jesus isn’t just your Savior, He’s also involved in your creation.  He died in our place for our debt for those who will accept it and make Him Lord.  Creator, Savior, Lord, loving, He is definitely worthy of our honor, glory, and praise.

 

What Is Truth?

17 Oct

This post was inspired by our service this last Sunday by Pastor.

John 18:37-38 – 37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews….

I stopped in mid verse not to take this out of context but to point out Pilate’s reaction.  Pilate asks Jesus, “What is Truth?”  However it really wasn’t a question at all was it?  He retorted.  He wasn’t interested in hearing what the truth was.

Yet Jesus told Pilate, He (Jesus) came into the world to testify of the truth and everyone on the side of truth listens to Him.

Pay close attention when observing the world.  They don’t want truth.  What is the Truth?

John 14:6 – 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So it’s not only what is truth, but Who is the Truth.

If you believe all roads lead to Rome, that’s not the truth according to God’s Word or Jesus.

What is Truth?  The Word of God is Truth.  Jesus is the Truth and Jesus is the Word.  Sadly enough most will either not ask the question, or ask it, and have no desire to really hear it.  Don’t be one of those people.  Know the Word, know the Truth.

 

>Jesus<

24 Sep

Where is Jesus found in the Bible?  New Testament?

Unfortunately it took me quite awhile and study, to figure out where Jesus was really found in the Bible.  The reason?  It kept expanding until I realized Genesis 1:1 has Him in it and Revelation 22:21 has Him in it, which are the first and last verses in the Bible.

Well Revelation 22:21 is pretty easy.

Revelation 22:21 – 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

The last verse in the Bible has Jesus written all over it.  By the way the second to last verse says that He is coming soon.  As a lover of Bible Prophecy I couldn’t let that one pass.

So how is He in verse 1 of Geneses?

Genesis 1:1 –1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Wait a minute that says God?  Where is Jesus in that?

In Genesis 1:26 when man was being created by God we have company.

Genesis 1:26 – 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Us.  It appears God has a helper.  Let’s look further.

John 1:1-3 – 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

The Word is Jesus.  We know He was with God in the beginning.  That’ where Genesis 1:1 starts and we know that without Him nothing was made that has been made.

As many of you know there is plenty of scripture linking the Father and Son as One.  We won’t concentrate on that in this post.  The point of this post was to indicate that >Jesus< is from the beginning of the Bible to the end.

Only three chapters into Genesis we have a plan for redemption and He is obviously very involved in that.  He is Lord of the church and everyone who asks for forgiveness, accepts His sacrifice, and makes Him Lord will be saved.  He also has a promise that He will rule on the Throne of David over the Jewish people that remain for one thousand years when He comes back in the last days.

Front to back, beginning to end, the Word of God is Jesus, through and through.

 

We Are Saved By Christ; The Son, Not The Idea

12 Sep

John 5:37-40 – 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

The scriptures speak about the Savior.  The scriptures are not the savior.

Jesus is not an idea.  Jesus is not a concept.  You’re not saved by a reading a book, a line, a phrase.

Jesus is the Lord!  He’s the living King that died in the place for us and is God in the flesh.  If we acknowledge our sin, ask for forgiveness and accept Him as Lord, we are saved.

I hear people say this person or that person believes in a higher power.  ?????

Is there salvation in that answer?  If that were all one needed, then Satan would be saved because he believes that God exists.  No, the accomplishment of believing that there is a creator, means you’re not buying into the cosmic accident theory of evolution.  The scriptures indicate the Lord is looking for quite a bit more than that.

Lord!  What does that word mean?  It means it controls and consumes your life.  For some, its activities and for others it’s themselves.  Where you spend most of your time thinking and putting your resources and time towards, that’s where your heart is.   You can’t serve two lords.  In the case of these next two scriptures it is money, but it can be anything.

Matthew 6:24 – 24 “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.

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 was so important it had to be written twice.

We are saved by Christ, the Savior, God’s Son, the Living Risen Son and God in the flesh!  We are not saved by a phrase.  When the Good News is heard, one must receive it and accept the Savior as Lord.

Make Him number one.  Because if He is any lower on your place of importance, are you really making Him your Lord?

 

Feast Of Trumpets This Week

04 Sep

Rosh Hashanah is coming up again for the year at the end of the week.  It is the Feast of Trumpets.  So why do I get excited at this time?

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 – 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 – 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Revelation 4:1- 1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

In the last one the voice that was first speaking to John was Jesus.

One thing I have learned over time is God doesn’t do anything that’s not calculated, especially on things as big as this.  The Lord rode into Jerusalem the first time on the very day it was prophesied.

Don’t get me wrong, we don’t know the day or hour.  No idea of the year.  No date setting here.  I wouldn’t ever attempt it.  He can come at anytime.  Immanency is heavily taught in the Word so we are not to let our guard down and to always be living as Jesus is coming back today.

One thing about Rosh Hashanah is that it covers two days.  There are trumpets that are blown and it is one of God’s seven Jewish feasts.  I repeat God’s…..feast that He appointed to the people which He has ran the Messiah line down through.  And He is coming back (Jesus) to rule and reign on His throne over them.  God doesn’t break promises.

Some of those promises are to meet His own (church) in the air like the verses above.  Come down and judge the nations who have rejected Him at the end of the Tribulation.  Then rule and reign for the millennium over the Jews who remain as their Messiah.

So when the Feast of Trumpets come around every year, it’s hard for me not to get excited and hope that the Blessed Hope could happen.  If not, it’s safe to say were closer than before.  Do you long for His appearing?  There is a Crown of Righteousness for those who do.

2 Timothy 4:8 – 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

 

Whose Land?

28 Apr

Joel 3:1-2 –  1 “In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.  There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.

Whose land did they divide up?  That’s right, God’s land.  He’s the One who says gets the land and He is the One Who is going to punish those trying to divide it up and give it away.

God made the promise to Abraham.  Unlike man He doesn’t break them or make His Word cheap.  That’s a comfort to me and it should be for us all to know we can trust our Lord.

The last days are coming and God is going to repay those for dividing up His land.  You hear that world rulers?  Land for peace is a bad idea, especially since every deal has been met with broken promises and they still demand that Israel give more.  Not to say that dividing it for good promises matters any less.

It’s just more of man’s rebellious spirit not wanting to do it God’s way.

Right before our Lord comes back to claim His throne on this earth for a thousand year reign, He has some cleaning up to do.  Part of that is repaying those who divided up HIS land.

So every time you see a land for false peace deal happening, just remember Whose land they are dividing.