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Archive for November, 2010

We Are A New Creation

05 Nov

When we accept Christ, what is supposed to change?

We are!

The Lord accepts us just as we are, but that’s not where we’re supposed to stay.  In fact it’s almost impossible to do.  You’re going to start moving.  So where are you going to start moving to?

Most of us when we accept the Lord have that high, because we have discovered the Love of Jesus.  To accept the Lord, for at least a time we say, “I’m a sinner and I need you to save me.”  

It’s a form of submitting.  What we don’t realize is submitting is how we need to continue in our walk and relationship with Him.

So we get saved and then it’s back to ME again.  Boy, am I glad I’m saved, well it’s time to go out and do the same things I’ve always done.  It’s time to go blend back in with the crowd.  What’s changed?

Should there be a change?

2 Corinthians 5:17 – 17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  KJV

Old things are passed away.  That’s a change.  Why do we need to change?

Psalms 94:11 – 11The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.  KJV

Fallen man thinks about himself instead of the things of God.

So we need to die to that sinful part of ourselves.

Romans 6:1-7 – 1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

Romans 6:11 – 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

We need to die to our selfish wants, selfish desires, self, self, self, self. 

The new creature is to be Christ with skin on.  When we die to ourselves, He can come in and work through us.  If that’s not happening then we need to study the New Testament and adhered to what it says.  We are crucified with Christ.  We need to become a new creation.  Pray for the want to and the strength to do so.

 

Love And Obedience

04 Nov

John 14:23-24 – 23Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

These two verses have many great things in them.  Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit in this portion of the chapter.  I want to concentrate on His words.

It basically says if we love Him, since we all qualify as anyone, we will obey His teaching.  What does the opposite of that mean? 

Does it mean….if we don’t obey Him…do we love Him?

I worry (and I don’t know this for a fact) that many people are in love with the idea of avoiding hell and inhabiting heaven.  Do they love the Real Living Jesus, because Jesus isn’t a personage or God that is whoever you want to make Him out to be?  He has standards.  They are the same as God the Father’s standards, since they are one.

John 10:30 – 30I and the Father are one.”

So what are these standards?  Where are these teachings we need to obey if we really love Him?

They’re in God’s Word which is the Bible.

So if we don’t know the Bible or read the Bible, how can we obey Jesus?  If we don’t obey Jesus do we love Him?

Matthew 21:28-32 – 28“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’  29” ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

 30“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

 31“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
      “The first,” they answered.

   Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Once again many scriptures have multiple messages of gold in them.  That’s how God’s Word works and it’s one of the many things that makes it so incredible.  I want to concentrate on the obedience in the scripture, because had the elders and chief priests really have known and obeyed God’s Word, Jesus wouldn’t be telling them that the prostitutes and tax collectors were entering ahead of them.

Think about it.  Our savior is telling the holy men of that day that the prostitutes and tax collectors that repent and accept Him are entering before they were.  That was a serious blow to their egos.

How’s man today on obeying God’s teaching?  How’s the church doing regarding God’s teaching?

How are we doing in regards to Loving Jesus?  Is there anything more important?

Today is a new day to deny yourself and obey God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  It’s one sure fire way that we can show Jesus we love Him.  He’s says so Himself in His teaching.  Read it.

 

Two Things God Can’t Do – Part 2

03 Nov

Yesterday we spoke on the first thing God can’t do.  He can’t be evil and He doesn’t lie or change His mind once He promises it.  I suppose you could say that’s more than one thing but He can’t go against Himself brings those things together.

Today we are going to talk about the second thing God can’t do.

He can’t make you love Him. 

Wow.  Think about that.

Why were we created?  To worship, praise and have relationship with our loving Father.  To rule and reign under His power.  He didn’t want robots.  Would you want to marry a robot that had no decision to love you back? 

No. 

The thing that’s great about real love is when that person unconditionally loves you back.  We have a lot of pain because people choose to not love.  Every divorce that started out with two people loving each other, ended because at least one chose not to love back somewhere along the line.  Love is a choice.

God has given us that choice.  Many have chosen not to love Him.  Many have chosen to love themselves.  Many have chosen to not even take the time to seek Him.

No one will be able fast talk themselves past God when the time comes to stand in front of the Righteous Loving Judge of All.  That choice of love and talking needs happen before you take your last breath on this earth. 

God has given people the whole day to make choices.  God has given many people years to make choices.  God has given us a whole book called the Bible should we choose to read it.  In the Bible it warns us that there are good choices and bad choices.  The worst choice humans can make is to not accept His Sacrifice for the redemption of our sins.  That choice and it is ours to choose, will land you either with God in paradise or without God and in hell.  The next group of choices will either having you living for God so He reward you or living for yourself which will lead to no reward.

Looks like God is Pro Choice accept when it comes to killing His unborn children that He created.

Your choices affect your destiny.  Don’t take a chance for another minute.  Choose Jesus as Lord.  Choose to Love God.  Choose to seek Him.  Choose to read His Word.  If you want to make Him Lord I have made a page to run you through on how to do so.  It is in the right upper column of this blog.

 

Two Things God Can’t Do – Part 1

02 Nov

There are at least two things God can’t do.

One He can’t go against Himself.  God is good, not evil, and He can’t go against His own rules.

Mark 10:18 – 18“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

This is beyond good news.  What would happen if you couldn’t count of God being true and just?  You would trust nothing.  You would have no hope.

Also a little clarification, Jesus isn’t saying refuting He’s good when asked the question in the verses before this one.  It was a rhetorical question.  Why are you saying I’m good?  Jesus is good and Jesus is God along with the Father.

We have victory when we choose to be children of God and accept the redemption of Christ.

If Jesus is your Lord and you have asked for forgiveness, this isn’t a maybe you have victory.  You have victory!  God won’t change His mind tomorrow.

James 1:17 – 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Numbers 23:19 – 19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.  Does he speak and then not act?  Does he promise and not fulfill?

1 Samuel 15:29 – 29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.”

Titus 1:1-2 –  1Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— 2a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,

Psalm 102:27 – 27 But you remain the same, and your years will never end.

Hebrews 13:8 – 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

That’s quite a list of scripture.  When God says it He means it. 

As long as we are on this subject I got one more for the replacement theology people who think God is done with Israel after making a promise to them.

Malachi 3:6 – 6 “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

God made a promise to Israel and because God doesn’t change His mind they will be ruled by their Messiah Jesus in the millennium which is soon to come following the Tribulation.  Quit trying to replace Israel verses with the Church. 

Tomorrow we will talk on the second thing God can’t do.

 

Unless I Wash You, You Have No Part With Me

01 Nov

John 13:6-8 – 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

 7Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

 8“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
      Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

It’s amazing how many things one text can have in it.  I have written on how Jesus was giving us an example on how to serve others concerning this verse in the past.

Today I want to concentrate on what He is trying to explain to Peter.

He even tells Peter in verse seven that you don’t realize what I’m doing but you will later.  This is because He hadn’t died yet.  Redemption hadn’t happened and the Jews were all looking for the King who was going to take over and rule.  Peter didn’t know what to expect at this time.  He did later though just as Jesus said he would.

If we’re not covered in the Blood of the Lamb, we will not have any part of Jesus or the Kingdom of God.  The blood is what washes you clean from your sin.  Who’s blood?  The blood of Jesus, which is the blood of God Himself.  You see that’s why it’s powerful enough to wash your sins away.

Peter saw his Lord and King trying to wash his dirty feet.   He was thinking to himself no way I want my King to have to serve me in this way.  Once Jesus explained that if he didn’t wash him and he couldn’t be a part of Him, he wanted the whole meal deal. 

John 13:9 –  9“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

Peter knew that if the Lord said it was that important then let’s take it to the fullest.  You have to love Peter’s enthusiasm towards wanting what Jesus said he needed.  We all need to have this want of pleasing the Lord.

Jesus explained to Peter that they didn’t need the whole bath because all but one of the disciples believed that he was the Lord already.  They were believers that he was the Lord.  Very important as once He died they were saved and covered.

John 13:10-11 –  10Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

Why is it important that Jesus died for our sins?  Because it was God’s blood cleansing the penalty we were all going to have to face someday.  He Himself paid that and has saved us from it.

Everyone that does not accept that He is Lord and died for their sins will have the full understanding of what that penalty is.  Don’t be one of them.  I have over in the upper right hand column a page that will run you through how to accept Jesus as Savior if you haven’t yet.

Remember Jesus said, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”