"An Important Message From God" - Inspirational Weekend

Jesus brings us an important message from God His Father, and it is something that we really need to listen to today and always. 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  -  John 3:16

That, my friends, is REAL love !  God sent His Son to die in our place on the cross, so that when we believe in Him as the Savior and put our faith in Him, we have the hope of eternal life.  

God really, truly loves you!   

"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.  God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."  -  1 John 4:16   (See also 1 John 4:8).

God's very nature is love.  In all His actions, God is loving.  His love is always pure, always holy, always seeking what is best for His people.  God's love is never ending.

No matter what trials or hardships or sorrows you face, take it to the good Lord in prayer and He will guide and sustain you.  Just believe !

The greatest truth we learned in church is this:   "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so."   Remember that from your childhood Sunday School?   

There is nothing you can do to make the Lord stop loving you !

(Romans 8:38-39)

The death of Jesus on the cross for sinners is the greatest, most visible and the absolute final word concerning God's love for humanity !

"Whom should we love, if not Him Who loved us, and gave Himself for us?"  -  Assorted Authors

"The test of Religion, the final test of Religion, is not Religiousness but Love."  -  Henry Drummond

We should be so very full of gratitude for all the good Lord has done on our behalf , that we should love Him with all of our heart and that we should obey Him in all things.  

"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."  -  John 14:23

Following is a 2 minute sermon clip by Charles Spurgeon concerning "Abiding In Obedience And In Love".

Here is a beautiful song by Kari Jobe:  "What Love Is This"

All of the above applies to those who have already surrendered their lives to Jesus and who have been born again (John 3:3).  If you are not a believer in Jesus, you will not experience eternal life with Him when you die.  We all know the alternative....hell.

God is waiting for your response to His message.  

If you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior, you need to stop and pray to the Lord for forgiveness for your sins; believe with all your heart that salvation is found only in belief in Jesus and genuinely repent of all known sin and forsake your life of sin and endeavor to live a life that pleases the Lord....a godly life.  Follow as closely as you can in Jesus' footsteps.  You need to read the Bible to learn more about the Lord and His commands and His love and His attributes and His will for your life.

Pray without ceasing !  (I Thessalonians 5:17) .   You draw close to the good Lord by communicating with Him.  He wants to fellowship with you.   Christianity is all about a close, intimate, personal love relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:9,10,13 explains:  (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"Jesus saith unto him,  I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."   -  John 14:6

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life."   -  John 6:47

"The Mystery Of Godliness" (With Charles Spurgeon Sermon) - Inspirational Weekend

In my previous post last weekend, we discussed "The Mystery of God", which pointed to Jesus Christ as the mystery of God, and how also His rule in God's soon to be kingdom was part of that mystery.  Today, we will talk about "The Mystery of Godliness".  

Remember, a mystery in the New Testament sense is not something which cannot be understood.  It is rather some plan or purpose of God which has always been known to Him, but which he kept  the meaning hidden until He knew the time was right to reveal it.  Mysteries were revealed by Christ and eventually by the Holy Spirit.

I am sharing here a 52 minute sermon by the "prince of preachers", Charles Spurgeon, which is titled "The Great Mystery of Godliness".  This sermon is well worth the time to listen to, as are all of Spurgeon's discourses.

Spurgeon explains that the great mystery of godliness is the manifestation of God in human flesh, that He might save men from sin.  Jesus took the sins of man upon Himself so that He paid the price for sin in our place.  Therefore, if we believe in Him as the Savior, and have faith, we may have forgiveness of sins and gain eternal life.

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:  God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."  -    1 Timothy 3:16

There are many Scriptures that admonish true believers to have godliness themselves; to lead a godly life.   Godliness is reverential piety toward God.  The two words express inward and outward holiness.

"For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty."  -  1 Timothy 2:2

"For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."  -   1 Timothy 4:8

"But godliness with contentment is great gain."  -  1 Timothy 6:6

"According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue."  -  2 Peter 1:6

So called carnal Christians need to wake up and take these Scriptures to heart. You cannot be a part of the world and have godliness at the same time.  I really feel like there is no such thing as a carnal Christian, with the exception, perhaps, of new believers that do not yet have a clear understanding of how the world can corrupt and ensnare you to keep you from being an effective and "on fire" follower of Jesus Christ.

"The key to godliness is not more knowledge but more obedience."  -  Woodrow Kroll

"How can you give up the world?  Just do what you ought to do and it will give you up."  -  Jack Hyles

"Grace and peace are possible since God has given us (all Christians) everything we need to live godly lives."  -  Dr. Thomas Constable

"Prayer - secret. fervent, believing prayer -  lies at the root of all personal godliness."  -  William Carey

"Godliness, as well as the doctrine of our faith, is a mystery."  -    William Gurnall

When a person gives evidence of a sincere appreciation and love towards the heavenly Father, that is one of the most evident signs of genuine godliness.

What helps a person to be godly and to live a holy life is for him to have a close, intimate, personal, love relationship with God through Jesus Christ His Son.   How does that happen?  By much prayer and much Bible study.  As I have said previously, you cannot get to know a person unless you communicate with him.  That is true of God as well.  Take everything to Him in prayer and pray often.  Take time to "listen" to Him speak to you in your heart and through His Holy Word.  When we read in the Bible about the character of the good Lord, we come to know Him better.  We appreciate His many attributes, and grow to love Him more and more the better we come to know Him.  

Perhaps there are those reading this that are not saved; that do not believe in Jesus as their Savior.  I would like to remind you that these are the last days of this age....we are even in the last "hour" of the end times.  You need to repent and turn to the Lord in faith and believe that Jesus is the promised Savior.  Do it now while there is still time before the 7 year Tribulation period and before that being left behind because of unbelief when the Rapture of the Church occurs soon.   

Romans 10:9,10,13 explains,  (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13)  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation)."  -    2 Corinthians 6:2

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,  but have everlasting life."   -   John 3:16

Have a blessed weekend and a Christ centered life !

  

"The Mystery Of God" - Inspirational Weekend

According to Clarence Larkin, there are eleven mysteries of God.  I may in the future, with the Lord's help, discuss here the other ten mysteries; but right now I will just discuss one, with two aspects involved in this one mystery of God.  A mystery in the New Testament meant something that people did not know because the good Lord had not yet revealed the matter, but would make revelation in His due time.  The prophets of old made reference to these mysteries, and even they did not understand in full.

"But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, the mystery of God should be finished, as He  hath declared to His servants the prophets."    -   Revelation 10:7

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our LORD, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever."  -  Revelation 11:15

Some commentators stress the kingdom is meant primarily in these verses; which of course is ruled by Christ.  Then the mystery is finished.  

Other commentators stress that Jesus Christ is the "Mystery of God."  

It all ties in.

"That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's Mystery, which is Christ, in Whom are hidden all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge."   -  Colossians 2:2-3 (English Standard Version)

So Christ is the Mystery of God, and so is the fact that the Mystery is finished, or about to be finished, when the seventh angel sounds, and "the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our LORD, and His Christ."  Of course, it also means what God has revealed concerning the spread of the Gospel, the ruin of the antichrist, and the end of the age.  The Mystery is finished also in the sense that God would then have no more to reveal about these kingdom plans beyond what He revealed to John.

One needs to be a born again believer and thereby filled with the Holy Spirit to fully understand the Word of God.  Even then, some passages can still be difficult to comprehend until you mature in faith and in your spiritual walk.   Read your Bible daily and "pray without ceasing"  (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Ask God to give you wisdom and discernment.  Believe He will answer that prayer, and do not doubt; thereby showing faith.

"Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints."  -  Colossians 1:26

We are living in the last hour of the last days.  Even those who are not Christians can discern that these perilous times we find ourselves caught in are more wicked and violent and filled with chaos than ever in the history of mankind....unless maybe the times of Noah may have been worse.  But back then they did not have nuclear weapons and the capability to destroy the earth like they do now.  

When discussing the signs of the end times, Jesus said:  "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."  -  Luke 21:28

Jesus said that to believers.   If you are not a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, you have reason to dread what lies ahead.  

Jesus will return soon to take true believers to be with Him in heaven.   Those left behind will have to go through the 7 year Tribulation, which is filled with judgments of God's wrath and unspeakable destruction and torments and horrors.  

You do not want to be here for the Tribulation; nor do you want to spend eternity in hell in torments.  Repent now, if you are not a believer;  turn to Jesus in faith and belief in Him as the Savior.  Pray for forgiveness and surrender your will and your life to Him and believe in His resurrection.

Jesus is waiting to hear from you.  He is full of love and pardon to those who come to Him in true repentance and faith.  

Do not delay ! 

Romans 10:9,10,13 says it best:  (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10)  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13)  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  -  John 3:3

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."   -  John 3:16

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."  -  John 14:6

"Forget Me Not" - Inspirational Weekend

The title of my oil painting shown above is "Forget Me Not".  I have posted it here previously, but felt it appropriate to use it again as this writing will be about how we should not forget the good Lord.   In this painting, there is much symbolism.  The blue flowers on the cup and saucer are forget-me-not blossoms;  the yellow peace rose symbolizes the peace that comes from the Lord, and it is sitting in a vase containing living water from Him;  the eyeglasses are a reminder to read God's Holy Word; and the red rose symbolizes Jesus' shed blood at Calvary.  

"Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping His commandments, and His judgments, and His statutes, which I command thee this day:"  -  Deuteronomy 8:11

Moses gave the above warning to the Jewish people, for he knew there was a very real danger that when they became prosperous they would forget God who had given them so many blessings and would rather begin to commend themselves.   Not that they would forget God altogether, but they would forget their covenant responsibility.  Their forgetfulness would show up when they did not keep the Lord's commandments and His ordinances and statutes.  

What about us today?  Sure, we enjoy our attendance at worship, but how genuine are we?  We show our faith and that we still remember the Lord by living a godly, surrendered life to Christ, full of faith and joy and hope.  By living our lives in obedience to Him, we demonstrate that we have not forgotten Him.

"And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish."              -  Deuteronomy 8:19

It is in man's nature to always worship something, and it was no different back in Moses' day.  It was apparent to Moses that if they forgot the good Lord, they would soon turn to other gods.  "They would find the easy going gods of the land preferable.  Man loves to worship something, but he prefers it not be too demanding."

Today - especially in the Western world - men are wealthy compared to most of the rest of the world.  This prosperity has made many to succumb to greed and always wanting more, more, more.   They display no gratitude to God for His many blessings.  So we have our idols as well:  musicians, money, movie stars, materialism and on and on.  Many are thereby destroying their souls and the souls of others, because all of this idolatry leads them into behavior which displeases God; and it is also harmful to themselves.  The very prosperity which is the gift of God is too often the reason for the heart to become lifted up where one forgets the Giver.  

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits."  -  Psalm 103:2

This past week, I was reading a Charles Spurgeon devotion and felt the desire to post some of what he said; so here it is:

"It seems then, that Christians may forget Christ!   ..... It appears almost impossible that those who have been redeemed by the blood of the dying Lamb, and loved with an everlasting love by the eternal Son of God, should forget that gracious Savior....... Forget Him who never forgot us!  Forget Him who poured His blood forth for our sins!  Forget Him who loved us even to the death!  Can it be possible?  .........  Let us charge ourselves to bind a heavenly forget-me-not about our hearts  for Jesus our Beloved, and, whatever else we let slip, let us hold fast to HIM."

If Christians have a difficult time following and remembering the good Lord, where does that leave the lost and unbelieving?  They are just that - lost and doomed unless they turn to Jesus and repent and believe in Christ as their Savior, and become redeemed by His shed blood at Calvary.

God is full of tender mercies and the Bible tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8).  Jesus is full of love for mankind - He died for us!  He is waiting for unbelievers to repent and to believe He is the Savior and to turn to Him in full surrender and He will forgive their sins and wipe the slate clean.  No more burden of guilt and no more living in sin and darkness.  You will be free from the devil's control over you! You will experience a true peace from the Lord and you will have a hope and a purpose.   It frees the soul to live for the good Lord !

"I will remember the works of the LORD:  Surely I will remember Thy wonders of old."  -  Psalm 77:11

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."   -  John 3:16

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  -  John 3:3

"Jesus saith unto him,  I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."  -  John 14:6

"How Long, O Lord?" (Videos ; Current Events and Bible Prophecy)

Yesterday (Sunday) while checking the Internet, I saw information on how Damascus, Syria, was attacked by Israel.   Automatically I thought of Isaiah 17:1 which reads,

"The burden of Damascus, Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. "

I immediately went to "Behold Israel" on You Tube which is current events in the Middle East explained by Amir Tsarfati, a Jew who is a believer in Jesus Christ as the Savior, and who has a thriving ministry out of Israel, where he lives.   He preaches all over the world and I have featured his videos on this blog several times prior to today.   It turns out that Israel made strikes on 6 different targets, one of which was the airport in Damascus.  Isaiah 17:1 has not as yet been fulfilled, but it will happen soon.  Following is Amir's 12 minute video on the Israeli strikes in Syria:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qe0YPh-ldw

Many scholars believe that the Tribulation period may not begin immediately after the Rapture of the Church occurs; perhaps it may be several weeks to several years after Jesus takes His Bride to heaven.....a gap, if you will.  Bill Salus, a prophecy expert, explains this and much more in the following video by prophecywatchers.com in which he and the host, Gary Stearman, have an interesting discussion on Bible Prophecy, focusing on primarily the book of Revelation.  Here is that 29 minute video:

I found something new to think about and to do research on in the above video.  Most believe that when the six seals of Revelation are opened, that that happens during the Tribulation period.  Bill Salus believes the seals happen before the trib.   Here is a portion of Revelation 6, verses 9-11 :

(9) "And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:  (10) And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?  (11) And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."

Bill Salus' reasoning is that if this question had been asked during the Tribulation, then they would know that period would last for 7 years, according to prophecy and at the end of that time God would judge and avenge their blood.   Therefore, the seals happen before the Tribulation, (but after the Rapture of the Church), according to Mr. Salus, since these souls under the altar did not know how long it would be.   The souls spoken of here are evidently those who became believers after the Rapture and were martyred.

{Update:  September 8, 2018:   While watching Bill Salus on another interview today,  He clarified that the Seals of Revelation 6 ...specifically Seals one to five....happen during the time gap between after the Rapture occurs and the Tribulation period.  He believes that the sixth Seal and the rest of the judgments poured out on earth happen during the Tribulation.  It is a video which lasts over 2 hours so click below on the time minutes starting at 1 hour and 2 minutes to begin the Salus interview.  Here is a link to that recent video where Mr. Salus again discusses the Seals and so much more:}

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NJz_ll8

Let me make it clear that I am not saying that I agree with Mr. Salus' conclusions.  It is just something to throw out there.  It will take research and much prayer on my part to determine whether he is right or not.

The main thing is, get right with the Lord and be ready for the Rapture of true believers.   We believers will not be here on earth when the Seals of Revelation occur.  Focus now on living a godly life and endeavor to always please the good Lord.  Be busy sharing the Gospel and winning souls to the Lord.

How long, O Lord?

We believers today ask that question also as to when the Rapture of true believers takes place as Gary Stearman points out in his interview with Bill Salus.   It is wonderful that we should be watching for the Lord's return but, again, do not neglect in the meantime to live a holy life and to be busy sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Time is short!

We are living in the last hour of the last days !

When Jesus returns for His Bride, the true believers, you do not want to be "left behind" to face the judgments and the horrors and the wrath of God which will be poured out during the Tribulation.  I urge you to please read the entire book of Revelation for more insight on future events.  Doing so will instill in you the desire to avoid going through the Tribulation period as it will be a terrible time filled with horrors and suffering and destruction.

Nor do you want to end up in hell, if you are an unbeliever, where all who reject Jesus as their Savior will go if they do not repent and turn to Him in faith and belief.

Jesus loves you and is waiting for you with arms wide open to embrace you with pardon; to give you hope; to give you a future with Him in heaven; to give you eternal life.

Pray and ask for forgiveness; truly and sincerely repent of all sin, which means to forsake your sinful ways and to not live in sin any more.  Have real faith and believe Jesus is the Savior who can wash all of your sins away by His shed blood at Calvary.  Believe also in His resurrection.

Romans 10:9,10,13 says it best:  (9)  "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."    -  John 3:16