"Standing On The Promises Of God" - (With 2 Videos, 1 By Charles Spurgeon) - Inspirational Weekend

We all have made promises to others, and usually with good intentions.  But, sadly, we sometimes break those promises, for whatever reason.  But our heavenly Father keeps His promises to us; He is trustworthy, He is love, He has our best interests at heart; especially for true believers who have faith in Him and Jesus.  For those who are lost, unsaved, He has compassion and will hear their prayer when they come to Him in repentance and pray for forgiveness; pray in faith that  Jesus is the Savior and recognize that His death and resurrection has made a way (a promise) that we may have eternal life.  Christ paid our sin debt in full at His sacrificial death on the cross.  He was our substitute and took all of the sins of the world upon Him at Calvary.  His shed blood can wash all of our sins away.  In God's eyes, and by Jesus' redemption for us at the cross, all of our sins are wiped away, the slate is washed clean, all past, present and future sins are forgiven because the heavenly Father sees us as clean, for He sees us through Jesus and Jesus' taking our sin debt upon Himself. We just need to have faith in Him and believe that He is the Savior, and the only way to eternal life.

Once you are saved, do not let anyone condemn you for your past sins.  Romans 8:1 tells us:  "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

The greatest promise of all is God's free gift of salvation!

When you are born again (a spiritual "re-birth") by believing in Jesus and that He is the Savior, you become a new person; you begin a wonderful new existence.

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

Do not be discouraged if you fall short and sin - although you should feel remorse if you sin, and you should pray for forgiveness and endeavor to live more godly in the future, with the good Lord's help.   We all sin because of our inherited weakness from Adam's fall.  But true believers sin less !  And they sin unintentionally for the most part.  (If anyone continually sins on purpose and does not have any remorse and whose conscience does not condemn him, then it is questionable that he is truly saved; and that he has not been born again.) As imperfect true believers we may not understand very much when we are first saved and the Lord will graciously be patient with us and guide us to a more correct understanding as to what being a true follower of Jesus Christ actually entails.  Sanctification takes time; spiritual maturity takes time. 

There are many promises of God found in the Bible; in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. Let us consider some of them:

Sincere followers of Christ look forward to what Titus 2:13 promises us:  "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;"

 "In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."    -    Jesus at John 14:2,3

Some professing Christians, says Jan Markell, are of the  mindset to feel "come Lord Jesus, but not too soon."   In other words, some are loving the world too much and have "plans" and goals for their time on this earth and are not putting the good Lord first.

Heaven and being with our beloved Savior for all eternity is much to be preferred over this corrupt and dying world.  

Another promise from God (Jesus) is that we would receive power from the Holy Spirit, which would strengthen us and enable us to live a life that is acceptable to the good Lord, as well as to share the Gospel of Jesus with others, helping to win lost souls.  That promise is found at Acts 1:8 =  "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:  and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."       

And we have the promise that we will be secure in Jesus if we are true believers.  Jesus tells us at John 10:28,29 :  "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.  My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand."

[Barber's Point Lighthouse, Oahu, Hawaii]

There are many more promises of God to be found in the New Testament, and also in the Old Testament.  In the O.T. we have the wonderful promises made to Abraham.  Consider Genesis 12:2,3 which follows:  

"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

 And the promise "And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart."  -    Jeremiah 29:13

God promised to be faithful to us and that we can always depend upon His love.  Please read Deuteronomy 7:8-9

God promised to bless those who love His Word.  Psalm 1:2 explains : "But his delight is in the law of the LORD: and in His law doth he meditate day and night."

  Please read your Bible daily and you will find many more promises that God has made to us.  You will also draw closer to the good Lord the more you saturate yourself with His Holy Word and also the more you pray.   It is all about knowing God and Jesus and having a strong, close, vibrant, living relationship with Him; one that is personal and intimate.

We should be very grateful to the good Lord for all of His promises, and pray frequently to Him to give Him thanks for His tender mercies, His unfailing love, His forgiveness, and for salvation and sending Jesus, our Redeemer. We should honor and obey Him and give Him glory for everything !   He is awesome! Actually, words cannot fully express His Majesty.

Following is a hymn about standing on the promises of God:

And below is a 50 minute sermon by Charles Spurgeon titled "Obtaining Promises."   It ties in with what was written above, but focuses primarily upon obtaining the fulfillment of the promises. Spurgeon tells us in his following sermon  that there are 3 ways of  obtaining the promises.   He says that by reading the Bible and meditating upon its promises you will then acquire faith.

Romans 10:9.10,13 tells us: (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

"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 and Christ centered weekend -  and life !!

"How To Know If You Are Truly Saved" (With Video Sermon) - Inspirational Weekend

Have you ever doubted if you were saved or not?  Have you just had a "wait and see" attitude if you will make it to heaven?  In other words, you are not 100% sure of your salvation.  Some think that just because they are perfectly good people in basic qualities and works, that they will probably go to heaven. 

What does the Bible say?  It is God's Holy Word which is the authority on salvation and on the power of the shed blood of Jesus to save you.

1 John 5:11, 12 tells us:  (11) "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  (12) He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."

"Whoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth Him that begat loveth Him also that is begotten of Him."  -  1 John 5:1

If you are "born of God" - or born again - then you can rest assured that you are truly saved and heaven-bound.

"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

To be born again is to put your full trust and faith and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior , and to follow as closely as you can in His footsteps; to become more Christ like in every way.  If you are sincere in your belief in Jesus, you will repent from all sin and will not return to your former lifestyle of living selfishly and sinfully.  You will pray for forgiveness and endeavor to live a life that is pleasing to the good Lord. 

As pastor Adrian Rogers once said,  "You ought not to be a doubting Christian.  You ought to have a "know-so" salvation."

Following is an excellent 34 minute audio sermon by Adrian Rogers titled:  "How to be saved and know it."  Please take the time to listen to it; it is packed full of little gems of Bible truths on this subject that you do not want to miss.

In the above sermon, Pastor Rogers (now deceased), brings out that most people - concerning their lives - just say "I am doing the best I can."   Many years ago, before I was truly saved, someone asked me if I was born again and the first thing that popped into my head to say was just that: "I am doing the best I can." 

That quoted statement above is indicative of a person depending on self and works.... and not depending upon the saving power of the shed blood of Jesus at Calvary. 

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.  Not of works, lest any man should boast."  -  Ephesians 2:8-9

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:"   -  Romans 8:16

We have the Holy Spirit to bear witness with our own spirit, which assures us that we are truly saved.  Believe me, if you are born again, you will know it in your spirit.  You will also be a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Your love for Jesus will compel you to live for Him and put Him and God first in your life.  You will live and breathe Him; your focus will be on Him.   Your life and speech and actions and demeanor will reflect Him and manifest His influence in your life.  You will be a new creation !   You will fear to displease Him or grieve Him in any way.

But do not forget that our hearts can be deceitful.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"  -   Jeremiah 17:9

Since we can be deceived by our very own hearts, we need a second witness to confirm the testimony of our own.  The Holy Spirit is a fellow-witness.  He will plead for you, and help you to know that you are, in truth, actually born again; actually saved and heaven bound.

"In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established."  -  Matthew 18:16 b

Along with faith in the good Lord, we need to develop a strong, close, and intimate love relationship with God through Jesus His Son.  If you are close to the Lord, that alone is proof that you are actually saved and in the will of God.  You need to communicate frequently in prayer with Him.  You cannot get to know a person well unless you are in frequent contact with them and converse with them and share your thoughts, your hurts, your troubles, and your love for them in countless ways.   Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

You can also draw close to the Lord by reading the Bible daily and by memorizing Scriptures and keeping His Holy Word within your heart.  Reading the Bible teaches us about God's attributes and His thoughts and ways -  His desires for us.  By daily Bible reading, we will learn to love Him more and more.  He wants us to live holy lives. 

"Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."  -  1 Peter 1:16

If God expects believers to be holy, He means just that.  You cannot willfully and deliberately sin  (fornication, drunkenness, lewdness, and many other sins) and expect to be actually saved.  Especially if you have no remorse for your sins such as sex outside of marriage and other things displeasing to the good Lord.  No remorse when you sin and no conviction from your conscience, means you are not saved.    Repent and turn to the Lord with all of your heart and soul and mind and spirit.


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


"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."  -  John 3:36


Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend...... and life !

"Itching Ears" (With Sermon Video by Jonathan Edwards) - Inspirational Weekend

The above photograph of mine, which is of a sleeping, tiny Fennec Fox, shows a good view of its extremely large ears, which are from 5 to 6 inches long.  These adorable creatures are found in the deserts of North Africa and Saudi Arabia.  Their large ears help to dissipate the heat.  

This photo is not a good example of "itching ears", but I will rectify that soon with the following information.  It is the only photo I have depicting ears as the primary focus.  Well, I also have other photographs of this tiny desert fox.

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears."  -  2 Timothy 4:3

Itching, as we all realize, causes us to scratch, and then to scratch some more to get relief.  Recently, I ran across a quote by A. W. Tozer in which he said that he had come across a commentator that remarked that in the apostle Paul's day (Paul wrote 2 Timothy)

 the pigs had a disease which they called "itching ears".  It seems the pigs ears got inflamed and the only way the pigs could get relief was by going to a pile of rocks to rub their ears against them, as the stones gave them temporary relief from the itching."

Tozer goes on to say:  "I am running into Christians here and there who are just like that.  They love pleasure more than God and  will not endure sound doctrine.  They have itching ears so they will be eager for something else beside the sound doctrine and holy ways.  They will pile up teachers everywhere and rub their ears for dear life."

Another commentator says that these people are "suffering mentally which is soothed by external applications of fantastic myths and high-flown phrases."

Also, these people will have ears that want to hear a "soft and watered-down message", one that does not prick their conscience or remind them of their secret sins.  They have "pet" lusts and sins that they do not want to give up. 

Granted, it is not always the people, as they cannot control what comes to them from the pulpit.   Many churches today are seeker-friendly and do not want to offend anyone by hard doctrine and the need to repent from your sins or suffer the consequences in hell.  

Many see church as a "social club" of sorts.  Actually, in some cases that is very true.  Numerous churches, in an effort not to offend anyone, abandon sound doctrine and some churches even become very worldly, especially in the music and entertainment department; but in other ways as well.  

But back to "itching ears" .   Many people could be cured of this "disease" if they would only develop a close, personal, and intimate relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.  We don't need to be enthralled by charismatic personalities who preach watered-down messages to please the people.    We need instead a strong relationship with God and Jesus.   We develop this relationship by frequent prayer and by pouring daily over God's Holy Word.  You cannot develop a relationship unless you communicate with a Person.   Much prayer !   

All of this is important, but unless a person is born again (John 3:3) he will not have the Holy Spirit to guide him in a walk with the good Lord; he will not completely understand the Bible unless the Holy Spirit resides within him.   So how do you become "born again"?  

Repent of your sins.  That means more than just feeling bad about our sins.   It means to completely give them up and do not go back to a life of sin.   It means a change of mind and heart.   It means to be sincere in asking the good Lord for forgiveness.  But you cannot truly be saved unless you have faith and believe that Jesus is the Savior and that only He can save you.   He took your place at the cross!  He died for you and me, so that if we but believe in Him we can have eternal life.  

If you are truly saved - truly born again -  the Holy Spirit will come and reside with you.  He will help you to live a godly life and to not cling to your old life of sin.   He will give you hope and a purpose.  A purpose to live totally for the Lord and to spread the Gospel.  You will no longer desire your past lusts and you will be a new creation.   You need to then find a Bible based church, one that preaches the Gospel and focuses on Christ and not on social concerns.  

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

"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

Romans 10: 9, 10, 13 tells us:  "(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

Time is short before the Rapture of true believers.  

Turn to Jesus now before it is too late !

Jesus loves you !

He will welcome you with open arms of forgiveness and love when you turn to Him in belief and heartfelt repentance!

Following is a 38 minute audio video sermon by Puritan Jonathan Edwards.  In the beginning few minutes he discusses "itching ears".

One thing brought out in this sermon is,  "Truth is a straight line that never bends -  it won't bend in the least degree to suit the lust of men."  Another quote from the above sermon:  "You cannot conform the truth to your inclinations.  Let your inclinations be conformed to the truth."  He speaks much of the lust of men and how men attempt to change principles to suit their lusts.  It is a good sermon and therefore I included it here, but it only gives a few minutes to the subject of "itching ears."    

Ephesians 3:16-19 says:  (16)  That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; (17) That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (18)  May be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;  (19)  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God."

Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend.... and life !!

"A Crown Awaits You" - Inspirational Weekend

The above Hawaiian Black-Crowned Night Heron has expensive tastes !  He is fishing for koi, but the one he is eyeing in my photograph is longer than he is and more than he could handle.  He is looking to obtain a prize....edible smaller koi.

True believers should be trying to gain a prize... a crown, no less.  My intention was to write only about the crown of righteousness, as that is the one the Bible says is reserved for those who love the Lord and wait for His soon return.  However, in my research I discovered there are five crowns for believers that are mentioned in God's Holy Word.  Since Jesus will return at any moment during these present last days, I will concentrate on the crown of righteousness primarily but will also discuss the other crowns briefly.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 tells us  (7) "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:  (8)  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing."

Notice that the apostle Paul said he had fought a good fight and had kept the faith.   If you claim to be a Christian but still live like the world and are friends of the world and sin like the world and with possibly no remorse or no repentance, then you may not even make it to heaven to receive any crown.  You are probably not born again.   A true believer will want to be holy and will live a godly life, endeavoring to obey and please the Lord in his actions, speech, mind, and heart.

Back to the crown of righteousness.  The apostle Paul spent his life, after his miraculous conversion, in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and traveling extensively to spread the Word.  He suffered much persecution, beatings, one stoning, and several times he was imprisoned.   Yet his faith and obedience to the Lord remained strong and zealous.   He struggled hard to win "the prize", the crown of righteousness.   May true believers today be able to follow Paul's example.  Ultimately, however, it is Jesus we should imitate and follow.

We are to believe in Jesus' soon return -  and truly desire His return.  But, even if there were no crown, no reward, just being in heaven with Him for all eternity is reward enough in itself.    

         

"Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.  Even so, Amen."  -  Revelation 1:7

"He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.  Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."   --  Revelation 22:20

Jesus at John 14:2-3 informs us,  (2) In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you.  (3)  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself: that where I am, there ye may be also."

Besides the crown of righteousness, there are 4 other crowns that believers will be rewarded with:

(1)  The crown of rejoicing:  

1 Thessalonians 2:19 says,  "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing?  Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?"

"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."    -  Philippians 4:4

(2)  The crown of glory:

"And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away."  -  1 Peter 5:4

This crown is primarily for pastors and elders.

(3)  The crown of life:

Revelation 2:10 tells us,  "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer:  behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried;  and ye shall have the tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."   

Although this crown is for all believers, it is especially applicable to to those who endure persecutions and sufferings for Jesus.

(4) The imperishable crown:

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 tells us,  (24)  "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?  So run, that ye may obtain.  (25)  And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.  Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."

Faithful endurance wins a heavenly reward:  "an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you."  -    1 Peter 1:4

According to which website or source you encounter, some believe these crowns are figurative, and some believe they are literal.  The point is, we should live for the Lord, totally surrendered to Him, and love Him with all of our strength, mind, heart and soul  (Mark 12:30).  If you do that you will obey His commandments and live a life that is pleasing to Him, whereby you may eventually enter heaven.  Of course, first you must be born again in order to obey God and to endeavor to live a life that befits a true believer. You must believe in Jesus as the Savior whose shed blood at Calvary washes away your sins; you must repent in all sincerity of your sins and pray to the Lord for forgiveness, and believe in Jesus' resurrection.   Then you will be forgiven by the Lord, and you will be a child of God !  Remember, He loves you and wants to lead you home to be with Him.

Romans 10:9,10,13 says :  (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."   

 Whether or not the crowns in heaven are figurative or literal, real crowns,  we should so love and serve the Lord that we only want to live forever in heaven with Him, crowns or no crowns.  What a blissful eternity it will be, to be with Jesus forever !


"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."  -  Titus 2:13


Have a Christ centered weekend.....and life !

The Judgment Of America - With Video

The year 2017 was traumatic and saw many Bible prophecies either being fulfilled or at least in the beginning stages as current events show Biblical signs of the end times beginning to converge all at once.   What in the world does 2018 hold for this planet, and for America in particular?

I am not a prophet, but I do follow Bible prophecy rather closely.  Could the Rapture of the Church happen in 2018?  Will America be destroyed as a judgment coming from God?  Will there be an electromagnetic pulse to shut down the power grid in America and set us back to how it was in horse and buggy days?  Many people are anxious and unprepared in a spiritual sense to deal with these perilous times  (2 Timothy 3:1-7).   Even members of churches are not prepared as they are, as a rule, not taught from the pulpit about end times events.  Most churches today are asleep as to the signs of the times.   

Following is a video about America's coming judgment and it features author and pastor Tom Hughes on prophecywatchers.com, which is hosted by Gary Stearman.

There are many explanations of the seriousness of our times given in the above 29 minute video and I urge you to view it in full.  

Now is not the time to be lukewarm like the church of Laodicea of which Jesus said He would vomit them out of His mouth because of their lukewarmness.   (Revelation 3:14-22)  Many in America's churches today are lukewarm, partly because they have not been taught the "meat" of the Gospel and Bible prophecy is never mentioned to them from the pulpit.   And, sad to say, many in the churches are not truly converted....are not true Christians, and they go to church for social activities instead of concentrating on a close, personal, and intimate relationship with the Lord.

It is all about Jesus !!

If you are on fire and in love with the Savior, you will be witnessing about Jesus.  Your life will show where your heart is.

Jesus taught that we should be salt and light:

"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?  It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men.  Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."                -  Matthew 5:13-16

You cannot be salt and light if you do not have the Holy Spirit within you.  For that to happen you need to be born again (John 3:3).  To be born again, you must turn to Jesus in repentance, have faith in Him and believe He rose from the dead.  (Romans 10:9,10,13).  You must confess your sins and surrender your life to His will.   As time goes by, you will grow to spiritual maturity.

Time is short, folks.   The Rapture could occur at any time, or you could die before this day ends.  If you have not been born again, you will suffer all eternity in hell.   

Open your eyes to what is happening in the world and in America !  These are not normal times.  

Open your heart  and confess that Jesus is Lord.

You must have a close and personal and intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ in order to spend eternity in heaven.  To do this, you need to pray constantly and get to know the Lord that way and by much time spent in the Word of God.  

Tomorrow may be too late !   

"Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."   -  Jesus at Matthew 7:21

"Then spake Jesus again unto them,  I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."  -  John 8:12

"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

"You Must Be Holy To Enter Heaven" - Inspirational Weekend

Hamakua Marsh on Oahu, Hawaii,(shown in my photo above) is a bird lovers paradise and I enjoy visiting there and taking many photographs.  Again, the beauty of Hawaii is a small glimpse of a paradise on earth.  The paradise of God's heaven is too wonderful to even comprehend with our finite minds!  

Two previous posts on this blog have dealt with how to enter the Kingdom of God;  one is about repentance and being born again found here , and the other about how humility and being childlike is necessary to enter God's kingdom which is found here.  I urge you to read both posts, and meditate upon the Scriptures found there.

Today, we will focus on holiness.   I have dealt with this topic previously last year.  Now I will go into more depth about the meaning of holiness and how you need to be holy to enter heaven, God's Kingdom.

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."  -  Hebrews 12:14

A short note on being peaceable:  we are not to engage in or instigate litigation, strifes, or slander.  We are to make war with sin, but not with people; with bad passions and corrupt desires, but not with our fellowman.   Being peaceable is part of being holy.

"They who are expecting to be saved without holiness or religion, are destined for certain disappointment.  Heaven and earth will pass away but God will not admit one unrepenting and unpardoned sinner to enter heaven.  "   

Notice in Hebrews 12:14 that it says to "follow holiness."  You will not gain holiness by just sitting still and doing nothing.  It requires effort; you need to deliberately pursue holiness with a passion.  To be holy means to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.  Holiness requires cultivation.   "You must pursue it with determination; with eagerness, with long-continued perseverance, as a hunter pursues his prey."

Remember, there is no heaven without holiness.

  

"You cannot achieve holiness by your own effort.  But Christ can do it for you, and He can begin it now.  Believe on Him and He will begin with you; in fact, that believing will be the fruit of His having begun with you."  (Charles Spurgeon)

Pray for the Lord to help you to become holy.  Read and study your Bible and pray without ceasing  (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  All Scripture is inspired by God.  Therefore, God "speaks" to you through the reading of His Word.  The more you take in spiritual food, the more spiritual (and therefore holier) you will become.

Someone has said, "Holiness is the beauty and ornament of the soul."   Also, "It {holiness} is our brightest resemblance to God; our principle glory in this world, and our highest happiness in the next."

Holiness is the fruit of sovereign and effectual grace .  (Ezekiel 36:25-26)

"Now if our text {Hebrews 12:14} said that without perfection of holiness no man could have any communion with Christ, it would shut every one of us out, for no one, who knows his own heart, ever pretends to be perfectly conformed to God's will..  It does not say "perfection of holiness", mark: but "holiness".  This holiness is a thing of growth.  As the spirit of God waters it, it will grow till the mustard-seed shall become a tree."   -  Charles Spurgeon

I have shared the following sermon previously, but felt it needed to be shared again on this post.   It is a  45 minute sermon by Charles Spurgeon titled "Holiness Demanded".   

 "I have now concentrated all my prayers into one, and that one prayer is this, that I may die to self, and live holy to Him".      -  Charles Spurgeon

"The greatest test of whether the holiness we profess to seek or to attain is truth and life will be whether it produces an increasing humility in us.  In man, humility is the one thing needed to allow God's holiness to dwell in him and shine through him.  The chief mark of counterfeit holiness is lack of humility.  The holiest will be the humblest."   -  Andrew Murray

"Holiness consists of three things -  separation from sin, dedication to God, transformation into Christ's image.  It is in vain that we talk about the last, unless we know something experimentally about the first."  -  James H. Aughey

"If Christ has died for me - ungodly as I am, without strength as I am - then I can no longer live in sin, but must arouse myself to love and serve Him who has redeemed me.  I cannot trifle with the evil that killed my best Friend.  I must be holy for His sake.  How can I live in sin when He has died to save me from it?"  -  Charles Spurgeon  

True holiness is seated in the heart.  It is not just a name you or someone else gives you, but rather your inward nature.   It is a divine principle embedded deep within your heart and soul.  The only way one can become holy is by a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ; by fellow-shipping with Him; by knowing Him intimately and desiring His will above all else.   You must be born again (John 3:3) and renewed in your mind (Romans 12:1-2) in order to be holy.  But, of course, to begin with, you need to repent and turn from your sin and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior (John 3:16); to have faith in Him by grace and to believe His shed blood on the cross can wipe all your sins away; and believe also in His resurrection  (Romans 10:9,10,13).  

"Holiness is not a single grace, but an assemblage of all the graces. and extends to all the duties of the Christian life.  ..... It is not meekness, humility, faith, hope or charity; but all these united...."

True holiness in man is through the mediation of Christ.  Only as we begin to know Jesus can we grow in holiness as, at the same time, we increase in the knowledge of Him.  "Real saints are a living image of the invisible Savior."

Beware of self-love that may prompt us to love God for His goodness to us.  Many unregenerate men may have a selfish love towards God because of a selfish heart.  "But to love God because He is infinitely holy, is a disposition natural to a renewed soul only, and argues a conformity to His image."

Ponder these things, and may grace abound towards you as you enter this Christ-filled weekend.

"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."       -  Romans 6:22

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."  -  2 Corinthians 7:1  

"And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."  -  Ephesians 4:24

"Does Jesus Know You? - The Narrow Way" - Inspirational Weekend

Do you have an intimate relationship with the Lord?  Do you regularly fellowship with Jesus?  Is Jesus your friend?  Do you love Him?  If you can answer a heartfelt "yes" to those questions, then you are no doubt a true Christian.   

But what if you cannot answer yes to those questions above?  Maybe you regularly attend church and you may even serve in the church, but you have no intimate, personal, love relationship with the Lord.   Maybe, if that is true of you, then you never were truly saved or born again.  You have a form of religion, you practice religion, but you do not actually know the Lord.  Then you are in danger of hell fire.  Because, if you do not communicate with and have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ, then Jesus does not know you !   

Jesus warns us at Matthew 7:21-23,  "(21) Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.  (22)  Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity."

The above refers to those who are not truly converted, who do not actually know Jesus.  There are many false prophets and teachers today who can preach up a storm, but they themselves are not true believers.   Many only "tickle people's ears",  telling those in the pews what they want to hear;  they do not tell the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."  -  2 Timothy 4:3-4  

Many of these false teachers want fame, or security, or money, or all three.   So they avoid "offending" by not teaching on hell, (when Jesus taught on hell more than He did on heaven), or they do not teach that there is only one way to heaven.  (John 14:6).   They want to keep the pews filled and keep everyone happy with sermonettes that have no depth.   At times they just preach on "how to have your best life now", instead of how to obtain life in heaven with the Lord.  Jesus is not in such churches.   If you find yourself in such a house of worship, run to a church that preaches all the Gospel:  Christ at Calvary and His resurrection and how His shed blood redeems us.  Find a church where the Holy Spirit is present.

Back again to whether or not Jesus knows you......  remember in Matthew 7:23 Jesus told those who did many works that "he never knew them."    Many churches today are filled with so-called "carnal Christians";  who live like the world, talk like the world, think like the world, and act like the world.   There is no such thing as a "carnal Christian."  If they are of the world, they are not true believers at all; they were never truly converted.   They need to wake up before it is too late and repent, confess their sins, and pray for forgiveness and turn to the Lord in faith and with love and zeal and do works that befit repentance.   You are not saved by works, but if you are truly born again good works will follow.   You are saved  by faith in Jesus and belief in His resurrection.   (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10,13).

Are you following the narrow way?  

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."  -  Jesus at Matthew 7:13,14   

Jesus has been called the "strait gate."   And after that gate there is a "narrow way."   The narrow way is to follow Jesus and live a godly, holy life as much as is possible.  The narrow way is to obey the Lord and endeavor to keep His commandments.   The narrow way is to share the Gospel with lost souls as we travel on the highway to heaven.  Trust and obey !!

If you are truly born again, your life will change to conform to God's will, because you have been transformed by the renewing of your mind.  (Romans 12:1-2).  You will want to obey and do the Heavenly Father's will, because the Holy Spirit empowers true believers.   You will focus on the Lord first, spiritual matters will be of main concern, and you will think less of yourself and more of Jesus.   You will not be so self-absorbed and self-centered and selfish.   If you occasionally have a battle with sin and are broken up about it, and realize you need the Lord and His Word and time in prayer, that is a sign you are born again.....God is doing a work of sanctification in your life.   

If you stay on the "narrow way" and focus on Jesus, you will not be in danger of ending up on "the broad way" which leads to destruction.  Our job is to warn others so that they do not end up on the road to destruction. 

The evidence that you have truly been saved is the fact that you continue to walk with Jesus and grow in the faith; becoming spiritually mature.  You put Jesus first and foremost.  Jesus is everything !   

Repentance and faith in Christ has never been "fashionable". We should not be discouraged if the religion we profess is not popular and few agree with us.   It is definitely better to enter life eternal with a few, than to go to destruction with a great company.   

Stay strong in the Lord.

Read your Bible daily in order to build your faith and to know the Lord's will......to know Him.

Pray without ceasing.  That will help you build a close relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.

Have a Christ centered weekend !

"And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent."  -  John 17:3