He Is Risen!!!!!

                                                     

 

Matt. 20: 17 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.” 

                                          

Psalm 22:1 A Psalm of David. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?                                                                        

Matt:27:45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Jesus Christ forsaken by God that we might be approved....made right through His passion. And through belief in  His name, being born again, born from above,  His elect are made acceptable to God. Rescued from a certain  fearful expectation of judgement and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. His chosen people redeemed by the blood of the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world ....

Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 "He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!"                                                                                                                           

                        

The Hebrew word translated worm is tolaw.  It is a crimson grub.  This word is often translated as scarlet in the Old Testament, because a red dye was extracted from the worm.  This dye was used for the curtains of the tabernacle. The Crimson Worm (whose scientific name is coccus ilicis) looks more like a grub than a worm.  Its life-cycle reveals a hidden meaning that points to the sacrifice of Jesus.                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                   

When the female worm is ready to lay her eggs (which happens only once in her life), she climbs up a tree or fence and attaches herself to it.  She particularly likes a specific type of oak tree.  Once the worm is attached to the wood, a hard crimson shell forms.  The shell is so hard and so secured to the wood that it can only be removed by tearing apart the body which would kill the worm. Under her protective shell, the female Crimson Worm lays her eggs under her body.  When her larvae hatch they remain under her protective shell and feed on the living body of the mother worm for three days.  Not only does the mother’s body give protection for her babies, but it also provides them with food.  The babies feed on the LIVING body of the mother.  Then the mother worm dies, and her body excretes a crimson or scarlet dye that stains both the wood to which she is attached and her baby worms.  They remain crimson coloured for their entire life.  On day four, body of the mother worm loses its crimson colour and turns into a snow-white wax which falls to the ground like snow.                                                        

Isa 1:18  “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. With  this understanding of the life cycle of the tolaw, the crimson worm, we can see several ways in which Jesus was a “Crimson Worm”.

1) Just as the mother worm attaches herself to the tree or fence, Jesus willingly allowed himself to be hung on a tree or cross.Php 2:8  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.                                                          

2) Just as the mother worm, when crushed, excretes a scarlet dye that covers the baby worms and stains them, Jesus was bruised for our iniquities. Isa 53:5  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. His scourging and death brought forth His scarlet blood that both washes away our sins and marks us as His own.                                                                                                                                  

3) Just as the baby worm is dependent on the mother worm for the crimson dye to mark it, a Christian depends on the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, to receive new life and be marked as His own. Mat 26:27  Then He [Jesus] took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. Mat 26:28  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 1Pe 1:18  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,  1Pe 1:19  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.                                                   

4) Just as the baby worm is dependent on the mother worm to give it life, a Christian depends on Jesus for spiritual nourishment. John 6:53  Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. John 6:54  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:55  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. John 6:56  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.**

This is why Jesus said of Himself, “I am a worm”.  (**The Bible made Plain**)                                             

                                                   

                                                   

Psalm 22:8 "He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!"                                                                                                                                                             

Matthew 27:41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”                                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Psalm 22:14 I am poured out like water: This may refer to Christ's sweat in the garden, when through his agony or conflict with Satan, and his vehemency in prayer, and the pressure on his mind, in a view of his people's sins, and the wrath of God for, them, and the accursed death he was about to undergo on that account, (John Gill)                                                                                            

and all my bones are out of joint;  not through the stretching of his body on the cross, which seems to be designed in ( Psalms 22:17 ) ; but as it is with persons in a panic, their joints seem to be loosed, and their bones parting asunder, their legs tremble, no member can perform its office, but as if everyone was dislocated and out of its place; see ( Psalms 6:2 ) ;                                                                                                                                 

Psalm 22:27-28 All the ends of the world,  Shall remember and turn to the Lord,                                    And all the families of the nations, Shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s,                And He rules over the nations.                                                                                                                                                                    

All those born again, born from above, by grace through faith and not of themselves....for salvation unto eternal life,  is from God. To those whom He has chosen before the foundation of the world.  "who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."(John 1:13)                                                                                                                                                                          

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,  to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,   (Eph. 1:4-7)     

                                                           

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Psalm 22:27 Every part of the earth  will remember and come back to the Lord; every family among  all the nations will worship you. (CEB) There is a time coming when All will worship the Lord. God will gather the wheat from the tares and cast away those who refuse to believe, into what Jesus calls "the fiery furnance" , "eternal  fire",  "Unquenchable fire",  the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.                                                                 

They heard but did not consider themselves worthy of eternal life and rejected the only name under heaven by which one is saved from the wrath of God. Which culminates into everlasting punishment from the presence of God and the glory of His power in the lake of fire and brimestone.  Jesus Christ death,  buriel and resurrection, so says the hard hearted reprobate, is but a myth. A fairy tale story concocted by ignorant fishermen devoid of reason. Which just goes to prove that the ignorant are those who profess to be wise, but in reality are fools {Ps. 14:1. Blinded by the god of this age, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who works in the sons of disobedience. And  by their very nature and testimony are the children of God's wrath. Lost, in rebellion to God and destined to eternal damnation in the lake of fire.  They refuse to believe because they can not believe for they do not want to believe. Holiness, righteousness and purity are anathema to them.  For they are dead to the things of God, Drowning in a sea of  wickedness, perversity and shame. Slaves to sin. Totally Depraved: every part of our nature-our mind, will, emotions and body has been affected by sin. What seems correct, right  and acceptable to fallen man in the end leads to death.(Proverbs 14:12)

                                                         

                                                        

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”, (Gal. 3:13) God's law could never save anyone. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to Him as righteousness. He believed, He obeyed God's commands even to the point of offering up His own son as a sacrifice to God.                             " 

And when  Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.  Abraham heard the Angel of the Lord who called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” His faith was accounted to him as righteousness.                                Yet Abraham loved this Son of his flesh. But  he proved he loved God about all else, with all his heart, mind, soul and strength. And thus offered  his  total  obedience to God's command. And he remembered God's promise to him. ((Gen. 22:1-19)

                                       

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,  of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,”  concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. (Heb. 11:17-19)  

This righteous act by Abraham foreshadowed what God would do. Offer up His One and Only begotten Son to be the only name under heaven by which we can be saved. The Way, the Truth and the life. The One in whom God the Father was well pleased. 

For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.  (John 6: 38)                                                                                                                                                                  

“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. (John 5:30)                                                                                                                          

You dear believer owe your salvation, your rescue from the fiery flames of eternal conscious punishment from the presence of God, to the Son of God who said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. (John 4:34) 

                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                       In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins. For without the shedding of blood their is no remission. (forgiveness)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18)

Jesus told the religious leaders, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world." (John 8:23)

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.  I and My Father are one.” (John 10:25-30) 

Jesus Christ, the One and Only Son of God, the Word who was in the beginning with God and was God, took upon Himself the pain, misery, reviling, rebuke, mocking, slander and eventual  death on the cross so that He could prove God had sent him. For on the third day after His brutal crucifixion we are told in scripture:                                                                                                                                          

                                                    

 "Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.  But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! (Luke 24:1-6)

 Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He accomplished the Fathers plan and promise. That all His people by grace through faith and not of themselves, but that the gift of God, may be bestowed on all those who believe.                                                                                                                                                        

If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.  For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

Easter is or should be a great time of celebration for all God's people. Jesus came, He lived a perfect life, He died, He rose, He reigns.....It is an essential of our Christian faith. He conquered sin and death. So that all those who believe on Him are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. All His chosen people have everlasting life and a citizenship in  heaven.  Where  God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.                                                         

Let our clarion call today ring forth as it did for the Lord God's first believers over two thousand years ago.  

      HE IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN! FROM THE DEAD!

           

Restless Hearts Until We Rest In You

                                                 Restless Hearts Until We Rest In You

Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified (set apart  by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

                                               

                                               
Jude tells the believers he is writing to, to be aware of the pernicious doctrine of these heretics....their false teaching, anti-christ doctrines have a gradual and subtle way of causing a harmful effect....polluting their minds and turning them away from the truth of God. Jude encourages believers not only to fight for their faith but also to depend on their faith for spiritual help.  Jude implies that believers  must exert themselves in spreading the gospel and defeating heresey. (2 Tim 4:7) And indicates they are facing adversaries of the faith, false brothers, godless men, false teachers, who teach damaging, destructive, dangerous dogma.  

But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.  (Jude 1:5)                                                

God's chosen people and nation, Israel,  cried out to God over their slavery in Eqypt. God heard their pleas to Him, answered that call and raised up Moses as their deliverer. It took some convincing of the King (Ex. 14:5; Is. 36:6 Eze. 31:2) with ten plagues and signs to persuade Pharoah to let God's people go. To remove the shackles of bondage and release the Jews from captivity.                                                                                                             

                                                                               

Numbers 1:45-46 tells us all the men 20 years of age and older who did not take God at His Word died in the desert, in which Israel was made to wander.  Add an equal number of women then those who died in the desert on the way to Canaan totaled 1, 207, 100 people. That's s a staggering number  of nearly 90 deaths per day. (Deut. 2:14-15)                                                                                                                                                         

 The chosen nation and people of God witnessed many astounding miracles that effected their deliverance from slavery...1/ The plague of blood where the fish died, the river stank and the Egyptians were not able to drink the water....2/The Plague of frogs--that filled the land and overflowed their houses....3/The plague of gnats--They were pests on the people and animals everywhere....4/The Plague of flies--dense swarms of flies poured into Pharoah's palace and into the houses of his officials, and egypt was ruined by the flies.5/the Plague of Livestock--all the livestock of the Eqyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died....6/The Plague of Boils--festering boils broke out on the people and animals throughout Egypt....7/The Plague of hail--When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt; hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were...8/ The Plague of locusts--And the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over Egypt so that locusts swarm over the land and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail.” The LORD made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts; they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again. They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt....9/ The plague of Darkness--Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived....10/ The Plague on the Firstborn--So Moses said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ (may also be interpreted figuratively, that not an Egyptian, though ever so spiteful and malicious, and ill disposed to the children of Israel, should offer to do any hurt either to the Israelites or their cattle, or exclaim against them on account of the slaughter of their firstborn, or say one word against their departure, or attempt to stop them, but on the contrary would hasten their going, and be urgent for it....John Gill) Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. All experienced by the Eqyptians. Then finally Pharoah allowed the children of Israel to go free. 

                                               

Yet even the Israelites after being set free rejected God's guidance in the desert. They doubted God would look after them and protect them. Israel's  refusal to believe that they could conquor the land God had promised them.  Their refusal  to go Caanan for fear they would be unable to defeat them in battle and take the land of Caanan. In this doubting of a victory over the Caananites severe punishment resulted. Because of that rebellion against God, everyone over 20 years of age  perished in the desert, as they wandered for 40 years.  Another thought to ponder should be to remember this stern warning and not think lightly about the result of God's wrath.                                                                                                                                     

                                 

An 11 day journey took 40 years because of  Israel's unbelief and trust  in God that set them free from slavery in Egypt that He would do what He promised. That God had gave to them the land of Canaan as the promise of their new home.  For God is not a man that He should lie. Yet, like many people, they walked by sight and not by faith, and their unbelief displeased God.  For..." without faith it is impossible to please Him....” (Hebrews 11:6). Their failure to believe God’s word kept them from entering the Promised Land.                                                                                                                                                                  

Many Christians  have the idea you say a sinners prayer and you are magically placed into the kingdom of God. It is an easy believism. A belief without commitment to the one who died to set them free. Without God regenerating a heart, without being  born from above, born again. Belief has no substance. No realizing they were an enemy of God. No turning from sin. No walking worthy of the calling they received. Those born from above should desire  to live a Holy (set apart) life. As Scripture says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.   For without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Heb. 12:14).        

God tells us to be holy because he is holy. What does this mean? It means being separated and dedicated to serve and fullfill the will of God. Striving for holiness means having a relationship with God defined by obedience to His will and being shaped to have His character. Being holy makes the believer set apart from the evils of this world and useful for Gods kingdom. 

                                                      

And the Apostle Peter in his first epistle chapter 4 stresses that point  "Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,  that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.  For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness( behavior that is morally impure, indecent or sexually unstrained),  lusts, (sinful longing or desires)  drunkenness, revelries ("orgies," "wild celebrations," or "carousing." This type of behavior typically includes excessive drinking, gluttony, lewdness, and other forms of overindulgence and moral laxity), drinking parties, and abominable idolatries (worship of idols or excessive reverence for or devotion to anything other than the one true God).  In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.                                        Where once they were a slave to sin; following the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that works in the sons of disobedience. Now they are a slave to God. As Jesus Christ said "Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”(John 14:21)                                                                                           

                                                                          

Paul addresses that issue in Romans chapter six where he says: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.  And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.  For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.   For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.  What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.  But now having been set free from sin, and  have become  slaves to God.  The benefit you reap leads to holiness and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.                                                                          

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.                                                                       

      

To the Believers  in Corinth the apostle wrote Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.  Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Cor. 6:18-20 NKJV)

                                             

Peter discusses the same matter of Sin and the Christian life in His first epistle  expounding with these words inspired by God the Holy Spirit: "Therefore, since Christ suffered as a human, you should also arm yourselves with his way of thinking. This is because whoever suffers is finished with sin.  As a result, they don’t live the rest of their human lives in ways determined by human desires but in ways determined by God’s will.  You have wasted enough time doing what unbelievers desire—living in their unrestrained immorality and lust, their drunkenness and excessive feasting and wild parties, and their forbidden worship of idols.  They think it’s strange that you don’t join in these activities with the same flood of unrestrained wickedness. So they slander you.  They will have to reckon with the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead. (1 Peter 4:1-5 common english bible )                                                                                    

And James in his epistle chapter 1 verse 22 tells God's people, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."                                                                                                                                 

Yet how can one do what it says if they don't know what it says? Feast on the Way, the Truth and the Life. We do that by reading, studying, and feeding on God's Word? For the word of God is living and powerful. (active) )  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  (Heb. 4:12)                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                 

Reformer John Calvin called the Bible God's baby talk for his elect. And The Father and the Son have sent forth God the Holy Spirit into our hearts, which represents our thoughts, feelings and spiritual life. Set aside God's Word, fail to feed on the Word, and ponder it's rich wisdom. The result? One stumbles on a sure path to disaster. It is so easy in this world to be sidetracked into abandoning  Gods truth for the things of this world. Something God's adversity the devil is happy to accommodate. For the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. And your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Satan is not our friend. His goal is to thwart the growth and obedience of God's people. And to help lead people away from the only name under heaven from which we can be saved. From the fiery furance of eternal damnation. To the joy of everlasting life in the presence of God and the glory of His power. (2 Thess. 1:7-10) 

                                             

                                                                                                                                                            

The apostle Paul tells us " though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor. 10:4-5)  All God's people should  be aware  of satan's schemes. So that the evil one may not outwit you.                                                       

                                                                                                                                                        

All of God's people need to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. We must put on that whole armour of God to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith and most importantly the sword of the spirit,  your most valued and effective weapon against the world, the flesh and the devil,  the very Word of God. As soldiers of the cross, a follower of the lamb there's nothing more effective to protect oneself from the tactics of the devil.. For satan plots each day to have God's people fail, to implant seeds of doubt, and whisper loudly and plainly "has God said."  Know what God says...understand what God means. Hunger for God's word to fill and increase your knowledge of the God who so loved you, that He gave His One and Only Son that you may not perish but have everlsting life. For as the Pslamist proclaimed as He prayed to His God, "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path." And as Messiah Jesus tells His chosen people, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”                                                

For you made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you. St. Augustine’s famous prayer resonates with the very essence of our existence. He reminds us that God crafted us for a higher purpose, destined to seek fulfillment beyond the confines of this world

Jesus reaches out to us with the words, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30)   

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                           Through His One and Only Son Jesus Christ.                        Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him                          who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.                            

DEATH 2:

 Death 2: Mankinds Accountability/God's Mediator  

The Bible makes it very plain that all the evil things in this world are a result of mankinds disobedience to the one who gave them life. Some protest "I didn't disobey God so why would I be held accountable.?" Simply put you have inherited that fallen state. You are by being born human progeney of the orginal transgressors of God. You  have inherited that same fallen--sinful nature. Sin defined as "missing the mark." That mark...."you must be perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect." So said Jesus the Christ.  Only one is because only the Son of God is that word who was in the beginning with God and was God. Only Jesus Christ is capable of making you perfect in the sight of God that Father, who on the mount of transfiguration, when James, John and Peter saw Christ Jesus in His glory, said to them, and thus to us, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him."                                                            

Jesus made it plain to his Apostles and  Disciples  that He indeed was/is the only mediator between God and men.  That His purpose for leaving His eternal heavenly home, where God the Father and God the Holy Spirit reside. Only Jesus the second person of the triuine Godhead was born a human being.  Fully man yet fully God. Two natures in one person. The God/man.  Jesus willingly, in eternity past, was ordained by the Father to take on  the responsibility of His mission. To save His people from their sins. To save all those who were  given by the Father to His Son. Who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.                                                                                                                                   

42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.

So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.

And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.

 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously."                                                                                                             And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"

Jesus said "I always do the Father's will."   He lived a perfect life, that no human being could do  of and by themselves. Sin has corrupted us thoughly. We are tainted through every sinew of our being by it's miserable stain and only Jesus, the Christ can remove the blight of this inherited addiction. For Jesus never sinned. Yet Scripture tells us  "He was tempted in every way."  His birth, his life, the miracles, the signs he performed, his suffering, his crucifixion, His death and buriel the foreunner of His victorious and glorious resurrection on the third day. Proof that He indeed was and is "The Savior of the world."   .  

Every person ever born dies. And we die because the first created humans made a choice to disbelieve what God had told them and believe the lie of  satan the adversary who said, "You won't die but will be like God." And thus God subjected the entire creation to futility. And thus entrophy and death was creations end result.                                                                                    

God is Holy,  Righteous and absolutely  pure and good. God can not change His nature. That is who God is....Was....and Forever will be. God is unchanging. He always was God: always will be God. He is the creator and sustainer of all things ever created. Every planetary system, star cluster, nebula and galaxy. Every asteroid, moon, planet and star. Every cell, proton, neutron, electron. Every quark and lepton we now know as the smallest participles of matter. All spoken out by God and continue to exist today.  God maintaining and preserving their existence by His Word. God created everything good. Mankind created in the imagine of God given the ability to create, reason and communicate like God. And given dominion over creation, reflecting God's authority fell hard and all of creation with it. That is the sad legacy of this reality we now inhabit. 

                                                         

Yet Death is not the end. It may be the cessation of the body that you now inhabit. For from the dust it was taken and to the dust it will return. But your soul continues on after death. Where you spend eternity depends on who you know or rather who knows you.  There is Hope. A blessed Hope. Through Jesus Christ the Lord.   

                                       
                                                                                     

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.(literally all things hold together Col. 1:16-17).                                         

                                                                                                                                               

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,  has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;(Heb. 1:1-2)                                                                                                               

                                           
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  (John 1:1-2)                                                                                                                                  

 Jesus said to the people, "You just be perfect as the Father in heaven is perfect." (Matt. 5:48)                   

  Him we preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom,                   That we may  present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. (Col. 1:28).                                                                                                       

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.  For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:9-13)                                                                                                                                                                                      

Jesus The Christ said, "whoever hears my word and believes in Him who sent me has eternal life.... (John 5:24)                                                                                                                                                    

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”(John 3:36)   

                                                     

                                                                                    

Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”                      She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

                                                                                   

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