The Bible plainly shows in Matthew 25, what Christ will ask when He returns.
He doesn’t ask, “Did you watch porn?”
He doesn’t ask “Did you have sex before marriage, or did you have an abortion”
He doesn’t ask “Did you vote right, or did you go to church or did you obey leaders and pay what you owe?”
Nope.
He asks if you visited prisoners? Did you help the poor? Did you
clothe the naked? Did you give a cool drink to the thirsty? Did you love
your neighbor? Did you love at all? Did you show kindness and
compassion? Did you reconcile people to God? Did you use your gifts to
save souls, spread the Kingdom and help others?
I can hear you squirming in your seat dying to say…”yeah…but”
No.
Jesus died for our sins and rose for our justification. If you are
saved then you are in Him and are dead to sins. It is not held against
you. Do the dead sin? No. Paul explains this in Romans.
That means that you have power over it. But, it also means that it is
irrelevant to your eternity. You are washed. You are hid in Christ.
Our focus is serving God and growing the Kingdom. Not, in worrying about
whether we look like good Christians, but by being good Christians
through service. (Col. 3:1-3)
You confess your sins and God forgives you, and works to help you overcome. This is foot washing.
God cleanses us of all sin when we confess Him as Lord. But, we get
dirty as we walk in this world. Like Jesus said, we have no need but to
wash our feet. We do this by confessing our sins to Him. Likewise, when
we confess our sins to each other and pray for each other, we wash each
others feet. As James said. (1 John 1:1-10, John 13: 4-15, James 5:16,
Rom. 10:9-10)
We are saved, and washed and hid in Christ. Our sins are gone. They are washed away. We are white as snow.
But, the things we do can open doors to the enemy to destroy us and
ruin our lives. We can let demonic forces have more access to our lives.
Even though we are eternally saved and forgiven. Our life in this world
can be miserable because we do not confess our sins and let God work in
our lives. Those sins can grow until they destroy us, if we do not let
God deal with them. They can become strongholds of demonic activity in
our lives. Things that can impact those around us and generations down
the road.
But remember, all things work together for our good. God can use that
destruction or trouble to help us. God will use it to grow us. He is
not trying to hurt us but give a hope and a future. We are saved. We are
in Christ, if you know Him. He chastises those He loves. The
destruction or rock bottom, works to wake us up and set us free. (Romans
8: 28, Jere 29:11, Heb. 12:6)
And we still are saved forever.
God deals with our sin so we can serve the Kingdom. Knowing God and
serving Him is our purpose. That’s our focus. Not our life, but His.
We are being sanctified, and through the sanctification, we endure
hardness as we serve. We endure temptation and overcome through the Holy
Spirit and service to the Kingdom. (2 Tim. 2:3, James 1:12)
Our willingness to have a relationship with Christ and let the Holy
Spirit, love through us is what we are called to do. (Eph 2:8-10)
Our service and our love is a reflection of our relationship with God.
When you read Matthew 25. It’s obvious that the people thought they were saved. But, they never knew the King,
so they never did the compassionate loving things God desired. They
never grew in faith as the Lord worked in them and on them. They never
had a relationship with Him. They thought their works saved them,
instead of being saved to do good works. They worried about sin, like
pharisees, even though they were dead to sin. Satan will get us focused
on quitting sinning and being moral, because that keeps us from getting
people saved, or fighting the evil in this world. (Eph 2:8-10, Matt.
7:21-23)
It’s not about works. It’s about who you know and who you have a
relationship with. And that relationship will get us to serve Him, as He
sanctifies us.
Let God take care of your sins. Focus on serving and loving others. Focus on the relationship with God.
And you will find that those sins you worry about, get less and less.
We grow. We build faith. We build our relationship with God. We
overcome the sin that so easily besets us. By following the Holy Spirit
and doing the service God calls us to do. Not by works, but by His
power.
Love covers a multitude of sins. God is love, and He works to drive
those things out of us through Love. As we love God, serving Him and
having that relationship with Him, and serving others. Loving them. (1 Peter 4:7-8)
We find ourselves growing free, to match the spiritual truth that we are already free in Christ.
After Jesus rose from the dead, He spent 40 days on the Earth before He ascended to heaven. (Acts 1)
During that time he was seen by many people. Proving that He was alive.
He appeared to the disciples several times. Helping them to
understand what had happened and building their faith for the work they
needed to do. (John chapter 20 and 21, Matt. 28, Mark 16,)
One of those times was when 2 disciples were walking on the road to
the village of Emmaus, and a man joined them as they walked. (Luke 24)
It was Jesus.
At first they did not recognize Him. On several occasions he was not
recognized by appearance but was known. A possible explanation could be
that the beating He took from the Romans might have swollen or bruised
his face. The other possibility is that his resurrected body was so
healed and perfect that he no longer showed signs of age or any physical
blemishes. He might have looked years younger.
But often when he spoke or they saw him perform some act, He became
obvious to them. Like when you meet someone you have not seen in years,
but when they smile or say your name, you see them for who they are.
So, Jesus walked with them and listened to them recount the activities of the last few days. The crucifixion and resurrection.
They still doubted and had fear.
But, Jesus spoke to them.
“O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have
spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter
into his glory?” — Luke 24:25-26
Then, beginning at the writings of Moses, which is Genesis through
Deuteronomy, and all the prophets, Jesus explained to them where He
appeared in the scriptures. All the allegorical pictures of Him. The
allusions to the coming Messiah and the prophecies of Him.
Jesus is the central point of the Bible. Virtually everything is a picture of Him.
From the point where God says, “Let there be Light” in Genesis, we
know that Jesus is the Light of the World. To where God created the
woman, and it is the story of the crucifixion.
God caused Adam to go into a deep sleep (Death)
And out of his side He took a rib and fashioned a Woman to be Adam’s Bride.
Likewise, after Jesus died a Roman soldier pierced His side with a spear and out flowed blood and water.
And the Church, who is the Bride of Christ, is created by the Blood of the Lamb, and the water of baptism.
It’s the same story.
We see in Genesis Chapter 3 where God makes reference to The
Serpent’s head being crushed by the seed of the woman. A reference to
Christ’s victory over Satan.
We can move forward to Noah, who was righteous because he believed
the Word, God gave Him. He built an Ark to save as many as would
believe. Just like Jesus saves us from the coming wrath if we put our
faith in Him and get on board.
We see the story of the Exodus where the blood of the Lamb was
painted on the door posts in order to save everyone in the house.
We see the law of Moses where the sacrifices and sanctuaries are
pictures of the coming great sacrifice of Jesus, and that we are clean
and hid in Him.
We can go on and on showing the hidden references to Christ throughout God’s Word.
And they were hidden in order to keep God’s plan a secret from Satan
and His angels, until the day Jesus was killed and set us free.
They were mysteries from the foundation of the world, for the same reason that He spoke to them in Parables.
“He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know
the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more
abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even
that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing
see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in
them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye
shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall
not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears
are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time
they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should
understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal
them.”—Matt. 13:11-15
God has set a method for salvation.
Hear His call and turn to Him. Believing Him and confessing Him as
Lord. Asking Him to save you in Jesus name. (Romans 10:9-10, Acts 2:38,
Acts 2:21)
And the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth to you and grow you in Christ. Working to build your faith.
Jesus is the Door.
If anyone tries another way they are a robber and a thief. (John 10)
If Satan has deceived them with a works based doctrine, they do not
really know the Lord. They have never confessed Him as Lord. They have
never received grace, because they are trying to save themselves. (1
Cor. 12:3, Rom 11:6)
They are like the demons who know there is a God, but they reject
Him. They do not confess Him as Lord. They are in rebellion and have
never submitted to the Lord, and received grace. Those same demons work to keep us trapped in rebellion with them. (James 2:19)
That is why the Gospel was hid and remains a difficult thing.
In order to prevent Satan and his minions in the war, and to get humans saved the proper way.
But, it is not difficult. It is the easiest thing in the world.
Simply submit to the Lord. Turn to Him and confess Him as your Lord. He
will do the rest.
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not
eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely
die.”–Gen. 2:17
People want to act like God is some eternal killjoy, who is just
hovering about ready to strike you down with furious wrath and bolts of
lightning.
But, in the beginning there was only ONE law.
And Satan in his rebellion used a serpent, which by the way, was not a
snake. It was a dragon, or as we like to call them, a dinosaur. (Rev.
12:9)
He used it to tempt the first couple, in order to get them to fall.
He tricked Eve into breaking the one law. But, Adam was not tricked. He knew exactly what he was doing. (1 Tim. 2:14)
He knew it was wrong and chose to listen to his wife instead of listening to God. (Gen. 3:17)
Adam was Satan’s target. Adam had the dominion of the Earth. He was the one who needed to fall. (Gen. 1: 26-28)
Why Adam chose to ignore God’s Law is not given to us. Adam probably
explained it away, some how. I tend to think He loved Eve and did not
want her to die alone. Or perhaps he did not want to be alone again, if
she died after eating the fruit.
It’s hard to say, but when the first couple ate of the fruit they
quickly discovered why God had warned them. God’s laws are typically
designed to protect us.
Something changed in them. Their eyes were opened. God had created
everything good. There was no death. But, now there was evil present.
Death and evil, flooded into the world. (Gen 3:6-10)
Adam and Eve had fear, where none had existed before.
Evil was contained somewhere else, and now came upon the humans. It corrupted them and now corrupts all of humanity ever since.
This brought death. Death is separation. Remember, we are eternal
beings. Death is not an end. We have no end. We are made in God’s image.
We are eternal spirits. Death means separation. We die physically and
are separated from our loved ones on Earth. We then die spiritually and
are separated from God and our loved ones who are saved, forever.
Why?
In order to contain the evil. Hell/The Lake of Fire is a quarantine.
It exists in order to keep evil from destroying all of eternity. It was
created for Satan and his angels. It is a garbage dump outside the city
of God, where all filthy things are thrown, in order to not corrupt
Paradise. (Matt. 25:41, Rev.22:14-15)
Since Adam chose to follow Satan instead of God, He gave up the
dominion. That is why Satan is the god of this world. You go into
bondage under whoever overcomes you. If you give your authority to
another, they own you. (2 Cor 4:4, 2 Pet. 2:19)
And that is the state we live in.
We are born into this world, totally corrupted. Filled with fear and
evil, facing eternal separation from God and all things good.
We cannot do right. No matter how hard we try. We are under the
control of Satan and his demonic hordes who whisper into our minds and
get us to do whatever evil deeds they want. Seeking to rob us, kill us
and destroy us, because God loves us, and the demons hate God. They seek
to hurt God by hurting us.
And Satan sits and accuses us, day and night (Rev. 12:10)
He accuses us to God.
“Look at these creatures you created. They are filthy. They don’t
love you. If they loved you they would have stayed with you. They are
scum. Destroy them. Kill them. Punish them. They do all manner of evil,
and mock you. Destroy them.”
But God loves us, and He had a plan.
It was a plan started at the foundation of the world.
A plan that grew and spread and remained hidden from the enemy.
It started with Faith, in Abraham.
A way to be righteous. (Gen. 15:6, Rom. 4:3, Gal . 3:6, Jas 2:23)
Then, it moved to the Law, in Moses
In order to show us that we are sinners and cannot obey God. (Rom. 7)
A law that so happened to also allow for cleansing our disobedience through sacrifice.
Then, finally God himself came to Earth in the form of Jesus Christ
to save His creation from Satan and the sins that keep us in bondage.
Satan thought that Jesus was here to teach us to obey. He thought
Jesus was teaching us to follow the Law, which the enemy had already
corrupted with human philosophy, traditions of men and doctrines of
devils.
It would be a failed mission. Humans cannot obey. No matter how hard
they try. Satan had made sure of that by corrupting us in the Garden. We
are totally depraved.
Then, Satan and his demon princes killed Jesus. They used their human slaves in government and religion to do it.
He thought he won. He thought he had finally won.
He might have even accused us before God again. Just like he accused Job. (Job chapter 1 and 2))
“Look at those creatures. They murdered your Son. They obeyed me, not
you and killed you. Why do you love them? They spit in your face.”
And God smiled.
Because through His death, He had saved us.
So, that anyone who desires it can be free from the bondage of Sin, Satan and Death.
All they have to do is turn to God and ask Him to save them in Jesus name. (Acts 2:21)
But, that wasn’t the end.
God was not finished.
Because Jesus, was the lamb without blemish. He was not tarnished by
evil or sin. He was not worthy of death or separation. He was the
perfect sacrifice.
And death could not hold Him.
God Himself died for us and rose from the dead to prove that we are saved and justified. (Rom. 4)
We do not have to answer to the accuser. We do not have to fear death
or evil. We do not have to face wrath. We do not have to face Hell or
The Lake of Fire or separation from God. We are clean, righteous and
justified in Christ.
We are saved by God’s grace, through faith.
Because He, Himself came and set us free in His death and rose to prove it.
All we have to do is turn to Him by faith and ask.
And we are made righteous and justified forever.
We will be with Him in Paradise.
Where “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love
him. (1 Cor 2:9)
He has restored that which was lost. And He will continue to restore
all of it, back to what He originally created. (Matt. 18:11, Rev. 21,
Rev. 22)
God came to Earth, in the form of Jesus Christ. He lived a sinless life, because we cannot.
He came to set us free from the bondage of Sin and Satan.
The devil found out the plan; hidden since the dawn of time. He and
his demonic hordes worked to oppose God’s design. They would not let
humans go. The Fallen Angels rule the Earth. Satan is the god of this
world. (2 Cor. 4:4)
They used their human slaves to harass, and falsely accuse Jesus in order to murder Him.
The religious leaders listened to the demons whispering into their
minds. They did not know God. They did not want to lose their positions
of power to this Jesus person. They were full of fear, jealousy and
envy. (Matt. 27:18)
So, they secretly arrested Jesus by night and held a trial, out of
the eyes of the people. Like all those who serve Satan, they work in
secret. In small committees out of the questioning eyes of others.
The demon princes of this world worked to get them to convict Jesus and deliver the Lord to the Roman government for execution.
Satan is the accuser of the brethren. He uses the governmental powers
he controls to destroy the saints, in order to keep God’s truth from
spreading. He did it in Jesus day, He does it around the world today,
and he will do it when he is cast down to Earth and infills the
Anti-Christ. (Revelation 12:10, Rev. 12, Rev. 13)
The religious leaders delivered Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor at the time.
The religious leaders knew that Pilate would release a prisoner unto
them. It was a strange custom, done during the feast. (Matt. 27, Mark
15, Luke 23)
The religious leaders, hearing the whisperings of the demons worked
to get the people to reject Jesus and get Barabbas released unto them.
Barabbas, a man who was accused of sedition and murder. Like Satan, a
rebel and a murderer from the beginning. (Luke 23, John 8:44)
The people shouted, led by the religious leaders to crucify Jesus, and release unto them Barabbas the murderer.
They said to let the blood of Jesus be upon them and upon their children, cursing themselves in his death. (Matt. 27:25)
And Barabbas who is a picture of Satan was released unto the people, as they rejected the King of Glory. It is even said by scholars that Barabbas's first name was Jesus. This shows a clear picture of Satan offering a replacement Christ, or Anti-Christ.
And they took Jesus to Calvary, also called Golgotha. A place outside
the city walls, near where the trash was thrown. Near the dump, which
is the picture of hell. Where the lepers lived and the dogs dwelt. Where
the fires are not quenched and the worms (maggots) never die. (John 19)
There they crucified Him between two thieves.
The thief crucified next to Jesus saw the truth. He heard the call of
God in his heart. He witnessed to the other thief, and he confessed
Jesus as Lord. He asked Jesus to remember him.
And Jesus said, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
And at that instant that thief was saved, and would be with the Lord forever in Paradise.
He was finally free.
And Jesus died bearing the weight of the sins of the world. The Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. The sacrificial Lamb bleeding
for anyone who asks to be saved; calling on the name of Jesus. ( Rev.
13: 8, Eph 1:4, Acts 2:21)
And the demons cheered. And Satan thought he had won.
Till he realized that the death of Jesus set humans free if they
asked, and was the beginning of the end for the demonic hordes, who rule
the earth.
And today, we have a choice to make. Do we choose the devil? Or do we
listen to God’s call and choose Jesus? Do we demand His blood? Or do we
receive His sacrifice for us? There is no middle ground. We are with
the Lord, or with the devil. It is war.
But, the end is not yet, for there will come a future time quickly
approaching where we will be given a choice to choose the Devil or the
Lord. A time when a man rises up and the whole world runs after him. A
man who will be the picture of Satan, a usurper ruling the World. The
“instead of” Christ. The Anti-Christ.
He will make war with the saints and over come them. And many will
fall way. Those who never really knew the Lord. They will deny Him and
help beat the servants of the Lord. They will turn back to the world,
because they never really knew Jesus. Remember Lot’s wife. (2 Thess.
2:3, Luke 12:45, 2 Peter 2:1, Luke 17, Rev. 6, Rev. 12, Rev. 13)
But the Lord will come from heaven with a shout and the trump of God, and all the saints will come with Him. ( 1Thess. 4:16-17)
And we will meet Him in the clouds and forever be with Him.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
(Cover photo by pexels/David Kouakou, Edited by the author
We often forget that it is God who calls us to Himself.
All humans are utterly depraved. We are so wicked that we cannot even see how wicked we are. (Romans 3:10-18)
We were created good by God. We are flesh covered spiritual beings
created to last forever. But, we are fallen. There is something wrong
with us. Our minds, souls and spirits became corrupt. We fell in the
Garden and Satan took over.
“There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.”
No one seeks God. Therefore, if you are having thoughts of God. If
you are feeling led to go to church or learn of spiritual things. If a
sermon or the Gospel message of Christ is speaking to your heart. If you
are reading this…
That is God calling you.
No one comes to Jesus to be saved unless God calls them. (John 6:44)
This is part of His Grace and part of why He saves us, not by our own efforts, but by His.
When we hear this call we turn to the Lord and ask Him to save us. That is what repentance is. It means “to turn”
Since God is the only way to be saved we obviously turn to Him. Then,
He washes us in the blood of Jesus and cleanses us of all sin. We do
not need to understand it. We just turn to Him and ask.
We confess Jesus is the Lord and make Him our Lord, believing He rose from the dead. (Romans 10:9-10)
Then the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and work in our lives to
help transform us and help us to serve God in building the Kingdom.
(John 14:26)
When
we first get saved, there are things God will remove from our lives.
People will notice we are different. When we give ourselves to Jesus we
are free from sin and the the things that hold us down. He has taken all
of it upon His shoulders, and when we believe this, we are changed. We
are transformed. We are a new creature.
This is believing God’s Word.
God’s Word tells us that He will save us and change us. It tells us
He will take our sin and cast them away from us and wash us. When we
believe this, we put our faith in Him and it works to change us.
We are saved by grace through faith not by works lest any man should boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)
God calls us. We hear His word, and believe Him. Then, we turn to Him to be saved.
God Himself came to Earth to die for us, to set us free from Sin and
Satan, who took dominion when Adam fell. We are slaves to the enemy and
the power of our own flesh. Our spirits are dead and our souls are
trapped as we go through life being led by Satan and our worldly ways.
But, when we hear God call and turn to Him for salvation we are set free and we begin to transform.
The Holy Spirit comes into us and begins to change us and teach us. We study God’s Word and learn of His promises and His ways.
When we have thoughts that are contrary to God’s Word, the Holy
Spirit reveals it to us and we take those thoughts captive and tell
Satan to be gone in Jesus name, then we choose to believe and follow
God’s Word instead. This is the battle between the flesh and spirit. As
we wage this battle we are transformed over time. (2 Cor. 10:5,
Gal.5:17)
This is not salvation. We are already saved; if we confessed Him as
Lord. But, we can prove our salvation to ourselves by the fact that we
struggle with the enemy. Unsaved people do not struggle. This struggle
is our sanctification. It is God working on us through His Holy Spirit
to help change us and to help us in our lives.
We confess our sins and thoughts to the Lord, and He forgives us and starts working to transform us. (1John 1:8-10)
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which
is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”—Rom. 12:1-2
When we read this we might think that we are condemned because we
fail and cannot do it. We might think we are such utter failures, and
the preacher keeps beating us.
That is the Holy Spirit speaking to you. It is conviction.
The answer is to turn to God, and confess it to Him. Pray to Him
about it and let Him get to work. Our salvation and sanctification is
God’s work, not ours.
The fact that you desire to change and feel convicted is proof of
your salvation. The Holy Spirit in you is calling you to work with God
in your sanctification. This is the relationship we have.
We see changes in our lives and in our spirit, as we are renewed in
our minds. Our spirit is alive in Him and we are transformed.
We are not perfect. We sin. We fail. But, we are perfect in Him. He holds our salvation in His hand.
When we think wicked thoughts of hate or revenge or fear or doubt or
pride, we capture them and rebuke them in Jesus name. Because thoughts
work to become actions. The more we do this the stronger we become.
We quote the Word out loud to ourselves, and it builds our faith and drives the demon out.
Because that is what is behind those thoughts. Demons whispering
through the hedge of protection trying to get us to open the door. If we
fail and listen to those thoughts. If we follow through with sin, we
start working to open the door a little at a time. Eventually, the
demons can come into our mind and life as often as they want. We have
fallen back into bondage. But, through the Lord we can stand up and
resist. We can shake them off. We confess it to Him and let Him cleanse
us and work to change us.
We can struggle with these things in our flesh but it does nothing to
our spirit until God Himself does it. This is why obeying rules does
nothing spiritual. This is why no one is saved by the works of God’s
Law.
It must be God making the changes and transforming us. Flesh cannot
transform spirit. Only spirit can do that. God is a spirit, and those
who worship Him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The truth is
Jesus Christ. The truth is God’s Word, and Jesus is the living Word.
(John 1, John 4:24)
We are transformed when we are saved. Then, we live lives of transformation as we continually turn to Him and abide in Him.
Going to church and obeying rule won’t do it.
It’s a relationship with Him.
It’s a spiritual battle with the enemy who attacks our mind, and life.
No matter what. Always turn to God. Do not let the enemy get you to
think that you can’t trust God. Or you failed too much. Or that God is
out to get you. Take those thoughts captive and say “begone Satan in
Jesus name, God will never leave me nor forsake me. He is my helper.”
Draw closer to God. Praise Him. Read His Word and let the Holy Spirit teach you.
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with
such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I
will not fear what man shall do unto me.”— Heb. 13:5-6
When you turn to the Lord, He saves you and is with you always. His Holy Spirit is in you.
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because
greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”— 1 John 4:4
We do not need to be concerned with living to gather riches, or
desiring to what others have or to be as they are. That is our flesh
talking. That is demons whispering.
We can be happy with the things the Lord has provided us, because He
is with us and will take care of us. There is nothing anyone can do to
us. God will find a way. He will make a way where none exists.
God’s way is perfect, and He has perfect timing. Trust Him.
It’s not about looking good for mankind, with the silly notions of what is valuable.
The streets of Paradise are paved with gold. The true wealth are
those things of the spirit. The people you lead to the Lord. The love
you show. The people you help. The Kingdom you build, and the time spent
with the Lord, learning of His ways.
The rest is chaff, useless waste, burned up in the fire.
God is with us. we have a relationship with Him and have no need to
fear. Just “ask, and it shall be given unto you. Seek, and ye shall
find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you.”— Matt. 7:7-11
James said “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
God is with us and will never forsake us. He will not help us destroy
ourselves. But, we can trust that He hears and will help us with
whatever we need.
I have seen God answer so many prayers. He has taken care of me. When
I remember the great things He has done in the past it reminds me that
He is with me and will take care of me again. It builds faith.
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”— Phil.4:6-7
We thank God in our prayers because our faith leads us to believe He is with us and hears us and is moving. We trust His Word.
He is with me. We have a relationship.
And I am with Him.
I died with Him, and was buried to self, and the flesh, and this
world. To be raised into new life with Him. Born again. (Rom. 6:4, John
3)
And I walk with Him in the Spirit, which is the relationship.
To hear on that last day, “Well done thy good and faithful servant.”— Matt. 25
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois.
It uses the word charity, which can be described as love in action. (1 Cor. chapter 13)
But there is a charity, that is condescending. A charity that places
one party in a position of superiority over another. This is not real
charity or love.
Love does not think evil of someone. We take those thoughts captive
and bring them under control and force ourselves to love.(1 Cor. 13:5, 2
Cor. 10:5)
This is not easy. It’s part of our battle between flesh and spirit.
We fail, and we confess, and we move on. Praying for help and trying to
do better next time.
But, what if we do not even realize we are doing wrong?
We give and we love, but we don’t see that we act like we are better than other people.
Do we think, “I’m able to help you because I obey the rules and you
don’t. That’s why you’re in a sorry state.” when we help someone? Do we
think they are poor or needy because God is punishing them? But, we are
wealthy because we are good?
I can tell you from experience, that when I joined a church, I was
given charity. People helped me and I felt that they loved me. I
appreciate the help.
But, it quickly dissolved into the charity I described above. I was not a well churched person. I had a lot of faults.
“Well churched” is a term used for people who have gone to church
enough to know all the little rules that the Bible says nothing about.”
Things like manners, and etiquette and all of that.
I wasn’t knowledgeable of the little intricacies of church decorum. I
was rough. I laughed at inappropriate things. I talked about
inappropriate things. And the word spread that I was not a good enough
Christian because of some sin I knew nothing about.
I had a background that was not Christian. I was not forgiven for it, by many.
So, people who had shone me charity and love started to back off. The
people who always ran to shake my hand and pretend to be my friend
quit.
You can tell when you no longer get invited to anything. When you
become a second class citizen. When you’re not part of the “in” crowd
and you’re never asked or nominated to serve or be a part of anything.
You’re not really one of them. And you have to wonder if you ever really was.
I’m not talking about Salvation. God calls us and accepts us and loves us and works on us and with us. He calls us friend.
But, sometimes his servants do not. They shake your hand, then betray
you. They ask you about your views, then twist them and use them to
destroy you later. Because being superior to you is more important to
them, than actually loving you.
James speaks of this when he says ” My brethren, have not the faith
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly
apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have
respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou
here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit
here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are
become judges of evil thoughts?”—(Jas. 2:1-4)
How many people have been driven away from God, because of this fake
charity in church? How many people have been treated like they don’t
belong when they got saved and joined a church?
I know it has impacted my life.
To hear sermons on love, and then be treated like an outsider.
And there’s always excuses as to why it happens, or blame is laid on
all kinds of things. But when this treatment happens over and over
again, and not only to you, but to lots of other people. It becomes
obvious that they do not really love you. You are not imagining it. They
have placed you under their footstool to serve them. They have made you
to be another number on Sunday morning, so they can think they are
growing.
As believers, we are called to “judge ourselves lest we be judged
with the world.” Not make excuses for feeling superior to other sinners.
We are just saved. Not better.
So, what’s our answer to this?
Our answer is to overcome evil with good. Sometimes things happen to
us so we can do better and change things. We see fake Christians so we
can understand what it looks like and avoid becoming one.
That sort of condescending charity is not from Jesus. It’s not from
the Spirit. It’s fleshly. It’s man-made works. Anyone can do it.
If you decide to be a friend, then be a friend, or don’t even start.
We are not required to be friends with everyone. But we ARE called to
love them. If you choose to be friends, then don’t be backstabbing once
you see the ugly in a person. Because YOU, have ugly too, and Jesus died
for you anyway. God calls you friend despite your sin, if you really
know Him.
These last days are moving along, and judgement is coming. Turn to
God. Ask Him to show you your sin so you can confess it, and work on it.
Do not find yourself as a virgin, without oil in their lamp because
they never really knew Christ, and did not grow in faith with Him.
When we study the scriptures on a subject, we go by what the entire
Word says, based upon the guiding of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
will lead us into ALL truth. That’s how it works. (John 16:13, Jas 1:5)
We are surrounded by lots of false teachings, and it is going to get
worse as the last days move forward. This is why being taught by the
Holy Spirit is most important. (1 John 2:27)
Hell and/or the Lake of Fire according to scripture seems to be two
different places. There is a current holding place called Hell, and a
final destination which is the Lake of Fire.
Why two? Because after all is said and done there will be a final
judgement, and at some point God will create a new Heaven and new Earth.
Hell seems to be the containment for this current creation, and the
Lake of Fire is the containment for eternity, after the last judgement
and new creation.
The current containment of Hell along with death will be cast into the Lake of Fire, so nothing escapes. (Rev. 20:14)
This containment system seems to have been created for Satan and his angels.
At some point in the distant past, when Satan fell and led a
rebellion against God, which included angels and all sort of spiritual
beings, God created or “prepared” it for them. (Matt. 25:41)
According to scripture, Satan and his angels are not currently bound
in Hell. We have verses showing Satan visiting God’s throne room in
Heaven and the angels battling each other. We also have verses speaking
of the demonic forces ruling and influencing things on Earth. (The book
of Job, The book of Zechariah, 2 Cor. 4:4, Eph. 2:2, Rev. 20:1-3, Dan.
10 )
There are also scriptures that show that some fallen angels or beings
are bound in other places. We see that there is a place called the
Bottomless Pit. So, it seems that the true spiritual cosmology, involves
more than Heaven, Hell and Earth. The Bible doesn’t give us a lot of
info on these places and on the cosmology. I have my beliefs on them,
but let’s stick to Hell. (Rev. 20:1-3, Rev. 9:14)
Hell is eternal death. Death is separation, not an end as we suppose.
Hell/Lake of Fire is a place that is separated from God for all
eternity. It is a holding place for all that is filthy, corrupt and
wicked. It is a place for those who refuse to be washed clean of Sin and
Evil in the Blood of Jesus. Hell exists as a containment for Sin. It is
like a plague that corrupts us. God cannot let Sin into Heaven or
Paradise, or else death and pain and suffering would contaminate all of
eternity. (Rev. 1:5, Rev. 7:14, 1 John 1:7, Eph 2:13, Heb. 10:19)
Hell is best viewed as the garbage dump outside of an ancient walled city. This image gives the best picture.
Hell/The Lake of Fire is the garbage dump outside the City of God. Outside of Paradise.
When you read in the Old Testament about lepers. This is a picture of
the unsaved in Hell. They were living corpses rotting away and
stinking. They were contagious, and had to stay away from others. They
were forced to cover their face and yell “Unclean!” any time an
uninfected person approached. (Lev. 13:45) Separation.
They were poor, and no one helped them much. They dwelt in the
garbage dump because they could get scraps, and scavenge things thrown
away, and people would leave stuff for them.
The dump stinks. It is where the dogs dwelt eating scraps and
fighting lepers. It’s the same in Hell/Lake of Fire (Revelation 22:15)
(Dogs in the ancient world were vermin and tormentors. They were
scavengers and thieves, who roamed in packs and might even attack a
child, or solitary person. It is not the view we have of family pets.
Course those family pets can turn feral.)
Jesus described Hell as a place where “the fire is not quenched and
the worm dieth not.” He was quoting Isaiah. (Isa 66:22-24, Mark 9)
The fires of trash burning with filthy smoke, choking the lungs and
blocking the light. A place of darkness and misery, without the love and
joy and peace of God. A place where the worms live forever eating the
flesh, filth and corruption. (Matt. 25:30)
This is the basic picture of Hell. A garbage dump separated from God and all that is clean.
Jesus gives us a parable of the torment of Hell. He speaks of the
poor man Lazarus who basically was a homeless man who lived outside a
nameless rich man’s gate. The rich man ignored Lazarus. He could have
loved Him and helped Him. If the rich man really knew God, he would have
done what He could do to help the homeless man. But, He did not. (Luke
16)
Both of them die.
The rich man is in Hell. Again, not because he could earn His way
into heaven by doing good deeds, but because He never knew God. He never
had a relationship with God. If He had, then He would have had
compassion. He would have felt conviction to help Lazarus.
The rich man is thirsty in Hell and and says “Father Abraham, have
mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in
water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
There is no water in Hell, it’s hot. He sees Lazarus in
Heaven/Paradise leaning against Abraham’s chest, and makes this request.
(There are teachings about Abraham’s Bosom and all of that, which the
Bible doesn’t really teach. In this parable it is clear that Lazarus is
leaning against Abraham the person, because Abraham speaks. It is not a
place. Locations do not speak. Any doctrines on a place called Abraham’s
Bosom are actually referring to Paradise or Heaven. The place of the
the righteous dead, where the saints go to be with the Lord, and the
other members of their family and saints who were saved as well. Abraham
and all the saints are there. The phrase “Abraham’s Bosom” is actually
poetic language for Heaven/Paradise.)
Abraham tells the rich man that Lazarus cannot give him a drink
because there is a gulf between Hell and Paradise. They can see each
other, but cannot go there. Again separation and containment. Many
ancient cultures had a similar cosmology, because it is true. God told
Adam, and the truth went to Noah, and was taught to the people. Then it
was confused at the Tower of Babel, when people scattered globally with
different languages and different names for past events. But, the basic
idea remains. Because it’s true.
The rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his family, so they
won’t go to Hell. But, Abraham says “They have Moses and the prophets;
let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went
unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they
hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though
one rose from the dead.”
Abraham basically says, “They have God’s Word.” But, the rich man
knows his family won’t read it or learn of it. He assumes his family
would be shocked into turning to God if Lazarus rose from the dead.
But, Abraham says, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
Basically, if they won’t believe the Word, they won’t believe anything, even if someone rose from the dead.
In case you missed it, this is a reference to Jesus rising from the
dead; and people still refuse to believe. Just to be clear, a man named
Lazarus also rose from the dead, and people still refused to believe.
(John 11, John 20)
So, that is Hell. But, what about the Lake of Fire?
In my best understanding, Hell is a current spiritual place in the
cosmology. It rests separated by a gulf from Heaven/Paradise. (Luke
23:43, 2 Cor. 12:4, Rev. 2:7)
It is Spiritual. It is out there beyond the veil that separates us from spiritual things.
But, the Lake of Fire is material. It exists in the material world forever.
It seems that at some point, God creates a new heaven and new earth.
The city of God, and Paradise itself seems to come to Earth and joins
with Earth. There is no more Separation. Sin has been contained. Death
has been defeated. Everything is created new and seems to go back to how
it was before the fall of man and the rebellion of Satan. (Heb. 11;16,
Isa 65:17, Isa 66, Rev. 21, Rev. 22 )
The Lake of Fire is a place on Earth at this future time. A material
location, not a spiritual one. It rests outside the City of God. It is
the garbage dump, and containment place for everything and everyone who
refused to washed in the Blood and be cleansed and healed of the Plague
of Sin. Understand that sometime before the final judgement everyone who
is dead will be raised into bodies that can never die. The dead
currently have spiritual bodies. These future bodies will allow us to
either live forever in Paradise, or live forever in Hell/Lake of Fire.
(Rev. 20:12)
Why do I say this? Because it’s what God says, “For as
the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain
before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And
it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one
sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the
Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men
that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither
shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all
flesh.” (Isa 66:22-24)
After God creates a new heaven and new earth. When His city comes to
Earth and Paradise is here. The saints who the Lord has saved, will
gather together on a regular basis to worship God. And part of that
celebration, or after the worship service; people will be able to go out
and look at the Lake of Fire and see Satan, His angels, and those who
followed them in the Lake of Fire.
Now, a Lake of Fire implies liquid fire. So, I personally believe
that it is like a volcano or magma. The City of God and Paradise Earth
is near enough to see it, but there is a separation or gulf. People will
come from all over the new Earth to worship, and see it.
So, let me tell you that our words and current understanding cannot
really explain this. There are gaps in what the scriptures say and our
ability to explain it. We have tried to give a time line. But, from what
I can tell, no timeline or explanation of the events to come is totally
perfect.
We are not supposed to “Intrude into things we have not seen.” (Col. 2:18)
That means that as humans who have never traveled to spiritual
realms, or seen glimpses of the future new creation, we can only give
limited knowledge and understanding.
I’ve tried to connect some dots. and clear things up in order to get
people to understand and get saved or have a hope of the future. I am
not going to say I have it all figured out in such a way that I can
teach it or prove it. I don’t.
This is a simple explanation of what I have learned so far. I hope it helps you in your studies.
“I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.”—Rom. 7:21
Romans chapter 7 explains to us the purpose of God’s Law.
It’s purpose is to reveal sin in us, so that it can be dealt with.
Paul describes the struggle between law and flesh. He says that when
he saw the law “Though shalt not covet” it was revealed that he had
covetousness in his life.
He sinfully wanted what others had. The law revealed this and since
he realized he had broken the law, he was slain by it. The law killed
him, because the punishment for sin is death. He died in God’s eyes the
moment he knew He had sinned. That’s the law.
But, he did not want to commit the sin. You can plug any sin into
this box. Paul used covetousness, but it could apply to any sin. It was
revealed to him that he sinned, and he was slain by it. He agreed with
the law, because it is good. So, he did not want this sin in his life
any more.
But, he discovered that he could not quit. The evil thoughts
continued. The lusting or fear or doubt or whatever sins continued in
his mind and heart; even though he did not want it anymore because he
saw it was wrong in the Word of God.
Now, God revealed to Him a massive truth that opened his eyes. A truth that many people miss.
If he did not want to do it any more, then it was not really him
doing it. He hated the sin, but yet still did it. He still thought the
thoughts and did the deeds. He could not escape.
This showed him that there was something wrong with him. That he had a
corrupted nature, beyond his control. Something in himself that he did
not want or desire. He hated the sin, but still did it anyway. Therefore
it was not him, but SIN in him.
This is important because when we think about obeying God’s law and
put burdens on ourselves and others; we ignore the truth that we cannot
obey it ourselves because of our corrupted nature. We are fallen. We are
plagued with sin from Adam.
Our sins we commit are like symptoms of a deeper plague in us.
We don’t see how wicked we are until the light of God’s Word reveals
it to us. Our flesh is totally corrupt and we are incapable of stopping
it, in such a way that is true. If we stop one thing, we sin somewhere
else. Trying to quit sinning is a torturous never ending hell, full of
fear that God is watching and wants to destroy you.
When we have a works based doctrine, that’s where we are. We believe
we must quit sinning, but we cannot. We want to please God, but fail
constantly.
But, the law actually is supposed to reveal that you cannot quit and
that it is not even really you committing the sins, it is something in
you. The corrupted nature.
God’s law is far more than just the ten commandments. We can’t even
obey the ten, let alone the rest. And don’t even start on the sins of
thoughts. The sins of omission. or sins of Pride, Doubt, Fear, and other
things we do, that we do not even realize we are doing.
The law reveals it. This is why the law is good, as Paul says.
It is like a mirror.
But, our response is to change. We cannot. It won’t work. A sinful being cannot change his sinful nature, he needs God to do it.
Now, ask yourself, why would God provide a means to have your sins covered through the sacrificial system?
Because He knows we cannot obey. He wants it. He demands it. But we
cannot, because of the corrupted nature in us from Adam. He knows this.
God is not ignorant of our sins and failures. We try to hide these
things and try to quit or deal with it ourselves but it doesn’t work. It
gets worse.
Have you ever seen a child who plays with magic markers? They color
themselves, they color the walls, they color everything. But, there
often comes a point where they realize they messed up. Sometimes they
realize it on their own (Spirit or Conscience), or sometimes it’s when
the parent reveals it to them (law).
The child tries to fix it and might get a wet rag to wash it with.
But it just smears it on themselves and the wall. They cannot fix it,
and it’s there before them all the time. They need an adult to help
them.
That is what happens with us. Even if a person doesn’t believe in God
or has some other belief system, it doesn’t matter. God created us and
this is what happens. This is what ALL religions deal with. This is why
people go to therapy or drink to escape.
This thing in us torments us, because we know we are wrong and cannot
get right. We try to fix it by fleshly means because that is all we
know. But, it won’t work for eternity. It is a fleshly band aid at best,
or makes things worse.
Look at Adam and Eve. When they fell from God, they saw they were
naked and tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. That is religion,
and every other thing we do to fix our problem in us. It’s nothing but
fig leaves.
But, God showed up and revealed the sin in them and fixed it Himself. That’s Jesus.
We cannot fix it ourselves.
Paul says “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”—Rom. 7:24.
In the very next verse He thanks God.
“I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I
myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
He thanks God that the law has revealed to him that there is
something wrong, and it is not him doing it. He serves God, but there is
also the corrupted nature and he realizes that it is not him that does
it but sin in him.
The very next verse is Romans 8:1, a new chapter and he reveals why he is thankful.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
He reveals the solution. God came in the flesh to die for us, because
of our sins and corrupted nature. He washes us clean in the Blood of
Jesus when we turn to Him.
Our eyes are opened to the truth and we believe it. We turn to God,
and ask Him to save us, confessing Jesus is the Lord, and we make Him
our Lord.
God washes us clean of all sin. Past, present and future. He fills us
with His Holy Spirit, and we grow in relationship with Him. We are no
longer condemned. We are friends of God. We are righteous. Not because
of what we do or don’t do. But, because of what Jesus did for us.
Our growth in Christ works to reveal and purge the things that we do
in the flesh, as we confess our sins to Him. But, it is Him that does
the work in us, not us. Even in our saved state, if we get in the habit
of living a life trying to not sin, we are not really living in faith
that Jesus has washed us. We think we must obey and do it ourselves. We
forget that we cannot. This is why Paul says there is power in weakness.
We admit our failure and give it to God and let Him do it.
If we go a few verses more in Romans chapter 8 we see this struggle
continues in us even though we are saved. The flesh battles with the
Spirit. We walk in the Spirit, by abiding in Christ, growing the
relationship, turning to Him and confessing our sins, being in prayer,
loving God and others. We realize that the sinful nature is not us
anymore. We are dead to it. We died with Christ and rose with Him to new
life. Those fleshly things no longer impact our spirit or salvation.
They can cause trouble in this world, by opening the doors for demonic
forces to attack us, but not our souls. Not our eternal spirits.
Here’s the verses
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it
was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after
the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do
mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the
things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace.”
It’s about knowing Him, and He works to heal us and change us.
Walking in the Spirit is walking with Him. It is letting Him take
care of it. because if we try to do it ourselves, or ignore it, we are
walking in the flesh, and that leads to death.
What is death? Death is separation. It is not an end, as we suppose.
When someone dies, they do not end, they are separated from us and from
this fleshly world, and that body of flesh stays behind.
Eternal death is also separation. Nothing really dies or ends. it
just changes form and continues on. We will all get a spiritual body
that can never die. A vessel for our souls and spirits to dwell forever.
But, if we are not washed, that spiritual body will become corrupted
by the corrupted soul, and dead spirit. It must then be separated to
another place where nothing good dwells, because all good things are
wrapped up in God. God is love. There is no love in separation. There is
not love in that quarantine place of separation called Hell and the
Lake of Fire. It is darkness and no light. It is separation from God.
If God allowed the corrupted nature into Paradise or Heaven, then all
of eternity would be full of pain and evil just like this world.
Separation occurs to protect God’s eternal kingdom and creation.
If we know Him we shall be with Him forever in Paradise. That’s the promise. Just like He told the thief on the cross.
All we have to do is turn to Him and ask, and believe. He will take
care of the rest. We cannot change ourselves, He will do it, if we trust
Him. And that is the difficulty of walking in the Spirit. Trusting and
believing He’s got you. It builds patience. It builds meekness. We
submit to Him and grow. Not by works, lest any should boast.
For the past week meteorologists have been warning about a coming
winter storm. It’s freezing rain and snow will cause problems, they say.
And folks believe them. They stock up on bread and milk. They buy icy
melt. They break out the snow gear and the shovels. They check on
family. They stay home to keep roads clear and safe. They close
businesses to keep people safe.
Because they believe what they are told.
The Word of God tells us that there will come a time in the future when the world will face great trouble.
The Word tells us that we will face trouble in our own lives.
The Word tells us that we will face death someday.
A storm is coming.
Are we going to believe it? Are you prepared?
When an ice storm is coming, we listen to the experts. We listen to
the people who have seen it before, and we rest in the experiences we
have had in the past. This helps us to prepare for the coming storm.
Likewise, we can turn to God to save us and see us through the future
storms of life and death. He can save us for eternity. We can trust
Him. We can trust His Word.
When we believe the warnings of the ice storm we respond.
When we believe the Word of God we can respond also.
Belief leads to response. Faith leads to action.
Jesus told the paraplegic man to take up his bed and walk. (John 5)
But, what if the man had not done it. Would he have been healed?
He was healed because He believed and responded to the Word given him.
We are told “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. For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”—
Rom. 10:9-10
When we read this verse do we believe it? Or do we doubt?
Do we say “Yeah but there has to be more to it than that. How can a
person just say some magic words and get saved? Don’t they have to love
God and obey Gods law?”
We make up all kinds of excuses because we cannot believe the simplicity of salvation and the love of God.
Satan is more than happy to give us excuses to get us to doubt God’s
goodness and Word. It’s the same thing He did to Eve in the Garden.
(Gen.3)
Our belief leads to a response. The response is to turn to God
(repent) and confess Jesus is the Lord and He is our Lord, and believe
that He rose from the dead. Which is believing the Word we have been
given.
Do you believe it? Do you believe He died for you, and rose from the dead? Do you believe He is God?
Yeah but… “Faith without works is dead.” Some will say. — (James 2)
Belief or faith requires a response, and the response is confessing
Jesus as our Lord. Confessing is a work. Baptism is a work. Communion is
a work.
What did the thief on the cross do?
He confessed Jesus as Lord, then he told the other thief about Jesus.
That’s it. And Jesus said “Today you will be with me in Paradise”–Luke 23
Likewise, when we confess Jesus as Lord, and tell others about Him, we will be with Him in Paradise, when we die or He returns.
That’s it. Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before
men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.”—Matt.
10:32
We confess because we believe. Belief leads to a response.
God’s grace and our belief and confession is how we are saved. That
salvation leads to a relationship with God as we see Him moving in our
life. Our faith and belief grows in Him.
We trust that He forgives us. We trust that He is with us and will
never leave us. We trust that He loves and cares for us and will take
care of us, and we see Him moving and doing it. This leads to praise and
thanksgiving which helps grow the relationship, faith and trust.
That is belief. That is faith. Our response is to confess Him as
Lord, love others and build the kingdom. We are saved and healed so we
lead others to be saved and healed in Jesus name.
But, there’s a storm coming.
Storms in our lives and in the world.
Trouble comes, and we can turn to Him and He will move. Stand on the
promises of God in His Word. Trust Him. And when you see Him move it
will build your faith and relationship.
But, the coming storm will be of darkness without hope. Some say believers will escape,
but that has not been proven. God will be with us through the storm.
Just like He was with the disciples on the boat, and with Israel through
the plagues.—(Luke 8, Exodus)
He will be with us as this world gets worse and worse. As terrible things fall upon the Earth preparing for Christ’s return.
Do you believe it? Are you preparing for the times of trouble and His
return? Are you getting people saved, and preparing your own self?
The scriptures are clear that when He returns there will be church
people who thought they were saved but were not. People who prayed a
prayer, or people who sat in church every week. But, never believed.
They never really confessed Him as Lord. They never fully trusted Him to
save them but instead trusted their own works. They never had a
relationship with Him.
The storm is coming.
But, many do not believe.
These false brethren will fall away when the trouble comes. They will say “Where is the promise of His coming.”. They will wonder why He has delayed His return. —(2 Peter 3:4, Luke 12:45-46)
Then, they will form the apostate church and help the Anti-Christ
persecute the saints. They will beat the men servants and maid servants.
They will go back to living for the world. They will be like Judas the
betrayer. —(Luke 12:45-46, Rev. 6, Matt. 24, )
And when He returns they will be foolish virgins without oil. (Matt. 25)
They will have taken the gifts and talents and salvation the Lord
gave them, and buried it in the sand instead of responding in belief and
serving the Lord. (Matt. 25)
They will stand before Him saying “when did we see you naked?”
Because they never believed and turned and let the Holy Spirit lead them
to serve others and love people and help them. (Matt. 25)
They will not be clothed in the wedding garment because they never knew the King. (Matt. 22)
They never had a relationship with Him or confessed Him as Lord.
They just went to church every week, judged others, and tried to obey rules.
And He said “Depart from Me, I never knew you.”
The storm is coming. Do you really know Him.
Can you trust Him when they are killing your church? Can you trust
Him when they threaten to fire you from your job if you won’t take the Mark of the Beast?
Can you trust Him, when people who call themselves Christians lie to
you, attack you, betray you and destroy your life, or lead you to death?
Can you trust Him when you face homelessness and starvation? or will
you turn back like Lot’s wife, desiring the comforts of the world?.
(Gen. 19)
The storm is coming, the Word says.
Turn to Him,
and ask Him to save you. Confess Jesus as your Lord. Believe He rose
from the dead. Believe the Word, given to you. Tell others about Jesus,
building the kingdom.
The Holy Spirit will come and teach you and lead you into all truth. (1 John 2:27)
And you will know Him and have a relationship with Him.
And when the storm comes you will be safe in the Ark, that is His salvation and care.
When the waters rise and beat upon you, you will stand firm because
you’ve built your house on the Rock of Jesus Christ, who is the living
Word. Not on the sand of your own works and power. (Matt.7)
