Evangelion - Luke 2:10-11

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” - Luke 2:10-12

    And thus the shepherds were given the good news of Jesus’s birth, the Savior’s birth! And being stunned by the angel’s appearance they responded in faith and sought out the Lord.
“So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” - Luke 2:15.
    The journey for the shepherds was certainly not as great a one as that for the wise men to follow but just as determined, the shepherds made their way to see the Messiah. Are we as compelled to seek the Lord and Savior as were these lowly shepherds? Keep in mind: they were given the good news; in turn, they responded in faith; they sought out the Lord, all based on that which the Lord has “made known” to them. From where these shepherds watched over their flocks they made a decision for Christ.  From where will we make a decision for Christ? “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” - Deuteronomy 4:29. Surely, from wherever we seek Him, if we seek Him with all our heart and soul, we will find Him. “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” - Jeremiah 29:13.
    The shepherds did indeed find the Savior exactly where the angel said they would. “And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.” Luke 2:16. But the shepherds' story doesn’t end there. In fact, the shepherd’s story continues to this very day - “Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.” - Luke 2:17-18.  All of us blessed with the knowledge of and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ must share the good news just as these lowly shepherds did. If we have truly responded in faith, sought and found the Lord Jesus Christ, how can we not join in the heavenly chorus -“Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Merry Christmas to you all!

The Cross Closes The Gap - 1 Timothy 2:5

  
 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus . . .
- 1 Timothy 2:5

    Perhaps the greatest misunderstanding about salvation that most “good people” have is the notion that they can somehow be “good enough” to merit eternity in heaven based upon their basic “goodness.” I can’t tell you how many times I have heard folks say that they think they are basically good people and do not think that a good God would punish them for eternity. But how about a “holy God?”  “And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!’” - Isaiah 6:3.
    So what of our basic human goodness? Aren’t there at least some people who truly are, by design, “good people?” “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.’” - Romans 3:10-12.
    So, on one hand we have a holy God, a God who cannot be cajoled or fooled by our overestimation of our inherent goodness, a God whose sheer holiness demands justice and on the other hand we have a demographic of people who are erroneously convinced of their innate goodness. Who is right?
    The fact of the matter is as clear as the guilt in our hearts. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t sin, transgress God’s holy law. In some cases the transgression lies in the minutia; in others, our sinfulness is as darkly deep and cold as the tomb. That tomb represents a chasm, an unbridgeable gap “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” - Genesis 6:5. With the gap between our sinfulness and God’s holiness, how can we ever possibly be justified enough in the eyes of our holy God to merit eternal salvation? How do we close the gap? The simple answer is that we can’t. It is impossible for us to ever cross from our sinfulness to the level of righteousness that God demands of us. Yet the Bible promises us salvation, does it not? “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.” - John 10:27-28.  Christ speaks to us of “My (His) “sheep.” So if we consider ourselves His sheep and we are as good as we can possibly be, doesn’t that provide us with a gate-pass to salvation?
    “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9. Clearly, Scripture tells us that we must confess our sins to be forgiven; it never suggests that some of us may be just “good enough” to merit salvation. But there simply must be more - “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that 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.’” - Romans 10:8-9. So if we confess our sins and confess Christ raised from the dead we will be saved. Why? Why can’t we simply work our way to salvation? “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” - Isaiah 64:6.
    But why Christ? “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (- John 14:6) “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:12.
    One final word of caution to those good people who remain convinced that their “good enough lives” will be “good enough” to merit salvation - “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.
    Let us remain devoted to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ whose death on the Cross closes the gap between man and God.

Murder, By Any Other Name - Psalm 94:20-21

Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, have fellowship with You? They gather together against the life of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood. - Psalm 94:20-21

    “A rose is a rose is a rose.” “It is what it is.” These seemingly simple cliches represent an example of the Law of identity which states that each thing is comprised of its own unique characteristics and cannot be confused with anything else. The concept has been around since Plato described it in 369 BC. A simpler representation of the law would be that you can paint a pig to look like a horse but it still remains a pig. But I digress, so let me get to the point - murder is murder no matter how it is differently described or by whom it is committed.
             “And God spoke all these words, saying: ‘You shall not murder.’” - Exodus 20:1, 13. Common misinterpretation had this particular Commandment forbidding the act of killing. It is murder that God is forbidding by the 6th Commandment, not the mere act of killing.Killing is often a distasteful action necessitated by self-defense, in time of war, or as sanctioned by the governing authorities because of some reprehensible criminal act, like murder.  But murder is always murder, especially in the case of innocent blood.   
  “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” - Psalm 127:3. Every human conception is ordained by God and touched by His almighty hand. No matter what the evil doers of iniquity say, children, innocent children, are being murdered by legal decree in America! Roe v Wade is nothing more that a legal decision made by godless individuals who would not recognize that it is God who delivers innocent human life! “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” - Jeremiah 1:5.
    Roe v Wade is an evil law devised and upheld by wicked men and women. It condemns innocent blood and allows other wicked men and women to murder infants in the womb! “He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.” - Proverbs 17:15.
    We must come to agree that human life within the womb is still innocent human life created by God! “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.” - Psalm 139:13. And God will not overlook or give into the evil machinations of mankind. “Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked.”  - Exodus 23:7. No woman’s desire to end a pregnancy trumps the sanctity of human life! Shame on the woman who justifies the murder of her own flesh and blood with the chant, “It is my body and I will do as I like.” Shame on the woman who arrogantly declares that she has the Constitutional right to murder her own baby. The Constitution states that “No person shall be . .
.deprived of life . . .without due process of law.” And when an infant is deprived of his or her life while still in the womb, there has been no due process!
    Know this: even if we have had or know someone who has had an abortion, God is still willing to forgive us all now! But we cannot remain silent on the matter nor can we continue to use murder for the sake of convenience. God will not be mocked. Murder is murder no matter who commits it, even if it is sanctioned by the government. Man’s laws cannot and will not supersede God’s sovereign law. Let us all pray for the end of the Roe v Wade era  in America and may we seek and pray for the forgiveness of those who have sinned in action, complicity, agreement or silent assent.
           

In The End, God Wins - Psalm 115:2

  
Why should the Gentiles say, “So where is their God?” - Psalm 115:2

    It is clear from holy scripture that much of what is said regarding false theology, reckless tongues, and hasty judgment is directed toward the Christian community. And we are to be as “lights” of the world. - “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” - Matthew 5:14-16.
    But there is still the slithering presence of the unbelieving. Those who, no matter what we say or do, will continue to despise us and seek every avenue to persecute us. And every victory they perceive is yet another notch on their belts in the war against Christianity! And they sing in unison, “So where is their God?” Are these the very people we are commissioned to preach to?
“And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.” - Matthew 10:14.
    Certainly, we are commanded by Christ to preach the gospel to all creatures. And so we must comply with our Savior’s command, even to these Godless creatures! Perhaps Spurgeon’s words sum it up - “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”
    While the unchurched and the unbelieving may not see our God and while they may continue to mock, provoke, and taunt us, let us never lose sight of our most holy God’s position. “There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21. Let us therefore take heart - “But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear; noses they have, but they do not smell; they have hands, but they do not handle; feet they have, but they do not walk; nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them.” - Psalm 115:3-8.
    May we always and everywhere place our trust in God’s sovereignty. That is where our victory lies and where the unbelievers are finally and indisputably disarmed! “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” - John: 16:33. In the end, God wins.