The Cost Of The World - Matthew 16:26

 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? - Matthew 16:26

    The world we live in is a secular prison. We are expected to behave in a “politically correct” manner or we face the wrath of the world. One need only pick up a newspaper or turn on the news to see what has been happening to Christians around the world, not just here in America. In fact, in many foreign places Christians risk life and limb if they refuse to conform to the world.
    The Greek word for soul is psuchē. The definition mentions three very closely related words: spirit, soul, and vitality. Christ was teaching His disciples that there was no “profit,” i.e. benefit or advantage, if they were to gain the popularity of the world then in turn lose their spirit, vitality, or soul. Here Christ is equating spirit, vitality, or soul with spiritual life, something a great deal more valuable than the kudos of the world. Jesus is asking us the point blank question: if we sit well in the world at the expense of our spiritual life what have we gained? If it has cost us our spiritual life then we remain spiritually dead! And the spiritually dead will not be granted eternal salvation. “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” - John 3:3.
    We must always remember that conforming to the world isn’t in our best interest,
spiritually. But the decision to conform remains solidly within our hearts. And we know from the words of holy Scripture that our hearts can only exist in one of two realms. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” - Matthew 6:21. Does our treasure consist of loving the world or does it consist of loving Christ? One way relies on human pride and  maintains mankind’s enmity with God; the other repents in humility and relies on God’s grace through the blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Did Christ Die For Everyone? - John 17:9

 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.” - John 17:9

My father was a generous man. They said of him that “he never met a stranger.” So it came as no surprise that when we had company over he would always insist to my siblings and myself, “Make sure everyone gets something to eat.” He wanted to make sure that “everyone” was fed, but did he actually and technically mean “everyone?” Everyone as in everyone on the planet? Well you can see that he meant everyone who was visiting our home. My point here is that semantics must be considered, especially when terms like “everyone” or “everybody” are used, especially in the Bible. Christ was very specific when He chose to be. No cryptic parables or unfathomable commands. Jesus could cut straight to the point, as the title verse shows. But there are still many evangelical Christians who believe that Christ died for all of humanity. When even He said He did not come to save everyone. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” - Matthew 7:21. There are countless times in the Bible when Christ refers to “His sheep” as opposed to all sheep. “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” - John 10:14. It is vitally important for us to understand that if “all the people” were ultimately going to heaven (Universalism) Christ need not have suffered and died for us in the first place. There would be no such place as hell! But we know there is such a place of eternal suffering because Jesus told there is. “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” - Luke 12:5. In fact, of all the prophets and apostles who are mentioned in our Holy Bible, it is Jesus who has more to say about hell than any other! But those of us who are truly Christ’s sheep need not fear the warnings of Jesus.  “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13: 41-42. No, Christ didn’t die for everyone but He is the Good Shepherd and for His sheep (the elect) who believe in Him eternal salvation awaits us by the grace of God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

What Did Jesus Say About . . . John 1:1-5

 
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. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. - John 1:1-5

In the quaint commonness of a neighbor’s suggestion that someone who is not a believer is a “very nice person,” abounds one of the most profoundly Satanic lies ever perpetrated by the Adversary. Of course the unbelieving individual could be considered “nice” in the worldly view held by other unbelievers but never in the Biblical view - “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. It’s me, it’s you. It’s he and she, they and them, it’s all of us - we are all SINNERS! And yes, that includes the nice old ladies next door. But what of the person who says that he or she is a believer? “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.’” - Matthew 7:21. Doing God’s will is requisite. We must all be about our Father’s business!
“Of course,” you say, “but no one practices their faith in God perfectly.” Sanctification is fraught with mistakes. True, but it is not an occasional stumble or fall from grace that condemns us; it is a constant and careless sinful life-style which does so! We all trip over our human weaknesses from time to time but we are not to make excuses for our foibles. But neither are we to throw ourselves at the mercy of the judgement of unbelievers. We admit our error; repent . . . and continue in our walk with Christ. The critical eye of the unbeliever will find something inherently wrong even when we walk the righteous walk. It is God’s judgement we must fear, not the neighbor’s.
So let us return to the question being considered. Indeed, what has Jesus said about certain sins? Need we find a soliloquy by Christ on the subject of robbery, murder, adultery, and every other specific sin to have a written document of Christ’s objections to those unlisted sins that we, by our worldly natures, would most like to consider “acceptable?” The answer is a resounding, “No!” The reason for this is that Christ, as a member of the Triune Godhead has spoken to us through the writers of the Bible. Their words are not their own but God’s. Therefore every word from “In the beginning . . .” (Genesis 1, First page) to “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” (Revelation 22:21 Last page) are the words of God and because they are the words of God that includes Jesus Christ. Christ has spoken to us about everything. Every word of the Bible is Christ’s word to us. Let us defend the veracity of Christ’s words in season and out, regardless of what our very nice neighbor’s might think!

All Things New - Revelation 21:5

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” - Revelation 21:5

A New Year has arrived and with it concerns, fears, and trepidations are sure to abound. After all, 2015 was a hot mess for Bible-believing Christians. I would recount all the terrible news we’ve had to deal with but it would only serve to depress most. Suffice to say that just when we thought (hoped and prayed) that it couldn’t get worse . . . it did and with a vengeance! So what can we expect in the coming year. There will be a Presidential election so perhaps and hopefully we get a real Christian for our new Commander-In-Chief. But that would still fall far short of the national revival this country so desperately needs. The answer is we continue to keep the faith; we hold on - “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” - Revelation 21:7-8.
Let’s face it. It may not be today or tomorrow; it may not even be in 2016 but be assured - He will return just as He said He would. Will we be ready? “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:42-44.
We must keep our faith in God alive and well during the driest season, during the monsoons, during the darkest days and during the brightest and salvation will be ours. No matter what we are forced to endure we must maintain our faith in His return. We will not be disappointed. The glory of heaven awaits us. And for those who remain stiff-necked in their unbelief? There is still time to repent, -“But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” - Revelation 21:27. Their time is indeed running out. But for those of us who believe, let us all look forward to Christ making all thing new. A very blessed New Year to all.

Joy Beyond Description - Matthew 25:21

“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’” - Matthew 25:21

To hear our almighty God speak these words to us presents an indescribable glory reserved only for those whom God takes extreme pleasure in. On the day of His return are these the words we will hear? Were we to take the greatest pleasures of the world and aptly describe them in the most articulate way possible we would never even come close to what God has in store for us. “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’” - 1 Corinthians 2:9. The joy of the Lord resides in our eternal salvation in heaven.
A joy beyond human description can only be a joy that we share with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Christ as the cornerstone of our faith we will never know such joy. This is what Jesus brought to the manger. This is what Jesus brought to Calvary. This is what Jesus raised from the grave on Easter Sunday, a joy beyond description. Let us all share in the joy and the glory that began in a humble manger on Christmas Day!
                                                       Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
                                                       Let earth receive her King;
                                                       Let every heart prepare Him room,
                                                      And heav’n and nature sing,
                                                      And heav’n and nature sing,
                                                      And heav’n, and heav’n, and nature sing.

God’s Merciful Justice - Habakkuk 3:2

O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid;
O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk 3:2
                                       

The death toll continues to climb as Islamic Jihadists take one life after another. And like Habakkuk we cry out, “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you ‘Violence!’ and you will not save?” Habakkuk 1:2. And just as in Habakkuk’s day our nation is as foul and sinful as was Judah. When we wonder how much worse things can become we find a greater threat on the horizon: Islamic terror. We often think of Russia as being our greatest national security threat just as in the prophet’s day when Assyria seemed to be the threat of the moment. Yet God’s plan involved bringing Babylon to the forefront. It seems that perhaps God has also seen fit to bring radical Islam to the forefront in our time.
What we must remember is God’s infinite mercy. No matter how terrible the events that take place in our time. No matter how harsh the apparent wrath of God may be for us. We must remember three things. (1) We, as a nation, have abandoned God; it is not the other way around. (2) The world around us has always been the purview of Satan and his demons, and (3) it is incumbent upon us to return to God. “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” - 2 Chronicles 7:14.
The NY Daily News published it’s headline on December 3rd, 2015 - “God Isn’t Fixing This.” The paper’s point was that prayer is useless in the fight against violence. Prayer is never useless; we have become useless without prayer. Look at our schools, our culture, our government, and our place in the world. Prayer is not the problem; not praying enough is! Despite the News’s headline God is indeed fixing this, although not in the way they would expect . . . and perhaps not in the way we would either. If God is using the modern Babylonians to punish us for abandoning Him then nothing we will ever do will stop the onslaught. We must return to Him. This is His command to us. And we must pray! Then and only then He will be quick to forgive us and heal our land.

A Thanksgiving Prayer- Matthew 26:11

“For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.” - Matthew 26:11

Our sovereign Lord, Jesus Christ had long ago declared that we will have the poor with us forever. No charitable man-contrived effort will ever undo the will of God Almighty. (For more on how man-contrived efforts work out against the will of God see Genesis 11:1-8) Speaking of the Old Testament we see that here too God has informed us that we will indeed have the poor with us always. “For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’” - Deuteronomy 15:11. So the poor are with us forever. And therein lies the Christian’s commission to the needy: we are to open our hands to them!
It is easy to rest beside the security and fat of our own hearths on Thanksgiving Day but are we fulfilling our duty to the needy from the comfort of our tables? What have we done for them?
 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” - Matthew 25:40. Have we indeed said to ourselves, “I will do whatever I can for these people during the rest of the year but on this day . . . I will not?” Shall we now say, “On any other day but this one?”
Honoring our God and risen Savior is paramount in the life of a Christian and we honor Him when we follow His simple but often times perplexing command, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” - 1 John 4:11.
Today, as we celebrate the provisions of common grace that God has granted all of us, let us also share our abundance with those less fortunate. Write a check; send a bag of groceries; open your doors; set another plate at your table; volunteer at a food bank or local church serving the homeless, but most of all - open your hearts to those in need. Yes, we will have the poor with us forever but they need not go without a gesture of true Christian kindness on a day that we will be giving thanks to God.