No ‘Work-Around’ - John 15:14

You are my friends if you do what I command you. - John 15:14

    In recent times, there has been growing failure to rightly exegete the Bible in a God-honoring way. What I mean by that is many people, non-Christians and nominal Christians, skew the words of Scripture to support their erroneous declarations about what God’s words actually mean; or should I say what God’s words mean to them? We cannot deviate from God’s word nor negotiate our way around its true meaning. “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” - Galatians 1:6-9.
    Recently, I have heard a great number of clearly fictitious and untruthful claims about what the Bible says regarding the hot topics of today. From abortion to sexual sin (and all its poisonous offshoots) to excuses for blatant racism and hatred in general, there seems to be someone who can misquote the Bible in a heartbeat, turning Holy Scripture on its head. The defenses and excuses for such pagan behavior shouldn’t boggle our minds; we should expect it, especially in this age of permissiveness. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” - 2 Timothy 4:3-4.
    They want to usurp the authority of God, so they misinterpret His words to support their barbaric inclinations. By incorrect exegesis of the Scriptures, they render the most despicable acts of man acceptable, if not desirable and noble. They even raise the sinful acts to a place of idolatry and refer to them as ‘inalienable rights’ accorded to them by the Constitution of the United States! Then they demand of us, “how dare” we choose the rightly interpreted word of God over their mongrelized and corrupted version of ‘the truth?’
    Make no mistake. There are no ‘work-arounds’ - Jesus Christ did not and does not bless the pagan practices of racists, homosexuals, abortionists, or sinners in general. He came to save sinners from the effects of their sins, not to encourage or validate the lives they have chosen for themselves or the destruction of the lives of their victims. Jesus is clear as to His position on sin. “Jesus stood up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.’” - John 8:10-11. Yes, the woman was a prostitute, a sinner. Christ forgave her sins but specifically commanded her to ‘go ... and from now on sin no more!’ He didn’t wink at her and point her toward men who wanted to pay for her services. He didn’t tell her she had done no wrong. He didn’t tell her to make sure she showed up for all his sermons, but then she could carry on as usual. He told her not to sin anymore, period. So when anyone says abortion, or hating someone based on their race or ethnicity, or a life of sexual sins is excused by God, they are lying. And God has made His position clear. “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” - Proverbs 6:16-19.
    In this culture of self-indulgence and open sinfulness, we need to understand that God, in His majesty, should rule our hearts, minds, and deeds. We must come to terms with the fact that any alternative to Jesus Christ leads to condemnation and damnation, whether the culture accepts the truth of that statement or not.
   
 

Forsaking Anger And Wrath - Psalm 37:8-9

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. - Psalm 37:8-9

    Other than the very words of Jesus Christ, these words from Psalm 37 are perhaps the most convicting of any when referring to our anger getting us into more trouble that it was worth. The psalmist isn’t warning us about protecting human life; he’s telling us we should not turn our anger into active wrath. There is no mention of the fear for our lives or the lives of innocents.
    Let us first define wrath. According to Merriam-Webster, wrath is a strong vengeful anger or indignation or retributory punishment for an offense or a crime. And we can define retributory punishment as ‘revenge.’ The Scripture is categorical with humans and revenge; such a response to any wrongdoing remains God’s purview, and God’s alone.
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” - Romans 12:19. Both the Old Testament and the New are replete with warnings about humans avenging any wrongdoing.
    Not that Scripture proscribes us from preventing a wrongdoing if it should be within our power. What Scripture admonishes is the wrathful action of our uncontrolled anger. We must not worry ourselves about how we can get back at someone who has violated us in some earthly manner, but leave it to God to see the righteousness reigns. “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.” - Deuteronomy 32:35.
    Imagine all the heartache and distress we could avoid if in our hearts and minds we could just come to terms with the fact that God will make all things right in His own time. We could calmly walk away, knowing that God sees all things and forgets nothing. And while we are so busy concerning ourselves with the here and now, God is busy with our eternity! What we should do is pray for God’s strength to endure and persevere. This is God’s plan for us. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” - Romans 12:12. This is God’s plan for us when we face adversity and affliction. Hope, be patient, and pray. That is what our response should be under situations of duress and challenge.
    No one has ever said that turning the other cheek would be the easy thing to do. But as Christians, we are seldom called to do the easy things. We are called to carry our crosses ... and without complaint! “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” - Luke 14:27. 
    We simply cannot react to the ways of the world in a worldly manner. If we did so, how could anyone tell us apart from the world? When we counter-punch every assault; if we cursed every curse; and if we wrestle with every opponent, how are any different in the eyes of our observers?  How would we be any different in the eyes of our observers? The evil we accuse our enemies of, we will be guilty too. And we know by God’s own word that evildoers will be cut off.
    And do we still not know that for many of those who look upon us, we are the only ‘Bible’ they will ever see? How will they differ our angry cursing from the Gospel we preach? How will they ever know the difference between worldly words and the word of God?
    Of course, it is a challenge to refrain from anger and forsake wrath! If it was easy, anyone could do it. We can’t even hope to accomplish such a task on our own power. We need the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, to shut down our impulses. Jesus assures us of that much. “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5. But we have great power when we rely on our Lord and Savior. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:13. We must not only look like Christians; we must act like Christians. Let us refrain from anger and forsake wrath, knowing that our inheritance awaits us.







 

Fault Is Best Viewed In A Mirror - Psalm 66:18

If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. - Psalm 66:18

    There is a constant hum among unbelievers, near-believers, and weak believers about the efficacy of prayer. We hear how these people have prayed and yet God has ignored their desires. In their minds, it is always God that has somehow failed to come through. Seldom do they ever consider that it might be their fault that God has seen fit to ignore their prayers. “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” - Isaiah 59:1-2.
    How often have we heard the pangs of abandonment when tragedy takes place? “God doesn’t listen. God doesn’t care. Where is God when we need Him?” Assume the human-fold for a moment. Which of you would be quick to present someone with a gift who paid you no deference or ignored you? Who berated you and disparaged you? Someone who disrespected you and cast aspersions your way? Consider now the definition of a gift. A gift is something that has not been earned by the prospective receiver. Something that wasn’t due him or her. A gift is something that you bestow upon someone out of the goodness of your heart, not because they had it coming to them. Trust my words when I say that the last thing any of us wants from God is what is coming to us. Never has the adage, ‘Be careful what you wish for,’ been so apropos.
    “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” - James 4:3. These are the prayers of the unrighteous. It should come as no surprise that God ignores such plights. The prayers of the unrighteous are astounding in their audacity and presumptuousness. Yet when they go unanswered, the sinner shrugs his shoulders and points at God and swears, “He is the reason my prayers have not been answered!” Beside being absolutely absurd, only the cries from hell are more thunderous.
    So whose prayers will God hear and answer? The Bible is very clear about answered prayer. First, we must ask in faith. “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” - Matthew 21:22. Then we must ask according to God’s will, not ours. “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” - 1 John 5:14. We must obey His commandments. “and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” - 1 John 3:22. Finally, we must ask everything in Christ’s name. “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”- John 14:13-14.    All the above mentioned prerequisites have one thing in common: they are the traits common to all true believers in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So it is of the utmost importance that before we assign fault or blame for failing to receive gifts and blessings from God, that we look deeply into the mirror before we point the finger at God.
    God’s mercy is not due us otherwise it wouldn’t be mercy. It is God’s decision to show mercy to whom he will show mercy. “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’” - Romans 9:15. We cannot demand mercy. The very thought of doing so is ludicrous. Nor we cannot expect it if we are determined to live our lives according to our own worldly wills and desires. God has no obligation to bless us. That is the Biblical truth. So if we are intent on having things our own way, then we should not find fault in God, but in ourselves.

Reservations Only - Matthew 25:34

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. - Matthew 25:34

    There are only two ways one can obtain an inheritance: by birth or by adoption. No one else is entitled to my inheritance, as it has been reserved for me through one or the other of these ways. The neighbor’s kids can’t receive it. A distant cousin cannot receive it. A perfect stranger cannot receive it. It is reserved for me and legally bequeathed to me by the grace of the testator. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you ...”- 1 Peter 1:3-4.
    Our inheritance awaits us upon our passing from the flesh into the spirit. Upon our deaths, we who have been chosen by God will receive the eternal life as promised to us by God Himself! “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” - Ephesians 1:13-14.
This is the Promise handed down to those who are faithful to God through faith in Jesus Christ. There is no other way to obtain the inheritance. We cannot work our way into it, nor can we cajole our way into it. God is not deceived. God cannot be pandered to by our base and fleshly desires for eternity in heaven. Our heavenly Father is above reproach and will not succumb to our devilish machinations, regardless of our ostentatious behavior. It is only through genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that our inheritance awaits us. “For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.” Romans 4:13.
    The manner in which we become heirs of the promise is evident on every page of Holy Scripture. One cannot reasonably hope for salvation and the promise of salvation by thinking, speaking, and behaving like one who is ‘of the world.’ We must live in such a way that is exemplary of our place in the Book of Life. “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.” - Revelation 21:27.
    We must understand that we are forever at the mercy of our Almighty God and that a life lived in complete and utter disregard for His will can only lead to perdition, endlessly and eternally, without relief.    
    The scriptures are replete with warnings and cautions against walking in the ways of the world. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” - 1 John 2:15. This inheritance was reserved for us before time began and is guaranteed to all who love and have faith in His only begotten Son. It’s not a winning lottery or scratch-off ticket we can buy at our own expense. It is the gift of God that we obtain by His grace alone. “ ... he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” - Titus 3:5-7. This is the promise and the glory reserved for us if we but persevere in the faith.

What Kind Of Love - Matthew 27:22

Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” - Matthew 27:22

    The question is simple enough. I don’t mean bleeding in the sense of injuring oneself on the job we do to feed our families, nor do I mean sacrificing oneself for a nation during times of war or in law enforcement. Bleeding and dying in those instances isn’t the goal. It is incidental to the goal. No, I mean for whom have we deliberately bled our own precious blood. “For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” - Matthew 26:28. This is the love of Christ beginning on the night of the Last Supper.
    What kind of love would be required for Jesus to die deliberately for someone else? I believe I would die for my wife or my children, a sibling, or a dear close friend. But what special set of circumstances would have to be present for me to bleed wilfully and die for a perfect stranger? For people who are estranged from me? For people who hate everything I stand for? For people who hate everything I am willing to die for? Could anyone of sound mind, knowing what awaited Christ, doubt the veracity of His Gethsemane prayer? “And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.’”- Luke 22:41-42.
    His love must be beyond reproach if He was willing to sacrifice His own life for the lives of those who would blaspheme His holy name just days after they proclaimed Him their King.“And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’” - Matthew 21:9. For those Jews who celebrated the coming of the Messiah, ‘hosanna’ meant, ‘pray for us, save us.’ And what of people today who will pray for financial gain, a new home, or any other worldly treasure then arrogantly deny the very divinity of Christ? Who were they praying to? The fickleness of man is absurd!
    On this Good Friday, let us never forget the love that has forgiven us; the love that has saved us; the love that comes only from God Himself. Let us raise our own voices as those in the past and sing, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
   

Where Christ Is Lord His Word Is Truth - 1 John 4:6

We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. - 1 John 4:6

    I drive an hour plus each way to the church service I attend on Sunday and any other event that may be featured during the year. That’s better than a two-hour drive to attend church. Many people ask me why I don’t elect to attend a church closer to me. I’m not sure they understand why I do so, even after I’ve tried to explain.
    In my lifetime, I have attended so many different churches that I cannot recall the exact number. I’ve sat through the services of every denomination, from Roman Catholic to some of the most ambiguous ‘non-denominational’ churches you could imagine. But every one of them failed to deliver the infallible and inerrant Word of God! They threw a Bible verse or two around when it suited them or they failed to apply proper hermeneutics to their exegesis. Some even dispensed with the entirety of the Holy Bible, claiming its strict adhesion to faithful doctrine divides people rather than bringing them together. And some even liked to make God up as they go along, being very careful to avoid offending anyone with the truth! “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” - 2 Timothy 4:3-4. Make no mistake about it: truth must never be compromised for the sake of peace.
    So you can probably imagine how grateful I was when I found a church that was a bastion of truth through Jesus Christ. And all I had to do was drive a couple of hours to fellowship as the Holy Bible recommended. “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them... I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people... For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”- Leviticus 26:3,11-12 and Matthew 18:20.
    The key to my satisfaction with my church rests entirely on the fact that I have long admitted that I am a sinner and that Jesus made propitiation for my sins to redeem me from an eternity in hell. And that is what my church professes.
    That may be a lot to digest, especially when most people aren’t even willing to admit they are sinners! Most folks say, “well, nobody’s perfect.” But that’s as far as they’re willing to go. The reason they take such a dim view of sin and its consequences can be narrowed down to two rationalizations: it is what they are being taught in their churches, or it is a self-contrived view of their state of depravity. But that is not what the Bible teaches. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” - John 4:24. The acolytes of false teaching worship neither in the Holy Spirit nor do they worship in the truth!
    As true Bible-believing Christians, it is our duty to understand Christ as our Lord and by doing so we understand His word is truth. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” - John 14:6. This is the Christ of the Bible. This is the Christ of truth. This is Jesus Christ, in His own words! It is only when we see Him in this context that we can worship Him and fellowship according to the will of God. This is the church where we can feel at one with our brethren, our pastors, and the true Word of God. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
    Yes, I continue my weekly two-hour drive to church service each Sunday and will continue to do so as there is no substitute for the inerrant and infallible word of God delivered in both truth and spirit..

The Petrine Fear Factor - Matthew 10:32-33

   
So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. - Matthew 10:32-33.

    There are many people who have a difficult time sharing the Gospel with family members and friends. It’s easy from a worldly point of view to understand this hesitancy by some brethren. It’s not a matter of avoiding religion or politics among polite company. Often, it comes down to the fear that sharing the word of God forthrightly will offend the friend or family member. And not without reason. Some of the best loved people in our lives are not just silent about God; they aggressively insult our beliefs and God Himself. “Don’t come in here, preaching to me” The comment, if not verbalized that way, often takes the place of the elephant in the room when the subject is broached. But Jesus Himself has warned us against such faintheartedness in the face of trenchant opposition and they are words we would be wise to heed. “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” - Mark 8:38. This sobering advice to any Christian.
    We shouldn’t forget the lesson of Peter in the courtyard when he denied Christ, not once or twice but three times; this even after Jesus had warned him of his cowering denials. “Jesus said to him, ‘Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.’ Peter said to him, ‘Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!’ And all the disciples said the same.” - Matthew 26:34-35. We all know what happened to Peter’s bravado in the face of his own fears.
    Fortunately for Peter. His story didn’t end with his fall from grace in the courtyard. Eventually, he was raised from the ashes of his spiritual failure to become Christ’s ‘rock.’ Everywhere he went, he boldly proclaimed the name of Jesus.  “...let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”- Acts 4:10-12. This was preaching in boldness; not something couched in hesitancy or fear of angering others.
    Peter’s restoration brought him to the pinnacle of spiritual faith, even unto death upon the cross under the order of Emperor Nero in approximately 64 AD. And we’re too reluctant to proclaim Christ as King to our own family and friends?
    Paul the Apostle issues the proclamation that we should go forth fervently with God’s word. “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” - 2 Timothy 4:1-2.
    These words aren’t simply advice on how we are to share God’s word if we feel no resistance from those around us. This is what we must do as Christians wherever we are and whenever we feel compelled by the Holy Spirit to do as Christ commands us. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20. This is the command of Jesus Christ, no matter who the audience is. Our job as Christians is not to succumb to the fear of Peter, but to aspire to his boldness.