So You Need Eye-Witnesses Before You Will Believe?

Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

Matthew 27:54(KJV)

It was the centurion, who cried out, 'truly this was the Son of God', when he saw the earthquake, the darkness, and all that took place at Calvary, on that pivotal point in history. Surely the life of the centurion who uttered these earth-shattering words, by divine revelation, was never the same again. Surely, for all who can look to the Lord Jesus in His death and resurrection and declare, truly this is the Son of God - this is the Saviour of the world, life can never, ever be the same again.

No doubt this man was witness to the reviling actions of the Jews and the distress of the women, as Christ was led as a lamb to the slaughter. No doubt he also heard the precious pardon awarded to the dying thief; the words of grace offered to His mother; His anguished cry when He took the full weight of the world's sin upon His sinless shoulders and surely this same centurion heard Christ's triumphant proclamation of His forever finished work - IT IS FINISHED - Tetelestai.

What a unique catalogue of events took place in that brief moment of time. Mockers scorned, women wept and the whole heavenly host gazed on in stunned silence and awestruck wonder, as the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the Father, fulfilled the final letter-of-the-Law to satisfy the holy requirements of a thrice-holy God.

The earth was shaken to its very foundation, the sun was blackened as thick darkness shrouded the bloody scene of 'life-giving death'. The veil of the temple was torn through, from top to bottom, and the Son of God, Who had drained the bitter cup to its dregs, placed Himself into His Father's keeping, willingly giving up His life for all.

This centurion had no doubt been an eye-witness to scores of crucifixions, for this was the long, slow and painful death that had been introduced by Rome to ensure that the convicted criminal, under Roman jurisdiction, suffered the most excruciating agony in payment for their wicked deeds.

This man had no doubt been present at the cruel beating of Christ and witnessed the point when the sun was darkened for three hours and a great and mighty earthquake announced heaven's verdict on the sinful actions of sinful man - as the wrath of God was poured out on the sinless Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.

Surely the life of that Centurion, who was witness to Christ's redemptive payment for his sin, and the sins of every member of the fallen human race - including your sin and mine, was never the same after he watched Jesus on the cross, and witnessed the earthquake, the darkness and the many things that were done to our Lord.

And so, an unnamed centurion, who was simply carrying out his soldierly duty, who was an eye-witness to this unique happening on that decisive day in the history of humanity, was caused to announce in tones... that would reverberate down through the corridors of time: truly this was the Son of God.

Surely the life of the centurion who witnessed his Saviour dying on that Tree of crucifixion, and who uttered those earth-shattering words by divine revelation, was never, ever the same again. Truly this IS the Son of God.

My Prayer

Loving Father, as I reflect on the awesome scene that took place when the Lord Jesus suffered and died for me, I bless Your name for revealing to me the gospel of grace and for drawing me into Your family as Your child. It seems that in this day and age we need multiple witnesses to everything. We forget the Bible, your word to us, has multiple witnesses in the men and women who walked with Jesus. May I never become so 'familiar' with this scene that I forget its true significance. I worship before Your throne and praise Your holy name, for You truly are my most wonderful Saviour and I love You - in Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.

Knowing Jesus is the beginning of Wisdom!

See you next blog,

Ted

Sunday Morning Reminder

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
—2 Corinthians 5:17

I heard about an old farmer, his wife, and their son who had never been to the big city. So they got into their old pickup truck, drove to the city, and found a place to park. The farmer’s wife decided to wait in the truck while her husband and son walked to a gleaming skyscraper to take a closer look.

As they entered the massive lobby, they watched as a set of mysterious doors opened and an elderly woman stepped inside. Then the doors closed. After a few moments passed, the doors opened again, and a beautiful young woman walked out.

The old farmer turned to his son and said, “Quick! Go get Mama!”

Wouldn’t it be great if we could walk into church as one person and leave as another? The Bible tells us that when we become Christians, we turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God (see Acts 26:18). But that is not an instantaneous process.

Conversion happens in a moment, but the Christian life is one of growth and consistency. Salvation, or regeneration, is coming to Christ. Sanctification is growing in Christ. And that takes a lifetime.

The way you do that, according to Jesus, is to abide in Him and have His Word abiding in you (see John 15:4–7). It’s consistently walking with Jesus Christ each and every day.

We all struggle with certain sins. But the Bible tells us, “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6 NLT). Sin no longer holds us in its grip. We can overcome it.

Jesus has broken the power of sin that used to control your life. You’re a new person in Christ.

Pastor Greg Laurie

Do you truly trust the Lord to vindicate you when wronged?

And all the horns of the wicked He will cut off, But the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

Psalm 75:10(NASB)

There are times when we look at all the evil that is flooding the world, and the terrible atrocities that are carried out by wicked men, and we are grieved. We grieve because many never seem to be judged for their wrongdoing or punished for their evil deeds. We wonder why things are so unjust in the world, and long for the day when the unrighteous will be held to account and the wicked will be judged by righteous standards.

But this is not a new concern that has surfaced in the 21st century. Over a thousand years before Christ was born, King David and the psalmist, Asaph, were complaining of these same injustices. Lot was sore distressed by the lascivious lifestyle of the wicked in Sodom, and even before the flood, Noah, a preacher of righteousness, was witness to the same dilemma -  for we read that in those days, there was only evil - continually.

Asaph was a Levite, who wrote a number of psalms. He faced the same problems of prideful evil-doers who seemed to flourish, while God's people remain down-trodden and abused. In Psalm 75 we find Asaph, longing for the day when these wicked men would be forced to drain the dregs of the foaming cup of God's wrath. In this psalm, Asaph acknowledges that God will one day judge the wicked in righteousness. But like us, he wondered how long it would be before justice was poured out on the godless society of his day - just as we wonder today!

While Asaph shared our concerns, he was a man of faith who did not doubt that God was the sovereign Judge of the earth. He did not waver in his belief that the Lord would most certainly punish the wicked... at the right time, and in the right way. As with all scripture, the writings of Asaph are God-breathed, and in this little Psalm, we find that his writing alternates between his own thoughts and words he attributes to the Lord.

Asaph began by giving thanks to God for remaining close to His people. He rejoiced that all the wondrous works of God were being declared by men. But the psalmist was so confident that God's promises are secure, that his writings continued as if the Lord, Himself was speaking. "When I select an appointed time," God said, "I will judge the world with equity. All who dwell in on earth will melt. It is I who have firmly set its pillars in place. I said to the boastful, 'Do not boast,' and to the wicked, 'do not lift up the horn. Do not lift up your horn on high. Do not speak with insolent pride'."

The psalmist was so confident that God would judge the world in righteousness and equity, at His appointed time, that his praises resounded with a triumphant note of sure victory as he declared, "And all the horns of the wicked He will cut off, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up". He rejoiced in the prophetic certainty that God would one day cut down the strength of the wicked, while the strength of the righteous would be lifted up.

A 'horn' in Scripture symbolises great strength, but Asaph does not fear what man can do to him for his greater confidence is in the Lor, Whose strong arm is mighty to save. He knows, without a shadow of a doubt that Yahwah will one day judge the world in righteousness - and condemn the wicked ways of unrepentant, fallen man.

Like Asaph, we can have great confidence and the unshakable assurance that the terrible atrocities that are carried out by wicked men today, and throughout the pages of history... those deeds that are so grievous to us and the unjust activities of wicked men, will be held to account in God's appointed time and in His perfect way.

About three thousand years have passed since Asaph wrote this joyful hymn of triumph over the wicked, but the truth that God will one day judge the world in righteousness is as fresh and factual today as it was in those days of Israel's kings, when holy men of God penned the holy Scriptures for our learning.

My prayer for you my friends is that we never doubt the faithfulness of God to vindicate those that are His and to cut off the 'horns' - the strength, of the wicked. It may take a while, but if allow it God will vindicate his own. And may we rejoice.. that in Christ we have the sufficient strength to stand firm in the evil day, knowing that our hope is in Him.

My Prayer

We give thanks to You, O heavenly Father, that You are close to Your people and will one day judge the world in righteousness. We praise and glorify Your holy name, for Your word of truth and the great comfort we gain from psalmists like Asaph, whose trust and confidence in You, is reflected in their edifying psalms of praise and thanksgiving. Thank You that You are a God of justice as well as a great God of love, and that a day is coming when You will stand up as Judge of the earth, and put all wrongs to right. Thank You that You will one day punish those that speak with insolent pride, as they drink the dregs of Your justified anger, and thank You that the strength of evil men will one day be cut off and Your people will be raised up into newness of life. Thank You that I am Your child and I will sing praises to You in Your court forever - in Jesus' name, I pray, AMEN.

Knowing Jesus is the first step to wisdom!

Life: What a Beautiful Choice

Not long ago I was talking with someone from Facebook about choices. She had just aborted her baby and now felt like she committed murder. I had to tell her the truth-she did! However, there is room at the cross for anyone, for any reason to come and repent of our sins and accept the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It will change you the minute you mean it. Oh, you won't be perfect, you will still commit offenses until your last day, but they get less and less because you find such perfect love from the creator God. If you have committed the sin of abortion, and you would like to go a different direction, ask the Lord today into your life and see what a difference the gift of real life makes. One more time, I want to introduce you to Pastor Ray Pritchard of Keep Believing Ministries:

by Pastor Ray Pritchard

This is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. We join with thousands of churches across America in upholding the value of all human life from the moment of conception to the moment of death. We choose this day because it is the Sunday closest to January 22. On that day in 1973, the Supreme Court handed down its infamous Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion on demand in America. Since that day, over 62 million unborn babies have died legally in America.

We come together not just to celebrate the value of life, but also to protest the killing of the unborn. We raise our voices in one great call from every corner of this nation that enough blood has been shed. It is time for the killing to end.

How should we think properly about abortion?

Let’s start with the number 62 million.
Practically speaking, what does that mean?

Here’s a way to think about it:

Take the population of Georgia,
Plus the population of Michigan,
Add the population of Virginia,
Plus the population of Nebraska,
Add the population of Nevada,
Include the population of Iowa,
Add the population of South Dakota,
Then add the population of Rhode Island,
Take the population of Arizona,
Plus the population of Oregon,
Add the population of Kansas,
Include the population of Vermont,
Add the population of Massachusetts,
Plus the population of Mississippi,
Then add the population of Alaska.

That would total approximately 62 million people.

That’s 15 states wiped out.
Gone. Vanished.
Legally killed.

That’s what we’ve done in America since 1973.
That’s what we’re still doing at the rate of 700,000 children a year.

Because this is a sensitive issue, many people prefer not to think about it. In every church you will find a spectrum of opinions and experiences. In every church on every Sunday, pastors speak to women who have had an abortion.

Some are angry.
Some are brokenhearted.
Some are guilty.
Some are frustrated.
Some are unsure where they stand.
Some want to change the subject.

It’s almost impossible to find anyone who is truly neutral.

Against that background, I want to ask a simple question. What does it mean to be pro-life?
 

I. We must affirm the value and dignity of all human life, born and unborn.

Consider these passages of Scripture:

1. Psalm 139:13-15

For it was you who created my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will praise you
because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.
Your works are wondrous,
and I know this very well.
¹⁵ My bones were not hidden from you
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth.

This is the strongest statement on God’s prenatal care in the Bible. How much does he know about the unborn baby growing in the womb? Everything. Like a skillful weaver, God takes the tiny hands and legs and joins them to the body. He forms the heart and then sets it beating. He watches over the thumb and makes sure it finds the mouth.

Who makes babies? God does.

2. Jeremiah 1:5  

“I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born.”

When we see the unborn, we ought to worship God because they are his creation. We ought to proceed with holy caution and respect for life. God is at work in the womb, and his fingerprints are everywhere. When you touch an unborn child, you touch the handiwork of God.

3. Luke 1:41,44   

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (41) . . . ‘For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me’” (44).

This is the story of Mary (who was pregnant with Jesus) going to greet Elizabeth (who was pregnant with John the Baptist). When these two expectant mothers greeted each other, Elizabeth’s baby (the yet-to-be-born John the Baptist) leaped for joy in the womb. The Greek word translated “baby” is brephos; the same word is used elsewhere for an infant (Luke 18:15). It demonstrates the biblical understanding that the unborn child is fully human.

Who gives life? God Almighty. Who causes the unborn baby to survive inside the womb? God Almighty. Who takes the little hands and feet and eyes and nose and lips and assembles them in the womb? God Almighty.

If we believe the Bible, then we believe in the sanctity of all human life, born and unborn. From the moment of conception, a distinct individual has come into being—an individual made in the image of God; an individual with a human soul; an individual for whom Christ died. We must say that; we must repeat it. When a baby is aborted, it is not simply the termination of a pregnancy; it is the killing of an innocent human being made in God’s image.

The Bible puts a high value on human life that stands in stark contrast to the moral schizophrenia of this age. Unborn children are just as valuable in the sight of God as those who happen to make it out of the womb. I will tell you the truth: the most dangerous place to be in America today is inside your mother’s womb. You have a one in four chance of not making it out alive.
 

II. Though it may be unpopular, we must continue to speak out.

Consider the words of Proverbs 24:11-12:

“Rescue those being taken off to death,
and save those stumbling toward slaughter.

If you say, ‘But we didn’t know about this,
won’t he who weighs hearts consider it?
Won’t he who protects your life know?
Won’t he repay a person according to his work?’”

This passage asks us to consider a sobering reality: Picture thousands of people being herded into railroad cars bound for the death camps. None of them will return. They are heading for mass murder. You are there, you see it, you know what is happening. What will you do? It is the Corrie ten Boom question.

Someone is dying unjustly.
You see it happening.
What will you do about it?

Here is a solemn word from the Lord. It’s a warning against those who make excuses for not getting involved: “It’s too messy. People won’t understand. I can’t risk my reputation that way. What if someone sees me? I might get arrested. It’s not my place to say anything. I can’t change the world. Why bother trying?” On and on you go, arguing against personal involvement. Slowly the train chugs out of the station. It is too late to do anything now.

In this age when abortion has almost become a national sacrament, it’s good to remember that lives are saved and hearts changed one at a time. A moving scene from Schindler’s List comes to mind. At the end of the film, Oskar Schindler is filled with remorse that he saved so few people. But you saved 1,100, he is reminded. Yet I could have saved more, he cries. Knowing his pain, the survivors present him with a gold ring inscribed with a saying from the Talmud: “Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.”

A friend sent me an Advent calendar with the title “Do You Have Room?” It’s built around Luke 2:7, “And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” As you open the calendar there are tear-off strips of paper containing various contemporary excuses the innkeeper might give today:

“Sorry. It’s dinnertime. Don’t interrupt me.”
“Totally frazzled. I can’t handle more company.”
“Sorry! Christmas pageant tonight. God bless you. Bye.”
“Not now! I’m listening for tonight’s Lotto numbers.”
“Can’t afford to put up company.”

It was a not-so-subtle reminder that for those who prefer to sit on the sidelines, there are always plenty of convenient excuses.

For Corrie ten Boom there really was no option. When she saw the Jews being herded off to the concentration camps, her Christian faith propelled her to action. One by one she hid them in her attic. Eventually the authorities discovered what she was doing and sent her to one of the camps herself. There her sister died, but Corrie lived to tell the story. When asked why she got involved, she replied very simply, “I had no other choice.”

Take a look around you. You can’t do everything, but you can do something. If you are a Christian, you have no other choice.

Brothers and sisters, we must tell the truth to a generation that doesn’t want to hear it. When you kill an unborn child, you have violated the Sixth Commandment: “You shall not murder.” It is not politically correct to say that these days, and those from the left have said, “No, you have to back off. If you’re going to be pro-life, you can’t use words like kill or murder.” But when the Bible speaks, we must speak. When the blood of the unborn has stained this nation to the tune of 62 million dead in 47 years, isn’t it high time for us to stand up and start telling the truth? Please understand something. We are not in a popularity contest; we are in a truth contest. And we are on the side of truth because we are on the side of life.
 

III. We must win this battle one heart at a time.

God has given us a weapon the unbeliever does not have—the weapon of prayer. It’s a weapon that can change the world. Instead of losing our temper, we should be on our knees in tears and deep repentance praying for our nation.

Slowly but surely, hearts and minds are changing. Today there are 3000 crisis pregnancy centers in America. Hundreds of women choose life every day because somebody is out there gently persuading them not to have an abortion. Most women really don’t want to do it. They feel backed into a corner by some awful circumstance of life and can see no other way out.

Take some time to watch Unplanned, the amazing story of how Abby Johnson left Planned Parenthood and became the most public advocate for the unborn in the US.

Let me wrap up my message with seven steps we can take if we really want to be pro-life.

1. It is time we fast and pray for America. If we get bitter about what the abortion industry has done, we make things worse, not better. It’s time for the church to fast and pray for the president, for leaders of both parties, for the members of congress, and for the justices who sit on the Supreme Court.

2. We need to speak out in the name of Jesus Christ. That means taking a stand for life on the job, in the office, in the classroom, in the neighborhood, and when we talk to our friends and loved ones. If we stay silent, how will things ever change?

3. We need to reach out with a message of love to the women who have had abortions. I know there are women reading my words who have had an abortion. There may be a lot of pain in your heart. We are not angry at you. We’re not mad at you. We love you in the name of Jesus Christ. You may have felt trapped or pressured into it, maybe you had a boyfriend who got you into trouble, and then he walked away. Maybe you knew what you were doing, but now you feel the moral ramifications of your decision. We do not condemn you. We love you, and we want to introduce you to the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Abortion is bad, but it is not the unforgivable sin. God calls the church to reach out to women who have had abortions, put our arms around them, and say, “We love you in Jesus’ name.”

4. We need to take our pro-life convictions into the voting booth. If we did that, America would change.

5. We need to support those who are on the right side of this issue. This includes the crisis pregnancy centers, adoption agencies, foster parents, people who are taking in unwed mothers, and those who through gentle persuasion help in this area. We need to support the good guys instead of shooting the bad guys. Find the good guys and give them some help.

This principle involves all those who love little children.

It includes an army of doctors and nurses who treat infants and young boys and girls. It includes those who teach our children. It certainly includes those who rescue children from brutality, abuse, slavery, and sexual exploitation.

God bless all the Sunday School teachers.
God bless the Vacation Bible School volunteers.
God bless the Awana workers.
God bless the children’s choir leaders.
God bless those who lead backyard Bible clubs.
God bless those who take in foster children.
God bless those who fight against child abuse.
God bless those who adopt children.
God bless those who care for children with special needs.
God bless those who lead Children’s Church on Sunday morning.

6. We need to get down to the root of the problem. We need to practice sexual purity, and we must teach it to our teenagers and children. Because our young people don’t know right from wrong, they are making foolish choices.

7. We must do whatever we can to protect our children. When our grandson Eli was just over a year old, I took him with me when we went shopping. I held him in one arm and wrapped the other arm around him to keep him from squirming out of my grasp. As we entered the store, an older man was coming out. When he saw I was holding Eli with both arms, he smiled and said, “Take care of that baby!”

That’s why we do what we do.

In this dangerous world, God has called us to take care of the babies. We want to make sure they arrive safely and have a safe place to grow up healthy and strong. We believe every child deserves our love and care.

We are on the side of the angels when we do everything in our power to take care of the babies!

We’re doing what Jesus would do.

We’re going to have to change hearts if we want to see this country changed. Only Jesus can do that, so let’s keep on loving others, let’s speak out for the unborn, and let’s share the life-changing power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let’s not give in to anger or despair, but with grateful hearts let’s keep following our Lord and keep lifting up his name.

Abortion will not last forever.
One day the killing will end.
God’s truth is indeed marching on.

Jesus taught us that “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Let’s lift up Jesus and bring life back to our dying nation.
 

The Door is Open and the Light is On

I close with one final word. Abortion is not the unpardonable sin. Abortion is a sin, but it is not the worst sin and it is not unpardonable.

Nowhere is Romans 3:23 more needed than in the discussion over abortion: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” That applies to you whether you have had an abortion or not because we’re all in the same boat. We are all driven to the cross of Jesus Christ because that’s our only hope of forgiveness. If you will kneel at the cross and say, “I have sinned,” you will hear the Father say, “You are forgiven.”

It doesn’t matter what your past is.
It doesn’t matter what you have done or where you have been.
It doesn’t even matter where you have been sleeping.

If you are struggling with guilt because of abortion or because of any other sin, I have good news for you.

God still loves you.
He has never stopped loving you and he never will.

The light is on in the Father’s house. He stands at the door waiting for you to come in.

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See you next blog,

Ted

Faith in things we do not see but know!

Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by [c]sight  (c: or appearance)

Justification like sanctification is a gift of grace. The former is God's gift of grace to the unsaved sinner and the latter is God's gift of grace to the saved saint. Both are accessed by faith, as demonstrated throughout Scripture.

It was the constraining love of Christ that motivated Paul to proclaim the gospel of God and present the glory of the Christian faith to the people of his day. Paul needed these believers to understand the nature of the New Covenant. An unbeliever cannot earn his salvation through works of the Law, nor can a Christian live a God-honouring life through deeds of the flesh. We are saved by faith and not by works of the flesh... and we must walk by faith and not by sight.

Faith is believing all God has said in His Word - first, for our justification and then, for living a sanctified life. Faith is accepting scriptural truth as a firm fact. Faith is having the assurance that what we hope for in Christ will certainly come to pass. Indeed, without faith it is impossible to please God.

The Christian life of faith appears to be a paradox, for it seems to fly in the face of logical thinking. Instead of earning salvation by merit or by working hard to gain it.. we can only receive it as a free gift of God's grace. And having been saved by grace through faith, we are to die to self, and everything that focusses on ME, in order to live for God.

Walking by faith in this life, means we are to rely completely on all that God has said in His Word. The life of faith filters our thoughts; actions; attitudes and words through the holy Scriptures, as we listen to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit; follow His directions and trust in the Lord with all our heart.

We are saved by grace through faith in Christ and we are to walk by faith and not by sight. Nor are we to live by trusting in what we imagine or what we feel. But sadly, many Christians are diverted away from this path of faith to living by sight; by signs; by senses and emotions; by imagination - by feelings; by worldly philosophies or extra-biblical revelations - especially when they see life's stormy seas and the mountains of difficult circumstances rising up to block their path.

However, the man or woman that lives by faith as well as being saved by faith accepts the truth that God uses all the storms and problems of life, as well as times of great joy and rejoicing, to remove all the pride and selfishness of our old sin nature, as He gently conforms our new life, us into the beautiful image of the lovely Lord Jesus.

The man or woman who lives by faith uses life's stumbling-blocks as stepping stones. Faith allows obstacles to be changed into opportunities and wounds that are inflicted, become a witness to the generous grace He pours out into our lives in great abundance. When we live by faith we remain in fellowship with the Lord and can become healing balm and a godly comfort in the lives of others, who are facing similar difficulties.

Living by faith frequently contrasts the visible unreality of this fake, false and failing world, with the invisible reality of true; glorious; eternal; heavenly things, that are our promised inheritance, in Christ.

Happy is the one that understands that faith is not only required for salvation but is the necessary ingredient to live a victorious Christian life. Living by faith simply means that we trust completely... all that God has said in His Word.

My Prayer

Loving Father, thank You for my great salvation. I pray that You would help me walk by faith, to live by faith, to pray in faith and to trust all that is written in Your Word of truth - by faith. I pray that I may die to myself and my own abilities and rest entirely on You and Your sufficient grace in all I say and do - this I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.

Knowing Jesus is the first step to true wisdom!

See you next blog,

Ted

We All Sin-So Who Will Hold You Blamelss In the Last Day?

8. who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:8(NASB)

In Christ, we have the confidence that God will confirm, strengthen and sustain each one of His children. We have a promise that He will keep us blameless in the day of Christ Jesus. This is a promise of God, which is given to all who have trusted Christ by grace through faith in His finished work at Calvary

.

This is a promise from God, which does not depend on what we do for Him, but on what Christ has done for us. God in His grace has promised that He who started a good work in each of our lives... which was when we trusted His word and were born from above, is faithful to complete it in the day of Christ Jesus - simply because we believed His word.

Paul was able to share this truth with the Christians at Corinth, who... despite being endowed with many spiritual gifts, were lacking in true spirituality and Christian maturity. Despite being indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God, positioned in Christ and the recipients of the many blessings given to ALL believers, these Corinthian believers chose to live according to their fleshly lust and were not walking in spirit and truth.

Nevertheless, in God's grace and mercy, these carnal Christians in Corinth were equally enriched in Christ... in speech and all knowledge. Paul taught that like all born-again believers, they would also be kept by the power of God, because He is faithful to keep His promises to His people, even when we are faithless towards Him. By His goodness and grace were are ALL sustained by God and we are ALL reckoned to be blameless, on the day Christ comes for His Church.

God is His grace has promised to sustain and establish all, who have put their trust in Him. He has committed to confirm us blameless... until the end. He has pledged to keep us from falling. God has promised to strengthen us and keep up - to uphold and support us until the time that Christ comes to take us to be with Himself.

God has promised to sustain us until the rapture, when Christ comes in the clouds for His Church. There will not be a split rapture, as some teach. The body of Christ will not be divided in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. "who will also confirm us to the end of the Church age. He will confirm us blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The One Who will sustain us to the end is God the Father, Who declares us free from guilt, the moment we were born-again. This tremendous promise rests solely on Christ's perfect sacrifice - for we are accepted, by God, in the Beloved. We are identified with Him in His death and in His life - death to the old and His life in the new.

We are clothed by His Spirit with Christ's perfect righteousness. God the Father will firmly, finally and fully establish the hope we have in the gospel of Christ, on the day of His return, so that we may be presented to Himself as His pure, spotless bride - a glorious church, without blot or wrinkle or any such thing. We are guiltless, by faith in Christ - not sinless, for all have sinned and fall short of His glory. But through identification with Christ, we are covered in His righteousness - "blameless in Christ".

In one respect, the day of Christ is future... for when He comes in the clouds to take us to be with Himself, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. But in another aspect, we are being established amidst all the trials and difficulties of this present age (which are designed by the enemy to shake our faith), for the kingdom of heaven is within, as well as a future hope. We have the indwelling Spirit of God, establishing us in the path of His holiness and conforming us into the likeness of Christ - in every good work and in every good word.

Let us rejoice and be glad for this irrevocable confirmation is in His written Word, that He will sustain us to the end - guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the Father's love and favour toward us, which forever establishes in our hearts the truth of the glorious gospel of Christ. And we have the permanency of the indwelling Spirit, Who has bestowed on us many wondrous privileges, that are ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.

He started a good work in us and planted an eternal seed of grace within each of our hearts, which will mature and produce fruit, more fruit and much fruit to His praise and glory, if we humbly submit to His leading and guidance in our lives.

My Prayer

Father God, I confess that I could not draw another breath without Your strength. Thank You that You have covered me with the robe of Christ's righteousness, for His name's sake and have promised to keep and sustain me through every season of my life... until I stand in His presence and am presented to You as blameless. Enable me to finish the work You have given me to do, for Your praise and glory, in Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.

Knowing Jesus is the beginning of wisdom!

See you next blog,

Ted

Christ and the Seasons of Life

“He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

In these early days of 2020, I’ve been thinking a lot about this verse. The Lord has brought it to my mind again and again. It’s challenging to look at a verse you’ve known all your life and try to think about it in a new way.

We can begin with a simple question: What was John the Baptist thinking when he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease”? I am struck by the little word “must.” The lexicons tell us it means something like, “It is necessary.” The word was used in Matthew 16:21 when Jesus told his disciples that he “must” go to Jerusalem to die and then be raised on the third day. God’s plan requires him to go to Jerusalem and offer himself on the cross. Jesus must die! The word means something similar in this verse:

Jesus must increase.
John the Baptist must decrease.

But what sort of “increase” is John talking about? Jesus was, is, and always will be the Son of God. He is infinitely great, and his greatness fills every inch of space, from the tiniest particle to the farthest galaxy in the most distant corner of the universe.

When John the Baptist says, “He must increase,” he is not speaking of the innate greatness of Jesus. God cannot become greater than himself. But the greatness of Jesus is not always seen on earth. Many deny him, attack him, insult him, and millions more ignore him. He came to his own, and his own did not receive him (John 1:11). He came to his own people, and they rejected him. He came to the world he had made, and the world crucified him. He came to his own family, and many did not believe in him.

His greatness cannot increase, but the recognition of his greatness increases every day. Jesus must increase in his fame and in his influence. He must increase as more and more men and women from every nation follow him. That’s what John the Baptist meant when he said, “He must increase.”

With that as background, let’s think about this verse under three headings: the man, the message, the meaning.
 

The Man

John the Baptist appears in the New Testament like a bright comet streaking across the sky. Coming out of the wilderness, he preaches a message of repentance, and vast crowds from across Israel come to hear him. John was God’s man for that hour of history. He excoriated the religious professionals and called them to a baptism of repentance for their sins. Over time his fame spread, and a group of men began following him from place to place.

Then one day Jesus came to John, asking to be baptized. In that holy moment, the Father spoke from heaven, and a dove descended, representing the Holy Spirit coming in power on the Son of God.

Evidently John continued to preach and gather disciples while Jesus did the same thing. It was inevitable that questions would arise about the two competing movements. We can read about it in John 3:25-26:

Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a Jew about purification. So they came to John and told him, “Rabbi, the one you testified about, and who was with you across the Jordan, is baptizing—and everyone is going to him.”

 
At moments like these, you find out the truth about yourself. Anyone can be happy when he pastors the largest church in town. It’s fun being the “leading pastor” for your town, your city, your county, or your state. It’s a heady experience to be interviewed on the radio because your church is growing so fast. It’s a big deal to speak at the Jerusalem Founders Conference because you’ve built a thriving ministry. When that happens, your fame spreads, you get book deals, you show up on the talk shows, and you might be sought out by presidential candidates who want your support. Nothing wrong with any of that, but it’s easy for fame to go to your head. I am often reminded of Bill Gates’ wry comment, “Success is a lousy teacher. It makes smart people think they can do no wrong.” Far more people are ruined by success than by failure. It’s easy to understand how this happened. John had been there first. For a few months, he had been the only one preaching and baptizing and calling the nation to repentance. Suddenly, here comes Jesus who is doing the same thing, and “everyone is going to him.”
 
If you end up face down in the muck and mire of humiliating defeat, you are bound to ask yourself some hard questions. But who bothers with those questions when the sun is shining, you have money in the bank, and everyone loves you? You’re too busy counting Likes on your Facebook page to worry about those pesky questions.
 
To find out John’s attitude about all this, we can run the clock back to the earliest days of his ministry. Jesus had not yet taken center stage, so the great question in Jerusalem was, “Who is this man called John?” Watch how the story plays out in John 1:19-23:

This was John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”

He didn’t deny it but confessed: “I am not the Messiah.”

“What then?” they asked him. “Are you Elijah?”
“I am not,” he said.
“Are you the Prophet?”
“No,” he answered.

“Who are you, then?” they asked. “We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?”

He said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord--just as Isaiah the prophet said.”

 
When the Jews asked John, “Are you the Messiah?” he immediately answered no. When they asked, “Are you the Prophet?” he said no again. Then who is he? John answered by quoting Isaiah 40. He is a voice, that’s all. He cries out in the wilderness and announces the coming of the Messiah.

John the Baptist has a very clear self-image. He knows who he is, and more importantly, he knows who he isn’t. If you know who you are, you don’t have to waste time pretending to be someone else. Once you have a good grasp on God’s calling on your life, you won’t try to fool people into thinking you’re something you’re not.

He’s not the Messiah.
He’s not Elijah.
He’s not the Prophet.
 
He’s a voice for God. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.
 
God raised up this man, for this ministry, at this moment in history. John knows that, and because he knows it, he can be content with who he is, where he is, and what he is doing.

 

The Message

John knew his days were numbered.

Did he know he would end up with his head on a platter? No, he didn’t know that because God had not revealed that to him. But like the men of Issachar, he understood the times and knew what he should do (see 1 Chronicles 12:32).

Did he know he didn’t have long to live? No, because God hadn’t revealed that either. Soon enough Herod would find a reason to have him thrown into a lonely jail in a remote region on the east side of the Dead Sea. On this day, John the Baptist had no inkling of what was to come. But he saw clearly that the rising of Jesus meant his ministry would soon come to an end.

Did he sense the coming doubts that would fill his mind (Matthew 11:1-6)? That period of gloom happened after he ended up in jail, locked up for speaking the truth to Herod. There he languished for days, weeks, months. Prison time is hard time, and if John gave in to his fears during those lonely days, at least we can say he has lots of company across history. Many a man has doubted in the darkness what he believed in the light. I simply ask, when John made his statement, did he foresee his own doubt? The answer must be no.

What, then, did John know? He knew his ministry was coming to an end. A forerunner in the Bible went ahead of the king, announcing his imminent arrival. He cleared the way for the king to come to his subjects. Without the forerunner, the people would not be prepared when the king came to town.

That means the forerunner was essential but only for a little while. His job came with an expiration date. But the catch is, the forerunner didn’t know the date until it arrived. The moment had come for John the Baptist to exit stage right.

That’s never easy for any of us. Life has its seasons. We’re born, we learn to crawl, then we walk, then we speak, then we begin to make friends, then we go to school, suddenly we are teenagers, but then we go to college, and somewhere along the way, we get our first job. We may fall in love and get married. Soon enough the kids come along, with all the attendant joys and burdens. But kids don’t stay kids forever. For better or worse, they grow up and leave us. We move from job to job, making friends (and perhaps a few enemies) along the way. We make our money; we buy and sell and move around. We have friends who enter and exit our lives. Eventually we retire, and maybe we move to Florida. One day we take a nap but don’t wake up. Such is life for all of us.

John the Baptist understood something that often causes us to struggle. He saw clearly that the major season of his life was ending.

He saw it.
He accepted it.
He didn’t fight against it.

Every job has an expiration date.
Friends come and go.
Dreams don’t last forever.

Gone were the heady days when all Israel flocked to hear him preach in the Judean wilderness. Gone were the scathing sermons, denouncing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Gone were the fantastic days when he and his men would baptize multitudes in the Jordan River.

How could he “decrease” so cheerfully? John himself gives us the answer:

1. He knew that everything he received came from God (John 3:27).
2. He knew he was the “best man” but Jesus was the bridegroom (John 3:28-29).

If you know the source of your power, and if you know who you are, you don’t complain when you must decrease. John wanted Jesus to increase in fame and followers. He wanted more people to follow Jesus even if that meant fewer people followed him.

Consider the morning star that appears in the night sky, heralding the coming sunrise. But when the sun rises, the morning star disappears because it has done its duty. John was a bright star who faded away with the Son of God began to rise like sunlight in the morning.

Did John fail? Not at all. He succeeded in every way. So it is that we all will rise and fall during the course of a lifetime. God only requires that we be faithful like John was faithful. Better to be forgotten because we did God’s will than to be remembered because we didn’t.

We all struggle to let go at times. No one likes to hear, “We don’t need you anymore,” because we all want to feel indispensable. It couldn’t have been easy for John to let go of his fame--and even harder to do it willingly. Most of us grasp and hold on tight when something we value is being taken from us.

I saw a church sign that asked a simple question: “Are we too fond of our own will?” The answer is yes. We are all by nature “fond” of our own will. We like liking what we like.

I have a few things on my mind as I type these words, including some burdens regarding dear friends who need special help from the Lord. I pray he will grant those requests. Plus I have plans for my future and things I want to accomplish. So, yes, I’m “fond” of my own will. But Jesus taught us to pray, “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10). Only one will can be done at a time. Either God calls the shots, or you do. Either he is in control or you are in control. It’s not easy to pray like that because it means giving up control of your own life.

But you aren’t really in control anyway. It only seems that way.

The happiest people are those who say, “I’ve decided to let go and let God take charge.” So many of us go through life with a clenched fist, trying to control the uncontrollable, trying to mastermind all the circumstances, trying to make our plans work. So we hold tightly to the things we value—our career, our reputation, our happiness, our health, our children, our education, our wealth, our possessions, our mates. We even hold tightly to life itself. But those things we hold so tightly never really belonged to us. They always belonged to God. He loaned them to us, and when the time comes, he will take them back again.

Happy are they who hold lightly what they value greatly.

What are you struggling with today? What are you holding on to so tightly that it almost makes your hands hurt? What is it that you are afraid to yield to God? Whatever it is, you’ll be a lot happier when you finally say, “Your will be done,” and then open your clenched fist.

No one had to tell John to let go. He knew the time had come.
 

The Meaning

If you live long enough, you will both increase and decrease. Recently I read one of those “where are they now” articles about actors who were famous in the 1980s. Some were superstars back then. A few of them still are, but most of the stars of yesterday have faded away into obscurity.

When Doris Day died last year, the obituaries noted that her career began in 1939 as a big band singer. She recorded 650 songs between 1947 and 1967. That’s impressive. She co-starred with Rock Hudson in several movies in the 1950s. Her recording of “Que Sera, Sera” became a big hit. They called her “America’s Sweetheart,” and so she was, at least for a while. But her Wikipedia entry notes that her years of commercial activity ended in 1989, 30 years before her death at 97.

If we live long enough, we will end up the same way. Life has its seasons, and it is a measure of our maturity to understand the seasons and to accept them from the hand of the Lord.

That’s the real meaning of John 3:30. Jesus “increasing” necessarily meant John “decreasing.” John had done his job magnificently as the forerunner, but those days had come and gone. Now that Jesus’ ministry has begun, he no longer needed someone like John the Baptist to prepare the way. Strange as it may sound, John’s success (his “increase”) guaranteed the end of his public ministry (his “decrease”).

John didn’t envy Jesus, even though John’s disciples seemed to have that problem. And who could blame them? Jesus’ increase meant their leader would soon decrease in reputation and magnitude. If everyone flocks to Jesus, who is left to listen to John? No wonder his disciples worried about their future.

But for John there was no worry, no fear, no doubt, and no need to hold on tight to his position. He understood that if his “increase” had been God’s will, then his “decrease” was also God’s will.

We live in a “what have you done lately” kind of world. We all get weighed in the balances of life. Only the best among us can respond with the grace of a John the Baptist. He embraced his “decrease” because of his bedrock faith in the sovereignty of God over the details of life. He knew he had been raised up “for such a time as this,” and when that time was over, he would slip out of the limelight.

His life came to a shocking end when Herod had him beheaded, but even that was part of God’s plan for his life. God used John’s death to convict Herod about the true identity of Jesus (Luke 9:7-9). In a sense, John continued to prepare the way of the Lord in his death as he had in his life.

What a great man.
What a magnificent life.
What a model for us to follow.

Here is the watchword for every pastor: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Here is God’s message to every missionary: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Here is the path forward for every Christian leader: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

John 3:30 is John the Baptist’s final public statement. Everything else he says happens during his imprisonment. So if this is his final declaration, we can say, “What a tremendous way to wrap up your public ministry.” No wonder Jesus said that among those born of woman, there has never been any one greater than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11). His final public statement reveals the secret of his success.

Let everyone who reads these words say, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” How blessed we would be, and how happy our churches would be, and how powerful our impact in the world would be if we took John’s words as our own.
 

Give God the Glory!

If you are “increasing” (and some of us are), give thanks to God, use your fame and fortune for the Kingdom of God, and don’t take credit for your success. Give God the glory. Remember that your “increase” will not last forever. You need not feel ashamed of your blessings, but never take them for granted.

If you are “decreasing” (and some of us are), give thanks to God for that too. The seasons of life come and go, and you never know what tomorrow may bring. Let God use you in your weakness, your doubt, and your uncertainty. You are not less of a Christian because life is hard right now. Ask God to give you an open heart to praise him right where you are.

When we come to the bottom line, we find that the message of John 3:30 is the same for all of us, no matter whether we are “increasing” or “decreasing.” If we believe in Jesus, then our whole goal must be to make him first in all things.

Seasons come and go, but Jesus is Lord now and forever. Hold on to that truth in the months to come. If Christ is magnified in us this year, we will not have lived in vain.

by Pastor Ray Pritchard

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Ted

I Shall See God

In my flesh I shall see God.  Job 19:26 Consider the subject of Job's devout anticipation: "I shall see God." He does not say, "I shall see the saints"—though doubtless that will be untold happiness—but "I shall see God." It is not "I shall see the pearly gates, I shall behold the walls of jasper, I shall gaze upon the crowns of gold," but "I shall see God." This is the sum and substance of heaven; this is the joyful hope of all believers. It is their delight to see Him now in the ordinances by faith. They love to behold Him in communion and in prayer; but there in heaven they shall have an open and unclouded vision, and thus seeing "him as he is,"1 shall be made completely like Him. Likeness to God—what more can we wish for? And a sight of God—what can we desire better? Some read the passage, "Yet I shall see God in my flesh" and find here an allusion to Christ as the Word made flesh, and that glorious beholding of Him that shall be the splendor of the latter days. Whether so or not, it is certain that Christ shall be the object of our eternal vision; nor shall we ever want any joy beyond that of seeing Him. Do not think that this will be a narrow sphere for the mind to dwell in. It is but one source of delight, but that source is infinite. All His attributes shall be subjects for contemplation, and as He is infinite under each aspect, there is no fear of exhaustion. His works, His gifts, His love to us, and His glory in all His purposes and in all His actions, these shall make a theme that will be ever new. The patriarch looked forward to this sight of God as a personal enjoyment. "Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another."2 Take realizing views of heaven's bliss; think what it will be to you. "Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty."3 All earthly brightness fades and darkens as we gaze upon it, but here is a brightness that can never dim, a glory that can never fade—"I shall see God." 1) 1 John 3:2 2) Job 19:27 3) Isaiah 33:17

Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon Because each and every one of you are important to me. I want you to see God, not at the Great White Throne Judgement, but at the Bema seat of Christ. I want you to see Him as friend and Savior. Nothing in this world compares to what awaits us when we leave it if we know Him personally. See you next blog, Ted