Believe Them Not!

Matthew 24:23 - 24 "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. (24.) For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Now that we have passed December 21, 2012 we all now know that this was another false prediction. This will not be the last prediction that will turn into a lie. The simple fact is; we simply do not know when Christ will return but only that He is going to return because God promised in Acts 1:11 that He would. "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." However the exact time we do not know, in Matthew 24:25 – 27 we learn "Behold, I have told you before. (26.) Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. (27.) For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Therefore all we can do is to pray and look eastward. I personally am looking forward to the Lords return and I know if you are a believer in Christ and have oil in your lamps then you also are ready. I believe these false predictions are also a sign of the times and therefore must be fulfilled to produce doubt in the minds of the lost and unprepared believers. While we look at them as jokes and pure stupidity we must also treat them seriously. In both passages of scripture we have just used the Lord promised they would be made and assured that many would believe them. Therefore when these ignorant people make these predictions, look at them as ignorance but also look at them as proving that the Lords return is just a little closer. These predictions deliver much doubt. Doubt to the lost in that they can use them to mock the coming of the Lord, and doubt in the weak believer in that they will not concern themselves with it. But be assured beloved when we least expect it the Lord will return, and at a time that many believers in Christ are unprepared. Let us notice the Lord said in Matthew 24:24 “…insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Not all the elect of God because there are a lot of believers who are ignorant to this very event, but the elect of God whom God has kept learned and pure in His truths. Just because one is saved does not mean he or she has been elected to be truthful follower of Gods word. The elect here are those who are learned and well taught in Gods Holy Script. These things may get so real that they have a chance in fooling these well learned ones. However the Lord warned us that no matter how real they may look, to believe them not. We must keep our minds on the scriptures and only on them, they are they that will teach you truth and keep you well learned. Mark warned us in Mark 13:22 "For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect." But it will not be possible if our hearts and minds are on what God is teaching. While the ignorant predictions continue, do not be surprised if they get more and more real, even enough so that the very well learned of God may have a hard time separating them. Folks, we are only as strong as the grace of God allows us to be. Therefore we must all be instant in prayer and very watchful or other wise we may be fooled by the fools.

Tis’ The Christmas Season!

“Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” John 5:19 We come upon another year in which the world will celebrate the Christmas Season. When the trees are cut down and decorated, the mythical creatures are once again a substitute for God. Another season when parents will once again lie to their children about this God-like person known as Santa Claus. He lives in his magical kingdom where all the little elves make all the toys all year and then on Christmas Eve he will distribute all the toys to all the children around the world. This is fine for the world and if they choose this path then so be it. My wife and I celebrated Christmas for years but we have come to the conclusion that Christmas is not a Christian holiday. Now I know that some will disagree with me on this since Christmas is all about Christ; but is it? If we take a deep look at the Christmas holiday we will find it in no way could be of God nor related to Christ in any way. Let’s look at a few examples; it is full of lies, God is true and there is no lying in him, all lies comes from Satan; It is really not about the birth of Christ, is it, isn’t it more about Santa, reindeers, toys, gifts; isn’t it more about “here comes Santa Claus” rather than “Joy to the world”, It is more about hurt and heartache than about joy and peace, people go into deep debt to buy things they cannot afford, people get hurt because they gave better gifts than they received, is this Gods way; no it isn’t and therefore it cannot be declared a Godly Holy Day. Now I’m not going to condemn those who celebrate it because we all do to a point. If you are alive Christmas affects you in some way. You get a paid holiday, a bonus at work, someone may give you a gift, family may get together, or Etc. Etc. However for some reason the folks that do not celebrate the Christmas Holiday are seen as bad and ugly people, but in the reality of it, they are right. See I like it as the “holiday season” more that the “Christmas Season” because I simply do not see it as a Christian Holiday, I just don’t see Christ in a season that is full of lies, deception, and so much hurt. Now please do not lump us (non Christmas supporters) in with the God haters who hate Christmas because it is suppose to be a Christian Holyday because we are not, you do not have to love a secular holiday to love God and Jesus Christ. Jesus said “…but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” In other words Jesus Christ was here not to do His own will but the will that the Father gave Him to do; and also to do it as His Father would. Now I must ask, would God celebrate Christmas as the world and most religion institutions would. I wonder this morning how many churches will have Santa Claus in their services, how many will sing songs like “Jingle Bells” and how many pastors will lie in some way celebrating a secular holiday. Folks while Christmas affects us all in some way, lets not look at it for more than what it is; it is a secular holiday with very little joy and no peace. I will be going to visit my mother and family on Monday because holidays are the only time I get to see my mother and my family really only get together one time of the year. Many of folks will be travailing this holiday season and whether you like the season or not, please pray that we all get through it safely. If you wonder why our church does not celebrate the season, it is not because we are mean people, we just believe as a church we should not celebrate such holidays. May God bless you all is our prayer!!

Thou Shalt Not Kill!

Exodus 20:13 "Thou shalt not kill." As we are still in tears about the tragedy in Connecticut where some 20 children and 6 adults were murdered; many are looking for answers. Please if I hear one more seminary educated Catholic Priest on T.V. giving us more worthless philosophy I am going to vomit. Folks this is indeed sad; and it is sad because one worthless human being took the life of 26 other souls with him as he left this world for his place in hell. It seems like every year we see several of these mass murders and it seems to be getting worse. This time he took children and not just children but 6 - 7 years old and older. Oh, how sad this is. But as always the liberal folks out there will use this sad occasion as they do with all the other tragedies every year to violate our second amendment and create more gun laws. How about we attempt to find the real cause which is sin! This young man did what he did because he was sin infested. God said "For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23 not just eternal death but also physical death. God also said “…There is none righteous, no, not one:” Romans 3:10. We do not have to look far to find the cause here. The cause is a godless society and an America that basically hates God. America has tried to remove God from everything but when a tragedy like this happens we call on God for help. We cannot just cancel God from everything in our lives and call on Him when we need Him. We as a Nation must pay for our sins and of our failure to worship and serve God. I do not want to limit the sadness of this tragedy at all, but rather attempt to explain why these mass murders keep happening and are getting worse. God is not welcome in our schools but politicians go to churches in an attempt to get elected. As a nation we do not fear God but rather want to use Him when tragedy hit us. As a nation we only want God when He can give us something we need. James Madison, the chief architect of the Constitution once said: "We have staked the whole future of American civilization not on the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." So before those liberal “more gun law” people start using this tragedy in an unfortunate way to promote their agenda, let us look to the real law, the law of God. God commanded “Thou shalt not kill." Or thou shalt not murder; now if this young man had been taught Gods law then maybe this horrible act that hurt so many families for the rest of their days would not have happened. There is a price to pay for ripping the Ten Commandments out of our schools and teaching our children that God is not real. We do not need more laws; we need God back into our lives. Folks, we ask you all to pray for the families of this tragedy. I cannot empathize with these families at all, but I can none the less pray for them. I know that we have all cried at one point listening to the news accounts of these murders. We wonder why God would allow such a thing; folk’s God has a reason for everything and there is some reason for this tragedy. There is so much that we simply do not understand and while a hundred or so doctors may try to explain this young mans actions the true reason may never be known; that is why he chose to shoot-up a school of young children. Sin is a horrible thing and its power comes from Satan, this is why it is so hard to refuse. If America children were taught from Gods laws things would be different and this is the reason America is as troubled as it is, because America has pulled herself from the laws of God.

Grace and Mercy Are Leaving!

“That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:12 There is coming a time that grace and mercy will not be here on this earth. I am a firm believer that when Jesus Christ returns in His cloud and calls His saints and His churches out of this world; grace and mercy stops. I believe there will be very few that will be saved in the tribulation period and they will be mostly if not all Jews that fill the 144,000 and others. God has to this point been overly gracious to mankind and has provided a way of salvation; but so many reject salvation and its truth. God is going to have enough one day and at that point grace on the people of this world will be no more. "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:" 2 Thessalonians 2:11 this world is quickly reaching the point of being almost universally anti-Jehovah God. It is now seeing such a hatred of God that even religious and pagan holiday such as Christmas is turning their stomachs. We live in a time when crosses, nativity set-up’s, and soon churches will turn their minds to hatred. Most already have no respect for church houses. Folks if we open our eye to the truth of our time we can clearly see the world setting up for the tribulation period. I believe when America falls the world will fall behind her. Israel cannot defend herself and without America she cannot go on. The world wants a ruler, a leader to allow Islam to become the world’s religion, it is ready for a one single leader, and it is ready for the Anti-Christ, False Prophet, and the Great Dragon – Satan himself. God has just said “God shall send them strong delusion… That they all might be damned” Who will send these strong delusion, God will. They will believe “a lie” or better translated “the lie” that is the liar himself Satan. "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." John 8:44 The Lie has already began and the giving over of God has also already started and I say to Christians everywhere; make sure you lamps are trimmed with oil because the time is near that the bridegroom cometh for His beloved Bride the Lords churches. God promised in Romans 1:28 to "...gave them over to a reprobate mind..." that is defined as "a vain empty mind, worthless, good for nothing devoid of all true knowledge and judgment; incapable of approving what is truly good, or of disapproving that which is evil; a mind that has lost all conscience of things, and is disapproved of by God, and all good men:" – John Gill. What is good in a mind that cannot retain God of His truth? Folks, just look around, look at the way the world is leaning toward lies and wickedness, look at the destruction in the storms we are getting, look at the diseases in the world, these are all signs of things that will be in the last 3 ½ year of the tribulation period; when the seals are broken, the trumpets are blown, and the vials are poured out. Folks the day of mercy and grace are short, today is the day of salvation because it will not be offered in the days to come. "(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)" 2 Corinthians 6:2

The Power Is In The Local Churches

Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (19.) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20.) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Mission work is one of the greatest works a man can do in life. There is no work greater than working for God and the local churches. God said of a Pastor "This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work." 1 Timothy 3:1 not just work to say; but literally a work. Bring a Pastor of one of the Lords churches can be a tiresome and endless job. The pay is normally minimum but the rewards are eternal. This can also be said of Missionaries. It also is a work and for one to seek this work he will spend countless hours building a network of support and a work in a particular location. When God calls something a “work” He sure know, because He is right as He always is. God gave all power to Jesus Christ and He (Jesus Christ) gave this power to the churches. Everything done as a ministry must go through the local church or churches. A Pastor is called by a local church and a Missionary is sent by a local church. Therefore only church ordained men can work the fields as Missionaries. I believe it is also the churches responsibility to support every possible mission work whether the work is supported by their church or not. No local church can support a mission work alone, it takes a network of churches and much financial support to have a mission work. I believe that every church has the means and ability to support some mission work and I also believe for a church not to support at least some mission work is a sin. Christ’s command in the commission to the local churches could not be clearer. It is a true blessing to support a ministry of any kind but more so of getting the word of God to the world. Proverbs 11:30 “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” Folks this power to win souls (That is, brings them to the knowledge of God.) by sending men around the world is every local churches responsibility, let us all do our part. A church can never have nor support too much mission work.

Will The People Of This World Ever Get Better?

“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:13 As we approach what America and some of the other parts of the world celebrate called Christmas, one of the central themes will be “Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Man” I hate once again to be the deliver of bad news, but it will never happen. If you read the scriptures God never promised nor did He ever hint that this world would ever see peace until Jesus returns in His millennium rule or His 1000 year reign. Only then will it be possible because Satan will be locked away in hell until he is released after the expiration of the 1000 years. Not only will they not be peace but the world nor any part of it will it ever get better than it is right now. If you look back over the last 10, 20, 30, years or even farther back you will never see it worse than it is right now nor will it ever be better than it is today. God said man would get worse and worse, because of deception. It is because man is evil in their hearts and the lost out number the saved by billions. We ask God to bless America and I must ask “for what”? Does America or any other Nation deserve to be blessed of God? The answer is simply, no, they do not. We are so close to the tribulation period, it is approaching so quickly. Once Jesus returns then the seven year tribulation period will began and this world has not ever seen destruction as it is going to see during these seven years. God will bring so much wrath upon man that they will try to hide but cannot. Death will come to a lot and to others much suffering to those who live. It will not be a time of grace and mercy but rather a time of misery and death. God also promised that in the last days man would leave the truth for mans deception and separate from the Lords church for entertainment palaces of human pleasure. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; “ 1 Timothy 4:1 This is just another proof that things will not get better but rather worse and worse. The Lord also promised us "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts," 2 Peter 3:3 I believe the word “lust” here could mean - their own desires – which could include their own selfishness. This last election was about giving and receiving. President Kennedy had this quote “Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” However times have changed and we live by different standards. We are a selfish people whether we call ourselves Christians are not. I believe it is only going to grow worse and worse until Jesus returns. I heard a Minister ask the other day “can we turn America around before God gets angry” I believe God is already angry and His Son is coming soon. God has predetermined and end and I believe that end is nigh or at hand. Folks this world is not going to see peace again but only getting worse because in general people are rude and evil in their own hearts and the only one who can change an evil heart is God.

The Good In People Is Misleading.

“For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.” Romans 6:20 When we look at the average person we think we see good, we think we see righteousness, but in reality all we see are people that are free from righteousness. The word “free” here means exempt; it means there is none righteousness nor should we expect to see righteousness in people. On the surface we may look at a person and they may seem to be good but if you dig just a little bit you will find the evil in their heart. God said it all when He concluded “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” Romans 3:10 none; not even one single person. Therefore this is explained to us much clearer when God says that they are exempt from righteousness. Job asked this question “How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?” Job 15:16. This is not the bad people of the world but people in general, or everyone outside of Christ. This is called “total depravity” and it means that mankind are depraved from head to toe. God went on to say through John “…Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” John 8:34 we serve sin because we are sinners, and we cannot change what we are. I saw a sign this week in a small town here in Texas that belongs to the Methodist and it said something like this “Fall is here and it is time to turn over a new leaf” this I found to be misleading because man cannot “turn over a new leaf” because he (in his lost state) is a servant of sin and they are exempt from righteousness. But God went on to say in Romans 6:22 “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” While the lost person is free from righteousness; the believer in Christ is free from sin, what a difference. Now the Greek word here in verse 22 “free” is just a little different and it means - to liberate, that is, (figuratively) to exempt – to be liberated is to be set free, and that setting free must come from another source; and that source is Jesus Christ. But God went on to explain in Romans 8:1, 2 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus...Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” There is no condemnation because we have been liberated by Jesus Christ from sin or that is from the penalty of sin. While we as Christian’s sill have sin we are not charged with it nor are we a slave to it as the lost are. The lost serve sin because that is all they can do; the believer serves sin because we allow it to overcome us. God went on to say in James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil...” if the Christian is “submitting himself to God then the Devil will be of none effect on him. God never tells the lost man to resist the devil because he cannot. God went on to say in John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” Who was God speaking of here; He was speaking to all the lost, their father is the devil and unless they come to have faith in Jesus Christ as their Saviour they will join their father in eternal hell fire. Folks this is the bottom line for lost people that are exempt from righteousness, none are righteous, they cannot do good, and their father is the devil, with this being said, I must ask the question; how good are people? They are totally depraved and there is no good in them. Matthew 13:38 “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;” There are two sets of children; the Christian and the lost, whom are you a child of.

First death is appointed; then judgment is appointed.

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” One thing is for certain; death is assured for us all. God promised Adam that if he ate of the forbidden fruit “…thou shalt surely die.” Gen. 2:17. Not just one death; but two deaths. Adam would die spiritually and physically and both were promised. This is why God promised us all that “…it is appointed unto men once to die…” this is the physical death. Spiritual death comes to us when we are conceived, because we are “…shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalms 51:5 However here in Hebrews 9:27 God is promising that every single person will see physical death and this death is because of sin. Not only are we promised of God to die but God has also appointed that death. I believe that God has appointed the very day and down to the very second. I know that when people see death it is hard to believe that God ordained an early death such as a child, a young person, or etc. but it is also hard to believe that God controls many other things such as natural disasters and such, but there is nothing that God does not have total control over. “Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;” Job 14:5 For those who doubt this you must consider that if there is something that God does not have total control over then that thing is out of His reach and could change His ordained will. It would simply damage the whole “omni” of God; or the whole “all and in all” that He is. The Psalmist asks “What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave?” Selah. Psalms 89:48 Once Physical death has come; then the judgment. This judgment is appointed just as death is and that assures it’s certainly. Most people don’t think about their judgment day; but all will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and receive our judgments. The saved will be judged at His coming in the clouds and the lost at the end of all things at the Great White Throne. For us who are saved it will be at His return and while most don’t think about that day it will certainly be a good day for some and a not so good day for others. The question is; what will your judgment day be like. We will not be judged for our sins, which will be the lost judgment at the Great White Throne. We as believers in Jesus Christ will be judged by those things in the word of God. Like, did you join a church and what was your status in that church? How did you treat other believers, and did you seek and believe biblical truth, and etc, etc, and etc. Most Christians never think about their judgment day because they are never taught too. But folk’s, judgment day is just as assured as death; how will your day before the Lord Jesus Christ be? 2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” However bad it may be for some at judgment day those who know Christ Jesus as their Saviour; all tears shall be whipped away and we shall ever be with our Lord who died for us. Revelation 21:4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Perilous Times

2 Timothy 3:1 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” The Lord said “in the last days” that is just before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. I cannot say and neither can anyone else say when the Lord Jesus Christ is going to return; however He is going too. It is also a fact that “perilous times shall come” before His return. Perilous Times means - hard times – as most have it defined but the actual Greek definition it - The idea of reducing the strength; difficult, that is, dangerous times. – I know that the coming of the Lord has been preached for the last 2000 years plus a few; ever since Jesus ascended to heaven we have been expecting Him to return and rapture His beloved saints out and take them home. Everyone from the Apostle Paul to myself and to those that are saved younger than I hope to see the coming of the Lord. This is something I can guarantee; He is coming back! However before He does things must have been fulfilled and this “perilous times” must come to pass. In order to understand how bad it must get before the Lords return is unknown but we do know for sure it will get bad because we as a world of people have lived through some pretty hard times and it must get worse than that. Everything we can find in the scriptures from “men shall be lovers of their own selves”; to “scoffers, walking after their own lusts,” to “even now are there many antichrists whereby we know that it is the last time.” We have had the famine in the land; we have had the floods, hurricanes, and other weather related sufferings; but something is missing and we have no idea what is it. This I also know, if it has not yet come it must be a bad one, times that will be worse than any other of all times. This I also know, once these “Perilous Times” have come and gone it only gets worse from there. Most people that go to church every Sunday have no idea of the bruit punishment that God can and will bring upon this lost and evil generation. People that attend church every Sunday have no idea that God controls all things today and forever. When the storms hit the lands as Sandy’s furry did man likes to thing that God just could not stop it but the truth be known God controls it. It is God who sends famine to our lands and we deserve it all and more. But “Christians” today like today to sit in their fancy church houses thinking that God would never do such a thing, but they have no idea what God can do and will do. God said that before Jesus Christ returns there will be “Perilous Times” and while this is a warning but it is also a promise. We can not live like “untamable beast” and expect God to bless us. I am not saying the folks that havoc which was brought by Sandy was earned only by them, but it belongs to us all; mankind are all heathen and deserve Gods wrath. This; along with all the other “Perilous Times” we have as a people deserved. The tribulation period will not be an undeserved wrath but rather very deserved. From the time Jesus left until today God has sent perilous times on us all for He promised “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45 so all the famine to date has been for us all but one day true wrath will come and we will not see it here on this earth but rather from above. “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Romans 5:9 but those left behind will suffer tribulation as has never been seen before and God will deliver every ounce of His fury on this world of people. Folks there are only one way of escape from Gods upcoming wrath, the true perilous times and that is through Jesus Christ. John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

The Government Shall Be Upon His Shoulder

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 Oh! What a most wonderful God we all serve. We serve the God of all gods, the Lord of all lords, the King of all kings. We serve the one single being that controls all things as He chooses for them to be. He left nothing to chance, and He left nothing to man. God said “For unto us a child is born…” in Bethlehem and to the Virgin Mary. Not just any son but the Son of God also known as the Son of man. While they are one in the same they are separate in that one is God and the other is man; one is God himself and the other sits on the right hand of God. John said that when he was called up in spirit in to heaven he saw one that set on the throne. "And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne." Revelation 4:2 this One is God. We also learn that to the right of this throne is another throne and he that set on that throne is the man Christ Jesus. "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God." Luke 22:69 it is He (the Son of man) that God shall set the governments of the earth, and it is also Him who’s shoulders God has given all power and rule. Jesus Christ has all powers over the earth and one day He will once again sit on the earth one King David’s throne and rule it once again. In a couple of weeks we will have an election; we will either keep the powers that be or we will replace them with new powers. As Believers in Jesus Christ we can take much comfort in the fact that God rules and controls everything and He has predetermined this world’s future as He has chosen for it to be. With this being said God sets kings and powers up as He chooses and He takes them down as He chooses. Whoever is the victor on November 6th will be by Gods choosing and not ours. However I believe it is the duty of every believe to vote and to vote with biblical valves. However on the night of November 6 or the morning of the 7th we must understand the victor was installed by Gods power. This does not mean that one or even either one is godly servants but rather a servant that God will use for a certain purpose. God uses the lost just as He uses the saved to accomplish His blessed will. God has certainly predestinated an end to this world and the next great event following the second coming will be the tribulation period and it is this event that the world is heading under the headship of God. Romans 13:1 "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." In 1 Peter 2:13-17 we are told that the powers that be whether kings or goveners we are to obey them because god has set them into place. "...king, as supreme; Or unto governors..." So beloved do not fret about this election; just vote and trust the Lord with the results. We do not understand everything the Lord does; but we certainly should trust Him in the results of everything. In this election we have two men, one who claims (with not fruits) to be a Christian and a Mormon, therefore we must ask [why not a good Christian] and [how can God set either one of these men in office]. Well the answer is simple; while neither of these men serves God as Christians the winner will serve God; not to the good as Christians do but to the bad in helping to bring together the tribulation period. Romans 13:3 "For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:" Therefore beloved however the election turns out be sure not to fret but to praise Gods holy name for the results, because either way this person will be used of God to help set the world up for the tribulation period. And please remember to vote because God will use your vote in whichever direction this election goes.

Salvation Made Simple.

Acts 16:30 - 31 "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (31.) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." I love this passage of scripture because it tells the way of salvation without any doubts. It is plain, simple, and straight to the point. “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…” no anything else. This passage of scripture reminds me of Ephesians 2:8 - 9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9.) Not of works, lest any man should boast." They are both irrefutable. These two men Paul and Silas did not add one single thing; no decision, no prayer, no baptism, no works, no etc, it was just plain, simple, and to the point. Paul also told us in Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." This includes anything in existence or that will ever exist. Whether it is a person, a work, or an act of any kind, there is no salvation in anything else no matter what it is called. We must all understand in order to be saved you must flee to Jesus Christ; He is the only name that will be your Saviour because it is He who shed His blood to cleanse us from our sins. John told us in John 1:12 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" To “receive Him” is to believe on him as your Saviour and none other. Jesus Christ does not compete with or share the glory with anyone or anything else. If salvation included another person, thing, or act, it would take glory away from Jesus Christ. Since Jesus Christ was Gods Son, and elected to die for our sins, and the One Who shed His blood for our sins then He must be the only Saviour. Man has added all this other additional stuff to salvation, Paul and Silas stated it yes simply but truthful. If one thinks about any other added thing then it belittles Jesus Christ as our Saviour by declaring His death and His shedding of blood was not enough to deliver mans salvation, however Paul neither here nor any other place in the scriptures ever recognized any thing being added to Jesus Christ for mans salvation. We are never told that we are condemned if we are not baptized, work, live the law, not anything else, however we are told if we do not believe in Jesus Christ we will be eternally damned to hell fire. John 3:18 "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Salvation is made simple to those who believe, but to all others it is an impossible task. One cannot live good enough, one cannot do enough works, one cannot do anything good enough without it being overridden by our sin. No one is without sin before or after salvation because whether saved or lost we are all sinners by nature and that will not change until we leave this fleshly life. Folks God did not make the way of salvation confusing or hard (that was man) but rather simple and irreversible. Listen to Paul and Silas just as the Philippian jailer did and you too can be saved. The Lord declared in Isaiah 45:22 "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."

Atonement: What Does It Mean?

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (18.) And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (19.) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." The English word “atonement” is mentioned in the New Testament only one time however the Greek word katallagē is mentioned four time; twice in Romans and twice in 2 Corinthians 5. katallagē means – to exchange that is, restoration to (the divine) favor. – The definition “restoration to (the divine) favor” means we are restored to the way God created man before the fall. It was after God had created man and woman on the sixth day that God not only said He was “pleased” but rather He was “very pleased”. Now that we know what the word “atonement” means lets look at how God “restores to (the divine) favor”. We find the actual word “atonement” in Romans 5:11 “And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” Here we see that “atonement” or “restoring to (the divine) favor” is by Jesus Christ. This is the only way one can be atoned because only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse one from their sins; this make Him our atonement. The Jewish people just celebrated their holiday called “Yom Kippur” which is (to my understanding) their day of atonement. This is the day that they ask God to forgive their sins and to cleanse them. The only problem is that they have no Saviour; they have no redeemer as we have in Jesus Christ. However, as we look at the religions of the world we see no redeemer in any of them except in Christians (which is not a religion). What the Jewish people and other religions of the world need to consider is that God cannot just forgive sin. God has never just forgiven sin. There were in the Old Testament time sacrifices on alters but the last alter of sacrifice was the cross on Mt. Calvary where our redeemer paid a just price for all our sins and it is this just payment that God uses to count our sins as zero. God said "That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (13.) But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2:12 – 13. If the Jewish people could just ask God for forgiveness and He was to grant it then God would be unjust Himself. The holiness and justice of God denies Him this ability. God is a God of law and when law is broken punishment must be delivered. The Holiness of God forbids such an oversight of sin and Justice demands vengeance or retribution for sin. Sometimes folks (especially those with little biblical knowledge) argue against limiting God but God is who He is. There are things God cannot do; He cannot lie, He cannot sin, He cannot go against His holiness, and etc. I believe to think that God could do any of these things is a sin in itself. A just and holy God demands laws to be obeyed or suffer the punishment for breaking them. There is a large difference between God just forgiving sin and God forgiving sin because a just payment was made by Christ Jesus. The Jewish people and other religious people believe that God will simply just forgive there sins; but if this was so then there would have been no need in Jesus Christ giving His life on the cross; and the scriptures conclude many times over that Jesus Christ died for our sins. Christ Jesus did not die in vain. "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." 1 John 4:9 We want to conclude with this fact. God accepted the blood of Jesus Christ as a just payment for our sins and this makes Him our redeemer and our Atonement to be restored to a sinless being. God declared “…Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. (8.) Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." Romans 4:7 – 8. We are forgiven because our sins are covered.

Do It In Secret.

Matthew 6:3 - 4 "But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: (4.) That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly." We want to look today at doing something in secret; and no we are not talking about sinful acts. We are talking about “alms” or compassionate acts or acts of generosity or etc. Have you ever noticed that people and a lot of “Christians” have few secret acts of generosity about them. If you watch so many today they want everyone to see them drop money in the plate at church or they will make sure everyone knows what they did because they want to be known for their acts of kindness. There is simply too much of this in our society and a way too much among those that call themselves Christians. I will confess and smile when I say in our church this is not an issue. We have some good gracious folks that simply want to beautify God house or help financially or do acts of graciousness in other areas and desire that no one ever knows. I remember back several years when the churches fund got so low that there was not enough to pay the Pastors salary; and someone graciously contributed enough to pay that and leave a little in the church fund. Now, if the church could not pay the Pastor that would have been absolutely fine; but due to these gracious folks or person I received my paid in full. Now as low as the church fund was at the time I told the church not to worry about it the Lord will supply and He did; however as mush as I wanted to return the check, how could I. What a blessing this person or persons must have received from God! Now as close as Brother Mollette and I am; I never asked who it was and he never told me. So as small as our church was at the time I still today several years later have no idea who it was; but God does, and He will be the rewarder of those that did it. I used this as an example because this is absolutely the proper way acts of graciousness should be done. And may I add even several years later your act of kindness has not gone unremembered by this Pastor; nor has it by God. The Lord says not to let your right hand know what you left hand does because some things beloved is simply between you and the Lord. The Lord also says “…thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly." Two very important details here: (a.) God sees everything and (b.) God knows everything; therefore He never forgets anything except for the sins covered by the blood of Jesus. When you do alms for the Lord then they are for the Lord and therefore your Pastor and others in the church never need to know; because would you rather be rewarded by man or God? Psalmist said “Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” Psalms 139:12 Beloved it is also so with prayer; we do not need to speak to be heard and we certainly do not need to speak to be heard of man. Matthew 6:6 "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Notice very carefully that both of theses acts; the gracious giving and the gracious prayer both will be manifested by God and opened for all to see and beloved that will be a wonderful revealing. Luke 8:17 “For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.” Therefore beloved “do it in secret” and if God wants it made known He will make it known. It may be like to the person or persons that gave above and beyond to make sure this Pastor received his pay; it may not be made known until we are in heaven and God openly rewards them.

Neither Repentance Nor Baptism Are A Part Of Salvation.

Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

There are a lot of folks in the Religious world that will call me a nut for making this statement but neither repentance nor baptism will save a sinners soul and neither one of them are even part of the salvation of the lost soul. I understand that there are multitudes of “churches” or other “religious bodies” that believe one or both of these are part of salvation: well if that did not make you angry then this will be the final straw and that is works also plays no part in the salvation of the lost souls. All of these; repentance, baptism, and works are all a result of salvation not a part of salvation. Believe me I know the arguments so much that I could probably argue the other side of this issue blindfolded. The scripture (Acts 2:38) like so many other can be so misleading if taken as an alone scripture. Folks we can make any doctrine out of any thought if we take the scriptures out of context of the bible. For example let us make up a completely false doctrine by using one scripture out of context. Our false doctrine is “all liars will go to hell without exception”; now our scripture Revelation 21:8 “…all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” This scripture gives no exception to liars and God said that all mankind are liars "…let God be true, but every man a liar..." Romans 3:4 therefore our new false doctrine is sending all mankind to hell “…in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone…” Well I am thankful that, that is only a false doctrine because I have no desire to spend eternity in hell. Now back to the truth. Peter never said that if you “repent” and if you are “baptized” that you will be saved, Peter had just preached to them about Jesus Christ and Him crucified and when they "heard this" their hearts were pricked, which means - to pierce thoroughly - This was their salvation because their life was changed by the sermon about the gospel of Jesus Christ. "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart..." Acts 2:37 The first thing a newborn believer does after salvation is to (a.) repent – that is to turn from their old ways and began anew, (b.) they are baptized and become a member of the Lords local congregation which is called a New Testament Church, (c.) thirdly, they began to have works to show their new faith, repentance, and works. God said in James 2:17 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." but He went on to conclude in verse 18 "...I will shew thee my faith by my works." concluding that works are simply a show of our faith and without works one has no faith in Christ.

God’s glory in salvation is His giving of it, not our earning of it. Salvation is Gods plan form before the creation of anything. God has always known that when He created man, man would fall to the temptations of Satan. Therefore God had already planed salvation to its completeness before creation. Ephesians 1:4 - 5 "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (5.) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will," here God doesn’t leave anything to chance of our repentance, baptism, or works, it seems to me that God had everything worked out before man ever sinned. Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

Folks; as with our example of our false doctrine that all liars will spend eternity in hell we need to be careful and not to miss the mark on salvation because hell is for eternity and without an escape. God said "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son." 1 John 5:9

A Pardon For Your Sins.

Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;”

Folks when we all began to think of things to be thankful for never forget your sins have been blotted out. The words “blotted out” means - to smear out, that is, to obliterate – and the word forgiven means to bestow a favor unconditionally as a verb; and a dismissal, release as a noun; either way it is a true blessing from God. God said "Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." Romans 4:7 that is covered by the glorious blood of Jesus Christ. Oh how sometimes we so soon forget what God has done for us, if you are saved it is because God has saved your soul. From start to finish He guided you through the blessing of His glorious grace. The Lord reminds us in Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship..." because He is our Saviour. “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved my soul;” what wonderful words.

Folks your sins are covered; enjoy being a child of the living God! Never in eternity will you ever have to pay account for your sins because Jesus has already paid that price. They are covered; pardoned; and forgiven what a blessing. We as believers only have to worry about serving our God; our Saviour; and none else. Is that hard for you to find time for church; the Lord; prayer; bible study? If it is then maybe you need a revival in your heart. Sometimes things get old if you do them to much, for example offering thanks for food can get old if you repeat the same prayer over and over, sometime the same songs get old if sung over and over, and sometimes going to church and serving the Lord can get old if we do the very same service every time. We all need to keep ourselves revived in spirit and that revival starts with remembering what God has done for you by pardoning your sins. We must be reminded so that serving God never gets old. I was told as a young preacher that observing the Lords Supper looses it’s significant’s if observed to much and so does anything else if we don’t have a revival within and that starts by remembering what God has spiritually done for us. Folks your sins are forgiving, you need nothing else and remembering that begins the revival within.

The Lord concluded in our text scripture “…when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” have you ever on a hot day drank a cool glass of water and when you were finished chugging it down go ahhhhhhhhhh, well that is the case here; if nothing else refreshes your spirit into a revival this remembrance of your pardon should. Folks I pray you attend church often and are as active as you can be, I hope your life is in service for the Lord; and I hope you often remember Gods pardon for your sins because that forgiveness has the power to revive you.

If you do not know the Lord then “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…” after you are saved you may be hated of this world, you may be condemned by many but God has forgiven you sins and has made you His child forever. Psalms 51:1 “...Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions."

Human Responsibility

As we exit the thought of sin and the horrible affects it has on us; we are now going to look at mankind’s responsibility for sin. For those who believe in the sovereignty of God let us be sure not to confuse Gods sovereignty and mans responsibility for sin. Let me make one single very clear point before moving on; God never has or never will cause man to sin. As we look at the predestination of God and the very acts He predetermined such as “the fall of man”, or the “crucifixion of Jesus Christ” please don’t ever say that God caused the acts of these actions. God is all and in all, He knows everything and has predetermined all events that will occur even those such as the fall of man and the crucifixion of Christ; but the actual sins are mans responsibility. Since God is Omniscient (or He knows everything) He knew if He gave Adam a chance he would sin, He also knew the very hearts of those that crucified Jesus Christ and knew if given the opportunity they would crucify Him. God knows what we will do if grace is loosened or decreased just a little. Beloved put simple there is nothing God does not know nor anything He does not have total control over. Since God ordained all things to be; does not mean He actually cause man to do the sinful acts. The bible says; “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” Isaiah 45:7 since God “created evil” does this make Him the author or director of sinful acts? No, that would be Satan whom God did create. If Satan had never been created or had not himself sinned against God then would Adam and Eve had ever sinned? With this all being said we must move on. Adam is responsible for his sin and those that crucified Jesus Christ are also responsible just as you are responsible for your sinful acts. We need never blame God for our sinful acts or say that God caused us to do them. "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: (14.) But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." James 1:13 – 14. We will all give an account to God for our sins. Secondly, never confuse our forgiveness of sin with our sinfulness in this life; true all our sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ and we have a full and unconditional pardon of them, but that does not allow us to continue to sin. God said “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:19 both the churches and us as Christians. Folk the truth is everyone from Adam to you and I have sinned by our own free choice; Satan may have played a part, but as a Christian you and I both can resist him and sin not as much if we choose too and if we are weak then ask of God, and strength, He will give you to resist.

We want to conclude our article with the thought that Human responsibility is dependent on knowledge of sin. This brings us to the infant and retarded among us, are they responsible for their sins; I believe the answer is no. It needs to be emphasized that man is responsible only so far as he knows, or has within his reach the knowledge of, what is right. “Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.” John 9:41 how can one be held responsible for sin in which they know “mentally” nothing of; nor given the opportunity of repenting of. Therefore I have concluded that the aborted children, the infant deaths, and the mental retarded among us will be saved by Gods sovereign grace without knowledge and repentance but through the blood of Christ. We must understand when Christ died His blood was shed for all the elect and from that moment forward we are all (the elect) guaranteed salvation. Faith while it is necessary for our salvation; is on the other hand God chosen way of salvation. God’s true and only way of salvation is His sovereign election and grace which will stand true for the mentally blind, unborn, and infants. "Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it." Deuteronomy 1:39 - Praise God!!

“The Doctrine of Sin” Part 2

In part two of our study on sin we discover why mankind seems to be so destructive and disobedient to our Master and Creator; and it is because of our total depravity. Why is it that man loves sin more than God; it is because of total depravity. While most preachers deny that man is totally depraved it is a fact according to the scriptures. By total depravity we mean that there nothing good in man outside of Jesus Christ, and I mean nothing. Man will think of himself as good but our opinions and Gods knowledge of us are completely different. While the natural man may look morally good in our eyes God sees them in a whole different way. God sees mankind as a lawbreaker and a sinner. Man left to himself would totally destruct because of our love for sin, the natural man loves sin more than God. As there will be some if not all religionist that will disagree with me let us look at what God says about mans depravity. "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (11.) There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." Romans 3:10 – 11

God declares that all mankind is depraved when born. - Psalms 51:5 "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." The word "shapen" means - properly, “to turn around, to twist, to whirl;" That is the meaning here. The idea is simply that he was “born” in iniquity; or that he was a sinner when he was born; or that his sin could be traced back to his very birth - as one might say that he was born with a love of music, or with a love of nature, David is saying he was born with the love of sin.

God has also declared that man is depraved from head to foot. - Isaiah 1:5 - 6 "Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. (6.) From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment."

God has also declared that no remnant of good remains in Man since the fall of Adam and Eve by nature. Romans 7:17 - 19 "Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (18.) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (19.) For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."

Therefore man by nature cannot subject himself to the Law of God or please God. - Romans 8:7 - 8 "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (8.) So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Since we are born sinners or lawbreakers of God then the laws of God means nothing to man. The natural man hate the true God and all His laws; but since the natural man is condemned already then why would he subject himself to God or His laws.

Since the natural man is in his sinful state he cannot until quickened by the Spirit of God, turn from sin to God in Godly remorse and faith. - Jeremiah 13:23 "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." If (because of sin) the natural man is spiritually dead (corpse dead) then how can he cause himself to repent or to resurrect from a dead state. The religionist preachers will tell you it is your choice but if the natural man will not subject himself to the Law of God or to please God then why would he desire to change. Romans 7:17 - 19 "Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (18.) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (19.) For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."

“Sin” Part 1

“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4

We want to take a look at sin because sin is the most devastating thing to happen to mankind since creation. Sin separates man from God because sin is breaking of Gods law. I am afraid that mankind and even some Christians have reached the point that we no longer fear God in our sinning. I think mankind has reached the point where they no longer understand the depth of sin. I think that sin has become such the norm for mankind that the severity of it has been lost; and not just by the lost but also by Pastors and church members. Simply put mankind and a lot of Christians also have devalued sin to the point it is tolerable. However I must differ with that thinking because sin is the reason God kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden and condemned all mankind, sin is the reason Cain became a fugitive and a vagabond, Sin is the reason the world was flooded and all people and other creation was killed except what was on the Ark, Sin is the reason Jesus Christ the only one to never having sinned had to die, and Sin will be the reason God will once again destroy the world and condemn mankind to eternal hell. With this in mind we as Christian may need to rethink the value of sin. Let us not allow some preacher whose only goal in life is building a “super church” devalue the horribleness of the very thing God hates and that is sin. Folks it is not “ok” to sin, sin is the dirtiest thing mankind can do against God. Sin is breaking Gods law and God is never happy when one breaks His holy laws. The severity of the sin or how big or small it is doesn’t matter, sin is sin.

Sin is a state with mankind or in other words sinners are who we are. Sin is part of our nature, and because it is we are totally depraved. It is because of sin that there is nothing good in man. While we look at the morality of man God looks at the heart of man and this is what God sees in every single man "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9 some preachers will say “you have to look for the good in man” however God says without Jesus Christ in their hearts there is none that are good and none will ever seek God. Folks it is sin that keeps us from ever seeking God on our own. "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (11.) There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." Romans 3:10 – 11

Sin affects us all, all mankind are sinners and all mankind are condemned to eternal hell. It is only by Gods grace and mercy that a remnant of mankind will not be punished in the eternal lake of fire. “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3 Folks man must understand that without Jesus Christ in their heart they will spend eternity in hell. "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." John 8:24 Mankind can invent all the different ways of salvation they want but salvation is only in Jesus Christ and none other, not by works, not by church membership, or not by baptism, it is only in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We would like to conclude this article with the understanding that sin has separated us all from God; that sin has condemned us all to hell, and that sin keeps us from being good people. Folks, let us look what God said about mankind, "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." Ecclesiastes 7:20 folks if sin has this much affect on us then why would we want to sin or attempt to excuse it? "But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." Galatians 3:22

The Original State and Fall of Man

Ecclesiastes 7:29 “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.”

God had created man “upright” which means – straight or just or as Vines described it as “right in His eyes” – The only thing right in Gods eyes would be holy which means God created man in holiness. God said after He finished creation on day six “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good…” Genesis 1:31 which means He was very pleased with it and the only thing God can be pleased with is total perfection. Therefore we must understand as Christians we are washed in the blood of Christ continually making us completely holy in Gods sight. God said that man was created in His image "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:27 and there is no “sinful” image of God. However since the fall of Adam man has lost that holiness because holiness and sin do now combine. However in Christ Jesus we gain back the holiness lost in Adam. “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:24 Paul said the “image” has been renewed in Christ Jesus and that is back to the “upright” state that was lost in Adam "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:" Colossians 3:10 as though we have never sinned a single sin; ever. Oh! How truly blessed we as Christians are.

It was not long after God had created man (the exact time is unknown) that Adam and his wife Eve had sinned against God. Remember our text Ecclesiastes 7:29 it went on to say: “… but they have sought out many inventions.” While Adam and Eve were created holy and blessed more than any of Gods other creations they sought out a way to defile God and man has been doing it ever since and we as Christians also seek these inventions. We will put more thought into inventions to build a way around the scriptures than to just accept it. It is mans goal in life to justify sin or to just belittle it to where it does not matter. There are two things so many today attempts to do to justify sin, (1.) they belittle sin to where it truly is not as bad, or (2.) they belittle our fear of God in order to sin without fear. Adam failed God and the punishment was great (he brought death to all mankind) and our sin is just as awful to God. God doesn’t want us to sin and if we do it draws a divide between us and God. We must always remember God hates sin and while He continually loves the elect He still hates their sin. It was not o that Adam and Eve sinned and it is not ok if we doe either; whether saved or not sin is sin.

The Essential Elements of Human Nature

When we think of the Elements of Human Nature there are two schools of thought among the Baptist; (1.) The Trichotomous Theory and (2.) The Dichotomous Theory. The difference between the two are that “tri” means three and “di” means two or man has a body, soul, and a spirit; or man has a body and a soul and the spirit is the same as the soul. I am a firm believer in the Trichotomous Theory that man has three elements and that would be body, soul, and a spirit. Now I believe the scripture clearly proves that man is a Trichotomy; 1 Thessalonians 5:23 “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I also believe this because man was made in Gods image Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” notice the “us” and “our” speaking of the trinity of God. If man was made in Gods image or the image of the trinity then he must have been a Trichotomous being. Now we are going to separate the soul and spirit; when God made man from the dust of the ground he was simply a lifeless molded hunk of dirt, however it was when God breathed the breath of life into man he (man) became a “living soul” Genesis 2:7 "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." God gave man life or as we know it a soul and this soul cannot die but will live eternally either in hell or heaven. Matthew 10:28 “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The question here must be; if the soul cannot die then what died about man in the fall? It must have been the “spirit”. The spirit is mentioned many times over in the scriptures in relation to death by sin and quickening by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2:1 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;" it is also the spirit which Gods Holy Spirit works Romans 8:16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” the Holy Spirit does not work in the lost because their spirit is dead (corpse dead) to God in other words God does not work inside or in the heart of a lost or dead man. This also makes sense when we die because before the second coming and the glorification of our bodies we stand before God as spirits with souls. Now there are some that say to take 1 Thessalonians 5:23 literally that man is a Trichotomy being means man must have several elements because of Matthew 22:37 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” So here the word “mind” is added to make a fourth but in right thinking the mind would not be considered an Element of Human Nature because it is part of the body when the soul and spirit are separate elements. Or n the Christian it could mean their thinking which would include their spirit or what the scriptures calls the heart of a Christian. While the Lord has many names for the spirit (heart, inner man, and etc.) He never (I believe) combines the soul and the sprit as the same element.

While there are some that may disagree with me on this subject as well as others, I always must follow the scriptures as I see the Holy Spirit teaching me in my spirit. And the mind of my spirit tells me that man is a Trichotomous being.

“The Doctrine of Satan” Part 1

I would first like to clear up an error I had a couple of weeks ago. I said that the best I could see Cherubim’s were not angels. With the study of Satan I must conclude that they are. There is some disagreement on exactly what Cherubim’s actually are; some believe angels, other believes they are the living creatures, and others have other ideas. I have not had an extended study on the subject but for now conclude that they are angels.

The reason for this change is that Satan was a Cherubim before the fall and since he is it leads me to believe that Cherubim’s are angels. As we look more into whom Satan is we must first learn who he was; Satan was without a doubt an angel but not just an angel but a high leader of angels. If we look at Ezekiel 28:12 – 18 we will see Satan before the fall in verses 12 – 15 and after the fall in verses 16 – 18. We will notice in verse 14 “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.” That he was an appointed Angel of God that was on the “Holy Mountain” of God is the Holies of Holies were God’s throne is and Satan was the chief angel, he had a large following and he himself protected Gods throne. He was simply one of a kind. Verse 15 tells us “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” He served God well until he got pride and wanted to be God; this is where “…iniquity was found in thee.” Satan became jealous of God and wanted to take His throne and that was his sin.

Secondly let us focus on Isaiah 14:12 – 17. In verse 12 we find that his heavenly name was Lucifer and that he is a fallen angel. (12.) "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! In verse 13 - 14 we find his sin and it was his jealousy of God. “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: (14.) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” In verse 15 God describes his punishment “Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” In verse 16 God tells us when we see his he will only remind us of what happened in the Garden and sin. “They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;” Every time Satan is mentioned or remembered it is not what God created him for or the blessings that God gave him in his blessed rank; but we remember sin and the condemnation.

Thirdly, I also believe when he fell he was so powerful and followed so closely that he carried with him to hell a third of the angelic population. Revelation 12:3 - 4 "And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. (4.) And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born." There is no doubt that this "great red dragon" is Satan notice verse (9.) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." And these are his demons. Sorry about the short article and we will look at more next week.

“The Doctrine of Angels” Part 3

We now come to our third and final part of what Baptist believes about Angels. As we have look at a lot about and hopefully learned a lot about them we want to conclude this study looking at their duties or their employment as servants of God. We must understand that all of Gods creation serves Him in some form, even the lost and worst among us God uses for His own glory.

We learn first Angels praise the lord and do His commandments. Just as all of God creation, in finality of all things they were created to bless the Lords name and do what so ever He commands. Psalms 103:20 "Bless the LORD, ye his angels..." Angels rejoice in the salvation of men. Not because of what man has done by making a decision or choice, not because man has chosen to turn over a new leaf, and not because man has chosen to change his own will, no, not at all, but because of the miraculous power and work of God to change mans will and to cause him to react contrary to his own wicked nature. Salvation is a miracle because the only way it can be accomplished is by the power of God. Angels are messengers of God. We have since creation seen the angels of God communicating with man. In fact the name “angel” itself means - to dispatch as a deputy or a messenger – in both Hebrew and Greek. We also see God use the term when speaking to the seven churches in Asia Minor "...The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches..." Revelation 1:20 – these seven “Stars” or “Angels” are the seven Pastors of these seven churches. Whether Pastors or Angels we are all messengers of God to His creation. They execute God’s purposes. "And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses." 2 Kings 19:35 Here we see an “angel of the Lord” kill all them that were in this camp. Most people will find it hard to believe that God would send an angel to kill but He does. Let us not forget that God has killed many of people over time and will kill many more in the future, it is called “The Tribulation of this world” and eventually God will kill everyone on this earth. God can use anyone or anything to do His blessed will, even His Angels. Angels gave the law of God. That’s right Angels delivered to man some of the laws of God. Acts 7:53 “Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.” The word “disposition” means - arrangement, that is, institution – it was not their law but Gods law being delivered by His Angels. We as man should want the laws of God followed and served by mankind but we have a hard time simply following it ourselves. “…and have not kept it.” Acts 7:53 This is why Pastors sometimes sound like hypocrites is because we too fail Gods laws, but Angels do not because if they do they fall right into hell. Angels were used to minister to Christ. What an ordeal the “Son of man” had just encountered with Satan and it must have affected Him greatly and made Him weak in the flesh as we are when we battle Satan and refuse his temptations. Matthew 4:11 "Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him." We sometimes forget that Christ Jesus (while incarnate with the Son of God) was also simply a man and suffered as we do. They came to help Him get strong again. Angels take a great interest in divine truth and learn through the church. We are never alone in our church services, God is there and His Angels are also there. They are there to see us bring praise to God and also to hear the truth being taught in the house of God. 1 Peter 1:12 "Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into."

“The Doctrine of Angels” Part 2

This week we continue to look at the doctrine on Angels. This week we want to focus on the “Orders, And Ranks Among Angels.” Last week we learned that Angels are created beings and are servants of God just as mankind is. We also learned last week that Angels are spirits and have no bodies but can on occasion take on the form of a human body to serve the purpose of God. We also know that Angels are not to be worshiped in any way; just as none of Gods creation is to be worshiped. "Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind," Colossians 2:18 also in Revelation 22:8 – 9 John was told not to worship them because they are “fellowservant’s” with mankind. There is not a man alive who can be worshiped or bowed to in any way. Any worship of Gods creation takes away from God’s glory and that is a no, no, and has been from the beginning. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: (5.) Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;" Exodus 20:4 – 5

Now we want to look at the “Orders, And Ranks Among Angels.” We do not know a whole lot about Angels except what the bible most certainly concludes that Angels do have an order and rank among them. We know that there are at least one “archangel” and his name is Michael. An “archangel” is defined in the Greek as - a chief angel – This word comes from the Greek word “archō” which means - to be first in political rank or power - reign or rule over – with this being said we know that Michael is the top ranked Angel. "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee." Jude 1:9 now what we are not 100% certain that there are more than one single archangel, however the scriptures seems to conclude that Michael would be the only one. Notice back in Jude 9 where God said “Michael the archangel” and notice the word “the”, now let us look in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:" and we find that word “the” again which may conclude that Michael is a one – of – a – kind Angel and that he is chief among all angels. However with this being all said it does prove that God has a ranking system among His Angels, however we simply do not know too much about it. How about Gabriel it seems he also occupies a relatively high place among the angels. Although the word “archangel” is never used with his name therefore we must conclude that whatever rank among the Angels Gabriel has he is not a chief angel. But he was a good servant of God because we see him several times in the scriptures and hundreds if not thousands of years apart as he spoke to Daniel and then Zacharias and then to Joseph and Mary about the Lord Jesus Christ. And who knows God still could be using Gabriel or other Angels to communicate with man even today while we are totally unaware. Hebrews 13:2 "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

In conclusion I want to look at Cherubims; there is no scriptural proof that Cherubims are at all Angels as some believe. The Hebrew tells us that Cherubims are - imaginary figures - therefore I must conclude that that is exactly what they are. Genesis 3:24 "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." However this is not proof that they are anything more than “imaginary figures” because God can make anything look real. We will conclude this study on “Angels” next week.

Angels Part 1

This week’s doctrinal study brings us to one of my favorite subjects to study and teach and that is Angels. I love this subject because it is one of the least subjects studied in the bible. Most people either have a misunderstanding about angels or they know little to nothing on the subject of truth. Actually the word of God has much so say on the subject and much to teach on the subject. In these articles we are certainly not able to cover every thing on these subjects that we cover on Wednesday nights however we do try to cover all we can. I believe the first point I want to look at with angels is who they are, angels are created beings and they were created to serve God. Angels are not man and men do not become angels. Angels are spirits and do not have bodies but they can take on bodies to serve Gods purpose. They are also sexless, in other words they are neither male nor female however every time they have been seen or God has called them by name they have always been male. I know that most times when one thinks of an angel they are mostly blonde, young, very pretty, and female, however this is un-provable and un-scriptural. Most people today have images or statues of some sort of angels and these are known as false graven images and a sort of worship just as pictures of Jesus Christ are and should not be in our possession. If we do not have actual images and statues then they are false however even if we did we would still be forbidden to have them of angels. Someone cannot have an image of someone else and call it me, that would be false and there are no actual images of Jesus Christ.

Angels are like everything else except God they are created beings, Colossians 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” they were created to worship God and to serve God just as everything else that was created. Angels are pure spirits which means that they have no bodies. Luke 24:39 “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” Although those believers that have died in Christ Jesus is also at present time body less until Jesus returns and gives them a new glorified body. Angels constitute an order of creatures higher than man. Angels were created higher than man and they are more powerful that man. But in finality we will be higher than them because we are the children of the Living God. However right now Angels are said to be greater than man in might - 2 Peter 2:11 "Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord." We also see in the Lords resurrection when the angel descended from heaven he caused an earthquake and moved the stone from in front of the tomb alone. Matthew 28:2 "And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it." Angels also are sexless and neither do they marry Matthew 22:30 "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." Angels are deathless or they never die. Luke 20:35 - 36 "But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: (36.) Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." We do know that angels sin and when they do their neither grace, mercy, nor salvation for them they simply fall to everlasting damnation. 2 Peter 2:4 "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;" So with all this being said we can see why we do not want to be angels but rather children of the most high God. More next week.

The Holy Spirit Part 2

We now come to the second part of our study on the Holy Spirit. We would like to recognize some of the workings of the Holy Spirit. I am a firm believer that God saves sinners, I am also a firm believer that no man can turn from his wicked ways of being a sinner and turn to God, therefore I must conclude that the Holy Spirit is the single one who pricks our hearts and causes us to repent. God has concluded that the Holy Scriptures were written by man, but men inspired by God, this is the reason Paul concluded “All scripture is given by inspiration of God..." 2 Timothy 3:16 and then we must look at what Peter concluded “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:21 Either these two great men were absolute liars or we must conclude the holy men of God wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. We know that the Holy Spirit was involved in creation because of Genesis 1:2 but notice what Job said about the Holy Spirit and creation "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." Job 33:4 He concluded that it was the Holy Spirit that had made him a just man, just as He has made us all that are saved; even what we are in this life. No man works the works of God without the Holy Spirit making him what he is. We also know that the Holy Spirit works with lost people; because if you will remember just before the flood God had concluded "...My spirit shall not always strive with man..." Genesis 6:3 (Now this is not to be equated with the Holy Spirit working with man in salvation.) but rather the Holy Spirit dealing with the lost only. God has much wonderful longsuffering with both the saved and the lost or other wise He would simply destroy us all. But the clock is running on the evils of this world; just as it was before the flood "...his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." Genesis 6:3 we have no conclusion when exactly Jesus Christ will return and then Gods judgments begins to unfold, but we do know there is a set time just as there was before the flood. Gods Holy Spirit will not always “strive” with man. The Holy Spirit does not strive with man in salvation or in His blessed work; He simply calls and we answer just as Paul did "...Lord, what wilt thou have me to do..." Acts 9:6. We know that the Holy Spirit deals with man in salvation because man could not be saved if the Holy Spirit did not save him. "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Galatians 4:6 We are the sons of God because of Jesus Christ but we are saved because the Holy Spirit pricked our hearts and caused us to believe on the works of Jesus Christ. This is why Paul concluded that unless the Holy Spirit has pricked our hearts and caused us to believe that that we are not saved. "...Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Romans 8:9 there are a lot of people out there that have been sold a damaged bill of goods on the gospel because it is not simply a choice we make in life; we must be saved by God. This is why John concluded “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him..." John 6:44 and if you look up the word “draw” it means to drag because man will never decide to change what he is naturally no more than a dog can become a cat. The Holy Spirit also leads in obedience and service to God. Even after He has saved us He also continues to work in our hearts. We can no more choose to work for God no more than we can choose to be saved. Notice how the writer in Acts put it; “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. (3.) And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away." Acts 13:2 – 3 it was the Holy Spirit that first sent them and then the church sent them out. The local church has no authority unless it comes first from the Holy Spirit. He also directs our everyday walk; “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16 if you are walking in the Holy Spirit then you cannot walk in sin. We see now how much the Holy Spirit plays a role in our life and without Him we would be lost in more ways that one.

The Holy Spirit Part 1

John 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

We come now to the third part of the Trinity; The Holy Spirit. Many people in the religious circles have a gross misunderstanding about the Holy Spirit just as they do with God; period. The Holy Spirit is the third part of the Trinity but just as much God as the Father and the Son. In John 4:24 it says “God is a Spirit…” or God is the Holy Spirit. The Godhead is not three separate gods but one single God and He cannot therefore truly be separated. For example most believe the Jesus Christ was incarnate with the entire Son of God but that is not possible because the Son is God and cannot be separated from the Godhead. Well neither can the Father or the Holy Spirit. In creation we read; "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2 This is not the Holy Spirit alone but rather God moved. In we see the Trinity named together as one and not as three; “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” Matthew 28:19

However we do in the scriptures see the Holy Spirit working with people in a personal relationship. For example in Acts 15:28 we read "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;" There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit works in the life of every single Christian and if He has not worked in your life then you cannot be saved. The first act we recognize is the working of the Holy Spirit in salvation and His dealing with our hearts in quickening them. However there are so many other ways in which He deals with the Christian; the more you are in the work of God the more He deals with you. For example He deals a lot with a Pastor because it is He who moves the pastor to teach and preach His word, every single sermon is from the Holy Spirit or there is no sermon, there is simple a conversation. But also He plays such a role in our Christian life that we simply fail to recognize it. He teaches us the deep things of God “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:10 - It is only the Spirit of God which can reveal the counsels of God because we can never understand them on our own. He speaks to our hearts “For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.” Matthew 10:20. Pastors that want to take credit for their sermons or ability to speak well ought to read this scripture several times however a Pastor that takes credit for any of his sermons or knowledge is most likely not called of the Holy Spirit anyway. God reminds us "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches…." Revelation 2:7 – You will hear the Holy Spirit through His Pastors “And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write..." Revelation 2:8 the “angel” is defined messenger which here is the Pastor; so listen to him and hear the message God has for your church. He is also our teacher "For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say." Luke 12:12 - all of you who thought your Pastor taught you such wonderful things remember your Pastor is only a messenger and if he is of God then he will be a teacher. The Holy Spirit also leads and guides us "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." John 16:13 and not only in truth but every aspect of our lives. He also He intercedes on our behalf "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Romans 8:26 That’s right we have no idea how to pray to the King of Kings therefore the Holy Spirit corrects our prayers and delivers them to the Father in proper form. Oh how wonderful the Holy Spirit is to all Christians. More next week.

The Lord Jesus Christ Part Two

Last week we looked basically at the Incarnation of Jesus Christ to prove that Jesus Christ was indeed God but not only Deity but also man; Jesus Christ had two natures unlike any other man that ever lived. Some people have an issue looking at the two natures and separating them. If one cannot separate the two natures they cannot reach a proper conclusion about Jesus Christ and His true actions on this earth. For example many will make the same ignorant conclusion that “God died on the cross”, this is ignorance because if one knows God then they know He cannot die; not even the Son of God because for the Son to die then the entire Godhead must die. Another ignorant mistake made by this misunderstanding is the quote “Mary is the mother of God”, again a proper understanding of God will tell you God is self-existent and eternally-existent therefore God was not ever born not even the Son of God which is God. Since Jesus Christ had two natures it was possible for one to exist without the other and this happened on the cross while death approached for Jesus Christ, Deity had separated from the Son of man therefore leaving Him to die alone on the cross.

His Humanity – This is His human nature, Jesus Christ was in the likeness of man. John told us in John 4:6 "Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour." Jesus was feeling fatigued so He rested at the well but can God get fatigued; no He cannot. The young preacher Timothy call Him a man in 1 Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" There is no doubt Jesus Christ was a man.

While He was a man; He was also Deity. – While He was man and all man He was also God. There are so many things about God we will not totally understand in this flesh and this is one of those things. However while we may not understand it we cannot deny it because it is all clearly proven in the scriptures. He must have been Deity to live the law and be sinless, and He must have been man to have been born, grown-up, having learned, and to die. Matthew told us in Matthew 1:23 "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." And Jesus concluded in John 10:30 "I and my Father are one." No other man can make this conclusion.

His Sinless Life – Jesus Christ is the only man whom never sinned; now some will reach another wrong conclusion and say “He was God that’s why He did not sin” wrong again! Yes He was God very God but during the temptation was Satan tempting the Son of God or the Son of man; it was the Son of man. Satan knew God and knew that He could not tempt God, and how about the hour or so while alone on the cross again just a man. To conclude that He was Deity and that is the reason He did not sin is to take the glory of being our Saviour, High Priest, and suffering death for our sin away from Him. The writer to the Hebrews concluded in Hebrews 2:17 “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”

His Sacrificial Death – Jesus Christ the Son of man died on that cross not as a martyr but rather as a Saviour. Many martyrs have given their lives for God and the cause of the church and gospel but Jesus Christ died so that we that are saved could have our sins forgiven. Peter concluded in 1 Peter 2:24 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." It was for our sins that He died and for no other reason.