Saturday, June 28, 2014

It is better to suffer for the Lord than to profit in this world.

“For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.” 1 Peter 3:17

This is something a lot of Christians have a problem coping with, suffering is good. Most people and a lot of Christians don’t understand why believers are not always profitable. Well the truth of the matter is that they do, but the rewards are not always in this world. The scriptures are very clear that Christians and even the best of Christians suffer in this world. People fail to remember that Christ suffered in this flesh and not just in His death but His entire earthly life was full of sorrow. Isaiah 53:3 "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Christ was not sent to profit in this world but rather to suffer shame for our shame. Matthew 8:20 "And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Jesus Christ came from riches to rags in order to suffer His entire life for us. He never had peace; they were searching for Him even at His birth. Believers, let us not be dismayed when life on this earth seems difficult and hard. God never promised us earthly riches nor did He promise profit at all in this world. It is because our rewards are set up in glory and not this world. Christians are also people of sorrow in this life, but be assured that while we suffer like Christ in this world; we will also glory with Him in eternity. 2 Timothy 2:12 "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him..." We will have only soul and spirit when we die and when the rapture come we shall have a glorified body to be a tri-fold once again. Believer there is only one more thing we will carry into heaven from this earth, and that will be the worthy works we have done for the Lord during our earthy stay. We will carry no other treasures from this earth. Our rewards are built in heaven and in heaven we will receive them. Matthew 6:19 - 21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: (20.) But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: (21.) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." If you are a Christian and it seems like your troubles are as bad as or even worse than that of a lost person, that’s ok God said it would be. Matthew 5:45 "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." Now, what if we suffer for righteous sake, why if we suffer for doing right? Well, the Lord said it is better, that’s right it is better to suffer for doing the right thing. Jesus Christ suffered unjustly, that’s right Pilate said of Christ in Luke 23:4 "Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man." But He still was crucified. We do not know God’s blessed will for us, unless God manifest it to us; however it is God’s will for us to suffer in this life, even for doing right. God has a purpose for everything, and we would be well served as Christians to worry less about our suffering and more about serving God. God blesses us believers every second of everyday, we just most of the time do not know how his blessing are coming. Beloved, it is better to suffer than to have riches in this world, if it is for the Lord. We all need to be more like John and Peter. Acts 5:41 "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." They counted it joy that they worthy to suffer for the Lord. I pray to God that I too am worthy to suffer for the Lord.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Is God Sovereign?

"As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. (14.) What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid." Romans 9:13 – 14

I have asked the question is God sovereign, and I asked it for a reason. I believe that most people say that God is sovereign but in their hearts they refuse to believe that He is. They act as if God can do nothing, cannot think ahead, can not ordain anything, or that He cannot control His own creation. They act as though God’s entire being and will depends on us, mankind. I have heard some “Christians” (and I use the word loosely here) speak of God as though our will overrides His will. Because of man’s free will God must wait on us to make a decision on something before He can proceed forward. I almost regurgitate every time I hear some preacher say “God can’t change your will”, well if God is truly sovereign, then this is a very ignorant statement at best. The very word “sovereign” itself means - One who has supreme power or authority; having supreme rank, and also is preeminent, and indisputable. – This does not sound like one who bends to man’s will. If God is truly sovereign then we must accept the fact that He can do His will without the assistance of others. The day that God’s will depend on what man wills is, is the day God is no longer God. God said in our text verses that He loved Jacob and hated Esau but my question is, why? God said He was not a respecter of persons. Acts 10:34 "...Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:" Which means God does not accept man on any good in them, race, creed, or nationality, God accepts man because He chooses too. God had no reason to love Jacob more than Esau except that He chose too. Even though Esau tried to make himself acceptable to God, he never changed Gods mind. Election in the bible is God’s choosing and not man’s choosing. We are like Jacob and Esau God chooses one and not the other. Paul quoted and Old Testament scripture when he wrote in Romans 9 "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" verse 21 The question is, does God have the right to make (from one lump of clay) two vessels one that is honorable and the other junk? Sure He does, He is God and He can always do as He chooses without question. Paul went on to say in verse 18 of Romans 9 “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." God never has to have mercy on anyone and those that He does He chooses too. Some people act as though God owes them something, but please understand the truth, He has to do nothing except as He chooses. One might ask “then what about one who chooses to follow God? Well if one chooses to follow God then it is God who causes them to repent. Paul went on to say in verse 16 of Romans 9 “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” Who ever said that man would choose Christ? Who ever said that man would ever choose God over sin? Sinfulness is their nature, it is what they choose, it is their ever desire. If it came to the point when man had to choose Christ or sin they would choose sin every time, God made it very clear that man would never choose Christ over sin. "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." Romans 3:11 No one ever was told in the scriptures to choose Christ or God over sin in a lost state. In Joshua 24:15 "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve..." God is speaking to His people not to unredeemed people. This scripture is very used out of context. Folks the choice is not ours, it is God’s and you had better hope He has chosen you. You may have chosen something but it was not salvation. Jacob did not choose God and neither did we. "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him." 1 John 5:1 The word “begotten” means – caused to be delivered.

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Works; they are wonderful, but not for salvation.

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Galatians 2:16

This has been a battle ever since Jesus was here and before, and I know there is not one article going to change the minds of those who believe in works for salvation. All I can ask is that you listen to the scriptures and not tradition or some preacher. I always advise our church membership to listen to the scriptures more than me. The scriptures will never fail you; ever. If you believe that works plays any parts in salvation then you fail to recognize Jesus Christ as your Saviour. You can talk all you want about your salvation but if your faith is not in the saving blood of Jesus Christ then you are lost. 1 John 1:7 "...the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." It is impossible to be justified by works and faith together, because works steals the glory of the blood of Christ, just as it steals the glory from the grace of God. Romans 11:6 "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." The bottom line is the two no more mix than gas and water. I understand some mind’s thinking that works can be a part of salvation but the scriptures conclude the opposite. How can God be so firm against works if it has any part in salvation? 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." I have just showed you two scriptures that point blank state that works are NOT in any way part of salvation, now I ask you to show just one where God says different. I am not talking about where you think it says it, but rather where it says you cannot be saved without works. See, if you had one scripture then the scriptures would contradict itself, because these two alone point blank takes works out of the conversation. It is impossible for the law to be a justifier and a condemner. The law was used to show us our sin, or you might say God used it to condemn us. Romans 3:20 "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." He also called it a School Master Galatians 3:24 - 25 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (25.) But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." God said once salvation has come we no longer need the schoolmaster. Not that it voids out the law of God but that the law has no more value in salvation. The law and works will always play a part in a Christian’s life, but not in saving a lost person. James 2:17 - 18 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. (18.) Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." Every Christian must have works or else they are sill in the lost state. If one only says they believe and never care enough about their Saviour to work for Him then I must doubt their salvation. The greatest work of a Christian is love and if one has not a God given love in their heart then how can they know the God of love. 1 Corinthians 13:3 "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." Charity means love. The same thing can be said of works; you can do all the works you want to but if you do not trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour then al your works are in vain. Romans 9:32 "Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;"