Jesus made it crystal clear throughout His ministry here on earth that we were to turn from our sins…for we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God…and if we didn’t…the wages of our sin is death…which is eternal death…or everlasting punishment in Hell. Make no mistake, Jesus warned that our willful unrighteousness would someday be judged, and that both Heaven and Hell are real. However, to listen to some today, Jesus has become this kindly old man who wishes no one harm and allows everyone into Heaven. But in Mark 10 we read about the rich young man who asked how to go to Heaven. But when Jesus told him…he walked away. Why? Jesus said it was easier to thread a camel through a needle than for the rich to go to heaven. And that premise hasn’t changed throughout the ages…repentance and salvation and your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life are still required for admission into Heaven.
Matthew 6:19-21 ” Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The message of the Gospel always points us to eternal treasures in heaven, and here Jesus made it clear that our minds need to be on things above, not on earthly things. We read in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” But with one word we see the glaring difference between the Biblical Jesus and what the modern version of Him has become. The word is “need” as opposed to the word “want”…for in many circles the Prosperity Message is still being preached…the name it and claim it gospel that promises earthly wealth. But what Jesus talks about are heavenly riches, but also our needs being met here on earth…meaning the essentials of food, shelter, and clothing. Still somehow He’s become this cosmic sugar-daddy that we can come to with all our cravings, desires, and wishes…demanding He give us all we lust after. But it doesn’t work that way, and in the end …”What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
John 6:60-61 ” On hearing it, many of His disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’ Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you?’ “
From the beginning, Jesus loved people enough to speak the truth. Yes, many times it seemed stern, harsh, and like here most difficult for the disciples to understand Jesus being the Bread of Life. But Jesus always spoke truth in love…like the time at the well to the Samaritan woman, or to the Canaanite woman concerning her demon-possessed daughter. But somehow today the Words of Jesus have become watered down as to not cause offense. We’d rather not show a hint of putting people down or insulting them morally…so instead we weaken and dilute the Word…emptying it of its power and robbing it of its strength. And what we have left is a highly homogenized Gospel Message that no one can take offense at, but also one that is totally devoid of the Holy Spirit. Jesus loved people enough to speak the truth…and we should too.
John 1:13-14 ” …but born of God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The Jesus of the Bible manifested the Father when He took on flesh and came to earth to save humanity from their sins. His title is Messiah, the Anointed One…a name above all names. But even back then the Pharisees and Sadducees could only spit out the title of Rabbi or Teacher when addressing Him, for they refused to believe in His Divinity. Sadly, many times today we’ve followed on that same path of diminishing and discounting just who Jesus Christ is…denying His power, denigrating His character, and delegating who He is down to just a good teacher and man. Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” “But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” (Luke 9:18-20) The crowds saw Jesus as a man…the disciples saw Him for who He really was…the Messiah.
Isaiah 55:7 ” Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.”
Return to Me, the Lord says here, and I will have compassion on you. Turn back to Me, and I will readily forgive you of all your sins. “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32) I will have compassion on you for, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor My covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” (Isaiah 54:10)
Isaiah 44:9 ” All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant to their own shame.”
If I asked you what you treasured…what would come to mind? A piece of precious heirloom jewelry that feeds your emotions? Or maybe a sporty new car in the garage that you coveted for years until you were able to buy one? Now I could go on forever with things you might treasure, but the point is…they’re all “things”, and covetousness for “things” is more about greed, conceit, and vanity than the “thing” itself. Our prideful ego has a way of hindering not only our true understanding but our rationalization as we attempt to justify our “things” to our self and others. For in the end, these “things” are deceptive, and we’ll only find ourselves shamed and disgraced when these “things” don’t turn out as we expected.
Ruth 2:8 “So Boaz said to Ruth, ‘My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with my servant girls.’ “
Naomi and Ruth had arrived in Bethlehem just as barley harvest was beginning. Now Ruth went out to glean and ended up in the fields of Boaz, a wealthy cousin of Naomi’s late husband. Boaz took pity on the young Moabite widow, and told her to stay with his servant girls and glean with them. For he knew all too well the dangers a young, unaccompanied woman could be confronted with. Many times God will tell us to stay…but what do we usually do? We bristle, argue, and make excuses why we can’t stay. But God knows far more than we do…He sees hidden dangers and things lurking we can’t imagine. So when God tells us to stay, we need to listen.
Revelation 19:7 ” Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.”
I was on a mission this morning to find something important…something my father had been searching for all week. It was my late mother’s wedding dress. I had a idea where it may be located, but it took a lot of looking until I was successful. To my amazement, it was incredibly well preserved for being almost 70 years old. As I gently touch the old satin and lace this Scripture came to mind…when we, the redeemed Church, the bride of Christ, will be presented to our bridegroom, Jesus Christ, at the wedding supper of the Lamb. It says the bride will wear fine linen, bright and clean… unsoiled and free of worldly pollution. And at that time we, the bride of Christ, will stand before our groom as a beautiful chaste bride…a radiant Church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish…holy and blameless before Him. (Ephesians 5:27)
Isaiah 50:10 ” Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of His servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.”
What do you rely on? Is it the ever-changing hype of the National Media or the news feed you read? Especially this year, you’ve been bombarded with COVID 19 dire warnings, scary statistics, and discouragement all around. Throw in the videos of civil unrest, protests, and national discord…and I bet you’ve become numb to it all. This numbness (and what God can do about it) is described well in Psalm 107:14, “God brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.” Your reliance and dependence can only be on God alone. That’s because no political party, national organization, or world group can be trusted like you can trust God. And when you place your confidence in God and not man, He will raise you out of that pit of gloom and doom, and break off every chain of fear, anxiety, and depression.
James 4:4 ” You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”
James was quite pointed in his warning, “Keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27) Or as it tells us in I John 2:15, “Don’t love the world or anything in the world.” But it’s so easy to do. We all have a fondness for the newest things…and the Church isn’t any different. But at what expense? The present world-view is man-centered, materialism, focused on power, ambition, and self-glory…while God’s view for His Church is totally opposite. So we as the Body of Christ – the Church – need to be ever vigilant and constantly asking the question, “Is this new thing the Church is doing man-centered or God centered? For as Jesus told His disciples in John 15:19, “You don’t belong to the world, I have chosen you out of the world.”
Safetypinlove 