children of God

20
Jun
2011

Lord Jesus, remember me


 

– Lord Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom. I know that I have broken God’s laws and that my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me. I do believe that You are the Christ, the Son of the Loving God, that you died for my sins. I believe that you resurrected from the dead, that you are seated in heaven at the Father’s right hand as Lord of all creation, and that you are coming again. I call upon you as Lord of my life. Fill my heart with Your Holy Spirit. From this day forward I will confess you as my Lord and Savior.  Amen. –

A prayer of Salvation

 

Journal,

The thief on the cross did not have time to find a church, to get baptized, to do good works, or undo any of the sins of his life. He was about to die. On the cross between him and another thief was Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Here is how it went:

“One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, ‘Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!’ But the other answered, and rebuking him said, ‘Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’

“And he was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!’ And He said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.’” (Luk 23:39-43)

 

The reason the thief on the cross would enter paradise is that he was placing his faith in the Man who was hanging on the cross. The thief would enter paradise the same way that all true believers enter paradise. He acknowledged faith and trust in the Lord when he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!”

One struggle that often confronts new believers has to do with realizing the life that is given us in the new covenant. I have often shared that when believers try to measure their walk with the Lord by the Old Covenant laws it can actually hinder the flow of grace in their life. The new covenant includes a life cause that had never been known to man.

It all has to do with…

 

The Life Atonement

In all the former covenants there was no spiritual atonement. All the Old Testament sacrifices could do was serve as reminders of sin and of man’s need of a Savior. The Bible says that these sacrifices could never make the worshipper “perfect in conscience.” (Heb9:9)

In the Old Testament sacrifice the one offering the sacrifice was exchanging his life for the life of the animal. The sacrificed animal was taking the place of the sacrificer. But all the sacrifices under the Law could never take away sin. They served as a reminder and a shadow of the great sacrifice to come. In the Old Testament sacrifices the gospel of Christ was being set forth.

What of the cross? It was on the cross that Christ offered himself as an ‘eternal’ sacrifice for all sin for all time, and through His atoning blood, the believer is given a cleansed conscience. Rather than having a heart that would continually remind the believer of the condemnation of sin, the blood-sprinkled heart would now speak of grace and righteousness.

The moment a person becomes born again, they are made aware of a new life principle at work. The born from heaven believer has a new relationship with God. His conscience has been cleansed. The former things have passed away.

Paul said it this way:

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” (2Co 5:17-19)

None of this means that a new covenant believer is incapable of sin. What it means is that the new covenant believer’s life has been exchanged for the life of Jesus. The new believer now remains under the influence of the atonement of Christ.

This also means that the heart and soul of a new covenant believer has undergone a nature change. Where sin was his natural state, now sin becomes an unclean thing to this new believer. O yes, he can sin but he can never be comfortable in sin. Sin is now contrary to his new nature.

Another way of saying this is that the new believer now represents Jesus on the earth, and Jesus represents the new believer in heaven. Both the apostle John and the apostle Paul confirms this.

“By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He [Jesus] is, so also are we in this world.“ (1Jn 4:17)

“For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” (Col 3:3-4)

 

 

Walking with a Cleansed Conscience

It is one thing to know we are saved by the sacrifice of Christ, it is altogether another to walk with a cleansed conscience. And so the new covenant has a built-in ‘spiritual-cleansing’ or ‘renewing’ factor that will never lose its power for cleansing. The apostles speak of this renewing and cleansing work of the Holy Spirit.

The word that relates to the cleansing and renewing is the word sanctification. When God saves us, we become ‘set apart’ from the world. (This is essentially what ‘sanctify’ means.) Anything that is sanctified means that it belongs exclusively to God. In this sense all believers are ‘God-possessed’ people.

And so we have from God the work of separation, of cleansing and of renewing.

Paul said,

“We do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” (2Co4:16)

The term Paul used for ‘renewed’ is anikainoo. It literally means, ‘make new.’ Anikainoo carries the idea of spiritual restorations. Thus it can be said that the believer’s life is being made new day by day. This is the outflow of the life that has been given us in Christ.

Jesus described it this way:

“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (Joh 7:37-39)

Back to the thief on the cross. In the new covenant there is …

 

No Salvation by Works or Personal Goodness

Just as the thief could be saved only one way, the apostles are careful to point out that we cannot be saved by anything that we could do or have done in our own power. The truth of our being saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone is taught throughout the New Testament. James explains how a person is born from above. He said,

“In this exercise of [God’s] will He brought us forth by the word of truth.” (James 1:18)

It is so important to understand this. You cannot work God’s will in your life. God works His will in your life. This is why even repentance can be said to be God at work in our hearts.

Paul added to this in saying,

“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” (Tit3:5)

Once again Paul is speaking of the new life renewal that the Holy Spirit continues to manifest in each believer.

Always keep in mind what Jesus said to the thief, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.’

Now let us talk about…

 

Full Fellowship

Again listen, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” We need to know that the Lord always deals with us as blood redeemed people. When we make mistakes, or fall into a temptation, or stumble, or whatever the case may be, the Lord is able to restore us in full fellowship through the atoning blood of Jesus. The Bible says that nothing shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is found in Christ Jesus.

We drink from His cup. We sit at His table. We will always be with Jesus in heaven. The believer’s life cannot be separated from Jesus’s life.

In Hebrews, we hear,

“He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb7:25)

But it is more to this than restoration from sin. It is the very life of the new covenant that we need to learn about. Paul gave the finishing touch on how new covenant life works in a single statement. He said,

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now life in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal2:20)

 

Crucified with Christ

Yes, the thief was crucified with Christ. And the thief would forever live with Christ. When Christ arose from the grave, the thief arose with Him. When Jesus entered into heaven the thief entered with Him. When Jesus was seated at the right hand of the Father, the thief was seated with Him. And so was every believer in the new covenant.

When Paul said that he had been crucified with Christ, he is addressing a cardinal reality of the Christian faith. Listen to the apostle:

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:4-7)

Where does all this leave us? It really depends on your standing with heaven. If you are not assured of your salvation, I provided a prayer at the beginning of this journal entry that you may want to use. It begins with the simple words of the thief on the cross and it includes those things that speak of the Lordship of Jesus.

Don’t place your salvation in some church membership, or on some emotional experience, on shaking the preacher’s hand, or how long you prayed at an altar. Salvation is based on one issue alone – Salvation is the change of Lordship. You are turning from the god of this world [Satan] and calling on the name of God’s beloved Son. The Bible plainly says that whoever will call on His name will be saved.

Why not take time for this song. It is titled, ‘Lord, Please Remember Me,’ by the Jackson Southernaires. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYF-2Y9-ogo

 

Be blessed,

Buddy

 

 

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12
May
2011

Twisting and Turning in the Wind

“As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” (Eph 4:14-15)

 

Journal,

In this entry, I want to share how certain heretical teachings can be based on either a misunderstanding of the Scriptures or by stark misrepresentation.

Then you have the issue where a false doctrine is the calling card of false prophets and teachers. It is not my purpose to judge anyone in this entry as a false prophet. However, it is important for God’s people to be able to judge things for themselves. Jesus told us to judge with righteous judgment.

With regard to heretical teachings, David said it well enough –

“He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD. How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.” (Psa 40:2-4)

David compared the miry clay with ‘those who lapse into falsehood’. Paul speaks of this as the trickery of men by craftiness in deceitful scheming, or, as, ‘winds of doctrine’. He is using the ‘wind‘ illustration in a Hebrew Biblical sense. The idea is of clouds and winds that make a promise of rain, yet produce nothing but disappointment. The boast works on the emotions, but are a mere illusion.

Hence –

“Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely.” (Pro 25:14)

 

What are winds of doctrines

Winds of doctrine are teachings that twist and turn the Scriptures to make them mean something that they don’t mean. Most believers at one time or another have accepted a teaching that was not true to God’s Word. This generally comes from immaturity. But believing a falsehood can also come from a defiant attitude. This is where a person has made a choice to believe a lie. Thus they become snared by darkness.

At this point, it is important to point out how the charismatic movement that began in the early 60s, has become a breeding ground for heretical teachings. Through the goodness of the Lord, a great many true believers have escaped from that movement of ‘pyramid teachers’ by personal soul-searching and by a proper study of Biblical doctrine.

The term ‘pyramid teachers’ is a keynote. Most often a heretical teaching begins with a well-recognized, big-name, noted charismatic teacher. It then filters down the ranks until all the teachers in that movement are parroting the false doctrine. The thinking is, ‘How could so-and-so be wrong about anything. He is a chosen instrument of God.’

Here are some but not all of the proponents of this teaching. These quotes are not taken out of context.

“You don’t have a god in you, you are one.” (Kenneth Copeland) “… You are a little god running around.” (Benny Hinn) “I’m a god and you are a god.” (Jim Jones) “You are as much the incarnation of God as Christ was” (Kenneth Hagin) “Until we comprehend that we are little gods, we cannot manifest the kingdom of God.” (Earl Paulk) “I am a little god! Critics, be gone!” (Paul Crouch, TBN)

The godhood heresy is based primarily on two Scriptures portions. The problem is that both these portions are removed from their cultural and Biblical context.

First, the Psalmist Asaph wrote,

“I said, ‘You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High.” (Psa 82:6)

Then we have this from the New Testament:

“The Jews answered Him, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.’

“Jesus answered them, ‘Has it not been written in your Law, “I SAID, YOU ARE GODS”? If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’”? (Joh 10:33-36)

The heresy twist follows this line of thinking – All Christians are gods. The Bible says that we are ‘little gods’ on this planet. We are made in the image and likeness of God, and thus we are ‘little gods.’

Keep in mind this adage…

 

A text taken out of context is a pretext

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we are little gods. We are sons and daughters of God. Even those terms have to be placed in their proper understanding. So what was the Psalmist Asaph’s point and why did Jesus quote from him? Good questions. The answer is not as difficult as it may seem.

The context of Psalm 82 has to do with the ‘rulers‘ of Israel. Verse 1 says, “God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers.” (The word for ruler here is ‘elohim‘.)

The rulers in Israel were given a dignity by God to represent Him in Israel. Verses 2 through 4 are charges against these unjust rulers.

“How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah. Vindicate the weak and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.” (Psa 82:2-4)

Then we have the Lord’s answer for these unjust rulers who held a certain God-given dignity.

“They do not know nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, ‘You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High. ‘ Nevertheless you will die like men and fall like any one of the princes.'” (Psa 82:5-7)

The ‘all of you’ remains in place for Israel’s leadership. Their role as ‘rulers (elohim)’ had well gone to their heads. They loved being held in high esteem. They loved the acclamations. They loved to boast on their higher status as ‘the‘ rulers who represented God. What does the Lord say? You are no different from any other person. You are going to fall and die like any other person of high rank.

 

Why did Jesus use the Asaph quote

Thus we have the key to why Jesus quoted from Asaph. Two issues are in view.

(1) During the time of Jesus, each city had its own Sanhedrin, and then all Israel was under the rule of the Great Sanhedrin.  The Sanhedrin continued to use Asaph’s ‘elohim‘ statement for their placement in Israel’s society. They alone had the status of representing God. They alone were the elohim of God. (By the way, the term ‘elohim’ is a generic term. It can be translated other than as ‘god.’ – gods, judges, angels.)

(2) Secondly, Jesus turned their boast on their own head. Listen: “If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God.'”?

Did you catch what Jesus was saying to the rulers? If you are going to say that I am blaspheming, then you must also take this charge to yourself. What you charge Me with, would also make you a blasphemer. He caught them in their own foolishness. This is one reason that the Jewish rulers hated Jesus. They could never outdo His wisdom.

 

What is the point of all this

The point is that the ‘we are gods’ heresy is doing the very same thing today that it did during the time of Asaph and the time of Jesus. It is pride-centered, egotistical based, and creates an attitude of self-righteousness in those who take to themselves these teachings.

The point is that there are a lot of hurting believers coming out of the Charismatic movement. They have been damaged by heresy. The ‘we are god’s’ is only one of many heresies found there. The teaching that, ‘we can create with our words’, that ‘we are messiahs on the earth’, that, ‘Jesus was rich and wore designer clothes’, that, ‘any form of sickness is always of the devil’, and on and on and on, are all teachings that run contrary to the truths of God.

Heresies do not bring true freedom into a child of God’s life. They do just the opposite. They end up as bondages. 

It is as I said at the beginning of this entry –

“…heretical teachings can be based on either a misunderstanding of the Scriptures or by stark misrepresentation. … It is important for God’s people to be able to judge things for themselves. Jesus told us to judge with righteous judgment.”

While you think about these things, please take time to listen to Michael W. Smith, as he sings, ‘Draw Me Close to You.’

 

In Christ always,

Buddy

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30
Apr
2011

There’s a Promise Coming – Restoration

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” (Act 3:19-21)

 

Journal,

The eyes of the world are on the Middle East. We are seeing a conflagration (uncontrolled fire) working its way out from the regions of ancient Babylon. The heat is intense in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Israel, Somalia, Egypt, Syria, Libya, not to speak of all the ‘***istan’ nations of the former Soviet Union. Keep in view that all these nations with the exception of Israel, are Islamic.

So much for all the diatribe on Islam being a religion of peace.

The apostle Peter told the Jewish people that Jesus had been received into heaven and would stay there, but would send times of ‘refreshing’ [special moves of the Holy Spirit] until the period of restoration of all things.

What did he mean by the term restoration? The Greek term ‘apokatastasis‘ means a restitution of a thing to its former condition. This expression denotes the times when the ‘fullness of the Gentiles’ is completed, and the conversion of the Jewish nation is at hand.

This was a primary concern for the Lord’s Hebrew apostles. Jesus clearly taught that the kingdom of God would be taken away from the nation of Israel until the day came when they would say of Him, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

In Acts 1:6, they asked Him,

“‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ Jesus responded, ‘It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.'”

 

The clock is ticking

This is why May 14, 1948 is so important to redemption history. Israel lost her nationhood in the year 70 a.d. She was brought forth again as a nation in 1948, and took her place among the nations. Thus we have Isa66:8 fulfilled;

“Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.”

Then we have this from the Lord:

“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles [other nations] until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24)

Some like to think that a nation being brought forth all at once has to do with the church. However, this does damage to the prophecy.  Notice carefully that it is not simply a nation, but also a land that will be born in one day. The Hebrew for land [’erets] speaks of the earth. The land took on the name Israel on May 14, 1948, and land of Israel once again took her place among the nations of the world.

Without laboring this too much we also need to understand that the nation of Israel today is not the nation she is going to be. The Jews returning to the land is at the heart of Old Testament prophecy. Yet Israel today is largely secular, with Talmudic Judaism in charge of her religious affairs. The fact that Israel is largely secular is not a bad thing in comparison to the Christ-hating Talmudic religion.

(Most Jews do not hate Jesus. There are even Jewish-Christian churches and synagogues in Israel. According to my sources, the number one topic of discussion among Israelis today is about Jesus. The Lord is stirring their hearts. Any hatred towards Jesus and Christians comes largely from Orthodox-Talmudic Judaism.)

 

The mystery of the dry bones

When God spoke to Ezekiel about the dry bones, it had to do with the restored captivity of that time. However, it had a deeper meaning that would reach forward to the day when Israel turns to Jesus, and call upon Him as their Lord and Savior..

“He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, ‘O Lord GOD, You know.’ Again He said to me, ‘Prophesy over these bones and say to them, “O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.”’

“Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. ‘I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.'” (Eze 37:3-6)

 

Now lets combine two Scriptures, one from the old and the other from the new. Both with the same goal.

First Zechariah 12:10:

“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me [This is Yahweh speaking] whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him [Jesus the crucified One], and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him [Jesus] like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”

Now Romans 11:25-27:

“For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel [the Christ-rejecting nation group] until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved [nation group looks to Jesus]; just as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.'”

The sins of the Christ-rejecting Israel can only be taken away when they come to faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ.

The message to Israel has never changed. When Peter addressed the Jewish leadership, this is what he said:

“He [Jesus] is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Act 4:11-12)

No one can ever be saved aside from receiving Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as both Lord and Savior. There are no exceptions.

 

A house restored

Let’s come back to what Peter said about the times of restoration:

“…that He [the Father] may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” (Acts 3:20,21)

The Greek term for ‘period‘ is chronos. It speaks of a particular time or space or season of events.

The Greek term for ‘restoration‘ is a double compound. It is only used here. But interestingly enough it is also used by Flavius Josephus for the return of the Jews from captivity, and for the restoration of the year of Jubilee. That is the how the term was understood during the time of Christ.

The period of refreshing and restoration that Peter speaks of has a dual focus. It includes the Church being refreshed during her journey on heart. And while the Church is being prepared for her departure, the Jewish people are being gathered to the land of Israel to fulfill her prophesied purposes. Hence, God is working with the Jews and with the Christians.

For the Jew there is a period of tribulation they must endure before the Savior comes out of Zion. The Bible also gives place for a pseudo-Church during the last hours of this age. (Pseudo refers to something that appears to be true but is not. A false pretender.)

The true church refers to those who are inborn of the Spirit and will not follow anyone other than Jesus, in spite of signs and wonders. The true Church will make her departure from the earth at the proper time. The pseudo Church will follow after lying wonders.

 

Tears for Jerusalem

Let’s listen to some of the last words that Jesus spoke over Jerusalem.

“When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44)

And again,

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me UNTIL you say, ‘Blessed is He [Jesus] who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Matt23:37,38)

So, will the kingdom of God be restored to Israel? Will Israel really turn to the Lord Jesus and become part with His people? Can it be proved by the Scriptures? I believe it can. For your extra study consider these Scriptures: Isaiah 1:26; Jeremiah 23:3-6; Hosea 3:4,5; 5:15; 6:1-3.

That’s it for now.

Here is your song. Let the Lord refresh your heart. ‘There’s a Promise Coming Down’ by Joy Gardner…

Blessings,

Buddy

 

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12
Apr
2011

Lord, Send Your Angels

For interested readers here are my top journal entries that are receiving the most traffic:

(1) The Battle of Temptations: http://buddymartin.net/blog/2011/04/the-battle-of-temptations/

(2) The Gospel is like a Caged Lion: http://buddymartin.net/blog/2011/04/the-gospel-is-like-a-caged-lion/

(3) My Testimony: http://buddymartin.net/blog/testimony/

(4) Salvation: http://buddymartin.net/blog/salvation/

 

 

Journal,

There is so much in the Scriptures that relates to the well-being of believers. Included in our well-being we have, the blood covenant, our eternal seal of security in Christ, our heavenly citizenship, the Holy Spirit of God, the promises of God, the ‘catching away’ promise, the very armor of God Himself, and much more. Yet there is one aspect of our well-being that we don’t hear much about. It has to do with the ministry of angels. There are tons of books about the demonic. What gives?

Who are these holy angels of God, and what is their special role among believers? In this entry we will consider some of the basic issues that relate to God’s holy angels. However, the study of angels is a vast domain. I simply wish to let you see just how wonderful these heavenly creatures are and how they affect your life. 

Note: Place your cursor over a Scripture reference and it will appear.

 

Messengers of the Throne

The Hebrew word for angel is mal’ak. Greek is ággelos. These terms carry the meaning of, ‘to dispatch as a messenger’. While they can be applied to a human messenger, most often in the Scriptures they have to do with God’s holy and majestic angels. One of their duties is to be a messenger of the throne, and in many other ways to carry out the will of God.

Angels are commissioned servants of God. There are various orders of angels but I’ll keep things simple and just talk about angels in a general sense.

Let’s begin here:

“The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all. Bless the LORD, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word!” (Psa 103:19-22)

In the book of Hebrews, angels are said to be ‘ministering spirits.’ With this in mind they have a very unique role with regard to the people of salvation. Listen:

“But to which of the angels has He ever said, ‘Sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for Your feet’? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb 1:13-14)

 

Heavenly involvement

Angels are much more involved in our lives than we realize. Notice carefully that it says the angels render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation. God knew every one of His people from eternity long past. Today the angels also know every child of God. Fact of the matter is that every person who is ever going to be saved, their name is already written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Cf. Rev13:8; 17:8

As for being ministering spirits, angels don’t often take on human form, but they can. Angels are awesome in their natural state. However, the Lord knows that seeing angels in all their majesty could be somewhat disconcerting to believers. So angels for the most part always keep a low profile. Most often they are the unseen servants who attend to that which God assigns them.

The list is endless about how angels attend to our lives. It appears that their realm of being is deeply affected by God’s children on earth. Jesus said that there is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner repents. (Cf. Luke15:10)

We also know that angels attest to a believer’s confession of Jesus Christ. (Luke12:8) Angels go with believers to heaven. (Luke16:22) They gather all God’s elect at the proper time. (Mark13:27) Angels are involved in the judgments of God. (2Th1:7; 2Kings19:35) Angels do every deed that the voice of God speaks.

 

Spiritual strength

A very interesting aspect of angels is that believers most likely have drawn on the strength of angels without realizing it. We see this in the life of Jesus. There are two particular instances where Jesus as a man actually receives strength from an angel. Once is following His temptation. The other is in the garden.

Here they are:

“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”‘ Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.” (Mat 4:10-11)

“…saying, ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.’ Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.” (Luk 22:42-43)

If Jesus in His humanity needed extra spiritual strength, could it be that we also need that strength? Jesus is noted as the firstborn of many brothers, and of course, sisters. We are heirs and joint-heirs with Christ. A major difference is that angels had been in the company of Jesus from the time of their creation. He is Lord and God. While we don’t have that level of experience, yet we are the very children that Jesus came to redeem. Cf. Rom8:16-19.

 

As messengers of God, here are some references: Cf. Heb1:13,14; Gen28:12,13; Psa91:11; Luke 1:12,13; 1:28-33; Mat1:19-23; 2:13.

 

Do we have special angels

The angels of the Lord go to and fro from His throne. In the ancient Hebrew tradition there was a belief that every nation had a special angel, and that a certain class of angels nearest to the throne of God, had charge over God’s children. These angels were called, ‘Angels of the Presence’, or, ‘Angels of the Face.’ (mal’aki panim) They had constant contact with the Father. It appears that Gabriel was of that class. (Cf. Luke1:19)

In the book of Revelation, there are angels assigned to churches. It is also possible that each child of God has an attending angel, or at least an angel that would come from the throne of God to aid the believer at special times. The Lord drew attention to this in a warning to the world:

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” (Mat 18:10)

 

Lord, send your angels

Is it alright to ask the Lord to send His angels to meet a special need? I don’t know why not. I also think this is an area where we can ask the Lord to guide us in our prayers. We do know that when Jesus told the disciple to withdraw his sword, He said:

“Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Mat 26:53)

Yes, we are heirs and joint-heirs with Christ. And always remember what the Prophet Elisha said to his servant:

“Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?’

“So he answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2Ki 6:15-17)

 

Think about it. There is so much more to be said. Let the Lord fill your heart and mind with the good things of His kingdom.

In the meantime, listen to this wonderful song. ‘Lord Send Your Angels’ by Candy Christmas.

 

 

Always your friend in Christ,

Buddy

 

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06
Nov
2010

Yes, there really are aliens among us

“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” (1Pe 2:11 NASB)

 

Journal,

This is one of those ‘above’ and ‘below’ teachings that is at the very heart of true Biblical Christianity. You will find these above/below sayings scattered through the New Testament. You also find them in the former testament. Yes, there are aliens on planet earth. Every true Christian is an alien. The Bible says that we are from above.

Consider some variations of the above/below statements:

He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.” (John 3:31)

You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.”(John 8:23)

You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” (John 19:11)

But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.” (Gal4:26)

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” (Col3:1,2)

The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.” (1Co15:47,48)

And then this of believers:

If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” (John 15:19)

 

I’ve placed these Scriptures at the fore of this study as sort of pre-conditioner for where we are going in this study.

Let’s begin with …


The Puzzled Ruler

(Cf. John 18:33-38)

The conversation was not going as he expected. For one thing Pilate’s wife warned him not to do harm to “this righteous man.” She had a dream about Jesus. So when Pilate asked Jesus if He was the king of the Jews, the Lord said,

“Are you saying this on your own initiation, or did others tell you about Me?”

Of course Pilate was echoing one of the accusations being brought against Jesus. In his baffled state, he says,

“I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”

The Lord responded,

“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be turned over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Pilate then says,

“So You are a king?”

This is when he hears,

“You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.”

Pilate is bewildered;

“What is truth?”

There you have it.

 

 

So what is truth

Would you really like to know? I can tell you what truth is not. Truth is not a religion. Religions are all the efforts of man. When you hear someone say, ‘Our church has the truth,” don’t even bother yourself. Truth is not some sort of religious commodity to be attained through a church.

Truth is the  story of the cross. Not long after His conversation with Pilate, the rest of the story plays out at the cross. In a short time God’s very own Son will hang on a cross. A sign above His head will read in three languages,

‘Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.’

The languages were Hebrew (possibly Aramaic), and Greek, and Latin. These were the languages of the known world. Pilate had it written in contempt of the Jewish leadership who were responsible for the crucifying of Jesus.

The chief priests were indignant,

Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.'”

Pilate responded,

What I have written I have written.” Cf John 19:19-22

 

Wise men still seek Him

The prophets wrote about Him. Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel, and countless other righteous men and women of former times had encounters with Him.

Isn’t it interesting how wise men came from the east asking questions about Jesus.

Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” (Mat2:2)

And there He was, the One of whom the sages from the east were seeking, hanging on a cross.

Do we still have the Jesus haters among us? Some time back I was in dialog with certain people of the Jewish faith. One man retorted, ‘I am not going to worship a Jew on a stick.’

What a sad little man. While all the world is seeking after life and discovering Jesus, included multiplied thousands of Jewish people, and we still have this sort of Jesus vilification.

But of course the story doesn’t end at the cross. On the day of Pentecost we hear the apostle Peter declare quite plainly,

Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36)

Peter told them that Jesus was the promised Son of David, destined to David’s throne. Now He was ascended into the highest heavens.


What is it about the cross

What is the significance of the Man hanging on a cross? No significance at all if that was where He would be left. He would simply be another prophet of Israel, following the trail of the many prophets before Him.

But of course Jesus was far from being a prophet. He was God manifest in the flesh.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it was to begin its delivery with Jerusalem,

“Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God.'” (Isa40:9)

The one hanging on the cross was the God of Israel.

And the message of the cross points to His resurrection from the dead, to His ascension into heaven, to His being seated at the right hand of the Father, and to the bringing forth of a new creation, those who would be born of heaven.

The significance of His ascension and glorification is that the kingdom of God had entered into its completed redemptive stage. All of eternity would rest its case on the finished work of Calvary. This brings us to the reality of the ‘above’ and ‘below’ truths.


OK, here comes the aliens

When a person is actually born again, which, by the way, literally means ‘to be born from above,’ this person becomes a new creature. This new creature is now a citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem. Much of what is said of Jesus can be said of every child born from heaven.

Listen:

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Php 3:20-21 NASB)

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with  Him.” (Rom 8:16-17 NASB)

The point is that once a person is born again, their spiritual center shifts. One moment they were earthy creatures, the next moment they have entered into the kingdom of the beloved Son. And this kingdom is “not of this world.” Its center will not be found in this world.

Forget the isms, schisms, divisions, sectarians and all that concerns religious jargon. Those things are not the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. They are of the world.

None of this does away with the flocking of God’s children. We are to congregate in groups that are ordained of the Lord. But the visible church cannot in itself fully represent the full measure of the body of Christ. You will find born again children of God throughout Christendom. And it has nothing to do with church affiliation. It altogether has to do with our being born from above.

When Jesus said, “I am not of this world,” he later said the very same thing about all God’s children. In His high priestly prayer, Jesus reached across time. He speaks of all who will come to Him. Jesus said,

I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” (John 17:14)

 

Heavenly citizens in earthly bodies

If we were to take Scripture by Scripture concerning our being from above, it would simply thrill your heart. And this is the idea. Our hearts need to thrill over what it means to belong to Christ. The greatest problem facing many Christians today is that of learning about their true identity as heavenly citizens. We are right now heavenly citizens living in earthly bodies. We have to learn what this means to us on a spiritual level.

What needs to be understood is that every child of God has a spiritual support base that is out of this world. This is exactly what Paul is talking about when he says,

Set your mind [be intent on] the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and you life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Col3:2,3)

This also what Jesus meant when He said,

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt6:33)

Seeking His kingdom is another way of saying, ‘Seek His direct rule in your life.’ There is no kingdom without a rule. And to the ancient people of God, to seek God’s righteousness meant to look to God’s faithfulness in which He acts as the good Shepherd of His people.

Jesus is not speaking of positional righteousness which belongs to every child of God. He is speaking of our learning to walk in the ways of the Lord. The Lord said if we would learn to do that, then everything else in life, that is, all our needs, whatever they may be, will simply be added to us.

Think about it. Yes indeed, we are aliens in this present world.

Here is a song that speaks to our heavenly life. Let it minister to your heart. ‘Yes, I Know,’ by Gaither Vocal Band


Jesus loves you,

Buddy

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26
Oct
2010

Are we having fun yet…

“For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But he who listens to me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

(Pro 1:32-33 NASB)


Journal,

The soul of every sinner is the same. Yes, I’m talking about everyone, including we who have found Jesus Christ as our own Lord and Savior. We were sinners by nature and by birth.

We walked in the ways of the world. We lived in the ways of the world. Our life was flesh driven and self-centered. We sought pleasures to our own making. And we were locked in chains of darkness and did not even realize it.

This is why Paul said,

“Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.” Eph2:3

The apostle is saying that it doesn’t matter if we were of a Jewish or a Gentile background. We all had the same kind of souls, the soul of sinners.

David understood this issue. He said,

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” Psa51:5

David was speaking of his natural life.

Paul takes it further;

“Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” Rom7:25

Both David and Paul knew the answer. David looked ahead and saw the resurrection of Christ. This is why he said,

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; who shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?” Psa27:1

David had seen the beauty of the Lord. He saw Jesus of the cross. He saw Jesus of resurrected glory.


What of the Christian soul?

There is a certain wonder that takes place when a person is born of heaven. It is almost too wondrous for words. Peter said that it is joy, inexpressible, and full of glory.

When a person is born again a number of things happens. First the Christian is given a Christ like nature. The Christian becomes a spiritual being. Where there was darkness, there is now light. Where there was endless searching for fulfillment, the fulfillment has arrived. Jesus completes our life. That missing part is no longer missing. The search is over.

The Psalmist said it this way –

“The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.” Psalm16:5,6


Reshaped for life.

When a new believer first enters the realm of salvation, there is a burst of spiritual life. There is joy! There is peace! There is wonderment! Grace flows like a river. Then somewhere along the way something happens and this feeling of joy begins to wane. Some of the old sinful patterns try to reappear. What is happening!

It could be a number of things. Very often it is self-assertion. We are replacing the Spirit with the flesh.

Then there is the issue of truth. In the Scriptures, the term ‘truth’ does not refer simply to a doctrine. The Greek term  is used in the new covenant for our experiencing the realities of Christ. Sometimes a Christian gets bogged down in legalism and letterism. Paul said the letter kills whereas the Spirit gives life.

What did Paul mean? It would seem that we need all the laws we can get! Not really. Paul understood the new covenant as well as it can be understood. He knew that every person who is truly born again is under the life supervision of the Holy Spirit. If we try to live for the Lord in our own strength we will surely find ourselves weakening.

The apostle said that he had found the secret to living a full life of victory. Listen:

“I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Phil4:12,13)

The lesson is simple – It is the Spirit of God who births us, seals us, tutors us, educates us, places us where we need to be, refreshes us, turns our trials into victories, helps us escape bad teachings, keeps the glory of Jesus before us, and many such things. Our final presentation in heaven is a thing of the Spirit.

In the new covenant this all centers on sonship. Paul said,

“Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” Gal4:6

Our relationship with the Father is not that of a servant. We are sons and daughters of the  living God. Angels know the Divine seal upon God’s children. And so our inward life is being reshaped by the Spirit of God.


Living Out Our Life in Christ

Yes, the believer can very well find himself drifting back into old life styles. This does not mean that he isn’t saved. What it means is that ‘the’ lesson is yet to be learned. This lesson will be taught to the believer under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It often comes through necessary trials in the believer’s life. (Trials are not punishments from God. They are designed to give true purpose in our walk with Him.)

The point is that the life that Jesus came to give us is unlike anything the world has ever known. We are heavenly born people in earthly bodies. This is why we often struggle within ourselves. This is also why true believer’s carry in themselves a longing for their final transformation. And this is why we can only be happy when we are living a Spirit-filled life.

Paul speaks to this in saying,

“As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have born the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.” (1Co15:48,49)

The second lesson to learn is that we actually carry in us the life and power of Jesus. We can draw on His life and on His power. We reaffirm our life on a daily basis by remembering our unique role on planet earth. We also affirm our life in Christ when we learn our need to gather as the people of God. It is in our gatherings we share a very unique promise of God’s presence.

And so the question remains, ‘Are we having fun yet?’ You can decide this for yourself. It really depends on whose camp you are in.

Here is a song that will bless you – ‘I Can’t Even Walk,’ by Jessy Dixon, David Phelps, and Guy Penrod.

Love you in Christ,

Buddy

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20
Sep
2010

A Dove on the Wire…

“And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2Co 12:9-10 NASB)

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Journal,

It is fairly common for people to ask me how I am doing. The word was out some time back that I had cancer. But the word had not gotten out to everyone that I had received a healing from the Lord. It was an unusual healing. So once again the story needs to be told. Let me reach back to eight years ago… 

 

Expect the Unexpected 

It was August 6, 2007. I had been in cancer treatment for awhile. The findings were not good. Lymphoma had spread throughout my chest area and was now into my bone marrow. Our local hospital could do no more for me. They were sending me to M. D. Anderson in Houston. It pointed to a bone marrow transplant. (Pretty invasive procedure.) 

But everything was alright between me and the Lord. I had told the church that it was a win-win situation. The only concern I had involved which kind of bone marrow transplant would I have to go through.

Back to the story – That day I am having my morning devotion on a hill behind the church. While reading In the book of Isaiah, the Lord speaks to my heart and says, ‘Expect the unexpected.’

When I looked up at the high wire directly over my head there sat a beautiful dove. I sat there just looking at her. The dove would look at me. She remained there until I stood up to walk home. Then she flew ahead of me towards the house. 

It has always amazed me how of the Lord will speak to my heart while I am reading the Scriptures. That morning I was taking my devotion from the New Living Translation. Here is the portion where the Lord spoke to me: 

“Oh, that You would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in Your presence! As fire causes wood to burn and water to boil,

“Your coming would make the nations tremble. Then Your enemies would learn the reason for Your fame!

“When You came down long ago, You did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked!”(Isa 64:1-3 NLT)

The Lord had spoken into my life. His promise of ‘expect the unexpected’ made residence in my heart. (That is the way a promise from God works.)

I shared with the church what the Lord had said. But I yet didn’t know what ‘expect the unexpected’ meant. I thought perhaps I would receive the less of the two invasive stem cell transplant procedures. After all that was the purpose of sending me to Houston. 

At M. D. Anderson I was put through a battery of tests. They gave me a thorough work through. Then it came time to evaluate where I stood. Betty and Nathan were with me.

Here is what happened. When we met with my primary physician, he went down the line on each test that M.D. Anderson had made. With each test he said, ‘No cancer.’ (Something along that line.)

At some point between Pineville, Louisiana, and Houston, Texas, the Lord had granted me a sovereign miracle of grace. It’s been three years now. Every checkup I’ve gone to since shows me clear of cancer.

And that is the story of my healing from the Lord

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A work of God’s love

What did I do to gain a healing from the Lord? It wasn’t about anything I did. It was the work of God. To Him belongs the glory. 

I wish that all believers would come to this understanding. God doesn’t heal us or give us miracles because we deserve them, or because we have earned them, or because we become good enough. Its all a matter of God’s love and of His sovereign grace.

The love of God is a Divine outflow of His own heart. It flows from God to His children. God then wants His love to flow out from His children to those who are without Christ, and also to other struggling believers. So He gives us testimonies of His grace and of His love.

This is what my healing testimony is all about. Paul said,

“The love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” (2Co5:14,15)

But there is a problem. Before believers can effectively touch the lives of others, they need to know the love of God for themselves. This means that the believer has to get away from this, ‘I must become good enough’ before God can save me, or heal me, or bless me. Nobody gets good enough in themselves. It is a matter of understanding our relationship to God through His Son Jesus Christ.

It is only after the believer comes to know and understand the love and the grace of God for themselves, that they are able to minister positively and effectively to others.

With regard to God’s love, here is the place to begin.

All who believe the message of the cross and receive Jesus Christ as their Savior, are special to the Father’s love. He loves you just as you love your children. He wants the best for you just as you want the best for your children. (Be sure to place your cursor over each of the following Scripture references.) 

This means that every true believer is… 

1. …accepted in Christ. (Eph. 2:4-7)

2. …a gift to the Son. (John 6:37-40; Heb. 2:11-13)

3. …the beloved of Christ. (Eph. 5:25; John 17:24)

4. …represented by Christ in heaven. (1 John 4:17,18)

5. …loved eternally.  (John 16:25-27; Rom. 8:37-39) 

So where do you begin? Begin with yourself.

God loves you. You must learn to love yourself. But He also loves the Church, and He loves the lost man. You too are to love these things. Love is a key to reaching the person without Christ in their life. Learn to hate the sin but love the sinner. (Rom5:5-8)

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Where does sovereign grace fit the picture…

Some like to argue over the issue of free will. It is really a poor argument when you put it in its proper Biblical perspective. Think about your own family. Your children have free will but they need to learn that there is a greater will that they should look to.

Yes, we have free will. But God also has free will. He is our loving Father. He always knows what is best for us. This is what the Lord was telling Paul. Listen again: 

“Concerning this [whatever Paul’s struggle was] I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’
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“Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. … For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2Co 12:8-10 NASB)
 
Paul had learned a lesson. He was learning to yield Himself to the grace and to the will of the heavenly Father. God had a plan for his life, just as God has a plan for each of His children.
 
Hear from the prophet: 
 
“‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.'”(Jer 29:11 NASB)
 
Do you want God’s will in your life? There is only one issue to deal with. You must learn to trust in both the love and the grace of God. Let your heart rest in the grace of a loving Father.
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And yes, you have a dove in your life. It is the same dove of the Holy Spirit that came to rest on Jesus at the river Jordan.
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Why not take time to talk with your heavenly Father. Why not open your heart to Him and get to know Him better. Why not ask the Father speak some promises into your life. In my 50+ years in the ministry, the greatest lesson that I have learned is the lesson of trust.
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Here is your song for today. Listen carefully. The Lord has something to say to you.
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[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3usXFCh56iA[/youtube]

In Christ always,

Buddyx

You can drop Buddy a personal line in the form below. (Will not appear in comments.)

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27
Aug
2010

I Don’t Have Time To Be Afraid

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, `My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’” (Ps91:1,2)

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Journal,

When David speaks of the shelter of God, or the shadow of God, or even the secret place of God, he often has in view the holiest of holies. But David was also seeing past the symbolisms of the tabernacle and into the very heart of redemption.

David often spoke of Jesus. David was’t the only Old Testament prophet who had visions of Jesus. In fact the underlying theme of the entire Old Testament centered on the coming Messiah.

It begins in Genesis:

 

“[To Satan]And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”” (Gen 3:15 NASB)

From the Old Testament prophets to the apostles the message never changes:

 

“[Preaching of Peter]And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.” (Act 3:17-18 NASB)

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Think God for the prophets of old

Do you find that strange that the Old Testament prophets saw Jesus beforehand? They did and they often wrote in ‘prophetic perfects.’ A prophetic perfect means that the prophet is experiencing first hand the very thing he is seeing. It is as though the prophet was transported in time.
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Let’s see what David knew about God’s great work of redemption. In Psalm 31, David expresses sorrow over the strife of life, when he suddenly breaks forth into God’s love for His people. David says:

“How great is Your goodness, which YOU HAVE STORED for those who fear You, which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, before the sons of men!

“You hide them in THE SECRET PLACE of Your presence, from the conspiracies of man; You keep them in THE SHELTER from the strife of tongues.” (Psalm 31:19,20 nasb.) – Words in bold are for emphasis only –

The Hebrew for “the secret place of Your presence”, can equally be translated, “the secret of Your face.” The idea is that God hides His people from the view of their enemies, that is, by bringing them to the very place that He Himself dwells.

David also speaks of God’s people as being, ‘the hidden ones.’

 

“They make shrewd plans against Your people, and conspire together against Your TREASURED ones.” (Psa 83:3 NASB)

The Hebrew for ‘treasured’ is ‘tsâphan‘. It means to hide or to keep secret. This word is used for concealing something of great value. All true believers are the treasures of God in the earth.


Hidden in Christ

This wonderful truth is brought to fulfillment in the new covenant. The lives of all true believers are hidden with God in Christ. In the new covenant we are brought into heaven’s holiest of holies.

Let’s see how the tabernacle sets forth this truth of our hiding place. The only furnishing in the holiest of holies was the ark of the covenant. Two angels have their gaze firmly fixed on the golden mercy seat. Their wings touch in the center. Above the mercy seat was a brilliant light. In the light was a form.

Peter explains the prophetic intent of the holiest of holies. Notice how Peter connects the Old Testament prophets, with the apostles, and with the two angels over the mercy seat:

“It was revealed to them[the Old Testament prophets]that they were not serving themselves, but you [true believers in Christ; the treasured ones], in these things which now have been announced to you from heaven [by the apostles]-things into which ANGELS long to look.” (1Peter 1:12)

In the Light over the mercy seat was a form that only Moses was allowed to see. The form was the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. We see this by tying the Old Testament and the New Testament together.

When the Lord rebuked Miriam and Aaron over their presumptuous attitude towards Moses, He said to them,

“Not so, with My servant Moses, he is faithful in all My household; with him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds THE FORM OF THE LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?”(Num 12:7-8 NASB)

Who did Moses see? He saw the image of the invisible God. This is exactly who Jesus is. To the Jews, God’s Messiah was known as the form of God, the glory of God, the image of God, the Word of God, and at times even the Shekinah of God.

Now listen carefully. Paul said of Christ,

“Although HE EXISTED IN THE FORM OF GOD, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself…” (Phi2:6)

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Now back to the tabernacle.

John wrote,

“And THE WORDbecame flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

– Transpose ‘the Word’ with any of these terms, ‘the Glory’, ‘the Form’, ‘the Image’, etc. All these words were part of the ancient Hebrew expressions for Messiah.

Actually the Greek word for ‘dwelt‘ calls attention to the holiest of holiest in the tabernacle. The glory that rested over the mercy seat was now tabernacled in Jesus Christ. The Greek for ‘dwelt’ is ‘skenoo‘. In Revelation 7:15 this word is translated, ‘spread His tabernacle’.

Also note that John speaks of Jesus as ‘the Father’s glory.’ Now note how Paul specifically calls Jesus, “The Lord of glory”

“…but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have CRUCIFIED THE LORD OF GLORY.“(1Co 2:7-8 NASB)

It is on the Mount of Transfiguration where Jesus reveals who He really is to three of the apostles. He appears on the outside what He is on the inside. It says,

“And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.” (Mat17:2)

But why David would speak of the holiest of holies as the hiding place for God’s people? David could see by the Spirit into the redemption of Christ. He saw past the veil, and into God’s redemption plan that would stretch across eternity past and eternity future.

Another picture we have of our hidden life is with the high priest. When the high priest entered into the holiest of holies, he carried over his heart all of Israel. The twelve stones on his vestment represented the twelve tribes. And so when the high priest entered past the veil, he carried with him and over his heart all of God’s people.

Listen carefully to the apostle:

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

 

“…how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb 9:11-12,14 NASB)

 

And again,

 

“… even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:5-7 NASB)

 

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The ever present reality

The mercy seated of the tabernacle represented the very throne of God. We have been raised up together with Christ and seated with Christ at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Old Testament saints somehow knew in their hearts that the Lord Himself was their ever present security in life. As Moses looked down on the scattered tents of Israel, he said,

“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Psalm 90:1,2)

Here Moses uses the same word that David used with regard to the ‘secret place’ of the tabernacle.

Again think about the two cherubim with their golden wings spread over the mercy seat. Listen again to David:

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, `My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’” (Ps91:1,2)

David uses the same word again which references the secret place of God’s presence, that is, the mercy seat in the holiest of holies. God’s people dwell under the very presence and protection of angels.

Here is where we come to the great mystery of God’s love for His people. The Psalmist Asaph speaks of God’s people as His ‘treasured ones.’

David puts things together when he writes,

“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.

“For in the day of trouble He will CONCEAL me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock [the Rock is Christ]. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.” (Psalm 27:4-6)

The Hebrew for ‘conceal’ is the same word for God’s ‘treasured’ ones. God’s people are His treasures in the earth and for all eternity. This allows us to have a better understanding of a kingdom parable concerning a treasure. Jesus said,

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field [world], which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matt13:44)

The story is the story of the cross. Jesus Christ gave His life for the hidden treasure. Jesus came to seek that which was lost. Now the treasure is hidden again, but this time it is hidden in Christ.

Paul said,

“For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” (Col3:3,4)

All that we have read in David’s writings have their fulfillment in the finished work of the cross. Being hidden in Christ means that every believer is eternally secured from the power of darkness. We can never be separated from God’s love. Our life is placed in the Light of God’s very being. Peter said that our calling was into “His marvelous light.” (1Pe2:9) – Pass your curser over this Scripture for the full effect –

While this may seem difficult to grasp, what we need to realize is that our faith is to be based upon our position in Christ. Our position in Christ is secured. We have already been raised up and seated with Him in the heavenly places. Our concern is in living out our present life with the knowledge of our eternal placement. God gives us heavenly life as a foretaste of eternity. Heavenly life is God’s oversight of our lives.

Take time to listen to the message of the song, ‘Your Love Never Fails.’ (Jesus Culture)

Always in love with Jesus,

Buddy

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05
Aug
2010

Walking down memory lane – God’s faithfulness…

“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it.” (Psa 37:3-5 NASB)

 

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Journal,

The single most important factor that will affect a believer’s walk with the Lord has to do with coming to realize the very character and nature of God.

I have loved the Lord deeply the greater part of my life. In fact I answered my call to the ministry at age 24. This month I will turn 70.

Even though I loved Jesus fervently from my heart, I didn’t always understand that much about God’s character. Most of the preaching I had heard was filled with passion but short on teaching on the ways of the Lord, or on discovering the very heart of God. My ministry was molded around what I had heard.

In 1971, I left the full-time ministry. The drain was just too much. So, for the next three years I devoted myself to serious spiritual adjustments. Sure, I preached out and continued my ministry of winning souls to the kingdom, but I also went into business. In my mind being in full-time ministry was a thing of the past.

Those three years became a mile stone in my walk with the Lord. It was during that time that I began to experience the Lord on a level that I never knew existed. What had been a mixed struggle and a strain in my walk of faith, was now becoming a joyful walk filled with stability and grace. The Lord was teaching me His heart. A whole new world was opening up.

It is hard to find a single beginning point for this great turn around in my life. There was so much the Lord was showing me, so much about His nature that I was coming to understand.

But let me draw attention to an incident that sort of set the state. It had to do with what I will call…

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God’s Psalm of Life

Here is how it went…

Psalm 37 is what can be called ‘a fullness Psalm.’ It has to do with God’s wisdom for life. Psalm 37 is designed to help shape our faith walk. The essence of this Psalm is that we need to learn to trust the Lord in every circumstance of life. I point to Psalm 37 because it had a major place in reshaping my faith walk those thirty-six years ago.

Here is the story:

It Happened in My Morning Devotion

With my first cup of coffee in place I’m into my morning devotion. That day my devotion brought me to Psalm 37. When I come to verse 4, I read, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

I had to pause. It was like a divine moment was in place. As I sat there looking at that verse, I said a prayer in my heart, ‘Lord, did you mean that?’ That was when I heard in my heart, ‘Try Me and see.’ It was like God had given me an invitation to ask of Him anything that I wanted.

I quietly responded in my heart, ‘Lord, I thank you for my sons. I would like to have a daughter.’ Almost in the twinkling of an eye, I heard once again in my heart, ‘She’s yours.’ That was it. Business had been conducted with the throne of God.

At the time Betty was expecting our fourth child. We had no idea what our next child was to be. The Lord had already blessed us with three sons.

I shared with Betty what the Lord said. Then when I shared this with some of the church members, they gave me this kindly smile, sort of like, ‘Yeah. We’ll see.’ Someone even challenged me on what I shared. It made no difference. I had heard from the Lord.

Well, see we did. The nurse walked down the corridor towards the window where I was standing behind the glass pane. She mouthed to me, ‘It’s a girl.’ The tears of happiness rolled down my face. My heart overflowed with joy.  Once again the Lord had shown Himself faithful.

But my happiness was not limited to the fact that we now had a daughter. My happiness wrapped itself around a promise that the Lord had given me. The Lord had given me His Word.

For some reason this learning experience was different this time. The Lord had often shown me things. I’ve had dreams and visions. I’ve had the Lord put in my heart things that were going to happen. And they did. So what made this event so different? This time there was a direct connection with a promise written in God’s sacred Word. The Lord said that if I would delight in Him, that He would give me the desires of my heart.

What was the great lesson I was learning? Iwas learning that you cannot separate God from His Word, and that a life of faith must have an anchor. The anchor for our faith journey is to be based entirely upon the promises of God.

I was learning that everything I would ever need in life, to live by and to carry out God’s work had already been provided. God even put His provision in written form, the Bible. My entire faith journey was to be a outworking of God’s promises. The Bible is a book of living words.

Jesus Himself said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”

Did the Lord stop dealing with me by dreams and visions and other directives in my heart? Not at all. What I had now was a deeper appreciation for God’s holy book. I found that the Bible is given to us as a guidebook that God uses to instill His promises into the deep of a believer’s heart.

Oh yes, the Bible is much more than a book of facts where we can collect information and argue doctrine. When the Holy Spirit moves on God’s Word and begins ministering to our heart, it then becomes a living book.

And this, my friend is the essence of the new covenant. Listen carefully to how God’s prophet describes the covenant of Christ:

“’Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,

“… not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the LORD.

“‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will put My law [Torah means ‘instructions’] within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

“They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,’ declares the LORD,

“‘…for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’” (Jer 31:31-34 NASB)

I broke the afore Scriptures into paragraph portions because I wanted you to read each segment on its own. God writes His instructions upon our heart.

And so not long afterwards, the Lord open the gate to miracle land for me and my family.


We walked through the Gate right into of Miracle Land

Do you remember what the Lord said about the gate and the narrow? Listen:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Mat 7:13-14 NASB)

I’m not sure the Lord was simply referring to salvation itself. Salvation is not that hard a matter. It reduces itself down to a matter of repentance and calling upon the name of the Lord. No, it seems to me that the Lord is speaking of how we can learn to live in the life that He has for us.

In our case one more step was needed. At the end of my three years of spiritual adjustment, I made a contract with God. My heart was filled with the things of heaven. But there was something that I needed to do. I realized this sounds strange but the Lord Himself had drawn me to this place.

I made a contract with God

This was my contract – I told the Lord that I would go anywhere He wanted me to go, and I would do anything He wanted me to do, that my life was no longer mine to direct. But there were two things that I wanted from Him. 1st, I ask the Lord to tell me personally what He wanted me to do and not send someone else to tell me. And, 2nd, I must have my wife.

In such a short time the Lord opened to us the gate to miracle land. He had accepted my contract. Betty and I, along with our sons and our new daughter were back into full-time gospel ministry. That was 1975.

Oh yes, there were many more lessons to learn, but into miracle land we ventured. Now we had the answer to every need, to every trial, to every circumstance that would come our way. We were experiencing God’s character, God’s heart, and God’s faithfulness.

I wish I had time and space to share more on our journey into miracle land. But alas, the story is still being written.

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Now let’s hear from Peter:

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (everything has already been provided for.)

“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2Pe 1:2-4 NASB)

Did you catch it? Living by faith is nothing less than living on His precious and magnificent promises. The land of faith is also called the land of promise. You don’t earn the promises. You are an heir of the promises.

Listen to how Paul adds to this:

“For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us–by me and Silvanus and Timothy–was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.” (2Co 1:19-20 NASB)

The Lord God has laid out before us great and mighty promises. We are the heirs of those promises.

Here’s the problem. How can you live by the promises of God if you don’t know what they are? Living by faith is not living by our feelings, or emotions, or ‘I hope so’, or, some esoteric experience, and so on and on. Living by faith has to have an anchor. It has to have a divine connection with the Lord Jesus Himself.

The anchor of the faith walk will always center on the Word of God. We are to believe in, and live from the promises of God. We are the very heirs of God and of all the Christ promises.

What more can I say. I shared just a bit of my walk down memory lane. I’ve had so many people ask me to write a book about the things I learned. But how can I do that. The book has already been written.

Have you made your full surrender? Here is a song. Let it speak to your heart.

Think about it.

Always your servant in Christ,

Buddy


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29
Jul
2010

The Divine Rights of Access…

“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:16 NASB)

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Readers,

It is quite interesting how the religious man attempts to rebuild what God has torn down. Old Testament Judaism with its temple sacrifices and mediatorial priesthood had served a purpose. That purpose ended with the cross. It was replaced by a much greater covenant, the covenant of Christ.

The covenant of Christ is about personal freedom and direct access to the throne of God. It is about our heavenly life in Christ. It is about the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The covenant of Christ is about a new creation where all the former things pass away.

In the new covenant, everything is new. The covenant of Christ is not the covenant of the Law, renovated, revived, reformed, refurbished, or ‘re’ anything. The covenant of Law was made for an earthy people. The covenant of Christ is for a heavenly people.

Listen to what the writer says in his letter to the Hebrews:

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:19-22

For some background on this we need to reach back to the time of Adam.

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The Undefiled Conscience

When God created Adam, he was created with no sense of guilt, no consciousness of sin, or of worthlessness, or even of inferiority. Adam was adorned with glory. He was made in the very image and likeness of God. It never once entered Adam’s mind to question his right to the awesome presence of God.

Even the angels knew that Adam was different from them. Actually Adam is the only person in the Bible, aside from Jesus Christ, to ever be called ‘the son of God.’

We see this in Luke as he relates the genealogy of Jesus;

“… the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.” (Luk 3:38 NASB)

Of course we know the story. Adam rejected God’s Word and God’s will for himself. From that moment Adam became conscious of the nature of sin. And now the Adam race could only approach the Lord in measured ways.

Such a fall — From glory to earthliness. Adam and Eve lost their glory and found themselves in a culture of sin and death.

The apostle said it well enough;

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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Where then is the victory

The judgment of condemnation was removed in Christ. Every person who comes to Jesus, enters the wonderment of a totally new covenant. In this new covenant there is an act of creation. Being born again means to be born from heaven. Believers are now heavenly citizens, actual sons and daughters of God. Yes, we are heavenly citizens in earthly bodies. That will change in due course.

Let’s look more closely at what Hebrews 10:19-22 has to say.

“We have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus.”

The covenant of Law provided limited access to God. Only priests were permitted to enter the holy place, and only the high priest could enter the holiest of holies once a year. Thus the priests became mediators between the people and God. In the new covenant there is only one mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. Lose this truth and you place yourself under the bondage of another man made religious system.

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The Veil of Separation

The veil in the tabernacle spoke of man’s separation from God. Yet behind the veil was another picture. The mercy seat had two cherubim gazing intently at the center of the lid of the ark of the covenant. This was a picture of the angels in wonderment over the work of the cross.

What happened when Jesus yielded up His spirit on the cross? It says,

“And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (Mark 15:38)

This could only mean one thing. The Adam sin was accounted for. The veil of separation was removed by Jesus Christ.

Listen to Paul:

“So also it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.” (1Co 15:45-47 NASB)

Did you catch it? The first Adam was made from the earth. The last Adam came from heaven and took to Himself a human body. Jesus Christ took the sin of all humanity upon himself. What is left now is for the world to be reconciled to God.

Condemnation has been removed. Our first estate is returned. We can now walk with God with no sense of guilt, of worthlessness, or of condemnation. We have divine rights to the very presence of our heavenly Father. The apostle said,

“There is therefore now no condemnation (katakrima means a sentence of judgment) for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Rom8:1,2)

The Romans 8:1 Scripture is emphatic in the Greek. The emphasis is clear; ‘There is not now, nor can there ever be a damnatory sentence against anyone who is in Christ Jesus.’ Why? Because of the law of the cross; ‘For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

Does this mean we have carte blanche to live sinful lives? Far from it. Sin always carries consequences. What it means is that sin is no longer our master.

In addition to our full and completed salvation in Jesus Christ, we are given spiritual expressions and attributes that help us to deal with issues of sin. (A teaching in itself.)


Full Assurance of Faith

Back to our Hebrew Scriptures. What did the writer say? Follow closely —

“Brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus.”

The word confidence is a strong word. Parresia speaks of unrestrained freedom to speak openly and directly and boldly with our God. Here we have a hint of Adam in the beginning. Adam could speak with confidence. He was not ashamed of who he was. He was God’s son.

How did we gain this direct access to God?

“By the blood of Jesus.”

How are we to approach God?

“In full assurance of faith.”

Under what conditions do we approach God? It says,

“Having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

This point is stressed throughout the letter of Hebrews. In quoting from the prophet Jeremiah, we hear,

“And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen, and everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all will know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Heb8:11,12)

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How does this relate to our personal walk with the Lord.

God removed the haziness of religion to give man the full Light of His Son. People who keep reaching back into the Law of Moses are disinheriting themselves from the liberty and glory of being a very child of God.

Paul said to the Galatian believers,

“Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:6,7)

Too many Christians remained stifled in their spiritual life because they know so little about their true life in Christ. Don’t think of other people as special mediators between you and God. This includes both priest, prophet, and pastor. You have one mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes, we should love and respect those who teach us properly in the ways of the Lord. But never to the extent that they alone can hear from the Lord. God is your Father. You have a personal invitation to meet Him at the throne of grace any time you wish.

And so we hear this warning early on in the book of Hebrews:

“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.” (Heb 2:1 NASB)

Have you ever seriously thought on the following Scripture?
“So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.” (1Co 3:21-23 NASB)
How about this one:
“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with  Him so that we may also be glorified with  Him.”
Here is your song. ‘In Christ Alone’
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Always your friend in Christ,

Buddy

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