eternal security

26
Sep
2011

The Ancient and Heavenly Call of the Ages

 

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

“By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; …

“ … for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Heb 11:8-10)

 

 

 

Journal,

As a child of the 1940s, my heart is linked to the music of that era. It was the era of the big bands. Songs like ‘Sentimental Journey’, ‘Buttons and Bows’, ‘Cruising Down the River on a Sunday Afternoon’, were songs with simple but clean themes.

One song that I especially loved became the signature song for Judy Garland. It was entitled ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.’ Miss Garland sang it when she was but a teenager.

Guess the reason I liked it so much was because my childish heart carried in it a heavenly theme. My mom had instilled a love for heaven in me with my, ‘Now I lay be down to sleep,’ prayer. It is like a piece of heaven was instilled in my heart from the beginning.

And even when I wandered about in the world, there was always something deep in my heart bidding me back to my childhood experience of the Lord.

I have no other way to explain it that to speak of, ‘the ancient and heavenly call of the ages.’ 

This may be what Paul was talking about when he wrote,

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Php 3:13-14)

Then we have this from the Psalmist –

“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?” (Psa 42:2)

I believe this heavenly call has been the hallmark of God’s people from ancient time.

Now let’s come back to …

 

 

Coming Home – The Walk of a Little Child

Jesus said,

“Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt18:3)

At another time the Lord instructed His disciples to leave the children alone.

“Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Mt19:14)

Did you notice who the kingdom of heaven belongs to? It belongs to those who have a childlike trust in the Lord.

I’ve often found it interesting that when talking to older believers, it is not uncommon to hear them say that it seemed they knew the Lord from early childhood. And even if they made their confession of faith later in life, it was as if they had come home.

That is what happened to me.

But why is this? The Lord explained it to Jeremiah. Listen…

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jer 1:5)

The Hebrew word for ‘knew’ is very interesting. Yada (yah-dah’) speaks of observation, experiencing, understanding, that is, to know someone intimately and personally. The Lord knew Jeremiah personally before Jeremiah was conceived in the womb. It is hard to wrap our minds around this, but it goes to show just how awesome the Biblical doctrine of eternal security is in its presentation. Every believer was saved in eternity.

God knowing and experiencing Jeremiah can be said equally of every person who comes to realize Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This person was in the heart of God from the beginning of time and even before.

Could this be why we had a sense of knowing the Lord from childhood. (Just something to think about.)

Thus we read,

“ … just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.” (Eph 1:4-5)

 

 

Tell your children about heaven

I was blessed in that my mama taught me the little childhood prayer. She placed in my young heart tender feelings for heaven. And when our children were little ones, I tried my best to put in them this same heavenly love.

On one occasion I am in my office studying for a service. A small knock comes to my door. There stands Shana; “Daddy, I don’t have anyone to hold me.”

I swept her up in my arms and sit down with her in my lap in front of our french doors. That’s when I began to share with her about our heavenly Father, about the birds and other creatures He had created, and about His love for us.

At another time all three of my children and me are raking pine straw in the back yard, when we sit down under a tree for a break. Our dog Peppy lay there with us. Again I hear this small voice say, “Daddy, everybody needs a hug, even God, huh?” “Yes, darling, even God needs a hug.” And again I began to share with our children the Father’s love.

Then there was the time when my youngest son, Andre was quite small. The night was so dark. He stood on the front porch as I walked up. Andre could barely see me. But when I said, “Jump Andre, daddy will catch you,” he soared off the porch into daddy’s arms. He knew that daddy would catch him.

Each of our children hold a special place in both Betty and my heart.

Does this not speak of our heavenly Father. The Bible says that nothing will ever be able to separate us from His love.

 

The sad story of materialism

Yes, there is a point in all this. I remain deeply disturbed as I hear all these earthly, materialistic teachings today. The gospel being preached in many places is earthly minded and man-centered. It is a gospel of greed.

But my mind goes back to all the Bible warnings concerning these last days. Peter spoke of false teachers who would arise among God’s people. He said,

“Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” (2Pe2:2,3)

What should the pulpits be instilling in the hearts of God’s people today? Should be not be a consciousness of heaven? I am speaking of the atmosphere of heaven that we are called to live in. (The Spirit-filled life is nothing less than the atmosphere of heaven filling out of being.)

 

Seeking first the Kingdom

Jesus said that if we would seek the kingdom of God first, then everything else in life would be added to us. The kingdom of God speaks of the rule of God over our hearts. We are not to lord over our own lives. We are to look to Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

This is why the apostle Paul said,

“Set your mind [affections] on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 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.” (Col3:2-4)

 

The Ancient Call

From ancient time there has been in the hearts of all God’s saints, this feeling for heaven. It is a call upon our lives.

God’s people have always seen themselves as pilgrims in this life. In the new covenant this takes on a new dimension. When a person receives Jesus Christ as their own Lord, there is a heavenly reality that enters their heart. In this sense we become heavenly creatures in earthly bodies.

Yet the principle of living for the Lord never changes. We are to live as children.

Have you been misled by some of the earthly, materialistic teachings? Do you need to come back to your first love? Do you need to return to your simple childhood faith in Jesus?

Think about it. And while you are thinking about it, take time for Judy Garland, as she sings, ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.’

 

 

Blessings,

In Christ Jesus always,

Buddy

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15
Sep
2011

Journal Update – Life Changing Studies

 

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.” (1Pe 1:1-2)

 

 

Journal,

Is there such a thing as having resurrection life in this life? Actually there is. While we wait for our resurrected bodies as the children of God, yet we are now enjoined to the very life of Jesus Christ. It is His resurrected life that will transform our physical state into conformity with the state of His glory.

The apostle explained our future estate –

 

“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)

 

 

The Believer’s Struggle

I often come across believers who struggle over the issues of their salvation. Much of their struggle stems from faulty teaching. It is heart-breaking for me. These very believers are the heritage of the Lord. They are the reason He endured the cross.

The Lord desires for all His people to have proper understanding of their placement in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. This is why I try to give Bible studies on my blog that can serve as building blocks for a believer’s stronger faith walk with Jesus.

This year alone I’ve already had nearly 75,000 page views from 25,000 visitors.

To help my readers further their walk with the Lord, I wanted to share the journal entries that have acquired the most readership.

Keep in view that these ten studies are only representative of the 170 studies that I have provided in my journal. That should tell you something in itself. Each of these entries reaches into the very heart of our salvation in Christ.

Look over the titles to see which study (or studies) may speak to where you are. The Lord will guide you in this.

 

 

Life Changing Studies

The ten studies, beginning with the highest number of readers and on down.

 

(1)    Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/11/mercy-triumphs-over-judgment/

(2)    Passing Through the Valley of Baca – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/01/passing-through-the-valley-of-baca/

(3)    Tongues – http://buddymartin.net/blog/speaking-in-other-languages/

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

(5)    Jesus, the Wonder and Mystery of the Bible – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/11/jesus-the-wonder-and-mystery-of-the-bible/ 

(6)    Honoring God with First Fruits – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/12/honoring-god-with-first-fruits/

(7)    Beware of the Godhood Lie – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2011/05/beware-of-the-godhood-lie/

(8)    [My Personal] Testimony – http://buddymartin.net/blog/testimony/

(9)  What Can Make Me Whole Again – Nothing But the Blood of Jesus – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/11/what-can-make-me-whole-again-nothing-but-the-blood-of-jesus

(10)  How Secure Are You in Christ – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/03/how-secure-are-you-in-christ/

 

— A new feature — 

I’ve added a new feature to my blog. In the right column is a button ‘Listen to blogs.’ The audio-reading begins with the current entry and continues through the latest ten studies. However, any single of the ten entries can be listened to by clicking on that entry. The reading voice alternates between male and female.

 

Is It Well With Your Soul

Isn’t it time for a spiritual wake up. Take time to listen to the Isaacs, as they sing, ‘Unbrella.’

 

 

In Christ Always,

Buddy

 

 

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29
Aug
2011

Can You Find Your Way Home

“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” (2Co 4:6-7 nasb)

The Light of the World by John P.C..

 

Journal,

Sometimes I find it very worthwhile to reaffirm an earlier journal entry. This entry draws largely on an entry that I provided in March, 2011. It was titled, ‘Finding Your Way Home.’ (Year and a half ago.)

The apostle Paul said that all believers in Jesus Christ have a  ‘surpassing [divine] power’ in their hearts, and that we must learn to live by that power and not by our own soul’s self powers. Each apostle tell us the same thing,

John says,

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” (1Jn 4:4)

 

The apostle Peter adds,
 
“[We] who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1Pe 1:5)

 

Living in the Glow of Jesus

But before I go further I want to give a better perspective on why Paul called attention to the opening of Genesis, where God said, “Let there be Light.” Paul is saying that it is this ‘Light‘ that is now shining in the heart of every true believer. (2Co4:6)

Paul is doing is drawing on an ancient belief among God’s people. They believed that when God said,“Let there be Light,” this was the original Light that that creation was to live by. The ancients called this Light, ‘the Light of Life’. Jesus Christ by AshraFekry.

The Hebrew people had other names for the original Light. They said that ‘Light‘ is one of the names of Messiah, in that God Himself is called ‘the Light of the world.’

Even the term ‘sun‘ was sometimes used metaphorically to speak of God and His Messiah.

You hear a bit of this from the Prophet Malachi:

“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” (Mal 4:2)

 

God’s ancient people fondly held to Isaiah, where the Almighty speaks of His Messiah:

 

“I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.” (Isa 42:6-7)

Now let’s take this on and talk about…

 

The Light that shines in the darkness

Jesus Christ by AshraFekry.

When Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world,” His words did not fall on unknowing ears. Many of the Jewish leaders knew exactly what Jesus was drawing from, and they did not like it.

While His words fell on those unbelieving ears that loved the darkness, they also fell on believing ears.

Those in Israel who believed in Jesus were being prepared to enter into God’s new creation. Jesus called His kingdom, ‘a kingdom not of this world.’

This new world would be the heavenly Israel of God, that is, God’s holy people, the church of the new covenant. (This is what the analogy of the Vine and the branches is about. The Vine represents God’s true heavenly Israel.)

It would be a world of pure grace. It would be a world of unqualified love. This new world life would have its beginning stages in this present life but would culminate in the life to come. This life would be a journey of life. We are on our way home.

 

The Powers of the Age to Come

This is why the apostolic writers said that true believers today are actually partakers of the powers of life that belong to the age to come. Paul said that we have this treasure in earthen vessels.

Listen to the apostle John:

“The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. …

“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (Cf. John 1:5-14 NASB)

What does this have to do with ‘finding our way home? Good question. This brings us to…

 

The Redeemed Believer

Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

When a person is born again a number of things happens. As the Light of Jesus enters into the believer’s heart, the Christian is given a new nature. But a problem remains. The believer becomes a spiritual being. Yet his or her personal life (soul) has to be redeveloped with spiritual values. And this is where the believer must learn to focus his attention on Jesus.

Here what often happens. 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 this feeling of joy may start to wane. Temptations begin to cloud the mind. The struggle of life becomes more difficult. A stumble. Another stumble, and then?

What is happening? Paul said that believers must learn to draw on that ‘surpassing power’ that is part of our inheritance in Christ. (Our spiritual DNA.) This is a learning experience. The believer who fails to keep his focus on Christ, is going to have many mistakes, misdeeds, and extra bits of misery in life.

 

The Greater is He, Principle

And this is why it is so important to understand this principle of ‘Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.’ 

The principle of ‘greater is He’, doesn’t just disappear because we had a failure or even a hundred failures in our life. It is a truth that needs to become an active principle in each believer’s walk with the Lord.

The Old Testament writer said:

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” (Pro 4:18)

The Light Shines on the Path of Life

This is also where we need to understand what the term ‘truth‘ means in the new covenant experience. In the Scriptures, the term ‘truth’ does not refer simply to a doctrine. The Greek term  is used in the new covenant for experiencing the realities of Christ. Paul said the letter kills where the Spirit gives life. No believer can live in victory by trying to live by the letter. Yet it is so easy for a Christian’s life to get bogged down in ‘letterism’.

Letterism says we need all the laws we can get to get saved and to stay saved! This is bad thinking. Paul said that every person born of God’s Spirit remains eternally under the life supervision of the Holy Spirit. This means that every failure we make will be attended to by the Spirit of God.

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, temptations, and failures into victories, helps us escape bad teachings, keeps the glory of Jesus before us and in us, and many such things. Our final presentation in heaven is a thing of the Spirit.

This is what truth is all about. Jesus explained this in His response to Thomas:

 

“Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?’

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.'” (Joh 14:5-6)

 

 

The Redeemed person is a son or a daughter

Our relationship with the heavenly Father is not that of a servant. We are sons and daughters of the living God. Angels know and recognize the Holy Spirit’s seal upon every one of God’s children. The seal says, ‘Sealed for the day of redemption.’ (Eph4:30)

The Holy Spirit is to present us safely before the throne of God. This work of the Holy Spirit is so powerful, that He can and does take every situation of our life, and turn it into part of our reshaping in Christ. This is why the apostle said,

 

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8:28)


 

Paul also says,

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image (inward spiritual likeness) from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2Co3:18

 

The question is not, ‘How do we find our way home?’

Yes, the title of this blog could be challenging. That was simply to get your attention. No believer has to find his way home. You are on your way home. You are already guaranteed an entrance into heaven. Believe it or not, your name was recorded in the Lamb’s book before the foundation of the world.

So when God said, ‘Let there be Light,’ that statement reached across prophetic history and at the right moment, that Light entered into your heart. And inside you were given a shining heart.

Now, can you let your soul relax in the knowledge that Jesus is going to see you through? Can you let go of bitterness? Can you lay your past failures and mistakes where they belong? In the sea of forgetfulness.

Can you be quiet in His rest?

Can you take to heart what David said in this ascending Psalm? Listen:

O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me. O Israel [Christian], hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever.” (Psa 131:1-3)

 

Please take time for this song – It may be your answer for today and for forever…

In Christ always,
Buddy

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25
Jul
2011

Eternity in the Covenant

Eternal Covenant of Christ

“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations [goy ‘Gentiles’.] He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street.

“A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice [Judgment of the cross]. He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice [Judgment of the cross] in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law [Doctrines of Christ – Not the law of Moses.]

“Thus says God the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it, ‘I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You,

“’And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations [goy ‘Gentiles’], to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.” (Isa 42:1-7)

 

Journal,

The new covenant is an eternal covenant made in heaven and contracted on earth. The only way a person can experience the grace and blessings of the new covenant is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ Himself is the new covenant. When you receive Christ you receive the new covenant. This is the law of the cross.

Let’s look at an incident where the Lord sets forth the new covenant in prophetic picture-language. During the feast of tabernacles as the priestly procession goes to the pool of Siloam to bring back water to pour on the altar, Jesus stops the procession.

“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.” (John 7:37-39)

Where Jesus speaks of the outflow of living water, He is describing the new covenant life experience. The new covenant is about life. God’s new covenant people are made alive with the life of Christ Himself.

Where it says, “the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified,” the word “given” is not in the text. What John said was, “The Spirit was not yet.” The question is, “How can this be? All the prophets had the Spirit. John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit while in his mother’s womb!”

The new covenant is unlike any covenant ever given to man. The Holy Spirit in the new covenant ministers the finished work of the cross in believers. No person before the cross could have the Holy Spirit in that sense. Why is this?

“Because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

What distinguishes the new covenant from all the former covenants is that at the moment of receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit enters the heart of the believing one as the Spirit of the resurrected, ascended, and glorified Jesus Christ. Every believer is a Christ possessed person. (Cf. Col 1:26,27)

 

The Divine Imprint

Paul wrote the Galatian Christians, and said,

“My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you.” (Gal4:19) 

Paul’s concern was for their inability to know and recognize the Lord at work in their lives. It was an issue of spiritual maturity

Because the Galatians believers were still immature in their walk with the Lord, they were being pulled back and forth. They were a young group. Paul said a similar thing to the Ephesian Christians. He said,

“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…” (Eph4:14)

It happens today. The immature believe is easily moved by his emotions. They tend to be restless and unbalanced. This is why young believers need a great deal of help in this area. They are easily misled.

Again this is one reason the Lord raises up pastors as servant-ministers. A pastor’s greatest job is to tenderly care for a flock. If a young believer is not under the kind of teaching that will lead him to believe deeply in his salvation and in God’s love, he will manifest a spiritual unrest.

So keep in mind that in the new covenant we have the Holy Spirit to parent us into the processes of the covenant. And it is God’s Spirit who imprints us to the Lord. Yet the Lord does use men and women to help believers make necessary spiritual transitions.

 

A Personal Walk With God

What does being a Christ-possessed person mean? It means that each person born of the Spirit can now judge for himself/herself that which is of God and that which is not of God. It is this discerning and judging of all things by the Spirit that allows the believer to understand the issue of life itself. This is essentially was spiritual maturity is about.

In the old covenant if you wanted to hear from God, you went to the prophet. In the new covenant there is no need for a certain body of prophets or ‘special’ spokesmen to represent God in the earth. Yes, God does place in the body certain God-called servants, but these servants have a purpose in helping believers come to a full maturity in Christ. These servant-ministers are to ever take the place of a believers personal walk with Jesus.

John explained it this way –

“As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides (permanently indwells), and you have no need for anyone* (Greek word ’tis’ means a special single someone, or a guru) to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, YOU ABIDE IN HIM.” (1John2:24-27 Please read the reference.)

Where John speaks of the believer’s ‘indwelling anointing’ he is addressing the life of Christ that abides permanently in each believer.

Paul spoke of it this way:

“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 live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal 2:20)

Does this mean we should not listen to others? Absolutely not. God can and does speak to us through others. What it means is that every believer can discern truth for himself. The term ‘truth’ in the New Testaments speaks of knowing the reality behind an appearance. (Recognizing the things of God.)

 

A Covenant of Eternal Life

I Love You Jesus

Jesus said that He came to give us life and life in full measure. Eternal life addresses eternity. It addresses a life that cannot be lost. But it also speaks of a spiritual quality of life that can can only be found in the Son of God.

Not only is Jesus the Son of God, Jesus is the very Life of God. I realize this concept is difficult to grasp. The apostles themselves walked with the life of God. They even touched the life of God. They listened to the life of God.

Listen to how John explains it –

“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life– and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—“ (1Jn 1:1-2)

Can you feel John’s excitement? They walked with Eternity! They walk with the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. They walked with God.

The story does not end there. John’s excitement continues to build as he writes his letters about the life of God. Listen with your heart –

“The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

“He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1Jn 5:10-13)

Only a couple of questions left –

Do you have the Son of God, or do you have religion?

What do you talk about, Jesus Christ or your religion?

Think about it.

Let this song will explain what true Christianity is all about. Lord I Lift Your Name on High.

 

 

In God’s Grace,

Buddy

 

 

 

 

 

 

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20
Jul
2011

The Top Ten Percent

Readers,

I’ve provided 154 journal entries on my blog with 73,580 page views. Occasionally I share a list of those entries that have rendered the most readership. Here are the top ten percent beginning with the most read and on down. Check the titles for an entry(s) that you would like to preview.

(1)    Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment: http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/11/mercy-triumphs-over-judgment/

(2)    Passing Through the Valley of Baca: http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/01/passing-through-the-valley-of-baca/

(3)    Tongues: http://buddymartin.net/blog/speaking-in-other-languages/

(4)    Which Bible Translation is the Best: http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/01/which-bible-translation-is-the-best/

(5)    Testimony: http://buddymartin.net/blog/testimony/

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

(7)    How Secure Are You in Christ: http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/03/how-secure-are-you-in-christ/

(8)    How Do You Know That You Are Saved: http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/02/how-do-you-know-that-you-are-saved/

(9)    Honoring God With First Fruits: http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/12/honoring-god-with-first-fruits/

(10)  The Secret Place of God: http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/11/the-secret-place-of-god/

(11)  CCI [Christian Challenge International]: http://buddymartin.net/blog/about/

(12)  Questions: http://buddymartin.net/blog/ask-the-pastor/

(13)  Jesus the Wonder and Mystery of the Bible: http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/11/jesus-the-wonder-and-mystery-of-the-bible/

(14)  The Call of the Eagle’s Heart: http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/02/the-call-of-the-eagles-heart/

(15)  Acts: http://buddymartin.net/blog/acts-studies/

 

Here is a song for your heart. Take time to listen. God really wants to speak to you.

“I Could Sing of Your Love Forever.”

In Christ always,

Buddy

 

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25
Jun
2011

A Case for the Christian

“If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.“ (1Pe 4:14-16)

 

Journal,

Christianity of itself is not essentially a religion. It is a kingdom. In order to have a kingdom you must have a king. Take note of this description of Jesus Christ about His second coming and His titles:

“He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev 19:13-16)

Then there is this issue. There are no naturalized citizens in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. The only way to enter the kingdom of God’s Son is to be born into it. When a person is born from heaven, this is also a citizenship birth. With each kingdom birth there is a register. Listen to Paul:

“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)

So, where does religion enter the picture? Good question. Religion is what we manage to do. A kingdom birth is what God does.

 

Born from Above

Let’s begin with the thinker – What is it that makes an Irishman an Irishman, or a Cajun a Cajun? (Pass the crawfish please.) The simple answer is that the Irishman and the Cajun are born to a particular cultural grouping. Each group has its own natural proclivities.

What then is it that makes a human a human? The answer is that all humans share a nature that belongs exclusively to humankind in general. Neither angels nor animals have a human nature. They have a nature that is exclusively theirs. So there is an angelic nature, an animal nature, and there is a human nature.

And here is the problem. The human nature is in disrepair. Our souls were damaged in the fall of Adam. Thus our physical life and our spiritual life have need for repair. While the holy angels of God continue with their original nature intact, the deepest part of our humanity, that is, our spiritual identity with God has been displaced.

Whether we understand it or not, Adam and Eve had in their original nature that which is only found in God Himself. They carried in them a certain spiritual likeness of God. The image and likeness had to do with their basic nature. It is that part of man’s inward nature that is in need of repair.

Satan took advantage of Adam’s fallen state and built his earthly kingdom around the aspect of disrepair. Satan is called the god of this world, the ruler of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and the authority of ‘the domain of darkness.’ Thus Adam found himself in a twisted world filled with wrath and discord. Everything was out of balance.

 

Repaired Through the Cross

In essence what makes a Christian a Christian is that our spiritual identity with God has restored through a heavenly birth. This was the purpose of the cross.

Jesus said

“The thief [Satan’s environs and activities] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn10:10)

Listen to these Scriptures that describe the two kinds of humans on planet earth today:

Paul: “[We] formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 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.” (Eph2:2,3)

Peter: “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.” (2Pet1:4)

When a person is born from above their severance from God is remedied. The born again person is now a very child of the living God and a citizen of heaven. This means that on planet Earth there are two kinds of humans, those who have been spiritually repaired and restored to God, and those who are still in disrepair. Is it any wonder that the strongest impulse of Christians is to get the message of the gospel out to our fallen kin.

 

 

The Wonder of a New Creation

Here we need to understand the critical element of what makes a Christian a Christian. The disrepair of our humanity can only be corrected one way. It has to be God’s way. God’s way is found in the working of the cross. No person is ever born again because they shook a preachers hand or that they prayed through to some esoteric experience.

The only way for a person to be born from above is that they must consciously recognize Jesus Christ as Lord, and receive Him personally as their own Lord and Savior. This accepting Jesus Christ as Lord is the heart and soul of the new creation.

And so, it is to Jesus alone that we bring our broken humanity. It is to Him that we make our appeal to His Lordship and to His saving grace. This is why the true apostolic message never changes, which says, “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” To call upon the name of the Lord means to recognize His Lordship and to appeal to Him as our own Lord.

This is why salvation can never be based on an emotional experience where we have set aside our minds and now depend on certain euphoric feelings. Drugs can induce euphoric feelings. A person can even become euphoric on their own emotions. There is such a thing as an emotional drunkenness.

The point is that our salvation is be based upon the fact alone. We are to become convinced of the death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and glorification of Jesus Christ, and that He is now both Lord and Christ, and that there is no other way to be saved other than to call upon Him, and to acknowledge and confess His Lordship. Aside from this act of believing and confessing, there is no salvation.

Believing in Jesus Christ is an act of our will. The faith to be born again is a gift from God.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Eph 2:8-10)

Every time a person is born from above, there is an act of creation. In this new creation a new humanity comes into place. We are a people born-from-above, that is, a heavenly people. We now share a heart like God’s heart.

This brings us to…

 

The Reborn Heart

In the Bible the term heart speaks of the very center of our being. It is where our spirit life evolves. This is why the Scriptures make a distinction between man’s soul and man’s spirit. The soul is generally thought to be our mind, our will, and our emotions, that is, what identifies us as an individual. But our spirit is that part that relates closest to God. In is in our spirit where we have our God-awareness, our conscious spiritual life, our intuition, our fellowship and communion. This is why it is our spirit that is born again and not our soul. Our soul undergoes transformations over time.

The prophet described our new life this way:

“And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.” (Eze 11:19-20)

It all begins with the Lord getting our attention. The word repentance in the Greek speaks to a moral conquest of the mind. It begins as an intellectual process. We are made aware of and become convinced of the message of the cross. We realize our lostness. We change our minds about the path we’ve lived. And we turn to Jesus as our own Lord and Savior. Every bit of this involves our thinking. The mind is the way to the heart. Salvation involves both the mind and the heart.

It is under this strong convicting work of the Holy Spirit that our heart is brought to the place of being born again. The power that makes a Christian a Christian is not our power. It is the power of heaven.

Paul explains where the power of life comes from. Listen carefully:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom1:16)

The power of new life is found in the message of the cross itself.

Listen again to Paul:

“For this reason we also constantly thank God, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” (1Th2:13)

The point is that the beginning place of salvation has to include our mind. The very word repentance speaks to the mind. Salvation is made upon a decision for Christ. This is why the Billy Graham crusades have such a tremendous effect on the crowds. He preaches the simple message of the cross. The respondents are openly declaring their faith in Jesus Christ.

 

A Seal that Cannot be Broken

When the Holy Spirit enters the heart of the believing one, that person becomes sealed for eternity. The Spirit will be there tomorrow, and the next tomorrow, and the next tomorrow. This is called the testimony of the Spirit. The apostle calls this the seal of redemption. This new believer has become a child of the living God. He can never be separated from the loving Father.

This does not mean that the newly born-again person is incapable of sin. Yes, the child of God can sin and will have failures in his life. However, sin will always be contrary to the child of God’s nature. He will sin by temptation. Yet the Spirit of Christ within him will now allow him to stay in a condition of sin. Sin hurts too much.

Think about these things. Feel free to offer your comments. I would love to hear from you.

In the meantime here is a song that will speak to your heart.

The King is Coming by the Bill Gaither Trio

 

 

Yours in Christ,

Buddy

 

 

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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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08
May
2011

Miss you Mama…

“Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb.” – Psalm 22:10 NASB

 

Journal,

This entry is based on a mother’s day post that I made last year. Can’t really make much improvement. A child’s love for mama has no boundaries. Only God’s love can be greater.

It should go without saying that I miss my mother greatly. Mama went to be with the Lord on Easter Sunday morning, 2005. She was eighty-five years young.

Where did the time go? Mama went to be with the Lord, six years ago. Seems like yesterday.

Well, now we four children are left with our memories. But such memories they are. Actually reminiscing can be a lot of fun when you reach the age of grandpa and great-grandpa. Yep, this August I will be 71 years old. In my figuring it won’t be too long before I get to see mama again.

In the meantime let me share a bit of insight on God’s greatest gift to the man, our mothers and our wives.


The woman in your life

The sage said,

Mama in her mother's arms. Cir 1921.

“Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.”

Peter also brings this to bear. Listen carefully;

“You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” (1 Pe 3:7)

Mama - Young unmarried. Cir 1934

Here are the lessons:

(1) The woman is a weaker vessel. (Physical strength. God made her that way. )

(2) The woman is to be honored as a fellow heir the grace of life. (Not as an inferior person.)

(3) The man’s prayers will not be answered if he fails to take these instructions to heart.

(4) None of this takes away from the differing roles of the man and woman. The apostles were careful in this area to let us see how God’s original purpose has never changed.

Mama's first born - 1936 (Bertie)

 

Created in the image of God

Adam was created first and had covenant responsibility for the family of humankind. But in his relationship to Eve, Adam was not to be without Eve, and Eve was not to be without Adam. Each had a role to fulfill.

Each had gifting that were theirs in particular. Each was given nature traits that belonged to them alone. It would take both Adam and Eve to fully express what the term ‘image’ really means.

Since we know that Adam was given covenant headship, let’s look at what Eve’s role was in relationship to covenant.

Here again we need to see the bigger picture. There are mysteries in the Adam-Eve story that reflect on the total of God’s eternal story. I’ll skim just a bit.

Genesis 2:20, says,

“…there was not found a helper suitable for him.”

Two words are important. Helper is the word ‘ezer.’ This word is similar in some respects to the Greek word, parakletos. As you know ‘parakletos‘ is applied to the Holy Spirit. Jesus said,

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.”


Someone who brings freshness

Mama in late 40s

Then we have the word ‘suitable.’ This is also an interesting word. Listen carefully men — Neged literally means ‘in front of’, ‘in sight of,’ or, ‘opposite to.’

It means she is to be ‘before‘ your face. (Not ‘in’ your face.) So Adam needed someone whose giftings were companion giftings, to make up for His own lack in areas. Yes, the Lord also designed Adam where he could not be a lone ranger.

Next we find the Lord putting Adam into a deep sleep.  The Hebrew term for ‘deep sleep’ is not often used. It is close to a death word, in which consciousness of life is not present. This is the word used for Abraham’s sleep where he sees the flaming torch and smoking oven.

1954 - Bonnie in arms and Julia

Here is where we see some of the wonderful mystery of Christ and the church, but also the wonder between a godly man and his wife. (Learn this men, and you will learn how to enjoy life with the woman who you love.)


The Triple lesson

Let’s follow this triple lesson. God presents Eve to Adam. God presents the Church to Christ. God presents the wife to the man.

All this is contained in the Adam-Eve story. But notice one thing in particular. God required Adam to die before He would give him Eve. This is so important to understanding how God’s giftings of maleness and femaleness work. It is never a matter of submerging one’s life under another. It is a matter of merging of lives, where both lives count, but neither is to be without the other.

x

Mama in the 60s

“The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.”

Do you see the beauty in this. God fashioned the woman himself. He didn’t fashion her from the earth. He actually took a part of Adam, and fashioned Eve from that part. (Not the head or toe, but from the heart area.)

The very first words that Eve hears, are the words of Adam ‘sanctifying her to himself.’ Here is how Adam sanctified Eve. He looks at her, and says,

“This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man.”

(Apply this to Christ and the church and get excited. We are the body of Christ. We are bone of His bone. Flesh of His flesh. He doesn’t fill us full of fear. He sanctifies us by driving our fears away.)

Sanctified love

But there is more to the story of sanctifying Eve. The Lord made her to be more fragile than Adam, and yet with powerful gifting that were hers alone. Therefore Adam was put in a place where he had to recognize Eve as God’s special gift to him. This meant he had to draw her back to himself, and she needed to hear him do so.

Husbands, it is so important that you learn to affirm your wife to yourself. (Holds true with the wife also.) Even in nature, God designed the male to be the one who courts.

To sanctify Eve, Adam had to drive away her fears. This is exactly how Christ sanctified the church to himself. John said that perfect love casts out fears.

Let me add just two more items. Coming back to the image of God. There is a sense in which the woman can serve as a type of the Holy Spirit. This is especially true when you consider her nature and gifting.

There is also a sense in which the man serves as a type of God’s Word. Both are needed for life. (The woman provides the womb and egg. The man provides the seed. Just something to think about.)

The Word without the Spirit can produce legalism. The Spirit without the Word can produce instability. Perhaps this is why Jesus 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.” (John 6:63)

Finally, when it comes to covenant issues, there is no stronger spiritual working power on this planet than a man and his wife who are in spiritual union. All the promises that relate to ‘two’ people doing something, find their greatest impact in the godly marriage.

 

And on to the love of a mother

Yes indeed, I loved and still love my mama. She was the one who taught me to pray the little child’s prayer of, ‘Now I lay me down to sleep.’

She was my confidant and the one to whom I could open my heart and she with me.

And so to all my readers I leave this precious Psalm with you:

 

“O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever.” (Psa 131:1-3 NASB)

And to all you women in we men’s lives. We love you more than words can say.

Here is your song, ‘This Amazing Love.’ – By a twelve year old girl.


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Always in Christ,

Buddy

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19
Apr
2011

The Secret Place of God

“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. 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.” (Psa 27:4-6)

 

Journal,

David speaks of God’s secret place, of God’s hiding place, and the place of God’s shelter. Often when he uses these terms, David is referring to the holiest of holies in which only the high priest was allowed to enter but once a year. But behind the symbol lies the reality.

So, why would David say that the secret place is where God hides His people? And David isn’t the only one who speaks of this secret dwelling place.

Listen to Moses:

“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.” (Psa 90:1-2)

All the prophets shared insights into the wonders of redemption. Their full understanding had limitations. Some things were kept in store for the times of Messiah.

Note the apostle Peter:

“As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

“It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven

“–things into which angels long to look.” (1Pe 1:10-12)

 

God’s blue print of redemption

Between the angels and over the mercy seat was a Light. In the Light was a form. The form was Jesus Himself. God spoke to Miriam and Aaron, concerning the form:

“With [Moses] 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?” (Num12:8

Now Paul:

“… who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant … ” (Phil2:6,7)


The blue print of our redemption is in the Old Testament tabernacle plan. The holiest of holies was the most sacred part of the tabernacle. It represented heaven and the throne of God. No one was allowed to entered there except the high priest, and that only once a year. He carried over his breast the tribes of Israel.

In the holiest of holies was the Ark of the Covenant. On each side of the lid were two angels. Their gaze was fixed on the mercy-seat.

This is what Peter is calling attention to. The angels speak of the wonder of heaven about the incarnation of the Son of God, and in His work of redemption. The Light over the mercy-seat was the same Light that blinded Paul on the road to Damascus.

But the angels saw something else. In looking at the mercy of redemption they saw the children of God, seated with Christ in the heavenly places. This is their wonderment.

 

Our secret hiddenness

David often breaks forth into praise when he speaks God’s love for His people.

“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.)

The lives of all believers are hidden with God in Christ.

David could speak of the holiest of holies as the hiding place for God’s people because he saw passed the veil, and into God’s redemption plan that stretched from eternity past to eternity future.

David saw the Lord Jesus. In fact, David called Jesus, his Lord. (Ask me if you don’t know where this is.)

The secret place of God would take in all His people from ancient time on. The tabernacle was a picture-perfect symbol of God’s eternal purpose for all His people.

 

The ever-present One

Even the Old Testament saints knew in their hearts that the Lord was their ever-present security in life.  The Psalmist Asaph speaks of God’s people as His ‘treasured ones.’ He writes,

“They make shrewd plans against Your people, and conspire together against Your treasured ones [tsaw-fan’].” (Ps83:3)

These treasured ones are God’s people of the ages. The Hebrew for ‘treasured ones’ speaks of that which is covered by God, or, that which is hidden, or, that which is kept secret. It especially speaks of the secret of one’s heart. God’s treasured ones are the secret love of His heart.

All who are ever going to be saved have their names already recorded in God’s book of redemption. Their point of salvation in this life is determined in Christ. Jesus said that everyone the Father gives to Him, will come to Him. He also said that all who come to Him, He will raise up on the last day.

Such a mystery this.

The psalmist puts things together when he writes,

“For in the day of trouble He will conceal [tsaw-fan’] 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 27:5,6)

 

Sealed and concealed for eternity

The Hebrew for ‘conceal‘ [tsaw-fan’]is the same Hebrew word used 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 about 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)

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.”

 

Secured eternally

Our place in Christ was secured at the cross. We have already been raised up and seated with Him in the heavenly places. We are to live 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. Heavenly life is also the working of heaven in our hearts.

God never takes His eyes off any who belong to Him. Listen to this conversation between David and the Lord:

[David] “You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.”

[Lord] “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” (Ps27:7,8)

Jesus said,

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. … This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:37,39,40)

What say ye Christians? Is your heart in tune with heaven. Are you looking and longing for you final redemption?

Take time to listen once again to this song.

In Christ always,

Buddy

Think about it.

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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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