Archives for November 2016

Oct. 8, 2016

MY FRIENDS, IT’S TIME WE PUT OUR HOUSE IN ORDER BECAUSE WE WANT RECOVER!!

The narrative in 2 King’s 20 begins; Hezekiah who became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover. Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 2 Kings 20:1-3 (NIV)

God added fifteen years to Hezekiah’s life. Sometimes God gives us our request, even though He knows the terrible outcome. Remember God is all knowing, all powerful and Omnipresence, He knew the consequences of the king’s decisions and where it would lead. My friends, America has made its decision on its next president. But as God’s Children we must understand, the dominant theme in all that God does for us is love.

God with His unlimited power could have easily erased humanity from existence when Adam first sinned and just called it “Part I” of a two Part experiment and started “Part II” with the hope of a better outcome. But instead, He chose grace mercy and love. All who voted for Trump probably feel America will be great again and Trump will “change times and laws:” and give it all back to the people and we will all live happily ever after.

But, like king Hezekiah, God is telling us, “get our house in order…we will not recover.” And my friends the most un-wisest decision we could ever make is to ask God for more time. Because to do so is to tell God our affections are not set on things above, [but] on things on the earth.” Col 3:2 (KJV) The common element humans have with sheep is the propensity to stray away from the path and get lost.

Which then causes even God’s children to wonder aimlessly believing we are moving in the right direction. Do the religious right really think it is about abortion, Gay rights, the wall, Trump’s groping women, Hillary’s e-mails or Supreme court nominations. Maybe you think in some way your vote has given God a reason to make America great again and your decision to make Trump president will get America and you closer to His kingdom?

Maybe to the fool who says there is no God, all that has happen in the past twenty years or so has no meaning, but to all who seek God with a passion, God has been telling us since Calvary to “put our house in order,” because we will not recover. In some way, Trump as president should give all who seek God’s kingdom a shared vision because it accentuates the accumulation of greed and hypocrisy in our society we have ignored up to this point.

And hypocrisy in the context that many religious American’s have developed within their minds some “pretense of having a virtuous character and some semblance of a moral or religious beliefs or principles” in how they think everyone should think. Therefore they feel God has made them overseers of all who don’t believe as they do. But for all who seek a better country, a heavenly one we must understand, God will make our heart and Character “exceptionally outstanding” for His kingdom and it will be in the Image of the one who gave it all for our Salvation if we believe.

Nov. 7, 2016

MY FRIENDS, DO YOU WANT TO BE MADE WHOLE?

“Our time belongs to God. Every moment is His, and we are under the most solemn obligation to improve it to His glory. Of no talent He has given will He require a more strict account than of our time. The value of time is beyond computation. Christ regarded every moment as precious, and it is thus that we should regard it. Life is too short to be trifled away. We have but a few days of probation in which to prepare for eternity. We have no time to waste, no time to devote to selfish pleasure, no time for the indulgence of sin.

It is now that we are to form characters for the future, immortal life. It is now that we are to prepare for the searching judgment. The human family has scarcely begun to live when they begin to die, and the world’s incessant labor ends in nothingness unless a true knowledge in regard to eternal life is gained.” (E.G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons p) My friends let’s look back over this journey Christ has placed us on.

Not far, just the last seven days. Is there anything we did during that time frame, that prepared our character for the “future, immortal life,” that God has prepared for the redeemed? And did we do anything to prepare ourselves or prepare others for “the searching judgment” of God? And did we “gain any knowledge in regard to eternal life” through a daily study of God’s word while allowing His Spirit to “guide us into all truth and understanding?”

Or did we “trifle our time away” while devoting the majority of it on “selfish pleasures?” John 5 gives a narrative of “a certain man who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, He knew that he had already been in that condition for a long time, but He asked him anyway, wilt thou be made whole? “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.

While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”  The man at the pool of Bethesda had wasted thirty-eight years of his life with only a few excuses as to why he had allowed years of his life to slip away in front of a pool. My friends we “can’t change the direction of the wind, but we can adjust our sails [through Christ]to always reach our destination. [which is Gods kingdom] (Jimmy dean)

“Do you want to be made whole.” Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”Eph 5:14-17 (KJV)

My friends, do we seek an “understanding of God’s will for our life?” Remember, “every idle word [and time], we must give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by our words [and time] we shalt be justified, and by [our] words [and time we] shall be condemned. Matt 12:36-37 (KJV) Christ is knocking daily, soon He will say it is finished, so “do we really want to be made whole” or “have we set our affection on the things of this earth that will soon pass away, and not on the things above that are life eternal.

Nov. 6, 2016

MY FRIENDS, NOT GUILTY!!!!!

“I can’t begin to comprehend what kind of grace would take the place of all my sins? My fate was in the nail scarred hands He stretched out for me and said I know you [as a friend] I love you [as my only child] and now I give My life to save you [because] Love [has] paid the price for mercy. My verdict, not guilty.” (Mandisa, Not Guity) Those are the words we seek with a passion; But is it possible my friends? My Savior says they are, and He is the judge, jury, defense Attorney and our Advocate.

Yes, those words are possible. And what is so amazing, when we are in that royal domain of God’s pure and holy kingdom and when we try and look back to see why our Savior said “not guilty,” we will not remember what offenses out of the millions He said not guilty to. But what we will remember I can only imagine are the few happy moments on this wicked earth we cherished.

Maybe, those summer days when life seemed so simple when it was just you and your dog who you thought would help you conquer the world or maybe walking in the park with the love of your life, who is now walking down those streets of gold with you. But in the pure atmosphere of God’s kingdom “affliction shall not rise up a second time. [nor the thought of it] Nahum 1:9 (KJV)

So I can only imagine after a few moments in paradise even the good memories of this wicked earth will no longer exist in our minds. My friends, we must fall on our knees daily and cry out Lord, “You have searched me, and you know me…. Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?…… For you created my inner most being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb….

[Now] Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there are any offenses deep down within me, and [if so] lead me in [Your] way everlasting.” Ps. 139 (NIV) My friends, we must long with a passion to hear, “not guilty” and it only happens by living in the presence of God daily and seeking from within the void in our hearts that can only be filled by His presence as we forsake all others.

Victory is then ours through Christ, as we hear the sweet sound of “not guilty” vibrating through our ears. And then the next sweet sound will be “the Lord Himself descending from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God as the dead in Christ rise first. [And we] who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” 1 Thess. 4:16-17 (NKJV)

And as we travel in awe through the galaxies of God’s wonderful creation that no “eye has seen nor even imagined,” passing Jupiter, Venus, and Mars and the many moons and suns on our way to our eternal destination. Upon arrival, as we enter one of the twelve “gates made of a single pearl” and we hear well done as every tear is wiped away for the last time and the “great tribulations” we went through, in exchange for life eternal, our only words I can only imagine will be “heaven is cheap enough.”

Nov. 4, 2016

MY FRIENDS, DO WE HAVE A STATUTE OF LIMITATION?

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”  “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. Phil. 2:5 (KJV) 1 Peter 2:21-23  (ESV) My friend, all of humanity has been shaped in iniquity; and in sin did our mother’s conceive [us]. Ps 51:5 (KJV)

A mother also conceived our Savior and our finite minds cannot adequately comprehend how our Savior was shaped, but what we do know, Satan knew the creator of the universe was capable of falling victim to sin because Christ was clothed in humanity. So “the god of this world [tried], but [failed because he]had nothing in [Him] John 14:30 (KJV) Yes my friends,“the King of glory stooped low” [to take on humanity and conquered.]

And because of Christ humanity, He was not spared from the pain of a cruel cross and death and we will never know all Christ gave up until we enter His royal domain above. Consistent with this, Satan knew prophecy and He knew over two thousand years ago that all foresight, predictions and warnings by the prophets before Christ, terminated on the cross when Christ died. Everything from that point terminated as far as any charges Satan was attempting to make against the heavenly body.

I can only imagine demons were asking Satan what’s happening as they see Jesus dying on the cross? But Satan knew there was no statute of limitation for his crime of attempting to make himself “like the Most High.” So this is where God concludes, to everyone who believes in the name of Jesus and the power of the cross, that the war is over. But Christ still knocks at our heart to let Him in.

He understands wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it, [or will even try]” Matt. 7:13-14 (NIV) But His grace continues to abound. But we must remember, a merciful God still could not spare Satan and a third of the angels that sinned, and He spared not the old world, but saved only Noah and His family.

He did not spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha, into ashes condemned them and made them an example to all that should live ungodly lives. Yes, the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished” 2 Peter 2:4-9 (KJV) But our Savior is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance,” 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)

My friends, we also have no statute of limitation on our abominations against God. That is why He seeks our repentance and a personal relationship with Him. But, if we are unwilling to confess our sins and transform our life into His image and character, we will be charge with every sin we have ever committed when God judges those who chose this world over life eternal.

Nov. 3, 2016

MY FRIENDS, IT IS INSIDE THAT CLEFT WE ALL MUST SEEK!!

If there are words for who God is my friends we really don’t have them, “you see our brain have not yet reached a point where it can form a thought where it can adequately describe the greatness” [of who God is.] (Issac Wimberly, The word) And when we seek His presence and feel the Penetrating love and grace from who God is and what He means to us, when we feel that penetrating force from within all we can do is cry tears of hope and tears of joy that our God the Creator of all mankind has chosen us to feel the atmosphere of His presence.

And the closer we get to where He wants us to be we can then cry out, Lord!! Take my heart as a living sacrifice because no one can feel this void, so take me as I am and recreate your image in me. And if that is truly what we seek my friends, remember it took Moses forty years to get to where he did not fear to say “how will anyone know that you are pleased with me….?”

And “what will distinguish me and the people I serve from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And my friends, the Lord will then say to all who truly seek His presence, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” And then we will not be afraid to say as Moses said to God because this same God we are in the presence of “has not given us a spirit of fear.

And so we are not afraid we say, “Now show me your glory” Lord!!! And then because He knows us by name as one knows his best friend, a friend, you will lay down your life for, God then says, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence.

And I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion…..and when my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.” Ex. 33:16-23 (NIV) My friends, that cleft is what we must all seek.

And once we are there we will know it because our “lungs have not yet developed the ability to release a breath with enough agility to breathe out the greatness of [what we will discover in that cleft] And once we are there our voice, will be so restrained by human limits….if there are words, we want have them. “But the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

And he that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:27 (KJV) And human language can only say “His grace is remarkable His mercies are innumerable Strength impenetrable He is honorable, accountable, favorable.

He’s unsearchable, yet knowable, Undefinable, yet approachable, Indescribable, yet personable He’s beyond comprehension, further than imagination, constant through generations, King of every nation (Issac Wimberly, The word) And my friends, in that cleft is the only place we can go beyond human language and see Gods will for our life.

Nov. 2 2016

MY FRIENDS, WILL WE EVER SWEAT DROPS OF BLOOD?

The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. Unless we become vitally connected with God, we can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love, self-indulgence, and temptation to sin. We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome.

Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end. (E.G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 324) My friends, the sense of urgency permeates everything we do. because we are living in the most solemn period of this world’s history. We are living “at that time Michael, the great prince who protects our people, will [soon]arise.

And a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people, everyone whose name is found written in the book–will be delivered.” Danial 12:1 (NIV) So as a church and as individuals How are we preparing? How did Christ prepare for Calvary the one who gave it all for our salvation? That was his time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until He rose on Sunday morning?

So how did He prepare to go through such a time, was it business as usual? “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Luke 22:44 (NKJV) My friends, how hard does one have to pray before their sweat is like drops of blood? And in reality how hard does one have to pray before they even begin to sweat period?

“Hematohidrosis is a very rare condition in which an individual sweats blood. Fear and intense mental contemplation are the most frequent causes of sweating blood.“ Clearly, our Savior was in “intense spiritual agony.” The Son of God, the weight of your sins the weight of my sins and of course the weight of the world on one human’s shoulders.

He knew He would be spat upon, slapped, scourge, dragged through the streets like a common criminal carrying a cross that we should have been carrying. Remember this is humanity that would feel everything as excruciating and painful as we would feel under the same conditions. The cross my friends that’s what His drops of blood was all about “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself.

[set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross daily [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. For whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake, he is the one who will save it [from the consequences of sin and separation from God]. Luke 9:23-24 (AMP)

And my friends, “if you have ever tasted and seen the sweetest of love Where our heart becomes free And our shame is undone,” then daily we cry out Lord, fill the atmosphere in my life with your Spirit and glory, because the alternative is separation from your presence.