Aug. 23, 2017

MY FRIENDS, ARE WE WITHIN REACH?

It was not the dread of death that weighed upon Christ. It was not the pain and ignominy of the cross that caused His inexpressible agony. Christ was the prince of sufferers; but His suffering was from a sense of the malignity of sin, a knowledge that through familiarity with evil, man had become blinded to its enormity.

Christ saw how deep is the hold of sin upon the human heart, how few would be willing to break from its power. He knew that without help from God, humanity must perish, and He saw multitudes perishing within reach of abundant help.”(E. G. White) My friends, it must become personal today because every child of God must accept the fact that we are within reach of abundant help, but we are also within reach of loosing it all.

Therefore today we must all stand at the foot of the cross all on different journeys but all within reach and see the Son of God with outstretched hands  and behold Him. Behold the one who gave it all for our Salvation. And today, at this moment we become part of the crowd, all witnesses, all within reach, all with choices to make.

And all with the same opportunity to allow the “word that was made flesh to penetrate our heart as far as the division of the soul both joints and marrow to the deepest parts of our nature while exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of each of our hearts,” as we look up and like the centurion, and they that were with him………who cried out, truly this is the Son of God. Heb. 4:12 (KJV), Matt. 27:54 (KJV), Paraphrase

Yes my friends, it’s personal because we now realize we are within reach which tells us we are also “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Gal. 3:29 (NIV) But also there’s Judas, he was within reach for over three years and today we must ask, which one of us represent him who betrayed the Son of man with a kiss.

He had become blinded by the enormity of greed up to this point, “but with a kiss” “Infinite righteousness and infinite wisdom had resolved to leave him alone.” Such a small gesture to seal one’s fate and place Him in the monstrous category with the likes of Caiaphas, “it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” And Pilate, “Whom should I release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?

And the Rabble who cried “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” Who was a murderer and a thief. And “Herod and his soldiers who ridiculed and mocked Christ. Dressing him in an elegant robe, as if some freak at a side-show circus. All within reach all with the same opportunity for salvation. But as the Spirit searched to probe their evil heart and show the love and grace of the one they were about to crucify, they walk away all sealing their destiny.

My friends, where do we stand at the crossroads? We are within reach. Christ sees how deep is the hold of sin upon our heart. But, are we willing to break from it’s power by allowing the Spirit of God to transform our Character into the likeness and image of Christ who died for our sins. Or have we become blinded by the enormity of sin and decided the commitment is to great.

Aug. 22, 2017

MY FRIENDS, WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY, COULD WE HAVE STOPPED IT?

“It’s not fake news; it’s good news. It’s a story that could eclipse all other stories. No way you can stop today’s total solar eclipse from happening. It’s celestial, and we have no control over it. The only way to stop it would be to extinguish the sun or knock the moon or Earth out of orbit. According to NASA, this is a “celestial coincidence,” as the sun is about 400 times wider than the moon and about 400 times farther away.

From certain vantage points on Earth, the moon will completely block the sun. This is called totality. When the Earth, moon and sun line up just right, the moon blocks the sun’s entire surface, creating the total eclipse.” (By Judson Jones, CNN)” My friends, focus on those words but let’s re-word the statement in regards to our salvation. “It’s not fake news; it’s the good news of the gospel.

And It’s a story that will eclipse all other stories. And there’s no way we can stop Christ from coming. The only way to stop Him would be to extinguish the sun or knock the moon or Earth out of orbit and that will never happen because Christ is the One who created the heavens and the earth along with the sun and moon so nothing can stop Him.

Mrs. White tells us in the “The Great Controversy, p 640,” Soon there will appear in the east a small black cloud, about half the size of a man’s hand. It is the cloud which surrounds the Saviour and which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness. The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of man.

In solemn silence they gaze upon it as it draws nearer the earth, becoming lighter and more glorious, until it is a great white cloud, its base a glory like consuming fire, and above it the rainbow of the covenant. Jesus rides forth as a mighty conqueror. Not now a “Man of Sorrows,” to drink the bitter cup of shame and woe, He comes, victor in heaven and earth, to judge the living and the dead.

“Faithful and True,” “in righteousness He doth judge and make war.” And “the armies which were in heaven” Revelation 19:11, 14 follow Him. With anthems of celestial melody the holy angels, a vast, unnumbered throng, attend Him on His way.” Now we must ask my friends, will we be ready when Christ comes a second time. Remember there is no way any one can stop Him.

John tells us in Rev. 22:12-14 (KJV) “And, behold, [He] comes quickly [He meaning Christ;] and His reward is with Him, to give every man [and woman] according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”

My friends as heirs and joint heirs with God’s only Begotten Son, our faith in the promises of God in His word tells us that we have a right to eternal life and a right to live in his pure and holy kingdom right along with His Son. Oh what an honor for a wretched sinner like you and I if we believe to have the same privileges as His Son. Praise God from whom all blessings flow”

Aug. 20, 2017

MY FRIENDS, HAVE WE CHOSEN THE GOOD PART?

Christ entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus feet and heard His word. But Martha was [very busy and] distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, tell her to help me.”

And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, [which is to her advantage] which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-22 (NKJV) My friends, there are two classes of people I need you to focus on. The one that “is [very busy and] distracted” and the other which “have chosen the good part at the feet of Jesus.”

The world today is divided into these two categories, and no matter how much we may think we are one of God’s children, or how much we attend church or visit the sick, or feed the hungry, if we have not chosen the good part at the feet of Christ, we are spiritually distracted and have developed a high estimation of our own righteousness and feel we are not defected in any area of our life, therefore the law is sufficient for our salvation.

“Most Christians today have the attitude that they can make their own decisions and bad choices and God is still obligated” to say one day, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matt. 25:23 (KJV) Remember, “everyone that says Lord, Lord will not enter the kingdom of God.” My friends, we can no longer act as children who lack the knowledge and maturity to know God’s will for their life. Daily Satan is placing barriers between us, and “choosing that good part” which can only be found at the feet of Jesus. Barriers that keeps us from making a commitment to Christ.

Barriers that keeps us from denying ourselves through faith, and “taking up our cross, and following Christ wherever He may lead” as we develop that passionate and personal relationship with Christ through His word while allowing His Spirit to transform our lives daily into His image. My friends, we can no longer become “distracted,“ in regards to God’s will for our life because God will no longer blink at our in-maturity simply because we feel His timing for a commitment has caught us at a bad time.

We want eternal life, but to give our lives totally to Christ is UN-realistic at this particular time so we “become distracted, complacent and UN-attentive” to the voice of God saying, “come out of Babylon.” God loves us so much, that is why He still stands at the door of our heart and knocks. He still seeks a commitment no matter how far we have drifted. But we must choose the Good part and once we have made that commitment “it will never be taken away.”

But will remain with us throughout eternity. Remember, without change there can be no commitment. “If any man [or woman] be in Christ, they are a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” [“because we have chosen the good part”]” 2 Cor 5:17 (KJV)

Aug 18, 2017

MY FRIENDS, CAN WE READ THE FINE PRINT?

By definition “read the fine print” tells us “to make ourselves aware of the specific terms, conditions, restrictions, limitations, etc., of an agreement, that are often easy to miss. Today let’s call God’s word the “Fine Print” of our life, because it is who God is and it is the part of our life which deals with the specific terms, conditions, restrictions, limitations, from God that leads us to His kingdom that we often ignore. Most people never take the time to study God’s word or the “Fine Print” that gives us a road map to life-eternal.

And, that knowing and understanding and agreeing to its content will lead us to Calvary and to the One who gave it all up so that we would understand the [“Fine Print”] and that we would understand that the [“Fine Print”] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (KJV)

In addition, we must also understand, That “the [“Fine Print”] of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb. 4:12 (NKJV) In John 13:20-28 (NKJV) it tells us “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke of……….. And Jesus answered, “It’s he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot…. Than, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” he then went out immediately into the night.

My friends daily the “Fine Print” surrounds us “the number of Bibles sold yearly in the US alone is estimated at 25 million copies.” But like Judas what sits before us daily is not important. And what is so sad, what we watch on our TV’s has become far more important, which then eliminates any meaningful relationship with God. Like Judas, we then betray God by allowing Satan to keep our focus only on the things of this world and not on heavenly things that will last throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity.

And the chilling message to you and I is, “What you do, do quickly.” And it is only chilling because we are so UN-familiar with what is in God’s word and like Judas, we betray Christ by allowing our choices to be about self. My friends let’s look within ourselves, what choices are we making daily to take us away from the “Fine print” in other words “How long will we falter between two opinions?

If the Lord is God, [and we have decided to give Him our all then we must than] follow Him; but if the principalities, and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this age, are allowed to control us then God allows us to choose so we follow them.” So as we walk the final stage of this journey, with cross in hand we must ask ourselves, “if the angels pull back the curtain” and we could see how close we were to Christ second coming, like Judas when confronted to change and commit to Christ. Would we turn our backs on the “Fine Print” and walk away into darkness.

Aug. 14, 2017

MY FRIENDS, WHAT IS GRACE?

Grace, can be compared to the pardon a governor gives to a guilty prisoner, who because of his crimes against humanity was sentence to death without a reasonable doubt by a jury of his peers. Death is assured, but the governor intervenes with mercy, and pardons the prisoner. And because the Governor is the final Judge, He pardons the prisoner and also rewards him with a mansion in, a place eye have not seen nor ear have herd, nor have entered into the heart of any man.”

Now you can say the Governor has given the guilty prisoner both mercy & grace. If he had received his just reward, the sentence would have been carried out and he dies for his crime. Abraham Lincoln said in 1863, “We have been the receipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prospertiy; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation….

But we have forgotten God and His gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, and too proud to pray to the God that made us.”

My friends, the world today also has become “Intoxicated with unbroken success, and to self-sufficient to feel the presence of God and His preserving grace, and too proud to pray, because we imagine, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.” 2,000 years ago Christ died at Calvary the “rulers mocked Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.”

The soldiers also mocked Him…. saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!………” Two criminals hung next to Christ. One kept hurling abuses at Him, saying, ” If You are Christ, Save Yourself and us [from death]!” But amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretched sinner who felt the presence of God’s Spirit as he rebuked him and said, ” Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

We are suffering justly, because we are getting what we deserve for what we have done; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” He then with a contrite and forgiven heart said, “Jesus, [please] remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” Jesus answered, “I assure, and most solemnly say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:32-43 (AMP)

Oh “the unearned, unmerited and undeserved favor of God towards a wretched sinner like you and I if we only believe the price for our sins was paid at the cross. One thief understood he did not deserve salvation, But he believed God’s promise of life eternal in His kingdom one day because He witnessed the price being paid by the blood of the Lamb. The other thief, his circumstances showed how he had lived. His refusal to recognize God’s grace and mercy shows how his life will end. What about you and I? The circumstances of our life also shows how we have live up to this point. Turning our back on God’s grace will also show how we will die.

Aug. 3, 2017

MY FRIENDS, IF CHRIST SEARCHED YOUR HEARTS, WHAT WOULD HE FIND?

“Search me, God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked [or hurtful] way in me, And then lead me in thy way everlasting! Ps 139:23-24 (ESV) My friends, our only path to salvation is for Christ to “Search us through and through until His Spirit abides within our hearts. ”It’s personal because it is our heart, that God must Search thoroughly, in-order to make our “corruptible heart incorruptible, and our mortal heart fitted for immortality.”

Remember, in knowing our heart; and our anxious thoughts; Christ can see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in us, [and then through our faith and endurance] He will lead us through the path of righteousness for His name sake!] Psalm 139:23-24 (AMP) The word “search” is a verb that requires action and in the context of our salvation, that action requires, seeking Christ with a passion daily, so that when He “Examines us…He will know that “scarcely for the righteous we will willingly give our life.” 

And through our faith He never stops searching us through and through as He “Creates in us a heart like His, with a steadfast spirit within us” and one day with no reservation He will say to His Father, I have searched them and “There is no one on earth like Your children;” for they are “men and women who fear the Lord and shuns evil,” who always stand for what is right though “the heavens and earth pass away,” because their focus forever remains on a crucified and risen Savior and My will for their lives.

Remember, it is God who will search our heart and choose those who are “safe to save,” it is God who will look at the entire journey of our life and see how we finished the course and determined if our faith was that of a mustard seed, who is able to say unto any mountain, “Move from here to there,’ and it will move; [because we understood with God’s Spirit abiding in our heart daily, nothing was impossible]” Matt 17:20 (NKJV)

Remember the battle is being fought daily over our heart. Satan knows, “Christ came to our world because He saw that we had lost the image and nature of God. He saw that we had wandered far from the path of peace and purity, and that, if left to ourselves, we would never find our way back. [So] He came with a full and complete [plan], to change our stony heart to a heart of flesh, [and] change our sinful natures into His similitude, that, by being partakers of [His] divine nature, we might be fitted for the heavenly courts….” (E.G. White, From the Heart, P 259)

So, if Satan keeps our heart focused on this world he wins. But if we have that personal relationship with Christ, soon we will be able to say Lord, you have searched me and You know me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discerned my thoughts from afar. You searched out my path and my lying down and You are acquainted with all my ways.” [And Now You know “I am safe to save.] Ps 139:1-3 (ESV) And then Christ will say Well done, [My] good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; you are now in-charge of many things. Come and share your Master’s happiness!” Matt 25:21 (NIV)

August 1, 2017

MY FRIENDS, HAVE WE BEEN IN THIS CONDITION TO LONG?

“In Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called Bethesda…..where a great number of disabled people would lie, the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there, an invalid for thirty-eight years, when Jesus saw him lying there, learned he had been in this condition a long time, so he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” John 5:2-5 (NIV) The (KJV) calls the invalid “a certain man. Its personal, so you and I become that invalid or “certain man” or woman. And “Christ knows we have been in our condition a long time.”

Yes, He knows His Children, and how long our hearts have been unwilling to allow His Spirit to move us from where we are to where He has been trying to lead us. Our excuse like “that certain man” is, “I have no one to help me.” (v, 7) But Christ tells us in Matt. 7:7-11 (KJV) Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you…what man [or woman,] if his son ask for bread, will he give him a stone?

Or if he ask for some fish, will he give him a serpent? If we then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more shall our Father in heaven give good things to all that ask Him?” Each day we remain in our condition of complacency that keeps us away from God’s free gift of grace and salvation because we are unwilling to ask to be made whole, unwilling to get up and move out on faith while allowing God’s Spirit to transform, and “cleans us from all unrighteousness.”

So what’s our infirmity? And why have we remained in this condition that keeps our focus on the things of this world and not on things above. “Do we want to be made well” spiritually? And where will each of us stand in that day when God will ask for an account of our time, talents and money?

“Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, [and that fear allowed self to dictate what I did and how I did it.]” Matt. 25:24-25 (NKJV)But my friends, in the end there will be no excuse, for “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.” 2 Tim 1:7 (KJV) And, soon, God’s cup of Indignation towards mankind will be full.

But, today He waits, He sees our condition, but not slow in fulfilling his promise, as we understand slowness. Instead He’s patient with His children, not wanting anyone to perish, but only seeks our love and repentance. But, soon He will say; all who are unjust, let him be unjust still and the righteous, [will remain] righteous still and [throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity].” “Because affliction shall not rise up the second time.” Nahum 1:9 (KJV)

And behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his works.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) Rev 22:11-13 (KJV) My friends, “Do you want to be made well, and receive life eternal? If that is our passion, then self must die daily as we take up our [bed] or cross, and follow Christ, ”and become  co-workers ” with Him as we finish His mandate, “for such a time as this.”