Thursday, April 24, 2014

Honouring Max Solbrekken: My Dad called me "his shadow". I went with him everywhere he went from about 3 1/2 years old until six, when I started school." - Rev. Ken Solbrekken

 
    Pastors Max & Ken Solbrekken at Faith Cathedral 
  Edmonton AB, 1989. Ken is presently the District 
     Superintendent for the P.A.O.C. in Alberta & NWT.
     Honouring Dr. Max Solbrekken       
On His 80th Birthday, May 15, 2013

Ken Solbrekken said:
“I want to close just by saying that May 15th was always a very important day in our home, because it was always our dad’s birthday. And so when May 15th rolled around we always remembered and celebrated, sometimes not with him there because he was not always home. 

Just like the song you heard that sometimes you’re somewhere else for the Lord, but you’re doing work for the Lord elsewhere. I remember as a child that he would go off for not just weeks but for months and it didn’t make a lot of sense but we always heard and saw the great reports that happened after and somehow God always made sense.  

I just wanted to share some of my thoughts with you I’m really speaking on behalf of our family that has given me the opportunity to do this so I’m going to closing with these thoughts:

Dear Dad,
Today is your 80th birthday, what a milestone. As a little boy I never really expected this day would come or at least not this soon, but here it is. For more than 50 years I have watched you serve the Lord with all your heart, soul, and strength. When I was a child you called me your shadow because wherever you went I wanted to be there. 

That began for me around the age of 3 and a half and ended abruptly in grade 1 when I had to go to school. Because you always felt the call to preach the gospel throughout the world, you soon became known as a missionary evangelist. Probably more fittingly and Biblically you should have been called or had the title an apostle; however I can’t remember titles ever being important to you. 

But like John the Baptist you wanted to be a voice, declaring in the wilderness or the city blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Jesus has always been on your lips and in your heart. This was etched into my own heart as I watched you sign your name using your signature Scripture from Hebrews 13:8. It says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”. 

Throughout your 50 years of ministry 10s of thousands understated have heard the message of life and many multitudes have miraculously been healed in their bodies. What a heritage and legacy that you leave behind and that you give us. God has given us through you this legacy to carry on. All of us that are in the room today. As tremendous as this has been, we your family and you have had to pay a very high price, saying goodbye way too many times, as you would head out on yet another Mission. 

Air Canada became a very big part of our world, and the drive to and from the airport a regular routine. No doubt the airlines were very thankful for all the flights you took, helping them pay their bills. You always came back with many stories of divine encounters of people sitting next to you and of course wherever you went. 

Even though you were the head of the home and bigger than life, Mom was the real hero as she adjusted to weeks and sometimes months of being alone raising 6 children, and having be a jack at all trades, and the master of many. To this day in her 80’s she still continues to amaze us with her inventions and entrepreneurial spirit. Somehow God has always kept us safe and provided for our needs
Psalms 90 has been so meaningful that I would like to share it with everybody here today. It says:

“Lord you have been our dwelling place throughout all of the generations. Before the mountains were born or be brought forth, the whole world. From everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn people to dust saying turn to dust you mortals. A thousands years in your sight is like a day that has just gone by or like a watch in the night. Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death. They are like the new grass of the morning. 

In the morning it springs up new but by evening it is dry and withered. We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation.  You have set our inequities before us or before you. Our secret sins in the light of your presence. All our days pass away under your wrath.  We finish our years with a bond; our days may come to seventy years or eighty if our strength endures. Yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow for they quickly pass and fly away. If only we knew the power of your anger. Your wrath is as great as your fear that is in your do.

Verse 12 says “Teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. Relent Lord, how long will it be. Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, so that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years that we see trouble. May Your deeds be shown to your servants, Your splendour to their children.  May the favour of the Lord our God rest on us. Establish the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands.”

I’d like to read verse 17 again: “May the favour of the Lord, our God, rest on us. Establish the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands.”
Dad happy 80th birthday, and many blessings on your 50th year of full time ministry. May every prayer that is in your heart be answered and a rich and anointing of the Holy Spirit. May the years ahead of you be greater than the previous combined.  Greater in magnitude and greater with the revealed and manifested presence of God.  Touching all those that you touch and minster to. Congratulations on this day! 

Love, Ken

God is pouring out His Spirit at the House of Prayer on Highway 623, south of New Sarepta (east of Highway 21) in Alberta. I will be preaching on Sunday 11:00 am May 3. Come expecting a Miracle for Jesus Christ. - Pastor Max Solbrekken

REVIVAL IN CANADA: 
IS IT POSSIBLE?
By Pastor Max Solbrekken

 The Bible states: "Behold, Now is accepted time; behold, Now is the Day of Salvation." (2 Cor.6: 2) YES, Revival is not only possible or probable. Revival in our nation is a must and  a necessity! It can become a reality!

Spring is a great time for some real yard cleaning and house cleaning! It is also a great time for some inner cleansing through the Word of God, the Blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ. 

It is a time for Revival and Renewal in the Church. Join with us this Sunday for a Meeting with Jesus!
Personal Letter
MAX SOLBREKKEN

Dear Brother & Sister in Christ:                                                                  Spring, 2014
     
     Greetings in the worthy name of the World's Only Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord! Thank you ever so much for your letter of support. May the Lord richly bless and continue to meet your needs as He has promised!
     Thank God that He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  The Bible says so and I believe it and I will not deviate from His Word. It is a dangerous thing to question God's integrity and a foolish thing to judge His Word. His Word judges us! (Hebrews 4: 12)
     He has never changed, cannot change and will not change. It is impossible for God to change! He has not lied, will not lie and cannot lie. It is impossible for God to lie. He has not failed, will not fail and  cannot fail. It is impossible for God to fail! (Hebrews 13: 8)
     God is no respecter of persons, places or times! If He has saved or healed one person who believes, He will save and heal everyone else who comes to Him the same way. What He did for the Jews in Palestine nearly 2,000 years ago He will do for us in 2014 wherever we live on this planet! (Acts 10: 34-36)
     Let us draw near to Him with full faith in Calvary's Victory and receive His blessings! I leave you with this marvellous Scripture: "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus." (Hebrews 10: 19)

Please remember to pray for us as we do for you!

In His dear Name,

Pastor Max Solbrekken

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

         NO NEED TO FEAR
When God Is In Charge!
By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
      A marvellous story of faith has come to us from the Second World War. In the Battle of Britain, the German Luftwaffe rained down about thirty-five thousand bombs upon London during nightly air raids, causing terrifying fear and tremendous destruction and mayhem in large parts of the city!
       For months, as sirens wailed out warnings of approaching German bombers, the general population automatically hurried toward the nearest Air Raid Shelter! People learned to look after one another during the nightly raids and the ‘morning after’ walkabouts and clean-ups!
       After a terrible night of bombardment, an elderly woman was not seen in a certain neighbourhood for several days. Her neighbours assumed that she had either been killed by the falling bombs or that she had gone to the countryside to escape the danger, disruption of life and incessant noise!
       Some time later, a neighbour spotted the elderly woman walking down the street and articulated his happiness that she was alive and well“It’s nice to see you back”, he said. “I have not been away”, she replied.  “Where have you been?” he asked. “Iv'e been at home”, said the woman! “What have you been doing at home during the air raids?” inquired the neighbour. “Sleeping”, she answered! “How could you sleep with all the noise and explosions?” he asked.
     “Oh”, she replied, “I was reading my Bible and found in Psalms 121: 4 where it declares that God doesn’t slumber nor sleep, so I thought there was no point in both of us staying awake.”
     The Bible says: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea. I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.” (Is.41: 10)
EXACTLY WHAT IS FEAR
AND WHAT DOES IT DO?
      Fear is a corrupting, constricting and crippling agent!  Fear corrupts through the unbelief it breeds in the heart! It constricts the flow of the Holy Spirit and reduces the fruit that faith produces! Its crippling effect erodes the peace and joy that results from receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour! 
      Why?  Fear hampers the normal functions of the Gifts of the Spirit, making victims and spiritual dwarfs out of servants and emissaries of our Lord!
     Fear is divisive, demeaning and destructive! It creates a divided heart which brings only condemnation and confusion! The Bible states: “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1: 7-8)
     Fear is demeaning because it makes you think, say and do things that makes you look foolish, puts you outside the will of God and is out of character with Christian living! It is destructive because it destroys your confidence in God and His Word and therefore your fellowship with Him!
      The Bible confirms: “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3: 20-22)
      What is the underlying cause of condemnation? Plain and simple: Sin! And what is the antidote or solution for the serious problem of sin? The answer in a nutshell, is the Blood of Jesus!
                   WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY SINS?
     The Bible says: “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sins.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all sins.” (1 John 1: 7, 9)
      When the sin is cleansed away, condemnation leaves and faith leaps to the forefront! Then, miracles occur as God answers prayer in response to sincere faith-filled petitions coming from a clean heart!
      Fear brings trepidation, torment and terror!  It is an enemy, but fear can be neutralized, beaten and vanquished!  The Bible states: “God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of love and power and a sound mind.” (2 Tim.1: 7).
      Since God does not give anyone the spirit of fear, it is evident that fear comes from Satan, who is the ENEMY of God and mankind!
      The Holy Scriptures declare: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear hath torment.  He that fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4: 17-18) 
     Jesus said: “The thief (Satan) cometh not but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy. I am come that ye may have life, and that ye might have it more abundantly.” (John 10: 10). Former alcoholic and drug addict, James Payne, wrote a Gospel song titled John 3: 16.  Here are the lyrics: 
             Alone one night at the end of my rope
            In a hotel in Nashville praying for hope
        In my hand was a Bible I had read as a child
     On the table was the bottle that was driving me wild
              I poured the whiskey into the glass
       Praying that somehow I could forget my past
     Then I remembered how Jesus had died on the tree
     I poured out the whiskey and fell down on my knees
            The night Ol’ Jack Daniels met John 3: 16
       God’s Word broke the chains that he had over me
          I traded Tennessee whiskey for Calvary’s tree
              The night Ol’ Jack Daniels met John 3: 16
    
     That is the exact reaction that occurs when the spirit of fear meets the blood of Jesus! When His powerful blood sweeps over our souls, fear must leave immediately! There is NO ROOM for satanic bondage of any kind in the life of a Christian!  The Blessed Holy Spirit makes us free from sin, guilt and fear. And He keeps us free for God’s glory! Praise His name forever!
     U.S. President Roosevelt stated: “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” In many cases that is true. Because fear is a spirit, when it digs its deceptive tentacles into a victim, raw fear often proves to be far worse than the object of the fear!
      There is a story in Middle Eastern folklore of a great warrior who meets a mythical rider carrying a gigantic scythe! His name was Death!
     Addressing him, the warrior says: “I have just come from a battle where I left 5,000 men dead. Where have you been and where are you going?”
      The mythical rider replies: “I have just left the area to which you are heading.”  Inquiringly, the warrior asks: “How many dead will I find there?”  Death answers: “The plague killed 5,000.”
      The next week, the great warrior again meets the mythical rider on the windswept desert. He hails the scythe - carrier with a shout: “You lied to me. The plague left 20,000 dead. You told me that you had killed only 5,000!” 
       Death replies: “I told you the truth. 5,000 perished from the plague.  The rest died of fear!”
      An old adage says: “Cowards die a thousand times before their death. The valiant tastes of death but once!”  Without doubt, fear is a real enemy and a robber.  The Bible character Job, after having been attacked by Satan, confessed: “The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me.” (Job 3: 25)
                              SCANNING THE HILLS
                      KING DAVID SENSED DANGER!
      The Psalmist King stated: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills. From whence cometh my help?  My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved.  He that keeps Israel will not slumber.  Behold, He that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (Ps.121: 14)
      This Scripture text has been greatly misunderstood because of an apparent error in translation.  Instead of a comma after the word ‘hills’, there should be a period. And instead of a period after ‘help’ there should be a question mark!  He wasn’t looking to the “hills” for help, but to the Lord Who made heaven and earth!  The entire psalm must be taken in context!
      The original Hebrew conveys the message that there was danger lurking in the hills. As King David scanned the hills assessing the danger he asked, “How well are we defended?  Where is our help going to come from?”  Then he answers his own question: “Our help will come from Almighty God, Who made heaven and earth.  He will help us because He is Israel’s keeper and He does not slumber nor sleep.  He’s on call 24 hours a day!”
      When things go wrong and it appears that the bottom has dropped out of everything, that is not the time to become afraid or to panic!  God’s Word says: “And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.” (Ps.50: 15)
      Jesus said: “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you life.” (Matt.11: 28). If we must doubt, let us doubt our doubts and put our trust totally in Jesus Christ our Lord! God is trustworthy and good. His mercy endures forever. His intentions toward us are only for our good and His Word is infallible, immutable and inerrant! (Jer.29: 11; Ps.117: 2).
     We must listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, the Divine Helper which the Father has sent to lead, guide, direct, comfort and heal us! Remember, the Word of God is a “lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.” (Ps.119: 5)
     Here is a powerful promise of God to us all: “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou live in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him and he shall bring it to pass.” (Ps.37: 5)
OUR LORD WILL NOT FAIL US!
      He is duty bound to keep His Word to us! Satan is duty bound to obey us when we speak in Jesus’ name, against his evil and cruel designs. Our Lord has given us the legal right and power, to use His name to bind Satan and cast him out of those that he has afflicted or possessed! And we – God’s children – are duty bound to serve Him with all our ability by His grace and power, until the He returns for us in the rapture of the Church, or the hour of our death!
     Here our Lord’s GREAT COMMISSION to His Church: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matt.28:19, 20).
      “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs hall follow them that believe; In My NAME shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;; They shall take up serpents (like St. Paul on Malta – Acts 28: 3-5); and if they drink any deadly thing (by accident), it shall not hurt them 
    He promised: “I will never thee nor forsake thee.” (Heb.13: 5); “…I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matt.28: 20). And that is good enough for me! Amen. 

Monday, April 21, 2014

WE NEED MORE MIRACLES:
NOT LESS
                                     By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
    
      There is hope and healing for hurting, sick and suffering people. There is forgiveness and redemption for  lost and dying souls. There is deliverance for fearful, oppressed and discouraged individuals! There is peace for tormented victims of sexual abuse, drug addiction and alcoholism. There is freedom for those enslaved by pornography, homosexuality and gambling!
      And, yes, there is victory for depressed, sorrowing and defeated children of God who have become overwhelmed by the burdens of life and the onslaughts of the Evil One! There is a way back home to our Heavenly Father for those who have fallen into sin, drifted from the straight and narrow, and are hurting spiritually!
           THE CHURCH: REFUGE FOR WOUNDED!
      The Church is a place of healing for hurting people. It is a hospital for the spiritually wounded who been hurt by the lies of  New Age advocates, false Eastern Religions and Politically Correct clergy! It is a House of Refuge and a Haven of rest for the guilt ridden casualties of divorce, broken homes and abortion!
     To get our spiritual bearings and to understand the important role the Church has to play in society, all we need to do is look at the life of Jesus, our perfect example! The Bible says: "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
     "And His fame went throughout all Syria: And they brought unto Him all people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and He healed them. And there followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan." (Matt. 4: 23-25)
        JESUS of Nazareth went into ALL their cities and villages teaching in ALL their synagogues and HEALING ALL their sicknesses and ALL their diseases. They brought to Jesus ALL who were sick and diseased with ALL manner of diseases, torments, lunatics and those who were bed ridden; and He HEALED them ALL! And ALL who touched Jesus and ALL whom He touched were healed!
            STRETCH FORTH THINE HAND TO HEAL!
     When the Early Church were persecuted by the Authorities and forbidden to teach or preach in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, they answered: "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken to you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." (Acts 4: 19, 20)
     When they were released from prison, they reported to the company of believers what had happened. "And when they heard that, they lifted up their VOICE to God with ONE ACCORD, and said, Lord, Thou art God, which has made Heaven and earth, and the sea and all that in them is.
     "Who by the mouth of Thy servant David hast said; Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the Rulers were gathered together against the Lord and His Christ.
      "For of a truth against Thy Holy Child Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do what Thy hand and Thy council determined before to be done.
      "And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto Thy Servants, that with all boldness they may speak Thy WORD, by stretching forth hand to HEAL; and that SIGNS and WONDERS may be done by the Name of Thy Holy Child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was SHAKEN where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spoke the Word of God with boldness...
     "And with great POWER gave the apostles witness of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great GRACE was upon them all." (Acts 4: 24-33)
MORE MIRACLES: NOT LESS?
     His disciples had walked with Him for three years and seen His compassion, heard His powerful teaching and preaching. They knew His heart and love for His Father in Heaven and His unwavering faith and dedication to His Mission. They sensed the urgency in His voice and prayer life. They had seen His power over the elements, evil spirits and even death.
     They realized the great value HEALING MIRACLES have in attracting people to hear the Gospel. Jesus had faithfully taught in the synagogue without any crowds following Him, until He performed miracles upon the demon possessed and the sick. They knew His desire to minister to NEEDY people and they had witnessed the surge of multitudes listening to His message and repenting of their sins, after He began doing miracles of healing on the sick and suffering!
     When Peter and John brought healing to the crippled man at the temple's Beautiful Gate, five thousand men had responded to their appeal to receive Christ. Do you think they would stop at that juncture? Would the threat of persecution turn them back? Would they react like many of today's pussy cat, milquetoast preachers? Definitely not! They were tough, hardened men of God with faith in the promises of Jesus.
      The bulk of this generation's preachers have scaled back on miracles and the supernatural power of God to liberate the human race. They have discontinued the prayer meeting and put man-made programs in its place. They have discounted the Gifts of the blessed Holy Spirit and replaced them with the philosophies of men. They have substituted flashing lights and electronically generated smoke in the sanctuary, for the glory of God and the anointing of the Holy Ghost!
      And in many cases, some of these so-called men of God have given in to the culture of political correctness and have acquiesced under pressure to fit into the company of lukewarm, half-baked, backslidden, popularity-driven clergymen.
    One of the greatest threats to the Church in this generation is the apathy and lack of concern regarding the purity of the Word of God that is gradually being lost in many denominations. You may ask: "What is driving this watering down of God's Word and the destroying of the Church"?  
   
          SATAN WANTS TO DESTROY THE CHURCH!
     Satan is the destroyer and enemy of God and man and is utilizing every weapon in his arsenal to achieve his goals, but cannot and will not be able to do so because he is an eternally defeated enemy. The shed blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ has decimated his power over those who are secure in the Body of Christ!
    Successive NEW translations of the Bible deftly corrupt the Original Autographs in seeking to erode the Deity of Jesus Christ, His Virgin Birth and His Resurrection! The work of theologians who use what they call 'Higher Criticism' are largely to blame!
     My message to those imposters is found in Hebrews 4: 12: "For the Word of God is quick (alive) and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
     O’ PUNY MAN: Know who you are! Stop trying to judge God's Word. We do not judge the Holy Bible. God's Word judges us! Here is another warning to all pin-head theologians: "Every Word of God is PURE. He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. Add not thou unto His Words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a LIAR." (Prov.30: 5, 6)
     Here are more WARNINGS to those who change the Word of God: "Ye shall not add to the Word which I command you, neither shall ye DIMINISH ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you;
What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: Thou shall not ADD thereto, nor DIMINISH from it." (Deut.4: 2; 12: 32)
       God spoke those divine words through the mouth of His prophet MOSES!  St. Peter said: "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Peter 1: 21) And St. Paul declared: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3: 16)
                    GOD WARNS: DON'T CHANGE MY WORD!
     Here is the WARNING from Jesus Christ Himself: "For I testify unto every man that hears the Words of the Prophecy of this book. If any man shall ADD unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
      “And if any man shall TAKE AWAY from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things that are written in this book." (Rev. 22: 18, 19)
     St. Paul said: "But though we, or an angel from Heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so now I say again; if any man preach any other Gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be cursed." (Galatians 1: 8.9)
     That is very serious, coming from the man who was carried up into Heaven and shown things which he was not allowed to reveal. He stated that if he returned to that church preaching something different than the pure Gospel which he had preached to them, let him be accursed!
     Another Enemy of God and the Church of Jesus Christ is the diabolical teaching of SYNCRETISM which is invading the Body of Christ! Syncretism is defined as the amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought, into the Church of the Living God.
       The very worst syncretism is a new doctrine called 'CHRISLAM' that has mixed Christianity and Islam in a number of Evangelical churches in the USA. It is a diabolical doctrine spawned in Hell itself!
      JESUS WARNED: "For a good tree brings not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes." (Luke 6: 43, 44); "I am the LIVING BREAD which came down from Heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my FLESH, which I will give for the life of the world." (Luke 6:51); "I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life. No man comes unto the FATHER but by Me." (John 14: 6)
                   MARANATHA: THE LORD RETURNS!
       ISLAM teaches that Jesus Christ did not die, but that Allah changed his facial appearance and made another man look like Jesus of Nazareth. Further, they teach that Jesus was taken up to Heaven and chastised for saying that He is the Son of God and that He will return and declare that He is only a prophet lesser than Mohammed.
    That is disgusting, untruthful and ignorant conjecture. It is RANK BLASPHEMY!
     St. Paul stated: "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema. Maranatha." (1 Cor.16:22). Note: Maranatha is Aramaic as an imperative: marana-tha meaning "our Lord come" or as an indicative: 'maran-atha, meaning "our Lord is come".
     The words Anathama (suspended) and Maranatha (our Lord comes) used in concert means that a curse as well as a   blessing will be in operation at the time of Christ's return, When He sets up His Kingdom on earth two things will happen: Those who have given their hearts and lives to Christ will be blessed with eternal life, but those who have rejected Him will be cursed with damnation!
     Why did St. Paul use - without translation - the Aramaic formula Maranatha in a Greek letter to Corinth, where the Aramaic language was not in use? Was it because Maranatha was a fixed formula and no doubt a well known expression in the liturgy of  the primitive Church in Palestine? Many theologians believe that from Palestine it passed into Greek Christendom without translation in fashion similar to 'Amen' and 'Hosanna'.
      The formula Anathama Maranatha, is in fact, the exclamation of the 'Approaching Divine Judgement'!
      ST. JOHN declared: "Whosoever transgresses, and abides not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abides in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that bids him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” (2 John 9-11)
      Here is the clincher: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby KNOW ye the Spirit of God:
    “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesses NOT that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God.
And this is the spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world.
                          WHAT DOES THE MEAN?
     What did the ‘man of God’ mean by these words: “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is of God?” There are more than seven billion people alive today and every one of us have come in the flesh, but when God came down among us in the Person of Jesus Christ, that was the Miracle of the INCARNATION.
     Every person that believes that Jesus Christ is God the Son and that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, shed His precious blood for our sins on the cross and rose from the dead three days later, are God’s children and members of the Body of Christ.
      Those who DO NOT confess that Jesus Christ is the incarnated Son of God are not saved and will not be saved unless they repent of their sins and invite our blessed Saviour, the Lord of life, into their hearts.
     The Holy Bible declares to all believers in Jesus Christ: “Ye are of God little children and have overcome them because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4: 1- 4)
     “Hereby we KNOW that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whoso shall confess that JESUS is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God.
      “And we have known and believed the LOVE that God hath to us. GOD IS LOVE; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
      “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out all fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. We LOVE Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:13-19)
                       OUR FATHER GIVES MUCH MORE!
     Let me close this paper with these powerful Words of invitation from Jesus Christ: "Ask and is shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you: For everyone that ask receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.
     "Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread will he give him a stone (something useless)? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a serpent (something dangerous)? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how MUCH MORE shall your Father which is in Heaven, give good gifts to them that ask Him?" (Matt.7: 7-11)
      The Bible states: "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly ABOVE ALL that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. Unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Eph.3: 20)
       Here is an awesome promise from God’s Holy Word: “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hear us, whatever we ask, we KNOW that we have that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” (1 John 5: 14, 15)
      Our Heavenly Father stands ready to pour out His blessed Holy Spirit upon His Church again and again, as we open our heart's door to Him. He will give us from His storehouse: More love, More Joy, More peace, More Compassion, more Health, more Finances, more Miracles and more Souls brought into His Kingdom! Amen.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

I watched the speech Dr. Ben Carson gave with much thankfulness that such a brilliant man had the courage to lecture America, the White House and the President about the serious situation of a nation drowning in debt, corruption and political correctness. Dr. Ben Carson exemplifies the the height men can reach even when coming from the most impossible beginnings. Unfortunately, Barrack Obama's rise to prominence argues against honesty, hard work and faith in God and promotes the deceptive, untruthful and immoral culture of Chicago style politics. Go for it, Ben Carson, and by God's help make the USA great again! - Pastor Max Solbrekken

WHITE HOUSE

Carson: White House wanted me to apologize for 'offending' Obama

Published April 15, 2014
FoxNews.com


FILE: March 8, 2014: Possible GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson at the Conservative Political Action Conference, in Oxon Hill, Md.REUTERS
Conservative sage Dr. Ben Carson is claiming the White House was offended by his now-famous keynote address at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast and asked at the time for an apology call to President Obama -- which he didn’t make.
The anecdote is found in Carson’s upcoming book “One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future.”
Carson, who became a conservative sensation after the address, was highly critical of the direction of the country though he never blamed the president, who was sitting just a few feet away.
“He did not appear to be hostile or angry,” Carson wrote in the book. 
“But within a matter of minutes after the conclusion of the program, I received a call from some of the prayer breakfast organizers saying that the White House was upset and requesting that I call the president and apologize for offending him. I said that I did not think that he was offended and that I didn’t think that such a call was warranted.” 
The passage was verified Tuesday by publisher Sentinel, a division of Penguin Group (USA). 
Carson, a former director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University, also suggests in the book he has no plans to run for president in 2016 unless called by God. However, he has placed third in two recent straw polls and is being courted by the well-funded National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee.

Friday, April 18, 2014

My Letter to a very ill Muslim girl who had written for prayer. She had read Sal Marisigan's amazing testimony on our Website: www.mswm.org. Dear sick & suffering friends: Look to Jesus Christ during this Easter week-end. - Pastor Max Solbrekken

Hello Fatima:

Thank you for writing. 
Jesus came to this earth to save us from our sins and deliver us from the power of the Evil One who came to steal, kill and destroy. JESUS of Nazareth was incarnated, which means God in human flesh. That is why His name is so powerful. In Hebrew it is YESHUA which means 'The Salvation of God'. The Salvation of God is forgiveness of sins, healing of sicknesses, peace from a troubled mind, joy in the Holy Spirit and Eternal Life!

Fatima, God is calling you to Himself. He said, "In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world." (John 16: 33). He also said: "Come unto ME, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
And that is what everyone needs - REST from sin, fear, torment, condemnation, sickness and the Devil.

Give yourself to Jesus Christ for HE is the ONLY Saviour of the world. There is none other! He alone has been given the power to save, heal, deliver  and grant eternal life because of His SACRIFICE on Golgatha outside the city walls of Jerusalem! Like the lambs that were slaughtered on Jewish altars, Almighty God the Son took our place on the cross and shed His pure and perfect blood for us all.

The Jewish leaders rejected Him because of their spiritual blindness and sinful pride. Others have lied about Him saying that he did not die and did not rise from the dead, but HE IS ALIVE today and will be forever! The Holy Bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON that whosoever believes on Him should NOT PERISH but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16)

Ask Him to come into your heart like Sal and his mother did in Manila in 1966. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13: 8) Once Jesus takes residence in your heart, you will have the right to ask Him to take control of your life and that includes healing your body for His glory and honour! 

In Jesus' Holy & precious Name,
Pastor Max Solbrekken, 2 Cor. 4:5

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Easter Miracle 
Rallies in Alberta
               * EDMONTON: April 19 - 7:00 PM
               Abbotsfield Rec Centre -119 Ave & 30 St.
          * NEW SAREPTA: House of Prayer on #623 
                  (South of New Sarepta, 1/2 mile east of #21)
            April 20 - 11:00 & 2:00 Pot Luck Lunch @ 12:30
                                   ONE OF CANADA'S FINEST
                                         SINGER / MUSICIAN / PREACHER
                                             LEONARD LABOUCAN
                   Gerry Eppinga testifies in 1975 in Prince Rupert, BC
       Rev Gerry Eppinga to Speak in Alberta!
In 1975, Gerry Eppinga was an alcoholic, an addict who sold drugs and the owner of the Club Seven Nightclub in Prince Rupert, BC. Then Pastor Max Solbrekken came to town, preaching the Gospel of Christ in the Islander Hall, above Gerry's Nightclub.
The next night Gerry was converted, delivered from evil spirits and filled with the Holy Spirit. He has since preached the gospel with great blessings in his large Gospel Tent. He and Beatrice have 3 sons, the youngest is Peter a Medical Doctor who practices  in Calgary. He also has a great testimony for Jesus!
THE 
Theology 
OF THE CROSS
By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
  
Centurion Longinus cried out, 
"Truly this Man was the Son of God!"
- St. Mark 15: 37-39
      “Then delivered he Him therefore unto them to be crucified.  And they took Jesus, and led Him away.  And He bearing His cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified Him, and two other with Him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.  And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross.  And the writing was, Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews.” (John 19:16-19)
      THREE MEN DIED on Golgotha’s hill nearly 2,000 years ago!  One man died in his sins by rejecting Christ and perished.  The second man died to his sins by receiving Christ and was saved.  The third man was Jesus of Nazareth, who died for our sins so that we could be saved!
      St. Paul wrote: “The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are SAVED it is the power of God”. (1 Cor. 1:18)
      The irony is that many have foolishly rejected the Gospel of Christ because of its simplicity and substituted an alternative gospel that is powerless because it is not based in truth and righteousness!  The great apostle understood this tragic folly.
   He stated, “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness: But unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor.1: 22-23)
     Again St. Paul declared, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified”. (1 Cor. 2: 2)
                               THE PREACHING OF THE CROSS!
   To Jews who were tempted to leave the simplicity of the gospel for “law-keeping” Paul writes: “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit, wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 
  “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” (Gal. 5:4-6)
     His position was that if we trust in the works of the law like circumcision, we then have made the “work of Christ on the cross of none effect” and, “Christ shall profit you nothing”. 
   He speaks of the “OFFENCE OF THE CROSS” which he had to suffer because he had embraced the truth. (Gal. 5:11; 6:12)  It cost Paul everything to serve Christ!
    “But God forbid that I should glory, save (except) in the CROSS of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also the world is crucified to me and I unto the world.” (Gal. 6:14)
    The bottom line is that rituals, ceremonies, keeping of special days, O.T. laws and following traditions do not save souls or change lives.  The Bible says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision but a new creature”. (Gal. 6:15)
   The Holy Bible states, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. (2 Cor. 5:17)
     St. Paul gloried in the ‘Cross of Christ’, because only through the shedding of His pure and holy blood for the sins of the world is there redemption for fallen man! 
    The Bible says, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
    “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. (Phil. 2:5-11)
     That is why St. Paul declared: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:  for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Rom. 1:16).
     In this treatise, I share the teaching of God about the cross and the blood of Jesus! By God’s grace I will answer the question, “What does God say about the cross and what does the Cross of Christ teach us”? The Cross of Christ teaches us five things:
1)     What God thinks about our sins!
2)    How much God loves us!
3)    The doctrine of substitution!
4)   Christ’s victory over Satan!
5)    The value of an eternal soul!
[1] THE CROSS TEACHES US
WHAT GOD THINKS ABOUT OUR SINS!
    The Bible warns: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die”. (Ezek.18: 4,20). God had warned Adam and Eve about the sin of disobedience and the awful consequences of transgressing His commands.  He stated unequivocally, “...of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it:  for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”. (lit. Heb. - in dying thou shalt die.) (Gen. 2:16-17)
      God’s command was definite and irrevocable - “You can enjoy this beautiful garden forever, providing you obey My commands and keep them.  If you do not, you will begin to die and eventually return to the ground out of which you came!”
      And ever since that fateful day, every baby has been born with death in its mortal body!
    When our first parents sinned, the whole world was thrown into turmoil, resulting in spiritual and physical death for everyone!
       In His mercy God came down searching for Adam and Eve in order to redeem them.  He questioned Adam, Eve and the serpent and brought down His severe judgments upon them and the earth, because of their rebellion and sin!
      “And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done?  And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.  And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 
“Unto the WOMAN He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
“And unto ADAM He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it:
 “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
     “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken:  for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Gen. 3:13-19)
               GOD PRONOUNCED A CURSE UPON THE SERPENT!
    It would lose its ability to walk and would crawl and eat dust. He would put enmity between the human race and serpents.  A U.S. survey states that 89% of Americans hate snakes more than any other animal. And Evolutionists now state that at one time serpents walked upright! 
   That enmity was a type or pre-picture of the battle pitting Satan and his minions against God and His children!
   The seed of the woman (Jesus was born of a virgin without a human father) would crush the serpent’s head. The humiliation and death of Jesus was ‘the bruising of His heel’ but when our Lord rose from the dead - with power over Satan – He crushed Satan’s head!
   God revealed a great truth that had been hidden from before the foundations of the world!  We call this, ‘the law of the first mention’.
   His own Son would be incarnated (God in human flesh) to suffer, bleed and die to save us!  God would redeem the human race through the death of His Son on the cross!
   God killed an innocent animal to atone for Adam and Eve’s sins. The animal’s blood covered their sins and its skin was used to cover their nakedness!
GOD PRONOUNCED A CURSE UPON THE WOMAN BECAUSE OF HER DISOBEDIENCE!
     “And unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception:  in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee”.
    During my world travels I have observed how men treat their wives.  In most pagan cultures, wives are like a piece of property.  They are inferior to men and cannot even eat with their husbands or sons.  And females are often aborted before birth, due to their little value!  
     Some religions force women to cover their faces when in public and men can beat their wives at will and divorce them for any reason whatsoever!
It is not uncommon for mothers to choke their young daughters to death, because of the unjust Caste System that would bankrupt a poor family with several daughters!
   Only Jesus Christ gives women LIBERTY through the glorious Gospel that was purchased by His shed blood on Calvary’s cross! Christianity treats women with dignity and respect. Only Christ frees women from the curse of sin and bondage that came through the FALL!
             GOD PRONOUNCED A CURSED UPON THE GROUND!
    “And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: 
   “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;” (Gen. 3:17-18)   
  Because of Adam’s sin, there would be a curse upon the ground!  Man would not enjoy the fruit of his work.  Thorns and thistles would come forth to plague him as he tilled the earth to eke out a living.
     When we considers the curse that has come upon our young people through marijuana, opium and heroin that is harvested from the earth, we see a little of that ‘CURSE’.
     The drug trade has escalated to the place that literally billions of dollars of illegal drugs stream across the borders into Canada, the USA and Europe from Latin America, the Golden Triangle and the Middle East! And much of the profits go into the coffers of Islamic Terrorists!
               GOD PRONOUNCED A CURSE UPON THE MAN!
    “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast taken:  for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return”. (Gen. 3:17-19)
     Man, who was created for immortality would die and return to the dust!  God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, and kept its gates guarded by Cherubims and a flaming sword, lest man would enter the Garden and eat the fruit of the tree of life and live forever in their sins! (Gen. 3: 24)
    The sons of Adam knew the rules! After these traumatic experiences Cain and Abel were born to them!  One day the two sons came with an offering unto the Lord. They both knew the rules.  There is no doubt that Almighty God had communicated to their parents what was required of them.
 After the FALL every man had to bring a sacrifice to atone for his sins.  And the sacrifice had to be like the original one that God Himself slew, to atone for the sins of Adam and Eve!
    The terrible truth is that ‘SIN’ is so terrible that a life had to be taken and innocent blood shed, in order for it to be forgiven. 
   The blood had to be innocent - not contaminated by man’s sinful nature. God offered an innocent lamb from the flocks to provide the sacrifice, a TYPE of His own Son, as the Pascal Lamb.
    Jesus would be incarnated so that He could suffer, bleed and die as the LAMB OF GOD for the sins of the world. That is why God accepted the sacrifice of Abel - the firstlings of his flocks - and rejected the offering of Cain - the fruit of the ground! 
     Cain is a type of the pagan religions as well as modernists who seek to please God with their own kind of offering, rather than following God’s prescribed ways!
    This is a classic example of ‘SALVATION THROUGH GOOD WORKS’ rather than by God’s grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on Golgotha’s Hill!
EVER SINCE THE FALL, GOD HAS DEMANDED A BLOOD SACRIFICE IN ORDER TO FORGIVE THE SINS OF FALLEN MAN.  ALL THE PATRIARCHS BUILT ALTARS AND SACRIFICED UNTO THE LORD!
   God instituted the ‘sacrificial system’ under Moses - the great Jewish prophet and Law Giver - so that He could have fellowship with His people and forgive them for their continual sinning! 
    This continued for 2,000 years until Jesus came to pay the supreme price and redeem us all from the curse of the law and the power of the ‘Wicked One’!
    It is estimated that each year on ‘The Great Day of Atonement’ during the reign of Solomon, 500,000 lambs were sacrificed. History confirms that the blood flowed in a stream across the Kidron Valley for days after that event!
    On the very day that Jesus hung on Golgotha’s Hill dying upon ‘The Cursed Tree’, an estimated 250,000 lambs died on the altars of the temple in Jerusalem! 
     And every lamb, goat, bullock or red heifer that was slain under Jewish Law pointed to JESUS OF NAZARETH, God’s own Lamb!
   The Bible says, “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission for sin.” (Heb. 9:22); “It is the blood that maketh atonement for sins”. (Lev. 17:11)
     “If we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship one with the other and the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son cleanseth us from all sins”. (1 John. 1:7); “Jesus Christ... loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood”. (Rev. 1:5)
      My precious friend, the cross of Christ delivers a powerful message to this world.  The cross teaches us what God thinks about our sin! 
   God’s Word teaches us the awful truth about sin and its eternal consequences! He hates our sins. They are a stench in His nostrils and an abomination in His sight! 
    God had to send His Son to die the awful death of the cross to meet the demands of Divine Justice, to redeem us from the chains of satanic bondage and hell forever!
     The Bible says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. (Rom. 3:23); “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. (Rom. 6:23)
[2] THE CROSS TEACHES US
HOW MUCH GOD LOVES US!
  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only “begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). This is the central verse of the New Testament.  It has been called ‘The Bible in Miniature’. 
  St. John, overwhelmed by God’s great love, exclaimed, “We love Him because He first loved us”. (1 John 4:19) What an enormous subject that brings up! 
    ‘We love Him Because…’ There are so many reasons why we love God and the Apostle’s explanation is a good place to start:  “We love Him because He first loved us.”
    God’s love is magnificent, beneficent and all encompassing.  It is an ‘ocean divine’ reaching out in every direction of His great universe, touching things that touch people; saving, healing, sustaining, providing, and ever loving everyone unconditionally!  Hallelujah! 

Oh love of God, so rich and pure; So measureless and strong. It shall forevermore endure; The saints and angels song. Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the sky of parchment made; And every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade; To write the love of God above, Would drain the ocean dry; And could the sky contain the whole Would stretch from sky to sky!”

    The premier reason for us to love God is that He first reached down to us. The Bible says: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly”. (Rom. 5:6) St. Paul writes: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor that
    About 30 years ago, while studying the dictionary I came across the word ‘apodictic’ taken from the Greek ‘apodeiktikos’, meaning “Evident Beyond Contradictions.” Immediately, I understood that that word belongs only to God, for who else can guarantee anything to be “evident beyond contradictions”?
   Certainly, man in his unregenerate state is unbelievably inconsistent, changeable and vulnerable to moral corruptions!
  The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked:  Who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9)
   The righteousness of God is apodictic. The power of God is apodictic - ‘evident beyond contradictions’.  The wisdom of God, the peace of God, the joy and mercy of God is apodictic!
 Who can deny that the Love of God is apodictic - evident beyond contractions? Even the hardest sinner and cruelest skeptic and unbeliever cannot contradict God’s love, mercy, grace and compassion - Calvary Proves God’s Love!
    Who else, but our Heavenly Father, would send His own Son to die upon a rugged cross - as a common criminal between two thieves - to rescue a world gone mad through unbelief, rebellion, fear and evil?
   The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)
     St. Paul tells it like it really is!  “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also, freely give us all things.” (Rom. 8:32)
    The world was hopelessly lost in sin, degradation and death through Adam’s transgression.  Almighty God acted out of love, compassion and mercy to save us. 
   He sent His one and only Son down to this earth to be incarnated (God became flesh) so that He could shed His pure and perfect blood as a ransom or penalty for our sinfulness!
  This is without doubt one of the greatest Scriptures in the entire Bible because it speaks of our Saviour who died willingly and gladly for our sins, so that we could be saved!
    The Bible says, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (perfector) of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”. (Heb. 12:3)
     God gave His best when He offered up His own Son as a ransom price for a lost world to be redeemed from the curse of the law and the hands of the world’s greatest terrorist, Satan himself! 
                 THE FATHER SPARED NOTHING: HE GAVE ALL!
    He delivered His Son into the hands of murderers to be verbally abused, spit upon, blasphemed, mocked, physically assaulted, and finally crucified as a common criminal to purchase our redemption!
    The prophet declared that the face (visage) of the Messiah (Jesus) would be “marred more than any man, and his form (body) more than the sons of men”. (Is. 52:14)
   The Bible says, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:  and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
    “Surely He hath borne our griefs (sicknesses) and carried our sorrows (pains):  yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. 
    “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities:  the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-5)
    The Word of God says, “When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sins”. (Gal. 4:4)
    It has been said, “To sin is human but to forgive to divine!” It takes the grace of God to forgive those who have wronged you, even when they repent and ask for forgiveness.
    As Jesus hung on the cross under the greatest spiritual pressure, taunted and mocked by His enemies, He cried out to His Father for mercy for those who had placed Him there. His prayer was, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”. (Luke 23:34)

NOW is the time for reconciliation and REVIVAL. It is a time to FORGIVE one another as Jesus Christ did, and to LOVE one another.  There is no time to waste!  Now is the accepted time. NOW is the time to REPENT and return to God!
   
   The Bible says, “And all things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation
   “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us:  we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.  For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”. (2 Cor. 5:18-21)
   The amazing thing is that it was God Who initiated the plan of salvation, which included the death of His Son! St. Paul declared that Jesus of Nazareth was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God to be crucified. (Acts 2: 23)
   The prophet Isaiah declares that it was God who, “...laid upon Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all”. (Is. 53:6)
   “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” (Is. 53:4)
    Almighty God - in His great love for us - smote His own Son, and put Him to grief in order to save us!  That blows me away.  I can’t understand God’s great love for a world that has rejected Him!  How can anyone understand such love?  It is indeed, “past finding out”!
    His grace, mercy and love is totally holy and divine and too wonderful for me to comprehend!  Martin Luther stated, that it will take all eternity for us to understand such things as God’s grace and gospel!
   The Bible says, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief:  when thou shalt make His soul (Jesus Christ) an offering for sin...” (Is. 53:
   The Romans didn’t kill Jesus! It wasn’t the Jews who put Him to death! It was God Almighty – our Heavenly father – who offered His Own Son for the sins of the world!
    No one will ever be able to understand God’s love.  All we have to do is accept His offer of mercy and receive His pardon and forgiveness, with thankfulness!
[3] THE CROSS TEACHES US
THE DOCTRINE OF SUBSTITUTION!
    The third great truth that the Cross of Christ teaches us is ‘The Doctrine of Substitution’ - one dying for another! The songwriter wrote:

I should have been crucified. I should have suffered, bled and died. I should have hung on the cross in disgrace, But Jesus, God’s Son took my place!

     The Bible says, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die!
    “But God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, CHRIST DIED FOR US.  Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
   “For if, when we were sinners, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Rom. 5:6-10)
     St. Paul lays out the doctrine of substitution so clearly in this Scripture.  “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all man, for that all have sinned”. (v. 12)
  “For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 
    “… For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of Grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by ONE, Jesus Christ.
  “Therefore, as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to CONDEMNATION; Even so by the righteousness of ONE the free gift came upon all men unto JUSTIFICATION of life.”
   “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous... 
    “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 5:15-21)
   The Bible says:  “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel...how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Cor. 15:1-4)
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST!
  This is the Gospel: Jesus Christ – God’s Son - died for my sins, and rose again for my justification! 
   The Bible says, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered in once into the Holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
    “How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from death works to serve the Living God?” (Heb. 9:12-14)
     By offering Himself in our place, Jesus Christ bore our condemnation and paid the penalty for our sins, releasing us from all the guilt and God’s judgment against us!
     The Bible says: “...when He had by Himself purged our sins sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High”. (Heb. 1:3)
    “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: “And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them and rose again”. (2 Cor. 5:14-15)
     St. Paul declared:  “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ; Who died for us, that, whither we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” (1 Th. 5:9-10)
    MARTIN LUTHER was consumed by the gospel of Christ.  He stated, “I live as though Jesus Christ died yesterday, arose today and is coming again tomorrow!”

                           A SAD AND MOVING STORY!

    A touching story has come down to us from the ‘American Civil War’. Some southern soldiers had infiltrated the Union Army as spies and were found out. They were sentenced to death by firing squad.
   Just as the commanding officer ordered his men to take aim at the little white patch over each condemned man’s heart, a shout rang out, “Hold your fire. Don’t shoot”!
  A young man emerged from the woods shouting and waving his arms frantically.  Approaching the commanding officer, the young man confessed that he also was a rebel soldier and had been hiding in the woods.
    Pointing to one of the condemned men, he pleaded for his release saying: “We are from the same town in the South.  He has a family of four children and I am not married.  Please allow me to die in his place!  Let me exchange places with him!”
  Because of the courage and compassion displayed by the young “rebel soldier”, his wish was granted.  The older soldier was released and told to return to his loved ones.  The young man was blind - folded, his hands tied, and together with the other condemned men was executed!
   After burying the spies, the Union soldiers moved on, but early the next morning the freed soldier returned with two horses, a spade, blanket and rope.  He dug up his comrade’s body and took it back to the Southern USA, where they had a proper Church funeral!
    A little cross was erected as a memorial over his grave, complete with the fallen soldier’s name, rank and these words:  “HE TOOK MY PLACE, HE DIED FOR ME”, with the freed man’s name and signature below, for everyone to read!
    This story reminds me of what Jesus did for us on Golgotha’s Hill. “He took my place, He died for me!”
[4] THE CROSS TEACHES US
CHRIST’S VICTORY OVER SATAN!
   The fourth lesson the cross teaches is that Jesus Christ’s death has liberated us from satanic bondage! When Jesus walked among men, He healed the sick and cast out unclean spirits from them who were bound by the Evil One! 
   The Bible says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and power who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil”. (Acts 10:38)
  The literal Greek states that Jesus healed all who, “were under the domination or lordship of Satan”.
 Jesus stated: “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; It is expedient (advantageous) for you that I go away:  for if I go not away, the Comforter (Divine Helper) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.
  “And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on Me; Of righteousness because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” (John 16: 7-11).
   “Jesus stated that the Holy Spirit was being sent to demonstrate to the world, CHRIST’S VICTORY OVER SATAN! When Jesus died on Calvary’s cross, He defeated Satan totally, and the Holy Spirit’s major task is to demonstrate to the world, Christ’s victory over Satan
How does He do that?  By empowering Christ’s body - the Church - to do the same works which Jesus did before His death and glorious resurrection!
    
      When lost souls are saved through preaching of the Gospel of Christ and by the Holy Spirit’s convicting power, He is demonstrating to the world, ‘Christ’s Victory over Satan’!
      When the sick and diseased are healed through the Word of God, in the Name of Jesus Christ - raising them up to health and strength – the Holy Spirit is demonstrating to the world “Christ’s Victory Over Satan”!
   And when unclean spirits are expelled and cast out of “those tormented by the Evil One” in Jesus’ all - powerful Name, the Holy Spirit is demonstrating to the world, Christ’s victory over Satan”!
    Christ’s victory and Satan’s defeat has to be heralded in all three worlds, so that every angelic being, satanic force and human being will know that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!
  St. Paul wrote, “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: 
  “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. (Phil. 2:8-11)
  To the Colossians he wrote, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it”. (Col. 2:14)
   During that era, when a King returned from a great victory, his subjects would line the streets of their capital city to shout his praises and welcome him and his fighting legions home.
  As the CONQUERING KING drove his chariot down the main street, the defeated enemy king would be paraded before the people; chained, stripped of his armour and running behind the chariot.
   The defeated king’s armour and crown were placed in the triumphant king’s chariot and often displayed for the people to see.  It was a glorious moment for the conqueror but one of humiliation for the loser.
    St. Paul draws this analogy!  Jesus, the conquering king has defeated Satan, stripped him of all his weapons and power and rendered him ineffective in chains!
   The Norwegian Bible states that Jesus has ‘disarmed him’ and the literal Greek gives us the inference that “he is naked”.  He made a show of them (all the demons) openly!
    WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Satan had been totally defeated by Jesus Christ, for three worlds to witness. The host of Heaven saw it, Hell’s demons witnessed Christ’s VICTORY and the Holy Spirit came to the earth to DEMONSTRATE to the world Satan’s total DEFEAT!
                                   TETELESTAI: IT IS FINISHED!
   "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost." (John 19:30). When Jesus cried, "IT IS FINISHED", He was declaring our Liberty. 
    He had purchased our complete salvation by His suffering and death on Calvary!           Jesus spoke in Greek when He made that statement. The word He uttered is "tetelestai" taken from the verb "teleo", which has three essential meanings:    
1. To bring to an end, finish or complete something.
    Jesus had finished His work, having met the demands of Divine justice. He had completed His holy mission!  Redemption was now a reality!
    He had also brought to an end the ‘devil's dynasty of terror’.  He had shed His precious blood for the sins of the world.  A fountain of blood had been opened “for sin and uncleanness”. (Zech. 13:1)
   Jesus had broken Satan's strangle hold upon the human race! St. John wrote: "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)  
   The Bible declares, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
    “And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Heb. 2: 14-15). Through His vicarious death on the cross, Jesus destroyed Satan and his evil power over humanity.  That spells: Christ’s Victory, Satan’s Defeat and our Liberty!
2.  To carry out, accomplish, perform, fulfill.
      Salvation is now complete; nothing needs to be added: "For by grace are ye saved through faith." (Eph. 2:8-10). He was saying, "My blood is flowing, sins can now be washed away and sicknesses healed...because God's great salvation is now operational!"   
   Jesus fulfilled 332 prophetic Scriptures referring to the ‘Coming Messiah’.  Among these were 61 major prophecies and Jesus fulfilled them all!          
   According to the scientific ‘Law of Probabilities’, DR. PETER STONER has proven conclusively that for any other man to fulfill just 8 of the major prophesies that Jesus fulfilled, He would have only one chance out of ten to the 17th power!
    That figure is 10 with 17 zeroes added to it. It is an astronomical number. (1,000,000,000,000,000,000)
   In order for us to understand the magnitude of that number, Dr. Stoner calculated that it would be necessary to cover the State of Texas with American silver dollars two feet deep! 
   Out of those millions of zeptillions of silver dollars, only one would be marked with an X. All would then be vigorously stirred together!
    A man would be blind-folded and told: "You may walk across the State and dig as much as you like, but the first silver dollar you pick up must have the X on it!"
    Jesus performed and executed to the letter every demand of the law!  He fulfilled every Messianic prophecy!  No other person could come close to doing that!  He stated, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill". (Matt. 5:17)          
3.To pay what is owed.  
  We were guilty of sinning, breaking God’s laws and disregarding His commands!  Our future was doomed because, "the Scripture hath concluded all under sin". (Gal. 3:22) 
        The Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God". (Rom. 3:23); "For the wages of sin is death; But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23)         
        No wonder the apostle states, "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift". (2 Cor. 9:15)
JESUS CHRIST PAID
THE ULTIMATE COST!
       The Bible says, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself to God, purge your conscience from dead works." (Heb. 9:14)    
       "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" (1 Peter 1: 18-19)
     St. Paul declared, "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's". (1 Cor. 6:20)         
    The Holy Scriptures say, "The Blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin". (1 John 1:7);             "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:   
   "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." (Gal. 3:13-14)    
    “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses. 
    “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.” (Col. 2:13-14)          
    The statement of guilt, shame and debt has been removed by the victorious death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! The Norwegian Bible states, “The letter of debt”...was nailed to His cross!
     The statement that declared me bankrupt, guilty, doomed to sinful behaviour, sickness, fear, death and eternal damnation has been laid on Jesus Christ and nailed to His cross.H I am  I am now free. Hallelujah!
     The Bible says, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.  For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)
[V] THE CROSS TEACHES US
THE VALUE OF AN ETERNAL SPIRIT!
     Jesus stated, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul (spirit)?” (Mark 8:36-37)
    Our Lord declared, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost”. (Luke 19:10) Jesus portrayed Himself as the ‘Good Shepherd’ who left the 99 sheep and went out into the dark night to rescue the ONE LOST SHEEP!
   He called Himself the ‘Good Shepherd’ who would give His life for the sheep: “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 
      “All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers:  but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the Door:  by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
    “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:  I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd:  the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 
    “But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth:  and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
    “The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.  I am the Good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine. 
    “As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father:  and I LAY DOWN MY LIFE for the sheep.  And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold:  them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
    “Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father.” (John 10:7-18).
    The Bible says, “Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends”. (John 15:13)
     Jesus laid down His life for us and the cross teaches us how much value God puts upon one individual soul!  He loves us and gave Himself for us individually.  We are worth more to Him than ‘all the riches and wealth of this world’!
      Don’t forget it, my friend. Your ETERNAL SOUL (SPIRIT) is priceless in the sight of God. That is why Jesus gave His life for you and for me! That is what the cross teaches us!          
     During his European crusades, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte gathered his leading generals and officers into his war room.
    Spreading out the map of Europe, Napoleon pointed toward the British Isles, which were coloured in red, and stated emphatically: “If it wasn’t for that little red spot I could rule the world”!
    The British Isles stood in the way of Napoleon’s dream of conquering Europe and the world! And it was the British that defeated him at the Battle of Waterloo!
    It is not unreasonable to think that one day Satan gathered all of his leading demons into his war room and spreading out the map of the world and pointing to Golgotha exclaimed, “If it weren't for this little red spot, I could rule the world”!
      The blood of Jesus Christ - shed on Golgotha’s Hill - has effectively crippled Satan and taken from him the power and ability to run roughshod over God’s people! 
      He no longer has any jurisdiction over those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and trust in His precious blood for eternal life!  What a marvellous fact!      

THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, SHED FOR US ON GOLGOTHA, HAS PURCHASED OUR ETERNAL SALVATION!

(1) WE RECEIVE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS THROUGH HIS BLOOD.    
     "In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sin, according to the riches of His grace". (Eph. 1:7)
(II) WE RECEIVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD!
   "For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" (1 Peter 1:18-19)       
    "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:28)
(III) WE RECEIVE CLEANSING FROM SIN THROUGH HIS BLOOD!
    "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, And the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sins.” (1 John 1:7)
(IV) WE ARE LOOSED FROM OUR SINS BY HIS BLOOD!
     "And from Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood." (Rev. 1:5)
(V) WE ARE JUSTIFIED THROUGH HIS BLOOD!         
      "Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." (Rom. 5:9) "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
     “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare the righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" (Rom. 3:24-25)
(VI) WE RECEIVE PEACE THROUGH HIS BLOOD!     
     "And having made peace through the death of His cross, by Him to receive all things unto himself;" (Col. 1:20)
(VII) WE RECEIVE ACCESS TO THE FATHER THROUGH HIS BLOOD!               "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh;" (Heb. 10:19-20)
 (VIII) WE RECEIVE DIVINE HEALING THROUGH HIS BLOOD!
   "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." (Is. 53:5)          
     "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed." (1 Pet. 2:24)
(IX) WE RECEIVE VICTORY OVER THE DEVIL THROUGH HIS BLOOD!   
      "And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony." (Rev. 12:11)
(X) WE ARE SANCTIFIED THROUGH HIS BLOOD!      
     "Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify His people with His own blood, suffered without the gate." (Heb. 13:12)
(XI) WE RECEIVE A CLEAR (PURGED) CONSCIENCE THROUGH HIS BLOOD!    
    "How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience (mind) from dead works, to serve the Living God?" (Heb. 9:14)
(XII) WE RECEIVE ETERNAL GLORY THROUGH HIS BLOOD!
    "These are they which come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
    “Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them…For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." (Rev. 7:14-17)

CHRIST’S CROSS & OUR SINS!
    "The world has a way of crucifying those whom it does not like. Jesus told the truth. The world could not stand the truth. The world put Him to death.  What sin really crucified Christ? Was it Peter’s denial? Judas’ betrayal? The disciples’cowardice? Can we blame Pilate for conforming to the crowd’s demands? Does the fault lie with those who cried, “Crucify Him”? Did the priests weigh in on the crime? It was all these: Denial! Betrayal! Cowardice! Conformity! Pride! Jealousy! These sins nailed Christ to the tree. And we are troubled when we see that these very sins reside in us all. Therefore it is our pride, our conformity, our betrayal which crucified the Lord Jesus! The cross of Christ speaks of our sin. But, for those who admit weakness and spiritual poverty, the cross becomes the power of God unto salvation.” - Author unknown                                 
                                                                                         
 My Dear Friend:
   I pray that this message has touched you heart and life as it has mine! The power of the precious blood of Jesus Christ is awesome. It is greater than any other power and is available for us today!  
   There is life – spiritual and physical, and divine health – flowing from the wounds of our Saviour to us EVEN NOW. Receive Him now as your Lord and Master and you will receive Eternal Life and become a child of God! He has promised never to leave you nor forsake you. He will be with you for time and eternity! Amen.
                                                       – Max Solbrekken