WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR JESUS
TO COMMIT HIMSELF TO US?
By Pastor
Max Solbrekken, D.D.
“Now
when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in His
name, when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit
Himself unto them, because He knew all men…for He knew what was in man.”
(John 2: 23-25)
It’s an age-old problem! Ever since
Lucifer rebelled against Almighty God and introduced SIN into the world, this problem
has been endemic and spreading its evil tentacles everywhere!
Jesus knew all things and was not deceived.
Unfortunately, many have been tragically harmed and often learned too late
about this universal problem. The problem is not only
man, but all men.
HE KNEW
WHAT WAS IN MAN!
All
of mankind is tragically flawed. We were born in sin with the Adamic nature;
defiled, corrupt, perverse and impure! Built into the human gene is the desire
to lie, cheat, steal and kill; traits of Satan the enemy of God and man!
The human gene carries the imprint of a
lost humanity, carnal, deceptive and void of righteousness, at enmity with God!
Jesus knew what was in man! He knew Satan and his history, deception and lies and
because of his rebellion, the sin virus had contaminated Adam and Eve’s posterity!
He
had prior knowledge and by the Holy Spirit could detect the evil tendency that
ruled the human person. By nature, men are often proud, uncaring, untrustworthy.
The
Bible says: “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked,
and who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17: 9): “For out of the heart proceed evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
These are the things which defile a man.” (Matthew 15: 19)
Sin
makes people lustful, jealous and greedy. Sin breeds fear, perversion and unfaithfulness.
Sin is universal and has affected us all. No instruction is needed to learn how
to sin. It comes naturally!
The
wages of sin is death; spiritual as well as physical! Jesus knew the weakness of
Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter, and witnessed the infighting in His band of
disciples, arguing who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven!
The question is, “Whom can you trust to
be honest, true and faithful?” He has set a high bar for His servants.
He demands that we go all the way with Him, even to laying down our lives for
His Gospel’s sake! He wants disciples that He can trust. He calls for disciples
who will not forsake Him or deny Him!
JESUS
DEMANDS OBEDIENCE!
Jesus issued an unwavering standard for His
servants: No turning back to the world. No turning back in the face of
persecution, trial or imminent danger. Go forward in His name, knowing that His
Holy Spirit is in you, leading and guiding. Go forward expecting Him to answer
prayer. When you have put your hand to the plough, you must not and cannot look
back!
In
His commentary of God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, Jesus admonished: “Remember
Lot’s wife.” (Luke 17:32). Why would He warn us about Lot’s wife who
turned to look back to Sodom, and was judged in the overthrow of that city?
The Bible says: “And it came to pass when they
(angels) had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life;
look not behind thee, neither stay now in all the plain; escape to the mountain,
lest thou be consumed.
“Then
the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out
of heaven. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of
salt.” (Genesis 19: 17,24, 26)
Our Lord tied the overthrow of Sodom
and Gomorrah with His Second Coming. The sins of the 21st Century are
similar, and even worse than the Days of Noah and of Lot!
It behooves us to be on guard against the onslaughts
of the devil, who tries to draw us away from Christ, righteousness and
evangelism. He hates the Gospel and seeks to prevent its propagation wherever possible.
We must prevail in its proclamation in the power of the Holy Spirit everywhere,
as it was in the Early Church!
THE
RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH!
“But the same day that that Lot went out of
Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from Heaven and destroyed them all. Even
thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he
which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come
down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return
back.
“Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall
seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall
preserve it.
“I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one
shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding
together, the one shall be taken, and the other left.” (Luke 17: 29-35)
Jesus
prophesied the Rapture of the Church and His Second Coming. And He admonishes
everyone to be prepared. He also confirms a scientific truth, that the earth
is round, not flat like many scientists believed. In one location
it was night and men were in bed sleeping and on the other side of the globe it
was day and people were working!
The Bible states: “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and
shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Now
learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth
forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see
all these things, know that is near, even at the doors.
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in Heaven,
but My Father only. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour doth come.”
“But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch
the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his
house to be broken up. Therefore, be ye also ready: for in such an
hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 24:27,32, 33,36,42)
THEY TURNED BACK!
In 1957,
while working as a Commercial Traveller, I was born again and filled with the
blessed Holy Spirit. I had such a hunger for Christ and began witnessing for
Jesus wherever possible on my territory. I was invited to preach in various
churches, even while looking after my many business accounts.
After
some time, I began murmuring in my heart wishing that I could be like
other men, either a businessman or in the Ministry. We were living in Prince
George, British Columbia in a small duplex. One night, Donna and I had
just gone to bed and I was fast asleep.
Suddenly, I awakened and heard a still small voice, saying, “Read Psalm
78”. I thought, “Yes, I’ll do that.” A few moments later,
I was sound asleep. Again, I was awakened by the same voice, “Read Psalm
78.” I thought, “What is Psalm 78?” Again, I fell asleep
and once more I awoke with a start. This time I heard that same voice saying, “Get
up and read Psalm 78.”
Trying not to awaken Donna or our two little children, I slipped out of
bed and went into the kitchen. I opened the Bible and began to read Psalm
78, which details how God’s people murmured, turned back and blamed God.
As I did, tears were flowing down my cheeks!
The Holy Spirit gripped my soul and I heard Him say, “Don’t ever murmur,
blame Me or limit Me! You will never be like other men. I will lead you by My Spirit.”
And
by God’s grace I have not. I sometimes blame myself, and usually put the blame
on the Devil, but NEVER on God! He is so good, kind, merciful and gracious to
me and us all, I will never forget His rebuke and counsel! Five years later, God
spoke me to give up my lucrative business and to launch into His harvest field!
THEY PROVOKED GOD!
The Bible states: “The children of Ephraim,
being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. They kept not
the covenant of God, and refused to walk in His law, and forgot His works, and
His wonders that He had showed them.
“And they sinned yet more against Him…And they tempted God in
their heart…Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in
the wilderness?
“Yea, they turned back, and tempted God and
limited the Holy One of Israel…yet they tempted and provoked the most High God,
and kept not His testimonies, but turned back…
“But He was full of COMPASSION, forgave their
iniquity and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned His anger away and did
not stir up all His wrath. For He remembered that they were flesh;
a wind that passeth away and cometh not again.” (Psalm 78: 9-57)
JESUS
ARRESTED SAUL OF TARSUS!
Saul
of Tarsus, the Jewish Enforcer who persecuted, kidnapped and put to death believers
in Jesus of Nazareth, met the Risen Christ on the Damascus Road. The light that
emanated from the glorified Jesus knocked Saul onto the ground.
He heard a voice saying, “Saul,
Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” He said, “Who art Thou, Lord?”
The Lord answered, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest?” Then Saul
asked, “What do you want me to do?” (Acts 8:1-9)
Here we have the two most important questions
that anyone could ask Jesus Christ! “Who are You? Did You die for my sins? Did You rise from the
dead as the Holy Scriptures declare? Are You the same yesterday, today and forever?”
When you have had a long sincere
talk with Jesus Christ, while on your knees, you will be asking Him, “Lord,
what do You want me to do? I’ll go where You want me to go and do what You want
me to do. I will be Your disciple forever!”
St. Paul is undoubtedly the greatest example
of the Gospel of Christ in action. His great hatred for Jesus’ followers, the direct
intervention of the Lord Jesus, his glorious conversion and baptism in the Holy
Spirit, his call into the ministry and founding the Church in the Gentile world,
and finally his death as a martyr for our Saviour!
His message to us all is: If Jesus could save
Saul of Tarsus, there is hope for us all! And if God could use a despicable murderer
like him, He could use anyone!
St. Paul stated: “According to the glorious
Gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. And I thank
Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that He counted Me faithful,
putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor,
and injurious:
“But I obtained Mercy, because I did it
ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith
and love, which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to SAVE sinners, of whom I
am Chief.
“Howbeit for this cause I obtained Mercy, that
in me first Jesus Christ might show Mercy, for a Pattern to them which should hereafter
believe on Him to life everlasting.” (1 Timothy 1: 11-16).
Jesus
used Saul of Tarsus as a pattern of how His Grace and Mercy operates to
bring Salvation to lost and perishing souls!
THE DEADLY SIN OF
BACKSLIDING!
No man laboured as hard, suffered as long
and accomplished as much for Jesus as St. Paul. I don’t believe that any man
knew Jesus Christ as well as he. He never forgot where he came from and what
Jesus had done for him. He had a great love for the Saviour and an awesome ‘fear
of God’ in His spirit.
The Bible states: “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to
glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto
me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I
have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is
committed unto me.
“What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel of Christ
without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. For
though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I
may gain the more.
“And
this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. Know
ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?
So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery
is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but
we an incorruptible.
“I therefore so run, not as
uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my
body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have
preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1 Corinthians 9:
16-19, 23-27). A dispensation of the gospel was a God-given period of time to dispense Christ’s
gospel to the heathen.
MAX IS A PAUL FREAK!!!
Many years ago while preaching in Norway, I stayed in a spare room in a
Senior Citizen Apartment owned by my good friends Kari and Lars. Since I needed
some help translating my articles into Norwegian, Kari asked a retired Lutheran
theologian living in the complex if he would help me, to which he agreed. After
a few days, I returned and found my manuscript in the office with these words
in bold type on the cover: MAX
IS A PAUL FREAK!!!
I confronted him with these words: Dear
Doctor, now I will give you a lesson you have not had before:
St. Paul was a special servant of
God, separated from his mother’s womb, called by God’s grace “to reveal His Son
in me that I might preach Him among the heathen.” (Galatians 1:15-17).
He met Jesus in a blinding light
on the Damascus Road. Jesus addressed him personally and instructed him to go into
the city. Three days later his blinded eyes were healed, and he was filled with
the Holy Spirit. He testified for Christ in the Synagogue. He went to Arabia for
some time and was tutored by the Lord.
He was taken up into Heaven and
shown things he was unable to reveal. The Mystery of God, hidden from Ages and
dispensations, which is Christ in the believer for Gentiles and Jews, was revealed
to St. Paul. He was given the great truth of the Rapture of the church. He corrected
St. Peter, and he founded the Christian Church among the Gentiles! On five separate occasions, he was whipped with 39 stripes. He was stone and died on several
occasions and came back to life. He gladly gave His life as a Martyr for Jesus
Christ!
The Lutheran theologian’s head was spinning. He
was shocked. He said, “Please forgive me. Give me that manuscript. I will do it
at once.” And he did! Praise God! I was not ashamed to be called a PAUL FREAK - Not at all!
IF
I PREACH NOT THE GOSPEL!
Analyzing St. Paul’s commitment to Christ is summarized as:
1. Woe is me if I preach not
the Gospel:
If I do not obey God, I disobey His call on my life.
Obey the call of God upon your life. Give yourself to Him without reservation! The
Gospel is the good news that Christ died for our sins, to bring us to God!
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.” (John
3: 16)
“Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel
which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
By which also ye are SAVED, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you,
unless ye have believed in vain.
“For
I delivered unto you first of all that which I received, 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.”
2. I abuse not my
power in the Gospel.
I shudder when I think of the exorbitant salaries and vast personal bank
accounts of some of the high-profile Prosperity Preachers,
when they stand before God to give an account of their large greed and vast empires!
The
Bible says: “The love of money is the root of all evil.” (1
Timothy 6:10). With the love of money comes Pride, the love of prominence.
Imagine meeting the POPE at the Vatican: “For they that are such as serve
not our Lord Jesus, but their own belly; and by good word and fair speeches deceive
the hearts of the simple." (Romans 16: 18)
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some such
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”
(1
Timothy 4:1)
HERE IS A WARNING
FROM CHRIST!
The
Bible says: “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials,
and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show thee the judgment
of the Great
Whore
that sitteth upon many waters.
“And
the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with
gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hands full of abominations
(sodomy, pedophilia) and filthiness of her fornications, and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE
MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
“And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the
blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw, I wondered with great
admiration. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel?
“I
will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and the beast that
carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou
sawest was and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into
perdition:
“And
they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written
in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the
beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which hath wisdom.
The seven heads are the seven mountains, on which the woman
sitteth. (Rome is a city of seven hills!)
“And the woman which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over
the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17: 1-9,18)
When MARTIN LUTHER as a young monk visited the
Vatican, the sin, vulgarity and perversion he witnessed sickened him. He quoted
the Bible: “It is the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul
spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” (Revelation 18:2)
Martin
Luther accused Popes and priests of practicing sodomy: “I am
not lying to you. Whoever has been in Rome knows the conditions are unfortunately
worse than anyone can say or believe…No pope, cardinal, bishop, doctor,
priest, monk or nun will condemn such an obviously disgraceful life; rather
they laugh about it, excuse it, gloss over it.
“I
could easily mention more examples of such abominations, but it is too shameful;
I fear that our German soil would have to tremble before it. But if an impudent
popish ass should come along, and dispute this, he will find me ready to do him
battle, and it will be quite a battle.” – (Luther’s Works Volume 47, p.38)
In
‘What Luther Says: An Anthology’, Ewald Martin Plass provides this quote
from the Reformer:
“The vice of sodomites is an unparalleled enormity. It
departs from the natural passion and desire, planted into nature by God, according
to that which the male has a passionate desire for the female. Sodomy craves
what is entirely contrary to nature.
“Whence comes this perversion? Without a doubt
it comes from the devil. After a man has once turned away from the fear of God,
the devil puts such great pressure upon his nature that he extinguishes the
fire of natural desire and stirs up another, which is contrary to nature.”
Heresy
(ketzerei) – the concept of sodomy was originally defined as sexual “heresy” and florencing (florenzen):
the reason the name of Florence became attached to this sin was during the
Renaissance / Reformation, Florence developed a reputation for being pervaded
with sodomy. Sodomy (sodomia) - sinning “against nature” (contra naturam
or wider die nature).
500 YEARS ON … However, 500 years
on, is it a case of ‘old habits dying hard’?
‘Slate’
reported on 28 June 2017 how, an Australian court charged a powerful
cardinal in Rome with the crime of “historic sex offenses” Thursday
(local time), making the chief financial advisor to Pope Francis – and No.
3 in the church hierarchy – the highest-ranking Vatican official ever
to be charged for sexual abuse. The
allegations against 76-year-old Cardinal George Pell date back
decades to his time as a priest and the Archbishop in Australia.
Allegations raised in the past 18 months include that he assaulted boys
at a Ballarat pool in the 1970s and allegations of assault at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne, when he was archbishop, according to the Australian.
‘Cardinal Pell was a parish priest in the Diocese
of Ballarat,’ where he launched his career that spanned decades, starting with his
time as a parish priest in his hometown, Ballarat, followed by stints as
Archbishop of Melbourne and later, of Sydney.
The New York Times:
Cardinal
George Pell of Australia
Sentenced to
Six Years in Prison
MELBOURNE, Australia – George Pell,
an Australian cardinal who was the Vatican’s chief financial office and an
advisor to Pope Francis, was sentenced to six years in prison on Wednesday, for
molesting two boys after Sunday Mass in 1996.
“The cardinal was convicted o five counts in December, making him the
most senior Catholic official – and the first bishop – to be found guilty in a
criminal court for sexually abusing minors, according to Bishopaccountabity.org,
which tracks cases of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.
“I would characterize these breaches and
abuses as grave,”
the chief just in the case, Peter Kidd, said during the sentencing. Speaking
directly to Cardinal Pell. He added: “Your conduct was permeated by staggering arrogance.”
He
also condemned Cardinal Pell for his “sustained offending” and
described his “graphic sexual misconduct” as egregious. Cardinal
Pell was convicted on five counts of abuse relating to two separate episodes. The
most important evidence came from a single complainant, who said that after a
Sunday Mass in late 1996 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Melbourne, he and another
13-year-old boy sneaked into the priest’s sacristy, where they were discovered,
reprimanded and molested by Cardinal Pell.
CARDINAL
SODOMIZED BOYS!
“According to the man’s testimony, Cardinal Pell pushed the other boy against
his genitals, then moved on to the complainant. The cardinal put his penis into
the boy’s mouth, before telling him to remove his pants, touching himself and
the boy at the same time, the boy said.
“During the incident”, Judge Kidd said, “they were crying
and sobbing,” But Cardinal Pell, he said, told them to keep quiet. He
became a cardinal in 2005. In 2014, Pope Francis named him the prefect of
the Secretariat for the Economy, charging him with overseeing the Vatican’s
finances….
He was trailed by accusations of sexual abuse reaching back to the
1960s, when he was a seminarian. His denials always won out, until two years ago,
when he returned to Australia from the Vatican to face a variety of charges.
“Since
the judge…lifted the gag order, more allegations against Cardinal Pell have emerged.
The relatives of at least one victim - the second 13-year-old he was convicted
of abusing, who later died – have said that they plan to sue Cardinal Pell and the
church in a civil court.
“But
on Wednesday, Judge Kidd implored to public to remember that Cardinal Pell was
being sentenced only for the crimes he committed in 1996.
“Survivors
outside the courtroom said they hoped it would lead to greater accountability. “A
lot of them don’t get sentenced,” said David Emery, a 64-year-old survivor.
Cardinal Pell’s sentence, he added, was “going to leave a mark.”
Our Lord invites: “Wherefore
come out from among them, and be ye separate, sayeth the Lord, and touch not the
Unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye
shall be My sons and daughters, sayeth the Lord Almighty.”
JESUS CAN HEAL ABUSE VICTIMS!
JESUS said: “I am Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they do His commandments,
that they have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates
into the city.
“I Jesus …am the Root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning
star. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the book of this 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 of the book
of Life, and out of the Holy City, and from the things which are written in this
book. (Revelation 22:13-20).
Mormons deceived by fraudster Joseph Smith and the demon angel Moroni.
William Branham cult created the Serpent Seed, Roman Catholics added Mariolatry,
Peter the Pope deception, sodomy, and many other deceptions and falsehoods!
THOMAS AQUINAS REBUKES POPE!
Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274) was surnamed, ‘The Angelic Doctor’, a celebrated
scholastic teacher famous for learning and talents, but refused preferment and
taught in Paris and Rome.
Entering the presence of Pope Innocent 11, before which a large sum of
money was spread out, the Pope observed, “You see Thomas, the church is no
longer in that age in which Peter of old said, Silver and gold have I none.” “True Holy Father”, replied
Thomas Aquinas, “Neither can you say to the lame, Rise up and walk.”
The
‘Mother of Harlots’ has great material wealth but no spiritual power,
and a priesthood saturated with homosexuality. It is now in the process of joining
with the Muslims, Hindus and apostate Protestants in their unholy plan for a New
World Church!
The One World Religion of CHRISLAM opens
in 2022 (see maxsolbrekken.com blog). Beware the Antichrist
Cometh! Anyone promoting a union between Muslims and Christians are enemies of Jesus
Christ as the Only Saviour of the world!
On
November 18, 2019, Pope Francis declared that Christian Fundamentalists in
Argentina as a SCOURGE! By the grace of God, Omar Cabrara and I were used
of the Holy Spirit to start the great Argentine Revival in Cordova in May 1978 –
during Military Rule - which has since swept millions of Roman Catholics into the
Kingdom of God!
3. Run that ye may
obtain:
If God’s call is upon your life, throw yourself upon His mercy. Seek God in faith
and a broken heart of compassion. Keep your focus on Christ alone. He will lead
you. Fear nothing but sin and love nothing by Jesus, the truth, your family and
lost souls! Let your prayer be: “More love for Thee O Lord and more souls
for Thy Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
4. I keep my body under
control:
Reject Satan’s attacks on your mind and body. Claim the stripes of Jesus Christ
to keep you pure and heal your body. Plead the blood of Jesus over yourself and your
family! Submit yourself unto God, resist the devil and he will flee from you!
Love God. Hate Evil. Flee from Lust, Greed and Pride!
5. Lest I become a
castaway:
Make up your mind that you will serve Christ with all your spirit, soul and
body and that you will not cave in. Plead the blood of Christ over yourself, your
family and your ministry! Read and study the Word of God. Spend much time in prayer.
Take time for seasons of Fasting and Prayer!
6. If you fall into
sin, cry out immediately to God for mercy and cleansing through the Blood of Christ:
The Bible says: “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 sin. If
we confess our sins (to God) He is faithful and just to forgive
our sins and to cleanse us from all righteousness. My little children, these
things write I unto you, that ye sin not.
“And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the Righteous. And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only,
but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 1: 7, 9; 2:1,2). The word propitiation means mercy seat, expiation, satisfaction. God is satisfied with Christ's death on the cross on our behalf!
7. Spend quality time
with your family. Love, instruct and protect your wife and children:
“For this cause
shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife, and
they two shall be one flesh. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular
so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her
husband.
“Children
obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and thy
mother; which is the first commandment with promise. That it may be well with
thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your
children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
(Ephesians 5:31,33; 2:1-4)
8. Make it a habit to
witness to someone every day.
Ask God to allow you reach someone with
Christ’s Gospel and to win a soul for Him every week. Carry gospel tracts with
you! Be courteous and friendly, using wisdom when seeking souls for His kingdom!
Amen.
HOW
GREAT THOU ART!
In 1885, walking home after a church service, near
Kronobak, Sweden, Carl Boberg got caught in a vicious storm. Shortly thereafter,
all nature came alive in a show of amazing beauty. He was so moved that he wrote
the song, O Store Gud (O Great God).
In 1907, Manfred von Gheln translated it to
German. Five years later, Russian Pastor Ivan Prokhanoff made a Russian
adaptation. In the 1920s, Rev. and Mrs. Stuart K. Hine of Britain went to Poland
as missionaries, learned the Russian version of O Store Gud and wrote
the original English lyrics and made his own arrangement. George Beverley Shea sang that song about 100 times in Billy Graham’s
great New York City Crusade in 1957.
O Lord my God, when I in awesome
wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands
have made;
I see the stares, I hear the rolling
thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe
displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to
Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou
art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God
to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
And when I think of God His Son not
sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take
it in;
Upon the cross, my burden gladly,
He bled and died to take away my
sin.
When Christ shall come, with shout
of acclamation,
To lead me Home, what joy shall
fill my heart;
Then I shall bow with humble adoration;
And the proclaim, My God, how great
Thou art.
WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR JESUS
TO COMMIT HIMSELF TO US?
“Many believed in His Name, when they saw
the miracles which He did, but Jesus did not commit Himself to them because He
knew all men and needed not that any should testify of man. For He knew what
was in man.” (John 2: 23-25)
Believing in Jesus name is not enough…What is needed is a personal
relationship. It is being converted. It is receiving Him as personal Saviour
and Lord. It is belonging to Him and committing ourselves to Him!
In this Scripture Text: It was a spur of the
moment experience, seeing the miracles and believing in His name. Many people
in the excitement of a crusade will say, “This is wonderful. I believe.”
They may even repeat the ‘sinner’s prayer’ and sign a card saying that they
receive Christ as their personal Saviour. But many do not follow through and
make Him the Lord of their life!
In
the parable of the Sower and the Seed, we see this process emerging: “Now the
parable is this: The seed is the Word of God. Those by the wayside
are they that hear, then cometh the Devil, and taketh away the Word out of
their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
“They on the rock are they,
which when they hear, receive the Word with joy; and these have no root, which
for a while believe, and in a time of temptation fall away. And that
which fell among thorns are they which, when they have heard, go forth,
and are choked with care and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring forth
no fruit to perfection.
“But that on the good ground are they,
which in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it, and bring forth
fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:11-15)
HE TRUSTED A REPENTANT SINNER!
Jesus
trusted Zacchaeus, the chief among publicans, who desired to see Him. He called:
“Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house. And
he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
“And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of
my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by
false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
“And
Jesus said unto him, this day is salvation come to this house, for as much as he
is a son of Abraham. For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which
was lost.” (Luke 19:5-10)
He trusted Mary, Martha and Lazarus:
They were faithful to Him and worshipped Him. And He raised Lazarus from the
dead. Martha stated: “Yea, Lord, I believe that Thou art the Christ the Son of
the Living God, which should come into the world.” (John 11: 27)
He trusted His twelve disciples to preach
His Gospel: “And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples,
He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all
manner of disease. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out
devil: freely ye have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10: 1, 8).
He trusted the seventy other disciples He
called to minister in His name and by His power: “After these things
the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before His
face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
“Therefore
said He unto them. The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few:
pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth labourers
into His harvest. And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The Kingdom
is come into you.
“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying Lord, even the
devils are subject unto us through Thy Name. And He said unto them, I beheld
Satan as lightning fall from Heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on
serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by
any means hurt you.” (Luke 10: 17 -19)
He trusts those who obey His Great Commission:
“And He said unto
them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel unto every creature. He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall
be damned.
“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they
cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents;
and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay
their hands on the sick, and they SHALL recover.” (Mark 16: 15-18)
HE WANTS TO COMMIT HIMSELF TO US!
1. We must deny ourselves and take
up our cross:
“And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said
unto them, Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross and follow Me.
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose
his life for My sake and the gospel’s the same shall save it. For what shall it
profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me
and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son
of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
(Mark 8:34-38)
2. We must love Him with all our heart,
soul and mind: “Jesus
said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul and with all thy mind.” (Matthew 22:37)
3.
We must put Jesus before all we are, have, do or say:
“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon
Peter, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He
saith unto Him yea, Lord Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed
My lambs.
“He
saith unto him a second time, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou Me?
He saith unto Him, Yes, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him,
Feed My sheep. He saith unto him he third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest
thou Me?
“Peter was grieved because He said unto him
the third time, Lovest thou Me? And he saith unto Him, Lord Thou knowest all
things. Thou knowest that I love Thee. Jesus saith unto him, feed My sheep.”
(John 20: 15-17)
Simon Peter had denied Jesus Christ three separate times and had fallen
away from the faith on the eve of His crucifixion. He later repented and was
received back by our Lord. Three times Jesus asked him, “Simon, son
of Jonas, lovest thou Me?”
4. We must follow Him and obey Him: “Then
Peter and the other disciples answered and said, We ought to obey God rather
that men.” (Acts 5: 25)
The Bible says: “And it came to pass, that, when He went on His way, a
certain man said unto Him, Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. And
Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the
Son of man hath not where to lay His head.
“And
He said unto another, Follow Me, but he said, Lord suffer me first
to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him Let the dead bury their dead: but
go thou and preach the Kingdom of God.
“And
another also said unto Him, I will follow Thee; but let me first go
bid them farewell, which are at home in my house. And Jesus said unto him, No
man, having put his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom
of God.” (Luke 9: 57-62)
WHAT QUALITIES PLEASE GOD?
1.
He is looking for truth in the inner man:
“My little children,
let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed, and in truth. (1 John
3:18); “Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy
Hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the
truth in his heart.” (Psalm 15: 1,2)
2.
He is looking for honesty and integrity:
“For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared unto all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness
and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present
world.” (2 Timothy 2: 15);
“Having your conservation honest among the
Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evil doers, ye may by your
good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1
Peter 2: 12)
3.
He is looking for humility:
“But
He giveth more grace. Wherefore He sayeth, God resisteth the proud, but giveth
grace to the Humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and
he will Flee from you. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall
lift you up” (James 4: 6, 7,10)
4.
He is looking for hunger and desire for God:
“Blessed are they which hunger and thirst
after righteousness; for they shall be filled.” (James 4: 8); “According as His divine power hath given us
all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him
that hath called us to glory and virtue:
“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by
these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence,
add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance;
and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness
brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (agape love).
“For
if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be
barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1: 3-8)
5.
He is looking for mercy & compassion:
“But
I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. That
ye may be children of your Father which is in Heaven: for He maketh His sun to
rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on then unjust.
For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye, do not even the publicans
so? (Matthew 5: 44-46)
6.
He is looking for faith and reconciliation:
“Therefore
if any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature; old things are passed away;
behold all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled
us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
“To
wit (that is) that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the
ministry of reconciliation. Now then we
are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray for
you in Chris’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
“For
He hath made Him to be sin for us (sin offering) who knew no sin; tat we might
be made then righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
7.
He is looking for purity & holiness:
“According
as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him in love.” (Ephesians 1: 4);
“For
a bishop must be blameless as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon
angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; but a lover of
hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate. Holding fast
the sacred Word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine
both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” (Titus 1: 7-11)
“But
as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.
(lifestyle).” (1 Peter 1: 15)
8.
He is looking for Fellowship:
“But
as we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
and BLOOD of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)
“Jesus
answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My Words: and My
Father will Love Him, and WE will come unto Him, and make our abode with Him.”
(John 14: 23).
THEN
SHALL THE END COME!
“And this gospel of
the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations
and then shall the end come.” (Matthew 24: 14)
I awakened early recently with the above Scripture filling my mind and my
spirit. Quickly, I slipped out of bed, got my pen and began writing. The words,
‘Then, shall the End come’ seemed so ominous and so final!
What
does that mean? Is there a final judgment? What happens when the End comes? What is the Gospel
of the Kingdom? How is the Gospel a witness? Why must all nations hear the preaching
of the Gospel? Who will preside as the Judge of the entire earth? Is there a
real Heaven and a real Hell? Who gets to go, where and why?
Jesus commanded His disciples and by
extension all believers to carry His gospel to everyone: “All power is given
unto Me in Heaven and in earth. 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 alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Mathew 28:18-20).
The
word ‘alway’ is a term that denotes distance which means all the
way, whereas ‘always’ is a term that denotes time. He has
promised to go with us all the way to the end! He will never leave us or forsake us!
The Holy Bible says: “And He said unto them, Go
ye into all the world. He that believeth and baptized shall be saved; but
he that believeth not shall be damned.
“And
these signs shall follow them that believe In My name shall they cast out devils;
they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they
drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay their hands on
the sick and they shall recover.” (Mark 16: 15-18)
WHY
IS IT NECESSARY TO HEAR?
Jesus reveals these great truths: All
unbelievers are dead in trespasses and sins. When sinners hear His voice and receive
Christ as Saviour, they are born again. All those, however, who die unsaved will
hear His voice in the grave and be resurrected to eternal death.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and believeth
on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come
into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when
the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear
shall live.
“For
as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in
Himself. And hath given Him authority to execute judgment also because He is
the Son of man.” (John 5:24-27)
“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming,
in the which all that are on the graves shall Hear His Voice. And shall come forth;
they that have done good, unto the Resurrection of Life; and they that have
done evil, unto the Resurrection of Damnation.” (John 5: 28,29)
WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT!
The Bible states: “And the devil that deceived
them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false
prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
“And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face
the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
“And
I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened:
and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were
judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works.
“And death and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they
were judged every man according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it; and death and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them:
and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and Hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the Second Death.
“And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into
the Lake of Fire.”
(Revelation 20:10-15)
THE GREAT JUDGMENT MORNING!
In
1894, Bertram H. Shadduck wrote, ‘The
Great Judgment Morning’ which has been sung by countless singers down
through the years with great success in warning people of God’s Judgment upon
sinners who reject Christ and His amazing Gospel! Personally, I enjoy Hank
Williams' singing in his unvarnished style! On many occasions I have quoted it
in altar calls inviting people to invite Jesus into their hearts!
I dreamed that the Great Judgment
Morning
Had dawned and the trumpet had blown;
I dreamed that the nations had
gathered,
For judgment before the White
Throne.
From the throne came a bright, shining
angel,
And he stood on the land and the
sea,
And he swore with his hand raised
to Heaven,
That time was no longer to be.
And, oh, what a weeping and wailing,
As the lost were told of their fate;
They cried for the rocks and the
mountains,
They prayed but their prayers were
too late.
HAVE YOU DRIFTED FROM GOD?
I
love the old Gospel Songs we sang in the old-time Evangelical Lutheran Church
when I was a boy. Here is one titled, ‘Coming Home’:
I’ve wandered far away from God
Now I’m coming Home
The paths of sin too long I’ve trod
Lord, I’m coming Home
Coming home, coming home
Never more to roam
Open wide Thine arms of love
Lord, I’m coming home
I’ve wasted many precious years
Now I’m coming home
I now repent with bitter tears
Lord, I’m coming home
I’m tired of sin and straying Lord
Now I’m coming home
I now repent with bitter tears
Lord, I’m Coming home
My soul is sick, my heart is sore
Now I’m coming home
My strength renew, my home restore
Lord, I’m coming home
THE WONDER OF IT ALL!
In this great story of God the Son becoming
a man, through the miracle of the Incarnation, to rescue us from the evil Lucifer,
we see the ingenuity and wisdom of our Creator
and His amazing Grace toward us!
His loving Kindness and great Mercy dwarfs the
cunning, lying and utterly wicked enemy of God and man, the consummate Liar. God’s
grace and mercy, even in allowing the evil Satan to exist, is a testimony of
the graciousness of God. Satan, however, is defeated and will be imprisoned forever
in the Lake of Fire!
In
a demonstration of pure love, our Heavenly Father gave Himself through His only
begotten Son to purchase Eternal Life for us all. In order to liberate Adam’s
fallen race from Satan and the bondage of sin and evil, Jesus Christ made the
supreme sacrifice by shedding His pure and holy blood on the cross of shame at
Golgotha!
To understand, contemplate and describe His love overpowers me. His
mercy is indescribable and leaves me speechless. I stand in awe of His presence
and bend low in anticipation of what He has done for me and all those who place
their total trust in His beloved Son, Jesus Christ!
He who was born of the Virgin
Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, dead and buried, rose again on
the third day, is even now seated at His Father’s right hand in Heaven as our
advocate, intercessor, Lord and God. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church for
which He died and He is the Baptizer in the Holy Ghost and fire!
His resurrection from the dead guarantees our justification and eternal
life now, and in Heaven for eternity! And to think, that I am one of those lost
sinners He came to earth to redeem, staggers the imagination. It will take all
eternity for us to praise and worship Him!
To God be the glory, great things He has done and is still doing in the
world of sinful men and in my life, as insignificant as it is. To be a tiny foot
note in His great plan, would be more than enough! Amen.
