Saturday, May 28, 2016

I Have Loved You

"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love."  John 15:9.  The words can be uttered so easily.  But, love is an action.  Love is a commitment.  The Lord Jesus Christ was loved by His Father.  Jesus understood that love.  The love which the Father had for the Son would drive Him to do the Father's will.  There was nothing more important to the Lord Jesus Christ than the Father's will.  Thus it was so because of the love which God had for the Son.  And, Jesus loved his disciples to that degree.  Jesus loves us.  We know that He loves us because of the action which Jesus has taken for us.  Jesus left the heavenly abode and came to earth.  Jesus took upon Himself flesh and blood because He loves us.  He lived and died as a human being because He loves us.  Our pardon from sin has been secured by the Lord Jesus Christ because He loves us.  An eternal home has been prepared for us by Him because He loves us.  The love which Jesus has for us is clearly witnessed in His every act.  We must abide in that love because only through that love can we be victorious over sin and death.  Our future is secure because of the love which the Father has for the Son and the love which the Son has for us.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

A Destroying Wind

"Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will rise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;"  Jeremiah 51:1.  Babylon, a evil nation, had been the sword in the Lord's hand to avenge evil.  As a result, Babylon had become proud and vain.  Now, the judgment of Babylon is coming.  The Lord will rise up against this mighty, yet wicked, nation.  The hand of the Lord's wrath, though often delayed, is now coming.  The warning is sounded.  Judgment is nigh at hand.  God will come against not only Babylon, but all who are opposed to God.  And the consumption will also include those that dwell in the midst of the evil ones.  Good must not mix with bad.  They must remove themselves from the vile influences around them.  God will come as a destroying wind.  The landscape will be covered, and none will be left standing.  One cannot oppose God and continue to enjoy prosperity forever.  The day of destruction eventually comes.  God fights against evil, and His sword of wrath always brings down the enemy.  The destroying wind will blow until the wickedness is gone, and the land is purged.

Friday, May 20, 2016

Triumph Through Christ

"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place."  II Corinthians 2:14.  The knowledge of God is to be made known in every place.  God intends that the world know of Him and the salvation that He offers to all.  But, preaching brings persecution.  The enemies of God seek to block the message of redemption.  But, the church must continue to announce the truth of God and the blessings that come through the knowledge of God.  God will cause us to triumph.  His word cannot be silenced nor can His knowledge be destroyed.  We must know that God is for us.  God's enemies are always defeated by His great might.  There is forever triumph in Christ.  We overcome in Him.  We know victory over all the devices of the devil through Him.  Christ is the mighty victor who has battled sin and death.  Through Him, the wiles of the devil are scattered in ruins.  The foundations of evil are shaken by His mighty power.  Christ's might brings every foe under His rule.  Those that seek the overthrow of God's knowledge are destroyed by Him.  We know victory in Christ.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Complete In Him

"And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power."  Colossians 2:10.  Jesus Christ is the ruler of all things.  In His resurrection from the dead, He was given power and rule over all things by His heavenly Father.  His word is to be the supreme law of every heart.  We are to hear Him in all things.  His law and rule cannot be replaced nor should it be rejected.  Because of this divine power, we are to submit unto Him and allow unto Him the total control of our lives.  As we submit unto Him, Jesus Christ makes us complete.  Our redemption is complete in Him.  His blood cleanses all sins and removes all trespasses.  Our relationship with God is complete in Him.  Through Jesus Christ, we have God as our Father.  Our righteousness is complete in Him.  We are righteous before God because of forgiven sin.  Our eternal hope is complete in Him.  Jesus has secured the power over death and the grave.  Our assurance is complete in Him.  His triumphs enable us to triumph.  Through Jesus Christ, we are supplied with everything that is essential in living a holy and righteous life before God.

Saturday, May 14, 2016

What Can He Do For Us?

"And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?"  Matthew 20:32.  Two blind men have called out to Jesus.  In answer to His question, these two men want Jesus to give them their sight?  What do we want Jesus to do for us?  Jesus had the power to open their eyes, and He did.  Jesus has the power to do for us what we need.  Some want Jesus to improve their situation in life.  They want from Him only physical blessings.  Some want freedom from illness and soundness of body.  Some want from Jesus the deliverance from distress or calamity.  These two men followed Jesus after He opened their eyes.  Do we want to follow Him or do we only want that which Jesus can do for us on a physical and emotional basis?  Our greatest need is spiritual.  Jesus can give us spiritual blessings.  He can take away our sin and our guilt.  He can restore us to the fellowship of God.  He can give to us a peace that passes our understanding.  He can give to us a hope that transcends all hopes.  He can give to us purpose of life and meaning in death.  What will we have Jesus do for us?

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Purchased With Blood

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the 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.  Blood is so important to the Christian.  With blood, our redemption has been secured.  With blood, the church has been purchased.  The blood with which the church was purchased and redemption was secured was the blood of Christ.  The blood was shed upon the cross.  Christ gave Himself for the church.  And because there was such a tremendous price that was paid for the church, the church is important to the redemption of fallen humanity.  Without the church, there is no redemption for the redeemed are the church.  Christ and the church are bound by an inseparable union.  The church is not just a concept of the mind, but a bold declaration of God's love for humanity. The church is not just an address where people assemble together for worship, but rather the church is those who have washed their souls white in the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.  The church belongs to Christ as His pure bride.  Christ reigns over the church as His purchased possession.  As the church, we honor and glorify His name.  As the redeemed, we are the church.

Monday, May 9, 2016

Rich In Mercy

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us."  Ephesians 2:4.  The attributes and blessings of God are boundless.  Throughout time, God has been merciful and loving.  God allows opportunities for humanity to turn from their evil and embrace Him.  Sin always brings the mercy of God.  God desires for humanity to do right, to live morally pure, and to follow His prescribed law.  When we stray from God, He will allow us to return.  When we fall, He will help us to stand.  God provides strength to deal with the greatest of all enemies.  God will blot out our sins and forgive our trespasses.  This is mercy.  God loves us.  God has shown His mercy and love by the giving of His Son for a fallen race.  Mercy and love offers salvation to the lost and redemption to those who are enslaved.  Mercy and love offer life to the dead.  Mercy and love provide renewal and restoration.  Without mercy and love, those lost in sin remain without hope and are forever under the curse of sin.  Dead in sin, but...God rich in mercy and clothed in love offered pardon. 

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Keep The Covenant

"Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do."  Deuteronomy 29:9.  God makes a covenant with His people.  Within the covenant, God gives the laws that will best serve His people and the blessings that come from keeping the covenant.  God desires that His people prosper.  If we are to enjoy success, we must obey God and follow His covenant.  His people had seen great things as they traveled from their bondage in Egypt.  They had seen victory and had enjoyed the care of God.  Their future prosperity would depend upon their keeping the covenant that God had given.  The covenant secures our relationship with God.  As we adhere to the covenant, we declare our dependency upon God and our will to serve Him.  God then blesses us, provides for us, and cares for us. The goodness of God is showered upon those who keep the covenant.  Involved in the giving of a covenant, the grace and love of God for His people is shown and the will of His people to keep the covenant is revealed.  To become His people, we must choose to follow the words of the covenant.  In the wake of such obedience, prosperity follows.

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

The Foolishness Of Preaching

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God."  I Corinthians 1:18.  Many will perish and few will be saved.  The reason for such a condition is the response that one gives to preaching.  Those who are saved see the preaching of the cross as God's power to save.  Jesus died on the cross.  God's wisdom determined to save humanity by the cross.  Those who perish are unable or unwilling to see the power that is in the preaching of the cross.  The message of the cross reveals God's love and grace.  The message of the cross proclaims the blackness of sin.  The message of the cross proclaims the hope of redemption.  The preaching of the cross is a word of power that converts the heart.  God's message is brought to humanity by preaching.  Preaching is not foolishness to the one who sees the hand of God reaching down to lift humanity from the mire of sin.  Preaching is not foolishness to the believer who sees the heart of God filled with compassion for wayward humanity.  Preaching is not foolishness to those who fall before the cross confessing the deity of Jesus.  Preaching is not foolishness to the redeemed in Christ.  Preaching is only foolishness to those who perish.