Jesus Christ, Our Foundation

 "For other foundation can no man lay that that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."  I Corinthians 3:11.  The long standing of the house will be determined by the foundation upon which the house is built.  So, the foundation of our spiritual life must be built upon Jesus Christ.  The success, happiness, and fulfillment of our life will be permanently set if we build upon Christ.  This foundation has already been laid, and no man is to lay a different foundation.  Christ is the true foundation.  Jesus is the solid foundation.  This foundation which has been laid by Jesus Christ is the foundation of redemption and salvation.  All hope for eternity must be built in Christ.  This foundation is one of assurance and conviction.  The foundation will withstand the passage of ages.  No storm can destroy it.  The winds of doctrinal change cannot alter it.  The assualt of Satan cannot undermine it.  The foundation has been tested through times gone, and yet, firm and true it stands.  The security of the foundation is in the power of the Almighty.  The foundation has been laid in the blood of the Savior.  Build upon the foundation of Jesus Christ and know joy forevermore.

Jesus, Our High Priest

 "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession."  Hebrews 4:14.  We can hold fast because Jesus is our high priest.  We can continue in the Christian faith because Jesus is our high priest.  God has made it so that we can continue to fight and overcome.  Burdens will come, but Jesus is our high priest.  Satan will assualt us, but Jesus is our high priest.  Jesus is a great high priest for he does not serve in our behalf upon the earth, but has passed into the heavens.   In the clouds, he ascended unto his heavenly Father, and took his place at the right hand of the throne of God.  From that throne, he makes intercession for us.  He continually offers his blood as the remedy for all sin.  With that blood, he sealed the covenant that declares him as our high priest.  His priesthood is greater and far superior to any that existed prior to his being seated on the throne of the Almighty.  That throne upon which he sits is established forever.  His priesthood is an unchangeable priesthood.  None will succeed him.  Jesus, the Son of God, is our high priest from now until time shall be no more.  

Walk After Him Commandments

 "And this is love, that we walk after his commandments.This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it."  II John6.  To walk is to keep in step with one in submission of heart.  The one with whom we are to keep step is Jesus Christ.  We are to walk in a manner that others will be able to follow.  God's commandments are the guiding light of our journey.  We are to be in obedience to God's commandments or His law.  To truly love God, we will keep His will.  The commandment has been delivered unto us from the beginning.  The Christian life begins in the doing of God's law.  The law of God is a perfect law.  It does not and will not fail. The law will bring prosperity and happiness.  Those who love God are loved by Him. He will supply our needs never leaving nor forsaking us.  Jesus is a friend that abides, and understands our weaknesses.  When we are weak and faint, Jesus brings us power and courage.  Keeping the commandments will keep us from sin.  God's commandments lead us in a good and right way.. Keeping the commanments will preserve our character, and insure our destiny.  Walking in the commandments leads us to heaven to live with God forever.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

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Peace By Grace

 "Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ."  I Corinthians 1:3.  Grace is God's gift to the human family.  This is because of God's desire that all know him "from the least to the greatest."  Without the grace of God and Jesus Christ, we are hopeless.  God's grace came in the person of Jesus Christ.  However, God's  grace must be received.  Grace is a gift that is offered, and it brings peace to all who will receive it.  The peace of God is an individual consolation of the soul to anyone who is so inclined to accept it.  Sin has brought the need for peace.  Sin causes division and confusion.  God who loves send his grace to create a heart of peace.  By grace, we can know forgiveness, and thus, possess peace.  Peace by grace brings us into union with God.  The barrier of sin is destroyed in Christ.  God has reached across the great gulf to make peace.  Peace assures us of God as our Father and Jesus as our Lord.  Peace comforts us in the storm, and lifts our burdens.  Peace lights our way as we walk with our God.  Our peace is our confidence of bestowed grace.  Peace is our constant reminder of grace bestowed.

An Altar Unto Sin

 "Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin."  Hosea 8:11.  Our intent can even become sin unto us.  Throughout Old Testament history, altars had been raised so that sacrifices could be offered to other gods.  These people clearly understood the purpose of the altar, and they also understood God's rejection of the altar.  The altar was erected so that a god other than Jehovah could be worshipped.  Why would any people choose to serve a god other than the true and living God?  The altar was erected so that they might sin.  As a result, the altar had become sin unto them.  The knowledge of that which is evil should always be avoided.  If not, that which we know to be sin will become sin for us.  Our lives are to be ordered accordilng to the divine revelation of the Almighty.  Never should the devil be invited into our lives.  The devil brings sin.  Sin cannot be present in one's relationship with God.  Sin is to avoided because of the tremendous power that it possesses.  We are always to do what is good and pleasing in the eyes of our God.  If we seek to sin, then we will sin.  Our intention will always determine our action.  When the intent arises, flee as one fleeing from a horrific storm.  Destruction sits upon the horizon of our making altars to sin.

Besought Him To Depart

"And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts."  Matthew 8:34.  A marvelous miracle had been done.  The torment of two men had been driven from them.  The lives of these individuals had been forever changed.  Jesus has that power.  The work of Christ was to transform.  Even in this hour through the gospel, Jesus transforms lives.  The whole city asked him to leave them.  They like those at the cross were ignorant of what they were asking.  Jesus did not hesitate.  He did argue with them.  Their request was honored.  Did he ever return?  It is highly unlikely.  Jesus calls, and we either answer or refuse.  Remember the ruler?  Christ did not call him back for further discussion.  The terms of discipleship are clear.  Christ does not debate the requirements of heaven.  We can accept him or we can refuse him.  The decision to follow Christ is in the heart of man, and never the court of heaven.  How we respond to Christ will forever change our life.  The question we must ask is:  Do we want our life to be better?  Will we choose to live the transformed life?

Worship The Lord

"Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence , Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."  Matthew 4:10.  The setting for this statement is the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.  This follows the Lord's baptism of John.  The one whom Jesus calls Satan is the devil.  Matthew 4:1.  The work of the devil is to tempt.  Satan seeks as he did on this occasion with Jesus to separate us from God.  Jesus was able to withstand all the temptations of Satan as you and I also can.  Jesus knows that only God is to be served and worshipped.  The reason for our service and our adoration is that God is the Lord.  God is over all and above all.  God must be worshipped above all things.  Never must we allow pleasure and possessions to be the object of our worship.  Pleasure, possessions, and power is but for the moment.  The devil will finally in the last great day receive his doom.  But, God remains.  We worship God for who he is and for what he is able to do.  We worship God for the plan that he has for our life now and in the world to come.  We worship him because of the great love that he has demonstated toward us.  Satan does not care about us,  However, God has, does, and always will.  Worship and serve God the Lord.

Come Shortly Unto Me

"Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me."  II Timothy 4:9.  The apostle Paul writes this statement to his "son in the faith."  I Timothy 1:2.  Paul is at the end of life, and he desires to see Timothy.  We are all coming to the end of life.  I want you to consider this statement as coming to Christ.  All must  come to the Lord Jesus Christ to receive God's salvation.  Wherever we are in life at this present moment, we need to come to Christ.  The opportunity to come can be gone in an instant.  Life is not certain, and death can take us at any moment.  Life makes no promises to us.  We must come with diligence.  We must understand the urgency of coming.  We must give thought to the world beyond this present world.  Our soul is our most priceless possession.  Only by coming to Christ can we secure our soul.  Let us not delay counting on some future moment to come, but let us come shortly.  We must understand the impact of coming, and also the impact of not coming.  Paul knew that life was going to pass in a moment.  Timothy did not have much time to come to see him.  Let us apply this same thought process in our coming to Christ.

Commandments That Turn Us

"Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men that turn from the truth."  Titus 1:14.  There is God's truth and man's truth.  Survey the religious landscape.  What do we see?  Do we see one faith as the Bible teaches?  Do we see one body of believers who share the same faith system?  The answer is no.  We see various faiths, and vast division because of those faiths.  Rather than seeing one church, we see a multitude of churches teaching different plans of salvation and different views of worship.  But, Jesus faced those who did not share his teachings and refused to believe what he taught.  Remember that Jesus has all authority.  If Jesus has all authority, then man has no authority.  All doctrines mut be of God and all teachings must be of God.  We are not to hear the commandments of men for they will turn one away from the truth.  A person can not follow truth and error at the same time.  God has revealed his truth so that we can examine all teachings and determine what is right.  Only the truth can save and turn one away from sin.  The doctrines of men have no value.  The doctrines of men are only empty teachings that destroy the souls of those who believe them.  Do not give heed to a teaching that has not come from God.

He Could Not Be Hidden

"And from thence he arose and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid."  Mark 7:24.  This journey of our Lord appears to be the fartherest away from Palestine that he traveled.  Christ knew well these cities of sinfulness.  However, he states that it will be more tolerable for these cities in the judgment than for others.  Matthew 11:20-22.  It is truly sad when the Christ is rejected.  The house into which Christ entered is not identified.  The scriptures do not always give us the details that we might like to have.  Only important truth is revealed for us.  It appears that Christ sought to be alone for a time.  His life was constant on notice.  But, even here, he could not be hidden.  The light of Jesus shines even in the darkest corner.  Oh, that he would be sought today as he was in that hour.  Christ today needs not to be hidden, but revealed.  Every heart needs to seek him.  Every eye needs to see him.  Every ear needs to hear him.  Every soul needs to receive him.  In our life, let not Christ be hidden, but known and seen.

Things Have An End

"For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, and he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end."  Luke 22:37.  The work of redemption that Jesus had come to accomplish was almost at an end.  The task for which God had sent him was coming to fulfillment.  The suffering that he experienced and the separation from his father that he knew was soon to end.  Is it not true for us as well that the things which we experience in life soon end?  We find ourselves in turmoil, but calmness comes.  We become ill, but wellness comes.  The events in our life change.  We can be happy, but saddness comes.  Smiles are followed with tears.  In our life, there is separation as well as reunion.  All things have an end.  We must know the downs as well as the ups.  There are both smooth times, as well as rough times.  Today can hold the greatest promise while tomorrow may look like defeat.  God's plan for Christ had him reckoned among the transgressors, but it had an end.  Whatever darkness we see in life will ultimately be dismissed by the brightness.  The clouds will disperse, and the sun will shine for the things concerning us have an end.

As Thou Hast Believed

"And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.  And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour."  Matthew 8:13.  A centurion of authority had come to request of Jesus that his servant be healed.  He confessed that he was unworthy of Jesus coming into his house.  He wanted Jesus to "speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed."  verse 8.  We are unworthy because of sin, but Jesus has the power to make us worthy.  By our faith, we can be healed of the most deadly disease of sin.  By faith, we can confess the saving power of Christ.  By faith, we can become sons of God.  As we believe, so can we become.  The Savior opens his arms to those of faith.  The Christ hears the cry of those of faith.  Faith can open our heart and we approach Christ even though we know that we are unworthy.  Jesus accepted not only the centurion, but also the leper.  Those high and those low could come to Christ.  You can come, and I can come.  As we believe, we can receive the blessing of healing and acceptance.  We, through faith, become conquerors in Christ Jesus.  In this selfsame hour, we can know the love and grace of Jesus Christ if we but believe.

It Is Well

"Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of his doings."  Isaiah 3:10.  Is it not true for the righteous?  The righteous have it well for God is our God.  Our wellness is seen in our redemption.  We have been set free from the power of the devil.  We are delivered from his vile grasp.  Our wellness is seen in the garments that we wear.  We are clothed with the beauty of God's holiness.  We are purged from immorality and uncleanness.  Our wellness is seen in the work to which we are committed.  We now labor in the vineyard of the Master.  We work for the King in the royal mission of evangelism.  Our wellness is seen in our spiritual health.  We are fed with eternal words of life.  The gospel is a life giving message.  The words of God feed the soul with an infusion of eternity.  Our wellness is seen in our future.  We are secure in the blood of the lamb.  Our promise is a mansion from on high.  The hands that formed the universe have built the glorious home of the soul.  Oh, indeed it is well with the righteous.  And shall not the world where we presently dwell benefit from our doings?  Righteousness preserves the nation.  God is delighted with a righteous people.  Shall not we be righteous not only for ourselves, but for others as well that all might know the blessings of the righteous?

Strength In The Lord

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."  Ephesians 6:10.  Notice that these brethren are not told to be strong in themselves, nor in the physical resources that might be available to them.  Such strength will eventually fail.  But, rather, they were to find strength in the Lord.  Such strength never ceases nor does it ever fail.  In the midst of loss, we need strength to endure.  In the midst of temptation, we need strength to overcome.  Our real enemy does not come from the physical side of life, but rather from the spiritual.  When we find true spiritual strength, then we will be able to overcome the physical.  The Lord enables us to see beyond the present and clearly into the future.  Remember, how the prophets cried unto their god, Baal.  That god did not hear, and neither did he answer.  But, when Elijah called upon God, the answer came swiftly and clearly.  I Kings 18:22-40.    Our God gives comfort and calms the troubled soul.  The power of God is the mighty power that moves the universe.  Be strong in that power.

A Lily Among Thorns

"I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.  As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters."  Song of Solomon 2:1-2.  The beautiful lily thrives even among the thorns.  Our great God allows us to thrive even among the thorns.  In this life, our jouney often encounters thorns.  We need to know that when we are pricked by the thorns of life, we have a God and a Savior who cares about us and gives help and strength.  Life is often ugly. We must always see the beauty of the lily.  We must not concentrate on the thorns, but rather, our delight must be in the lily.  While we suffer disappointment, we must see joy.  While we suffer defeat, we must know victory.  A beautiful rose grows and thrives on a thorn bush.  So, our lives thrive amidst the thorns.  God's love and care never leaves us alone, nor forsaken.  His love embraces and secures us.  The love of God and the Lord Jesus Christ causes us to know goodness, hope, and joy.  We have access to him, and can know him as our loving God.  He showers our life with sweetness and an enduring fragrance.  Even we ourselves are as lilies in a world that is torn and distressed.  The love of God which has been shed abroad in our hearts shows forth this love to all of those who are about us.  Let us know the lily that we might be as the lily.

Must The Church Assemble?

"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."  Acts 20:7. In the seventeenth verse of Acts 20, Paul calls for the elders of the church located in Miletus.  These appointed men are to oversee the flock and to feed the church.  Acts 20:28.  Hence, the disciples are the church.  The church of Jesus Christ is the community of the saved who have submitted themselves to the authority of Jesus Christ.  As the church of Christ, we are to assemble together for the purpose of worshipping together but also that each one might encourage the other.  This is the reason for meeting in a building of some type.  Our present danger is preventing us from meeting in a building but we engage in worship by social media streaming of live services or even drive thru chuches.  While these means are not the normally accepted ways by which we worshiip, we can be acceptive of these means for a time until this crisis ends.  We can still offer help to each other with phone calls and cards.  We can discuss the worship in which we engaged by discussion of the lessons that were taught and what lessons we gained from the lesson or sermon.  This is a time that should bring us closer togeher with one another as we check up on one another.  This is truly the life of the disciple anyway. We assemble to worhip our Great God so that we might be inspired to serve His children.

Overcome Evil

"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."  Romans 12:21.  We are presented with the truth that in our world there are those who are evil and those who are good.  Evil comes by the hand of Satan.  Good comes by the hand of God.  Those who seek the good have an influence of driving out the evil.  We must turn away from evil, and always seek the good.  We must do good, even in a world where evil abounds.  Our Lord was truly an example of always doing good.  Even when he was mistreated and abused, he never retaliated in an evil way.  Even in the hour when he could have called down angels to destroy the Roman court, he did what was good.  Evil can only be driven out by doing good.  Good people acting in a good way is a source of changing the world and culture of our time.  Evil seeks to destroy our lives and corrupt our hearts.  We must overcome the temptation to perform in such a manner.  There must always be an action on our part.  We will either do what is evil, or we will do what is good.  Evil degrades while good enriches.  Our time will only be better when evil is overcome with good.

Keeper Of My Vineyard

"They made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept."  Song of Solomon 1:6.  We can become so engrossed in the affairs of others that we fail to take care of our own affairs.  Let's apply this passage to our spiritual welfare.  We can examine the lives of others while we fail to examine our own life.  They have been occasions when one would not be willing to follow Christ because they saw missteps in the life of someone who was following Christ.  The Bible passes the verdict that all stand in need of the grace of God.  Our need of that grace can be different from the need of another.  We are not all guilty of the same transgression.  Your weakness may be my strength.  And, your strength may be my weakness.  My own heart must receive my attention before I begin to consider the heart of another.  God will be the judge of all men.  Rather than keeping someone else's vineyard, I must attend to my own vineyard.

I AM

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."  Revelation 22:13.  Jesus Christ in this age is the great I AM.  As God said to Moses when the prophet was called, so is Jesus to his people this day.  All things begin in Jesus and all things end in Jesus.  Jesus Christ controls and oversees all things.  The world and all things therein are under divine authority.  Men may believe that have say so, but this is not the case.  Jesus Christ has all say.  His will and word dominate the universe and all of creation.  We must recognize this authority in our lives.  When he spoke so long ago, the universe responded.  When Jesus Christ lay in the grave, death responded.  No thing nor any power can overcome him.  No enemy can defeat him.  When Jesus Christ speaks in the last hour, all of creation shall bow at his authority.  Knees will bow and tongues will confess.  He is without beginning and he is without end.  His power stretches into the dim unknown.  What man does not know, Christ does.  What man can not do, Christ can.  Before him, nothing existed.  After history is finished, Jesus Christ will stand as the magnificant I AM.

Be Of Good Comfort

"But Jesus when he truned him about, he saw her, and he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.  And the woman was made whole from that hour."  Matthew 9:22.  This woman had a disease that doctors had been unable to cure.  Mark 5:26.  Now, she encountered Jesus.  She reached out and touched Him believing that He had the power to cure her.  Faith reaches out to Jesus.  Faith surrenders to the power of Christ.  Jesus saves through faith.  Without faith, we cannot enjoy the blessings of God.  Without faith, we cannot know the cleansing power of Christ.  When in faith, we come to Christ in total surrender to His will, He makes us whole.  When our sins are purged, we know comfort.  Faith is full assurance in the will of God, and the promises that come as we are obedient to His will.  This comfort that God provides through faith is a constant comfort.  Our souls rest in comfort as we abide in Christ.  "Be of good comfort."

The Cleansing Of Naaman

If The Gospel Be Hidden

"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost."  II Cor 4:3.  We are lost without the gospel.  What does it mean to be lost?  We are estranged from God.  We live in ungodliness rather than godliness.  We seek the temporal rather than the eternal.  We are interested in the temporal rather than the spiritual.  But, if we are lost, we will finally be eternally lost.  Rather than dwelling in heaven, we shall dwell in hell.  This is the reason for the gospel.  The gospel is God's message of salvation to all people everywhere.  The gospel reveals the life and death of Jesus Christ.  The gospel has conditions of salvation that must be met by anyone who desires to be saved.  This plan of the gospel includes believing in Jesus as the Son of God.  We must repent of all sins.  Repentance is leaving the way of sin and living life in God.  Christ must be confessed as the Son of God with the mouth.  Upon belief, repentance, confession, we are baptized in water for the remission of sins.  Finally, we live a life of faithful obedience to God.  The gospel is not to be hid, but embraced so that we are saved.

A Little Is Enough

"And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu shall serve him much."  II Kings 10:18.  Whether much or little, the service of Baal was still a violation of God's will.  Elijah, the prophet, had told Ahab, "ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baal."  I Kings 18:18.  A little sin is too much sin.  Our lives must be completely purged from sin.  Our hearts much not harbor even the least amount of pollution.  A little service to Baal was too much service.  The heart does not have room for God and anything else, even in very small amounts.  God wants the full surrender of our lives.  We must not see small sins and large sins.  We must sin as sin.  A little service to Baal brought disaster to Ahab.  Sin in any amount in our life can disrupt our devotion to God.  A little service to the Baal in our life can harm our relationship to the Lord.  Let us give full service to God, and absolutely, no service to Baal.

Remember The Words

"But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ."  Jude 17.  Humans are blessed with memory.  We love to recall special moments and special words.  God wants us to remember.  The Lord Jesus Christ sent the apostles to reveal His will to all of the world.  These chosen men were blessed with God's Holy Spirit who would remind them of what they had been taught by the Lord Jesus, and also, all of God's will for us living in this age.  These apostles spoke by the authority of the Lord Jesus.  God's will for us was completely revealed through them while they lived.  God has not spoken through any other means than the apostles.  Their words which are truly the words of God have been preserved for us in the Bible.  These are the words that we are to remember.  These words are the words of life.  These words are the words by which we are to serve God.  These are the words by which we will be judged.  Let us remember the words which were spoken by the apostles, and reject all other words.