Christmas

Genesis 1:3 God commanded His creation into being with words that echoed through time. The echos came through the mouths of the prophets. When time was full, and the echo ceased, (Luke 2:1-19) The command of God once again was obeyed (John 1:1-5) and Light once again entered our world (John 1:14) The single most significant event in Human history. Merry Christmas!!! GOD IS AWESOME!!!

The Mystery

Daniel 2:22

For a long time, there was a mystery hidden in the Holy Scriptures. Most of the time, the people involved in these monumental happenings didn't know what to make of it. (Genesis 3:15, Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 28:10-14)

I think in his suffering, Job knew. I think God's Holy Spirit was working quietly in the background. Job said some things that lead me to believe this. In Job 9:32-33 and Job 19:25-26 Job saw or sensed something big was coming, something much bigger than what was happening at that time.

Through His prophets, God foreshadowed what He was doing (Isaiah 50:4-7, Isaiah 53, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Psalm 22) Then He revealed to them what was happening (1 Peter 1:10-12).

Then it happened. The mystery began to come into focus. From the birth of the Messiah to His death, the mystery remained. It took Christ Jesus Himself to reveal it (John 19:28-30 and John 20). It is made plain in John 20:30-31. Even the Apostles referred to the gospel as a mystery (Ephesians 3:2-6, Ephesians 6:19, Colossians 1:26-27, Colossians 4:3).

But the one Jesus sent (John 14:25-26, John 20:21-22, Romans 8:26) the Helper, the Comforter, the Teacher, has revealed it to those whom He called. The mystery of the gospel is Christ Jesus. He is the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In Him is literally...everything.

God is AWESOME!

Proof

John 20:24-29

People often need proof to believe something. "Seeing is believing".

In the 16th centrury, a method of determining alcohol content was often used by soaking gun powder with the rum or whiskey. If the gun powder could be ignited, then that was considered "proof" that the alcohol had not been watered down. This method was standardized in the U.S. in 1848. 50% alcohol by volume (ABV) was considered 100 proof.

The Apostle Thomas wanted proof. He needed to see and touch (John 20:24-25).

When Jesus appeared to the Apostles in a locked room, He invited Thomas to put his fingers in the holes in His hands and to touch His side where He had been speared. Thomas' reaction was beautiful (John20:28), "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus' answer to Thomas was quite scathing, in my opinion. "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

If you have to have evidence before you believe, then you don't trust anything the Apostles have written as eye witnesses. The Gospel of Jesus Christ requires faith to believe. Faith is the key to receiving the righteousnous of Christ Jesus (Genesis 15:3-6 and 1 Peter 1:8-9).

We believe because of the hope Jesus holds out. We believe because our Great God has made a way for us to escape His wrath and to be able to stand in the presence of His Glory (Jude 1:24). We believe because of the goal set before us (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) so we can keep moving forward, not blindly, but by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Because in Christ, there is joy and peace in all circumstances (John 16:33 and 1 Peter 1:8).

Soon, this life will be a very distant memory (Isaiah 51:6 and Revelation 21:1-4). So we have not seen, but we believe.

God is AWESOME!

All of Your Mind

Matthew 22:37

I listened to a sermon online that focused on the part of Matthew 22:37 that says "with all your mind".

It got the wheels turning in my little head. I had to ask myself if I did that. The harsh reality is that the answer is no.

The Bible warns believers to guard our hearts and our minds (Provers 4 20-27; Romans 12:2). I fell under great conviction.

Does it mean I am to meditate on God's Word day and night? Well, yes. We are told to hide it in our hearts (Psalm 119:11; Isaiah 26:3). We are to be very careful about what we let into our minds (Ephesian 6:17) because once it worms it's way into our hearts, our words can greatly affect our testimony (Luke 6:45) and eventully cause a falling away (Isaiah 29:13; Luke 15:7-9).

We are redeemed, Christ Jesus has imputed His righteousness to us, but we still have not shed our sinful nature. We have that constant battle with the flesh, lustful, greedy, angry, envious thoughts that crop up in our hearts and minds (Galatians 5:19-26). We must use every tool available to fend them off. One of the most useful resources that we are given is our brothers and sisters in Christ (Hebrews 10:23-25; Galatians 6:1-2).

Practice disciplining our minds (Philippians 4:8). The sciences are great for this. The more we learn about how the physical and natural world work and how vast and beautiful the universe is, the more in awe we stand before our Great and Glorious God and we bask in the wonder of all of it having been created through and for and being held together in Christ Jesus (Colossian 1:15-20).

God is AWSOME!

Eternal Security

Colossians 3:1-4

Christ Jesus came to bring back to life that which died in the Garden (Genesis 2:15-17 and Genesis 3:1-19). Not only bring back to life, but to eternal life (John John 1:1-5;14 and John 3:16-17).

Before the Earth was formed, before the universe erupted into being from the holy lips of God, our wise Father gave us to the Son (John 17:1-3;24). Jesus has such an intimate relationship with the Father that only He truly knows His Father. He has revealed His Father to those whom He has chosen (Matthew 11:27).

Once we have been redeemed, our names written in the Lamb's Book of Life, we are sealed (Ephesians 1:11-13) for all eternity. Our life eternal is secure (Colossians 3:1-4). God does not change His mind, especially in matters as weighty as this (James 1:16-18). Our great God is faithful, regardless of our actions (Deuteronomy 32:1-4).

To say that there is anything you can do to lose this salvation is to assign a power to yourself even greater than God Most High (John 10:27-30). A salvation brought about, not only to keep His promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:3) and not only because He loves us, but for reasons that have nothing to do with us (Ezekiel 36:22-36), for the sake of His holy Name. To say that you can lose this is, in my opinion, blasphemous.

God is AWESOME

A Powerful Work

Colossians 2:12-14

I have a group of friends who come over once a week, we have been studying Paul's letter to the Colossians. We are currently going through chapter 2.

As I was reading the verses for our study this week, it struck me how casually I can sometimes read God's Word. In Colossians 2:12-14, Paul is talking about how we have been raised from the dead with Christ in "the powerful working of God".

Again, I was struck with that phrase, how casually I read it. It was as if the Holy Spirit told me to go back and read that with reverence and awe. As I read it again, a little movie played in my head. I had to stop. I closed my eyes and watched it play again.

Words are too clumsy to describe what I watched in my little head. I would ask you to read these verses of scripture before finishing what I have written here: Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 28:10-15; Job 9:32-33; Job 19:25-26; Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; 1 Peter 1:10-12

Christ Jesus, our Redeemer and Lord, took upon Himself all of our sins and erased all of our transgressions. He bore the wrath of God and gave us His righteousness. He died. On that third day in the rich man's tomb, God once again took up, with trembling hands, the lump of clay that was the mangled body of His only Son. He leaned in and with a Holy and powerful act, as Abraham, Job, David and all the prophets looked on in awe, He breathed life... and our Sovereign opened His eyes.

God is AWESOME!

The Full Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-18

The Christian life is often a tumultuous one. We have battles on so many levels. There is the battle against our own flesh, the battle with our own mind and the battle with the devil.

The battle with the devil, I think, is the hardest. He is relentless. Anything he can do to lead you astray, he will throw it at you (Ephesisans 6:11). Not a soft throw either. A big league fast ball.

It is the hardest battle because the devil is smarter than us. He knows all of our weak spots, and he will use them against you.

But, thanks and praise to the Lord Jesus the Christ! He sent us a helper. Someone to help us in donning the armor that He provides as one of the benefits of being in Christ.

The belt of Truth (Isaiah 11:5), The breastplate of righteousness (Isaiah 59:17), the Gospel of peace (Romans 1:16), the helmet of salvation (Isaiah 59:17), the sword of the Spirit (Hebrews 4:12).

Let's look at the One who forged this armor. He is the image of the invisble God (Colossians 1:15-18). He is the One who calmed the storm and the One who cast out demons after they begged Him for mercy (Mark 4:35 - 5:13). He is the One who is an all consuming fire (1 Kings 18:20-40) The One who brought to life a vast army of dead and dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-10).

With God as our Father, Christ Jesus as our savior and King and living Word of God, and the Holy Spirit as our coach, and the armor He equips us with, we really have no reason to fear and every reason to fight.

God is AWESOME!

Easier Said Than Done

Job 1:20-22

There are sometimes things that happen in the lives of believers that are so bad that it can shake the faith of even the most devout followers of Christ Jesus (Job 1:18-19 and Luke 22:54-62). These are the times when it is important to remember the sovereignty of God.

Our wise Father has a purpose for everything He does, even in the suffering of His children (Malachi 3:2-3 and Romans 5:3-5). He will sometimes need to fine tune some of us through His purposeful trials (James 1:2-4 and 1 Peter 1:3-7) that will purify or refine our faith and increase our peace and joy in Christ.

Let us remember that even Christ Jesus Himself understood that suffering is not something anyone wants (Luke 22:42-44) but He endured it all for His Name's (Ezekiel 36:22) sake and for our sake (Romans 3:21-24).

In our trials and suffering, we need to look to the example of our Great King and savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:2).

God is AWESOME!

A Prayer For The Lost

Ezekiel 37:1-14

I am not a very well read person. I am a slow reader and have always had a reading comprehension problem. I get frustrated with it, so I don't read much. I decided if I read more, it will help. So I bought a book about Puritan prayers. The title is Into His Presence by Tim Chester.

There are prayers under different headings. One of the headings is Prayers For The Lost. In one of these prayers, Joseph Alleine refers to the lost as "a valley of dry bones". That got the wheels in my little head turning.

It is astonishing...the absolute genius of God. Everything in His Word from Genesis to John the Baptist points directly to Christ Jesus.

The prophet Ezekiel had an odd experience. The Spirit of the Lord took him and set him in a valley filled with dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14). As I was reading about Ezekiel's experience, I was struck with one part, In verses 9 and 10, God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the four winds, so he did, and breath entered the bodies on the ground (Genesis 2:4-7 and John 20:19-22). They were dead. They had been dead for a really long time. They could not have decided they were alive , that they wanted to suddenly start to breathe. God made them alive (Ephesians 2:1-5 and Colossians 2:13), again pointing directly to Christ.

As believers in and followers of Christ Jesus, we have had the amazing experience of being made alive in Christ. It is now our responsibility to take the Gospel to the valley of dry bones (Romans 1:16-17).

God is AWESOME!

All In

Philippians 1:15-18

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is at the center of the Christian life (Romans 1:16-17). Out from that flows so much more that leads to fulfillment in our minds and spirits, like ripples in a pond (Galatians 5:22-23, Jeremiah 17:7-8).

The Christian life is far from easy. Unfortunately, a lot of other things come with being a Christian, chief among them are mockery, persecution and a whole host of attacks from the enemy (Matthew 10:16-22, Ephesians 6:10-12).

There are those who use the gospel as a means to become wealthy and to lead people astray (Matthew 7:15). They attempt to make a mockery of God and His holy Word. But it will backfire on them. No one is capable of outsmarting God (Galatians 6:6-8, Psalm 73, Isaiah 55:10-11).

So let them mock. Nevertheless, Christ is preached.

God is AWESOME!

The New Song

Psalm 33:1-3

Music can affect us in many different ways. It often has a soothing effect (1 Samuel 16:23). As followers of Jesus Christ, we have our moments when we think about all the benefits we have in Christ, we cannot help but worship and sing praises to our Savior (Psalm 5:11).

King Solomon, in his great experiment that he documented in the book of Ecclesiastes, concluded that there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). But in Christ Jesus, there is newness (Revelation 21:5). One of the things He made new is the song He put in our hearts and minds (Psalm 33:3; Psalm 40:3; Isaiah 42:10; Revelation 5:9).

The new song puts joy in our hearts and on our lips, so much so that we must express it openly (Psalm 35:27; Psalm 47:1).

Sometimes this newness gives us a joy so profound that we have no way to express it other than being silent and worshipping our great God. The Apostle Peter said it best in his first letter (1 Peter 1:8) "...joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory."

God is AWESOME!

Our Only Righteousness

Hosea 10:12

The prophet Hosea said to sow for ourselves righteousness. He said to break up our fallow ground and seek the Lord and He will rain righteousness on us.

God told Abraham that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars and Abraham believed Him. God counted it to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:3-6).

Seeking the Lord and believing Him is key. The problem is that our sinful, wicked and deceitful hearts will not seek God (Jeremiah 17:9 Romans 3:10-11 Psalm 14:1-3 Psalm 53:1-3).

Then there was our Savior, the Lord Jesus the Christ. He raised up for Himself 12 Apostles and He laid down His life and bore on Himself God's wrath (Luke 22:47-70 to 23:1-46). And then, in three days, He took up His life again (John 10:17-18) and after appearing to the disciples, He gave them the Holy Spirit (John 20:21-22) and He is the one who convicts people of their sins and causes them to seek the Lord. He breaks up the fallow ground of our hearts and replaces our hearts of stone with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:25-27)

Christ Jesus covered us in His blood and rained righteousness upon us.

God is AWESOME!

Running Into Grace

Jonah 2:1-10

In the book of Jonah, God called Jonah to go and preach repentance to Nineveh. Jonah ran (I think deep down Jonah knew that trying to run from God is a bad idea).

Most people know the story of Jonah being swallowed by a big fish (Jonah 1:1-17). I was struck and inspired by Jonah's prayer while he was in the belly of the fish.

So many people in the bible have cried out to God in their distress. They weren't in the belly of a giant fish, but distressed none the less. We see it all through the book Job, the Psalms are riddled with songs written by King David and Asaph telling about their times of anxiety and dispair and how they cried out to God. The Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Corinth told about asking God to remove the thorn in his flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

I noticed that all throughout scripture, the desperate cries to God turned into beautiful worship.

In the end, God's grace and His mercy brought them through and His purposes were achieved in the lives of those who cried out to Him.

Just like the people in the bible, those of us who have had occasion to seek the Lord and cry out to Him have benefitted from His intervention, and it is in hindsight that God's grace is truly understood.

God is AWESOME!

Only The Weak

2 Corinthians 12:9

In the past few years, I have had to learn some hard lessons. I used to be a musclebound guy with brute strength, then I got sick. I was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease. The more kidney function I lost, the weaker I got. It was a hard pill to swallow, going from the strongest guy in the room to needing help with almost everything. It is a humbling experience.

Fast forward a year and I went blind in my right eye as I was getting ready to train for home dialysis. Fast forward another two years and I had developed some major blood flow issues in my legs and had to have my right leg amputated below the knee. To say it was a low point is an understatement.

I dug my heels in and said I was going to trust God no matter what. In my mind, I repeated one of my favorite bible verses: Jude 24. To paraphrase, God is strong and is able to keep you from falling and can bring you into the presence of His glory with no wrong in you and give you great joy. And I remembered that it is only in the strength of Christ Jesus I am upheld.

It is amazing how God's word can refresh your soul and replenish your strength (Philippians 4:10-13).

The peace that Jesus brings to even the most turbulent times is beyond our understanding (Philippians 4:4-7 and John 14:27). The peace that comes from abiding in a Holy God, even in the worst of circumstances is demonstrated in 1 Kings 19:1-12. A gentle whisper.

In our weakest moments, beneath the noise and the pain, there is a joy that keeps us from surrendering to the temptation to turn away from God. A joy that causes the paradox of strength in weakness (Nehemiah 8:10).

In our weakness, God's immense power can be seen (1 Corinthians 1:26-31 and 2 Corinthians 12:9).

God is AWESOME!

A New Reality

A little over a month ago, I lost my right leg. I have had to come to terms with my new reality.

Throughout the scriptures, we see people dealing with drastic changes in their lives. Adam and Eve disobeyed and were cursed and sent out of the Garden (Genesis 3).

Noah and his family faced some very radical changes (Genesis 6, 7 and 8). Abraham and his wife saw some major changes in their lives as they gave birth to a whole new nation (Genesis 12-22).

The writers of the Gospels tell about the biggest shift in reality ever. The birth of a King who would grow up and save the whole world (Isaiah 52:13-53; 1 Peter 1:10-12). Christ Jesus gave His life for us and He took it up again and assumed His rightful place seated on a throne at His Father's right hand.

He will return one day and His chosen people will recieve new bodies and we will see our God for the first time and will be eternally in awe. And that will be our new reality.

God is AWESOME!

Longing for Home

Job 19:25-27

In Matthew 24, I find great encouragement in Jesus' answer to His followers when they asked him about the end of the age. His answer is a little unnerving, but encouraging. To put it simply, if the ones claiming to Him don't come in the clouds, it ain't Him. When He returns, there will be absolutely no mistake as to who He is. The strength to endure everything that comes our way is found only in Christ Jesus and His Holy Spirit wherein lies our salvation (Matthew 24:3-14).

Things will get much worse before the end (Matthew 24:36-37). I went to Genesis 6 to see what it was like in the days of Noah. In Genesis 6:5-7, it says of man that the intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Wow. Then there was a "but". Verse 8, "But Noah..."

Our wise Father spared future generations for the sake of one man. We see this over and over again throughout scripture. All the while pointing toward the One Man, the Final Priest, the Savior King (Psalm 110).

We all, from time to time, grow weary of the struggle between fighting the desires of the flesh and the temptations of the enemy. We wish the Lord would get here quickly and long for it all to be over (Revelation 21:1 and Revelation 22:20).

This is why it is vitally important that we gather together on a regular basis and encourage one another in our faith (Hebrews 10:23-25 and Proverbs 27:17), So we can run this race together and endure until the end.

God is AWESOME!

What - Me Worry?

1 Peter 5:6-7

The Apostle Peter tells us that we should cast our anxieties or cares on God. This is prefaced by an admonition to humble ourselves. I think Peter tells us this because it is difficult, if not impossible, to trust anyone else with anything if our pride is telling us we don't need help. It takes humility to admit that you can't do something alone.

I like Peter's wording in this passage (1 Peter 5:6), "the mighty hand of God...". God is indeed strong. His power raises the dead (John 11:1-44). His strength has no upper limit and His authority is absolute (John 1:1-5 and Colossians 1:15-18). So Peter tells us to "cast" our anxieties on Him. All of us throwing or casting all of our worries on Him would require a lot of strength to hold all of that. Not only can He hold all that, but He can crush them in one mighty hand!

Our God loves us because He is our Father and we are His children. We know that we can trust in Him (Psalm 28:7). Those of us in Christ Jesus have no reason to fear anything (Psalm 46:1-3)!

Our worry and anxiety will only build and we lose sleep and our mind and spirit are weakened by it. When we let go of it and trust in the Lord, new strength is found in Him (Isaiah 40:28-31).

God is AWESOME!

How Long

2 Peter 3:8-9

In our modern culture, we have become accustomed to instant gratification. If we have to wait more than a half hour for food or more than two days for a mail order, we get upset. Modern times have taught us to be very impatient. But God's word tells us to be patient. Slow to speak, slow to anger and to wait upon the Lord (James 1:19-20 Isaiah 40:28-31 and Psalm 27:14).

Peter tells us that God is not slow to fulfill His promises. We see it as very long periods of time, but God is eternal. Time means absolutely nothing to Him. In one of his psalms, King David asked God how long he would have to wait (Psalm 13:1-2) and even the saints in Heaven who had been murdered asked how long they would have to wait for the Lord's retribution against their murderers (Revelation 6:9-10).

God promised Abraham and Isaac and Jacob a land for their people. From the time of that promise to the time Israel took possession of the land was about 480 years. From the time the coming of the Messiah was foretold (Genesis 3:15) to the birth of Christ Jesus was 3,974 years. From the time Joseph was sold into slavery to the time he was made Prime Minister of Egypt was 13 years. From the time Christ was taken up (Acts 1:9-12) to present is between 1,962 years and 1,954 years. We, and when I say "we" I mean the collective we who have trusted in our wise Father since the beginning, have done a lot of waiting.

Jesus gave us His Holy Spirit to strengthen us, to pray for us when we don't know how and to help us continue to wait in faith and in hope.

God is AWESOME!

Dragonflies and the Mind of God

Isaiah 55:1-13

I love to watch dragonflies. They are such amazing creatures. When I observe how they are able to maneuver, darting here and there, going full steam ahead and then coming to a dead stop without slowing down first, I marvel at God's ingenuity.

God created so many fascinating creatures (Genesis 1:20-25) that came straight from His beautiful imagination.

We can never know the mind of God. Our intellects are not equipped for the depths of God's understanding (Romans 11:33-34 and 1 Corinthians 2:14-16).

The things the bible tells us about God don't even scratch the surface of who He is. But the Spirit of God, as we mature in our faith, will take us deeper in our understanding of the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:6-12). As we learn more, as the Holy Spirit continues to pull back the curtain, the more we understand how much we don't know (Job 39-40:1-4).

The more we discover through the sciences that study the physical and natural world, and the vastness of space, the more we can see how beautiful the mind of God is. How much deeper and how absolute His understanding is. Our God is enternal. He has never had to learn anything, it is impossible to give Him new information (Isaiah 40:13-14).

In Christ Jesus, we have been given the gift of eternal life, and one day, when we get our new bodies and our minds are free from all sin and are living in the New Jerusalem, we will be given a full understanding of who God is and the enormity of what He as done, and we will worship Him forever and never stop being amazed.

God is AWESOME!

The Filter

1 Peter 4:12-19

Have you noticed that all the movies and television shows portray Christians as mean and hateful idiots and racists? It seems to be ramping up in our modern society. Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and even Satanists are treated so respectfully by society in our country. But Christians are treated as some sort of dangerous fanatics. And a lot of us act surprised by this.

Jesus said that this would happen (John 15:18-25). Both Peter and John told us too (1 John 3:13-18 and 1 Peter 4:12-19). It should not be a surprise at all.

The bible is filled with a history of followers of Christ Jesus being hated and persecuted. The Prophets of God were almost never welcome when they were sent to give God's message. In 1 Kings 18, Jezebel was rounding up prophets and killing them. All throughout history, Christians have been killed or made to suffer. In many countries, it is illegal to be a Christian.

In Isaiah 53, the suffering of Christ was foretold. When followers of Christ Jesus share in His suffering, we should be encouraged (Matthew 5:10 and Revelation 2:10).

Suffering is the great filter that God uses to purify our faith and bring us into a deeper understanding of who He is.

God is AWESOME!