In truth, the word of God
Skeptics. Skeptical. Skepticism. Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary.
skeptic also
sceptic (skèp..tîk) noun
1. One who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions.
2. One inclined to skepticism in religious matters.
3. Philosophy. a. Often Skeptic . An adherent of a school of skepticism. b. Skeptic. A member of an ancient Greek school of skepticism, especially that of Pyrrho of Elis (360?-272? B.C.).
One who instinctively or habitually doubts...questions...or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions.
Do you fall into this category? Are you a skeptic? Do you or others consider you a skeptic? Is it good to be skeptical? Habitually doubting and disagreeing with generally accepted conclusions? A skeptic might doubt the believability of God, while the majority of people in the world believe that He exists and is in charge of things.
Is it safe to say there are more skeptics when it comes to believing in God, or more when it comes to believing Jesus is God's only son, that He was made man and dwelt among us and died for us, only to rise again and live for us?
I believe there are a lot more skeptics when it comes to Jesus. You've the entire Allah worshipping community that only believe that Jesus was a good prophet, not God's Son as well as the entire Jewish community, not to mention the many religions that worship nature as if it created itself, pagans and such as a religion the majority while accepting the validity of God they reject His Son.
Back when Jesus lived among people before His death He did many, many miracles of the like the world had NEVER seen. He did it taking no glory to himself but giving it all to God, His Father. Jesus didn't come to earth to be an earthly King and to be worshipped in the way man tends to worship their earthly kings. He didn't come seeking accolades and blind worship, worship without knowing who exactly you were worshipping. Earthly kings tended to glory in others worshipping them, showing them obeisance, they took accolade after accolade as something worthy of them, something due to them. Jesus gave all the glory to God, all of it.
Not unsurprising, Jesus was put to death, condemned by important religious and secular leaders of the day, allowed to die even though He boasted nothing of Himself, nothing. He was a quiet threat to them because while He didn't seek the worship, others wanted to give it to Him, others were building Him up because of their witness of Him, because of their belief in Him and their belief in His amazing claim to be the Son of God. If He weren't crazy and ready to be locked up in a room with padded walls (uhm did they even have those sorts of rooms? Probably not.) If He weren't ostracized as a lunatic claiming sonship with God, if He weren't accused of being totally mad and deserving more of the care they gave to lunatic, then they had to believe in His claim enough to be scared of its validity. They had to believe just enough that what Jesus claimed might be true and therefore they had to get rid of Him to prove Him a liar. Crazy people can't admit to their craziness, delusional people under the control of the delusions cannot admit to their craziness, how can they? The very face they believe their delusions makes them crazy. So the only way this crazy man thinking He's God's Son could be a threat is if people BELIEVED Him to be what He said He was. Enough people believed that His followers grew in numbers. As He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey he was herald befitting a king! If he quieted the crowd honoring Him even the rocks would have cried out. It was time for the revelations to be made fully and while a lot of people believed, a lot in the high places didn't. The realization to those skeptics wasn't that God's Son was truly among them, but that a MAN claiming to be God's Son and FOOLING many people had gained too large a following, so large it was threatening their authority. Oh yes, the authority God placed on them as priests and such. If a Messiah was going to come, if the Son of God really were going to grace earth with His presence He come from the priests themselves, the priests would have a hand in His arrival and in His upbringing, in His existence. They surely wouldn't be left in the dark about a Son of God, what a claim to glory-- for THEM.
Jesus, Son of God, took no glory to Himself but gave it all to God, the Father.
Listen to this...
1 Thess.
{2:13} For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
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Beautiful isn't it? Read it again.
1 Thess.
{2:13} For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
*
Thanking God without ceasing...why?
Because when the word of God was spoken by them, people heard it and didn't believe it came from man, but of God.
What was that we said earlier-- many people in the world believe Jesus was a good man, a good prophet, but not God's Son, it's true, that's what they believe, really, really believe.
They believed what He said and did was good, but NOT the word of God. They liked what they heard, but gave no power to the words spoken. Powerless words, nice to hear but beyond that they mean little. Good ideas perhaps, a good philosophy but man's philosophy not God's.
Is it any wonder that thanks without ceasing is made when people truly believe? When people believe with their hearts and their minds, truly believe the word they receive is of God how could they not be affected? How could it not be counted towards them as something wonderful. Believing and claiming all the power that God has in the words He's spoken, means claiming the Truth, validating the truth.
In truth the word of God.
Not the word of mere man. Not the word of a very good man. Not the word of the greatest orator, the greatest humanitarian solely a man.
In truth the word of God.
We can take what men say with a grain of salt, but the word of God is something we need to holdfast to, something we need to believe in wholeheartedly.
1 Thess.
{2:13} For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
There is power in the word of God, great power to save, but the power isn't forced on anyone, it must be believed.
Glory be to God! Glory be to the Father and to the Son!
All glory to God and God alone, now and forever. May the power of God in each word of His continue to forever be effective towards those that would believe.
Amen.
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."- Psalm 1:1-2
11/19/09
Rev 2:19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
Rev 2:25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations
Charity, service, faith, patience and works.
Jesus says these are all good things- these works. Doing good. We all know what it means to do good and to do evil, and the many areas in between. People believe all sorts of things. Some believe doing good will earn them grace. Others believe doing good means living a life as Jesus would want them to live it, yet grace comes from God alone. And still others believe that good or bad, anything they do matters not because words won't earn you grace.
Jesus says these are good things- the works. Jesus says those who keep HIS works till the end will have power over the nations, meaning they will be in the minority among the few that are saved compared to the many who aren't.
When we live in Christ our good works are His works they're not our own, He works through us and all glory goes to Him. We have to hold fast, we have to overcome through Christ. We need to being loving, giving, believing all with patience.
May God bless us with these gifts and forgive us our selfishness which results in so much wrong doing in the little and big things. By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior may we find life in Him and overcome as He would have us to overcome through Him, keeping His works until the end.
Amen.
11/19/10
Be not forgetful
13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Have you ever forgotten something? Of course you have. You might have forgotten something just this morning or perhaps yesterday. We forget and some of us seem more forgetful than others. When we forget something we are usually at least a tiny bit upset with ourselves for forgetting whatever it was we forgot- at least if it were something important. We generally don't get upset if we forget a bit of history we may have learned in grade school, but we would get very upset if we forget a friend's birthday. We forget, it's part of our nature. No one, perhaps I should rephrase that for the very few, most people forget, there are a tiny fraction of people who have perfect memory- so tiny it's likely most of us don't even know one of those few.
We forget. We are forgetful. Do we forget on purpose? Is it even possible to forget something on purpose? I don't know that it is. It is however, possible for us to NOT take steps that would keep us from forgetting something. We mostly have it in our power to take step to keep from forgetting. We can write ourselves notes, we can recite something over and over, we could put an object in our midst that would jog our memory. We have ways to help us remember. No, maybe we don't have ways to help us remember every single fact we learn but we have ways to keep us from forgetting important things, right?
If someone tells you not to forget something it's a good guess it's something important- at least to that person.
Forget--
G1950
epilanthanomai
ep-ee-lan-than'-om-ahee
Middle voice from G1909 and G2990; to lose out of mind; by implication to neglect: - (be) forget (-ful of).
Lose out of mind- by implication to neglect.
Have you ever had someone in your life feel as if they were being neglected when you've forgotten something they've wanted you to remember? They feel the neglect and are HURT, their feelings are hurt. They judge your forgetfulness to mean you don't care enough to remember. Their feelings are being neglected, their wish for you to remember something is being slighted. You might not feel that way about it though. You might feel as if you have NO control over the things you forget or remember. You don't realize that you might need to create some system that allows you to remember things that people tell you, especially your loved ones who are most likely to feel hurt, to feel purposely neglected by your poor memory. Because you didn't purposely forget you want to be forgiven, but that doesn't do away with the hurt the forgetting causes. You can be forgiven but at the same time the neglect whether blatant or not, is still real.
When God tells us in His word not to forget how should He feel when we do forget? Should we expect automatic forgiveness? Or should we expect punishment for allowing ourselves to forget, for neglecting to do whatever it is God told us not to forget.
If we are told NOT to forget by God we better make sure we remember! No, I'm not saying God wouldn't forgive us if we truly repent , but we are accountable for our neglecting to remember.
13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Be not forgetful- to entertain strangers.
Entertain strangers-
G5381
philonexia
fil-on-ex-ee'-ah
From G5382; hospitableness: - entertain strangers, hospitality.
Hospitality (Webster)
HOSPITAL'ITY, n. [L. hospitalitas.] The act or practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward, or with kind and generous liberality.
We cannot forget to be kind to those we don't know.
How easy it is to be indifferent to those we don't know. How easy it is to go about in our own little worlds keeping the unknown at bay. I know it's very easy for me to do so. I don't live in a small town where everyone knows everyone, I wasn't raised in a small town like that either. Keeping to myself is much more my style, in fact it's very hard for me to talk to strangers. I like to think that if someone came to me in need I wouldn't turn them away and in that way I'd be able to entertain strangers, but to go out and actively seek strangers to entertain isn't something I feel very comfortable doing. Not everyone is outgoing and being shy doesn't mean a person is ungodly. We all have our roles, we all have our places in life and as long as we put ourselves at God's disposal He will use us as He needs to.
We can't forget what God tells us not to forget. We can't forget what God tells us to remember and we need to do all we can to remember the words of the Lord to us. If it means writing ourselves notes, or going to great lengths to remember we need to do this, we really do.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, in His love, by His righteousness now and forever!
Amen.
11/19/11
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Do you feel more freedom when you have laws or less freedom?
Children often cannot wait to escape the laws their parents have set for them because in their youth they believe the laws are in place to restrict their freedom. People living under unfair laws feel the same way. But people living under laws designed for their protection feel incredibly more free than if those laws never existed. How free would you feel if you lived where it was the law that you could kill anyone you wanted to kill? How free would you feel if you lived where it was perfectly fine, in fact, the law to take things that didn't belong to you? Would you feel a sense of freedom in your marriage if it were the law to have martial relations with anyone you desired and not just your spouse? Living in the supposed land of the free we have many, many laws we follow- we agree to follow those laws by living here. If all those laws were gone what takes their place? We've heard of living in the lawless west- in a time before the western part of the United States was civilized. The lawless west where you could go and take your chances on finding cheap land and build a homestead, but in truth you knew that once you set out for that land you were facing a lot of danger and fear. Living where there are no laws is scary, very scary. Living in parts of the world where the laws differ from your own laws can be scary too. Living in a place where you are NOT guaranteed a speedy trial can have you in perfect innocence sitting behind bars for years and years before you can even present your case for innocence. Living in a place with unfamiliar laws you run the risk of breaking those laws until you learn what they are. It's a wise decision when visiting any other country to learn their laws- at least in a general manner, because you could find yourself in jail for something that is perfectly fine to do in your own country. Laws are designed for many reasons, but if we really stop and think about it, a lot of our laws are designed to protect our freedom, not hinder it and keep us from things we've agreed are acceptable.
A law of liberty.
A law of freedom.
This law is NOT a law that takes away all other laws so you are free to break those old laws at will.
Jesus kept ALL the laws.
Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The great commandment- Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul and with ALL thy mind.
The second greatest commandment- Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself.
Did Jesus tell the man that asked which is the great commandment that there was a NEW commandment and all the old commandments are gone? No.
People will argue that Jesus said we have to follow HIS commandments as He followed His Father's- meaning we don't have to follow the Father's commandments. Yet how do those people account for this--
Luk 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
And this--
Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Till heaven and earth pass- perish, go away- till heaven and earth disappear not one dot of an I or cross of a t will be taken away from the law.
Has heaven and earth perished? No. Obviously, no.
Jesus fulfilled the law- Jesus kept the law perfectly!
Just because one person fulfills the requirements of something doesn't make those requirements disappear for everyone else! Everyone has to fulfill the SAME requirements. Think of all the tests and such that people have to take and how everyone who passes the test must meet the requirements of passing. Just because the smart person in the class passed the test doesn't mean he passed it for everyone. Just because my great great grandmother passed a test years and years ago doesn't mean she passed it for me and everyone else. Every person who takes the bar exam has to pass it for himself, not for anyone else.
Jesus passed the test- Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law perfectly and that is something WE cannot do. Jesus didn't pass the test then throw the test out- He passed the test and then told us that THROUGH Him we can pass the test too. It is through Him we are able to fulfill the same law, the same commandments that He fulfilled- His Father's commandments. How we do this is by LOVING. Jesus wanted us to realize that the commandments He fulfilled were fulfilled by LOVE and the commandment He gives to us is to LOVE, and out of that love we will be able to fulfill all the law.
Love God.
Love our fellow man as if we were loving ourselves- how we want to be loved.
Jesus said PLAINLY He did NOT come to destroy the law. He had to say it plainly because so many believe that's exactly what He did. He wiped the Ten Commandments off the face of the earth and replaced them with the love commandments.
Don't you see, sin is the breaking of the law.
Jesus didn't sin.
Jesus didn't break the law.
Jesus was able to live His entire life fulfilling the law, meeting the requirements of the law, something we have never been able to do and never can do without Him, it is through Him we are able to keep the law- through HIS righteousness.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Jas 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
Jas 2:9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Jas 2:11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
Jas 2:12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
Jas 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
The perfect law of liberty is loving as Jesus loved, showing mercy to all. If we show no mercy we receive no mercy. Remember the Lord teaching the apostles how to pray… in that prayer guideline we find this--
Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And this…
Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
This was sorely lacking in the keepers of the law before our Savior came, in some cases completely lacking. They'd kept the law but destroyed the love that belonged in that law. All too often people will be steadfast in their beliefs, so steadfast that they forget that without love all their beliefs mean NOTHING. They can keep all ten great commandments perfectly and without love they've broken every single one. The law was a law of liberty- a law that brings us freedom in life- all through LOVE. God gave the ten commandments originally out of love and that's NEVER changed! God did NOT free the Hebrews from the Egyptians only to want to put them back into a form of bondage to Him! God wanted to give them a freedom they'd never known before. And man so degraded by sin turned God's perfect law into something loveless. By the time Jesus came the Hebrews were so entrenched in their loveless law keeping they felt threatened by the true revelation of the law being fulfilled in Jesus Christ through love.
Jesus didn't come to destroy the law but He came to keep the law in perfect love and this perfect law of love brings a liberty unlike anything offered elsewhere.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
We look into the perfect law of liberty and know it's a perfect law of love. Jesus' command that we love revealed His love in the law.
We are free in the law knowing how love penetrates each and every word of the law from the first to the last. If we tell people they are still accountable to keep the laws of God and forget to tell them of the love found in those laws we are missing the most important aspect of those laws. People do not want to be bound to loveless laws, they need to see the richness of the love deeply embedded in God's commandments to us. They want to understand that it is out of a pure love unlike anything we possess that we should keep God's laws. There are scores and scores of people who keep laws to the letter and yet have broken them all by stripping the love from those laws. Jesus commands we love for without love no law can be kept, not a single one!
By His grace, through HIS amazing LOVE may we love His law!
All through Him!
Amen.