Monthly Archives: August 2008

HE IS NOT THE GOD OF THE DEAD

The Living God

 

But about the resurrection of the dead-have you not read what God said to you, `I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.  Matthew 22:31-32 NIV

God is the God of the living – not the dead. But whom is He talking about? Who are the living and who are the dead? There are those whose bodies are dead, yet their spirits live on eternally. There are those whose bodies are alive and yet on the inside they are dead.

 

The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.  1 Timothy 5:5-6 NIV

If we are dead to God and alive to sin, then we are dead even while we live. If we put selfish, worldly lusts and desires above and before God, then we are dead on the inside – even though our bodies are alive on this earth. Death is a state of being where a person is cut off from God. However, if we are dead to sin and alive unto Him, then we live – both now and eternally.

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  1 John 5:11-12 NIV

If we have the Son, we have life. We will live eternally – alive unto God – even after our bodies fail us and pass away. The Bible tells us that God will give us a new body one day – a glorified body – free from sin and death. We will eventually return to live in God’s presence on the earth – in the New Jerusalem! However, if we do not have the Son and our body dies – our spirits will continue to exist, but death will reign in us and will hold us captive in hell. At that point we will experience physical, spiritual and eternal death – we are cut off from God for eternity.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  John 11:25-26 NIV

If we believe in Jesus, we will live even though our body dies. If we believe in Jesus we will never truly experience death. We will just pass from one life into another. The flame of our existence will never be extinguished.

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  John 3:14-18 NIV

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”  John 3:36 NIV

Until you believe in Jesus and accept Him as Lord and Savior, you live in a state of condemnation before God. You are alienated from the presence of God. If you die physically in that state – the Bible says that you go straight to hell. Some people think that God would not send people to hell because He is a God of love. Yes, He is a God of love – that is why He sent Jesus to die in our place. After that, it is our choice to make. We must choose Jesus if we want to live in peace and love and joy eternally. We must choose Jesus if we want to live at all.

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.  John 5:24-26 NIV

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.  John 20:30-31 NIV

But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.  Romans 8:10 NIV

 

 

 

NEVER GIVE UP

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.  2 Corinthians 11:23-28 NIV

Paul was a man who was committed to God and committed to preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Before he was so radically saved, he persecuted the Christians and even had them killed. After he was saved, he endured incredible hardships and persecutions himself, even to the point of death for the sake of the Gospel, and yet he never gave up. He persisted, keeping his eyes on the finish line and on the prize. He was committed until the very end. There were no other options for him – he was determined not to give up – he ran the race to win the prize.

 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13 NIV

The secret of Paul’s resilience and persistence was that he did not allow his circumstances to influence his attitude. He stayed the same no matter what he went through because he kept his eyes on Jesus. Most people are all upset when things don’t go their way – they either have a pity party or they get mad with God. When things go well – they think that they are the bee’s knees! Either way they take their eyes off of Jesus. They are like a see-saw – wobbling all over the place – so busy looking at their circumstances that they forget their heavenly mission and they get nothing done. Paul knew what he was called to do and he knew who called him. God was on his side and he was not afraid of men or devils. Jesus Christ was his strength and he was secure in Him. Paul did not allow anything to sway him or to stop him.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Hebrews 12:1-4 NIV

It is important to be both well trained and determined. Starting a race is not the hard part. Finishing the race is the hard part. There are rough roads, the weather is contrary, and your body gets thirsty and tired and sore. It is even harder if your critics are harassing you and persecuting you along the way. You have to fix your eyes on Jesus and be filled with His strength and power, allowing the Holy Spirit to refresh you as you go. There is a crown of righteousness waiting for those who fight the good fight and finish the race!

 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NIV I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day– and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.  2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV 

 

 

 

 

 

JESUS OUR PEACE

John 14:26-27  (NKJ)26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 

A REASON FOR REJOICING

Rodney Howard Browne shares a teaching on Rejoycing

Luke 10:17-20  (NKJ)
17Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19″Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20″Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

As a children of God, washed in the blood, saved, sanctified and redeemed – we have authority over the devil and demons. Jesus Himself gave us the authority and the power. The Name of Jesus gives us His authority.  Because of Jesus, the devil and his demons are powerless against us. They may try, but they will fail, as long as we walk submitted to God.

However, Jesus tells us to find our reason for rejoicing in the fact that our names are written in heaven, not in our authority over devils. Authority over devils is just a by-product of our redemption. It is something we should know about and operate in, but we should not make it our main focus.

There are many Christians who run around crowing about how they dominate the devil and yet, in their hearts, they are secretly afraid of him. Other Christians pay too much attention to the devil and give him too much credit. We should be focusing on Jesus and lifting Him up, instead. Some people arrogantly brag about their authority over the devil and yet their arrogance opens the door in their own life, for the devil to take a shot at them.

2 Corinthians 2:10-11  (NKJ)
10Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

We should not be ignorant of Satan’s modus operandi and we should deal with him and take authority over him whenever it is necessary to do so, without giving him undue attention. Jesus treated him this way: “But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.” (Mark 1:25-26 – NKJ)

Proverbs 24:17-18  (NKJ)
17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him.

We should not find our reason for rejoicing in the failings or defeat of another, but we should rather rejoice in the goodness of God toward us. In the same way, we should not be congratulating ourselves over the devil’s defeat or give him any excessive attention in our thoughts, our conversation or our celebration. It is a fact that he is defeated and that we are victorious, but our rejoicing and our praise and our talk should be centered on Jesus – King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Revelation 3:5  (NKJ)
5″He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Revelation 21:10 & 27 (NKJ)

10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy

Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 27But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

We can celebrate the goodness of God and our redemption and the fact that our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life!