Jesus Christ – Page 8

This is eternal life

“And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

“know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.”

John 17:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

John 5:21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, 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 also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Jeremiah 9:23 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

God searches all hearts and knows the thoughts and plans of man. He knows the sinful nature that rules or is trying to rule each of our lives, and yet, He sent His Son to redeem us from this life of destruction. If we seek Him, He will be found. Scripture says: For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. His love for us is demonstrated in the fact that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. While we gave no thought to Him and were only thinking about ourselves He sent Jesus Christ to redeem all who would believe. To believe means to cling to, rely on, and trust in Him alone for forgiveness of our sin. This redeeming act, when believed, results in a new life filled with the Helper (Holy Spirit). His word is given so that we might know Him more and live to honor and glorify Him. Do not neglect His word but rather spend time in it and training yourself to be a workman of God that needs not to live ashamed. Apart from His word we walk in darkness. In His word we walk in light of our Redeemer.

He is our true peace

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

“the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

“Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Psalms 29:11 May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!

Psalms 72:7 In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

Psalms 85:10 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

Ephesians 2:14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalms 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Psalms 56:11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Psalms 91:5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

Psalms 112:7 He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.

Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Jeremiah 1:8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.”

When things are going well we understand peace, or at least we think we do. But true peace from and through God is understood when in the times of trials and trouble we find peace that passes all understanding. Being afraid, having concern, and worry are natural responses and common to all man in times of uncertainty. I heard a person speak once that said: “you can not stop initial thoughts from coming to your mind but certainly what you do with them you can”. We have our Heavenly Father walking with us. He has given us great promises of peace even though we are under attack from situations that seem to surround us. At times it appears we are alone in this but in fact we have our great defender, who is all powerful, all knowing, ever present at all times. Peace is found in trusting in, relying on, and clinging to God. Our hope and faith is built on the Creator of all there is. We seek and find peace when it is all laid at His feet and we are carried through in His ever loving arms. We do not know when life will throw us trials and troubles. Keep your eyes, heart and mind on the only one who can and will protect, lead, and give you place of refuge.

Judgement is for God

“You judge according to the flesh;”

“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.”

John 7:24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Psalms 82:2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?

Proverbs 17:15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.

Proverbs 24:23 These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good.

Isaiah 11:3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

James 2:1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.

James 2:9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin

Habakkuk 1:4 So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.

John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Judging is an easy trap to fall into. Sometimes we judge by appearance and other times by what we hear. We make assumptions when we do this. If we see a person dressed very nicely we may think they are successful and just the opposite for someone not dressed so well. In fact we may even treat them both differently. The bible has examples of this in the new testament. Jesus was talking about the man who pleaded with God for forgiveness, simple stating forgive me a sinner. Another stood before God and said I am thankful I am not like that person. Another example was with the man who gave money and made sure those around knew how much he gave. This was compared to the old poor woman who gave 2 pennies. In the first example the man asking for forgiveness did so with humble (fear) respect and reliance on God and the other man did so with pride in self. In the second example the old poor woman gave all she had where the rich person gave out of his abundance. It is so easy to judge by appearance and yet it is so wrong. Another example would be of the two who were being crucified along either side of Jesus. Standing back in the crowd one might judge them all as worthless sinners deserving this punishment. Yet one would join Jesus in paradise and the other condemned to hell. When it comes to a mans heart only God truly knows. We do well to treat all mankind with grace, mercy and love proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, salvation and eternal life.

They believed His words

“Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.”

“with minds set on earthly things.”

John 6:26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Psalms 106:12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert;

Ezekiel 33:31 And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

Romans 16:18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites,

Philippians 2:21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 6:5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

How many times do we act this same way? “Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel” Where we do not wait for His leading. Where our ears are not listening for His guidance. Where our heart is set on me, myself, and I. When the people asked Jesus what works must we do to be doing the work of God, He said believe in whom He sent. But there is more to “believing” than a thought process in our brain. This belief changes us, or should. Scripture today speaks of many who believed but their belief was not heart and soul deep. God said to love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind. Give God all your heart, soul and mind. Spend time in His word. Learn of Him and how to serve Him. Love Him more than things of this world. Learn to give. Learn to love, learn to serve, learn to make disciples, learn to give, learn to hope, learn to grow faith, learn for His wisdom. Spend time in His word. Through believing these actions become evidenced; humble service, God honoring, following faithfully, obeying completely, listening fully, waiting patiently, giving generously, praising and thanking continually.

My Father’s house

Zechariah 14:21 And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day.

Matthew 21:12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

John 2:15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”

Isaiah 4:3 And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem,

Isaiah 35:8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.

Ezekiel 44:9 “Thus says the Lord GOD: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel, shall enter my sanctuary.

Joel 3:17 “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it.

1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

1 Peter 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

We know from scripture why the temple was built, what it’s purpose was, and how people were to revere God. Over time man turned what was intended to be Holy into something it was not intended for. Outward appearances of obeying through performance of acts deemed to be in line with God’s expectations. We see it became a house of trade where people were making money selling animals for sacrifice. Christ walked into the temple and drove out these merchants and buyers. Their heart was not inline with obedience to God but rather to a system of false seeking of God for forgiveness. The old form of temple worship is gone and God replaced it with Jesus Christ the corner stone. “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” True worship begins with the heart, mind and soul in absolute reverence to God. We must be mindful of “drifting away” as those in history have done. Man seems to keep lowering expectations of what it means to serve God. There are many things in life, just as there was in the past, that water down and dilute what it means to serve God which always results in drifting away from God, but still thinking you are alright. Humbly serving, honoring, following, obeying God should always be growing. Anything less is drifting away – Having a form of Godliness but lacking the heart, mind, and soul commitment. We all do well to ask God to search our heart and lead us down paths that honor Him.

For Whom we exist

“ yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”

“ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

““Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

Malachi 2:10 Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?

Isaiah 63:16 For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.

Matthew 3:9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

Luke 3:8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

John 8:39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,

Job 31:15 Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?

Psalms 100:3 Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Acts 17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

It is good to be reminded and know life, breath, and everything is from God and we are His! He made us and we are His people. He has redeemed us. We exist for Him through Jesus Christ. Because of this we are to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey. This will have different meaning to each of us. Yet I have to wonder if we truly believe that He has given us everything and we exist for Him alone. Our culture lends itself to leading us down paths without God. We trust in forgiveness but walk in sin with no thought of whom we exist to serve. We rely on our conscious to direct us but feed it very little with His word. We shut our ears to His leading and expect Him to bless, protect, guide, love, and answer our weak prayers. The thing is we are no different than those of which history speaks. We, like them, get easily distracted by things of this world, lusts of our flesh, and covet what we see with our eyes. These paths of the world should not be those we walk. Our path is the path for whom we exist. To know this path, to walk this path, and to stay on this path we need to continually grow our desire to know and serve Him. Stay in His word each day – serve, follow and obey His leading.

Come, Listen to me

“Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”

Psalms 66:5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.

Psa 66:16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.

Psalms 46:8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.

Psalms 111:2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.

Psalms 126:1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.

Psalms 34:2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.

Psalms 71:18 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.

Malachi 3:16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.

1 Timothy 1:15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

Psalms 22:23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.

Psalms 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found

“Come and see”, “Come and hear”, and “Come behold”, His works, awesome deeds and what He has done for my soul. These are invitations to us from God’s word. It is an offer that must be accepted or rejected/turned down. An invitation does not force us to accept it. There are consequences either way. There are visible actions in the lives of those who choose one or the other. “Great are His works and studied by those who delight in them”. His works are studied by those who delight in them. One outcome here would be reading His word and thinking about what has been read. Another outcome would be to believe in Him and having a desire to see His handiwork in creation. Other outcomes would be; humble service, listening for His whispers of guidance, wanting to be lead by Him, learning what honors and glorifies Him, praying to Him, telling others of Him and His what He has done not only historically but what He is currently doing in their life, looking forward to eternity with Him, praising Him, etc….. On the other hand, for those who reject these invitations we see; little to no time spent in His word, no speaking of Him, not hearing His whispers of guidance, not seeking to be led by Him, self satisfaction, not looking at His handiwork in creation, no thought of eternity, no speaking to others about Him. Commit to accept His invitation and spend time in His word learning of His steadfast love, power, grace, mercy, and might. Be aware of the consequences of accepting or rejecting His invitation. “Behold I stand at the door and knock” Can you hear Him knocking at your hearts door? Choose to open your heart’s door to Him and commit to humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying Him.