Good morning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

Did you know that there is a wild fig tree that was entered into the Guinness book of records as having the deepest roots that have penetrated the Earth, approximately 400 feet deep.  It was found in the Echo Caves, near Ohrigstad, Transvaal, South Africa. These caves were eventually declared a national monument.  It’s hard to imagine that a fig tree could have a root that deep inside the ground.  Up here in Northern Minnesota we have numerous trees, but we really don’t have the opportunity to see what’s going on underneath the ground.  A lot of people don’t want to plant certain trees in their backyard because their roots are capable of ruining their septic system and can wreak havoc with pipes and residences. 

This reminds me of a Christian Life.

In the same way, there is an evil taproot that can grow deep down into a person’s heart, and produce a lot of damage in someone’s life.  It’s the love of money, the root of all evil.

1 Timothy 6:6-10  But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

The word content means to be satisfied with what one has, or not wanting more or something else. It’s being pleased with your situation and not hoping for change or improvement:. Paul had this feeling inside of his heart.

Philippians 4:11  Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Hebrews 13:5  ……..be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Being poor is not a sin in the scriptures, because they are blessed by God.  The quest to be rich is the sin.  

James 2:5  Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

You cannot serve God and Mammon, because the love is divided, and something becomes greater in your life than serving Jesus.

Matthew 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Consider this following passage.

Luke 12:13-21  And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.  And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Those who are rich have abundant possessions and especially material wealth.  This man had so much that he chose to retire early and live off what he had made during his lifetime.  Instead of choosing to bless others what God had given him, he chose to serve himself.

James 5:1-6  Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.   Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.  Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.  Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.  Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.  Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

Psalms 37:16  A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

The poor are looked down upon.

Proverbs 14:20  The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.

Attempting to be worldly wealthy is man’s wisdom, not Gods.  

Proverbs 23:4  Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

Love for possession and Earthly gain chokes the love for God’s Word, because instead of seeking Him, they seek after the things of the world.

Matthew 13:22  He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

You have to remember that everything in this world is someday going to be burned up and dissolved.  It’s going to matter what you did with what you had while you were here.  What’s the old saying, you can’t take it with you! 

1 John 2:15-17  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

To truly do the will of God from your heart you really need to put away substance seeking.  When our eyes are focused on the world, they are not placed on Him.  It’s a root that needs to be cut off, because all that it will do in your life is choke off the thing that we need most of all, a close loving relationship with our precious Lord Jesus and His Word.

Don’t get entangled with the deep roots inside of…..

…..The Echo cave.

Let’s think about these things for right now, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow.  Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

When a sunflower is young, it does something rather interesting. The flower’s “face” will follow the sun as it moves across the sky. You can look at the flower in the morning and it will be facing towards the sun when it rises, and by the end of the day the flower will have flipped all the way over to the other side, as the sun sets.

I have grown many tomato plants over the years, and they, too, exhibit a similar feature. Some years I would plant my tomato seeds in the spring, but start to grow them in the house instead of the greenhouse, placing the seedlings next to a window. But because it is not as bright in the house, the young tomato plants will lean towards the window, almost falling over each other while trying to reach the sunlight on the other side.

We need to be like this as well. We need to lean towards the Son, seeking His light. We need to follow Him, and let Him lead our lives. We need to be like the apostles James, John, Peter, and Andrew, who, when Jesus said, “Follow me,” left everything behind, and followed Him.

Matthew 4:18-22  “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.”

To follow something means to go after; to pursue; to move behind in the same path or direction. This is exactly what Jesus’ disciples did. They left everything behind; their homes, their jobs, and their earthly families. They gave their entire being to the Lord, and this is what we need to do towards Christ as well.

Jesus has laid down the trail, and we need to follow. He has shown us the way, lighting up the narrow road we need to take, and has given us all the instructions that we need to reach Him at the end of it.

John 12:26  “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”

To follow Jesus means that we need to deny ourselves what we want and want to do, but this is something that many people have a difficult time understanding or obeying. The life of a Christian is not multiple choice, where you get to do what you want, and live whatever way you please. We do what He wants, and live the way that He wants us to live. We conform ourselves to Christ.

Luke 9:23  “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Like those sunflowers follow the sun across the sky, searching for its light, let us follow the true Light which is Jesus, so we may receive His life.

John 8:12  “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

They claim that one of the most dangerous jobs in World War II was located on the underside of a B17, seated inside of a plexiglass rotating ball turret that served to protect the belly of the aircraft.  Inside were two light barrel 50 caliber machine guns, which the gunner fired from within its very cramped workspace.  The interior was so small, barely 4 feet in diameter, that most people couldn’t even wear a parachute while inside of it.  You had a safety belt that held you in place just in case the turret got shredded to bits.  If it did, you were left hanging in the wind thousands of feet up in the air.  I don’t know if Northern Minnesota winters could even compare to the bitter Sub-Zero temperatures that left the Gunner’s hands and feet constantly numb.  One of the reasons why the turret was such an extremely dangerous work atmosphere, was that it offered almost no protection from flac.  It was right out in the open and there was nowhere that you could hide from enemy fire.  In case the plane had to land with the wheels up, it could result in their death as well.  To take on this extremely difficult job, you needed to be ready and willing to be constantly shot at, as the enemies took their aim and fired at you.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

It’s a soldier’s life, serving on the front lines of the true faith that was once delivered under the saints.  It’s hazardous and dangerous, but it’s the greatest battle that a man could ever embark on.  Stepping into that ball turret took courage, just as a soldier of Christ today, capable of fighting against those who resist God’s Word.  Soldiers of Christ need to be filled with Spiritual ammo and step up and take a stand for the truth and whatever the cost.  

In the world today, the devil is alive and well and continues to fight against the truth.  More men need to come forward and do the thing that a lot of people don’t want to do.  The laborers are few, and a lot more courageous men need to step up to the plate.   Someone needs to be preaching.  Someone needs to pick up the armor of God, strap themselves in, and get ready for battle.  It’s a high visibility job, fraught with danger, but someone needs to boldly get inside that turret, because it’s a job that MUST be done.

Ephesians 6:10-17  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

The devil must be resisted with truth.  He is a complete liar, and it’s the sword of Holy Writ that one must use to knock him down.  Jesus fought the devil in the wilderness with scripture.  Satan has hated God since the garden of Eden, who seduced Eve to believe a lie and disobey God.  He is the father of lies.

John 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Just as you put a belt on, our lives need to be surrounded with the truth of scripture. It needs to be retained in our hearts, minds and souls each and every day.  

John 8:31-32  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

The Christian Life is very much a battle against evil.  We don’t use Earthly weapons or guns and grenades, it’s a Spiritual fight of faith.  It’s our faith that protects us just like an earthly shield in the military.  When the devil throws things at you in a battle, the shield of faith will protect you, that’s a promise from scripture.  It’s a fight of faith that needs to be fought.

1 Timothy 6:12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Unlike a 50 caliber machine gun that can only pierce the physical body, God’s Word is a spiritual sword that penetrates deep within the soul and Spirit.  It is the greatest weapon ever created against the lies of the devil.  Those who choose to fight against it, will only find themselves in a losing battle.

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Today there is a war that is raging on this Earth.  It’s a planetary war of biblical truth.  The ball turret gunner went through a lot of hardship, but when you choose the Christian Life, you had better be prepared for the same.  You must get ready for persecution, harassment, and suffering, to which we are called.  We must take our seat on the plane, do our duty, and get back home.

2 Timothy 2:3-4  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

Maybe you are ready to enlist in God’s army and take your seat, inside…

…. The Ball Turret

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com

Have you ever looked through a newspaper, searching for a good deal on an item? Maybe you wanted to get something for the house, but you weren’t exactly certain what quite yet, so you looked at an ad for a local department store to see if they had something you liked. Upon finding that item, you then could go and pick it up from the store. But until you saw the item you just purchased, you didn’t really know what you were going to get.

Retail stores use this as an effective money maker. As a person stands in line and waits to purchase their things, they often have nothing to do but wait until it is their turn. So what do the stores do? They fill up shelves on each side of the customer with all sorts of different things, trying to get their customers to “impulse buy,” which is buying something without planning to do so, as a result of a sudden whim. 

But you see, the store had to put those items there by the checkout to make you aware of those things. The store had to print up those ads in a newspaper so that their customers could see what was on sale, otherwise no one would ever know.

Similarly, how can people know about Jesus unless someone tells them about what He did for them on the cross? How can they believe in Jesus and accept Him as their Savior if no one talks to them about Him? 

Romans 10:13-15  “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

This is the duty of a preacher. A preacher spreads the knowledge of Christ’s love to others, and teaches them the word of God. They are spiritual farmers, planting seeds of faith into the hearts of those who have not heard about Jesus, as well as tending their current flock. Not every seed of faith will take root, grow, and mature, as it says in Matthew 13, but it is the duty of that preacher to continue on planting those new seeds into hearts.

The world needs to hear about Jesus. Although they may not know it yet, they need Christ’s saving grace. They need to come to Him so that they too can live forever with Jesus in His kingdom. But it is not going to get done by itself. A store will not sell anything if they don’t let the public know they are there. 

Christian men everywhere need to grab their Bibles and start spreading the Word. They need to let others know that there is something that everyone needs, that there is Someone that they need. They need Jesus. The laborers are few, so do as much as you can in the name of Christ!

Luke 10:2  “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”

In Christ,

Andrew

Did you know that there are at least 20,000 known types of bees in the world? Did you also know that out of all of those different species, it is only the honeybee that will die after they sting you? The other stinging bees such as the yellowjacket and hornets have a type of stinger that allows them to safely remove their stingers, but a honeybee has a different type of stinger that has barbs on it, which when inserted into skin will become stuck. Well this presents a deadly problem for the honeybee because they have no way to free themselves. The result is that after pulling and pulling, they begin to pull their stinger out of themselves, effectively disemboweling themselves and sealing their demise.

When people fight against God and His Son Jesus, they are like that bee, only causing and bringing a certain death upon themselves. They fight and resist the teachings of Christ, and try to do things their own way. They refuse to follow the already-set path that Jesus has shown us. They reject anything associated with Jesus, and when they do this what they are doing is condemning their own selves to an eternal death.

These types of people, because of their unbelief, will not submit to the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Look at how many religions and belief sets that are out in the world currently, each group believing something different from the others, and all of them believing in something other than the one and only true way, which is found in Christ Jesus. It is only through Jesus that we have salvation. It is only through what He did that we even have the opportunity of eternal life, but sadly there are so many people continue to fight against Him.

Acts 4:12  “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

And as I said earlier, when these people choose to fight against Christ’s will for them, they have no one to blame but themselves when they are turned away at the day of judgement. They chose to “pull out the stinger” from themselves by continuing to fight and resist, and they will receive the consequence for their actions. Fighting against Christ is sin, and as Romans 6:23 says,  “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

What is it that makes someone so intent on fighting against Jesus? Pride, for one. The feeling that “I don’t need any help. I don’t need saving, because I am good enough and can save myself.” It is pride that will keep a person from asking for help. Well I have news for these individuals: we need all of the help that we can get from Jesus, because we certainly cannot get to heaven on our own. 

Another thing that will keep a person out of heaven? The refusal to change, and the refusal to admit sin. 

We must be born again. Must. It means that it is something that is required, and cannot be done without. We must be born again, and become as little children. We need to forget everything that we thought we knew, and relearn everything the correct way-the way of Christ. We need to stop fighting against God, and allow Him to take control of our lives.

John 3:5-7  “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”

Don’t be like the honeybee that pulls and fights until they cause their own death. Allow Jesus to come into your life and lead you to the promised land. 

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

The Challenger Deep is the lowest point in the Mariana Trench, believed by some to be one of the deepest places in all the oceans of the world.  They claim that it is almost 36,000 ft deep, and stretches approximately 1500 miles along the western Pacific.  The pressure at that depth is completely unbearable and reaches over 7 tons per square inch.  Imagine setting the entire weight of a semi tractor on your finger, then you’ll know the extreme weight that we are talking about.  There have been ships that have sunk into the ocean that are unretrievable because of their depth.

Some people are unretrievable too.  No matter how much you care and love them, they make themselves completely unsalvageable because they shipwreck their faith.  They sink their souls just like a sub heading to the bottom of the ocean, into a place of impenitence, and unrepentance.  With God all things are possible but when people reject Christ and his teachings, it is impossible to lead this group of people back to a place of repentance. It’s impossible to get them to change their mind.  It’s impossible to get them to rethink what they are doing.  It’s impossible to get them to change their course or direction.

Hebrews 6:4-8  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:  But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

A submarine can be torpedoed, lose control and sink all the way to the bottom of the ocean.  Someone who professes to be a Christian can do the same thing.  Judas betrayed Jesus and went to the authorities.  Esau gave up his faith for a morsel of meat. In the Christian Life there is no turning back from your faith.  It’s the Pearl of great price.  It’s the greatest treasure that you could ever find.  It was worth so much to Moses that he turned away from all the treasures of Egypt to obtain it.

But for the people spoken of in this passage, they take the greatest riches that they could ever possess, and throw it right back in God’s face.  They take the heavenly gift of God’s mercy and forgiveness, and reject it because of their impenitent heart.  They never used God’s grace to bring about a change in their life.  The gift that they were given was received in vain, never resulting in a new direction or a moral purpose.  Punishment is coming. 

Hebrews 10:26-31  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.  He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:  Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?  For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Purposeful, wilful sin is very grievous because it is sinning against God’s grace.

2 Peter 2:20-22  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Once you become a Christian there’s no turning back.

Let’s think about these things for right now, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow.  Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

In high school, what kind of a person were you? Were you considered “popular” or were you someone who not very many people liked to be around or associate with? For the latter, it doesn’t feel the greatest, does it? It is not a very pleasant experience to be disliked.  

However, when we become Christians it is this very experience that we will likely face. As Christians, we need to accept the fact that the world is going to fight against everything associated with the name of Christ, including those who follow Him. Persecution and hatred may even come at you from those who you considered closest in your friends and family. Friends may leave you, family may separate from you and not want anything to do with you, and why? Because you choose to live for Christ, and serve Him above everything else.

There can be nothing that we allow to take precedence over Christ in our lives. Not money, not possessions, not friends, or even our families. He needs to be put first always; first in all of our decisions, actions, and speech. Because of this stand that we must take, we will be on the receiving end of persecutions, revilement, false accusations, and hatred.

But this should not be a surprise to us. Outside of His disciples and followers, Jesus Himself was hated, persecuted, and falsely accused by the world. Even many of the Jews who Jesus came to save rejected Him, and eventually crucified Him.

But what does our Lord say to us when these events happen?

Matthew 5:10-12  “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

Blessed are you. To be blessed means “having divine aid, or protection, or other blessing.” So if we are persecuted, the blessings of God will come upon us, and as we know, our God is rich in blessings. “Rejoice” Jesus tells us, for great is our reward in heaven. In this we can have great comfort and confidence, and know that even if the whole world is against us, He will be on our side.

Psalms 18:1-6  “I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.”

Good things happen to those who love God, and our times of need He will be there to deliver us from evil. He is our Shepherd, and our rock of defense, our Deliverer in our times of trouble.

Psalms 23:1-6  “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

In the world, we will have persecution, but let the Lord fill you with peace. What can man do to us when we have Christ on our side?

John 16:33  “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

In Christ,

Andrew

Hebrews 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

We all need God’s mercy if we want to be in heaven someday. There is no question about it, we all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. None are righteous, the Bible teaches, no, not one. All of us on the earth have fallen far short of perfection, and for this reason each of us all need the same thing from God: mercy.

Mercy is defined as “forgiveness or compassion, especially toward those less fortunate.”

Mercy is one of the greatest things that anyone can give to another, as it encompasses a whole realm of different qualities, such as love, grace, and patience. Without mercy, and without forgiveness from God the Father, we would have no way to be made right with Him, and thankfully our God is full of mercy. 

Just as we open our mouths to take a deep breath to fill our lungs with fresh air, we need to open our mouths and ask the Lord for mercy, grace and forgiveness. And when we ask of Him, we need to ask boldly, greatly desiring that forgiveness. Because it is only through forgiveness that we can be put back into a right relationship with God, there can be no wavering or doubt in our minds when we come asking. 

Matthew 21:22  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

James 1:6-7  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

Do any of you reading this have children? If you do, then you probably know and have experienced what it feels like when you take them to the store and they see something that they want. “Can I have that? Can I? Please? Just one?” You know, I think that the younger the child, the easier it is for them to ask for things, because they are not ashamed to ask. They don’t really get uncomfortable asking for things that they want. This is exactly how we need to be when we come to God asking for mercy. 

This next passage tells us about a man who wasn’t ashamed to ask for the Lord’s help, and look at what happened.

Luke 18:35-43  And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:

And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,

Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Do you see what happened as a result of this blind man’s faith? Even in the face of othes rebuking him and telling him to be quiet, this man cried out even more, Have mercy on me! Help me! Our great, compassionate Lord saw this man’s need, and heard his request. He saw his faith, and rewarded him with mercy.

Do you have this kind of faith? Do you have this kind of courage to ask God for mercy?

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

In 1864, before cell phones and digital clocks, a pendulum clock was built by Arther Beverly and can be found on the third floor of the Department of physics at the University of Otago,  Dunedin New Zealand.  He was an astronomer who made telescope lenses and watches, but this creation would be different then any other clock ever made.  The older clocks would eventually stop, but this one has been running each and every day continuously for 156 years without being manually wound.  It winds Itself by running off atmospheric pressure and temperature changes.  Like a perpetual motion machine, it has kept going, day in and day out, for over a century and a half, never stopping.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

When a woman is baptized by submersion into the name of Christ; when she partakes of holy Communion in the church;  when she joins herself in worship with others who call on the name of the Lord with a pure heart, and then chooses to depart from her husband, divorce him, and marry another, she abides in a perpetual state of sin. It never stops, just like the Beverly clock.  This is one of the reasons that the Apostle did not want women to get remarried if they departed from their husband.  Murder might be a one time sinful event in a persons life, but divorce and remarriage is one of the most serious sins in scripture because it never stops.  Its like murdering your true husband each and every morning.

Unbelievers live by different guidelines, but when you choose to become a Christian, you are in completely different territory than them.  Christians are called to depart from iniquity, not to live in iniquity.  Just as we make a lifelong commitment to Christ as His followers, marriage is about making a lifelong commitment to your spouse from which there is no turning back.

A person might commit adultery once in their life, but those who divorce their husband and remarry, commit adultery each and every morning when they wake up alongside someone who is not their true husband.  She arises each morning in a state of sin.  Its the same if you went out and robbed a bank each and every morning when you woke up.  Earthly law might call it marriage, but God’s law calls it fornication and adultery.  In the old Testament those who lived like this were commanded to be stoned.  The reason why is that they didn’t understand the concept of love.  Those who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ and commit these acts are far worse people than people in the Old Testament because as professing Christians, they are sinning against the blood of Christ and God’s grace.

In the Christian Life, to divorce and remarry is to abide in a perpetual state of sin, just like the Beverly clock that keeps ticking each day.  It’s like a time bomb that eventually will explode with God’s wrath and eternal punishment. Many people arrogantly laugh at the thought of this, but sadly they won’t be laughing later.  A person might steal something from someone else and then never do it again.  A person might commit fornication a few times and then never do it again.  But a professing Christian woman who divorces her husband and remarries another, lies in a bed of perpetual adultery, sinning in the eyes of God with another man day in and day out.  Divorce is forbidden by Christ.  

A husband may have wronged his wife a few times and sincerely apologized, but when she divorces him and remarries, she sins against him every morning.  To condemn her husband over a few isolated events and then commit 10,000 sins by living the rest of her life in adultery with some stranger, only reveals her holier than thou attitude and her own self-righteousness. The sins that she first condemned, she commits herself 1000 fold.  This is an example of the purest form of hypocrisy.

The only way for her to avoid eventual punishment for sin is to reconcile wirh her husband, just as the only way to undo the punishment for sin is to reconcile with God, or with a brother.  When a Christian woman gets married, she agrees to stay faithfully by her husband’s side for the rest of her life, no matter what situations may happen, good or bad.  She is never too depart her husband.  This is a command of the Lord and just like any other in scripture, it needs to be obeyed.

Nowadays a wife will leave their husband because they don’t put the toilet seat down.  That’s what they have reduced marriage to.  If you profess Christianity, it doesn’t matter what kind of person your husband is.  Women need to obey and serve him in everything.  There’s an old saying, love the one you’re with. You chose to marry them, now live with the decision that you made.  You need not fear retribution from him if you simply do what you are told.  You need not fear a judge in a courtroom if you obey him.  If you do what you are told, good things will happen.  Those who resist will certainly face jugement and be punished.

Adultery is to have sexual relationships with somebody who is not there spouse. A woman who professes Christianity who commits these deeds is a fornicator and an adultress.  Divorce and remarriage is being trapped in a daily state of sin.  When a woman departs her husband she rejects the commands of Christ.  Those who don’t obey his commands don’t love Him.  Marriage was created by God as a union until death.  Both the husband and a wife make mistakes in a marriage, but divorce is a daily mistake each day.  

Although a woman departs from her husband in rebellion against Jesus, she has the opportunity to reconcile to her husband before it’s too late, but if she enters into marriage with somebody else, she commits perpetual adultery.  When somebody divorces and remarries, each day they wake up in the bedroom to another day of sin.  It’s perpetual because it’s never ending. Its a clock of sin that keeps ticking everyday.  In a manner of speaking you’ve remarried into sin.  The only way out of it would be to renounce what you have done, renounce your divorce in a courtroom and return to the one whom you have left, if they will even have you.  

Christian marriage is a commitment for life.  If you are a follower of Christ, you need to obey your husband and stay by his side for the rest of your life.  You can quit a job, you can walk away from your house, but as a Christian you can never give up on your marriage.  Some women will completely reject this, but will be rewarded according to their works.

1 Timothy 5:12  Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.

They end up being let away by the devil and deceived, just like in the garden of Eden.

2 Timothy 3:6  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

Divorce is forbidden as a Christian.  Your spouse may leave and divorce you but never do that to them.  Staying in your marriage proves your love for Christ.  The sin isn’t upon you when they depart, it’s on them.  Divorce and remarriage is a perpetual state of sin.  It’s the proof of an unfaithful, disloyal heart to Jesus.  Although many people try to justify their decision, it wasn’t a decision that was based in Christ, because they usurp Christs commands and put asunder what He brought together.

An unbeliever may have divorced and remarried, but if you profess Christianity, this is forbidden fruit. Each morning when the adulterers wake up, God is watching their continual rebellion. They abide in a perpetual state of sin. You never want to go there women, because God is not mocked and it will be punished.  It’s only a clock of sin that keeps on ticking, never stopping, day in and day out….just like…

…The Beverly Clock.

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by Google searching, tlkjbc  where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms, such as Amazon, Spotify or Google podcasts.  We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com

Can you imagine doing something a certain way for years, only to realize later that it was completely wrong and incorrect? Wouldn’t you have wanted someone to tell you and show you the correct way?

Let’s just suppose for a moment that you spent the first half of your life believing that it was ok to go and steal anything that you wanted, until one day you got caught by the authorities and received a prison sentence. You didn’t know it at the time, but you were doing something illegal. Wouldn’t you have wanted to have been taught the correct way years earlier, so that you could have been spared that punishment?

In our current world, discipline has become somewhat of an unheard of practice. Not too long ago it was a common practice and method of punishment to “cane” a child for misbehavior in a schoolroom. The “cane” would often be made of a lighter wood stick of various tree species, and would be “applied” to a child’s backside. This type of punishment would naturally bring immediate pain and discomfort, but could also leave a welt that would provide additional discomfort for a few days.

In many older books and novels, we sometimes will read about a child being taken “out to the woodshed” to receive a few belt lashes for something wrong that they had done. And while the world that we live in today will often frown upon this kind of discipline, it was a very effective method of “chastisement,” which is the main word in our verse passage here today.

Hebrews 12:5-11  “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

Why do we have so many people in our prisons today? Maybe because they didn’t receive any punishment as a child. Maybe they didn’t receive the needed corrections as a child when they should have received them, so years later the government is left with that task. This disciplinary action is done in order to bring a change to an individual’s life.

Correction is a part of life, and it is an important part in the life of a Christian as well. When we sin, we need to be made aware that what we have done is wrong, and that it is not the way of Christ. In fact, the apostle Paul wrote that this is why the Law had been created. It was created to show people their sins, and their need to change.

Romans 7:7-9  “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.”

It was the Law that brought down punishments onto people in order for them to recognize their faults. And in the New Testament as well, we have the great commandment from Christ to love one another. This should be an obvious conclusion for everyone, but sadly many people ignore this direct command of the Lord. It is these people who need to hear the words of John the Baptist,

Luke 3:8-9  “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”

Hell is no myth, as some would like to believe, but it is a very real place. It is a place reserved for those who do not heed the chastening of the Lord, but instead rebel against it. Once again, it is through chastisement that we learn and understand right from wrong. Of course it isn’t pleasant to be punished or corrected, but it is needed to avoid a further, more damnable consequence. 

So I write to you: if you sin, hear the commands of the Lord, and listen to it. Jesus loves you, and He wants you to be with Him in Heaven. Receive the instruction of the Lord, apply it completely to your life, and spare yourself from the fires of hell. 

In Christ,

Andrew