Note: We are receiving secret alms. Whatever it may be will be noted here so that you will know that we received them.  When done in secret, God will reward thee openly!

2/15/22 – 2 pair blue Berne work coveralls

Good morning and welcome in. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of Ephesians, but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.

Every morning there are people in the world who rise up and get ready to go to work.  For some of them, they will put the key in the ignition and drive their own car, while others patiently wait by the bus stop. Some might hail a taxi but many will choose to get on the subway.  Most of you probably understand that the subway is an underground train system or an underground passage that people must go through in order to get to their final destination.

A subway reminds me of the Christian Life because in order to obtain eternal life, we must go through the narrow tunnel of faith.  We must develop tunnel vision.

Ephesians 2:8-10  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

When you possess faith, you have trust and believe in someone very strongly. It is also defined as belief in God or the doctrines and teachings of a certain religion.  It is fair to say that if we truly have faith in Christ, we are going to believe and trust the things that He teaches in the Holy Scriptures.  Biblical faith will also result in doing God’s will, because pleasing God is a part of our salvation.

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that do it the will of my Father which is in heaven.

We are saved by the grace of God, but one must always remember that it is through faith. This is why it’s so important to understand what faith really is.  Grace and faith are two different sides of the same coin.  They are two things that work together to complete our salvation. How many of you would go outside in the winter wearing only one glove or one boot?  We need to have both of them on,  just as we need grace and faith together to obtain eternal life someday.

Many people actually believe that they will be in heaven someday because they feel like they are a decent, good, upright person while the truth is we aren’t.  If we were truly good, we wouldn’t physically die, but would live forever!  Death is the result of sin which we have all inherited and has been passed down since the garden of Eden.  

Romans 5:12-14  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:. (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

The bible concludes that all of us have sinned at one time or another and come short of the glory of God.  There are none righteous, no, not one.  We can become righteous but only through faith in Jesus and following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

First of all, the only way that any of us will ever be able to inherit eternal life is by getting forgiven with God which is only available through His only begotten Son, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

There is only one way that we can access God’s forgiveness and it is by accepting Jesus as the sacrifice and atonement for our sins. Do you remember in the Old Testament when the Jews put blood on their doors to save them from death when they were in Egypt?  In the New Testament, God sent His lamb Jesus as a sacrifice to save us from the death of our sins, and to grant us life.

We can never get to a point in our lives where we could ever do enough works to somehow make up for the past.  If that were the case, it would be called reparations rather than forgiveness.  Through faith in Christ is the complete and utter expungement of sin, not because of how good we are, but because of how good GOD is!

Nothing we can do can undo the past misdeeds we have committed.  This is why forgiveness is a divine gift because it is something that we don’t deserve and can’t earn, we simply must receive it.  This gift is only available through faith in Jesus Christ.  

Human nature does not want to forgive others, but wants to punish and retaliate. God grants us a free gift of His mercy and grace when we place our faith in Jesus.  Our sins add up to a sin debt that we owe God, but through Jesus, this debt of sin can be completely forgiven and washed away.  This is why Jesus died on the cross, to pay our sin debts for us.  

Again, many people feel that if they do enough good works and deeds that they will be able to enter into heaven forever someday, while the truth is that we all have sins that need to be forgiven.  Jesus is the door to forgiveness with God whom we must go through in order to obtain it.

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.

Salvation is a gift by God’s grace but again, it is through the passageway of faith.  Genuine faith will result in works and works are the evidence of our faith in God.  

James 2:17-18  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

We conclude that faith is something that you can see with your eyes.

James 2:20-22  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?  Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

James 2:26  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Remember that Noah built a huge ship that was a result of his huge faith in God.  It is through his faithful work that his family was saved from the flood as they rode his ship of faith through the flood to their new destination.  

God grants us a free gift of his forgiveness but in order to get to our final destination it’s going to require each of us to get aboard the subway of faith and develop some…

…..Tunnel Vision

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Good morning and welcome in. 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.

Up here in northern Minnesota we tend to see a lot of wildlife on the side of the road.  Andrew and I have seen black bears, bobcats, and even a moose.  But one of the most highly visible creatures seems to be the white tailed deer.  Although they are pretty animals, they are very unpredictable. If you see one of them in the middle of the highway you can never really be sure which way they will go, or what they will do.  They may turn gently to the right but then go in the complete opposite direction.  They will be walking gracefully across the highway, but then all of a sudden jump wildly into an oncoming vehicle.  

If there’s any animal that I’ve known up here in Minnesota that can’t seem to make up their mind, it’s a white tailed deer.  They cannot make a decision and stay on course because of which, many of them sadly wind up dead.

2 Timothy 4:7 – I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

Making a decision to follow Christ is the most important decision that can ever be made in your life because it has to do with eternal salvation.  The Apostle Paul finished his course and kept the faith, but there will be many people who begin the christian life but eventually turn away from it.

1 John 2:18-19  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.   They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

These are people who were a part of the church at one time, following the faith and teachings that were handed down by the Apostles, but then, turned away from it, going in the opposite direction.  It’s similar to what Lot’s wife did.  When they were called out of Sodom, she turned back which ultimately resulted in her own demise.  

The word “anti” means opposed to or against, applied to those who stand in opposition to biblical truth.  Instead of having a faithful heart with a desire to please God and to do His will, they abandon truth to believe and follow a lie.  When they resist the truth they are resisting Christ because He is the truth. Resist means to withstand, strive against, or to oppose.

2 Timothy 3:8  Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

In the church the Apostle teaches to have the mind of Christ. (1cor 2:16), yet those who are fighting against scripture have a corrupt mind. Instead of humble submission to the one who died for us, they reject His will.  Corrupt means to change from the correct or original form.  Instead of abiding and remaining in the truth, they turn away. A reprobate rebels against the purpose and calling of God, very similar to a child who rebels against their earthly dad.  Those who treat God this way after becoming a believer will have it far worse for them than when they first chose to come out from the world, that’s a promise.

2 Peter 2:20-21  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.

Have you ever got entangled in something so deep that you couldn’t get out?

Turning away from biblical truth is like stepping into a pile of quicksand.  It can start with one little step of sin, but the lack of penitence and contrition will lead down a spiraling path of disobedience.  The longer you continue on the path the deeper it takes you down, entangling you within its grasp.

In the Christian faith, we are washed of our sins through the blood of Christ so that we can serve and obey Him in love.  But instead of remaining in the faith and continuing on the narrow path of Christ, these people abandon it and get back on the wide road of sin from which they originally left.  Instead of using God’s grace to grow, they reject His will and jump back in the mud of sin, departing from the one true faith.

1 Timothy 4:1-2  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

Jesus taught that there would be some who would only last for a while in the faith.

Matthew 13:20-21  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

The Apostle Paul described the Christian life as a race but in order to cross the finish line, you need to stay in the race. God gives us grace in time of need so that we can get back up and overcome the carnal nature.   Some won’t last, and will drop out because they love their own sinful lusts, rather than loving the truth in Christ.

2 Timothy 4:3-4  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Instead of embracing scriptural teaching, they are contentious, and the only thing they have to look forward to in that state is God’s wrath.

Romans 2:8  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

The Apostle warned Timothy that there were some who were already turning away from the faith.

1 Timothy 5:15  For some are already turned aside after Satan.

2 Timothy 1:15  This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

Each day we have to make decisions about where we want to go, and what directions we are going to take in order to get there.

1 Kings 18:21 Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.

Joshua 24:15 – And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Today I ask you, who are you going to follow, Jesus Christ or the world?  Will you follow His narrow path or the wide road of sin?  Make up your mind but I beg you, please don’t go the wrong way on the highway and commit the same error as ….

….the whitetail.

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 all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.

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Note: Any copies may be printed and freely distributed among those who have no internet service. There is no AI creative involvement in my writings, and must be left intact because they are very personal to me. These are not to be sold, and are made public only for the free benefit of Spiritual knowledge to those who are genuinely seeking the will of God.

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

Up here in northern Minnesota, a lot of us like to go fishing because we have so many lakes available.  Some mornings when we are getting the boats ready to go, we realize that we got a little bit of rain overnight.  Even though the drain plug was pulled, there is still some water that you have to get out of the bottom of the boat, otherwise your shoes are going to get all wet.  Many fishermen will reach for a sponge that they have in their toolbox.  A sponge has very absorbent qualities in order to soak up liquid.  In the Christian faith, we need to possess these same kinds of qualities by absorbing sin.   Instead of retaliating against others who sin against us, like water in a boat, we suffer and soak it all up.

1 Peter 4:1-2 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

Because I used to work at a school each day, I used to deal with kids who sometimes would get into fights with each other. When you get hit or punched by somebody else, the first reaction and desire in our human nature is to want to retaliate, because we want to fight back.  We want to avenge ourselves and punch them in return. This is a natural reaction caused by the carnal nature.

James 4:1  From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

In Christianity, Jesus teaches us a different way.  Just take a look at what He did for us at the cross. Jesus is God’s only begotten Son who has great power and authority.  Everything that you see was created by Him.  He is perfect, and sinless and never wronged anybody, yet he was crucified mercilessly on a cross in Jerusalem.  He could have destroyed the entire world and fought back.  He could have called out legions of angels to punish the wickedness of this world for what was being done to him.  As God’s only begotten, He had complete authority to do that, but he chose a different path, He willingly chose to suffer and lay down His own life instead.

………Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind:……

Suffering In the flesh is when others hurt you but you choose not to fight back.  It’s being passive.  This is the way of Christ Jesus.  It is completely opposite from the mindset and teachings of this world.  When Judas turned on Jesus and they came to take Jesus away at the Garden of Gethsemane, even though Peter cut off the ear of Malchus, (John 18:10), Jesus healed him right on the spot. 

Luke 22:47-51  And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him.

But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?

When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?  And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.  And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.  

Malchus was an enemy, coming to apprehend Him, yet Jesus completely healed him. Instead of avenging Himself and pouring out His wrath, He suffered it and extended a merciful act of kindness and to him instead.  However we suffer, physically, emotionally or mentally, we are supposed to bear it, as Christ bore our sins.  There are many people who profess to be Christian who go into courtrooms and sue others at the law, rather than suffering the wrongs committed against them.  It’s not the way Christ, it’s the way of the flesh.

1 Corinthians 6:6-7  But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.  Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?

Suffering with the wrongs committed against us shows that you believe in what Jesus did for each of us at the cross.  When the Christian doesn’t retaliate, God will step in and retaliate on their behalf.  

2 Thessalonians 1:6  Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

Unlike Earthly battles that have been fought with other men, their battle will be with God.  The Lord Jesus is watching and will avenge the wrongs committed against His own elect.  The battle belongs to Him.

Luke 18:7-8  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily…..

Romans 12:19  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

When people were completely against him, when they spoke evil about Him and eventually sentenced Him unjustly to death on the cross, He resisted the urge to fight back.  He could have destroyed them all, but he didn’t.  He laid down His own life.

Hebrews 12:2-4  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

It’s because of His patience and mercy that any of us could ever attain eternal life.

2 Peter 3:15  And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation;…..

2 Peter 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any sehould perish, but that all should come to repentance.

All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Jesus suffered and died at the cross because of our sins not his own. Christians are called into the same kind of sufferings when people sin against us, patiently waiting for God’s deliverance.

1 Peter 2:19-25  For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.  For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:  Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:  Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.  For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

It doesn’t feel good when people hurt and sin against you.  The carnal nature wants to fight back and inflict the same punishment back upon them, but when sin completely surrounds us, just like a sponge we need to learn to

…..soak it all up.

Let’s think about these things for today and Lord willing, we can talk some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

In a nearby city not too far from where we live, there used to be a large, old building. Nearly one hundred years old, this building had become rather costly to upkeep, repair, and heat during our cold winters, and the decision was made to tear it down. It was no longer suitable for use due to it’s decrepit state and one day excavators and dump trucks were hauled in and within a short time the entire building had been leveled, and hauled away, leaving just a barren dirt plot of land. It had been destroyed, just like how this Earth is going to be someday.

2 Peter 3:10-13  “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”

This world was originally created to be a perfect place. Pure, undefiled, and free from sin, but at the start of “the Fall” (the first sin), sin began to spread like wildfire throughout the world and it’s inhabitants. Lying, fornication, covetousness, deceit- all of these things and more were passed down through the generations and polluted this Earth. People began to construct idols, creating “gods” for themselves to worship. For thousands of years, this has gone on. Sin, after sin, after sin, corrupting the world.

The building I wrote of above had a beginning, just like the Earth. And just as how that building eventually got old and needed to be torn down, this Earth will too, someday, be destroyed.

It has been several years since that building was torn down, and when we pass by that empty lot you would never have guessed that there was anything there at all. It is like this passage in Isaiah 65.

Isaiah 65:17-20 “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.

And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.”

Once again, a new heaven and a new earth are being created. Before Jesus left this Earth to be with His Father, he left us this promise, that He is going to be preparing a place for us, and that when He comes again He will take us there.

John 14:1-3  “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

Jesus is preparing a place for us, and is coming again to bring us back with Him to that place. 

There is going to be a new Jerusalem. “New” meaning that it has never been seen before, because this Jerusalem is going to be destroyed, along with the rest of the Earth. He is going to take us away, on that day of His second coming. The dead in Christ will be raised up first (1 Thess. 4:16) and those who are alive when Jesus returns will altogether be raised up to meet our Lord in the air as He takes us to our new home.

A new heaven and a new earth. A new Jerusalem. How wonderful does that sound! No sadness, no pain, no death. No sin. Eternal life. For that day, we wait.

In Christ,

Andrew

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

Andrew and I have cut a lot of firewood over the years since we have a wood burning cook stove in our house. Over the years, through much trial and error, I have learned how to grind and sharpen chainsaw blades. Having a fresh blade in the woods will save you hours of work, as long as you don’t hit dirt or a boulder. 

One day I can remember spending a half-hour sharpening a saw blade until the chisels were like razors, then completed the task by filing down all the depth gauges to the proper length.  Andrew fired up the old pickup, and off we went into the thicket to find our load.  We finally got to our site, found some dead and downed trees, and I gave a few quick jerks on the starter rope to get the engine to roar to life.

But when I tried to quickly slice through the first tree, I noticed that my new blade wasn’t cutting anything! I shut the motor off and after a few moments of examining the bar, quickly discovered the problem.  I had put the chainsaw blade on backwards!  

This event always reminds me of the Christian Life. 

Just like my saw blade, each of us need to turn ourselves around if we truly want to be blessed by God.  He wants to do a work inside each of our hearts but we need to be going the right way for that to happen.  We must turn away from our own human desires that are  formulated deep within the carnal nature, and begin to head the right direction so that we can undergo a conversion and transformation in our souls. This can happen through the power of the Holy Spirit, and the teachings of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Acts 3:26  Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

We must understand that if we are going to make a heartfelt attempt to become a Christian it means becoming a follower of the teachings of Jesus Christ.  When you follow something it means taking their path and going their direction.  Each of us have grown up in this world following its philosophies and teachings but Christianity begins by recognizing that we have to turn around and follow Jesus.  At first glance it seemed that my sawchain was going the right way, but proved otherwise. 

Proverbs 16:25  There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

The Lord wants to lead us on a new path but it’s going to require doing an about-face and turning from the darkness of sinful living to walking in the light.  This is what He instructed the Apostle to do.

Acts 26:18-20  To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

How many of you have had a child abruptly leave the dining room table during supper? They decided to go into the living room and play with some toys instead.  As a parent you retrieve them, turn them around, and walk them back to the table.  Just like a child, all of us need to be turned around and put back on the right path. 

Paul was attempting to do this very thing by pointing people back to God and His Only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  When we open up our eyes to Jesus and His teachings, we can see the way of the world for what it truly is, a lie. 

Acts 14:15  And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

When people turn to Christ they can receive forgiveness for their sins.  When we place faith and trust in Him as our savior, we can become cleansed and sanctified from our transgressions which can result in a new life.

Acts 3:19 – Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Conversion is the act or process of changing.  It’s a change from one direction to another, from one belief or opinion to another, from the path of sin to the path of righteousness.  True conversion is an internal change that happens within the heart when you open your eyes and ears to biblical truth.  Through faith in Christ, we can receive the Holy Spirit in order to win this battle against the flesh.  

Acts 28:27 – For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Jesus is the great physician who wants to heal our hearts from the penalty of our own sinfulness.  He wants to free our consciences and minds through the blood that He shed for us at the cross, but it’s going to first require humility on our part.  

Matthew 18:1-4  At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?   And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,   And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.   Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

The world and its ways are very deceitful. It can really fool you into believing that everything is going to work out fine while the truth is, a change is needed for the better.  God cares for us greatly but he wants all men to accept the truth and come to a place of repentance which requires turning around.  Although it may look like we’re going the right way, and even feel like we’re going the right way, if it’s not the way of Christ, it is the wrong way to go.  Remember what I learned from the lesson of my saw blade.  Going the wrong way,……

…..Just doesn’t cut it.

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing, we’ll talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody.❤️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

If you walk into a lumberyard, what would you expect to find there? Probably boards of various sizes, tools, and other things associated with building construction. But what if you walked into this lumberyard and next to the drywall and fiberglass insulation you found raw hamburger meat and pork chops on a shelf? It would seem very out of place, wouldn’t it? That is because it is a lumberyard, not a grocery store.

Well, when people come to church, what should be the reason for gathering together? The church is a place to come to learn about the teachings of Christ, and to worship Him. But in Mark 11, some people where using the temple not for worship, but to make money.

Mark 11:15-17 “And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;

And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.

And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.”

The church is a place to come to worship the Lord, not an opportunity to make money or a place to base your business out of, but that is what some of these people were doing in the temple, and it upset the Lord greatly. So great was His anger that He took those who were buying and selling and threw them out of the temple.

In a way it is somewhat similar to when, back in the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church would sell “indulgences” which were monetary payments which, supposedly, would absolve a person of their past sins, and/or could release someone from purgatory after death. That obviously is a practice found no where in the Bible, and forgiveness of sins is a free gift from Christ, but the point that I am trying to make is that the church is not a “money-making” venture, nor should it ever be.

But this is what some “churches” have done. Not all, of course, but some of these “churches” have turned their church buildings into a sales barn, selling everything from clothing and knick nacks in their gift shops, to selling tickets for a seat in the audience. This is not supposed to be.

If the people of the church congregation decided that they wanted to give some money or other things to Paul for his time spent helping them to grow in the word, then he would accept it, but he wasn’t holding out his hand demanding payment, or out selling T-shirts or books from the pulpit.

To sell things in a church building is like being invited over to a friend’s house for dinner, but when you get there, there is some random person standing right outside the door demanding to be paid first. It’s not right.

The Lord’s house is a house of prayer, built on the teachings of Christ. Not money.

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of Romans.

Romans 2:5-8 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;  Who will render to every man according to his deeds:  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

When somebody is impenitent they don’t feel any shame or regret about their actions or attitudes.  They lack a feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something that has happened or been done.  When you do something wrong to God or others it should make you feel sorry enough to apologize and admit fault.  When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us of our iniquities.  This group of people have no sorrow about their sin or sins and are obdurate.

Luke 18:10-14  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.  

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Because of pride and a lack of contrition, the Pharisee lifted himself up in the eyes of God, as if he were righteous, but the truth is that all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, none of us any better than another.  It was the penitent heart of the publican that resulted in forgiveness with God as he cried out for mercy.

Psalms 38:18  For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.

Impenitence is not being contrite. It’s having a hard heart.  It’s not feeling sorry or ashamed about something bad that you have done, which is something that a soft hearted person would feel.  Without heartfelt penitence, one won’t confess fault, so their sin remains.

Acts 3:19 – Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

If we want sins to be forgiven and blotted out, we must confess them.  The Apostle Paul was glad to hear that the Church was filled with true sorrow.

2 Corinthians 7:9-10  Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

It’s the refusal to be penitent and confess faults that hardens the heart.  This is why we need to be exposed to God’s holy Word each and every day.

Hebrews 3:13  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Instead of provoking our blessed Lord Jesus who loves us, and laid down His own life at the cross to redeem us, we want to serve Him with meekness and submission.

Hebrews 3:8  Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

A hardened heart is filled with pride and results in being obstinate and stiff-necked.

2 Chronicles 30:8 – Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.

It warns in our study passage about those who are contentious and fight against God’s Word.  When somebody is contentious, it means that they are given to arguing or provoking an argument, or causing, involving, or likely to cause disagreement. They refuse to accept scripture and display an open rebellion and resistance to God’s teachings.

1 Samuel 15:23 – For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

Psalms 107:11 – Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:

To resist is to attempt to counter the actions or effects of, to withstand the actions of and to oppose.  Here are a few examples.

2 Timothy 3:8-9  Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

2 Timothy 4:14-15  Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:  Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.

Pharaoh withstood Moses repetitively.

Exodus 8:15 – But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

As a Born again Christian we are supposed to submit to God’s Word, doing the will of God from the heart. 

James 1:21  Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

Luke 11:28 – But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

Obeying God’s Word shows that we love Him.

John 14:23-24  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.  He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

Listen to how the Apostle James explains true penitence and contrition to the church.

James 4:8-10  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.  Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Always remember that pride comes before the fall, and that before forgiveness comes humility.  Having a penitent heart is truly the key to God’s grace, because when we come humbly before him, He is going to… ….Lift us Up.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Good morning welcome in.  Today we are going to take a look at the passage of scripture but before we do that I wanted to ask you a question.

Has anybody ever told you that they would pick you up after work on Friday so that they could take you out to dinner?  Just the thought of that gives you something fun to look forward to on the weekend.  Have you ever had someone tell you that they would be coming to get you on Sunday to take you fishing that afternoon?  You are excited all week long, waiting patiently for that day to arrive.  When we are filled with hope, we have a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.  Expectation is a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future.  The Christian faith teaches us that we need to abide in hope.  

1 Corinthians 13:13  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

First of all, let’s take a look at a man of God who was filled with hope at the promise that God was going to give him a son.

Romans 9:9  For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.

Abraham was a man who placed his trust completely in God, knowing that God would bring the things that he had promised to pass.  Even when most people in society would have lost faith and given up, Abraham was strong in faith, continuing to believe and trust that God was going to make it happen.

Romans 4:18-25  Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

When you stagger it means to begin to doubt and waver in purpose or become less confident and be hesitant.   Abraham never doubted the promise of God.  He believed it, trusted it, and waited patiently for it to happen, and you know what?  It did!  James wanted the church to be filled with this same kind of unwavering faith and trust in God

James 1 5-8  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  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. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Hope and faith have a lot to do with each other.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hope is waiting for something that you haven’t obtained yet, but continuing to believe that it’s going to happen someday.  Someday Jesus is going to return in the clouds above and send forth His angels to retrieve His faithful from off of this earth.  It hasn’t happened yet, but its going to.  When we have faith in the promises that are found throughout God’s Holy Word, it gives us hope of future events and we must patiently wait for God to bring them to pass.  Hope is a part of our salvation.

Romans 8:24-25  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

In order to receive something from God, you need to believe that God will do it.  Even when Abraham had to go through trials of His faith, he trusted in God completely.

Hebrews 11:17-19 – By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

It’s the same in the Christian Life.  God gives us the promise of eternal life. He promised it since the world began. This life is found in His Son Jesus Christ, who was sent by God to redeem us from our sins, so that we could be reconciled and serve Him in love.  Because Jesus laid down His own life for us, we can be filled with great hope of being able to inherit eternal life someday.  God’s mercy and forgiveness is available to each of us and His love for sinners is displayed at the cross for all the world to see.  God is capable of presenting us Holy in His sight through His precious mercy, but we must continue in the faith, found in the teaching of scripture.

Colossians 1:21-23  And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Everybody has who has this hope of the eternal life will purify themselves through faith.

1 John 3:2-5  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.  

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.  And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

Through God’s kindness and grace, we can approach Him for mercy in time of need so that we can serve Him in love.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

Hebrews 7:19  For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

1 Peter 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Our God is the God of hope!

Psalms 39:7 – And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

Romans 15:13 – Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

So once again, when we are filled with hope, we have a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.  We can have this hope of eternity because of what Jesus did for us at the cross.  Praise God for His lovingkindnesses!

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psaml 51:7

Coffee is one of, if not the most popular drinks that people around the world consume. In the United States alone, it is estimated that Americans consume over 140 billion cups of coffee each year! But, all of that coffee can come at a cost to a person’s teeth. Over time, coffee can slowly start to stain teeth slightly yellow. Instead of flashing a bright white smile, a person could be left with a dull yellow grin.

But today, there are a few different things that a person can do to restore that bright smile once again. Certain kinds of toothpaste are labeled as “stain-erasing” or “whitening” toothpaste and are helpful in returning those teeth back to the white they used to be. There are also things called whitening strips which are thin plastic strips with a peroxide gel on them, and the gel is what whitens the teeth.

And that is what made me think of our scripture today. When each one of us is born, we have inherited sin, and are “sinners.” As the days, months, and years go by and we slowly grow older, slowly those sins can begin to pile up, and “stain” us. Instead of being perfectly white and pure, we are slowly being stained yellow with sin, and it is not pretty. We need to get those stains removed, and the absolute only way to do that is through Jesus.

Only Jesus can remove the stain of sin. All of those sins have become stuck to us, and we need to be whitened. 

Colossians 1:12-14  “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”

“In whom we have redemption through his blood.” That is how we can become purified. That is how we can become cleansed, through the blood of Christ. 

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

Through the partaking of Holy Communion, Jesus washes our sins away with His blood. Heaven is a perfect, pure place without the filth of sin. We need the whitening power of Jesus to take those stains away. He truly is our spiritual whitener.

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18

In Christ,

Andrew