The Pawn Shop

Good morning and welcome in today. 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 ask you a question…

Have you ever pawned something at a pawn shop? When you pawn something you leave an item for security against a small loan that they give you. In order to retrieve the item that you pawned you have to pay off the debt that you owe. Many places demand that you pay the loan and interest within 90 days otherwise you forfeit the pawned item. In order to redeem something, a debt has to be paid. Whether you pay for it yourself or someone else pays it for you, the debt must be paid.

Redemption is the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.

Each of us owe a debt. Like being in bondage to a bank loan, all of us are in bondage to our own sinful condition. The only difference is that this is a debt that we cannot pay for or buy our way out of.

Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

If you want to get a pawn item back, you have to go pay off the debt. Each of us are like a pawned item that are being locked up and held each night at a store. We can’t escape or run away and we cannot free ourselves. We are kept in bondage by our sins.

Many people think of bondage as being in prison or in a jail somewhere but the truth is each of us are jailed inside of our own hearts and minds because of sin.

We are like fish in an aquarium. No matter how many times they circle around that aquarium they simply cannot find freedom. Like a bird in a cage or a dog on a chain, none of us can obtain the freedom that we desire and need. We are locked up, until our debts are paid in full.

Sin is quite different then a monetary debt that you would have while here upon the Earth. The sin debt that we owe needs to be cancelled by God.

Many of you may have a checking account at a bank somewhere. When one of your checks clears your bank they cancel the check. It is been paid in full. Our sin debt can only be canceled by God. It’s a debt that we owe that we cannot pay for on our own.

Have you ever gone through the lunch line at school but when you got to the register you realized that you didn’t have any money to pay, but somebody offered to pay for you?

Have you ever pumped gas at a gas station and then realized that you had left your wallet at home but somebody offered to pay for your gas?

Although people may do you a kindness and pay for your debts while here upon the Earth, our sin debt can only be paid for through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The debt that each of us owe is not something that we can pay for. It’s not a debt that we can work off. Nothing that we possess in our humanness can pay for the debt that we owe.

We are sinners, lost in our own transgressions, imprisoned in our own minds, searching desperately for a key to open the padlock to liberty.

Jesus is our key to freedom.

God wants to free us from our sins. He wants to completely forgive us and be reconciled. He wants us to be in a renewed relationship with himself but it is our sinful condition that prevents that. Jesus has already paid for the things that we couldn’t pay for ourselves. The sins that we committed the Lord Jesus took upon himself.

The only true freedom is freedom from our sins. The reason why I say that is because forgiveness with God leads to eternal life. To be able to live forever in the Kingdom of Heaven is the truest freedom I could ever know or desire.

We have redemption through his blood. We have forgiveness with God is your Christ Jesus.

Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

The Lord Jesus pays of our sin debt in his own blood. We are his purchased possession.

Acts 20:28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

God is ready and willing to forgive us.

Ps 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

God forgets our past misdeeds and does not remember our sins. To remember is to recall to the mind by an act or effort of memory; think of again:

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. 

When you forget something you cease to remember it anymore. Real forgiveness completely forgets past events. If you truly forgive you have no remembrance of wrongs committed anymore. If you truly forgive in your heart, reconciliation will immediately happen, the reason why is because the past is forgotten.

God is rich in mercy and grace. When you are rich it means that you have something in abundance or is plentiful. Our God is very forgiving. When we have a need for forgiveness we can come boldly to him and confess our faults.

Isaiah 44:22 – I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

1 Peter 1:18-19

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

In the church we have been redeemed by Christ Jesus which means he purchased us, bought and paid for us. We are no longer our own but we belong to him. We were pawned into a world of sin but Jesus paid the debt against us. Praise God for him!

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.❤️

tlkjbc.com

Meditate On God’s Word

The word “meditate” means to engage in contemplation or reflection; to focus one’s thoughts on; reflect on or ponder over.”

When someone is deep in thought, they are thinking about something heavily. 

When a college student has an important test coming up, they will (if they want a good grade) study for hours, memorizing everything that they can about the subject. They will turn off all of the noises around them, find a quiet room and study, study, study, until they have memorized everything that they can. You could say that they meditated over the subject. 

“Repitition is a good teacher” is something that I have heard many, many times. The more you do something, usually the better you get at it, whether it is playing an instrument, or learning a new language, or any other thing that requires you to work at it to become better. 

Paul wanted the church to think on whatever things were good. Or “meditate” on them.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8 

Whatever things were good, Paul wanted them to think on those things. If you are going to surround yourself with dirt, you will be dirty. If you jump in the middle of a pool, you will get wet. He wanted everyone to think about good, lovely, praiseworthy things. When you fill your day thinking on Heavenly things, it will help you to become more and more like Jesus wants us to be. 

Meditation can sometimes be viewed in a negative way because there are many false religions that use meditation to worship their false gods.

But when we meditate on scripture we are thinking deeply about it.

When we sit in a church service or devotionals, we need to meditate on the things that we hear, and let them sink deep inside of us. Just like a plant that needs water. If a plant is wilting because the dirt is dry, you need to soak that ground, until it reaches all the way down to the roots. Not just a sprinkle on the top of the leaves, but a full soaking. 

When you don’t understand a verse or passage in the Bible, it helps to look up the meaning of the words. It also helps to find other verses in that have to do with the same subject and read them as well. The more you read and study God’s word, the better you will begin to understand what is being taught. 

I had certain subjects in school that I liked better than others, and because of this, I still remember today the things that I was interested in, because I studied them, or “meditated” on the subject. I especially liked social studies and history, so I still retain that information many years later. But subjects like English or Geometry I didn’t care for, and I didn’t study them as much as other subjects. Because I didn’t meditate on them, it didn’t sink in deep into my memory, and I don’t remember much of them today.

The things you can learn in school are unimportant compared to what we learn from the Bible. You can sleep through an English class, but we need to pay very close attention to what we learn from God’s word. The more we study it, the more it will “burn” into our brain. The Bible is one thing that you never want to forget, so meditate on it.

“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” Hebrews 2:1

What Jesus did for the world on the cross is the greatest gift that He gave for everyone. Because of this, when we partake in Holy Communion, we think about His precious gift. We examine ourselves and ask for forgiveness for any sins and misdeeds that we have done, and thank Him for being a sacrifice for us. Without Jesus, we would all be condemned, so because of this we remember what He has done for the world.

“Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” 2 Corinthians 4:10

Each morning when you wake up, keep the Lord in your mind. Give thanks to the Lord for everything He has done and everything He has given you. Keep the Holy Scriptures in your mind, and never forget them.

In Christ,

Andrew

The Perfect Sacrifice

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 1 John 2:1-2

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

The Christian faith is about learning how to sin no more. We have grace available to us, through Christ Jesus, but the grace is given to us, so that we grow in our faith, and eventually become what God wants us to be. God is perfect, holy and righteous. And he wants us to become as he is.

Ps 4:4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

God doesn’t want us to sin anymore, but rather be filled with the qualities of his blessed Son Jesus.

John 5:14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

John 8:11. She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

Rom 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Sin is defined in the dictionary, as a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle. We know that the Scriptures teach that God is love, therefore it is easily understood that anything that goes against love, is sin.

Now, if we do sin or make a mistake in the Scriptures, we have forgiveness and grace available with God. This is the reason why we have Holy Communion, to wash away our sins and our transgressions in the blood of Christ. But we have to understand why God gives us grace, its so that we change and become transformed into what he wants us to be. Just because we have grace available, doesn’t give a person a license to sin.

Rom 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

1 Cor 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

God wants us to become as He is.

1 Pet 1:15-16. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

1 Pet 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

So again, the Apostle John teaches….my little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not.

There is a path in the Christian life that God wants us to follow. It’s the teachings of His Son, Jesus Christ who is perfect, holy and blameless. We want to use the grace that is given to us by God as a springboard to change. We want to change the old person that we were in the past, to a new person in Christ.

2 Cor 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

Vain means producing no result or it’s useless. It’s marked by futility, or ineffectualness. The Apostle teaches, if any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father. An advocate is somebody who pleads the cause of somebody else.

Think about a lawyer in a courtroom, who is pleading for a defendant before the judge. An advocate pleads in favor of another. The Lord Jesus stands in between us and God the Father. He pleads on our behalf. Jesus laid down his own life at the cross for our sinful condition. An advocate is somebody who stands on your side and backs you up. They are a supporter of yours.

Remember that all of us have come short of the glory of God and each of us have sinned. Jesus Christ is perfect and he has always pleased the Heavenly Father.

Verse two teaches us that He is the propitiation for our sins. A propitiation is the act of appeasing somebody. It’s the act of gaining or regaining the favor or goodwill of someone or something.

A propitiation is an action meant to regain someone’s favor or make up for something that was done wrong. At the cross, Jesus makes up for our faults. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

Jesus is the atonement for our sins and wrongdoings. Atonement is about reconciliation between sinful mankind and our holy God. Jesus stands in the gap and pleads for us before the Heavenly Father.

1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Romans 3:25-26 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Rom 5:6-11

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Jesus died on the cross, to save sinners, even while we were yet in our sinful condition. God loves us so much, that He gives us an opportunity to get forgiven. He does this by sending Jesus Christ into this world to die on the cross. He’s the Lamb of God who was slain for our sins.

In the Old Testament they had to offer up a Passover lamb as a covering for their sins. In the New Testament, Jesus is Gods lamb that He sent into this world to make atonement for our misdeeds before him.

1 John 1:7 ….the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Hebrews 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Hebrews 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

When our consciences are purged, they are cleansed. God completely forgives us and forgets our past. Getting forgiven for our past gives us a new opportunity to serve him out of love.

Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Acts 20:28 ….feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Rev 1:5 …..Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;…

God wants to forgive us and this is the reason why He sent His Son Jesus. Without coming to Christ, all that’s left is eternal condemnation, and punishment. God gives us a way out of that punishment, and that salvation is found in Christ. God wants to save us.

As a Christian, we’re not called to a life of sin anymore, but to turn away from that life. If we do make a mistake along the way, we can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need. God wants us to be overcomers and to be able to overcome our faults and misdeeds. He gives us grace to be able to do that. Jesus is a propitiation for our sins, and for not ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Have you called upon the name of Jesus? Forgiveness is waiting for you. It’s just a matter of reaching out to get it.

Think about that for today and Lord willing, we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow Till then bye Bye, everybody.♥️

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Humble Before God

Do you know where the word “human” comes from? It comes from the Latin word “humus,” which means earth or ground. In fact, the words humble and humility also come from that same word.

We are dirt. No, literally we are. What did God create man out of? The dust of the earth. We were created from the dust, and when we die we will return back to dust.

“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou returnunto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Genesis 3:19

Where is the earth and dirt? Below our feet, underneath us. So in James 4:10 when it says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up,” it means that we need to be beneath the Lord filled with humility. It is He who created us, and who we need to serve with humility.

I think of it as a dog. When someone has a young dog and they train it to do commands, they are “over” the dog. They are in charge and in authority over it. So when they command a dog to sit, and it sits, they reward it with a treat and praise. But if the dog doesn’t obey the command they were given, will they be rewarded? Obviously not, because they didn’t do what they were told. 

I have a younger dog right now, and I am trying to train her out of some bad habits. She sometimes likes to run after cars that go by, and I am trying to get her to stop doing that. If I hear a car coming I will tell her to stay by me. If she obeys my command, I reward her with praise, and she will get all excited and happy. But if she disobeys my command, and instead goes and runs after the car, I will scold her. And she knows when I am not happy with her. She will slowly come back to me and cower down, knowing that she did something wrong. Even a dog can show humility.

What did someone who came before a king usually do? They would bow down before him, showing reverance and respecting the authority that the king had.

Jesus is the King of kings, yet He came down to us “dirt people” (humans), and helped us. How many kings would come out of their palace and live amongst the common people? Jesus knelt down and washed His disciples feet. How many kings would do that? Jesus shows us how to be humble, and we need to follow His example

A person who is proud and arrogant doesn’t show humility. Instead of being humble, they exalt themselves up over others. They dont’ want to admit their mistakes, because it would mean that they were wrong and need to change. Someone who is filled with humility will freely admit that they are a sinner and need help and forgiveness. Humility and pride are exact opposites, and Jesus warns those who exalt themselves in pride over others.

“And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” Matthew 23:12

I’ll use this example again, but the story of the Pharisee and the publican illustrates this well. The Pharisee came before the Lord, not sorry or repentant for anything that he had done wrong, but he instead was filled with pride. He actually felt that he was better than the publican. While standing a little ways off, the publican was filled with sorrow for his sins and misdeeds. He came to God filled with a humble spirit, asking meekly for forgiveness. Jesus explained that the publican went home justified (forgiven), because he showed humility and was repentant for what he had done. Unlike the Pharisee, he accepted that he was a sinner, and he was forgiven.

James wrote basically the same thing in James 4.

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” James 4:6

Again, Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:6,

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.”

It requires a meek and humble heart to admit fault, and to come forward for forgiveness. Pride and arrogance have no part in the life of a Christian. We need to become humble, as that publican was, and when we do, God will lift you up.

In Christ,

Andrew

The Shepherds Tree

Good morning and welcome in everybody.  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.

Have you ever heard of the Shepherds tree? It’s native to the Kalahari Desert.  It has for centuries been a shaded shelter of choice for shepherds guarding their sheep or goats in the hot sun.  It actually can be a nourishing supplement for humans. The Shepherd’s tree is often referred to as the “tree of life”, as nearly every part of it could be used or eaten by humans or animals. The roots, when dried, roasted and ground, act as a substitute for coffee or can be pounded into a white meal to make porridge. But one of the most interesting things about this tree is that it has the deepest documented root system. Its roots can go approximately 230 feet deep. It’s not a very big tree and fairly small in stature but it is certainly very well rooted.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

In like manner in the church we want our roots to go down deep, being rooted both in the truth of God’s Word, and the love of Christ.

Ephesians 3:17-19  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

The Apostle wants us to be rooted and grounded in love in the Christian church. When you are well rooted, it means you are firmly planted and established, and have deeply rooted opinions and feelings. People who are well rooted believe or feel something extremely strongly and are unlikely to change. One definition says strong and difficult to change. In the church, we need to be well rooted in love.

1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

God cares for us very much. He doesn’t want anybody to perish, but rather to believe in his precious Son, whom He sent into this world, to teach us about divine love.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

God is love, in its most perfect form. We currently live in a world that is void of love.  In the church, each of us is supposed to be a beacon of love to this world. We are called to care for others, the way that God cares for each of us. We learn what love is by looking to Christ.

1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

When the seeds of hatred and malice surround each of us day by day out in the world, you have to be well rooted in love. Like the shepherds tree, we need deep roots that are grounded in love, not only for each other in the church, but for others out in the world as well. God cared for us and loved us, even before we believed in Him.

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

He says while we were yet sinners. We hadn’t even gone through a conversion yet or undergone a change yet. We hadn’t even become transformed yet, but still he died on the cross so that we could have forgiveness with Him. That is divine love. It is what holds a church together. Love is merciful and kind and forgiving.

1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Jesus loved his own disciples so very much that He gave them the things of His heavenly Father. Day by day He helped them to grow in their faith and was constantly educating them and helping them to mature. Love speaks the truth and Jesus gave his disciples the truth of God’s kingdom.

1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Eph 2:4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Just like a root will go deep into the ground and draw nutrients and water to help it survive, when we go to the church, we get filled up on the things of God. We understand how much He loves and cares for us, and draw nutrients from the preaching of God’s Word.

It’s very interesting when you read about the four main functions of plant roots. One is absorption of water. The second is anchoring the plant body to the ground and supporting it. Thirdly, it stores food and nutrients and lastly, it’s a transport system to bring water and minerals to the stem. Interesting enough, these are all functions of the church! For example…..

When we go to the church, we hear God’s word and we absorb the preaching and teachings of Scripture into our hearts and our minds. The church anchors and supports us as we walk through this sinful world.  The church is like a root because it is a storage place for food and nutrients found in the teachings of Scripture. Lastly, it provides water and minerals to the stem, which is us. It’s very interesting how the Lord describes it in John 15

John 15:1-5  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

The word abide means to stay with and to remain. It means to adhere, execute, obey, perform, or otherwise act in conformity with. Just like the shepherds tree, we want to be rooted and grounded in love.

………that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.

Faith is defined as complete trust and confidence in someone or something. When you have faith in God, it has to do with trusting him. If you possess faith, it means you rely on the truth of the things that Jesus taught.

Prov 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Ps 13:5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

Ps 40:4 “Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust…

Ps 31:14 But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.

The Apostle wanted Christ to dwell in the hearts of the church people. They needed to trust and have faith in the teachings of the church. They needed to be rooted and grounded in love, not only for each other, but for Christ and the things that he taught.

……..may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth and length and depth tonight, and then know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.

When you comprehend something, it means you grasp mentally and understand it. You grasp the nature, significance or the meaning of something completely. The Apostle wanted the church to grasp the great measures that God has taken to show this world His love. He wanted them to understand completely what Jesus did for us at the cross. The Apostle wanted us to understand how big and large God’s love is for each of us.

You can read about the size of a mega tanker,  but until you watch it as it comes into a harbor, it’s hard to comprehend how big it really is.  You can read a book about the size of the Rocky Mountains but until you are right next to them it’s hard to understand how huge they actually are.

The Apostle wanted us to understand how big God’s love is. It’s truly the biggest thing that I think that you could ever know. It’s understanding completely how much he cares for you. When we truly come to understand how much God loves us, and truly start to comprehend the size and the vastness of His heart towards us, then we can receive it and be filled with all the fullness of God. When we are filled up with His love, we can show that love to others.

As I said already, the church is supposed to be a beacon of love. The world is in a sinful state and does not understand love.  The world’s form of love and divine love are two completely different things.  We need to return God’s love back to Him through an obedient and faithful heart, and then show that love to the world through the truth.

Because this world lacks compassion, mercy, and love, it can slowly wear you down. This is why we need to be filled up daily with scripture. We need to draw our nutrients from Christ, well rooted in the Word of God and the love that He has shown us.  We’re going to need to develop some deep strong roots just like…..

….. Shepherds Tree

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, or by getting our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com, or I suppose, you can find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods.  Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com

Fishers of Men

Firshers of men

One of the most popular recreational things that people do in Minnesota is fishing. With over 10,000 lakes in the state, you can hardly go 10 miles in any direction without finding another lake to try. 

There are a few different ways to fish. You can use live bait such as minnows or worms, or use plastic lures. You can use a normal fishing rod, and some fish can be “hunted” with a bow and arrow. In the winter when the lakes freeze over, some people even use fishing spears to catch their fish. So there are a few different ways to try to catch your fish depending on the situation.

When I go fishing on a nearby lake, how many fish are in there? Purely for example, let’s say that there are 10,000 fish in the lake. Some days I might catch two or three and go home, some days I might catch 40 or 50. And some days I might not catch any. Some days the weather is warmer or cooler so the fish are at different depths in the water. 

On one particular lake that I fish on I will only try to fish for a certain kind of fish depending on the time of the year. Early in the fishing season I will use a certain lure for a fish called a “northern pike” because I don’t usually catch many sunfish until a few weeks later in the year once the water warms us and the weeds start to grow.  

We don’t always catch a fish immediately, or everyday. Somedays we can catch a fish or two withing the first five minutes, and sometimes we won’t get a single nibble at all the whole day. If that happens, we will try all over the lake, using different lures and baits, and changing the depths at which we fish. It might take a lot of searching around to find where the fish are, but if you keep searching you will eventually find them. 

And that brings me to the topic today. Besides being an animal, the word “fish” means “to search or seek for something.” As I described above, I search for fish by “fishing” for them. I am trying to find them, trying to catch them. I will look all over a lake, trying different things until I get what I am searching for.

In Matthew 4, Jesus was walking by the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus found two men who were fishermen. Using their profession as an open door, Jesus told Andrew and Peter, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt 4:19) Two verses later, Jesus called James and John, who were also fishermen, to come and follow Him. These men already knew what it was like to search for something. Fishing was what they did, so Jesus turned them into searching for others to tell the gospel to. 

That is a great way to introduce the word of God to someone. You might know someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus yet, but you can use something that they can relate to to help them understand the gospel. Maybe you know someone who likes to work on engines. To try to win them to Christ, you could ask them questions about how to fix something, or bring a motor to them to fix, and while they do that, you can slowly introduce them to the Word of God. They might not “bite” right away, but if you do enough “fishing,” Lord willing you will be able to “hook” them and convert them to Christ. 

Jesus used parables to try to help people understand. When Jesus told the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, that was probably something that most people at that time knew about. Without supermarkets like we have today, most people needed to grow their own foods, and Jesus used this as a way to teach them. 

We are God’s fishermen, and the earth is the sea. With billions of people on the planet, there are billions of different opportunities that we can take and use to bring in another into the net. You just need to keep searching. Don’t worry if someone doesn’t take that first “bite” when you try to win them to Jesus. Just keep going, try different things until you catch another one for Christ.

In Christ,

Andrew

Spiritual Sauna

Do you know what a sauna is? A traditional sauna is a small room with some kind of heater, and on top of the heater there is usually a tray filled with rocks. Once the heater gets hot the rocks will get hot as well. When you pour water on those rocks it evaporates into steam.

The temperature in the room will range from 140 degrees Fahrenheit, up to sometimes even 190 degrees. When a person sits in this room for 10 or 15 minutes, their body will obviously start to perspire, and it will deeply clean out your pores, releasing all of the dirt and oils and forcing them out of your skin. It is basically a steam cleaner for your body. Your body temperatures rises up, and what happens when your body gets hot? It starts to sweat, expelling all of that dirt trapped in your pores. After 10 or 15 minutes in the sauna, you rinse off in the shower and you will be squeaky clean.

And that is what happens to those who get filled up with the Holy Spirit. When someone is filled up with the “fire” of the Holy Spirit, it will expel all of those impurities in a person. All of the dirt and filth of the world, all the lying, and deceit, covetness and pride. Through the Spirit, a person can be purified and cleansed from their sins.

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1

We need to enter the “spiritual sauna” and be “heated” up with the fires of the Spirit so we can be cleansed from our sins and imperfections.

Here’s another example. There are some foods that are incredibly hard to wash off of dishes if you don’t get to them right away. One of these is melted marshmallows. Unless you are using a really good non-stick pot, melted marshmallows can be a dishwasher’s nightmare. We sometimes will melt marshmallows and mix it withi rice cereal to make a bar, and sometimes we don’t always clean out the pot or pan immediately, and the leftover melted marshmallow hardens onto them, making it extremely hard to remove. What we need to do is soak it in very hot water and soap and it will eventually loosen up and come off, and then the pot is clean again.

We are that dirty pot. We are dirty and filthy with sin, and the only way we can be freed from that is through the blood of Christ and His Holy Spirit. 

“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

Like when you eat something that your body “doesn’t agree with,” and you “throw it up” or vomit it out, we shouldn’t let sin “agree” with our body. We need to purge it out of our lives with the help of the Spirit. And when you purge something it means to “rid someone or something of an unwanted quality, condition or feeling.” We need to rid ourselves of the sin in our lives. In Psalm 51 it reads,

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (vs. 7)

He was asking God to forgive him, and to cleanse him from his sins. 

Ask Jesus for forgiveness, and let Him wash your sins away. Purge yourself from your sins, and become clean through the Spirit.

In Christ,

Andrew

No Strings Attached

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from Ephesians 2 but before we do that, I wanted to ask you a question….

How many of you out there know how to swim? Because I grew up on a lake, I learned to swim at a very young age, but I read recently that over half of the population doesn’t possess these skills.

This morning I was thinking about somebody who was out in a boat, accidentally fell overboard, and they couldn’t swim at all. The one thing that saves them and keeps them afloat, is their life jacket. Without it, they wouldn’t make it very long in the water. They put their faith and trust in that life jacket that it’s going to keep them afloat and save them.

In the church, it is God’s forgiveness and mercy that keeps us afloat. Without a life jacket, people are going to perish. Without God’s grace and forgiveness, all of us would perish.

Eph 2:8-10

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

It teaches here that by grace we are saved. Because our salvation requires grace, we need to understand what this word really means.

First of all, Grace is something that we do not deserve. The reason why I say that is because we are all wretched sinners upon this earth. Each of us have come short of the glory of God. The common understanding of grace is unmerited mercy that God gives to us by sending Jesus Christ His Son to die on the cross. God gives grace to help us to become transformed into what he wants us to become. Grace is unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration, or sanctification. The archaic definition means mercy, or a pardon.

Let’s take a look at this word “pardon” for just a moment.

Many times when you walk around the community, you may hear somebody say, “pardon me”. Pardon is the action of forgiving or being forgiven for an error or an offense. It’s to forgive and to excuse a person of their fault. Think about somebody who was guilty of some crime, who was allowed to go free when they are granted an official pardon by a judge or a magistrate.

Well, every single person on the face of the earth needs a pardon with God. This is why we all need to learn to forgive one another. It doesn’t matter if they’re poor or rich. It doesn’t matter the place of society that people come from. It doesn’t matter if they’re a judge or a fisherman, each of us need a divine pardon if we want to inherit eternal life someday.

All of us have sinned. Each of us are in the same boat together. Each of us are equal in the eyes of God, we’re all sinners. No matter if we sinned one time, or a thousand times, we all need a pardon with God. This is the reason that Jesus Christ came to the earth, so that we could have forgiveness with God. A divine pardon is available to all those who come to Him in faith. God is very merciful and long suffering. If he wasn’t, this world would have been destroyed years ago. He wants each of us to come forth, and repent and apologize for our misdeeds, so he can lift our sin burden from us.

I want to ask you something today. If there was an official piece of paper somewhere, and it didn’t cost you anything to go and get it, but it was an official pardon for all of your past misdeeds, would you go and get it? It doesn’t cost you anything and you don’t have to pay for it, would you go and get it?

Grace is given to us not on the basis of how good we are, but on the goodness of God. It’s given to us not on the basis of our deeds, but rather the deeds of God’s mercy. Our world today is so lost in sin, and the truth is, forgiveness is available for all those who come and get it.

Have you ever spent an entire day preparing a meal for your family, only to find at supper time, nobody shows up? Imagine how God feels when he sends this world, His only begotten Son as a propitiation for our sins and misdeeds yet there are many people who won’t come forward to get forgiven.

We cannot work off our own sin debt. Salvation and eternal life is not through works, it is available through the goodness of God’s forgiveness. It’s a completely free gift. I think this is a hard concept for many people out in the world to receive, because some people don’t want to take anything for free, but nonetheless, forgiveness cannot be earned with God. Believing in Jesus is the only way to heaven and when you truly believe in Him, you will come forth and get forgiven for your sins.

Do any of you like going to a rummage sale? We really enjoy this and have a fun time with the family doing it because the children find inexpensive things and toys. For years now at certain rummage sales they place a box at the end of the driveway called a free box. People will randomly throw things and items into the box just to give away. The word “free” means given without a charge. You can just take it without any kind of cost or payment.

Think about having a free education given to you somewhere at a school. You don’t owe them anything at all because it’s all free. Imagine going through a lunch line and you have a free lunch ticket. You don’t have to pay for your meal. It’s freely given to you. When something is free. It’s without any kind of re remuneration. You don’t have to pay for it.

In the Christian life, Jesus pays our debts. What each of us need to do is lay our sins and misdeeds down at the cross of Christ. When we do this, God grants us a free gift of His forgiveness.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Imagine somebody giving you a gift on your wedding day. They decide to give you a house on your wedding, the only problem is, when they give you the gift you are required to pay for the house and they set up some kind of payment plan with you. That’s not a gift, my friends, that’s somebody who wants to sell a house.

A gift comes with no strings attached. Someone lets it go out of their hand, and it goes into the possession of the other person with no strings attached at all. That is a true gift.

This is the way that Gods grace is towards us. If we confess our sins, God is faithful just to forgive us of our sins. We can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need. When we seek God’s forgiveness, He gives it to us as a gift. He doesn’t harbor resentment or bad feelings towards us, He simply forgives us and washes away our sins in the blood of His Son Jesus. There are no strings attached.

Jesus is a gift that God has sent into this world. Just like a present that you have to open up, each of us need to open up our hearts to Him. In Christ Jesus is the greatest gift and treasure that you could ever receive because He is the access point to heaven itself.

Up here in the woods, we only have one access road to our little lake. When I walk down to the lake I am constantly reminded about how Jesus is our access to God’s holy kingdom. Just like our road, it is a very narrow road of grace. No matter how hard we try, no matter what good works we may do, it is simply not enough to get us into heaven. It doesn’t matter if you give all your money to the poor, or if you have the gift of prophecy. It’s not enough. No matter if you speak in tongues and understand all mysteries, it’s not enough to inherit the kingdom of heaven. We all come up short.

When the final roll call is read, there is only one solution to our fate and it is only found in Jesus Christ. It’s called forgiveness. We can’t earn it, we don’t deserve it, we simply need to receive it. God extends to each of us on the face of the earth a free gift. You can’t make up for your past or undo what you’ve already done, so God in His mercy grants us a gift of forgiveness to wash away all those things that we’ve done wrong.

Forgiveness. What an absolutely amazing idea to think about. The world’s concept of forgiveness is very shallow but God’s forgiveness is divine. God’s forgiveness is real and it comes with no strings attached. Please come and get some today.

Think about those things for today and Lord willing, we’ll talk to some more tomorrow. Till then bye Bye, everybody.♥️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

This is Not Our Home

Up here in Minnesota, the winters get extremely cold, sometimes reaching -30 or even -40 fahrenheit. (-34 to -40 celsius) Because of this, once it starts to cool down in the fall, some people in our town will head down to the southern part of the United States where it is warmer, and they will stay down there until spring. While they are down there they will “live” at a resort, which is a “destination designed to provide recreation, entertainment, and accommodation, especially to vacationers.”

A resort is not a permanent home. It is a place that someone stays at for a little while, until they eventually leave. Once it becomes spring and starts to get warmer back up in Minnesota, one by one they will all come back to their “permanent” home. 

How long do we live on the earth on average? 70, 80, 90 years? Sometimes a little more, but the point is that we all eventually die. We are born, grow and grow until we reach adulthood, slowly aging until we get old and die. But what happens after we die? Where do we go? 

The earth is a “resort” or hotel of sorts, where we spend a certain amount of time. It is not an “indefinite” home where someone can live forever.

 In Hebrews 11, the “faith” chapter, (when talking about people of faith) it says,

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 

For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 

But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” Hebrews 11:13-16

They were “strangers and pilgrims” on the earth, seeking a heavenly country. They were seeking for the Kingdom of God, which is what Jesus is preparing for His believers.

“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.” John 14:2-3

Unlike the earth, which will eventually come to an end and be destroyed, the Kingdom of Heaven is eternal. Eternity. That is a word that we on earth truly have a hard time fully understanding. Our “finite” minds cannot understand what an “infinite” world would be like, because everyone/everything on the earth “ends.” We have a start and we have a finish. We are born and we die. The sun rises and the sun sets. 

When you stop to think about it, from the moment we are born, our bodies are slowly dying. The timer of our lives is slowly ticking down until the moment we go to be with the Lord. Imagine taking an eye dropper full of water out of the ocean and dropping it onto the sand. How long would it take to empty that ocean? An eternity. And that is what we are seeking for. Eternal life.

Imagine a world where everyone loves each other, is kind and joyful. A world free of sin and evil. A place that is perfect in everyway. A place that people can live forever. That place is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Each day that passes is one day closer to the day that we leave this world behind, and go to our eternal home, and I can’t wait to be there. How about you?

In Christ,

Andrew

The Water Grave

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from Ephesians 2:1 which says,….

…..And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.

The word quicken means to revive or to make alive. It’s to bring something to life or to a former condition. Because of our sinful condition, each of us abide in a state of death. Certainly, people are walking around the earth today, doing all kinds of things. They look alive, but they are actually abiding in a state of death.

For example, in Luke 9:60 Jesus said…

….let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 

He’s speaking about Spiritually dead people, burying their physically dead relatives. All of us have come short of the glory of God and are equally sinners on this earth. Jesus is the life and without him we abide in death. Each of us has a backpack that we carry that is filled up with rocks. They are the rocks of sin. Sin leads to death but the Lord Jesus Christ wants to take that backpack from us and to revive us from our sinful condition.

Romans 5:12 says….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:

Unrepentant sin will eventually lead to eternal death.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Someday, God is going to punish sin. This is why we need to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, and get forgiven for our past misdeeds. God cares for us and wants to forgive us. We simply need to come forward and believe in Him and confess our misdeeds. The archaic definition for quicken means to revive or resuscitate as from death or an inanimate state. Each of us are dead in our own trespasses and sins, but the Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth to give us life through His grace.

James 1:15 teaches,… and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

The Lord wants to save us from our sinful condition. He shed his blood at the cross so that we could have life through His grace. It’s a process of being reborn. Quicken means to make alive.

Psalms 119 88 Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.

Psalms 80:18 So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.

Psalms 119:156 Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to thy judgments.

In each of these verses, the psalmists are asking God to make them alive again, and to renew them. 

Think about Jesus who brought Lazarus back from the grave after he had died. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Each of us needs to undergo a death to our sinful lives and start over again in Christ. It’s a rebirth through baptism when we become born again. Jesus explains this principle of the Christian faith to Nicodemus in John 3:1-7

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 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. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Take note that the Lord teaches him that you must be born again. The word “must” means it’s very important and is necessary for something to happen in order to inherit eternal life. One “must” be born again.

Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

When people are buried in the earth, they are buried in the ground and covered. When we are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, we are baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are completely submerged underneath the water. It’s a water grave, where we die to the old person that we once were. When we rise up out of the water, we begin a brand new life with the Lord Jesus Christ. Baptism is required to inherit eternal life, and it’s the very beginning of the Christian walk with God.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Remission is the cancellation of a debt, charge or a penalty. When we are baptized, Christ washes our sins away, and gives us the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

To have forgiveness with God, we have to come forward and get baptized. Think about when you have dirty clothes, where do you eventually go? You have to go wash them or go to a laundromat so they are clean. God wants to cleanse us of our entire past, and to do this we need to take a step into that water grave and put to death that old sinner inside of each of us. 

The Lord commanded His disciples in Matthew 28:19-20….

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

Remember, when Jesus died at the cross and was buried, he was risen from the grave. God wants us to be raised from the graves of our own sinful condition, and it begins with baptism,

Acts 8:38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Acts 10:47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

So in our main study verse, it says,..

“ And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”

That quickening begins with baptism.

When you come forth for baptism, it is an act whereby you show God that you believe in Him. You are taking a step towards him in faith, which He will reward with forgiveness. People who truly believed in Jesus Christ and his healing ability went out to see him. In that act of faith, they were healed of whatever disease they had. Even in the church, when people are sick and not feeling good, they can make an act of faith and come forward to be anointed with oil. In that simple act of faith, they were not only healed, but got forgiven for their sins at the same time.

I want you to remember today that God wants to forgive us. He doesn’t want anybody to perish. What is required is that we come forward to Him in faith, and turn away from your sinful living. The Lord Jesus has met us halfway to deliver us from our sinful condition. We need to meet him the rest of the way and it all begins by taking a few steps into….

…… The Water Grave.

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.♥️