“Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” James 4:13-15

Have any of you watched the movie “Its a Wonderful Life”? If you have you probably remember when George Bailey was a young man he had his sights set on traveling the world. He wanted to build skyscrapers a hundred stories high, and bridges a mile long. But later in the movie, things didn’t go the way he had planned when he was younger. Right after high school he was planning to go on a tour of the great buildings and monuments around the world. But his dad had a stroke and died, and in order to keep his dad’s business from being dissolved by the board members and going to “Mr. Potter”, he had to postpone his trip and work at the “building and loan.”

Instead of doing what he said that he was going to do, his life took a completely different turn to one that he never thought that he would do. His life did not turn out the way he imagined.

That is what James was writing about. We don’t know what is going to happen in our life. God is in control, not us. Everything that happens happens according to the Lord’s will. We might not understand why something happens, but He does.

Because we do not know which day will be our last, or how long we are going to live, we need to put our faith and trust in the Lord. If the Lord will, we will live a long life. If it is His will, we will be blessed with food or finances. It is all according to His will. 

Jesus spoke this parable about a man who thought that he knew what he was going to do, but as you will read things went different than he thought they would.

“And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 

And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 

And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” Luke 12:16-20

This man had a great year of crops and decided that he would store them all up for himself and take it easy. But what he didn’t know is that he was going to die that night. 

God has a purpose for everything He does. Whatever we do in life, we need to remember that everything happens according to the Lord’s will. 

Lord willing, I will write another study for you all tomorrow.

In Christ,

Andrew 

Good morning, and welcome in today.

Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from Matthew chapter 23, but before we do that, I wanted to ask you a question.

Have you have ever been to the theater before? Have you ever seen a live performance of a musical somewhere? Theater production is something that they practice over and over again, until they learn their parts. They do it until the director is pleased with the results. When you finally see the finished product, and the curtain opens up, it seems like everything is so real. The truth is, it’s not.

Actually, the people who are in the musical are actors and actresses. They are pretending to be somebody in the play, who in real life, they are not. They’re simply stepping into another person’s role. They really appear to be the real thing, but they aren’t. What they do is pretend.

When you pretend it’s not really something that is represented as actually being the truth. It’s giving an appearance of something, but really not possessing those true qualities. Pretending is what an actor in a play really does. The word pretend means not genuine, or counterfeit. This is what we’re going to discuss today.

In the world today there is a form of counterfeit Christianity. Jesus taught His own disciples that before he returned to the earth, it was going to be like the days of Noah. Do you remember how God destroyed everything in the flood? The only people who were saved we’re Noah and his family. Because Jesus taught this, and God’s Word is true, true Christianity is not going to be on the rise, but rather on the decline.

People are going to be deceived and deceive others. This counterfeit form of Christianity is not led by true faith in the heart, but rather the appearance of religion on the exterior. It’s an outward appearance of righteousness unto others. But the truth is, people’s hearts are far from God.

Matt 23:5-7 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

There are counterfeit Christians that are in the world today. In the scriptures, the apostle speaks about them as false brethren. They are not true brethren in the heart. He’s speaking of other people who profess to be Christian, but they aren’t. If you think about it, where would be the best place for the devil to try to lead people away from Christ? Obviously trying to lead a church somewhere.

A hypocrite is very much like an actor in a play. They pretend to be somebody, but the truth is inside of their hearts, they don’t actually possess those feelings. There were people who came out to hear Jesus preach who pretended that they were just men. All they were doing was trying to trap him in his speech.

On the exterior, they looked righteous unto men, but in the secret places inside their homes they were conspiring to get Jesus. That is called religious hypocrisy.

But all their works they do for to be seen of men…….

The Lord talks about hypocrisy in Matt chapter 6.

In that passage he warns not to do your alms before men to be seen of them, otherwise you don’t get a reward from God. To do things simply to be seen by others is hypocrisy. It’s not motivated because of love for God and others but rather because you want to be seen as righteous in the eyes of other people. The Lord teaches us to do these things in a secret manner.

Many times people will write a big check and throw it in an offering plate somewhere so that when the tellers who count the money see it, they tell everybody how much you gave. That’s not very secret is it. Hypocrites do those kinds of things. A secret is something that is meant to be kept unknown and unseen by others.

Think about all the secrets that they keep in the government that nobody knows about. It’s being very discreet. It’s not telling other people about it, or advertising about it. It’s doing it in a manner where the Lord Jesus Christ gets the glory rather than you. People today love to hear the glory of men. It’s a counterfeit form of Christianity. It’s on the exterior, and it’s not led by the heart.

A hypocrite is looking to receive glory from men. They thrive on that attention because they want to be noticed by others. Whatever we do is supposed to be done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ so that he gets the glory rather than us. He taught that when you gave alms, you were supposed to do it in secret, so that the Father in heaven could reward you openly.

Have you noticed how people gather together for huge prayer rallies in public? Have you ever wondered why they do these kinds of things, rather than doing it in the privacy of somebody’s home or in a basement somewhere?

Jesus warned that Hypocrites love to pray on corners of streets that they may be seen of men. This is an open display of religion. This isn’t in a prayer closet or the privacy of your own home but right out in public places. Jesus taught to pray in secret to God.

There are even people today who fast only to be seen by others. The only difference between today and two thousand years ago is that they profess to be Christian.

There is a counterfeit form of Christianity going on today. It’s a false Christianity that is not led from a heart for God.

When an actor goes into the dressing room, they put on different clothes. They put on their makeup. Then they step out on that stage to play the part of a different person. That’s something that people who are professing to be Christian are doing today. It was going on 2000 years ago and has gone full circle.

Matt 23:27-28. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

A hypocrite believes that they are better than others. They pretend to be righteous while the truth is they are a sinner just like the rest of us. They love to display how religious they are to the world, but on the inside, they are just a religious actor. Deep down inside of their hearts, they’re a different person than what they are showing everyone on the exterior.

Have you ever heard that old saying what you see is what you get. These people are anything but. Its spiritual theater.

Mark 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Christianity is supposed to be led by a heart for God. It’s supposed to be led by a love for the Lord Jesus Christ and the things that he taught. But now you have all forms of different denominations out there who are yoking up in humanism, even with devil worshipers, participating with the fraudulent World Council of Churches, and ordaining women, and people who are openly homosexual, and they’re trying to pass this off to people as Christianity. Sheep may be meek, but we are not stupid.

I have never been very good at telling the difference between a counterfeit $100 bill and the real thing. There are people who can. When we look into the Holy Scriptures, discernment is a gift of the Holy Spirit. You can tell true Christianity and Counterfeit Christianity by the people’s response to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus taught, if you love me keep my commandments. A hypocrite isn’t concerned about doing the will of God from their heart, they just want to sit in a church service somewhere, and then go their own way and do their own thing. They don’t want to submit to the will of God. What they want to do is try to keep their religion with one hand, and live in the world with the other. There’s an old saying,… people need to get off the fence. Either choose one side or the other. You’re either all the way in, or you’re all the way out.

That lukewarmness is condemned in the Scriptures It’s the constant wandering back and forth. It’s when you hear the word of God preached, but then you go back into the world and live the way that you want.

Don’t forget Lot’s wife. She couldn’t let go of Sodom and Gomorrah. She wanted to return to it because she loved it more than her own husband. She was destroyed because of it.

A hypocrite is an actor. You can discern that by the desire in their heart to do or not to do God’s will. The Lord Jesus knew that Peter loved him. Even though Peter had denied Christ, Jesus taught him to feed my sheep. That’s exactly what Peter did. He wanted to do the will of God. He wanted to please Jesus.

This modern form of Christianity is so prevalent in the world today. Some people have turned a church service into a social gathering, simply to gossip about others. They’re not even preaching from the scriptures anymore. Years ago I had been to so many groups where I couldn’t even find a Bible anywhere in the church pews.

Remember, the apostle Paul taught that he was the chief of sinners. A hypocrite pretends like they are perfect and righteous, like the proud Pharisee but they don’t have any desire in their heart to apologize or to repent of their sins, because in their own mind, they are blameless. What they are doing is acting. They really haven’t come to grips with the truth of what they are on the inside. The truth is, they’re just like everybody else.

The higher in self-righteousness that you climb, the greater the fall is going to be.

Whoever lifts themselves up is going to be brought down and those who are down and humble before God is going to be lifted up. A hypocrite is somebody who pretends to be something that they are not.

They claim that they are righteous and good, but they aren’t. They claim that they’re blameless, but they are not. They are sinner like all the rest of us.

The truth is that they need to look inside of their own heart, because if they really took a look in their heart, and went back to the costume room, and took off all the costume makeup and the clothes and took a good look in the mirror, they would have to come to the grips that they’re just like the rest of us.

One of the hypocrites favorite sayings is, I thank thee, that I’m not like these other terrible people. Only a hypocrite would say that. We can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need. That includes those who are caught up in the sin of hypocrisy.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Good morning, and welcome in today. Today we’re going to look at some scripture from John chapter 14. But first of all, I wanted to ask you a question.

Have you ever gotten lost before? Have you ever been unable to find your way, not knowing where you were?

When I was a teenager, I liked to go snowshoeing. I can remember one time when I was way out in the middle of a huge swamp and I got completely turned around. There was a lot of wind and drifting snow that had covered up my snowshoe tracks so I couldn’t follow them back home. Obviously, I eventually got out of there, because I’m here today, but there was something that I wished that I could have had in my pocket that day. It would have really helped me to find my way through that storm. It was a compass.

The compass has been used many years for navigation, location and direction. We use it to find our way, whether it’s on a hiking trail, or on a trip to some new location.

When I was very young, I remember many people who used to have a compass that was mounted on the windshield of their vehicle. When we can’t guide off the stars in the sky because of foul weather, or because clouds and storms come to pass, it is that compass that keeps us pointed in the right direction.

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.

The teachings of Scripture, are a spiritual compass for us. When the clouds of sin surround us, when the darkness attempts to confuse and confound us, it’s that compass that points us to Christ. It’s the things that he taught us that guides our course in this life.

When the apostle Thomas asked the Lord Jesus, how can we know the way Jesus said unto him, I am the way.

If you want to find the way home to heaven someday, Jesus is the way there. He gives us a compass so that we can find our way home. It’s found in His Holy Word.

A Way is defined as a road, a track or path, for traveling along.

Matt 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The Lord teaches that there is a broad way and a narrow way.

They claim that there are over 4000 different religions in the world today. Many of these people truly believe that they’re going to be in heaven someday, but the Bible is clear that there is only one way to heaven, it’s through the forgiveness and the grace found in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins.

Think about an airport that has lots of different gates, but there’s only one that’s going to lead to your destination. You’ve got to make sure that you choose the correct one.

If you’ve ever studied the waterways in the world, a straight is a comparatively narrow passageway that connects two large bodies of water. In order to get from Earth unto heaven, there’s a narrow passageway that we must go through, it’s found in Jesus Christ.

One year we were up in the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota. We were canoeing across a really large lake, but in order to get to the next series of lakes, there was only one way to get there. We had to portage our canoes over land. The portage trails were very, very narrow, but when you stayed on this path long enough, it finally opened up into a brand new place, a completely new lake that you had never seen before.

God wants us in heaven someday. He doesn’t want anybody to perish. He wants all of us to come to repentance, and to have a change of our hearts. He desires that we confess and admit our sins so that He can forgive us, so that we can begin a new walk with Him.

Jesus is that narrow gate. He is that narrow portage. The teachings of the Scriptures are a compass that guide us all the way home.

Jesus taught Thomas that He is the way. A way is defined as an opening, or a passage from one place to another.

John 10:9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

When you get into your vehicle each morning, you have to open the door to get inside. When you go into the gas station to pay for your gas, you have to go through the door. When you buy groceries at the grocery store, you need to pass through the front door. In order to inherit eternal life and get into heaven, there is one person that you will have to go through in order to get in, it’s the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only entrance point.

Have you ever been somewhere where there was only one way to get in? Maybe you went to a concert, but you had to file through a very narrow ticket booth. One person was checking and punching your ticket stub. That’s like the kingdom of heaven, you have to go through Jesus, in order to have access to heaven someday. Many people feel that there are numerous ways to get to heaven, but there is only one.

Jesus told Thomas that He is the truth.

The Bible teaches us that God is truth, and that his Word is truth.

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

When we really desire to know what’s true, you will find it in the Holy scriptures. It’s God’s Word that helps us to discern all the falsehoods and lies out in the world today.

It is Gods Word that purifies us and sanctifies us. It is Gods truth that sets us free from our sinful condition when we accept the fact that we’ve all come short of the glory of God. It is Gods truth that causes us to humble ourselves under His mighty hand. It is Gods truth that leads us to apologize for the sins that we’ve committed against Him and others. It is Gods truth that leads us to cry out for mercy. It is Gods truth that leads us in a new direction. It is Gods truth that causes us to become obedient to the teachings of Christ.

God’s word is a compass that points to True North. It points us to heaven.

Jesus taught Thomas that He is the life.

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.

When somebody believes something, it’s going to result in an action.

Think about a fisherman who is out on a big lake. And all sudden you see a thunderclouds rolling in. If you really believe that it’s going to rain, it’s going to result in an action. You will start your motor and head for shore.

When you believe, it causes you to do something. If you really believe in Jesus, true faith will cause a change inside of your your heart. It will cause you to get off the wide road of sin and onto the narrow path of Christ.

If you believe in Jesus, there’s going to be a change in your life. If you believe in Jesus, you will accept the things that He teaches in the Scriptures, and have a desire to do what it says. It’s becoming a person of action. It’s being a doer of the Word, not a hearer only. That’s what it means to believe in Jesus. It’s love for God, in action.

When you wake up some warm summer morning, and you believe that it’s going to be a beautiful day you load up the kids and take them to the park. Faith leads to actions. Without works, faith is dead. It results in activity.

Whenever you see this word believe, don’t forget what it truly means. If you truly believe in Jesus, you will have a desire in your heart to obey Him, and to do His will rather than your own.

The Lord taught that no man cometh under the Father, but by me.

Think about how many people are going to be trying to get into heaven at the Judgement Day, but there is only one access point. In Northern Minnesota, there are a lot of lakes that we can go fishing on. There’s some fairly good sized lakes, but they only have one place to access the lake. Only one place that you can put your boat in.

As a Christian, we should desire the salvation of others. What we involved with, is called the ministry of reconciliation. We are pointing people to Jesus, and explaining what He has done for all us.

We publish the gospel just as the disciples did so that others can inherit eternal salvation someday.

When I was lost out in the woods, I really wished that I had a compass. 15 years later, I was walking down a street after work, going to my car, and someone finally gave me a compass, the King James Bible. I’m glad that I finally got my compass. Now, I know that whatever storms I might go through, I’ll be able to find my way home.

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

“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14

“Warn” means to “inform someone in advance of an impending or possible danger, problem, or other unpleasant situation.”

Unruly means “not submissive or conforming to rule; lawless; lacking restraint.”

There are many warnings around us in the world. On plastic buckets they have warnings on them that tell you to keep buckets with even a small amount of water in them away from small children because there is the danger that they could fall into them and get stuck and drown.

Also, on things like aspirin or chemicals, it warns that they should be kept out of the reach of children, so that they don’t hurt themselves.

A parent warns their young child to behave if they are being stubborn or not listening. They warn them of some kind of punishment that will happen if they continue to disbehave. A child may want to to something, or go somewhere that they shouldn’t go or do, so a parents warns them that they will receive a punishment if they do it. 

When I was a young child, I had a battery-powered car. I rode in that car everyday that I could. I was allowed to ride it as long as I obeyed a simple rule-that I could only ride it around a certain area, which was the half-block around our house. I don’t know how many times I rode around that half-block but as far as I can remember I never went outside that boundary, because I knew that if I did that I would lose the privilege to my car. I listened to the warning and I obeyed it.

In 1 Corinthians 4, it sounds like there were some people who weren’t taking Paul’s writings seriously, but were puffed up, or trying to exalt themselves over what Paul was teaching.

“Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.

But I will come shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?”  Corinthians 4:18-21

Paul was warning them that if this was going to continue, then he would come there and straighten things out. Like a dad who needs to correct a disobedient child, he didn’t want to have to come there and be hard on them in order to get them to change, but he would if it was necessary. He wanted to come to them lovingly, and meekly, but he would be strong with them if they wouldn’t change.

In Exodus, Pharaoh wasn’t submiiting to God when Moses told him to let the people go. He was warned over and over again about the plagues that would come upon Egypt if he didn’t listen. Eventually it cost him his son and his entire army. But he was warned.

In the church, when someone is unruly, or not submitting to the Word of God, they need to be warned that what they are doing is wrong. They need to be exhorted or urged to change their ways, because disobedience is not rewarded by God. Sin is a serious thing. This is not like when children in school would throw spitballs and get a rap on the wrist with a ruler. The punishment for someone who doesn’t change from their sins is eternal death. That is why it is so important to warn the unruly and disobedient. 

In 1 Corinthians 5, there was an issue with fornication in the church, and instead of being sad or remorseful about their sin, they were puffed up. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church and warned them. 

“It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from you. 

For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 

In the name our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destuction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

Later in 2 Corinthians, it looks like this person felt sorrow for what had happened and Paul wanted the church to receive him back. Paul’s warning had a positive effect in the church. Unless Paul had come in and warned them, it may have continued to go on. 

God leaves a warning in His Word what will happen if people do not listen to His warning about living in sin. 

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Eternal life is a privilege and a gift from God. It cannot be earned, but is offered freely. All people need to do is heed God’s warning to depart from sin.

The church is a place to learn about and worship Jesus. In the church, people may make mistakes and sin, but it should not become a habit to continue to live in sin. Those in the church who continue in sin need to be warned so that they change their way.

In Christ, 

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from Colossians.

Col 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;

When you get caught up in sin, it can really wreak havoc with your conscience. The deeper and deeper you go, the more of an enemy of God you make yourself in your own mind. When you make yourself an enemy of someone you are in a state of open opposition against them. What you are trying to do is prevent something from happening. Another definition says to provide resistance, to combat, to disagree, or to fight against.

When someone gets involved with Sin, it causes them to resist God in their own minds. God reaches out to this sinful world and wants to forgive us. He extends to us His grace and mercy found in his only begotten son Jesus Christ. God wants us to be together with him, but it is sin that causes separation from him.

I have always liked the illustration of a huge gorge with two hills on both sides. On one side is God and on the other side are the people of this world. In order for us to get across the Gorge, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to bridge the gap between himself and the world. In the illustration, the cross is placed into the Gorge where people of this world can cross the bridge of Christ to reach God.

Sin causes this world to be in a state of separation with God. In order for us to be in heaven someday we need to be brought back and reconciled to God. This is why God sent Jesus Christ. Christ coming to save this world is a giant act of reconciliation. He reconciles the entire world unto himself for as many as are going to accept the truth.

We are in the age of grace and grace is available to you but you have to come and receive it. The Apostle talked about it as the ministry of reconciliation. Sin causes us to be an enemy of God in our own minds. Have you ever heard the saying that you are your own worst enemy? In our sinful condition we are alienated from a relationship with God. God hates sin, but grant’s us grace to change.

God wants to forgive us. God doesn’t desire anybody to perish but to come to a place of repentance. He wants us to come to Him and the throne of grace so that we can become pleasing to Him and do His will. He wants to reconcile us. Even while we were yet sinners he offers us forgiveness.

Reconciliation is the restoration of a friendly relationships. God is perfect and just and holy. Someday God is going to punish sin for all of eternity, but God sent Jesus to save us from that penalty. God wants us to follow His son Jesus and the things that he taught in the scriptures.

In the church when we were enemies with God he forgave us and restored us. There are numerous examples of reconciliation found in the scriptures. Joseph’s brethren were reconciled to Joseph through his forgiveness. The Apostle Paul reconciled onesimus to Philemon. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the son was reconciled to his dad when he returned and confessed is faults. He admitted his wrongdoing and felt bad about what he had done. His dad completely forgave him on the spot and reconciled him to himself through his mercy.

God extends to this entire world mercy and Grace in his son Jesus Christ but what each of us need to do is accept the fact that we’ve all come short of the glory of God. We need to reach out for that mercy in Christ and confess our sins as the humble publican did. He cried out to God for mercy. This has to happen in order to be justified with God. We have to own up to our own mistakes in our own minds so that God can wash our sins away. Our God is a God of Mercy.

Col 1:21-23 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.

God wants us to be with him in heaven. God wants us to return unto Him. What we need to do is confess our sins. We need to purge those sins that are inside of our hearts and our minds so that God can wash them away.

In the church we are in a new relationship with God through what Christ Jesus did for us. We are reconciled to him through the body of his flesh through death. He cleanses us from sin so that we can be holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight, but He wants us to keep our distance from sin. He wants us to obey scripture.

It doesn’t matter if you have sinned one time or a thousand times it can all be forgiven. Some people may feel it’s too late in life. Some people may say that God will not forgive them. Others claim that they have sinned so many times that there is not enough grace to cover it. I’m letting you know today, that grace is available with God. What is required is repentance and a contrite heart. What is required is a heart that is ready to lay those sins down and admit fault at the Cross of Christ.

When the prodigal son returned home, his dad completely forgave him. He didn’t hold a grudge against the son. Everything that happened in the past between them was completely forgotten and they had a celebration. After forgiveness happened he treated the son as if no time had passed between them and they simply picked up were they had left off before.

God is capable of presenting us holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight because when he forgives, it’s like having your memory wiped. It’s like deleting everything on a laptop. The conscience is cleansed. It’s like erasing everything that you have ever recorded in your life and starting over. That is the power of God’s forgiveness and Grace.

There are so many people who really don’t understand real forgiveness because in their human nature they still hold on to a grudge. They continue to bring up things from the past that were confessed and forgiven. They continue to dig skeletons out of the closet. They continue to dig up bones. When God forgives us it’s like hitting the delete button. When you delete something it means to completely erase it.

How many of you would like to delete moments of your life? How would you like to go back in time with a huge pencil eraser in order to erase the things that you have done wrong? Maybe you’d like to take some white out and blot out things that you shouldn’t have said.

Many times I think about sin as dirt on the kitchen floor. People used to sweep all that dirt underneath the carpet. The dirt was hidden from view and nobody could see it. That’s what God can do for each of us. He has a portion of grace awaiting you. You just need to come and get it.

So many people today cannot comprehend and understand the power of God’s forgiveness. You may look at the power of a huge hydroelectric Dam, You may see the power of a comet as it passes near to the Earth, but there is no greater power that I have ever known then the power of God’s forgiveness. It is greater than anything that you could ever possess on the Earth. It is worth more than all the riches that you could ever store up, and this treasure you will only find when you seek the truth of Jesus found at His cross.

God wants us to come home and to confess our faults. He wants to cleanse our hearts and our minds from those things that have kept us from a relationship with Himself. When we finally do that, God wants to push that delete button in our lives. God wants a relationship with us, but it’s sin that causes seperation. Sin is what caused the prodigal son to leave his dad. No matter what we have done wrong, there is forgiveness in Christ.

God extends to us his mercy and Grace so that we can start over again. He forgives us so that we can get off of that wide road of sin and get on the narrow road that leads to heaven. It requires humility in order to do that. It requires that our hearts break inside so that we can release all of those things that we’ve done wrong in our lives in our past.

I think of unconfessed sin like a brick wall that you build around yourself. You make yourself your own prisoner because of your own sin. It continually gets higher and higher each day. The only way to get out is to break out of there with a sledgehammer. You’ve got to get free of that wall and the weight and the burdens that are holding you down.

You are like a falcon who wants to fly but you are tethered to a tree because of sin. God wants to free us from our sinful condition, and those things in our conscience that hurt that we shouldn’t have done.

God extends to us mercy so that we can be reconciled unto him again. Forgiveness is waiting, we just need to confess and admit the truth that I am a sinner. it doesn’t matter how many sins you committed, grace is available to cover those sins. That’s why Jesus came, to cleanse our consciences so that we would no longer be at enmity with him. You have to trust in God’s grace.

When God forgives, it’s water under the bridge. It’s never to be seen again. It’s like crumpling up a piece of paper and throwing it in a river and watching it disappear as it floats away.

God wants us to trust in his grace that is found in his Son. He wants us to be grounded and settled in the faith. He doesn’t want us to be moved away from the hope of the Gospel.

Each of us at times have to tell God I’m sorry, but remember that when God forgives, he forgets the past and hits the delete button.

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing we’ll talk to some more tomorrow till then bye-bye everybody

“But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,” Luke 6:27

An enemy is “a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something; one that is antagonistic to another especially: one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent.”

I have heard that in the Revolutionary War that when enemy soldiers were wounded in battle and captured, that the captors would tend to the enemy POW’s wounds and take care of them. They might have been enemies on the battlefield, and trying to kill each other, but when the battle was over, any survivors were given aid. That is showing your enemy love.

“If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.” Proverbs 25:21-22

When Jesus was taken in the Garden of Eden, Peter cut off the ear of one of those who came to take Jesus away. But what did Jesus tell Peter? He told him to put his sword away and Jesus healed the man’s ear. Jesus showed even an enemy love. These men were there to take him away to ultimately be crucified! Yet Jesus still showed his enemies love.

The Pharisees were constantly trying to entrap Jesus in His speech or find something to accuse Him for. But Jesus didn’t return evil for evil to His enemies. 

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:44-45

Back in the Old Testament, Saul was angry with David and sought to kill him. He pursued him throughout the wilderness. One night as Saul slept, David and his men went into the cave that Saul was sleeping in and David cut off a part of Saul’s robe, to prove that he had been there and did not want to harm Saul. In the morning when Saul woke up, David presented himself to Saul and showed him the piece of cloth that he had cut off. When Saul saw he said, 

“…Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded thee with evil. An thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine had, thou killedst me not. For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.” 1 Samuel 24:17-19

The love that David had to Saul caused Saul to realize that what he was doing was wrong, and he knew that God would reward him for his love and mercy.

The greatest example of love is of course when the Father sent Jesus to the earth to die for our sins. The world is full of disobedient people who sin everyday, and refuse to show love to others. But Jesus died for them. God could just destroy the earth immediately, but He doesn’t. His love is so great and He waits. Everyday is another opportunity for someone else to change and become a new person living in love towards God and their neighbor. 

“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.” John 3:16

So when someone hates you, show them love. Remember, unless Jesus showed you love when you were still an unbeliever, you wouldn’t receive eternal life. Pray for your enemies, that they would see the love that you show them so that they will see the love that God has to the world. Show your enemies love and God will reward you.

In Christ,

Andrew 

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from Psalms 119, but before we do that, I wanted to ask you a question.

Are you the kind of person who likes to conserve energy? When we first moved out to our home in the woods, we were trying to get by as cheaply as we could. Many years ago, I found a product that we really, really enjoyed. Instead of leaving the lights on at bedtime at night, we would shut the power off and dig out some new flashlights that we had purchased from the store. They were a special kind of rechargeable flashlight. They had a handle on the side, and you’d crank it up for a minute or two, and then you’d have a strong light for about 10 or 15 minutes. It was bright enough to read, brush your teeth or do a few small things around the house. But as time went by, the light would slowly start to dim. The rechargeable battery was starting to die. I’d pick up the flashlight off of my pillow and give it another wind for a minute or two, and I was good for about 20 more minutes.

This reminds me of the Christian life.

There is a very important thing that I learned when doing this. We need to keep charging ourselves up so that the light will shine brightly in our lives. The thing that charges us up are the teachings of the Holy scriptures. When we hear the Bible preached everyday, it’s like giving a few more winds on my flashlight.

Psalms 119:105 – Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

God’s word is very much like that wind up flashlight that helps us to see when we are walking in the dark. Nowadays they sell headlamps that you can strap on your head. They’re really nice to have but again the batteries need to be charged up in order to see. Our hearts are very similar to a battery. The teachings of God’s Word charges each of us up So that our lights will shine brightly and we can see that narrow path that God wants us to be on.

Have you ever been camping somewhere on a pitch black night and then run out of batteries? You have to stumble around in the dark and try to feel your way back to the tent. God’s word is a lamp unto our feet. It helps us, it guides us, and brightens the path that leads us to heaven. Just like you need batteries in a flashlight, you need oil in your lamp to see where you’re going.

Matt 25:1-13 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. ² And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³ They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: ⁴ But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

⁶ And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. ⁷ Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. ¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. ¹¹ Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. ¹² But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. ¹³ Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

This passage is not only a story about procrastination but also teaches us that we need light in order to see where we’re going..Notice that he came at midnight and they needed to go out to meet him. How can you find anybody in the dark? They had no light to guide the path that led to him. God has given us a light to help us find our way to to be with him someday, you just have to make sure your battery is charged up and ready to go each day. It’s a very dark place that we live in. Sin is around every corner. There are roads that lead off in completely wrong directions. We have to use the light that we’ve been given to see the correct path that leads to Christ.

……. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Think about how far the production of headlights in automobiles has progressed in the last hundred years. They used to use oil and acetylene lamps and you really couldn’t see very far with them.

Nowadays, they’ve got LED lights so that you can see further and further down the road. They are incredibly bright and help us to see all the obstructions at night.

Can you imagine driving down the highway and shutting your lights off for a few moments? That’s a pretty nerve-wracking thought isn’t it. There are many people who do it today and don’t even think about it. The sad thing is they profess to be Christian but they’re not charging up their hearts with God’s Word each day.

Just like the five wise virgins we need to prepare ourselves right now. Today is the day of salvation. We need to fill up with God’s word day by day while it is called today. Heaven is a prepared place for those who have prepared themselves while here upon the Earth. We need to charge up our batteries each day by hearing God’s word and applying it to our lives. It’s only by God’s truth that we can see through the darkness of this place.

I will never forget many years ago when I was able to take a tour of a massive cave somewhere out by South Dakota. It was so big that they had an elevator that took you down in to it. It felt like like we were going deep down into a coal mine.

Inside of the cave they had built a massive walkway system so that you could easily view everything. Halfway through the tour, the park ranger stopped the group. He asked if we wanted to see some real darkness. The crowd responded, sure, and then they shut all of the lighting off. I put my hand in front of my nose and I could not see it at all. Imagine what it must have been like for somebody who mapped caves for a living, but ran out of oil for their lamp.

Without a light while you’re walking down the road in the middle of the night you can trip, fall down and even get hurt. You can find yourself going the completely wrong direction. In the church we need to see where we are going in order to get to the final destination. Think about how many years that they’ve used lighthouses to guide ships into the harbor. These massive lights would help guide the ship through the darkness of night so they didn’t crash upon the rocks. Each day we need to be lit up with God’s truth so that we can walk on the narrow path of Christ. We want to see where we are going so we don’t accidentally get lost and begin to walk on the wide Road. God’s word is a light so that we don’t trip and fall down into the mud. It lights our way so that we’re not deceived by false teachings. It lights our path so that we can see the others who are on the same walk with us.

…….Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Psalms 43:3 – O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.

That’s exactly what we are speaking about today. You need to be guided down the path of life, the light of Holy Scripture, so that we can see our way through this world and make it all the way home to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. .God’s word is the truth. We can’t add to it, we don’t subtract from it, we simply want to become a doer of it. The reason why is because when we do it, we will be blessed in our deed. God wants to put us on the best path. It’s narrow and less traveled, but it’s the best path to be on.

Pro 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:”

John 14:5-6. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

In order to find our way, the Lord provided us with a light. It’s found in His Holy word. In order to obtain eternal life someday, we need to stay on the right path. In order to see the right path, you need the light of His Word in your hearts. The foolish virgins couldn’t see at midnight and that’s why we need to prepare right now. Remember Noah prepared for the flood that was coming. We need to prepare and grow each day in God’s word. As I said at the beginning, the further away you get from the teachings of scripture the dimmer your light is going to become. In order to become a shining light to others, we need to be filled up with the light of scripture. God’s Word is a lamp that lights not only our path, but the path of others walking alongside with you.

Mark 4:21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?

Matt 5:14-16 ¹⁴ Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

In order to be a light to others, you must first have the light yourself. You have to have the fuel of scripture inside of your heart in order to be a light to the world. You must first be able to see the path in order to guide others around you and it’s not going to happen without scripture in your heart. Have you ever tried following someone in the dark? Both of you will end up in the ditch. How can you follow somebody you can’t see?

Each of us need to take that flashlight and wind it up. Keep those batteries charged up with God’s Word.

…….The Rechargeable Flashlight

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♥️

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.

Today we’re going to look at some scripture from second Timothy chapter four. But before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story that happened to our family on a road trip down to New Mexico.

Many of you are aware that when you keep an atlas in your vehicle, it is very helpful to find the right way to go. It shows us the roads that we need to stay on in order to get to our final destination. It’s very easy to get lost if you don’t follow the directions on the map. One wrong turn can completely lead you off the wrong way. A lot of us have done that.

The instance in my life I can remember is being somewhere by New Mexico and taking a wrong turn. I kept driving for half an hour, but it seemed like I was on a rural highway. Eventually it started going up the side of a mountain. Fifteen minutes later, it started to turn into gravel and go through some switchbacks. I knew now that I had gone the wrong way. Five more minutes down the road it turned into an unmaintained forestry road. I was completely off course.

I finally found a place to turn around and went back the way I came. I eventually did find the spot where I had made my wrong turn, got back on the right road, and continued on with our trip.

The Bible is a roadmap that leads us to eternal life, but we have to follow the things that are written in it. We have to obey what it says, otherwise, we will start heading the wrong way.

A lot has changed since I got lost back then. In the new cars today, they have a voice that tells you which way to turn. You have to listen to it as it leads you to your destination. If you choose not to listen, you’re going to end up in the wrong place.

2 Tim 4:4

⁴ And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Imagine driving through a big city in your car and the voice says you need to turn left but you turn right instead. At that point you’re choosing not to follow the directions. Some people today who profess to be Christian are doing the very same thing.

The Bible is the truth.

John 17:17 – Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

A lot of people don’t want to listen to the truth today, but in order to get to heaven you have to be able to hear the truth. You have to be able to listen to it.

John 8:32 – And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

God’s word is our moral compass. When people don’t receive it or hear it, they can get caught up in sin. It’s only through accepting what the Bible says, that you recover yourselves out of the snare of sin. It is the acceptance of truth that sets us free from our sinful condition. God’s truth instructs us corrects us and leads us on the right path.

Think about having a dad, who warns you not to do something. Instead of listening to him, you plug your ears and then do the thing that he told you not to do. You have to suffer the consequences for what you did. God wants us to listen to Him because he wants to show us the way to a better life. The wages of sin is death.

2 Timothy 3:16 – All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

In order to become righteous, we need to listen to the instructions that we are given in God’s Holy Word. When the bible says it, then you need to follow it.

How many of you have been driving down the road, following the map, but then decided that you know a better way or a shortcut? There’s no shortcuts with God’s truth. I’ve always taught the Bible says what it means and it means what it says. It’s up to each of us if we’re going to decide that we are going to submit and follow it. God allows us to make u turns just like I did when I was temporarily lost up in the mountain.

He does this so we can get back on the correct road. God grants us mercy and grace through His Son Jesus Christ so that we can become obedient to His will. It’s so that we can serve Him and obey Him.

⁴ And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Did you know that when you turn away from something, it literally means to turn one’s body, head or eyes in a completely different direction. It means to turn away from a fixed course.

Think about all the airplanes that fly around in the world today. They fly across huge oceans but they have to make stops in order to fuel. There’s some very small islands in the ocean that if they don’t stay on a fixed course, they’re gonna miss them completely. It’s a very narrow Flight Plan.

In order to get all the way home to heaven to be with Jesus someday, we need to stay on our fixed course.

The Bible is our map to heaven. You cannot reject it, you cannot dismiss it, you cannot turn a turn a deaf ear to what it says, otherwise, you’re going to miss the place that you’re intending to go to.

Matthew 13:15

“For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”

In order for conversion to happen in each of our lives we have to open up our ears to the truth of Scripture. You might not listen to somebodys opinion at work, or somebody else’s ideas, but if you’re professing to be a Christian, you have to hear Gods voice in scripture. You have to hear in from your heart and let it sink in deep. You don’t add to it, you don’t subtract from it, you don’t change it. It’s by scriptures that we are convicted and convinced that we are going the wrong way.

God gives us grace and mercy as we need it. We can come boldly to in the time of need. A Christian is not perfect but is working towards perfection. A Christian is under construction each day through God’s grace. He provides us forgiveness so that we can get back on course.

Covering your eyes from what the Bible teaches, or closing your ears from the truth of Scripture will only lead down the road of pain and sorrow. God’s way, is the best way. God wants to lead us on a better path. He wants to show us how to love him perfectly, and then to love others, but you have to keep focused on the map.

Zechariah 7:11 – But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

You know why in the flesh that we don’t want to listen? It’s because it means that you will have to accept the truth that you’re wrong. It means that we have to accept the truth that we are in error. We have to accept the truth that we have gone the wrong way. We have to accept the truth that we have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We have to accept the truth that we must humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, because only then, can He lift us up.

God simply wants us to confess our sin. That means to make an admission of fault so that he can forgive us.

Hebrews 12:25 – See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

When you refuse it means to indicate or show that one is not willing to do something. Many people today are not willing to accept the truth that they have sinned.

Hebrews 5:11 – Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing

Acts 7:57 – Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 – And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 

In order to get to heaven, you have to love that roadmap.

Have you ever had an atlas in your vehicle and tried to keep it pristine and in really good condition? You really cared for that atlas because it guided you and showed you the way. In order to get to heaven we need to take care of our map. We must love the truth of scripture, otherwise, we can get off on the wrong path and start to believe a lie.

⁴ And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

A Fable is a fictitious story. It’s not true. It’s not based in Scripture.

Today I ask you, are you following the roadmap? Are you following the directions? Are you listening to what you’ve been taught from the scriptures?

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

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to pick up where we left off from yesterday.

1 Timothy 1:5. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

The word good means that which is morally right or righteous. It’s morally excellent, virtuous, and having a favorable character. The last definition says having admirable, pleasing positive qualities, instead of bad or mediocre.

The Apostle teaches the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart and having a good conscience.

The conscience acts as a guide in the heart to the rightness or wrongness of one’s own behavior. I’ve heard it referred to as the moral muscle. It informs us of our own values and principles. It’s what a person believes is right and wrong inside their own hearts. Lastly, it’s the sense of consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, and intentions along with a feeling of obligation to do what’s right, or good.

God wants us to be loving charitable people, and to have a good conscience. He wants us to do what’s good and right before him. He does this by the cleansing of our hearts through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.

Heb 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?

In the Christian faith, purge means to clear and to remove guilt. Think of it like this,…

Each morning a person gets up, steps into the shower, and they wash away all the dirt that has accumulated on them in the past day or two. When they step out of the shower, they are clean on the exterior. What God does is He cleanses our hearts and our minds on the inside through what Jesus Christ did for us at the cross. We can wash our sins away through the blood of Jesus Christ in Holy Communion. When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

That’s what it means to purge our consciences. The things that we’ve done wrong in the past, or the mistakes that we’ve made can be washed away in our hearts and minds so that we can do what God expects of us.

All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but through grace we can do good works rather than dead works, or the works of sin.

Heb 6:1. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God…

God wants to rid our hearts and minds of sin, but obviously, we have to confess them. God cleanses us from our sins so that we can serve Him and do His will.

Rom 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Casting off sin is to turn away from it in your life. It’s only through the grace found in Jesus Christ that we could ever serve God. He delivers us from our sinful condition.

Col 1:13 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”

Serving the Lord has to do with performing duties or services towards him. It’s being obedient to Him and turning away from the way we used to live in our past and walking in the light. He delivers us from the penalty and the guilt of our sin so that we can make a U turn in our life and obey His will.

Many years ago, I remember hearing an old saying when somebody said, God allows u-turns.

We can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need so that we can do a U-turn and come back to Him and serve Him in love. Serving Him ultimately means to do His will

Jesus taught If you love me, keep my commandments. Through Christ, we get forgiven for our sins, so that we can return to him and become obedient. The second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.

Sometimes I think about children who have nice fresh clean clothes on that were just washed. They go outside to play and then they jump right into the mud or run through the puddles and they get their clean clothes all dirty. God cleanses our hearts so that we can serve him and not get caught up in dead works all over again. Usually, after we have Holy Communion, we say to go and serve the Lord.

We’re supposed to serve God and one another in love. You want to serve one another in truth. It’s by truth that the soul is converted. It’s by truth we accept the error of our way. It’s by truth that we say I was wrong. When we look into the scriptures they show us that we have sinned. God wants to cleanse us from our sins.

In the Old Testament, they offered sacrifices, but the blood of animals could not cleanse the conscience. It was an exterior ritual that was provided to them. In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Himself cleanses our hearts inside so that we can serve Him in love.

1 Timothy 1:5. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

1 Tim 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

Sadly, there will be people who turn away from the teachings of Christ Jesus. They completely turn away from the true faith. Just like a ship that runs into the rocks, they wreck their lives. Their conscience is seared as with a hot iron.

Have you ever burned yourself before? As a young kid, I flipped my motorbike over in a mud puddle. I happened to be wearing shorts, which wasn’t very smart and the hot exhaust pipe laid down right on top the inside of my calf. It burned me really, really bad. It was so bad that it burned the nerve endings away. I can’t feel anything there. You don’t ever want to do that to your heart and your mind.

That happens when you sin against others but you don’t feel sad anymore. It’s when you do what is wrong and you don’t care. It’s when you go against the teachings of Jesus, but you feel no remorse about it. It really doesn’t matter or affect you. That’s a bad place to be. Without faith, it is impossible to please God… We must keep a good conscience.

The Bible is our moral compass, but you have to have faith in order to follow it. You have to believe what it says in order to become a doer of God’s Word. When people walk off on the teachings of Jesus they’re leaving their conscience on the doorstep. They don’t care if they sin against other people. They don’t shed a tear. There’s no contrition, there’s no penitence, there’s no feeling sorry for how they are treating somebody else. That’s what happens when you become hard hearted and cold.

Titus 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

1 Tim 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;

Depart means to walk away from what you have been taught In the church. We have grace available so that we can serve the living God. He gives us forgiveness so we can make a U turn and become obedient to His will and purpose for us. You want to keep a good conscience.

1 Timothy 1:5. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

When something is unfeigned it is genuine and sincere. It’s the exact opposite of feign, which means to fake or to pretend. The Lord Jesus warned about people who liked to wear long robes, they liked to appear religious. How many people today go into a church service just to be seen as religious? They dress up in nice clothes but really have no desire inside their hearts to do the will of God.

The Lord warned about people who do things just to be seen by others. They pray in public only to be seen and noticed, but the truth is they are void of true sincerity inside of their heart.

There were people who came out to listen to Jesus but they were simply there to find something out about the Lord to condemn Him.

Even today, there’s a counterfeit Christianity. And because the Lord taught that before his return, it was going to be as the days of Noah, you can know that this counterfeit form of Christianity will continue to grow. True faith inside of your heart will cause you to seek God and have a desire to obey Him and do His will. He cleanses our conscience from evil works so that we can do that very thing. God doesn’t want our religion. He wants our hearts and our minds. He loves us and cares for us and He wants us to love and care for him.

On our web page, we’ve always had a cross with the heart in the middle because Christianity is about the heart.

God allows U-turns through Christ so that we can serve him from our hearts.

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

Have you ever been going somewhere, and you thought that you knew the directions to get there, but you eventually took a wrong turn somewhere and got lost?

Many years ago, my family and I were out going to some yard sales, when we came to an intersection with a yard sale sign pointing down a road. So we went down the road for awhile to go and find it. If we don’t see the sale relatively quick, we usually turn around and go look for a different one, and that is what happened to this one. We turned around and went back to look at that sign, and that’s when we noticed something. The sign was homemade and was staked into the ground by a single rod, and because there was some wind that day, the sign was spinning different directions. We sat there for about a minute and watched as the sign pointed down one road, and then switched back to another. We eventually found the sale, but the point is that we were led down a wrong road because we assumed the sign was correctly pointing the right way.

As a human without Christ and His guidance, a person will go down a road that doesn’t lead to Heaven. 

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

Try to picture this in your mind. You have a six lane freeway stretching out as far as you can see, hundreds of cars all on there way down it and all going to what appears to be a large city. Just looking at this one would think that this road leads to the city, but what is not seen is that before the freeway reaches the city, it does a sharp turn and leads away from it. If those on the freeway want to get to this city, they need to take the offramp and get off that wide road. If they don’t they will not enter the city limits.

The world is on this wide road. They might think that they are headed the right direction in their lives, but what they need to do is get off the wide road to hell, and get onto the offramp so that they can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

“Strait” means “narrow” and also is used to refer to a narrow passage of water. 

“Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” Luke 13:23-24

There are many people in the world who are trying to get to Heaven, but will not be able to. Hundreds of different religions in the world, most of them believe in life and paradise after death. But unless they get off that wide road, get out of their false religions, and turn onto the narrow road of Christianity and follow Jesus, they will not enter into the Kingdom. 

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

You cannot get to Heaven on your own. You need the help of one Person. Jesus. Take His hand, and He will bring you into the Kingdom.

In Christ,

Andrew