1/13/2021 A women’s duty to Christ

Today we’re going to focus on a woman’s duties to the Lord Jesus Christ. A duty is defined in the dictionary as a moral or legal obligation or responsibility that one might have.

The second definition says a task or an action that someone is required to perform.

I was just looking here at one of the definitions and speaking about children’s obligations it says, the respect and obedient conduct that is due a parent or a superior.

Lastly it’s a task or a chore that a person is expected to perform. For example, you might say it’s your duty to cut the lawn today and the child will go out to do it.

Well today we’re going to take a look at some scriptures that have to do with women’s duties to Jesus in the church and we’re going to look at women’s duties to their families. Let’s start with 1st Peter 3:1

It teaches….you wives be in subjection to your own husbands

You know, today there’s a lot of things that have changed in the world compared to two, three or four hundred years ago. Subjection is something that people seem to have a real problem with. People out in the world can live whatever way they want but when it comes to being a Christian if you’re going to profess to be a believer in Jesus Christ, a wife needs to be in subjection to her husband. She needs to allow herself to be completely in his control.

Subjection is a great thing. When you put yourself in subjection to authority, your children learn authority because they watch your behavior. Obedience in the church can be readily learned by watching a mother’s submission to their dad.

It’s seen in how a wife obeys her husband daily, or how a dad in the family consistently and Faithfully preaches God’s word. An obedient dad leads His family to Jesus, baptizing them and bringing the family together for worship.

So I want you to take a real good listen to what subjection means. I’m going to try to make it really easy for you to understand.

Subjection is when a person submits to being controlled by another. The teachings of Jesus clearly show us that a woman in the home is supposed to be in subjection to her husband; he is the head of the household. He is in control of her. He is put in that charge by God to protect her and the children. She can reject that control, but that is not a Christian wife.

She has to allow herself to be controlled because he is making the decisions. Christian Liberty that is found in the scriptures is not about disobedience to those who are your authority. That’s not what we call freedom, it’s what the Bible calls rebellion.

Now, we can always petition and ask things from your authority, like we do with God; that’s why we pray to him; and a woman can ask things of her husband but ultimately he’s the one who is in charge of making the decisions for the family.

If he’s a Christian dad he tries to make his decisions based on the word of God for the family. A dad might say you shouldn’t be doing this, or I don’t want you doing that. He might add, God’s word says you shouldn’t have a part of that. If you put yourself into his control you are accepting what he is telling you. Do you really think that a dad wants evil to befall you or your mother?

Think about the Secret Service and how they protect the president of the United States. Some might feel that they’re too controlling or overprotective, but they have been charged with that Duty for the president, just like a dad is for his own family.

Once again 1st Peter 3:1 teaches you wives be in subjection to your own husbands. That means you have to allow yourself to be controlled by them and I really believe that in a marriage you need to understand that if you’re going to get married. That is what’s going to happen because he’s in charge.

Out in the world that’s a whole different story, I understand that because of all the things that are going on: equality, feministic beliefs or teachings that women should be over men. That happens out in the world and I don’t have an issue with the way that they live in the world but in the church if we’re going to be a Christian we need to do as Jesus commands us.

I’m not here to judge people out in the world, these are judgments that are meant for people who are professing to be a Christian, okay? Let’s move on to 1st Peter 3:4

It says she’s supposed to be of a meek and quiet spirit. The word meek means quiet gentle and easily imposed on: submissive. A sweet and submissive wife you might tell her I need this done today or the children need this or that and she says yes sir I’ll do that for you I love you honey.

Think of how submissive Joshua was to Moses. That is a really blessed wife when they’re living in that manner. Her husband is going to take a big notice in her obedience, (and especially of her disobedience!)

It also says she’s quiet. Quiet means making little or no noise or she carries out her work discreetly. She’s filled with the absence of noise or bustle: she’s calm. One of the definitions says silence is the absence of ambient audible sound.

You know personally, I really really enjoy going to a library. You sit down in your chair, and work on the computer. It’s so quiet. There’s something about quietness that makes me smile and I’m a man. It also teaches that silence is the emission of sounds of such low intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves. That’s almost like a whisper isn’t it. That is what they used to say years ago,… quiet like a church mouse.

Whether it comes down to a woman being quiet (or men being quiet for that matter), quietness is a great thing. I like working outside and doing our jobs and we’re quiet and we’re working hard. The opposite of that is getting loud or fighting.

Let’s take a look at one more scripture here.

1st Peter 3:6 even as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him lord.

Obedience is submission. Obey means to comply with commands or the direction or the request of somebody else who is your authority.

Remember, as Christians we refer to Jesus Christ as Lord of lords. Sarah called Abraham Lord. The man is the lord of the home.

Colossians 3:18 says, wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands as it is fit in the Lord.

Here is another submission and obedience verse. Fit means requiring or meeting the required purpose. Women have a purpose before God to meet. That required purpose is to be fit. To be fit in the Lord is to do what he wants you to do.

This is not just the command of a husband this is the command of the Lord Jesus Christ who wants women to be like that towards their husbands.

Ephesians 5:33 a wife is supposed to reverence her husband.

If you reverence somebody you are going to show them deep respect. One of the definitions here says reverence is a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe or veneration.

You want to hold them in a place of reverence in your heart and in your mind because they are your direct authority in the home. Whether he’s a believer in Christ or he is an unbeliever that is the way that you want to treat the man of the house.

Ephesians 5:22 wives are supposed to submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord

So when a woman who claims to be a Christian is professing to have faith in Jesus,… perhaps she’s going to church or Bible studies, the Lord Jesus says that you are supposed to submit to your husband as you would unto Him.

If you want to go to church and try to obey Jesus Christ, He wants you to go and obey your husband because the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church and he is the savior of the body therefore as the church is subject unto Christ so let their wives be to their own husbands in everything.

So again, The word submission has to do with obeying your head ship. The man is the head of the wife, he is the head of the home, he is the ruler and leader of his household, he is in charge, he makes the decisions.

When wives obey their husbands like that, what happens is that the children see that obedience and then they obey the dad then they obey the mother because they see her obedience towards him.

So as I have said numerous times through the years, obey obey obey. It spreads like a wildfire.

Wives are supposed to be subject to their own husbands in everything. Not just what you choose, claiming he’s doing this wrong or that wrong, or saying he really doesn’t know and I’m not going to listen to him at this point….. The Christian husband probably is consulting God in his personal prayer time and he’s waiting patiently for the answer from God. He wants to make sure that he makes decisions correctly for the family.

The woman is never supposed to usurp over him. She is waiting for his decision as the dad waits for his decision to be given to him from Christ and he makes it and she abides by it. That’s being subject to your husband in everything. [ if your husband is an unbeliever just do what you’re told and try to win them to Christ ]

1st Corinthians 11:7 says man is the image and glory of God woman is the glory of the man

Ephesians 5:22 says wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord

1st Timothy 2:11 let the woman learn in Silence with all subjection

When she learns in silence she quietly listens to what she’s being told. Think about kids that are in the classroom at an.Elementary School somewhere. The teacher stands there and he wants everybody to quiet down and perhaps he wraps his ruler on his desk or takes the rollcall and then he teaches and instructs them for 45 minutes.

That is the way that the woman is supposed to be with her man. She needs to be a quiet silent learner. Genesis 3:16 Says the husband rules over the wife.

Rule means to have control or dominion over or to exercise power over somebody who has been placed in their charge

1st Timothy 2:12 but I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over the man but to be in silence. The word suffer means to put up with something. Paul didn’t put up with that in the church at all.

Nowadays they have a lot of women preachers and women Sunday school teachers but the true Apostle here he did not put up with that at all.

The woman is not supposed to usurp authority over the man. A woman is under man. Man was created first then the woman,…. and you know to be honest with you,…the woman came out of the man. Man was created out of the dust of the Earth but the woman was actually given birth to through Adam.

Have you ever thought about it like that before? Thats what a woman does when she has a baby and she gives birth through her body. That’s what Adam did…. he gave birth to Eve in a manner of speaking.

As we talked about recently in another study , usurp means to go over the head of somebody else or go over someone who is in authority

Years ago I used to have a friend who was the sheriff and we talked about this kind of stuff. One time they picked up somebody and people were so upset that they were kicking the windows out of the back of the sheriff car and doing all kinds of stuff like that. Its all comes down to usurping authority. A wife might get in an argument with her husband and then say the heck that, I am not doing that… that’s usurping authority over him and that’s not the way of Christ, it’s not what Christ calls for women, and is certainly not good for the children.

Lastly today, it teaches in Hebrews 13:17 to obey those that have the rule over you.

There are people who are in the church preaching and teaching and they have the rule over you,… or a dad and so on and so forth.

Even the Apostle Paul and his teachings for the church, who himself submits to the teachings of Jesus, and Jesus ultimately to God the Father.

So you see, we have all these teachings that have been handed down by men of God unto us even the prophets in the Old Testament.

We’re supposed to learn to obey. They’re not preaching themselves their preaching the Lord God and that’s a different thing. These are the teachings of the Lord Jesus who laid down his life for you at the cross. This is the Lord who bled so that you could be forgiven of your sins and you can have remission for what you’ve done wrong. That’s what the preachers and ministers are doing is trying to get you to obey Christ word so that we can please him and love him with all of our hearts.

So all of us have a purpose that has been given to us by God and we just need to walk in those purposes and callings. We need to learn to be obedient. Remember if you are a wife out there, be in subjection to your own husband. Even if you’re not married you need to obey men.

The women in the church obeyed men whether they were single or married. The reason why is Adam was first formed, then Eve. [ God is a God of order ] People need to be in subjection to the authority that God has placed in their path. A husband is one of such authorities.

I really appreciate the time together with you today and like I said this is given to you in love because I care about you and your souls. Lord willing we’ll talk again soon. bye-bye

1/12/2021 The God of Hope

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

The Apostle refers to God as the God of hope. The word hope means a feeling of expectation and desire for certain thing to happen. It’s also a feeling of trust. Hope means to cherish a desire with anticipation or to want something to happen or to be true. It’s a desire that’s accompanied by expectation of, or belief in fulfillment.  It’s the expectation of fulfillment or success. 

Who are we supposed to place are hope and trust in?  Obviously not ourselves.  Our hope must be fully placed in the risen Lord, Jesus Christ.  The scriptures are filled with examples of people who placed their faith and hope in God.  Think of Moses and the Israelites.  Moses had so much hope in God, that he knew God would deliver them, even when their backs were up against the wall of the Red Sea . He KNEW God would deliver them, and God did. He is the God of HOPE.

Think about young David who went up against a warrior who was huge, named Goliath. David didn’t place his hope and trust in himself. He didn’t place is faith or trust in shiny armor.   He knew that God had delivered him out of many situations in his life, and he knew God could deliver Goliath into his hands, and that’s exactly what God did.  God is a God of HOPE.

Daniel was cast down into a lion’s den, he put his hope and trust fully in God to deliver him, and you know what? God did It! God is a God of hope. I want you to read a passage you’re from the scripture that really illustrates misplaced hope. 

James 4:13-16 “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 your 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. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

No mention of the Lord delivering in those statements.  It’s hope that is misplaced because it is placed in yourself.  I remember years ago that they used to make a bracelet that said “fully rely on God.”  That, my friends, is biblical hope in our risen Lord, Jesus Christ. 

Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.”  Do you realize the hope that it took in God to place little baby Moses in a basket on a river to save him?  She had hope that God would deliver him.  You know what,  God did. There are so many examples of hope in the scripture but real hope needs to be Christ-centered, instead of man-centered.  We need to abide in hope.

1 Cor 13:13 “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity.” It is the Lord that fights our battles for us.  We wait on Him and His mighty hand to deliver us, like so many other prophets and men of God have done, not only in the past, but in the present, and will do again in the future.  Psalm 39:7 “And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee.”

My hope is in you, O Lord.  Deliver Us.

With love Eric

1/11/2021 – Fighting with God

God loves and cares for this world that He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross so that we could be forgiven.  Those who really love Jesus are not going to fight against the things that He taught.

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

The word contentious means argumentative, belligerent or to cause disagreement.  Contentious people are fighting against God’s holy word.  They openly resist it because they don’t want to have to obey it.   A belligerent person is engaged in war or conflict. 

For an example of these kinds of people take a look at 2Timothy 3:8. It says, “Now as Janice and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.”

A reprobate is someone who refuses to accept biblical truths.  They openly deny it and actively oppose it.  How can one ever come to the point in their life when you become pleasing to God, unless they accept what His word teaches?

I’ve said it many many times, if we do make a mistake during our Christian walk, we can come boldly to the throne of grace, but you can’t fight against God’s word.  You’ll only find yourself fighting against Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 24:35, ”Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

Another example of a contentious person is found in 2 Timothy 4:14-15. “Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: Of whom be thou ware also; for he have greatly withstood our words.”

When people turn their ears away from the truth, they just don’t want to listen to what scriptures teach.  They find it easier to change scripture by printing up a pile of false Bibles.  A fable is a fictitious tale that causes a person to believe a lie.

2 Timothy 4:3 says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

God wants us to love and humbly serve and submit to Him.  Contentious people go the complete opposite way.  They are in a state of rebellion, openly resisting His purpose and will.  Many of them profess to be Christian! If someone truly professes to have faith in Jesus Christ, you’re going to have a desire in your heart to do the things that He taught. People who are contentious in their hearts won’t accept the truth.  Their hearts and their minds are blinded. 

Jesus teaches in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” The definition of the word commandment is a rule that needs to be obeyed Matthew 7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” In order to do the will of God, one needs to obey God. 

The Apostle Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 2:9, “For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.”

Acts 5:29, “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”

Romans 6:16, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

1John 2:3, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” We serve Jesus in the church by submitting to one another.  Children submit and obey parents. A wife submits and obeys  her husband.  The church submits ourselves to Jesus and His Word.  All of us can be examples of obedience by submitting one to each other.  Love and obey, and watch the blessings that follow your faithfulness.

With love, Eric 

What the Bible says about…Joy

Joy is defined as a state of happiness or felicity; a source of cause of delight; to rejoice; to be cheerful. The opposite of joy is sadness, misery, dispair, and grief.

One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy (Galatians 5:22). We need to be filled with the happiness found in Christ.

Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” We should rejoice in the Lord everyday. We should be filled with delight that eternal life has been made available to us through Jesus. Psalm 16:9, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Every morning when you wake up, be glad and filled with joy that He gives the world another day to repent and turn to Him. Be filled with joy that He has made us another day to enjoy.

John 16:24, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” Do you want to be filled with joy? Ask the Lord!

More verses about joy.

Psalm 5:11, “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.”

Psalm 132:9, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

Proverbs 23:24, “The father of the righteous child shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.”

Luke 6:22-23, “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.”

Luke 15:7, “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”

John 15:11, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

James 1:2, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations;”

3 John 1:4, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

In

Jan 10, 2021 Believing God’s Truth

The word “truth” in the dictionary is defined as a judgment, proposition or idea that is true.  It also means sincerity in action or utterance.  Truth is all the facts about it; rather than things that may be imagined or invented.

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

For 20 years I’ve always preached the truth of the teachings of Jesus Christ to my family and people in the community.  The apostles preached Christ and His word. The disciples preached Christ and His word.  The pastors and the elders of the early church preached Christ and His word. 

In my past I had to leave so many church groups because they were unwilling to preach the Word. I’m talking about preaching the TRUE word of God, rather than preaching from all these fake bibles that they have out there today. I finally learned my lesson to come out and be separate from the whore of Babylon, the “Christianity” that is so prevalent in the world today. When we come to a church we’re supposed to learn from the teachings of scripture. 

Maybe this will put it in perspective for you. Would you go to a piano teacher if they didn’t have a piano and they instead pulled out a violin? Would you go to a vo-tech school to learn how to be a mechanic, but the teacher was teaching you about the English language? Sorry, I’m in the wrong classroom! That is what so many false churches are doing out there in the world today. They are rejecting the teachings of Jesus Christ. They are rejecting the teachings of the beloved apostles Paul and Peter.

Well, I’m sure you will see plenty of smiles as they greet you, maybe a bunch of hugs and some laughter too.  To be honest, you can get the same thing down at the local box store filled with unbelievers.  Maybe you’ll even get some good cookies.   Remember what our precious Lord Jesus taught. “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgement.” 

To me, I refer to this as modern day liberal Christianity.  It’s a Christianity where everybody likes to love one another and hug each other but they don’t love Christ or his word anymore. They have no desire to please God together as a group and be united together under His holy word. Remember the first commandment is to love the Lord our God. 

If people truly loved God and His Son, Jesus Christ, His word would be preached and taught from the altar. It would be spoken out of duty to Christ and conviction. Jesus died on the cross to take our sins away, but in order for us to enter into salvation and eternal life we need to love Jesus back. If someone truly has no desire in their heart and mind to love serve and obey Him, they will be anathema.

Love and obedience go hand-in-hand.  They’re like putting two mittens on your hands.  When you put on one, you put on the other; like putting shoes on your feet. The modern-day false Christianity is a Christianity without obedience.  Everybody sits around and says “we’re going to heaven”, while they hate Christ and the things that He actually taught.  They may even worship Him saying, Lord, Lord, but then not do the things He says anyway. This kind of stuff really upsets our blessed Lord Jesus.  It’s really not sincere.  It’s a cookie-cutter Christianity.  It tastes sweet and good when you eat it but there’s no heart and soul in it.  Remember, Judas gave Jesus a kiss as he was betraying him.

We can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need and get forgiven for sin if we make a mistake along the way, but what I’m seeing going on in the world today is a complete rejection of God’s truth. To be quite forward with you, it’s not going to get better, but will get progressively worse.  COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM SAITH THE LORD OUR GOD! I learned my lesson 20 years ago.  Keep away from it all!

Do you really believe in your hearts that the things that you see on the earth when Jesus returns is really going to be Christianity?  Don’t be deceived with all the rest.  Jesus himself taught that it would be like the days of Noah.  How many people were saved in the days of Noah?  Not very many. 

Imagine you are Noah standing on the deck of the Ark, and watching as the entire world around you is destroyed by a righteous God.  It’s coming again.  Just read through some of the Book of Revelation and you’ll know what I’m talking about. A false messiah is coming before Jesus returns.  He’s going to deceive a lot of people, including a lot of people who actually profess to be Christian.  They will think it’s Jesus returning to the earth.  Those people who believe a lie will be damned because they didn’t believe the truth. 

The truth is found in God’s holy scriptures, if people would take some time to read or preach it. If love isn’t based in the teachings of Jesus Christ, then it’s not really divine love at all, it’s a worldly form of love.  The scriptures teach us how to love God.  Without the scripture how can we become pleasing to God by obeying Him?  The Christian life is about believing and loving the truth.

Nowadays, people are missing half the equation to get to heaven.   One part of it says to love your neighbor as yourself.  They feel after they do that then they’re going to go to heaven.  They’re missing the first commandment , and the most important part…to love God.  If you truly love Him you will desire in your heart to serve and obey Him.

The devil is a liar and there is no truth in him.  He hates the teachings of Jesus Christ, because Jesus is the Truth, and the devil is the father of lies.  Jesus taught that the devil wants to take away the seed of faith out of your hearts. John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.”

The devil does not want you to believe the truth found in Jesus and His Word.  He is so far away from the teachings of scripture, he really desires that you worship and serve him.  After all, he even tried to get the Lord Jesus Christ to do that out in the desert.  He believes a lie in his own mind as if it were true.  What do you expect is going to happen when people turn away from God?  The devil is a liar and the king of it. 

Watch what happens during the reign of the Antichrist.  John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Sometimes the devil will take this verse and twist it like we have no obligation to serve or obey Jesus.  The truth makes us free not by abandoning it but by OBEYING it.  Therein lies one of the biggest lies of the devil today. The devil hates to obey.  That is truth.

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.”

Psalm 145:18, “The Lord is nigh unto all that call upon him, and to all that call upon him in truth.”

Ephesians 6:14, “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth…”

Just watch what Jesus does to this king of liars when He returns.  He’s going to consume him with the brightness of his coming.  Come quickly, Lord Jesus! Save us and deliver us!

In love, Eric

What the bible says about…forgiveness

Forgive – verb, to stop feeling angry or resentful toward someone for an offense, flaw, or mistake; to pardon; absolve; excuse; forget.  An antonym of forgive is, resent; blame.

To forgive someone is to not feel any anger or resentment towards someone for something they have done wrong.

Jesus teaches us to forgive. Remember the Lords prayer. “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us…” Luke 11:4. 

Ephesians 4:32, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Why do we need to be forgiven? In the Old Testament, when one sinned, God commanded a sacrifice to be made. But an animal sacrifice could not take away their sins, they only covered it for a time. “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” Heb 10:4.

In heaven, there is no sin. There is no murder, no lying, no covetnous, no evil thoughts, no disobedience. In order to enter into eternal life in heaven, we need to be forgiven, or purged, from any and all sin. Jesus came to earth and gave Himself to the world as the one true Sacrifice, so that all who come to Him to be forgiven, can enter into eternal life. 

If we are to call ourselves Christians, we need to follow the teachings of Christ. We need to forgive. We need to show others the mercy that Jesus shows us each and every time that we sin or make a mistake. God’s forgiveness is available to all who come to Him and ask for it.

1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

The bible clearly warns those who do not show mercy and forgiveness to others. It says if you do not forgive others, then you will not be forgiven of your sins when you ask. 

Matthew 6:14-15, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Read a parable that Jesus taught in Matthew 18:21-35.

21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.

25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.

29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:

33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Show love. Show mercy. Forgive one another. Because Christ commands us to.

In Christ, –Andrew

Jan 7, 2021 The Path to Forgiveness

1st John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

What does it mean to confess something?  Confess means to admit or acknowledge something. It means to disclose one’s faults. God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.   He wants to cleanse our sins, but the first thing someone needs to do is to confess them to God and others whom you’ve wronged.  We know that God is very forgiving and full of mercy.   

Matthew 18:21-22 says, “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”

We recognize in that verse the great mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He wants us to be very forgiving with each other because that is his divine nature. The thing that holds up forgiveness is a refusal to confess.  It’s a refusal to apologize. 

Luke 17: 3-4, “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.  And if he trespass against these seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”

Notice the keywords, “I repent.” The word “repent” means to feel sorry about something that you’ve done wrong.  I’ve been around complete unbelievers and noticed at times that some of them apologize sincerely and say I’m sorry one to another.  I’ve also been around people who profess to be Christian who, when they wrong others, they’re incapable of saying I’m sorry. 

It reminds me of the passage about the humble publican and the proud Pharisee. Luke 18:10-14 says,

“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

Notice the keywords in this verse.  He simply said, God be merciful to me, a sinner.  He felt bad about what he had done.  He felt remorse.  He felt contrition.  Pride comes in the way of a sincere apology. The Bible teaches that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  The Pharisee felt that he was a good, decent man, but the truth is that God used a man who used to be a Pharisee to write a lot of the New Testament that we have today, and he said none are righteous, no not one (Rom 3:10.)

Psalm 32:5, “I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.”

Not only do we confess sin to God but we need to confess sin to each other, admit fault. and to apologize.

Matthew 5:23-24, “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” 

Reconciliation is the completion of true confession and forgiveness. Reconcile means to return to the relationship that you had previously.  For example, an estranged wife that reconciles with her husband returns, and continues with the marriage from which she left. 

If forgiveness has really happened, there is no remembrance of what has happened in the past.  God forgets our sins, and that’s why we are supposed to be so forgiving towards each other in the church. If there’s one thing that we learn from the scriptures, it’s to learn to confess and apologize when you have wronged others. 

James 5:16, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Even if we do make a mistake along the way, God gives us the grace we need to get forgiven and to move on with our lives.

1 John 2:1, “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:”

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

Confession, contrition, repentance, reconciliation.  Always remember the humble publican.  A sincere apology is the path to forgiveness

In love, Eric

1/6/2021 You will reap what you sow

I have a son who really enjoys gardening.  Each year he goes out and plants tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, hot peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, and a bunch of other stuff.  When he takes those seeds and shoves them down into that black dirt, he’s going to get back exactly what he planted.  If it’s a tomato seed, he’s going to get tomatoes; if it’s a pumpkin seed, he’s going to get pumpkins.  You reap back whatever you sow.

Gal 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

What exactly does it mean to mock God?

The dictionary says mock means to treat with contempt, or to defy, or to challenge someone.

Defy means to openly resist or refuse to obey.  Challenge needs to confront or defy boldly. You cannot defy the Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings without it coming back on your own head. 

There’s an old saying here on the earth, “what goes around comes around.”  So much more of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

If you are in a state of defying Christ, it means you are openly resisting His will for you as taught in the holy scriptures. 

Women have a purpose that God wants them to obey and to follow. Wives have a purpose that God wants them to obey and to follow.   Men have a purpose that God wants them to obey and to follow. Children have a purpose that God wants them to obey and to follow. 

When you openly resist God’s will and purpose for you, you mock God and defy our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Resisting His will and purpose for you is nothing more than a rebellion against Him.  For those people who think that’s a joke, it’s going to come right back on your own head. That is a promise from scripture.

What does it mean to refuse to obey?  Refuse means to show or to indicate that you are not willing to do something. It also means to fail to perform a requested action. In the holy scriptures Jesus teaches us that we are supposed to obey Him in all things.

John 14 21, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

Obey means to comply with the command, the direction, or the request of a person to whom is their authority.

I have taught for 20 years in my home that, when you are obedient to those who are your authority it shows that you love them.  In the home, the dad has supreme authority over his wife and children. If they are a Christian dad, I guarantee you they aren’t going to abuse that power that they have been given to them by Christ himself because they love and care about you.

I’ll ask you, what parent really enjoys when their children disobey them.  What parent really enjoys when you tell your children you can’t use the car this weekend, but they take it anyway and they run it into a tree. What husband rejoices in the fact that his wife won’t listen to him and completely disobeys him and Christ Jesus?

What do you think the result is going to be when you disobey?  Whenever you do something wrong to others you’re going to get it back somehow. Job taught the same thing.

Job 4:8 says, “Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.”

If you are going to go out there and do something that is against the will of God, it’s going to come right back to you.  Out of fear of God, this is why I’ve always taught my family to obey, obey, and obey.

1 Sam 15:23, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…” Pride has no desire to obey God.

Proverbs 16:5, “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.”

This verse is an example of what’s going to happen to those who reject God and His teachings.   They may hold hands together in a nice big circle but God will punish them all together too.

Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” 

Haughty means arrogantly superior.  I guarantee you, you don’t want to act that way towards the teachings of Jesus Christ, who ultimately is the authority over all of us. Whatever you plant is what’s going to come up out of the ground. If you sow disobedience to Christ in your heart or the hearts of others, then that’s what’s going to come up out of the ground of their hearts. 

If you teach others to be disobedient to Jesus, you are going to reap what you sow. God is not mocked.

If you do wickedness and evil towards others, you’re going to get it back. 

I’ve always tried to teach my children for 20 years that, if you do what’s right, eventually it is going to come back to you.  If you’re going to take the wrong path of hatred, evil, unforgiveness, unthankfulness, the same attributes which you have shown to other people, they are going to be returned to you. 

If you are merciless then you will be treated as a merciless person.  If you are an unforgiving person, then you will be showed no forgiveness at the judgment of God.  God is not mocked.  You will be treated the same way as you have treated others while here upon the Earth.

One thing you never want to do is trifle with the teachings of Holy Scripture. If you’re professing to be a Christian and you openly reject and obstinately deny the teachings of Jesus in the Holy scriptures , I will forewarn you, be very careful on the ground on which you are treading. Beware, because your own soul hangs in the balance.

In love

Eric

What the Bible says about Love

In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus tells us where our love is supposed to be focused.

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.“

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

But what does it mean to love?

Love is defined in the dictionary as “a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person, a feeling of devotion or adoration towards God.” Another word for love is “charity”. Some antonyms are “hate, dislike, or detest.”

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

Jesus says in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” So if we love Jesus, we need to love others, God first overall, and then we need to love others. We need to be kind, compassionate, tenderhearted, forgiving with each other when we make a mistake. 

One of the most memorized verses in the bible, 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.”

Gods love towards us is so great that He sent us His Son to die for us so that we can be in Heaven with Him. That’s incredible love. Just imagine how many sins Jesus forgives the world. So when someone sins against you, remember what Jesus did for the entire world. He forgave us because He loves us. Be forgiving with others, show love towards others.

Other verses about love:

Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

Matt 5:44 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.

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.

John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 13:10 Love worketh no ill will towards his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

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

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

1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

1 John 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfect in us.

1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

1 Cor 16:14 Let all your things be done in charity.

1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

With love, Andrew