1/5/2021 Fault-finders

Have you ever made a mistake in your life?  To be completely honest with you, all of us have sinned. Romans 3:10 says, “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.”

We can become righteous.  But that can only happen when He cleanses us of our sins and our iniquities through faith in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Psalms 51: 9, “Hide thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities.”

I’m terrible at writing letters with a pencil.  I make so many mistakes that I have to constantly erase my errors so you can’t see them anymore. An artist may paint a picture, but they too make mistakes along the way.  All they do is blot out their mistakes by painting over them. When you blot out mistakes, nobody sees your faults that you have made.  They are discreetly hidden from view.

Noah is considered a great man of faith in the Bible.  After the flood he made a mistake and had too much wine.  One of his sons exposed it to the others in the family, while the other two brethren came in and covered up Noah. It showed in that act that they loved him.  Noah told them that they were blessed.  The reason why is because  the two sons were covering up his sin.  Gen 9:22

There is a lesson to be learned here you can expose sin or you can cover the sin up.  Covering up sin means that you are discreet.  Anybody who professes to be a follower of Jesus Christ should understand what He has done for you.  You should understand that He died on the cross to cover your sins.  It’s love that covers our numerous misdeeds. What do you think John the Baptist did all day while standing in the Jordan River?   People confessed their sins to him.  Did he go out and expose everybody’s sins to the community?  Obviously not.

The church is full of sinners who need to repent and confess.  That is the spirit of Christ.  That is what Jesus does to all of us when we come to Him and get forgiven. 

The Bible teaches that love covers a multitude of sins.  Noah believed in the mercy and forgiveness of God.  Remember, even though this faith-filled father made a mistake along the way, you need to realize that it was because of him and his faith that any of his family was alive.  If it wasn’t for Noah they would have all died in the flood . Noah’s son Ham who was the youngest exposed his dad’s sin.  He was actually being a fault finder with his dad.

A fault finder is a person who finds fault complains or objects about somebody else especially in a petty way. When someone is petty it is showing, or caused, by meanness of spirit towards the other person.  It means being childish which can result in malicious behavior. Hebrews 8:13, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”

When we confess our sins, Jesus forgives us of them.  If you are forgiven of your sins there is no mention made of past sins before that point.  They are completely erased from the memory of God. Do you really think the two sons of Noah sat around at supper and relived what their dad did over and over again?  Only people who don’t believe in God’s forgiveness and remission of sins would do such a thing.  It’s amazing how forgiving God truly is.

Remission is the act of remitting.  It means to pardon or forgive as of sins or any offenses. Acts 10:43, “To him give all the prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”

If you have truly been forgiven by God or others, they will not remember your past sins. They are forgotten, like water under the bridge, it’s gone. God expects us to be this way with other people when they confess their sins and say, I repent. If someone is incapable of forgiving another, they’re really not believing the truth of the Christian faith, and Jesus warns that they themselves will not be forgiven at the judgement.

Ps 51:1 “Have mercy upon me O God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.”

If you blot something out it isn’t possible to read it anymore. Isaiah 43:25, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”

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

Forgiveness is about forgetting the sins or mistakes that others have made.  Why do you think the Lord Jesus told to forgive seventy times seven?  Because people don’t have a concept of how forgiving Jesus is.  The human nature doesn’t want to forgive.  The divine nature forgives and doesn’t even remember the past.  Do you feel you’ve been forgiven by Christ Jesus?  Are you being forgiving with others when they confess their sins to you?  Are you confessing your sins to others so that you can be forgiven by them?

With love, Eric

The Panama Canal

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

Years ago two large oceans were joined by a narrow strip of land down in Panama.  It is known today as the Panama Canal.  It takes approximately 9 hours for a ship to pass from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific, but you are going to have to deal with going through a very narrow passageway to get to the other side.  Apparently one of the narrowest spots of the Panama Canal is known as the Culebra Cut, which is about 14 km long.  You also have to go through a series of locks to get to the other side.  They are approximately 1200 feet long and 110 feet wide.  That my friends is pretty narrow! That’s only 2/3 the width of a football field!   It’s so narrow, it’s almost like putting a rifle cartridge into a gun!

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

If we want to enter Heaven someday, we too will have to go through a narrow passageway.

Matt 7:14 “Because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it.”

Many people profess to believe in God, but just because someone claims to believe in God doesn’t mean that they will eventually enter into eternal life. Just for a moment I want you to think of the Atlantic Ocean as being a sea filled with sin, and the Pacific Ocean is eternal life and Heaven. Cape horn, in the southernmost part of South America, is extremely dangerous. Many early sailors attempted to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific by taking this route.  It’s been nicknamed the Sailors Graveyard.  They have rogue waves up to 30 meters high.  It’s similar to us trying to reach heaven without going through the narrow passageway of Christ. The Panama Canal provides a very narrow route, but it’s the route one needs to take if they want to get to the other side.

All of us are sinners. In the scriptures the apostle Paul taught that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In order for us to get to the other side and enter into eternal life, we must go through that narrow path of forgiveness that is only found through faith in God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. God the Father sent His Son Jesus into this world to be a perfect sacrifice for our sins.  God teaches that when we confess our sins unto Him, we can find mercy and grace.

Think of a key in your drawer that only fits one lock in your house.  Jesus is the only key that can unlock eternal life. 

“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

There are numerous forms of religions in the world who are trying to attempt to reach the Kingdom of Heaven, but once again, we have a sin issue that must be taken care of. There is no way we can enter into heaven with sin. To be with him eternally, we must ultimately be forgiven by God. God has provided forgiveness through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ who He sent into this world to die on the cross for that very purpose.

In the Old Testament the Jews would make animal sacrifices unto God.  But it is not possible that the blood of animals could take away sins and cleanse the heart and the conscience.  It was done for a certain time. God knew all along that He was going to send His Son Jesus to die on the cross as a covering for all of our sins. When John the Baptist saw Jesus he cried out, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”  The Jews would offer earthly lambs from their flocks but God sent HIS heavenly lamb Jesus Christ to shed His blood for the complete remission of our sins.

“I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”

  — John 8:24

Jesus is our atonement to God for our sins, but in order to receive that forgiveness, you need to take a trip down that narrow road.  Many religions profess that they have the answers about eternal life.  But my answer to them is this.   We are all sinners and we have to be forgiven by God to get to heaven. God has provided us one way to be forgiven, and it is through the sacrifice that He has provided for us.   There is only one way to reach the other side, and it is through the blood of Jesus.  This is why the road is so very narrow.

The word narrow means very limited. From what I read, it is claimed that there are roughly 4200 different forms of religion in the world today.  That’s quite a few isn’t it.  But there is only one door and access point that God has given to us to attain eternal life.  That door is Jesus Christ.

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

  — John 10:9

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God the Father wants us to turn to His Son and believe in Him.  Those who truly believe in Jesus will love our blessed Lord for what He did for us at the cross.  They will keep His commandments and teachings from the holy scriptures, out of love and respect for the One who has done so much for us.  Forgiveness with God is available.  There is only one way to heaven.  You have to go through the door that has been already provided.

“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

The path to heaven is very narrow, and each of us are like ships that are passing through…..

…..The Panama Canal

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

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1/3/2021 Come Boldly to the Throne of Grace

The other day we talked about being bold in regards to the preaching of God’s word.  When you are bold you are confident and courageous.  If you are confident you have a strong belief or you are full of assurance that something is going to happen.  If you are courageous it means to do something without fear or being frightened.  These are all examples of how we need to come to Jesus Christ to get forgiven.  We need to come to him boldly, with confidence knowing that He is going to forgive us. We can approach Him without being afraid. 

God’s desire for us is to be reconciled to Him through His precious Son who died for our sins.  God the Father wants us to go to Jesus, because in Him you will find all the grace you will ever need. 

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

Many people today, even some Christians, have a misconception about God.  The reason why is they don’t see Him rightly in their own minds and hearts.  Everything that we want or ever need to know about God is seen in the person of Jesus Christ. The reason why I say this is because He is exactly like the heavenly Father. 

Although you and I are both sinners and we were born into this world through flesh, Jesus was born into this world by the Holy Spirit. He is fully God and He is perfect even though we may come short of that at times. The life that Jesus lived on the Earth was the life of perfection towards the heavenly Father. That became the greatest sacrifice that God could ever have. All that we could ever do in this life would never amount to the perfection found in His only begotten Son.

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

The scriptures teach us that He careth for us. 1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

They teach us that he wants us to come home to him. They teach us that there is forgiveness available through Christ Jesus. 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.”

They teach us that we can have complete remission for our sins and wash them away during holy communion. 1 John 1:7 “…and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin.”

So, occasionally if we need to get forgiven for our sins, God wants us to come boldly to Him for forgiveness.  Remember that Peter asked the Lord Jesus, if my brother sin against me how many times should I forgive him, and Jesus taught him “490 times”!  Because the Lord Jesus taught that to Peter, imagine how forgiving He is with us. 

In our human nature we may make mistakes along the way.  When it happens, come boldly to the throne of grace.  Sometime in our life you made do something that we wish we hadn’t done; when that happens come boldly to the throne of grace. 

God is waiting and ready to forgive us. Psalm 86:5 “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.”

Here is some of the parable of the prodigal son.

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

We learn in the parable of the prodigal son that when he returned home, the dad received him with open arms.  He completely forgave him of everything.  They even had a celebration upon his return. 

We learn in that parable that if we return to God the Father as a sinner, He’s going to forgive us through Christ.  Although this parable describes an earthly relationship, Jesus uses it to describe a heavenly relationship between sinners and God. If we come boldly to Him, He will forgive us.  He forgets our past.  He blots out our sins and iniquities and remembers them no more.

The apostle Paul taught and felt that he was the chief of sinners, that he had sinned more than anybody else, but yet God used him as an apostle in the church. Why does God choose these kinds of men to do his work?  I think it’s because they recognize how forgiving God is.  They see in their own lives how much God has forgiven them.  They take that forgiveness that they’ve been given and they show it to others. 

Paul referred to himself as a wretched man. Romans 7:24-25 “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”

The word wretched means “desperately wicked”. 

So what do we learn here from this verse today? It’s that God saves wretched, wicked sinners from the error of their way when they come boldly to the throne of grace.  Some of us have sinned more and some have sinned less.  But God gives to each of us the grace that we need to cover our sins. 

Ephesians 4:7 “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”

The apostle John teaches that, if we simply confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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.”

God makes it very easy for us to be forgiven. Trust in Jesus.  Admit your mistakes, learn from them and move on.  God wants to free us from our sinful past.  Do you want to erase your past?  Do you want to get forgiven for your sins? 

It’s a burden that Christ wants to bear for you.  I’ve always told others that knowing Christ is like having a room in your house that is filled with grace and forgiveness and gifts from God.  All you need to do is go through that door into that room.  Jesus Christ is that door. Come get forgiven and do it today because today is the day of salvation! 

With  love, Eric

1/2/2021 Dads are commanded to teach God’s Word to their children

What does it mean to bring somebody up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord?  First of all, this is a dad’s responsibility to his children according to the teachings of Jesus Christ.  In order to obey Christ Jesus,  men need to take a stand and do this for the family.  They also must not be hindered by others by doing so. Secondly, I want you all to notice that this is a responsibility of being a dad.  He doesn’t use the word parents.  The reason why is because a woman is not supposed to teach the holy scriptures in any capacity. 

1 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 nurture means the process of caring for and encouraging the growth or development of someone or something. So Jesus commands dad’s to help their children grow in the teachings of the Christian faith.  They are supposed to instruct their children;  not only their children but their wives as well. 

1 Cor 14:35 says, “And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.”

Proverbs 15:32 “He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that hearest reproof getteth understanding.”

Have you ever taken a young little baby and tried to feed them certain kinds of food but when they put it in their mouth they spit it out.  That’s what it means to refuse something.  You try to give your family biblical teachings but they reject or try to spit it out.  God has placed a dad in your life to guide you in the teachings of Jesus Christ.  That is one of his purposes set forth by the Lord Jesus.  That is the authority for a child’s life in the home. Remember you’re supposed to obey parents as a child but the dad has lead Authority as head of the household.  The dad is the one who makes the decisions for the family and educates the children and wife in God’s word according to Christ’s command.

Admonition means “counsel, teaching, and correction.”  Notice it says the “nurture and the admonition of the Lord.”  Obviously these are the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.  In the Christian church I think it’s a great thing to be able to learn the scriptures from your dad. They may get up in the morning and before breakfast at the table talk to the children about a passage of the Bible.  He may sing some songs with his children about Jesus. A dad might come home after work and after supper time spend time doing a Bible lesson with you or reading the scriptures to you while you’re in bed. 

Just like a dad may show you how to go hunt a deer or to change the oil on your truck,  your dad has the responsibility of preaching Jesus Christ teachings to his children.  It’s commanded by Jesus. What he’s doing is taking the faith and beliefs that he has learned and giving his spiritual knowledge to his family.  God will bless him for doing so.

Another point is a lot of dads are with their children every single day of the week .  It can turn into being one of the closest relationships that you have.  Who better to hear teachings of the Gospel from then somebody who you spend hours and hours with during your lifetime.

Your dad may probably be one of the closest relationships you’re going to have because a lot of them are with you all the time.   A dad is to provides for your needs not only physically but spiritually as well.  And really that’s what God has done for us.  He’s provided us here on the earth with all our physical needs.  He gives us water to drink, food that grows out of the ground, sun in the sky, rain to water the plants… it’s unending how God takes care of our physical needs.  He sent his son Jesus Christ to provide for all of our spiritual needs  and a dad is supposed to be an extension of Him,  providing spiritual things to his own children.

Prov 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Above and beyond all other things that you could ever teach your children in this lifetime is to educate them in the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ.  What Greater love could you ever show your children then the things lead to salvation an eternal life.  Of all the things that you could ever buy for buy them, the greatest gift that you could ever give them is the gift of your faith in Jesus.  Men must rise up and educate their families.  Will you make the time to do it men?

Deut 11:19 “And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

Christ Jesus ordained and calls a dad for this very purpose.

Psalms  34:11 “Come ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”

Are you precious children ready to learn?

In love, Eric

1/1/2021 Thy Will Be Done

Most people who profess Christianity are probably familiar with the Lord’s Prayer.  Matt 6:9-15.  Today we are going to focus on verse 10.

Matt 6:10 says, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in Earth as it is in heaven.”

Jesus taught the disciples to pray that God’s will would be done. In heaven God’s will is done constantly.  Jesus himself has always obeyed God His Father perfectly.  He wants us to desire to have that same obedience towards God.

To be obedient means we must reject what we think is best for us. We must reject our own will and submit ourselves unto the will of God and the teachings of His Son Jesus Christ.

When the kids were young at home I used to play a fun little game with them called the obedience game.  I would have a few of them sit down on the floor, then I would command the children to stand up.  They would stand up. I would command the children jump up in the air.  And the children would jump up in the air.  I always told them that is what we call obedience. I told them I’m just your earthly dad but that’s the way we want to treat Jesus and God the Father when we look into His holy scriptures.

God is very pleased when we are obedient to Him.  After all how does it make a parent feel when their children are disobedient?  It hurts, doesn’t it? 

The word obey means to comply with the direction command or request of someone who is your authority.  It also means to carry out a command or instruction by those who are your authority.

If people profess Christianity as their faith and they pray the Lord’s Prayer, they should understand that God wants you to be obedient to what Jesus taught.  Instead of our will being done it’s putting ourselves into subjection and doing God’s will. 

There are numerous people today who profess Christianity who really don’t want to obey the teachings of the bible.  To do so would mean that they might have to change their lifestyle. They would have to alter things that they have become accustomed to. 

Jesus knows what’s best for us.  He calls each of us too a certain purpose in our lives.  If we never obey him we cannot fulfill that purpose and calling.  If we truly are going to pray thy will be done, you need to examine if what you are doing is your will or the will of Christ found in the Bible. 

Matt 21:28 –  32 28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. 31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

Notice what happened in this story.  One son said that he’d do it but he never did. The other son said he wouldn’t do it but then he did it.   It’s the son who finally obeyed who was blessed by God. 

The Lord teaches that if we truly love him we will obey Him and keep His Commandments. (John 14:15) Why claim to be a follow of Christ but you don’t obey? (Luke 6:46) Either you serve sin, or you serve obedience.  (Roman’s 6:16) It doesn’t matter what somebody may profess.  Only those who do the will of God are going to finally enter into heaven.  (Matthew 7:21)

Luke 8:15 ” But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”

So the Christian Life is a life of obedience.  If we make a mistake along the way we can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need, but we want to take the grace that we’ve been given and use it as a springboard of opportunity to submit to God’s will, and someday to please Him perfectly. 

God loves us so much and sent his only begotten son to die on the cross for our sins.  We show God how much we love Him by becoming obedient to the teachings of His Son. Are you praying “thy will be done”?  Are you attempting to do His will in your daily living?

In love, Eric

1/1/2021 Believing in Vain

If you were sitting in your living room and thunder clouds started to form outside, would you take down the laundry off of the clothesline, or close the windows on your truck?  If so, you really believed a storm was coming and your faith led you to action.  Actions will always follow those who have true faith inside their hearts.  It’s one way to discern those who have it.  

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have recieved, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

Whats it mean to believe something in vain?  Vain means producing no results, or useless.  A result is the outcome of something you have done or worked on.  Believing something in vain simply means nothing resulted.

There are many examples of true faith and the actions that happened as a result in the scriptures.  We will look at a few of them. 

Hebrews 11:4 ” by faith able offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts….”

This is called faith righteousness.  His faith led him to do something very nice toward God and He was blessed.  This is Faith in God that leads to action.  Without actions, there is no faith happening.  Just saying I believe is not enough to get us to heaven, we must show God that we believe by obeying, serving, and loving Him.

Hebrews 11:6 ” But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that dilligently seek Him.    

How could you ever do God’s will if you really don’t believe in Him?  Pleasing Him means to do the things He wishes and ultimately doing what He wants us to do.  I have always told others that God will reward you when you seek Him.  

Revelation 22:12 ” And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

Works by themselves are not enough to get us to heaven.  The reason why is because we are sinners that need to come to Jesus and get forgiven.  We are saved by grace, but it’s through faith.  If it’s really faith one possesses, it will result in actions and activities towards God, and ultimately obeying Christ’s Holy Word in order to please Him.

Hebrews 11:7 ” By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith

Noah had a very large faith in God and that led to a huge work.  Look at the results, a HUGE ark.  If he had believed in vain, he would have had nothing to show for it.  

Listen to what Jesus said

John 14:11 ” Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.”

Faith results in works.  No works, no faith.  Don’t deceive yourselves.

James 1:22 ” But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

Abrahams faith resulted in him looking for God’s kingdom.  11:10  Sara’s faith in God resulted in her conceiving seed. 11:11  Abrahams faith led him offer up His Son. 11:17-19 Faith will result in something!  Over and over in this chapter you will see faith and actions.  Moses faith led him to reject the treasures and glories of egypt to serve God in the desert.  God rewarded him and chose him to lead the israelites out of egypt.

A lot of the New Testament that we have today are a result of Pauls faith in God.

1 Cor 15:10 ” But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than the all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

Look at the example of our Lord Jesus.

John 21:25 ” And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.”

Look at all the Apostles, the prophets, the disciples throughout the scripture and you will see their works and deeds that accompanied their faith.  Consider the writings of the blessed Apostle James.

James 2:17-18  ” Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”

If you are truly a Christian in your heart you will serve and obey Jesus, with a constant desire to become pleasing to Him.  You will also have works that truly are the evidence of what you believe.  No works = No faith.

Do you have any works toward God that show others that you believe in Him?

In love

Eric

12/31/2020 Ashamed of Jesus’ Teachings

12/31/2020 Ashamed of Jesus’ teachings

Mark 8:38 ” Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Have you ever been embarrassed of something or someone?  That’s what the word ashamed means.  You feel awkward or uneasy about doing something or being around someone.  Have you ever known someone in school that most of the kids didn’t like?  You wanted to go sit with him at the lunch table but knew if you did, the rest of the kids would not like you either.  You kept away.   You were ashamed of him. 

Maybe you decided to follow Jesus one day and His teachings, but then all of your relatives started to turn on you and hate you for doing it.  You decided you didn’t want to deal with everyone being upset with you, so instead, you turned away from Jesus.  If so, you were ashamed of Him.

It’s not my intention to disparage the blessed Apostle Peter, but at one time in His life, he did the same thing.

Matt 26:34   Jesus told Peter ” Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. “

Peter denied knowing Jesus because at that moment in his life, he was ashamed to know him.  Remember that when you decide to follow Jesus and His teachings, you are going to have people who don’t like you because they themselves don’t want to obey Jesus or His teachings.  

Sadly a lot of the same people today profess to be Christian themselves, or to believe in God.  In the days of Jesus, some Jews claimed that God was their father, yet some partook in His unwarrented crucifixion.  He was hated, but was NEVER ashamed in the teachings of His heavenly Father, even unto death.  He is our example to be bold and stand up for His Word, as He did.

People are unwilling today to preach God’s Word because they truly are ashamed.  When you are ashamed,  you want to keep away, or distance yourself from doing something.  it means to be deterred from doing something because you fear people will shame or ridicule you. That is what happened to Jesus at the cross.  

Matt 27:39   When Jesus was dying on the cross,…. ” And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads. And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself.  If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. ”  Remember that when Jesus brought Lazarus back to life, they wanted to kill Lazarus too!  They hated Him without a cause.  

Jesus is the Truth.  To be ashamed of Him and His teachings is to be ashamed of the truth.  As I have said many times the devil preaches lies, and appears to be an angel of light; but he hates Jesus’s teachings, and tries to get people in this world to disbelieve, and to disobey them.  He wants you to believe a lie, because he is a liar and the father of lies.  

The Apostles were not ashamed of the truth.

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the greek.”

Being ashamed is to be deterred, which means you are prevented from doing something because you are afraid or fearful of difficulty or danger resulting from your beliefs or choices.  You may be afraid of entering into persecution, even amongst your close relatives.

People are persecuted each day for preaching the truth and doctrines of Jesus.  When you are persecuted it means that others harass or punish you in a manner designed to injure or grieve you because of your Christ centered beliefs.  

Luke 6:22  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.”

These reactions from others bring a great blessing from God.  One cannot enter into these blessings if you are too fearful about taking a stand for Jesus.  

1 John 3:13   ” Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.  “

As I have said many times, there are many people today who profess the Christian faith, but don’t believe in Christ’s Word or what he taught.  2000 years ago Jesus preached the Word to people who claimed to believe in God but many were rejecting Him.  The same is happening today by Christians who deny Christ and his Word.  This is why one must never be ashamed of God’s Word, because it is a light unto our path, and to those around us.

2 Tim 1:8 ”  Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; “

When you are ashamed, you become hesitant to do something.  You stop or pause a course of action and become reluctant to speak.  When reluctant, you are unwilling to do something; or you choose not to do something because you fear repercussions. 

Paul wanted the church to pray for him for boldness.  

Eph 6:19-20 “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

If you are not ashamed, you will speak boldly.  Bold means fearless, brave, and confident,

Phil 1:20   “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness , as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether I be by life, or by death.”

Paul was not ashamed at all in the teachings of Jesus.

2 Tim 1:12 ” For the which cause I also suffer these things : nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.”

Neither were Peter or John ashamed. 

Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” 

The disciple onesiphorus was not ashamed of Paul and what he taught.

2 Tim 1:16 ” The Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain.”

Are you refraining your lips, or are you speaking God’s truth?

Ps. 40:9-10 “I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: Lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. 10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

Are you taking a stand for Jesus and what He taught in scripture?  Are you ashamed today, or are you being bold for Him who died to save and forgive you?

in love

Eric

12/30/2020 Jesus preached daily

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

Exhortation is a sermon or speech that encourages, incites, or earnestly advises.  Jesus preached everyday as an example to what men who profess to be disciples need to do.  Daily means every day.  Paul taught a young minister to do the same

2 Tim 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

The word instant means ” without delay ” . It needs to be done now, each day, every day.  Without the constant daily teachings of Jesus, people can forget God’s will and direction.  

James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

If you want a blessing from God, you need to be a doer.  Forgetful hearers start to wander away from daily preachings and then start to forget what God wanted them to do in the first place.  People need to have daily seeking hearts to grow, and men of God need to take hold of the reigns and get up and preach every single day.  To be fruitful, you must tend to God’s garden every day as a faithful laborer.    

Remember what the Lord Jesus Himself taught…

Mark 4:19 ” And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. “

The Apostles and disciples of Christ followed the path of Jesus and preached every day and were blessed.  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!  Can you imagine the fruit that Peter and Paul have today?  Wow.  

Acts 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ”

I want you to imagine not feeding your sheep every day, or not watering your pets.  The animals need to be fed and watered every day.  Do you know why? They begin to get weaker and weaker and weaker.  I see a lot of symbolism here.  Our God is a kind God and feeds the hungry animals every day out in the woods.   As a minister of God, one must  feed the flock of God that is among them every day.  This is so we are strong and well fed in our faith, and when we go out into the world, we cannot be decieved.  You’ve been taught the truth, you believe the truth and each day you’re living the truth.

Without daily biblical food, people’s hearts can become hardened by sin.  It’s like setting a one gallon water jug outside in the winter and it slowly starts to freeze until it becomes a big block of cold ice.

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

God was so grieved at them in the desert because they were not following His ways.  People still do it today.  I have always said, God blesses faithful obedience.  Hard hearted people have allowed themselves to become that way because of a refusal to follow the teachings of Jesus daily and faithfully sumbit to His calling and purpose for each of us.  The gospel is not difficult, just love and obey Jesus and watch where God takes you.  Not even the sky is the limit!    

But sadly,  some people lack a seeking heart and only desire to hear biblical teaching once a week, once a month, or twice a year.  It is so difficult to see others who were once seeking God for so long, slowly start to abandon Him.  That is obviously their choice, but that is one reason they get caught up in the world and it’s ways.  It’s why they start turning to ice and fall away from the truth.  In that state they can eventually start to believe a lie like eve did in the garden.  They profess Christianity but they don’t seek God’s preaching DAILY so they stay mentally strong against the wiles of the devil.

Remember God loves us, that is a fact, the problem is people in the world and even in the church refuse to love Him back, and therein lies salvation.     

We must seek Jesus daily as you would a spouse or close friend.    We need to be influenced by the teachings of Jesus daily.  Without it, hard hearts can develop because of a lack of rememberance.

There are certain things I don’t remember anymore that I learned in High School.  Some of them were not very important to me.  I have found in life that if something is very very important to you, you will seek after it.  If Jesus and salvation is very very important to you, you will seek hearing biblical teaching and instruction daily.  And a preacher must fulfill his duty and calling to God and preach daily to those who are spiritually hungry.    

Romans 10:14 and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

You increase faith through preaching scripture.  If you want to drive down the road you have to have fuel each day.  If you want to stay on the narrow road, fuel up on Jesus.   

Sin is the exact opposite of love.  People claim each day to love others, but that doesn’t mean that they are going to be in heaven.  Jesus taught that His return will be similar to the days of Noah.  (Matt 24:37)  People would be marrying and given in marriage.  But just because they profess love isn’t enough, it doesn’t mean that they will inherit eternal life.  God the Father requires more than that.  He requires that we love HIS SON and obey what He taught. 

So you see, it’s all about Jesus.  It’s all about serving Him through His Word.  That is why we need daily preaching in our lives, to strengthen and solidify us in the true faith.

Many people today need a giant Spiritual chisel to bust up the ice that has developed inside their hearts.    They need a sledge hammer to break up that hard rock that has replaced what was in their heart once before.  They need to sit by the refiners fire and melt that hardness away until their heart becomes loving, obedient and tender once again, the heart that God desires for each of us.

Seek Christ daily.  Preach Christ daily.  Follow Christ daily, and watch what Jesus does for you.    

In love

Eric

12/29/20 Preaching the Word

In this day and age many people are attending a false Christian church filled with leaders who are preaching a completely different gospel than what Paul and the Apostles actually preached.      

Gal 1:8 ” But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed”

In 20 years my view and teachings from God’s holy word have remained the same as they are today.  God’s Word is like a huge boulder sitting in someones yard that has remained there for centuries.  It never changes.  Its too big to move.  You drive by and it’s still there, it’s still the same.

Today’s modern form of liberal false Christianity is quite different.  It is not founded on the rock of Christ and His Word.  It’s filled with heretical teachings and false doctrines.

The original teachings of the Apostles 2000 years ago was the true faith, the true teachings of the early church. What is happening today is hundreds of different perversions of the bible that are being being distributed.   Women are usurping over the men in the church and preaching and teaching.  The leaders in these churches don’t even preach Christ’s teachings anymore.  

Just because it has a sign on the building that says church does not make it a bible believing one.  Many of these groups don’t care about God’s Holy Word, they care more about paving a parking lot.  They don’t care about the furtherance of Truth, just new carpenting in the office.  

It’s a great depression of Christian teachings that the world has fallen into, and many are falling for it. The restoration of Christendom can only happen through the faithful teaching of Christ’s Word.  

The Word gospel means “truth.”  

Jesus is the truth. His word is truth.  His teachings are truth.  His life and death are truth.  His ressurection is truth.   

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

www.lovespeaksthetruth.wordpress.com

Sanctified means to beome purified into what God wants you to be.  How can anyone become sanctified when people are preaching lies and heretical doctrines?    What happens is they are causing others to believe a lie with them, to believe in a false Jesus.  They are causing others to sin, even the little ones.  I guarantee that one of the worst things you could ever do with your life  is to lead people away from Christ’s teachings.  People are being led astray and believing the word of a man than more than Jesus. 

They put on robes or fancy outfits and stand in a big pulpit.  They put some reverb on their voice and sell their falsehoods and unbiblical teachings to a group of eager ears, to the sound of jingling in the offering plates.  Paul already has prophesied about this, and is true today.

2 Tim 4:3 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.

This is going on today in a large movement of false Christianity.  They don’t last in biblical teachings because of disobedience and faithlessness, so they start up a false church where they don’t have to follow Christ’s Word anymore.  Their conscience to the truth becomes burned, seared like a piece of meat.  (1 tim 4:2)

I’ve always taught others that we have repentance, remission, reconcilliation and forgiveness through Holly communion in the church, but one thing we can never do is change or reject scripture.  Without an anchor of truth to hold us in place, we drift off into the abyss of sin.  The bible is there to guide and correct all of us when we need it.  It’s like a map that is there to help us find our way.  When false teachers take the truth away and teach a lie, people will start to believe a lie. Woe unto them!

Jesus warned about false religion, now it’s repeating itself in false Christianity.  Paul prophesied that it would steadily get worse.

2 Tim 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, decieving, and being decieved.  

2 Cor 11:14 Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light

What do you think the devil is doing in the world today?  He is trying to get people to disbelieve the teachings of Christ!  One way of doing it is by appearing as a religious leader which is exactly what is going on.  The devil doesn’t preach the truth of scripture, he tries to get people to disobey it!  He did the same to eve in the garden of eden.  He tried to do it to Christ Jesus!  The devil is very religious and tries to seduce those who aren’t well rooted in God’s Word. God’s Word is our sword against HIm!  Take the sword away in your life and look what happens.     

2 Cor 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers,transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

They are in high places of spiritual authority, in the churches, decieving others about scripture and leading them away from God’s truth.  They transform THEMSELVES into the apostles of Christ.  These people are not transformed by faith in Jesus and His Word, they put a name tag on that says they’re an an apostle, and a fancy robe that shows they are religious.  People judge by what they see.  Jesus warned about that.  When Jesus was on the earth, they couldn’t even tell who He was amoungst His disciples when they came to take Him away.  He looked like everybody else.  

One reason people aren’t preaching Christ’s truth is because if they did, alot of their congregants would simply walk out on them.  They don’t want to hear biblical correction.  They desire fluffy ear tickling sermons, feel good christianity where it’s not required to do anything on their part to get to heaven. Know this,  Jesus met us half way, it’s up to you to love Him back and go the rest of the way.  Be doer’s of the Word and don’t decieve yourselves.  Repent, realize our sin and get back on the path of Christ. 

Remember the love of money is the root of all evil. We are supposed to love Christ and faithfully preach the true gospel whether people come or not.  Personally, I would rather be flat broke knowing that I preached the true gospel.    

Look around today.  Can’t you see how close we are to the return of Jesus? 

I’ve always thought of a true believer like the perfect chocolate chip cookie.  To become a great cookie, you need a perfect recipe.  The problem is over the years people have altered the recipe and the ingredients over and over again to the point that what you are now,  is not a chocolate chip cookie.  When you take away God’s recipe book for a Christian, how can you become what He wants you to be?  Be assured, the devil doesn’t want you to love or please God, or to obey the teaching’s of Christ, he want’s to be worshipped which is what will happen in the tribulation.

Remember the Word spoken to the church…

luke 9 26 ” for whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels

Choose today.  Today is the day of salvation.  Are you ready to stand up for teachings of Jesus? 

with love

Eric

12/28/2020 What’s it mean to usurp?

What does it mean when someone usurps authority?  Usurp means to seize and hold an office, place, functions or powers that belong to another, by force and without any right to do so.  

Imagine being a general in the military.  When you come into your office one morning there is a private sitting behind your desk making all of the decisions for the war that you are supposed to be making.  You have been given that place of authority by the military.  You are the general, he is the private.  That’s what it means when someone usurps authority.  They try to take over some place of authority that has not been granted to them. 

This happens all over in the world today, but it certainly is not supposed to happen in the church.  

The teachings of Jesus clearly state in 1 Timothy 2:12

…But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 

A woman who usurps takes authority over a man, it doesn’t matter if they are your husband or you are single.  This happens all the time in the world, but Jesus doesn’t want women to ever usurp men if the profess faith in Christ and His teachings.    Remember, Jesus picked 12 men as apostles.  They were leading the church in biblical teachings.  To pick a woman in a church to be over men in any capacity or teaching them would be to reject biblical truth.  Women were supposed to teach love in the home, not the bible.  

Women were created to be helpers of men, not leaders or teachers of men.  A man is the head of the house hold and makes the decisions, and a woman is to follow his leadership.  God blesses that.  When she doesn’t, she is usurping not only him, but the commands of Christ at the same time.  Men also are to lead and run the church, not women.  God has forbidden their participation in those places and commanded them to be silent.    

The men were commanded to teach and preach the gospel of Christ.  Women are forbidden to teach the scriptures in any capacity because they are meant to help the men in the community and expecially those men in church leadership.  They can help men in all kinds of sweet activities around the home, raising children, feeding hungry mouths, and other inumerable good works that show the love of christ to the needy.  Men are called to teach the gospel of Christ.  These are two different purposes, but to the same end.  

A woman of God will be filled with good works.  They may approach the men of the church and ask for finances or things to fulfill some project or good work they are endeavoring to do.  They may ask for clothes for the needy, or food to donate to the hungry in the name of Christ.   It’s nice to see a Godly woman asking for things to help others and show people God’s love.  

Why do you think when A wife asks a loving husband if she could have some things for the children from the store, he quickly obliges her with what God has blessed him with.

Men and women are both human, but with two different functions and purposes in the church.  Just like a baseball team, there are many different positions that the coach picks certain players to play.  When you play your position, you can win for the entire team. You all work together, and when it goes correctly and you win, the entire team rejoices!  

 Imagine a catcher getting upset because he hates his position, and during a game walks up to the pitcher and kicks him off the mound.  That’s usurping.  The coach has already picked a pitcher, what he needs to do is catch.    

Please understand me when I tell you this,..God is our coach in the church.  What He says goes.  He knows whats best for His team and wants them to work together in unity so the entire group can win.  Jesus lays out his purposes, his postions, and the place that he wants you to play in the church.  

I have always told my wife and children that if I was a woman, I would be required to do God’s will and obey men.  I would have to, because God knows whats best for His team.  I’m not a woman, I’m a man, which means I can’t sit on my hands, I have to do what He has called men to do, which is to preach and teach.

Many years ago I told my young bride that I would never NEVER teach.  I despised teaching others.  I loathed it.  Interesting how love for Christ who died for our sins changes ones entire direction in life, becoming obedient to His Word, and being faithful to His calling for you.

I’m sure if I had been born a woman and became a believer in the teachings of Jesus 20 years ago, I would obey His calling for me, no matter how difficult.  

After all, as a man, that’s what I did. 

Eric