Daryl Pint – Page 318

A True Leader

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Matthew 28:16
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age

Daniel 7:13
“I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed

Ephesians 1:20
according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

All of the world leaders are either elected by the people or they have taken power by force. How should we act in the presence of a King or Ruler. Some would say with the respect of the title which they hold. Others would say with the respect the person holding the title deserves. In our global information flowing world it is easy to hear reports on leaders which are on both sides of the moral/ethical coin. Any given day it is a coin toss how the media will paint them. Much of what they do is made public but even more is not. Christ on the other hand did everything in public. He did not seek his own self interest but rather desired to do the will of His heavenly Father. Scripture says that Jesus has been given all authority over heaven and earth. He was not elected by man nor did he come to his leadership by force. He was placed in power by God. While on earth he led by being humble, servant, compassionate, loving, kind, healer, and giving hope, peace, and rest to the burdened people who lacked it. He led by sacrificing his life for those who would choose to believe and desire to live for God. Worldly leaders are always going to disappoint us but Jesus never will. His promises are rocks we can stand on.

The Curtain

the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom

Matthew 27:51
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Exodus 26:32
“And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy. You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place

Hebrews 9:6
These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people

Hebrews 9:11
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent ( not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance

Hebrews 10:19
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works

If you think about the Holy Place and the restrictions that went with being able to go near compared to the new covenant prepared by God shouldn’t our heart be thankful? We live in a time that is surrounded in with great grace and mercy. In no other time prior to Christ has such grace and mercy been freely given. This is not to be taken lightly. How much more will we be held accountable for knowing so much and neglecting it so easily. Paul said what manner of lives should we be living in light of what God has given. I am certain we have so much more to forget about this world and greatly more to learn about and apply grace and mercy.

Joy Set Before Him

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross

Matthew 27:27
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God

Philippians 2:8
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,

Psalms 69:19
You know my reproach,
and my shame and my dishonor;
my foes are all known to you.
Reproaches have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair

Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions

The verse that always sticks in my head and heart is “for the joy set before Him he endured the cross”. He could have called down a legion of angels but did not do it. We are the joy He bore the cross for. He knew our helpless state before a Holy God and chose to bare our sin so that trusting in Him and this sacrificial act we would be saved. However it does not end there. He also said that He would send us a helper (Holy Spirit) to speak to our heart and soul and lead us through this life in a way that honors and glorifies God. How much do we truly endure for Him? The absolute best we can give is our whole heart’s desire to live and obey His guidance everyday.

No Thought For Their Children

Our fathers sinned, and are no more;
and we bear their iniquities.

Matthew 27:24

So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Exodus 20:5
for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments

Lamentations 5:7
Our fathers sinned, and are no more;
and we bear their iniquities.

I add comments today from a sermon preached by Johnathan Edwards which brings home the message of disregarding God and making decisions without Him in mind. These scriptures today describe the sins of man carried out on their children well after death.

It is no security to wicked men for one moment, that there are no visible means of death at hand. It is no security to a natural man, that he is now in health, and that he does not see which way he should now immediately go out of the world by any accident, and that there is no visible danger in any respect in his circumstances. The manifold and continual experience of the world in all ages, shows this is no evidence, that a man is not on the very brink of eternity, and that the next step will not be into another world. The unseen, unthought-of ways and means of persons going suddenly out of the world are innumerable and inconceivable. Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen. The arrows of death fly unseen at noon-day; the sharpest sight cannot discern them.

Words Without Action

They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works

Matthew 26:69
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again he denied it with an oath:“I do not know the man.” After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Matthew 10:32
So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven

John 18:25
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed

Proverbs 30:8
Two things I ask of you;
deny them not to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God

What is it like to look into the mirror and know you have denied God? I wonder if we even truly consider this as part of our daily work with Him. We aren’t persecuted here for our belief like other place of the world. However I think we still deny Him in other ways. Love your neighbor as yourself, give generously, be kind, be humble, Love your God with all your heart mind and soul, be joyful, be a servant, make disciples, live victorious, trust God in all things, live by faith, continually grow in knowledge of God, live in the power and strength of God…… the list goes on and on if we read only but a little of scripture. We look in the mirror and say we do not deny Him yet on the other hand I don’t think we look close or deep enough. How appropriate is this scripture:

Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting

We are not alone

If God is for us, who can be against us

Oh God, open our eyes that we may see the wondrous work of Your hand. Open our mind that we may understand Your awesome power and might over everything there is. Open our heart to receive and know Your grace, mercy, and love. Open our ears that we may hear Your leading and guidance. Open our mouth with Your words that we may speak of your love, show grace, mercy, kindness, hope and faith.

Matthew 26:53
Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels

2 Kings 6:15
When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha

2 Chronicles 32:7
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah

Not as I will

My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work

When I read this passage and along with other scriptures, where the disciples all say they will never leave or deny Jesus even until death – I have the same thoughts as the disciples. I will not deny Jesus and not my will but as God wills for my life. The reality is that there is a battle that goes on everyday with fulfilling these thoughts of fully living for and doing what God purposes. Throughout each day there are times of being selfish, unkind, greedy, proud, unthankful, lacking faith, not obeying, self seeking …….. My food is more to do with my will than God’s. I am so thankful for His grace and mercy, for his forgiveness, for never leaving me in this state but rather leading me closer and closer to Him. Do you know what also helps me in my walk to stay closer to Him? – The encouragement and examples I witness in the walk of my brothers and sisters in Christ. We all have times of being weak, lacking faith, helpless, proud, self serving, but God does not leave us and He allows us to see His work in others as encouragement and examples – Living to honor and glorify God is also showing hope, love, peace, humbleness, kindness, faith, joy, to those needing encouragement to do His will. Be a living example today.

Matthew 26:39
And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will

Isaiah 50:5
The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious;
I turned not backward.
I gave my back to those who strike,
and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face
from disgrace and spitting.
But the Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame

John 4:34
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work

Giving – Is It Your Best

Well done my good and faithful servant

What does it take to convince us that it is more blessed to give than to receive? There are opportunities everyday to give generously. Giving of our time, finance, and kindness. A generous giving starts in the heart with a desire to honor and glorify God. Also, within the heart and mind, there is an understanding that all we have are gifts from God and we are just humble servant caretakers of these blessings. As humble servants and caretakers there is no thought “This Is Mine” but rather a deep thankfulness and awareness from whom these truly belong. Helping and giving to others with love and joyfulness reflects the condition of the heart. Serving does not replace giving – Giving does not replace serving – Serving and Giving do not replace Love. For one month try giving more than you receive, serving more than being served, loving more than you are loved.

Matthew 26:6
Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her

Deuteronomy 15:12
For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land

Matthew 25:10
And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come

Depart From Me

How sad to hear from God “Depart From Me”

We can not be blind to the responsibility God has given us. We are to continually be generous with our giving, kind with our actions, joyful with our responses, hopeful with our advice, and always seasoning those around us with love, grace and mercy. Do not lose sight of the purpose we are on this side of eternity.

Matthew 25:41
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. ’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you? ’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. ’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life

Proverbs 14:31
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honors him

Proverbs 17:5
Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker;
he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished

Galatians 6:8
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith

You Welcomed Me

For we who have believed enter that rest

Having faith and believing in the return of Christ is fundamental to doctrine. How weak is our faith and belief if we claim this to be true but do not live like it is true. If we truly believe in His return and cling to His promise of salvation through trusting in the sacrificial work of Christ on the cross, and tightly grab hold to the promise of eternal life with Him – what should our daily life look like lived out with these in mind. We come to God for forgiveness of sin because at some point He alone made us aware of His righteousness, our sin, the work of Christ on the Cross and the need for forgiveness. This God given grace and mercy is a gift of eternal life to all who believe and a death sentence to all who reject it. So I come back to “how should we be living each day in light of this grace and mercy”? Do we train ourselves to be humble, giving, generous, kind, loving, helpful servants – or do we get lost in the activities of the day that pull us away from serving Him through all of life’s activities. Search your heart and see if this at all applies to how you live. God wants to lead and direct us through the entire day – Why? so that we honor and glorify Him – And How do we do that? – loving Him and living for Him with all our heart, mind and soul. Live for His honor and glory every moment.

Matthew 25:31
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. ’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? ’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me

Malachi 3:18
Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him

Ezekiel 34:20
“Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them:Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, I will rescue my flock

Hebrews 4:2
For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest