Tag: souls

51.t. Wilderness – 15.z. “Rescue those who are being taken away to death”

 

 

 

Deu 22:1-4  “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.

 Exodus 23:4     “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him.

 Ezekiel 34:4    The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.

 Ezekiel 34:16    I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

 James 5:19-20    My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,  let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

 1 Peter 2:25   For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

 Proverbs 24:11   Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

 Isaiah 58:7     Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

If we duly regard the golden rule of doing to others as we would they should do unto us, many particular precepts might be omitted. We can have no property in any thing that we find. Religion teaches us to be neighbourly, and to be ready to do all good offices to all men. We know not how soon we may have occasion for help. (Henry)

“Brother” is a term of extensive application, comprehending persons of every description; not a relative, neighbor, or fellow countryman only, but any human being, known or unknown, a foreigner, and even an enemy (Ex 23:4). The duty inculcated is an act of common justice and charity, which, while it was taught by the law of nature, was more clearly and forcibly enjoined in the law delivered by God to His people. Indifference or dissimulation in the circumstances supposed would not only be cruelty to the dumb animals, but a violation of the common rights of humanity; and therefore the dictates of natural feeling, and still more the authority of the divine law, enjoined that the lost or missing property of another should be taken care of by the finder, till a proper opportunity occurred of restoring it to the owner.(Brown)

Thou shall not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray,…. Or “driven away” (r); frightened and starved away from the herd or from the flock by a wolf or dog; and the ox and sheep are put for every other creature a man has, as camels, asses, &c. which last sort is after mentioned; and a brother means not one in the natural relation of kindred only, for it is supposed, in the next verse, that he might not only be at a distance, but unknown; nor by religion only, or one of the commonwealth or church of the Jews, for what is enjoined is a piece of humanity the law of nature requires and directs unto, and is even to be done to enemies, Exodus 23:4 and hide thyself from them; make as if he did not see them, and so be entirely negligent of them, and takes no care and show no concern about them, but let them go on wandering from the herd and flock from whence they were driven, and to which they cannot find the way of themselves. (Gill)

There are many applications we can apply to ourselves in this, but what keeps us from applying it? 

Are our eyes blind to it – Pray that they will be opened to see it.

Are we to busy – Pray for wisdom to live your life right

Are we deaf to the leading of the Holy Spirit – Pray for your inner ears to your heart and soul to be sensitive to hear

Are we ignorant of this principle – Pray that you will not be

Are we insensitive to others – Pray that God will change you

Jesus specifically came to find and call the lost. He came looking. Can you imagine what chance of being saved would be if He had not? ZERO chance! We do well to be looking and listening for opportunities to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in such ways.

35. “To keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment”

 

2 Peter 2:9-15   then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray.

Impure seducers and their abandoned followers, give themselves up to their own fleshly minds. Refusing to bring every thought to the obedience of Christ, they act against God’s righteous precepts. They walk after the flesh, they go on in sinful courses, and increase to greater degrees of impurity and wickedness. They also despise those whom God has set in authority over them, and requires them to honor. Outward temporal good things are the wages sinners expect and promise themselves. And none have more cause to tremble, than those who are bold to gratify their sinful lusts, by presuming on the Divine grace and mercy. Many such there have been, and are, who speak lightly of the restraints of God’s law, and deem themselves freed from obligations to obey it. Let Christians stand at a distance from such. (Henry)

These persons, by their fierce and ungovernable passions, appear to be made only for destruction, and rush blindly on to it. The idea is, that they exercised no more restraint over their passions than beasts do over their propensities. They were entirely under the dominion of their natural appetites, and did not allow their reason or conscience to exert any constraint.  Man has reason, and should allow it to control his passions; the brutes have no rational nature, and it is to be expected that they will act out their propensities without restraint. Man, as an animal, has many passions and appetites resembling those of the brute creation, but he is also endowed with a higher nature, which is designed to regulate and control his inferior propensities, and to keep them in subordination to the requirements of law. If a man sinks himself to the level of brutes, he must expect to be treated like brutes; They are not only useless to society, but destructive. They shall utterly perish in their own corruption – Their views will be the means of their ruin; and they render them fit for it. (Barnes)

These false teachers, not being guided by reason, much less by the light of the Spirit, but merely by sway of their natural inclinations, in speaking evil of things of God and what He has set in place for righteous living, shall bring upon themselves that destruction they have deserved. (Poole)

They are guided by an instinct in nature, to do what they do, so these men are led and influenced by the force and power of corrupt nature in them, to commit all manner of wickedness. They speak evil of the things they understand not; either of angels, of whose nature, office, and dignity, they are ignorant; and blaspheme them, by either ascribing too much to them, as the creation of the world, and divine worship, as were by some ancient heretics; or by speaking such things of them. They shall utterly perish in their own corruption: of which they are servants, in their moral corruption, in their filthy and unnatural lusts, which are the cause of their everlasting destruction, to which they are righteously appointed of God. (Gill)

In our society today, false beliefs and teachings are often accepted without ever being tested. People believe that social media memes and TV talking heads are the source of truth. They latch on to rumors, myths and hearsay like it’s the final word. While we’re seeing this a lot in our modern world, it is not a new phenomenon. Even in the first century, false teachers were making their way into churches, and people were buying the lies they were selling. I wonder how supposedly “Christian” teachers could say something that is so totally at odds with the Bible. However, Peter tells us in verse 12 that false teachers “speak evil of the things they do not understand.” They are willfully ignorant of Scripture on one hand, while claiming the moral authority of the Bible on the other. (Graham)

To listen to others’ thoughts about what the Word of God says and its application is good. However, when it is the only feeding of the soul a person receives leaves an opening to be led down paths that neither honor nor glorify Jesus Christ. Time needs to be set aside from the busyness of life for each person to spend time in the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten, guide, teach, and rebuke their thoughts and actions. Only through the lens of scripture can discernment of false teaching be realized and protected against.

34.v. “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD”

 

Matthew 22:1  And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

 Romans 7:4    Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

 Revelation 21:2    And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

 Revelation 21:9    Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

 Proverbs 1:24-32    Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,  because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,  when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.  Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,  would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,  therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.  For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;

 Jeremiah 6:16-17    Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’  I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not pay attention.’

 Hosea 11:2   The more they were called, the more they went away;

 Hosea 11:7    My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all

 Romans 10:21   But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

 Hebrews 12:25   See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.

 Matthew 7:13-14   “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

 Luke 13:28    In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.

 Matthew 13:50    and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 2 Thessalonians 1:9   They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

It seems strange that those invited refused an invitation to a royal wedding. This illustrates the principle that there is no logical reason God’s good gifts are refused. The reaction of those invited made no sense, but it does give an accurate description of the reaction of many to the gospel. (Gill) 

Many made light of the invitation; others go about their business as if the invitation is not worthy of their time. The reason why sinners come not to Christ and salvation by him, is, not because they cannot, but because they will not. Making light of Christ, and of the great salvation paid by Him and offered through Him, is the damning sin of the world. They were careless. Multitudes perish forever through mere carelessness, who show no direct aversion, but are careless as to their souls. Also the business and profit of worldly employments hinder many in choosing redemption, salvation, and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Both farmers and merchants must be diligent; but whatever we have of the world in our hands, our care must be to keep it out of our hearts, lest it come between us and Christ. The case of hypocrites is represented by the guest that had not on a wedding-garment. It concerns all to prepare for the scrutiny; and those, and those only, who put on the Lord Jesus, who have a Christian temper of mind, who live by faith in Christ, and to whom he is all in all, have the wedding-garment. The imputed righteousness of Christ, and the sanctification of the Spirit, are both alike necessary. No man has the wedding-garment by nature, or can form it for himself. The day is coming, when hypocrites will be called to account for all their presumptuous intruding into gospel ordinances, and wrong use of gospel privileges. Take him away. Those that walk unworthy of Christianity, forfeit all the happiness they presumptuously claimed. Our Savior here passes out of the parable into that which it teaches. Hypocrites go by the light of the gospel itself down to utter darkness. Many are called to the wedding-feast, that is, to salvation, but few have the wedding-garment, the righteousness of Christ, the sanctification of the Spirit. Then let us examine ourselves whether we are in the faith, and seek to be approved by the King. (Henry)

“There are no longer feet to run to God’s mercy or to flee from his justice; no longer hands to do good or make amends for evil; no longer saving light, whereby to know God or one’s own duties. Nothing but darkness, pain, grief, tears, rage, fury, and despair, for him who is not in the wedding hall. (unknown)

34.f. “I have gone astray like a lost sheep”

 

Matthew 18:12  What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

 Psalms 119:176    I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.

 Isaiah 53:6     All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 Ezekiel 34:16    I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

 Luke 15:4-7   “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

 John 10:11  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

 John 10:14   I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

 1 Peter 2:25    For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

 Ezekiel 34:12   As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

 Isaiah 40:11   He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

 2 Peter 3:9   The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

For the Son of man is come to seek that which was lost. This is another, and stronger reason, why these little ones should not be despised; because Christ, who is here meant by the Son of man, came into this world to save these persons; who were lost in Adam, and had destroyed themselves by their transgressions, and carries great force in it: for if God had so great a regard to these little ones, as to send his Son to obtain eternal salvation for them, when they were in a miserable and perishing condition; and Christ had so much love for them, as to come into this world, and endure the sorrows, sufferings, and death itself for them, who were not only little, but lost; and that to obtain righteousness and life for them, and save them with an everlasting salvation; then they must, and ought to be, far above the contempt of all mortals; and the utmost care should be taken not to despise, grieve, offend, and injure them in any form or shape whatever.(Gill)

 To show still further the reason why we should not despise Christians, he introduced a parable showing the joy felt when a thing lost is found. A shepherd rejoices over the recovery of one of his flock that had wandered more than over all that remained; so God rejoices that man is restored: so he seeks his salvation, and wills that not one thus found should perish. If God thus loves and preserves the redeemed, then surely man should not despise them. (Barnes)

The searching is not sure to be rewarded. Man’s sin and always leaning toward selfish, self-centered, self-worth, and self-reliance makes the result uncertain. No one may safely go on sinning, or living in neglectful, complacent, and careless unconcern, with the expectation of being finally found and saved.  There must be a limit to the patience of God. If a man will not open his heart to the tugging of the Holy Spirit towards repentance and belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he will not be found and brought home. God forces no one to be saved against his will.

19.e. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:14   Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Psalms 78:11-22     They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them.  In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.  He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.  In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light.  He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.  He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers.  Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.  They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.  They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?  He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”  Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel,  because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.

Hebrews 3:12     Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

Hebrews 10:38-39   but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”  But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Thomas had doubts about what the other disciples to him about seeing Jesus.  Thomas would have seen Jesus hung on the cross and watched His death and being stabbed with a sword to make sure.  He was absolute in the fact that Jesus died.  Now to have his fellow disciples tell him Jesus was alive made no sense what so ever.  Thomas says I don’t care what you say, I saw Jesus die and there is no way you can get me to believe He is alive now unless I put my fingers in His side. Surely he would have heard from Peter and John that the grave was empty.  He also would have heard Mary saying she saw Jesus.  Thomas can not discount what he saw and override what he knows as truth, that once you are physically dead you do not come to life unless Jesus calls you to life.  How can Jesus, who is dead, raise Himself from the dead?  He did not care about the disciple’s witness or testimony.  He can not believe it true without physical confirmation.  

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  Faith is the substance of things hoped for and proof/conviction of things not seen. Faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses.  By faith, we are transformed, born again, made new, realize forgiveness, and inherit eternal life.  Therein is where our hope rests by faith.  We can not add anything to faith and make ourselves better.  In fact, adding anything more to faith in the complete work (death and resurrection) of Jesus is to take away from what is rightly and solely glorified in Jesus.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father but through Me.”  It is by faith alone.  Faith alone. Faith.  Our sins were paid in full by Jesus Christ if we believe (have faith) in Him alone.  We can not allow thoughts of needing to be good enough to receive the gift of salvation, redemption, and forgiveness of our sins to block us from Faith (relying on, clinging to, and trusting in) in Jesus Christ alone.  Faith casts out all doubt.  Faith allows us to cast out the doubts of being good enough.  By faith, we understand that we are not and will never be good enough and we surrender all of our hope in self-goodness relying fully on the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ

16.w. “For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

John 10:7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Psalms 23:1   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Isaiah 40:11     He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Ezekiel 34:12    As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

Ezekiel 37:24   My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes.

Micah 5:4    And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

Hebrews 13:20    Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant

1 Peter 2:25   For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

1 Peter 5:4    And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

The true Shepherd knows the sheep of His flock.  He keeps watch over His sheep. He laid down His life for His Sheep. There is one “Shepherd” and one “Flock”.  I am sure we can all agree that the “Shepherd” is Jesus Christ.  I think many get confused about who makes up the flock. The flock is made up of those who live and pursue to honor and glorify Jesus Christ, ALL OF THE TIME.  There is a false belief that one can live for Jesus on Sundays and the rest of the week live for themself. On Sundays they get all these religious feelings and they think, “I am a Christian and I am pleasing God.” But then Monday comes around and they are interested in other things. They are replacing “Living for God” by pursuing other interests, goals, and worldly important, )not eternally important), stuff. “If you’re going to grow in living a life that is pleasing to God, you must come to the point when you decide, ‘If I don’t accomplish anything else, I am determined that I will live my life for an audience of one. I am going to please God. This is the one thing I am going to do.’”  Being a follower of Jesus Christ is not a game that is played on Sunday.  It is the essence of eternal life.  Why would Jesus use words like, the Word of God is “Living”, “Living Water”, and the “Bread of Life”?

So you have to ask “how does a person please God and what pleases God? Essential to pleasing God is repenting and turning away from sin, seeking forgiveness of Jesus Christ for the sinful life that had been lived, following, trusting in, relying on, and clinging to Jesus Christ, taking care of the widows, orphans, and the poor, giving generously, and surrendering your will to the will of God. All of these “God Pleasing” actions are things you do every living moment of every day to honor and glorify Jesus Christ.  To think we can give a head nod toward Jesus on Sundays and think we are pleasing to God is nothing more than a deception and living a lie.

Recount all of the activities of your last week.  Were you doing that which is pleasing to God or self?  Were you doing it as unto the Lord or self? Did it honor and glorify Jesus Christ or was it done to honor and glorify self? Were you seeking and desiring to do all you could every single moment of every day to please Him? If “Pleasing Him” is not first most in your heart and mind, then something else has taken its place.

Wake up each morning with the Living Word and drink full of the living water and eat of the bread of life seeking to do that which honors and glorifies Jesus Christ throughout the day.  This is pleasing to God.  At the end of the day think about all of the things God allowed you to experience to honor and glorify Jesus and then give thanks to God for that day. This is pleasing to God.  Living to be pleasing to God will not allow one’s self to be neglectful or complacent in studying His Word or for doing that which pleases Him.  Jesus Christ is truly worthy of honor and glory every minute of every day.

8.m. Key to the bottomless pit

Revelation 20:1   Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

The accuser and slanderer, the one who deceives and leads people and nations on destructive God-denying, Jesus rejecting, self-centered, self-worthy, and self-satisfying paths straight to hell is bound and cast into a pit reserved for Satan and his followers.  There is no battle or prolonged fight where the victor is determined by will power and skill to overcome their opponent.  No there is Almighty and All-Powerful Jesus Christ who defeated death and holds the key to the bottomless pit, who by the word of His mouth sends an angel with the key to bind Satan and cast him in.  Satan has no power but what is allowed by God and at His word alone can be taken away in the blink of an eye.

So it is, Jesus is returning personally, visibly, and physically one day to set things right; He will raise the dead and judge them in righteousness; He will separate His own from those who have hung their stars on the prince of darkness; He will redeem our sinful and fallen world from the effects of the fall, resulting in new heavens and a new earth; and we will delight in His personal presence forever and ever.  All believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of our lives. This judgment does not determine our eternal destiny, for that is fixed on this side of death with the believer’s decision to trust in Christ. (Phillips, Rob)

There is a time fast approaching when the end times will come upon the earth.  It is important to know this prophetic ending but not near as important as knowing, surrendering, relying on upon, trusting in, following, believing in, and obeying Jesus Christ while you still have breath this side of eternity.  If you die without repenting of sin, trusting in and complete trust and humble service to Jesus Christ – Hell awaits you with deceitful, lying, open arms, welcoming you to eternal destruction.

Now is the time of salvation.  Now is the time of redemption.  Now is the time to repent and turn away from self-centered, self-satisfying, and self-reliant lies and deception of Satan.  Jesus awaits you, just as you are with wide open arms to welcome you into life with Him now and for eternity forever and ever.

6.w. Surely there is a God who judges on earth.

Revelation 6:9   When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Deuteronomy 32:43    “Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses his people’s land.”

Psalms 58:11   Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

When the 5th seal is opened John sees these martyrs and hears their cry “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”  These have been martyred for witnessing and living for Jesus Christ. These are those who believed in and proclaimed the gospel after the removal (rapture) of believers prior to the opening of the seals.  Standing firm to the end is not a way to be saved but the evidence that a person is really committed to Jesus. Persistence is not a means to earn salvation; it is the by-product of a truly devoted life. Times and trials serve to sift true Christians from false or fair-weather Christians. When you are pressured to give up and turn your back on Christ, don’t do it. Remember the benefits of standing firm, and continue to live for Christ.

Remember these martyrs have been told to wait until the full number of those who will be killed for their belief in Jesus Christ is complete.  When I give just a small amount of thought to this I am ashamed for what I think is a trial in my life.  I am ashamed of the times I think the trials I face are “BIG” for the trials I have faced surely have not ended in death for believing in Jesus Christ – the ultimate test of faith.

1.z.

2 Chronicles 14:1  Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace. And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered. And Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor.

Acts 9:31     So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Psalms 105:3-4     Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!  Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Jeremiah 29:12-14    Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

1 Peter 3:12     For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Matthew 11:28-29   Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Asa the son of Abijah followed in his father’s footsteps and stayed close to God.  He set an example for the people and held to it.  He was the King and people looked to him, followed him, and learned from him what it meant to follow after God.  We can look at this and say if we are a King or leader the expectations are different for us in the eyes of the Lord.  At the same time, we say this we then think because we are not a King or a leader the expectations on our life is not as great.  In fact, we generally think and set the expectation on our lives much much lower when it comes to visible actions, when it comes to thoughts we mull over in our head, and when it comes to what we say.  We seem to allow ourselves to land our God-honoring humble service and obedience at the lowest expectation possible and still feel “good” about our lives.

During a bible study last Friday with a small group of men we discussed what life might look like if we actually took seriously the ever and always presence of God.  Would we set our expectations low?  Would we think, act, and speak differently.  Would we seek His word more diligently and desire His presence more deeply so that our humble service would continual in greater honoring, glorifying, following, trusting, and obeying Jesus Christ.  Would we actively seek and desire and expect to hear His quiet whispers of leading?  Would we take every thought captive and lay it out against His word so that we would never allow a non-God honoring thought to dwell in our mind.  Would we examine those actions we are planning on doing and compare them against the word of God so that every action was honoring Him?  Would we examine what we are going to say against His word so that we ensure it was honoring Him?

Setting low expectations leads us to allow ourselves to be neglectful in His word and complacent in its application into our very lives.  You are a child of the King, a child of God, and priests to God, and a Holy temple to the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Your expectations need to be set very high and in line with God’s Word, for the honoring of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

I will bring back the strayed

Psalms 119:176  I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.

Isaiah 53:6     All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Ezekiel 34:16    I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

Matthew 18:12-13    What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?  And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.

Luke 15:4-7     “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

John 10:16     And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

1 Peter 2:25     For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Jeremiah 31:18    I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the LORD my God.

Galatians 4:9     But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

Hosea 4:6     My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge

Do you find yourself lost and life’s trials weighing you down? The Psalmist came to the understanding that apart from God we wander and get lost in life.  Oh, we try to make sense of it but in the end we are just chasing one thing after another to fill the void of being apart from God.  Always seeking but never finding that which fulfills our soul.

 You will find the more time you spend in God’s word there is a continually new and ever increasing understanding need for God and your dependence upon Him.  Love for and dedication to the word of God does not make us more spiritually independent, but more spiritually dependent upon God.  The word of God leads us to salvation, repentance. understanding, deliverance, ability to worship God rightly,  power to live an upright life, and strength to persevere.

His word is a light onto our soul and a guide to our feet.  Through His word your are shown love, peace, joy, hope, faith, strength, and understanding.  Humbly serve Him today and you will find Him more than sufficient.