The Color of Worship - Brown

 

A Time of Creation and Growth

Genesis 1:9-12 And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into

one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so. The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 2:7, 22

Then The LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. ... And from the rib that The LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him. (Genesis 1:26-28)

A Time of Repentance

Joel 1:13

Gird yourselves and lament, you priests; Wail, you who minister before the altar; Come, lie all night in sackcloth, You who minister to my God; For the grain offering and the drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. 

Daniel 9:3-5

Then I set my face toward The Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to The LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, The great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances." 

Jonah 3:5-6

And the Ninevites believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least. When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

The Gem

SARDONYX is the fifth foundation of the city walls:

Revelation 21:20

...the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.

    As you can see, it is reddish-brown in color and so qualifies to be placed in this study. Though there are a number of distinct shades of sardonyx, or onyx, I like this one. 

    Onyx was also on the breastplate of the priest bearing the names of the twelve tribes.

Exodus 28:9, 10

Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: six of their names on one stone and the remaining six on the other, in the order of their birth. Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings.

   From The Topical Lexicon:

 1. Permanence and Strength: Like a mason choosing the hardest stones for foundational tiers, the heavenly Architect selects gems that will never decay (Revelation 21:14). Sardonyx’s toughness illustrates the inviolable security of the saints’ eternal dwelling.

2. Purity and Sacrifice: The deep sard layer evokes the blood of the Lamb, while the white onyx layer evokes righteousness (Revelation 7:14). Together they preach redemption: washed robes made white by atoning blood.

3. Witness and Authentication: Because sardonyx signet rings authenticated decrees, the stone signifies that God’s promises are sealed and irrevocable (2 Corinthians 1:20).

The Fountain of Living Water - Names of God

 

Jeremiah 2:13

"For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The Fountain of Living Water, and they have dug their own cisterns - broken cisterns that cannot hold water."

Here God is not speaking to the world in general, He is speaking to, and about, His own people: His elect, His chosen. The people He has called to be His people. 

In forsaking God, God's people had turned their backs to and their faces from hearing The Word of God. In so doing they (we) have also stopped obeying The Word of God and are content to do their own thing. We are bringing God's judgment on the house of God in our disobedience and disregard and unthankfulness. 

We must repent of our wickedness and return to a faithful walk with God. We must allow His Holy Spirit to change our hearts and strengthen our desire to have God active in our daily lives. We must seek His face with all of our hearts that His Word may fill us completely and there be nothing left of the selfish desires that have taken us from Him. We must pursue His grace that we might be covered with it, that sin would no longer be in God's houses. 

These broken cisterns with which we have surrendered ourselves to and surround us are the idols and icons of our wickedness. With our eyes turned from God and having looked to the left and to the right, after being instructed not to do so, we have wandered far from righteousness and dallied in unrighteous behavior. 

We must clean out God's house and remove the idols from His altar. We must not tarry in doing so, lest we provoke God even more and He rain judgment upon us. We must seek His face, confess our evil deeds, ask forgiveness and turn away from, stop participating in, such deeds/actions/activities/beliefs. 

When God says in His Word not to do something and we do it, that's a sin against God. When God says to do certain things and we don't, that, too is a sin against God. Both of these need to be repented of (confessed to God that we may be forgiven by Him and turn away from the wickednesses we are doing and turn to Him to obey Him, follow Him, live in Him). 

The Fountain of Living Water can only live in unbroken cisterns (unbroken wells). When we are broken by worldly pleasures, then there is no room for a Savior to enter into and live in. We have filled our hearts with rubble, with trash, with selfishness and self-centeredness. 

We have pasted astrological signs on the walls of our hearts. We are focused on the night sky and not on He Who created the heavenly points of light. We have sought out other gods to worship: gods who cannot see, cannot hear, cannot answer prayer, cannot heal, cannot fight for us; gods who are created by men who refused to give themselves to The Only Almighty God, and in doing so have turned untold numbers of people to their wicked ways of living. 

We are God's people but we are not living like God's people. Now is the time to clean house. Now is the day we turn back to God in repentance that we might be renewed, replenished and refurbished in our hearts, in our minds, in our spirit and in our lives. 

Come back to Jesus. Come and be filled with The Living Water that He is. 

 JUST AS I AM

My Name Shall Be There

 1 Kings 8:27-30

But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built. / Yet regard the prayer and plea of Your servant, O LORD my God, so that You may hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying before You today. / May Your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that You may hear the prayer that Your servant prays toward this place. (cf Acts 7:48-50)

Acts 17:24-25

"The God who made the world and everything in it is The Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.

God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’ Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that The Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.

Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by The Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”

Romans 10:8-11

But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.

It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” 

1 Corinthians 6:19

Do you not know that your body is the temple of The Holy Spirit Who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

     Are you the temple of God? Is His Name written on your hearts? I am God's temple. His Name, The Name of Salvation, is written on my heart by the power of His Holy Spirit. In me dwells The Living God. In fact, in every born-again believer dwells the presence of The Living God. 

    Jeremiah 31:33 tells us that God says He will put His Law in our minds and inscribe It on our hearts. And Ezekiel lets us know that God will remove the heart of stone (of unbelief) from us and replace it with a more fleshy (accommodating, moldable) heart. Ezekiel 11:18-20. 

    So, again, I must ask: Is God's Name, The Name Above All Names, written on your heart? As Jesus informed Nicodemus, "You must be born again. Born of water and of Spirit." Throughout the New Testament are jewels of wisdom to which we must adhere if we want to live a changed life, which starts with a change of heart and mind. A change which begins with having just enough faith to believe that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. That He is The Way, The Life and The Truth personified. 

    Now is the time to repent of our wicked ways, ways in which God is not pleased, ways which dishonor God and take away from God. Today is your day of salvation. Please come to Jesus. Come and see Him, hear Him, believe Him and follow Him. Please come. We beg you to come now. Before it's too late. 

The Fork In The Road

 

 

THE FORK IN THE ROAD

There is a point in every person's life when they will have to make a decision on whether or not they will choose to believe God and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. The decision to follow Christ or not follow Christ can only be made on an individual basis. We can pray for our families and friends to be saved, but ultimately it will be their decision just as it was ours. 

While some will believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, there are still so many people who believe otherwise, and they flaunt their sin not only in our face, but in God's face and they will answer for their sins against God. 

However, while we still have breath, we pray for their salvation and that The Holy Spirit would fill them, giving them power to walk out their newfound faith in these last days before Christ's return. We pray for them with the love of God, Who lives in us and is constantly changing us, filling us with so much love for others that it overflows and blesses not only us, but those on whom we share this love of God with. 

When you have come to the fork in your road, you will see two destinations: one on the left and one on the right: there is no middle road. Imagine one sign reading "The Way of Holiness" and the other sign reads "Self-Interest". The Way of Holiness is strewn with gravel, potholes, obstacles, hidden pits and other things we cannot yet see. The Way of Holiness is straight and narrow: just enough room for two people to walk side by side. There is danger on every side, and yet, we can see that there are other people on this road, not many, but enough perhaps to peak our curiosity. Some are dressed in rags, some are crippled in body, some are singing, some are calling us to walk in The Way of Holiness with them.

Self-Interest is filled with every goodie you could possibly imagine. It is a colorful, winding road with vendors hawking their wares for you to purchase along your journey. The sun is shining on this road and there is not a cloud in the sky. There are no apparent obstacles on this road. It is crowded and the people ahead are laughing and talking amongst themselves. They gesture to us and call out our names to join them on their merry journey. 

A decision must be made, for there is no going back the way we came. We must move forward but which road will we take? Only you can make that decision. Only you can choose your destination. 

Whatever God calls "sin" is nothing to be proud of.

Isaiah 3:9

The expression on their faces testifies against them, and like Sodom they flaunt their sin; they do not conceal it. Woe to them, for they have brought disaster upon themselves.

    Romans 6:23 tells us the destination of the unrepentant sinner and the destination of the repentant:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    But not a death where you just lie in the ground after your life ends. Nor does your body become one with nature. You are not reincarnated into something else: neither your spirit nor your soul will take on a new shape/identity.

    The death of the unrepentant sinner is a sorrowful event for those whom The Lord knows, but that person refused to know or even acknowledge.

The unrepentant soul will go to hell and there are no parties in hell. Friends and family might be there, but the lost soul will not be aware of others around him or her. In death as in life, their only thoughts will be selfish, while their bodies writhe in anguish.

    Luke 16:19-31 tells us the Parable of "The Rich Man & Lazarus". In life the rich man had everything but faith, while Lazarus had nothing in life except faith. The rich man lacked for nothing, but Lazarus lacked everything. Both died. The rich man went to hell and Lazarus went to Paradise.

    In hell a person will have their memories, their senses and their desire that their family would know Christ.

Luke 16:23 the rich man was in torment

Luke 16:24 the rich man knew thirst and was in agony

Luke 16:26 crossing from Paradise to hell after death is impossible

Luke 16:27 the rich man wanted his family warned about hell

But in Paradise there is comfort and rest.

     Repent And Believe The Gospel now, today, while today is still here. For The Bible says that tomorrow is not promised. We must take full advantage of today to believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord and begin to walk by faith this process of holiness which God would have us to live in. 

JESUS GOT AHOLD OF MY LIFE - Dallas Holm 

COME TO THE TABLE - Sidewalk Prophets 

THERE IS ONE GOSPEL - CityAlight

The Mercy of God - Never Fails

 

 

Lamentations 3:22

Because of the loving devotion of The LORD we are not consumed,

 for His mercies never fail. 

Psalm 103:10

He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities.

    Though The Lord could destroy us at any time for our great wickedness against His Word, yet He restrains Himself, for it is not His will that any of us should die in our sins. He wants us to repent of our unrighteous acts against Him and obey His Word, which He has given us through the cross. For Christ is The Living Word of God sent to die for each and every one of us. 

    Who are we that God should love us so? We are His sheep even though we were once lost in the darkness of our own hearts and minds. It is why He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross, so that us who were once lost sheep can be found sheep and placed in His pasture of love and mercy. 

    Exodus 34:7 says He extends His mercy to a thousand generations: " Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation." 

    Numbers 14:18 tells us God is slow to anger and of great mercy. He wants us live with Him when we die. But unless we choose to live for Him now, there won't be a home in heaven for the unrepentant sinner. 

     1 John 1:9 tells us " If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." God wants us to confess our sins against Him to Him. No one else has the power to forgive us for the sins we have committed against God except God. 

    It's as if you did me wrong and went to a stranger for forgiveness for what you had done to me. Would that make the wrong you did to me right? Not hardly. It is the same when we have sinned against God. To sin against God is to break His Word, to disregard His Word and to deliberately ignore His Word. To sin against God is to disobey when He tells us to do something and we don't. And when He tells us not to do something and we do it anyway. These sins need to be repented of when we come to God for His forgiveness. 

    In His unfailing mercy God will forgive the sincere repentant heart and wash the sins from the seeker's heart. He promises:

Psalm 32:5

Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

Psalm 51:2

Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Proverbs 28:13

He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.

1 John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 

    

   

    

 

 

God Forgives, Forgets

 

Isaiah 43:25

I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.

FORGIVEN

WHEN WE REPENT and TURN TO HIM Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool." Psalm 25:7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my rebellious acts; remember me according to Your loving devotion, because of Your goodness, O LORD. Romans 10:8-10 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him out from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.

FORGOTTEN

Hebrews 8:12

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."

Psalm 103:12

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.Isaiah 44:22

I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and, as a cloud, your sins: return to Me; for I have redeemed you.

A Crucified Life - - Answer's God's Call

 

    Romans 10:21

But as for Israel He says: "All the day I have stretched out My hands to a disobeying and contradicting people."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 483

Contradicting: speak against, oppose

From the Greek word 'antilegó' (pronounced an-til'-eg-o): properly, voicing opposition; to contradict, especially in a hostile (argumentative) way; to dispute in order to thwart. 

CONTRA=ANTI=AGAINST

DICTING=LEGO=SPEAKING

The Voice of Wisdom Calls to No Avail

Proverbs 1:23-27

    The Promises of God are for they whom God calls His people, the people who obey Him and follow His lead, direction, guide, Spirit. The Judgments of God are for the people who refuse to obey Him, who decline to walk in His ways, who are determined to thwart His every move. 

    Yes, God is Love. But in His love is holiness and justice. His holiness demands a holy people. A people who endeavor to obey God's Word and increase His happiness. His righteousness demands a righteous people. A people who are covered in the righteousness He gives them. 

    In the Old Testament this righteousness from God was awarded by faith in God (Hebrews 11). Faith has substance and is not just a spiritual unseen object (Hebrews 11:1) and is in itself evidence {because our first measure of faith comes from God [Romans 12:3]}. We must first believe that God is (exists) and that He is a Rewarder of them that believe (Hebrews 11:6). 

    The people who refuse to answer God's call will be judged for their refusal. Whichever darkness they clothe themselves with now will give way to the Light of God's judgment and justice on the day in which He dispenses it.

     Hear the Word of The Lord: do not be one of those people. To day is the day of salvation. Now. While you are alive in this world is your opportunity to acknowledge that GOD IS. To day is your day of redemption. As Jesus began His ministry, He preached, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." (Matthew 4:17). 

    We must draw near to God through Jesus Christ, repent of our wicked ways (our selfish and self-involved desires, our willful disobedience to His Word and His commands, our trespasses against Him) and surrender our bodies to Him as a living sacrifice. 

    To draw near is to come and be close by, so close we can hear the whispering voice of God speaking to us; His breath, His Spirit, on our hearts. The only Way that is possible is through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16, John 14:6). 

    This Word is still relevant to us. After death it will be too late. The commitment to answer God's call on our lives must be made in our lifetime. 

ANSWERING GOD'S CALL 

God Be Merciful To Me - Jars of Clay

Waters - Jimi Cravity

I Claim The Blood - Ben Speer

I Know Whom I Have Believed - Redeemer Church of The Shoals

With My Hands Lifted Up - Integrity Music

There Is A Place - Nathaniel Bassey

A Crucified Life - - Reveals The Revealer

 

    Romans 10:20

And Isaiah boldly says: "I was found by those who did not seek Me: I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 

Revealed: manifest, visible

From the Greek word 'emphanés' (pronounced em-fan-ace'): comprehended. God giving proof of His saving grace.

    Isaiah 65:1 

“I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call My name, I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’"

The Bread

    In Matthew 15:21-28 we read of the Canaanite woman living in that area of Tyre and Sidon who came to Jesus begging for her daughter to be healed of demon possession. The woman asked twice, but not until she came worshiping and asked a third time did Jesus relent and heal her daughter. 

    It is just before He grants her request that we see Jesus telling her He is the Bread of Israel (v26). She responds with the desire to be fed just a crumb of this Bread. To Jesus this is great faith and so her request is granted. That's grace.

    Jesus came to the sons of Abraham, to Israel, to bring them the Bread of heaven. But they would have it not since this Bread did come to them in the way they expected Him to come: victorious, triumphant and kingly. 

    So Jesus is given to the seed of Abraham, to the children of the faith of Abraham, who 'believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness' (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3; James 2:23). 

    The Bread of Life is broken and given out to whosoever will take of It and receive It into themselves. (John 6:48, 51; 1 Corinthians 11:24). 

The Shepherd

    In Psalm 23:1 David writes that "The Lord is My Shepherd." And in John 10:11, Jesus states that He is the Good Shepherd Who has come to die for His sheep: "I am The Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." 

    All of the sheep, not just the sheep of Israel. For this Good Shepherd has come to seek and to save the lost, of which I was one. (Ezekiel 34:12; Matthew 18:11; Luke 19:10; 1 Timothy 1:15). 

    The hymnist writes, "I once was lost but now I'm found" in the classic Amazing Grace. Look not on the foibles of the man who wrote it, but look on the grace which God laid on him when He found him where He found him. 

    For God finds us that we may be saved by Him from that which will surely destroy us if we refuse such Grace and Salvation from Him! Hear the Word of The Lord: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17). That's saving grace. 

I'M FOUND

I Found God - Ben Laine

My Portion - Isla Vista

Shepherd of My Soul - Rivers & Robots

Made For Jesus - John Mark Pantana

Amazing Grace - Alan Jackson

Belong To You - Here Be Lions

    

A Crucified Life - - Is Justified

 

    Romans 10:10

For with your heart 

you Believe and Justified, 

and with your mouth 

you Confess and are Saved.

    *Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1343

Justified: righteousness, justice; judicial verdict

From the Greek word 'dikaiosuné' (pronounced dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay): refers to what is deemed right by the Lord after He examines a person; what receives official approval from God; divine righteousness

    Also from Strong's: "the state acceptable to God which becomes a sinner's possession through that faith by which he embraces the grace of God offered him in the expiatory death of Jesus Christ". 

JUSTIFICATION FOR ALL

    This justification is not available through other means or religions. There is only one God and there is only one way to live in heaven with Him. This verse expounds a little more clearly on what is necessary to fulfill God's desire for us to be with Him in eternity.  

    There are only two destinations after death: heaven and hell. While God created both of them,  only one destination was intended for people: heaven. But people choose to go to hell when they disbelieve God while they are alive. One must believe not only that God Is, but that God sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross and walk out of the grave, defeating death (by rising) and hell (throwing off the weight of sin). 

    Because Christ lives, those people who believe that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son will live again, too. For we are in Christ and He is in us. Where He goes, we go. What He did, we do. What He says, we say. We form no opinions of our own unless we can back them up with the whole Word of God. 

    As this verse says, with our HEARTS we Believe and are Justified. And with our MOUTHS we Confess and are Saved. Our hearts are changed for the better when we believe that Jesus is God's only begotten Son. However, we must speak our beliefs aloud at the time we believe for the saving grace of God to take effect. 

INDIVIDUAL JUSTIFICATION

    I can pray for you. And I do. But there comes a point in every person's life when they must pray for themselves. I can talk to God about your salvation, but unless you do the same, it's not gonna happen. We all, on an individual basis, must come to the cross, see Jesus and decide for ourselves whether or not we will accept Him as the Christ, the only begotten Son of God. It's the most important decision any of us will ever make.

    Remember the centurion who came near the cross where Jesus hung. Perhaps that centurion had heard Jesus' teachings, but he surely heard the whispers and gossip of Who this Man was on the cross. He had received orders to pierce His side, to ensure that Jesus was truly dead. Which the centurion did. But he also came to the understanding that this Man hanging on the cross was the Christ, the Messiah. 

    How many of us see Jesus? Untold numbers have come to the cross with repentant hearts, seeking forgiveness for their sins and receiving it, because they believed in their hearts that Jesus died for them, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven where He is seated at God's right hand. Yet we know that our numbers are few, that only a fraction of this world's past, present and future populations have recognized their need for a Savior. 

    Many, many more, too many to number have turned their  backs on the God who created them. Turning to the darkness and embracing its secrets and evils instead of turning to the Light and embracing Its Love and Hope. 

    So we beg you, we implore you, if you have not done so already, Come to the Cross and see Jesus. Come to the Well and drink the Living Water of Life. Come to the Garden and see the empty tomb. Come to the Table and taste the Bread of Life. Let Him fill your cup with Himself and let it overflow. 

    Jesus tells us that "they who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness will be filled" in one of His most famous sermons. Have you had enough of this world's fakeness? Come to Jesus, for He is Truth. Do you find yourself hungering for something you can only find at the cross? Come nearer to see Him clearly. Come today, for there is only now: tomorrow is promised to no one. 

JUSTIFIED & SAVED

I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary - Gaither Vocal Band

You Say - Lauren Daigle

God Be Merciful To Me - Jars of Clay

Near The Cross - Shirley Willis

I Found God - Ben Laine

Awe of You - CAIN

Overcomer - Eddie James

Praise God I'm Free - Various Artists

Heart & Soul - - God's People

 

Psalm 7:9

Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 7451

Wickedness: badness, evilness, adversity

From the Hebrew word 'ra'' (pronounced rah).

REPENTANT PEOPLE

    In this part of David's prayer, he prays for the end of sin in his own heart and in others' hearts. He prays, "Let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end."       Here, too, the Christian desires the same thing: I turn my heart and my face to You, Lord. I turn my back on the unlawful things I have done and I commit to obeying Your Word and following Your ways. I repent of the wickedness of my heart and ask that You remain in me and clean Your tabernacle, that I might be made presentable to God. 

    "We pray that adversity towards God be overthrown and that our hearts be made clean and pure for His Name's sake. We determine in our hearts and our minds to be steadfast and sure, not moving from our foundation of faith in God through Christ."

ESTABLISHED PEOPLE

    David asks that God establish the just, that He build a firm immovable foundation in the believer. The deeper we dig into the Word of God, the longer and deeper our roots will be. As oaks of righteousness (Isaiah 61:3) we need to know this. We are the planted of The Lord. We plant (read and study our Bibles) ourselves in His Word and He plants (John 15:4, 5) His Word in us. 

    Being both planted in Him and built up in Him we are stronger than many of us realize. Just before The Lord ascended into heaven, He gave instructions  to His disciples (and to us):

Matthew 28:18-20

Mark 16:15-18

Luke 24:45-49

John 20:21-23

Acts 1:8

    Being planted in Christ through His death and His resurrection, we are now being built up in Him through the power of His Holy Spirit. As long as we trust God and obey His Word and live a holy life, we will see God and remain with HIm when we die. God is holy. His holiness demands a holy people, for sin cannot be present where God is. 

    1 Peter 2:9 tells us that as believers, as God's people, we are not like the people of the world, the people who still live in darkness. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people. The chosen generation is the generation of they who seek Him (Psalm 24:1-6). 

    He has called us to be His royal priests. We are a holy nation. Though we are to pray for the leaders who rule over us in this world, that they may be saved and sanctified, our allegiance is to our God. His laws are higher than men's laws. When the law of the land is lawlessness, the law of God must still be obeyed. Know you that we are living under such laws even now? It's only going to get worse.

PECULIAR PEOPLE

    We are a peculiar people. Strange. Odd. Weird. To many people God's people are foolish. Why? We believe God. It is more than believing God's existence, it is believing God's Word is Real, Faithful, Truth. It is a knowing and an understanding. 

    But to the people who live outside of God's reality we are unusual. And so we should be. We should shine as lights in a dark world, shining with the light of God's love bursting through us. Radiance lights up our faces from the Joy that is within us: the love of God in Christ which we received when we believed. 

    For "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world that He might shame the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world that He might shame the strong." (1 Corinthians 1:27). To quite a few folks, God's plan of salvation is foolishness. Unable to recognize their own sin they refuse to believe that God's Son would die in such a shameful manner, if they even believe that God has a Son. 

POWERFUL PEOPLE

    We are fools for Christ, as Paul says to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 4:10). We choose to live in obedience to God's Word and God's commands. We choose to share Christ, the Light of God's Love, with everyone whom God places in our path. We choose to live a life that glorifies God. 

    And we are able to do these things because Christ is our foundation, the Chief Cornerstone upon Whom our lives are built. We are trees whose roots are planted near a living flowing water, and whose strength is in Him. We are the established of God. And we have overcome the wickedness of this world.

    Unless a person is a born again, Spirit-filled believer they will not be able to fully and faithfully serve God in the way in which He has ordained His people to serve Him. Every organization, whether small like a club or large like a nation, must have a set of rules by which to live in peace. So it is with God. He has set up the ways in which His people should walk, should live, should serve. 

    It takes an immense amount of power to live God's way. This power is only available from God and it is in the form of His Spirit living and moving through His people by faith. If you don't have His Holy Spirit, just ask God for it. He knows what we need and He's waiting for us to ask because He's not a pushy overbearing God who rams His way into people's hearts and lives. He's a patient (longsuffering) God who waits to hear from us. 

    Now is the time to talk with God. And remember, a conversation is a two way street, not a monologue. 

     

GOD'S PEOPLE 

Guard Your Heart - - Hear The Word of The Lord

 

Proverbs 29:18

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 2377

Vision: divine communication in a vision, oracle, prophecy; a mental sight, a dream, revelation

From the Hebrew word 'chazon' (pronounced khaw-zone'). 

FALSE VISIONS

    An architect can have a vision and build a beautiful structure. But unless it glorifies God it is built for nothing. A painter can have a vision and paint beautiful works of art. But unless these works glorify God, they are merely ornamental and have no value. 

    Rulers and governmental leaders can have visions of how they want to rule, but unless their vision came from God and they received a special anointing to rule thus and so, their visions will fail and they will be destroyed. For their visions, their dreams, came from their own hearts. But their hearts were false and deceitful. A kingdom, a nation, built on self-glorification will always fall.

DIVINE VISIONS

    The visions from God not only come to pass, they stand as a testimony to God's power, God's glory, God's name. What God says will happen, will always happen, regardless of how long it takes time-wise for the vision to be accomplished.

Habakkuk 2:2, 3

2. Then the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.

3. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.

VISIONARIES

Where The Vision of The Lord is, The Voice of The Lord is Heard.

    Daniel had many visions, but there was a special vision God gave him. Not only could he interpret dreams, but God gave him a vision of the end times, the last days before Christ's third return, the days of wrath; and Daniel knew those days would be fearful days in which to live. Daniel 7, 10-12.

    The Book of Isaiah begins with a prophecy (Isaiah 1:1). Beginning in chapter two we read that Isaiah  tells us of the last days: "In that day...". But then in Isaiah 6:

    Isaiah had a vision: he saw The LORD high and lifted up. In his vision he saw God in all his glory with seraphim worshiping Him; he knew he was unclean and unworthy. But God called him in this vision to serve Him and made Isaiah clean and worthy.  

      Ezekiel 1 begins with a vision. Daniel's visions don't begin until after he was imprisoned with the lions for treason. Obadiah begins with a vision. Nahum begins with a vision. Habakkuk had a burden, an oracle. 

    Where The Word of the Lord is heard, there the prophecy is begun to be revealed. "And the Word of the Lord came to...." : Jeremiah 1:2; Ezekiel 1:3; Hosea 1:2; Joel 1:1; Jonah 1:1; Micah 1:1; Zephaniah 1:1; Haggai 1:1; Zechariah 1:1; Malachi 1:1. 

    With Amos and Obadiah, it was "Thus sayeth the Lord". Yet, it was still a vision for the seeing and an oracle for the hearing of The Word of The Lord. 

HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD

    Visions are given to warn people to change their ways and return to The Lord God; to warn people of the hardships coming their way, to be prepared to suffer God's wrath if they refuse to obey His Word. Visions are given to and The Word of The Lord is spoken by His messengers. In the Old Testament books, these messengers were prophets and priests who loved The Lord their God and who earnestly sought Him. To them God sent His Word, and gave them spiritual sight to see what He wanted to show them.

    Where are the prophets today? To whom does The Word of The Lord speak? Not just anyone and definitely not everyone. The Lord says His people should humble themselves and call upon His Name. The Word of The Lord is still being spoken but now, as then, many who call themselves God's people are not listening to The Word of The Lord. Many are not turning from their wicked ways. Many are foolish and have turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to The Word of The Lord.

    Hear now The Word of The Lord and repent. For the days are short. The hour is coming when The King will return for His church, His people, His bride. Repent and be baptized in the Name of The Lord. Turn from your wicked ways, turn from doing things your way and do things God's way. Seek His face and you will find Him, for The Lord Is Near to the broken hearted. 

    For His Way is Holy and He desires a holy people. Ask for His Holy Spirit to fill you with divine power: power to live a holy life, a life that honors God, the God above all other gods; The Righteous God, The Just and The Holy God. The God who loves you and desires your love in return. 

    See what great things The God of heaven has done for us. Breathe His air. Touch the hem of His garment and be healed. Drink The Living Water He has drawn for you from the Fountain of Life. Taste His Manna, His Bread, which was broken for you. Repent and receive and be restored the relationship which God desires to have with you. Now, before it's too late. And all of your chances to change and be changed have vanished. 

Jesus, Be The Centre - Vineyard

I Can't Get Away - Melissa Helser

The Worth of Knowing You - Austin Bratton

Help Me To See You - CityBridge Worship

 

Judgment Begins Here

 1 Peter 4:17 "For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?" 

 Luke 12:47 "That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows." 

James 4:17 "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." 

Stop gossiping about sin being judged in other churches and start praying about it,  about your own church, your own self. Seek forgiveness for our own sins against God. The time is coming and even now is here when we must prepare for the coming storm of fire and judgment against those who have heard the Word and done nothing with it: not believed it, not accepted Christ as Lord, not acted upon the hearing of the Word. Even in our churches. 

We, the believers, are responsible for what we believe. We are responsible for first living the gospel, then sharing the gospel with everyone we are led to. We are responsible for being faithful witnesses, ambassadors for Christ. 

We, the believers, are accountable for the words we speak. These words must be spoken in the love of Jesus Christ, with the power of the Holy Spirit leading us, guiding us. These words must be used to encourage and lift up those around us, even in rebuke, love must be present. Even in discipline, words of love must accompany the actions taken. 

We are accountable for the words we don't speak. There are times we must remain silent, even as our Lord and Savior remained silent before Pilate. He didn't bite his tongue, nor did He fight any urges to speak in His defense: He merely remained silent before him who was judging Him. 

We, the believers, will be judged by God for our lack and our sloth. Our lack of compassion for they who are lost in sin and dying without Christ when we could have spoken up but chose not to. Our sloth, our unwillingness to serve in the fields to which we have been sent to work, will be judged by God. 

We who believe had better fall to our knees and repent now before we are called to judgment and held accountable for our actions/inactions and words/silence. Even me.