Statements of Faith - Sealed

 

EPHESIANS 1:13. 14 

In Him you also trusted, after you heard The Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation; in Whom also, having believed, you were sealed with The Holy Spirit of promise, 

Who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory. 

    Who is Sealed? The born again believer, whether they are God's chosen elect - the Jews - or they who have been grafted into The Vine - the church - we are all sealed by The Holy Spirit of God when we come to Christ Jesus for our salvation and redemption. 

    How are we sealed? The validation of our salvation is the mark which God has placed on His people. Though not visible to the naked eye, it is completely visible to God. 

    What marks a Christian that makes them visibly different to other people? It is not our words, nor our actions: they who are also faithful followers of Jesus Christ can see, even from a distance, the glow of The Holy Spirit upon us. I've had people come up to me, total strangers, and say, 'I know you're a Christian. I can see Jesus in you.' And they hug me and smile and then walk away. 

    I, we, are sealed and set aside to be used for God's glory. We have chosen this path of service to our God and as long as we focus on The Word which is directly in front of us, not worrying about what's ahead, nor regretting what has passed; not allowing ourselves to be distracted by what's on the left of our view, nor what tempts on the right. We maintain our walk of faith one step at a time. 

    Eve, in the garden of Eden, allowed herself to get distracted when she listened to the serpent beguile her with his malicious deceitful words, causing her to answer him instead of ignoring him. He questioned God's Authority and questioned Eve's understanding of God's Word.

    That's why it is so important for each of us to know and understand, through God's Holy Spirit, the Truth of God's Holy Word. It is a moral imperative to be able to live God's Word that we must first read and study to know God through His Word. We must pray to God and seek Him out, with desire to draw closer to Him than we are now. The strength of our relationship with God is in Christ. 

    If Christ is not in us, then we cannot be in Christ; nor is it possible to draw near to God, nor even enter His presence with worship. God knows our hearts: if our hearts are not right with God on God's terms, then we have failed to understand the most basic imperative: there is only one God and He desires to be first in everything we do, including our worship. 

    In Exodus 20, the very first commandment tells us this. God rebukes idolatry and then goes on to describe what idolatry is. He demands absolute worship from us when we recognize that GOD IS GOD. God will speak to people in dreams and visions, He will pour out His Holy Spirit upon His sons and His daughters. (Joel 2) He will reveal Himself to those who are seeking Him. Now is the time to seek God and live. For the day is fast approaching when people will seek God in fear, but lacking understanding, they will not find Him. 

    It is The Holy Spirit and the church who are calling people to salvation through Jesus Christ. When we leave, what will you do if you don't leave with us? Now we pray that The Holy Spirit fill us and burn away everything not of God, leaving only that in us which God will accept. 

    If you don't know where to start reading your Bible, start with The Book of John. And let The Holy Spirit direct your steps where to go next. 

 BURN IN ME - Paul Wilbur

The Lord's Voice Is Powerful

 

Psalm 29:4

The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

Psalm 68:33

To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old! Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice. 

    The Voice of God is as a sound of thunder to those who cannot hear Him clearly:

1 Samuel 7:10

As the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel, Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering. But that day The LORD thundered loudly against the Philistines and threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel.

Exodus 20:18,19

Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

    The Voice of The Lord can be soft, too, and still be powerful. It is heard with the spirit of the one who hears Him speak. God spoke the world and everything in it, on it, under it, over it and around it into existence. That's a powerful Voice.

    God's Voice is the Voice of Wisdom in The Book of Proverbs. It is the sound of the wind rushing into the upper room, the sound of confusion to His enemies, the sound of comfort to the grieving and mournful. The Voice of The Lord still speaks.

    He speaks in our hearts if we are willing to open up our hearts and listen to His Voice. He is speaking even now. Are you going to open up your hearts and let Him in so He can speak as Friend to friend?? Or are you going to shut the door of your hearts and not let Him in? Your choice. Choose wisely. For the days are short and getting shorter. 

    Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.

INDIE FOLK WORSHIP 2

A Crucified Life - - Recognizes The Call of TheTrinity

 While the word "trinity" in and of itself is not used in the Bible, it is implied in The Scriptures.  Matthew 28:19 "Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." 

Reference also: John 15:26, Luke 1:35. 

     ISAIAH 48:16

"Come near unto Me, hear this:  I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now The Lord GOD, and His Spirit, have sent Me."

    Isaiah 11:2

The Spirit of The LORD will rest on Him—The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and strength, The Spirit of knowledge and fear of The LORD. 

    Matthew 3:16

As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw The Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him.

    Isaiah 42:1

“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in Whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations."

    All of these verses tell us God, His Christ and His Spirit - -Three Persons in One. We are called to "Come near and hear". Hear The Word of The Lord. There are 147 verses specifically saying to us "Hear The Word of The LORD". God repeats Himself to instill in us the necessity of hearing Him speak to us. 

    In Revelation, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" is spoken at the end of each letter written to the seven churches. 

-Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29

-Revelation 3:6, 13, 22

    To hear The Word of The Lord is to receive The Word not only into our hearing but into our hearts, where The Word takes root and grows into fulness within us, strengthening us and perfecting us. For we are God's covenant people. Becoming holy is a necessity; it is The Blood of God's Christ applied to our sins which cleanses us from all unrighteousness. It is The Spirit of God Who makes us holy throughout our lifetimes. 

    To hear The Word of The Lord is to obey The Word of The Lord wholeheartedly and in The Love of The Lord. We  are thrilled to be called to do something for Him...because we love Him. 

    Obedience requires trust; trusting that God has a plan and a purpose for the immediate work at hand even if we can't see how it could possibly work out. 

    Obedience requires faith in God; faith to persevere through difficult times; faith to continue the journey even when tears blind our eyes. Faith to follow Christ even when our families and friends threaten us, beat us, kill us. 

    We answer the call of The Trinity to "Come near" and listen. For God speaks with a quiet voice. We need to "be still and know that He Is Lord". We must allow ourselves to remain in His presence and not be distracted by the other voices calling out our names, voices that keep us from His presence and prevent us from hearing what The Word has to say to us. 

    We are instructed to be wise and gain instruction (Proverbs 1:5), but the entire Book of Proverbs is filled with Words of Wisdom. We need to read it with understanding that we may learn what is required of those who read it. This is hearing The Word of The Lord. 

    I could go on, but perhaps the rest of this study should be concluded by yourselves. What are you hearing when you "Come Near" to God, His Christ and His Spirit?

CALLED BY THE TRINITY

Trust - Sixpence None The Richer

Hear The Word of The Lord - Kingsmen

Walk By Faith - Jeremy Camp

Word of God Speak - MercyMe

Waiting Here For You - Martin Smith 

 

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