Fruitless House of Ill Repute

1 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, 2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring [him]. 3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.

Jesus came toward Jerusalem as a seeker.  He walked as one who was trying to discern whether or not this city Jerusalem carried the answers that God had charged them with holding secure and if they provided those answers to all who might come looking.  This scripture says He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany.  Bethphage means the house of unripe or immature figs.  Bethany means the house of figs but also means the house of MISERY.  Here is Jesus approaching His own chosen people in Jerusalem and two towns on the outskirts of the city haven't even been touched by His Word.  One town is weak and immature and the other is filled with pain and woe.  It is a painful testimony against us if our neighbors don't know us as Saints of God or have some respect for our spiritual maturity.  Israel is known as the fig tree.  How much more damning is it that her suburbs are called immature and miserable figs. 

It would appear that there is only one possible move on His part.  He is the King, the Son of the Living God.  It is obviously time for Him to enter His city with all His dignity according to the Scripture laid down hundreds of years before, riding on the colt.  Jerusalem is His royal city.  He is the FINAL descendant of David the king.  His Father has sent Him to embrace His chosen people.  Angels, John the Baptist and God's Holy Spirit have prepared the way.  Everything is ready for His triumphal entry. 

 4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. 5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? 6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.

Jesus'  disciples didn't have to set up the situation or prepare the population of Jerusalem.  God had already touched the hearts of thousands of His faithful who gladly invited Him into His city and throne.  The problem didn't arise from the masses; it came from the caretakers, those charged to prepare His way.  His transportation had been prepared from His birth in human form to this ride upon a lowly ass. 

7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. 8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed [them] in the way. 9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord:

We might miss the importance of garments being placed upon the donkey or the ground before Him.  It has to do with God providing our covering in the very beginning by killing innocent animals to cover our sins.  Our clothing was useless for this purpose.  It barely covers our bodies much less covering our sins.  Jesus sat upon our garments and in so doing covered them and us.  Jesus rode upon our garments, grinding them under foot as He became the sole covering required for our lives.  He was coming on the prescribed day in the prescribed manner through the prescribed gate and He was NOT received by the caretakers He Himself had set in place.  His statement of who and what He was is echoed in John 8:58, "Before Abraham was, I AM!" Those were the very same words used in the burning bush.

The masses understood who He was in their hearts and cried, "Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord Yahweh.  They were thrilled to accept Him and offer Him their worship and praise.  It was the caretakers who were supposed to have kept His throne and honor safe that failed in their responsibility as we shall see in a few verses.

10 Blessed [be] the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. 11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

Can you imagine a military base that has been following the orders of the departing General for many decades with no new orders.  The officers left behind have begun to enjoy their prestige and have not kept true to the final orders of their commander.  One day all the privates in the army begin to shout, "The General is coming!  The General has returned!!"  The officers look out the windows of their lavish penthouses and luxurious apartments and see someone who looks like them but dressed like one of the privates riding upon an old jeep.  He has all the proper security codes.  He can answer all authentication questions but it  can't be him...can it?  He's not supposed to appear like this.  The Empower has made him Lord of all.  Where are his armies?  Where is his flashy uniform? 

Even stranger than his appearance is the fact that he merely came in and looked at their apartments and penthouses.  He examined the various offices and records and then, as it began to be dark; he left the base without even speaking to THEM!  They were the ones in charge.  Who did he think he was?  He looked at them as if they were ...nothing. ...wayward children.  They began to grumble and argue amongst themselves.  Who did HE think he was???

12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not [yet]. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard [it].

For His part, Jesus accepted the adoration of His people and allowed the day of His visitation to unwind as it might.  He did not push anything or demand His due.  THIS was the EXACT day.   He came in the EXACT way.  His servants failed to be prepared.  There was no red carpet; no honor guard and no band to mark the day with music.  They were not ready.  He was tired, hungry and disgusted by their failure.  He had fulfilled every requirement and appeared on the day when they ought to have expected Him.  In sorrow he left the fig tree of God and walked quietly away.  It was not to be.

Leaving Jerusalem, the fig tree of Jehovah, he came across a literal fig tree.  It was full of leaves and great promise but when He and His disciples arrived hungry and ready to partake they discovered nothing.  The imagery of what He had just been through was too much.  He had been despised and rejected by His own and had endured enough.  He cursed the fig tree that ought to have brought the figs of life and truth to all people.  It would never feed His Gospel to the world again.  That blessing and commandment would be given to another who was worthy.  Like Nebuchadnezzar, Israel would be cut off, the individual leaves  scattered.  The root would remain in God but only a miracle could bring it back to life.  The commandment and charge to spread God's Word would go to the Gentiles.

15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; 16 And would not suffer that any man should carry [any] vessel through the temple.

After this prophetic ruling of Israel's future, Jesus and His disciples returned to the temple where the Lord of the universe showed His displeasure of their greed and lack of spiritual perception.  The Chief Priests (an unlawful and made up term) had developed an entire economic foundation surrounding sacrifices and offerings to God.  No sacrifice was acceptable and offerings had to be made in shekels rather than Roman coins.  Changing one for the other involved transaction fees that multiplied the burdens upon the people many times.  Instead of serving God and His program they became the rulers of all things Jewish.  Every law was bent to bring more money into the treasury and their individual pockets.

17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard [it], and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.

Can you imagine Christ's frustration and anger over their poisonous actions?  Israel was supposed to be a house of prayer, not just for the Jews but for ALL NATIONS.  Even today God's plan for Israel is unchanged.  Consider that once we gentiles are removed the entire world will turn upon Israel to destroy it.  At that moment in time she will turn back to her God and the dead and dusty  stump of a nation will become a vibrant and powerful force of prayer and praise.  On that day God will come down with thousands of His angels and shut every mouth that spoke against His chosen people. 

Notice it says that the scribes and chief priests sought how they might destroy Him.  They were not called or ordained by God.  Have you noticed how some religious groups develop alternate names to describe themselves?  They have cardinals and archbishops; overseers, popes and other unscriptural titles. It is not enough to obey God's Word precisely and function within His hierarchy.  They develop unscriptural ranks to fulfill their own purposes and yet call themselves the house of God.  These are the ones who must be watched and guarded against.  They speak with smooth words and fragrant arguments while leading the unsuspecting to a devil's hell.  Jesus speaks of them in Matthew 25...

13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in [yourselves], neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows 'houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Beware those who tailor the Word of God to preach their private gospel.

19 And when even was come, he went out of the city.

Jesus said in John 6:4, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  After spending the day at the temple He returned to the place where Israel's failure was so striking, the villages of Bethphage and Bethany, immature figs and misery.  Consider this:  if you make no difference in your community then what good are you?  You are salt that has lost its savor and are good for nothing (Matthew 5:13).

20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Notice that Jesus' response to his disciples is not some long rant about disobedience or sin.  He has an important point to make and refers to the olive tree to make it.  Remember that Israel is the olive tree.  The will never again be chosen as the primary vessel to spread the gospel to the world during this dispensation.  Despite what many denominational churches have to say about them however, they are still God's chosen people.  The Gospel was given first to them and we should remember that when we ignore the Old Testament as less important than the New.  It is full of the entire foundation of redemption that God has put into place and without that foundation the New Testament is a shallow thing indeed.  Indeed, it is the depth of continuity and prophetic promise carried in the Old Testament that makes the New Testament so extraordinary. 

Jesus may have turned from Israel at this point for her failure to win the world for almighty God, but as any parent who has a child well knows, that doesn't mean we stop loving or hoping for the best for that child.  Israel has been in her room for the past 2000 years while we have been given the right to shine.  Sadly, like any children we have chosen to stick our tongues out at her every time we walk past her while failing to consider what punishment awaits us if WE fail.  Remember, while God loves us we're still the adopted one, the wild olive branch. 

Notice what is says in Romans 11:17... And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that might be graffed in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:  21 For if God spared not the natural branches, [take heed] lest he also spare not thee.

God did not permanently cast off Israel.  They were broken off for a time due to unbelief.  Consider the church of this present age.  Have any of them failed due to unbelief even while still holding services?  Do any deny angels or the spirit or even the gifts of God's precious Holy Spirit?  Of course they do.  Many of them.  Do you think that God won't break off those who refuse to teach the Godship of Jesus and salvation by faith in His shed blood?!  Right now we are living under grace stretched tight enough to snap.  We ought to be MORE faithful to God's PRECISE scripture, not less. 

When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to inspect His temple it was not the believing Jews who ran the temple.  Those were the Pharisees.  They were in error and still worthy of punishment, but it was the Sadducees who held the true political power.  They were the liberals who did not believe in the sanctity of the scripture.  They did not believe in angels or spirits.  How did Jesus respond to them?  He ignored them in large part.  He dealt with the Pharisees.  They were supposed to be in charge.  They knew AND believed the truth but had been suborned by the Sadducees.  Jesus cursed THEM for their lack of faith.

NOW it makes sense that Jesus should spring into a lesson on faith after cursing a olive tree.  What did He tell us in 2 Timothy 4:

"2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."

It is quite certain that a great number of  Christian churches fall into this category.  How will God's response to their apostasy be any different than his response to Israel.  It's a blessing that God loves us, but we are still the adopted wild olives.  We are surely not MORE respected than Israel.  We MUST exercise our faith in the true word of God or we are simply a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.  I don't know about you but I don't want to hear, "You ran well for a while, but what stopped you (Galatians 5:7)?"

24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].

Now that we've come to the understanding of how Israel stumbled, we must make sure it does not befall us.  Hebrews 11 says, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen."  We must trust God even in the absence of physical evidence.  God is spirit.  His spirit creates and controls energy and matter.  Because of this we must have faith that He is God and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). 

Today I spoke to several people who are experiencing a crisis of faith.  Some of them have mind storms whirling about in their heads and can't even hold on to a scripture, much less trust it for their deliverance.  Some are facing their mortality and though they have served God for many years they have never developed life or health sustaining faith.  How can you expect to climb the Alps in Switzerland if  you can't even get off the sofa for a walk to the corner store.  We are so spiritually out of shape that every news report frightens or angers us and our hearts are failing for fear when we should be the lions of the tribe of Judah that make Satan tremble.

I don't know about you but I am tired of being a tottering testimonial who can't trust God for a meal much less a healing.  The Just shall live by faith.  It's not supposed to be a fall back position in case your job and the government can't keep food on the table.  Less developed countries around the world have much more developed faith than we do in America because they have to.  Doctors aren't available or there is no money to pay for them.  They can't always get to a grocery store and if God didn't help out a bit someone could starve. 

This promise on verse 24 is yours.  Are you living in it.  People mocked the name it and claim it, blab it and grab it saints of my generation and called them greedy or deluded fools.  Who's  the greater fool; someone who at least steps out on the water like Peter and sinks or the one who never gets out of the boat?  There's a lot of people today who will deny Christ one day because they NEVER learned to trust Him or try Him, much less walk hand in hand with Him.

25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

And finally my brethren... 

I told several people this today, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers.  Against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places."  Where in that verse does it give the right to say I hate aunt Maude or I can't stand my boss?  If they are that miserable of a personality then they must have a lot of pain and many problems.  Where is your compassion?  Does it only work for puppies, babies and little old ladies?  Don't you have some for the cranky old geezers and rude teenagers.  How many kingdom priests do you think should go around whining and crying because someone hurt their feelings?  What exactly is it that we are so fearful of that we need to snap, bite and devour one another. 

Whatever the flaws of those who grate on you and make you want to scream, remember this; they are only there to make you grow.  God doesn't want weak saints.  He wants you to have the endurance of Job, the humility of Moses, the faith of Peter and the wisdom of Solomon and Paul.  You can only develop those skills by going through what they went through.  You too must have a myriad of experiences that might just turn your hair white until you can trust the Lord your God. 

Let's be about our Father's business beloved.

Bishop J

Are You An Answer Waiting for a Question!

Today in service I heard the Lord say, “You are an answer in search of a question.”  I was reading Ezekiel 37 where God was talking about the dry bones.  One verse answered a question I had asked recently and I considered that I had read this passage several times and it never stood out as much as it did when I needed it to.  God said, “This passage is an answer to your question just as YOU are an answer to many questions that have come and will continue to come. 

In John chapter 1 we see priests and Levites travel from Jerusalem to meet John the Baptist in the wilderness.  They asked if he was Elijah or some prophet and he said no.  Their next question jumped out at me.  “Who are you so we might GIVE AN ANSWER to those who sent us.  John’s presence had created a question.  They were sent by the priests and Levites to find the answer.  The answer was a quote from Isaiah, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.”  This quote was confirmed in Malachi 3:1 as well, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.”

In spite of this they still missed the coming Messiah.

Later we see in 1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.” 

2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  Have you ever failed to answer a question about your faith because you were embarrassed by your lack of knowledge?  Occasionally you might not have an answer because you have not studied, but you might not have an answer because you have never considered the question before.  We know the Holy Spirit brings all things to our remembrance (John 14:26), but you must study and read your Bible and you must study your Bible prayerfully.  God knows which answers you have need of for a day’s questions.  He is always leading and directing you into all knowledge.  As we spend time in prayer before studying His Word, He is better able to direct our educational efforts.

This is an important point.  No matter how many times you have studied a particular passage, the Holy Spirit may not reveal knowledge you have no need of.  Occasionally He will direct you to study certain things and they will answer all the next day or week’s questions.  In other cases, you will be forced to tell the person who asks, “I will look into this and get back to you.”  Nevertheless, as long as you walk this Christian walk and stand before the Lord of the universe you will be an answer looking for questions.

As it says in the Boy Scouts, “Be Prepared.” 

Sometimes, You Just Can’t Lose

Romans 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Why is it we lose our minds so much over thoughts, actions and the world around us. Don’t get me wrong, I am as guilty of occasional mind losing as the next guy. There was a movie called Dick and Jane where Dick ran out of their bedroom screaming, “I’m going to jail!!!!?” His wife cocked her head listening as he bounced from room to room screaming, until she heard the front door slam and he was gone. That’s how we seem to act when life’s little problems (or big ones) hit us.

I used to feel like my chest was being squeezed by King Kong during those times. Once, it got so bad I had my wife drive me to the clinic because I thought I was having a heart attack. After being plastered with electrodes and using up several feet of EKG paper, the doctor came in and asked, “Sir, are you worried about something?” That’s right, I was having a panic attack. I’d managed to lose a lot of money and was having a mental hissy fit.

The thing is, I read the news where someone has lost their job and committed suicide, or worse, took their entire family with them. The Bible talks about this in Luke 21:26 where people’s hearts fail them for fear.

In my case, I lost money and had no job. Okay, it was a lot of money, did I say that? Still, it wasn’t the end of the world and I know that because bill collectors kept calling. I began to worry about money, house payments, bills, food and five mouths to feed. Yes, all these things will wear on you if you don’t keep your mind stayed on the word of God; but if you do, He will show you the way out and up.

All crime, fear, sin, suicide and panic stem from one source. We don’t trust God. I’m talking about a God who has placed so many layers of proof to His existence and His willingness to keep His Word, that once you begin to research and understand just how forceful His promises are, you can’t help but raise your hands and say, “My Lord and my God!” It isn’t that God doesn’t exist or can’t even be proven, but that He has hidden many of these proofs from those who do not want to believe. You might think, “God wouldn’t do that!” Yes He would. He expects us to obey and when we take a step in faith, he reveals a little bit more to us. When He sees we are backsliding, he covers things back up until we begin to exercise our faith again. Some have taken the challenge and run after the promises time and time again, against all odds. They are the ones who ultimately do great things.

Some just take a 9-5 job so the bills get paid and never step fully into the promises God has made them. If God has called you to a secular job, that’s fine; but even secular employees are the hand of God in their office. Be what God has called you to be at all times. I promise it will be uncomfortable from time to time.

Many years ago, our pastor used to say, “Build up your faith now in the easy times so it can sustain you in the difficult.” Jeremiah 12:5 says, “If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?” We tend to wait until our world is falling around us to come to God. We need to STIR up our faith and our gifts NOW when things are merely normal, leaning toward difficult, not wait until they appear hopeless (Jude 1:20, 1 Timothy 1:6, 1 Peter 1:13; 3:1-4).

After 9/11, churches were filled. After the first bombing of the World Trade Center, churches were filled. A year after these events, attendance was back to normal. Lately, there has been a trend toward running to Islam to stay safe. It is exactly this move that got Israel into trouble. They accepted the gods of the heathen nations around them to prevent war and stimulate commerce. All they succeeded in doing, was to anger God and speed their own downfall.

I am not tempted to run to Allah because I know Yahweh is the one and only true God and Jesus is not some made up sacrifice that does a work and gets discarded. Jesus is God. He is the Word of God, covered in flesh. He is eternal in the heavenlies and has no less authority than the Father or the Holy Spirit. They are one. Remember the born again Rabbi saying that it wasn’t 1+1+1=3 but 1x1x1=1 when he described the trinity of God. I rather think of God as one who has many attributes, but remains unified. He said in Genesis, “Let US make man in OUR image (Genesis 1:26).” He has it together.

I tend to think of the old man who was talking to his friend, “You know, if my knees would stop hurting and my shoulder would quit acting up, and my feet would quit tripping over things, I’d be just great.” We know his knees, shoulder and feet are all part of his one single body, yet we often speak of them as if they are separate. We are one. God is one. His Word is one, and because of our sin, was made flesh, died and rose again so we might be saved. We are the righteousness of God because that is what Christ’s sacrifice did for us. There is no other way, to stand in peace, before the eternal being who created this universe by speaking a word, than to accept Jesus, the Christ, as your sacrifice (John 3:17). None.

Okay, back on track. If you have Jesus, you have life (1 John 5:12). If you have life in Christ, you have more abundant life (John 10:10). Without Jesus, there is no life or hope (Ephesians 2:12). God has promised to take care of us. He said that hope maketh not ashamed (Romans 5:5).

What does that mean to us? It means this:  No matter how dark it seems, God will make a way. No matter who comes to call you a fool or comes against you for Christ’s sake, you will overcome in EVERYTHING. If you lose everything but your life, God has merely cleared out the dross so He might rebuild your life stronger and purer. If you lose your life, you have only lost some animated dirt. Christ is the resurrection and the life. You, the only part of you to matter, cannot die.

Earlier I wrote about falling on the rock, or the rock falling on you (Matthew 21:44). When you are willing to be broken for God, he truly will make your enemies your friends. When you choose to struggle against His word because it doesn’t fit your lifestyle or opinion of how He ought to do things, He will fall on you, grind you to powder, and start over. Personally, I would rather he build me up, line upon line, precept upon precept until He decides I am fit for His use. Much less painful in the long run.

Don’t be wise in your own eyes. It’s enough that we win when we do it His way. We are MORE THAN CONQUERORS!!! Glory to God!! Galatians 3 tells us that God’s promises are sure.

In other words, we just can’t lose!

Father, forgive me for doubting you. Help me to overcome and destroy fear in my life. You said in Your Word, “Perfect love casteth out fear.” Perfect me in love Father. I want to do your will just the way you said to do it, without adding to or subtracting from it. You are my king of kings and Lord of Lords. Nothing can prevent me from being a great success. I will obey Lord, because you are my ever present help in time of trouble.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Abominations

These are abominations of God.

Leviticus 7:21 – Touching any abominable thing and then eat the peace offering.  That person shall be cut off from his people.

Leviticus 18:6-30 – Look upon your family member’s nakedness (It is improper).  Looking upon a naked woman not your wife.  This covers verse 6 – 20.  Sacrifice your children to other gods.  I would venture to say this also applies to the god of convenience as well as Molech.  Verse 21.  Homosexuality, verse 22.  Bestiality, verse 23.  God allowed you to drive these people out of their land because they practiced these sins.  If you stoop to their level God will allow the land to vomit YOU out, verse 24-30. 

The land will vomit such people out.  If you are a partaker of their wickedness, the land will vomit YOU out.

2 Chronicles 15:8 – Worshipping idols of any sort is an abomination to God.

Psalm 14:1 – Fools commit abominable works.  They say in their heart there is no God.  They are corrupt; they have no righteous works.  Not one of them do good no matter what they think of themselves.

Psalm 53:1 – “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none that doeth good. 2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there were any that did understand, That did seek after God. 3 Every one of them is gone back; They are together become filthy; There is none that doeth good, no, not one.”  Almost identical to Psalm 14:1.

I don’t have time right now to continue this but here are many more references for you to look up.  God calls all these things abominations.

  Cheating (Mic. 6:10)

  Lost souls (Rev. 21:8)

  A froward man (perverse; one who turns aside (Pro. 3:32; 11:20)

  A proud look (Pro. 6:16-17)

  A lying tongue (Pro. 6:17; 12:22)

  Hands that shed innocent blood ((Pro. 6:17)

  A wicked scheming heart (Pro. 6:18)

  Feet that are quick to sin (Pro. 6:18)

  A false witness that speaks lies (Pro. 6:19)

  A sower of discord (Pro. 6:19)

  Wickedness (Pro. 8:7)

  A false balance or scale (Pro. 11:1)

  Sacrifices of the wicked (Pro. 15:8; 21:27)

  The way of the wicked (Pro. 15:9)

  The thoughts of the wicked (Pro. 15:26)

  The proud of heart (Pro. 16:5)

  Justifying the wicked (Pro. 17:15)

  Condemning the just (Pro. 17:15)

  Divers, dishonest weights (Pro. 20:10, 23)

  Divers, dishonest measures (Pro. 20:10)

  Refusing to hear the law (Pro. 28:9)

  Prayers of the rebel (Pro. 28:9)

  Eating flesh of peace offerings on the 3rd day (Lev. 7:18)

  Some same sex acts (Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Dt. 23:18)

  Taking ornaments from idols when being destroyed (Dt. 7:25-26)

  Any Idolatrous practices (Dt. 12:31; 13:14; 17:4; 18:9; 20:18; 29:17)

  Offering an imperfect animal to God as a sacrifice (Dt. 17:1)

  Any traffic with demons (Dt. 18:7-12)

  Wearing clothes of the opposite sex (Dt. 22:5)

  Bringing the hire of a harlot or sodomite into God's house (Dt. 23:18)

  Re-marriage of former companions (Dt. 24:1-4)

  Cheating others (Dt. 25:13-16)

  Making images/idols (Dt. 27:15)

  Idols of Ammon (1 Ki. 11:5)

  Idols of Moab (1 Ki. 11:7; 2 Ki. 11:13)

  Idols of Zidon (2 Ki. 23:13)

  Incense offered by hypocrites (Isa. 1:13)

  Eating unclean things (Isa. 66:17)

  Offering human sacrifices (Jer. 32:35)

  Robbery (Ezek. 18: 6-13)

  Murder (Ezek. 18: 6-13)

  Adultery (Ezek. 18: 6-13)

  Oppression of others, particularly the poor or vulnerable (Ezek. 18: 6-13)

  Violence (Ezek. 18: 6-13)

  Breaking vows (Ezek. 18: 6-13)

  Lending with interest to a brother (Ezek. 18: 6-13)

  Lying with a menstruous woman (Ezek. 18: 6-13)

  Hardness of heart (Ezek. 18: 6-13)

  Injustice (Ezek. 18: 6-13)

  Worship of anti-Christ (Dan. 11:31; 12:11; Mt. 24:15; 2 Th. 2:4; Rev. 13)

  Incest (Lev. 19: 6-30)

  Things highly esteemed by man (Lk. 16:15)

  Many other sins of the nations (Lev. 18: 26-29; Dt. 18: 9-12; 20:18; 29:17; 1 Ki. 14:24; 21:2, 11; 23:24; 2 Chr. 28:3; 33:2; 34:33; 36:14; Ezek. 7: 3-20; 8: 6-17; 16: 2-58; 20: 4-30; Rev. 17: 4-5).

Why am I showing all these things?  Because the Lord asked me tonight which ABOMINATIONS do I think He will wink at and ignore.  He wished to know which of these sins must HE allow in His body?  He caused me to understand that only through the blood of Christ Jesus could any of us make it and that if we stand in agreement with the world that there are acceptable sins that He states there are none.  Grace and His Mercy will not cover the willful and froward sins of man.  Our sins must be repented of and turned from.  Every sin above will keep you from heaven if you do not repent and turn from them.  EVERY LAST ONE.  This goes for homosexuality as well as lying, proud hearts, cross dressing, cheating on or against one another, hypocritical acts, adultery and many others; many which are found in the church but not in His body.  Remember that…not in HIS body. 

Take care beloved and stand fast.  I suggest you read these and fix them in your heart and no matter how palatable and positive sinners try to make them seem, understand that God is not moved by anything but His Word.

Will a Man Rob God Part 5 - Final

Malachi 3:13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?

Even after all God’s instructions to pay tithes and His promises to bless them exceedingly abundantly Israel still doesn’t get it.  Lest we look down our noses at Israel’s troubles, I see this attitude right here in America and I’m sure around the world.  Many Christian countries have stumbled in this way.  It’s not a complement when God says, “Your words have been stout against me.”  It shows a level of arrogance and pride to say that God does not exist and that there is no benefit to serving the creator of the universe.  It is even more arrogant to say that God exists but we don’t really have to deal with Him as a person (which He prefers) but as a power we can allude to or appreciate.

God says in His scripture that He prefers that we be HOT or COLD but not lukewarm.  A sinner who says that all religion is a joke and needs to be eradicated is cold toward God.  A saint who believes we must live every aspect of our lives toward God is hot toward Him.  A religious person who says, “It doesn’t take all that.  I’m going to church several times a year.  I believe in God but I don’t get fanatic about it,” is lukewarm toward God.  What does God say about these three types?  Revelation 3:15-16 says:

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I prefer thou wert cold or hot.  God can work on those two.  They have passion!  So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth.”  I suggest you read from verse 14-18 for an even clearer view of God’s opinion of his lukewarm church.

Malachi 3:14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?

We raise our kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord but perhaps we have left out the joy or the peace of the Lord.  Whatever we did wrong, all too many of our children have left the Lord or decided it is too hard a life to live.  They say, “I enjoy my friends and the excitement and fire to be found out there in the world.”  The beautiful child who sang in children’s church and danced before the Lord when young now frequents bars and nightclubs and sings songs about his or her body and how to make the least important part of what we are happy.

Malachi 3:15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

Pretty soon there is no right or wrong.  We begin to be proud of the work God has equipped us for, proud of our singing voice, proud of our acting skills, proud of our ability to make money.  Pride is a sin before God.  It denies God’s equipping our lives for His purpose.  It denies seeking His direction in all things.  It denies being thankful for His gifts.  According to scripture, gay pride is an abominable sin.  Paul wrote that it comes from removing God from our remembrance (Romans 1:27-28).  Military pride is a foolish sin.  Soldiers used to go to war and pray before every battle.  They prayed for their families back at home, their comrades in the battle and last of all for their own lives. 

Today we rarely seek God and if a soldier struggles with mortality the psychiatrists tell us to stop talking about religion.  I have had a military psychiatrist tell me that I could not visit a man who came to a crisis of fear over his military responsibility because religion was his problem.  He believed in Hell so the psychiatrists had to get him to believe there was no Hell.  I suppose that would work until he awoke in Hell.  A man whose faith in God is secure and strong has no such fears.  Faith makes us strong, not weak.

Notice it says that they that work wickedness are set up and they that tempt God are even delivered.  In America we have raised the level of homosexuality to the point politically where they can almost ask for sainthood and receive it.  You can be cast out of society or arrested for saying it is a sin.  They can curse Christians and arrest church members for feeding the poor (as happened last week in Florida), but the gay and lesbian and even more confused community of trans “I don’t know what I am” people are untouchable.  Can you say this isn’t an accurate depiction of this scripture?

Now let’s not leave ourselves out of this examination.  How many ministers have fleeced the flock, molested the members and scarred the saints.  We have a higher standard as church leaders.  As a test, consider other areas where someone has raised the importance of pride to ridiculous levels.  Let me know if you find others that seem to fit this scripture.

Malachi 3:16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

For you who still love God and put Him first in your lives, He knows.  There is a verse that says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst (Matthew 18:20).”  The next verse shows Peter asking God how often must we forgive our brothers who sin and God says, “490 times.”  There is hope for us who sin if we repent.  There is blessing for us if we continue to seek God.  In this case God heard that His name was lifted up among certain groups of men and women.  He wished to honor those brave and faithful souls and had the angels in heaven write a brand new book.  In that book he wrote the names of all those who continued to fear and reverence God and those who thought upon His name. 

Beloved, God sees your trials and knows your fears.  He grieves with you over your pain and sorrow and walks with you during these dark times.  It is both His honor and His self proclaimed responsibility to do so.  He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5-6).  God abides forever faithful in your life.  His greatest joy is for His children to live before Him in love while adding daily to their eternal account.

17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be written in that book.  This is not the Lambs Book of Life that all who come to accept the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ must be written in.  This is a book of the Father who looks with love and pride (which only He may walk in) at His respectful and honorable children and He is overcome by His love.  He showers them with riches and honors them with great wealth as a father honors a son who has served him faithfully.

These are the ones who have been proved in the fires of adversity.  These are they who stand, and having done all to stand…stand therefore (Ephesians 6:13).  They have continued to meet and gather in His Name through all tribulation, through all trials and continue to call Him Blessed.  Some are mentioned in Hebrews 11:4-13.  Such are the ones God chooses to honor and bedeck in jewels greater than silver and greater than gold.  Such are the ones who on that day will return with their Savior and their Lord to judge the world.

18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

How can we discern between the righteous and wicked unless we have already learned the difference.  If we call evil good and good evil in this life, can we really expect God to use us in the life to come?  …to judge ALL mankind?  I think not. 

Do you notice that there are no gray areas in verse 18?  There is only the wicked and the righteous, those who serve God and those who do not.  There is none of this touchy feely mess or those who say, “God is a God of love.  He wouldn’t send anyone to Hell.”  Wrong!  God is a God of love and righteousness and holiness.  He will make a way to redeem you from the curse of sin -Jesus- or YOU will have chosen to burn in Hell.  He created us with freedom of choice because He wanted loving children and not robots.  We who choose to serve God in this life with you cursing us might be somewhat offended if He decided to send everyone to heaven just because they were too full of sin to repent. 

When God spoke of the man who hired workers throughout the day and paid everyone a days wages no matter how long they worked that day, He was referring to those who accepted Christ early in life and those who accepted Christ at the last moment (Matthew 20:6-16).  He was not referring to those who spit on His Son and refused His sacrifice.  He is not human.  Do not ascribe human sentimentality to God.  He will send those who spurn Him and His grace to Hell while at the same time blessing the faithful.  In the words of one of our members at Faith Temple in California, “Don’t get it twisted.”

Choose well beloved.

Will a Man Rob God Part 4

God likes to brag on us kids.  He is like any proud poppa who points to a picture of our righteousness and obedience and says, “Have you considered Job.”  It grieves the Holy Spirit to see His children involved in scandal after scandal or to hear them approving of sins that He Himself has called abominable.  In our current touchy feely climate we offend Him daily by forgiving others in His name without the evidence of repentance or even so much as a vain word of guilt being uttered.  When God said that whatsoever you forgive on Earth will be forgiven in heaven it is presupposed that you have forgiven them because they are forgiven by the Holy Spirit who indwells you. 

John 20:22 AMP And having said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit! 23 [Now having received the Holy Spirit, and being led and directed by Him] if you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained. 

Notice the order of things.  Jesus breathed on His disciples after His resurrection and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit!”  Does anyone think that God the Father did not keep God the Son’s word here?  Of course not.  They received the Holy Spirit.  Understand also that there is no break between verse 22 and verse 23.  The word ‘now’ in verse 23 makes it a continuation of verse 22.  Lets look at the same two verses in the King James version.

John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

In the KJV it leaves off the word ‘now’ but adds a colon at the end of verse 22 to continue the thought into 23.  Remember, chapters and verses do not exist in the Hebrew or Greek.  They are added by editors to make our Bible study more easily followed but they do not exist in the original.  You must read it in the original to get the flavor of the original.  The original here says, “lambano hagios pneuma tis an hamartia aphiemi aphiemi autos tis an kratao kratao.” 

It’s perfectly clear now right?  What He said is, “Now that you have taken hold (lambano) of the Holy Spirit (hagios pneuma) and He in turn has taken hold of YOU, if you forgive it is forgiven (aphiemi) and if you keep hold they are held (kratao).”  We are talking about forgiveness so if you forgive something it has to be a sin and if you keep hold you are not forgiving that sin.  We know we’re talking about sins and forgiveness because hamartia means to miss the mark.  In either case, it MUST be led by the UNCTION of the Holy Spirit which you have received.  I keep hammering this because it can’t be due to your tender heart or family loyalty or for financial gain.  It must be because the Holy Spirit is leading you to do so and it must be SCRIPTURAL.

The reason I spent so much time on this is because too many ‘saints’ of God allow themselves to be led by feelings and not scripture or spiritual unctions.  This leads to error which means that God is not with you no matter how much you might say He is.  Thousands of people commit terrible acts in the name of God and what frustrates me is that most unchurched people will NEVER EVEN ASK what our holy scripture has to say about it.  We are not free to do whatever we want and have God back us up.  He only backs up those who walk by scripture and not by feelings, opinions or man’s wisdom.

Now that we have established that God is not about to bless your mess, what happens if we do obey His Word? 

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

When you are paying your tithes and living God’s Word everything changes.  First and foremost Satan attacks you and tries to get you to quit.  If you realize this up front you won’t be wondering why people out of nowhere begin to attack you for no apparent reason when you serve God.  The reason is not apparent because it’s spiritual.  Your money will get flaky and your closest friends may turn on you.  You have entered the battle and while you can step on Satan’s head, he will be bruising your heel (Genesis 3:15) and everyone knows it is painful to walk with a bruised heel. 

Because God knows you occasionally stumble and falter during these attacks, He gets involved personally and rebukes the devourer and destroyer of your labors for your sake.  I really want you to get this.  Have you ever had one of those days or weeks (or months or years) where it seems like every time you try to do something in business or even church you get clobbered?  Yes?  Are you paying your tithes?  Do you know how to pay your tithes?  The word tithe in Hebrew is maaser and it means tenth. 

If you earn one thousand dollars a month and the government takes two hundred dollars of your money in taxes, how much are your tithes?  I have had many tell me that their tithes in this case would be one tenth of the remaining eight hundred dollars.  They would pay eighty dollars…and cheat God out of twenty dollars.  God did not tell the government to take more of your money than He requires.  That is something you might want to take up with your government.  God requires a tenth of your income.  If you get paid ten cabbages for a salary or ten chickens then you give one to God even if your government comes and takes two of your chickens or cabbages. 

In my case I can’t stop the government from taking theirs first off the top.  They will have to answer to God for that themselves.  I calculate how much I have earned.  If I have worked for one hundred hours at ten dollars an hour then I have earned one thousand dollars.  I owe God one hundred dollars.  When the government and my insurance get done my check may be seven hundred and eighty dollars.  I still owe God one hundred dollars. 

Some people have problems with managing money.  They get into a spending binge right after payday and the next thing you know they forgot tithes.  I might not get in a spending binge but I am forgetful and so I came up with a way to make sure God gets His.  I have opened an account at my bank and named it Tithes.  On payday the check is automatically transferred into my household account.  I use my computer to go online and transfer that one hundred dollars from my Household account to my Tithe account. 

My tithe account is sanctified.  That means it is set apart for God’s use.  If the IRS decided to take that money to pay a debt they believe I owe they will have stolen from God.  I do not use that money for food or anything else.  If there is a hundred dollars in my tithe account and it is a week before payday and I’m broke, I guess I will be going on a fast because I cannot use that money for food.  The majority of that money goes to my local church so there will be meat in God’s house.  Occasionally I might send a portion to someone in need just as Paul spoke to the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 9:1-12). 

I’ve heard the arguments for and against tithing and I am personally against anything that will reduce the amount of income we faithfully give to the church…or the poor…to do God’s work.  I have been privy to enough ‘Christian’ men and women who tithe to God pretty words and little else.  They do not trust God, refuse to walk in faith and have answered ‘yes’ in every way possible to the question, “will a man rob God.”  Let me ask you a question.  If you were in financial straits and struggling for your next meal or a roof over your head, can you look up to heaven in the midst of your suffering and say, “Lord!  I faithfully pay my tithes and I need your help now!”

If you can then you are a rare and precious Christian.  God has great things in store for you and is ready to make all your prayerful financial decisions and actions prosper.  He looks upon you with great affection and is absolutely thrilled to open the windows of heaven.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.

God is even more than just excited to bless you.  He wants to brag on you like He bragged on...  “Don’t say it preacher!  Not Job again!  I don’t want to be like Job.”  Why not?  Sure…Job went through a lot and in Christ we will all go through a lot.  It is a difficult walk, full of spiritual warfare and insults by ignorant men and women.  Most of what happens to us falls under the heading of training.  When I joined the Air Force I went through some pretty rough training, but that was mild compared to the Marine Corps.  I suppose the forces closest to our walk in Christ is the Navy SEALS.  It’s more than the pressure, discipline and exhaustion that makes these elite warriors SEALS.  It’s their unity, how they work together toward that common goal, no matter what. 

They are well trained, disciplined and absolutely focused on the task at hand.  If someone stumbles they are right there to lend a hand and lend their strength to the weaker members.  To me that sounds a lot like the church OUGHT TO BE.  God wants to let everyone know that we are the apple of His eye and that we will stand when all those who thought they were bigger, tougher and stronger have been ground into the dust.  Sure we are walking in His strength and reaping His blessings along the way.  That is only right since so many hate and despise Him.  We endure their taunts and threats and God blesses us with Eternal Life and great joy. 

It takes a man of great spirit and faith to understand Hebrews 12:2 which says, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Verses 3-7 are pretty eye opening too.  Abraham knew he was not from around here.  He believed he was a sojourner on his way to a better place.  We too must believe we are headed to a better place and know that when our training is complete, God will show His love for us in tangible and very real ways, both now in in the time to come.

This life can be difficult for God’s children, but His promises are sure and His blessings tangible.  I pray that every one of you who reads this will stand in His love and reap His blessings.