Archive for the 'Religion' Category

“39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” – Luke 23:39-43

Three men were crucified that day: Jesus in the middle. The other two were criminal men, malefactors, wicked workers of inequity. “Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.” – Matthew 27:38. These two are serious criminals. Crucifixion was not a sentence given for any light offense; they were thieves; these two men were sinners.

One of the men understood, professed, and spoke with the Lord Jesus Christ, the other did not. It’s a simple message with a simple choice every man must make. One man accepted Jesus, and the other rejected Christ’s power and authority, including God’s particular way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ to come into His Kingdom.

Many denounce Jesus Christ, even cursing God with rantings and ravings, while others don’t think there is a God at all. Some make very astute-sounding objections to God and Christ while remaining illogical in their assumptions of the design and its Creator. God, to some men, is a myth or a religious crutch for the weak, they say. Even some believers treat God as a spare tire only to be used in an emergency but otherwise forgotten.

Though the historical events are accurate, the picture drawn by Scripture in the last hours of Christ upon the cross illustrates God’s great and final judgment of all men. As these men did, your eternity will be decided before that great day; you will either be on Christ’s left hand or His right. The rulers, priests, scribes, Pharisees, and many of the attending soldiers mocked Jesus Christ, even saying, “Save thyself, and come down from the cross.” – Mark 15:30

This first man told Jesus to save himself and the other:

“39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.”

Yet Christ would die that day and commit His own spirit into the hands of Father God. A malefactor is a man who bestows evildoing on other men. In contrast, a benefactor profits a man, and in the case of Christ, benefits all mankind, even eternally, to those who believe. Notably, many would be saved, but not by God’s ordained means of salvation through Christ. If Christ climbs down from that cross, as the man asked, none are saved. God has made one way: faith in Jesus Christ as payment through giving himself as the final sin sacrifice for all men that believe by faith.

The books of the law and the prophets all point to this moment; this is the most pivotal juncture in all of Scripture: the Son of God, holding the future of mankind in His power, is hanging on a cross, being tortured to death, yet without sin, treated as a criminal. This is it! This is the way to holy God, the very day God offered eternal soul salvation to all men everywhere. Jesus loves us enough to stay on that cross for those who know deep in the corners of their heart that they can’t live unto God without Him, let alone see heaven’s glory.

Centuries beforehand, the profit tells of the coming Christ: “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” – Isaiah 53:10

In offering His own soul for yours, accepting the condemnation for your sins, the sons of God, Christ’s seed by faith, could be birthed anew by the Spirit of God. Christ is the seed of the promise to Abram, and those that are Christ’s are the blessed of all nations according to the prophecy. Upon the cross, Jesus looked out through time and saw His seed, all those who would be His.

And God certainly did fulfill the prophecy and Jesus’ time of the resurrection three days later, for Christ is eternal: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1. All things were made by Him and for Him. Jesus rose from the grave three days later; death could have no hold on Him.

We never hear from the first man again, and Jesus did not reply. Gone from the pages of history, this first man died eternal death, receiving his due reward. The horror is incalculable, being right next to Jesus on the cross and assuming God should have made some other way to be saved: “If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.” Imagine the pride. Imagine the arrogance of presuming how God should order His domain and make way for eternal life. The man practically says: No, I won’t be saved except God do things my way. How many millions have suffered this exact same end? And what of you, dear reader? If you claim any other way to Father God, you have called Christ a liar.

Now, we see the second man:

“40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?”

He is no less a criminal, lying and thieving. Only the Gospel according to Saint Luke, records this precious exchange, in verses forty through forty-three. It’s the moment of faith between a sinner and his Saviour.

This second man, on the other side of Jesus, professed at least cursory acceptance of the existence of God, for he rebuked the first man for his railings. Having believed and thought it wise to fear God, he departs from the evil of the first man, differentiating himself by accepting who Christ is.

This man had a reverence for God. “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” – Job 28:28. No man can depart from evil in this life or eternity, but through the clemency and power of God Almighty.

The second man believed in more than just the existence of God and a degree of respect for God. He had the mental wherewithal to realize he would die either way, regardless of God’s plan for salvation as written according to Scripture. His eternal soul was on the line; his life would soon end. It would seem that he realized even if Jesus had done some miracle by removing them all from the cross, he was a wanted man, being condemned already; he was nonetheless guilty of sin against God. And before God’s holy throne, all men stand guilty of sin; we’re all guilty under the law of God.

You may not be an evildoer, but all men everywhere are condemned already by their sin. Jesus suffered the cross because it was necessary payment for sin as God fulfills His promise to make a way of forgiveness from the curse of sin that all men carry. The curse of sin is in your being; a sinner is who and what you are. “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” – John 3:18. You’re going to die, condemned by God already for your crimes; God is holy, somebody has to pay.

The second man continues:

“41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.”

The thief admitted not only his sin but that his due reward was wrath in the judgment of God. All men are under the verdict of God. All things are His, and every man is judged by His standard. He will heap appropriate consequences upon all men for their deeds. So few hear this profound truth; hell is what you’d undoubtedly get if justice is served. You don’t want justice from God; what you need is mercy. For a criminal, the second man on the cross was at least aware.

The due reward of Christ is His Church. Jesus never sinned. He is the perfect, holy sacrifice to God, once for all, paying for the sins of the world to save the body of Christ, who are His. Nobody has a right by their actions to claim Christ; the Church is His by faith. All those who believe in the hope of forgiveness of sin, seeking heaven instead, belong to Christ the King.

Speaking of Jesus Christ: “22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself  to him that judgeth righteously: 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” – 1 Peter 2:22-24.

Jesus didn’t climb down off the cross, and though they reviled Him, didn’t argue with His accusers, even praying, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” He held His peace knowing the God who judgeth righteously. Jesus bore our sins, suffering the torment, scourged, beaten, and bloodied; by His stripes, can a man be healed anew.

The second man sought his only hope:

“42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”

The man believed Jesus is Lord; He’s who and what He says is, the holy Christ, Redeemer of sinners, Sovereign over the Kingdom of God. He called Jesus Lord, admitting His power over him and authority over life and death itself; Christ alone determines the eternal state of a man’s soul. All men die, and all men are judged.

So the second thief called upon Jesus as Lord and Saviour, having surrendered to Jesus and to the will of God that in death he would be forgiven from hell so that he could be partaker of the everlasting Kingdom of God with Christ. What a simple and lovely prayer in faith; “Remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”

“43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

God doesn’t owe us anything, yet proving His love, Christ took the vile evildoer to be His own by accepting that man’s simple faith. This man on the cross could perform no good deed of repentance toward God or make amends. He could perform no religious ceremony or rite, nailed there to a cross with the Son of God; all he could do was ask for mercy. The man could make no restitution, which is the law of God; remaining a criminal under the ordinance of God up to his last breath, by simple faith alone, Christ took the man into His everlasting. We don’t even know his name, but God loved him and saved him. “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

The first man who railed against Christ, as far as the Scripture record indicates, never had faith to be saved. The second man came to the realization of God at the very last moments of life. Had Christ’s crucifixion been any other day, would he have believed in time to be born again?

Appointed by God, no man knows the number of his days on earth or upon what date his body will expire. All men everywhere face the same choice those two sinners met that day: guilty of sin, impending death; one man to eternal damnation, the other by faith to life everlasting with Holy Father God. The difference between a repentant sinner and a man lost to hell is that the sinner admits what he’s done is wrong, and the due reward of punishment by God’s authority is fitting.

At Christ’s great judgment of all men, which side will you be on? Are you the man on Christ’s left hand rejecting God, cursed to hell for all eternity, refusing to admit your sin? “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” – Matthew 25:41

Or, are you the man on the right who believes Christ is Lord? “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” – Matthew 25:34

Dear Lord, have mercy on me a poor sinner.

Psalm 43

God is our judge, advocate, and deliverer. The joy of the Lord exceeds any trial, any wicked worker’s efforts. We are God’s, and He is our praise and resolution when you finally offer yourself to do with as He will. Through Christ, entrance is made unto the altar, be not downtrodden; look up, for there is our hope.

“1 Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.”

Judge me, plead my cause, and deliver me. It might seem like a fool’s errand asking God to judge you, for all are sinners; “…They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” – Psalm 14:1. No man is truly righteous.

Foremost, God is the judge, but Christ, seated at the Father’s right hand, has satisfied God’s justice for every sinner. Having suffered the cross for you, making payment for your sin, and risen again in the power and light of the truth of eternal life, show your cause, therefore, to Jesus Christ that He might stand good before the throne, by faith, for you.

Bought by Christ, sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise as the day of redemption approaches, having faith in Jesus up until the last, you are no fool. The religion of the saints to the world is foolishness; the lost are self-assured, having found the Rock, but of offense and stumbled at the word; disobedient to the truth; the fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. But at that particular marker, the head of the corner tried and true who is Christ Jesus upon which God’s men stand, we know our judgment is not of an end but looking for, by His good graces, and receiving daily by His mercies, refreshing anew; we are made free from the law of sin and death. We walk in the glorious forgiveness of deliverance.

And what a poignant prayer we find in Psalm the Forty Third; for what Christian doesn’t face an abundance of sin without, wickedness at every turn, and devils in every corner? Our cause is just. Our nation has turned into a rotting carcass hung out festering, and flies are circling every enterprise of society; ravenous jackals are looting the treasury. But it’s at every level; sin is so pervasive making contact with any aspect of culture seems like an exercise in which being drenched in filth is the primary purpose. Do all of Christ’s men see? Will they stand by? We need a judge, but we are indeed at the hands of the Just One.

Babylon, spiritual Egypt, and Sodom is no place for the weak of faith; viewing in any direction, we see judgment, which will worsen. There’s no escape but into the arms, by our prayer, of a loving, holy God who is full of tender mercies. The godless will pay for what they’ve done, but the millstone of God’s justice grinds at a cosmic pace that no man can affect. Sometimes, it’s generations in the making before rectitude is served.

Deceit and injustice go together; hateful children of wrath and disobedience have chosen darkness, thinking it a game; these two are their bread and butter of sin. Repayment will come. Most look for an earthbound solution, and perhaps God will still show His unmerited favor toward us. But it’s a silly attempt to grab a dustpan of one sort or another as the West disintegrates, hoping to clean up the ash heap. No, deliverance for the saint residing in the perseverance of the faith is in the Father’s strength, looking toward the throne of God and of the Lamb; a cleansing fire is coming, even as with David, a man says, “teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.”

For the young in faith asking of our Creator to both be our representative pleading of your cause and the judge to hear your case may seem, without prayerful consideration, to be somewhat irrational. But, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” – Romans 8:16. Therefore, God is our mediator and chief justice, the highest Judge of all His creation in every domain. “…for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” – Romans 8:26

“…plead my cause against an ungodly nation.” Even in the frustrations of a sin-cursed dying republic, God knows our case and cause. He hears our prayers even when it’s no more than a perturbed exclamation of disgust at the evil all around. And take heart, any injustice to God’s people is an injustice to Him; “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you” – 1 Thessalonians 1:6. Maintain your ways for you are His; the Lord loves the upright and righteous man; He delivers from the unjust.

“2 For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

The questions are rhetorical, for we belong to Christ. Be not forgetful of where our strength comes, tested by the law and found guilty, pushed by the world yet found a man changed by Christ, strained by the flesh and the devil and seeing it all repugnant, being a son in the Kingdom of God, chosen in Him, fear not, He will strengthen you, be not dismayed for He is God and will help you. By upholding you with the right hand of His righteousness, held close by Him to the fortress of faith, believe in the Lord.

Christ declares, for without me ye can do nothing. Though seemingly cast off by God for a season, that most pleasant of warm spring breezes, full of sweetness, the Holy Spirit of God arrives right on time when we finally offer ourselves in service. For that’s what God wants, all of you, for His will and great purposes in heaven and earth to bring Him acclaim. Worldly Christians confuse the Kingdom as outer darkness with trouble and toil but the world as happiness; this ought not to be so. God is getting His glory; that’s the judgment of a people, and though they rage, the heathen will know that Christ is Lord. Though you may sometimes feel like the outcast as God cleanses, His people stand the test; if you are steadfast, you, a child of the mighty King, will not be moved.

Sieged by enemies on all sides, Christian oppression and persecution are at the doorstep, but there’s good news. You can’t say the name of Christ without hitting a sinner right between the eyes. Our state today is enough to make one mourn as a funeral dirge sung low for damned souls, but why? We are not damned. The Gospel is in us; the Truth both knows us and we know Him. Tell somebody the truth of Jesus Christ, which is your primary duty in the Kingdom of God. We were all enemies of God at one time, and many believers were the mortal enemy of the brethren who are now his fellows. Tell your enemy of the victory our King has brought to those who fear by faith.

“3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.”

The world is desperately in need of God’s light and truth. The blinded man sees the darkness as light, hoping in the things of this world: “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” – 2 Corinthians 11:14. But the serpent is a defeated foe; have no part with him. “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:5. Jesus loves you, fear not.

On the very first day, the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and God brought forth light. And He divided the light from the darkness. And again, at the arrival of God’s sacrifice, His Lamb, at the advent of the New Covenant, this same light was made manifest and shined in darkness, but the darkness comprehended it not. To say the dark rejects the light is true, though, in the end, it can’t resist.

For millions, the light of God and Jesus Christ our Lord disrupts their spirit, for if it’s all true, their entire world-life view and everything they’ve been taught and everything they thought they knew comes crashing down around them. If Christ be raised from the dead, suddenly, the mortal soul is at once both imperiled but offered to be partaker of the light in the glorious Kingdom of God; every soul must choose: heaven or hell. Jesus is the way; no man cometh unto the Father but by Christ. And Christ is the true Light which lights every man’s soul. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” – James 1:17

What more excellent a gift than that of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord? Continuing in the light of divine favor and boundless grace will lead a man to the center of God’s desire for him, up the holy hill before the throne of the Almighty in praise and worship to bring Him glory and honor. “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” – Revelation 11:19

Put off thy shoes, for this is sacred ground, yet in your mortal body, it’s a fearful moment to come near to the throne. Here is truth: God is perfect, holy, and just. All things are His, made by Him and for Him. Let the light and the truth of God lead you to His tabernacles; come into the love of Christ Jesus, cry unto Him, “Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word.” –  Psalm 119:170

“4 Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.”

Make your offerings there at the altar; the veil is rent in two making the way, the Kingdom of God and of His Christ is at hand; with His own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal mercy for us. “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil” – Hebrews 6:19. The approach is now open; Jesus Christ has made the way to the altar in heaven. For the once offering of Christ is sufficient for all creatures to seek redemption, to be filled to overflowing abundance with joy and praise and upon instruments, singing and shouting; worthy is the Lamb. Praise ye the Lord.

“5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”

The downcast soul is profoundly saddening, like a lion who’s lost his roar. But the valley of the shadow of death is also where Christ may be found; “…for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” – Psalm 23:4. All men have the right of petition unto God for His mercy in salvation. But the suffering saint has an inner chamber of approach unto the holiest of all before the everlasting Father, for rights of imprecatory prayer against the oppressor and the privilege of drawing ever closer to God for the comfort of His guiding hand. The man that touches the saint touches the apple of God’s eye; woe to the man.

The terror of God is the enemy of all wickedness; nothing can stand in the day of God’s wrath. Every injury to His Church is another flaming coal of brimstone heaped upon the head of the ungodly. Why seek the adoration of men instead of the praises of God, for in service of Him, works of faith and labor of love, is the patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God the Father.

The ungrateful heart is ugly. Why, indeed, knowing all things by His word and living in a better covenant with Christ, are we cast down and disquieted? Keep your eye on the Saviour, for He is our hope. Hope is intricate and demanding; it requires constant prayer, reading of the word, and gathering with other saints; hope without faith is no hope at all. “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” – Romans 8:24. Hope in Christ, though now unseen, He is never far off.

Nobody wants to praise God when their soul is disquieted, but in the praises themselves come the realization of hope, and from hope, a glimmer of light, then Light. “Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.” – Psalm 15:1. God inhabits the praises of His people.

Worry and prayer are not the same thing; to go from one to the other, ask simply who is Jesus Christ, in whom all praises of gladness are found. The countenance of a man is changed by honor before God, upheld by His power, and uplifted to fight another day. Judged of God, yet pardoned, and further offered life in the glorious presence of our Saviour, we hope in the appearing of the Lord for He soon comes for everyone that is His. “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” – 2 Corinthians 9:15

Revelation 12.

One year ago.

Those known of God should be serious, cataloging what they’ve learned about how the spirit of antichrist moves among the Godless, affecting their minds and every action. Although that lab-created virus was unpleasant and killed like a tough flu strain, even most of those who knew the whole thing was bunk succumbed to the spirit of fear, in one form or another, through adapting to the new normal as evil attempted to impose its will. Make note of it all.

We tend to focus on the people who brought the new normal, but we, born again by the Spirit of God, know they are merely agents. You got to witness firsthand something westerners have not seen since perhaps the Middle Ages; God allowing a grave evil to sweep through the land. You should pray to the Almighty and consider what you’ve seen; moreover, consider your ways in light of what you now know.

Secularists will use the term mass psychosis, but what we saw was that spirit of fear by the devil as the blessings of God are being withdrawn. You witnessed the power of evil through men to affect whole masses to do their bidding. You should now know what it is and how to recognize it.

Sin, and evil thereby, are very real, tangible. These are not philosophical conceptualizations to be pondered in a mountaintop monastery, nor are they ancient lore to be dismissed as the superstitions of our ancestors. You’ve now witnessed it, don’t deny it again.

You, too, should thank God, for that was quite a treat. The enemy gave away battle plans, means, motives, personnel positions and movements, tools, and sources and methods. Yes, it’s a war, and you should understand it as such. The enemy revealed many battlefield tactics. It would be wise to understand what you saw over the last two years in the context of war. God is merciful even in His judgments.

The “supply chain disruptions” should have made you serious about doing things yourself, the local way, among the trusted, moving closer to self-sufficiency. Again, thank God for the warnings, repent and act upon your new knowledge of the enemy.

And it isn’t over. If we read our Bible correctly, the last two years were just a remote storm cloud on the horizon of what’s likely coming. The explosion in depravity is not a sign of God’s judgment; it is God’s judgment. The horrendous and even audaciously flagrant wickedness of governments is not a sign of the judicial determination of God; it’s the result.

Christians Soldiers must know the Word of God. Your life depends upon it, or you will be led astray. If you got taken up in fear or have submitted to evil the last two years, that’s a good thing. Praise the Lord for this also; it’s why God sends warnings to His people in the mercy of His grace by longsuffering. Don’t lament but repent and make ready.

You should know by now where you are supposed to be, with what group of people in common you are to serve God while seeking to make yourself both versed and experienced in hard skills and hands-on doing. Pray for God to raise up a just leader, but you train the next generation, teaching them to be just men and women, righteous in Christ, forsaking all evil. Virtuous women and skilled men will matter most. It’s a separate post perhaps but we’ll mention that men will fight for a civilization populated by virtuous women.

Contact with the enemy has arrived. Please, I beseech you by the blood of Jesus Christ to hear and heed the warnings. Fear not for these two reasons: God is in control, and you were born for this very moment. God is sovereign, all is ordained, and you are here now for a reason. Be the light of Christ to those around you. Shed truth with all those you know. Spread the hope of coming victory for those that are righteous. And train for the other side of the coming conflagration(s). Dear Christian Brothers and Sisters, welcome to the war; it’s a pleasure to serve with you, repent toward God and prepare for the next battle. Pray that you not be deceived again.

It’s a spiritual conflict waged in the heavens played out among nations and men. Seek ye the Lord.

“Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.” – Proverbs 28:5

If your church leadership tries to shutdown services again, they must be fired immediately. Period. And any other leaders in support should be run off with a cane against their back! Otherwise, you must find a suitable congregation, which you should have already done.

In Chapter 13 of John, our Lord begins discussing how He will depart without mentioning the specifics. This discourse spans John 14, 15, and into chapter 16, with several asides and one possible change of location. It’s instruction to His disciples before His soon passion, resurrection, and ascension.

The notable side points of instruction help illustrate to the disciples Christ’s purposes for this instruction: His departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit. These asides include the Vine and Branch parable (John 15:1-10), an explanation of the unity of the Father and the Son (John 14:10-11), and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17). This instruction to His men continues into chapter 16 with the specific functions of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8-11) as we witness for Christ with Him.

Reading this section attentively, one understands what it means to be “in Christ.” We see only partially what the day of restitution of all things will be. When this sinful flesh is entirely and finally put off, we shall fully join this holy communion without that static interference.

There’s more, but those are topics for another day.

Repeatedly, Christ mentions the coming of the Comforter in these chapters; why Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Comforter is critical instruction. At the outset, plainly, the Holy Spirit is not for your comfort and ease, health and wealth, or to provide emotionally driven fits of excitement and unintelligible babbling. God may bless you, but those blessings serve His purposes; He does not serve you. The Comforter equips men for God’s specific purposes in support of service to glorify Him alone.

Read John 14:16-18, 26, 15:26-27, and 16:13 about the Comforter who is the Spirit of truth. The disciples are troubled by Christ’s leaving. Understandable, for the absence of God is darkness only. These are, generally, the purposes of the Holy Spirit as given here by Christ: to abide with us and in us, to teach and remind us of all things, to testify of Christ as we witness for Christ together with Him, remind us of all things, and guide us into all truth (anything untrue is not of God, but from the father of lies, John 8:44) and for showing things to come.

Read John 13:31 through John 16:16, paying particular attention to the complete sentences that include the cited verses about the Holy Spirit. It’s an extensive study; several key points will draw out the text to guide our understanding. But, we should view it as Christ delivered it, a single focused discussion with several supporting points of instruction that we must act upon. God is the ultimate instructor; the repetition with some variation is masterful indeed.

As a side note, if you won’t study your Bible, there’s nothing for the Holy Spirit to teach and remind you about. What if, and call me a radical, Christians actually did what the Bible says? These four duties in five short posts are the preparatory essential elements of the Christian faith in service of Christ.

This post is going somewhere, but context matters; instruction is fundamental. Christ spent three years teaching His men. Doing what Christ taught is where we fail today.

John 15:16 is the ordination of the disciples to bear fruit (also John 15:8). In verse 17, He immediately says to love one another; this is the first prominent point of this post. In verses 18 through 20, Christ tells them they will be hated and persecuted. Next, we arrive at the second main point: the Holy Spirit testifies of Christ, but not alone, as we also bear witness (John 15:26-27).

If you read the Bible carefully, you’ll note that when Christ speaks of bearing fruit, it’s in the context of establishing His Church by the spread of the Gospel. Notably, to love one another (John 15:17) is often a subtext of bearing fruit. So, bearing fruit is to love the brethren and make more brethren; this conforms precisely with our interim commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to serve in anticipation of His return.

In John 15:26-27, Christ is driving at the purpose of ordaining the disciples and the coming of the Holy Spirit. We must care for one another and make ourselves better Christian soldiers (Hebrews 10:24) because we need each other, not for nothing, but because we are to evangelize the whole world, converting the nations; this will draw persecution. Jesus, in foresight sublime, tells us to stick together and provides the Comforter to witness for Christ through us, even as we also serve and testify about Christ’s Gospel and the mercy God has shown us to all the nations.

Continuing into chapter 16, in verse 1, Christ, citing the things spoken so far, advises them not to be offended by the world rejecting them. How many Christians receive the offense of the world and modify their behavior to fit into the world? This is a major problem in the American church. There’s no way to pretty this up by slapping lipstick on it; it’s disobedience to God and Christ to please men above serving in the love and knowledge of the God who saved you; it’s sin.

For what else is disobedience to Christ by refusing His commandments (John 14:15)? Christ is the Lord our Righteousness, and we are to be priests and kings, but only by submission to His word; otherwise, the kings of this world rule us and look what fruit that’s wrought.

Then, in John 16, verses 2 and 3, he conveys to the disciples specifics about the persecution they would suffer (verse 2) and why (Verse 3). There’s also an important point here. Many claim the Father but not the Son, even today. God goes so far as to call those who deny the Father and the Son an antichrist (John 15:23, 16:3, 1 John 2:22). Reaching these folks with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ should be a priority, for they acknowledge there’s a God without which faith can never come.

Finally, arriving at the point here. The churches failed and accepted the shutdowns because they were not doing as Christ commands. In doing what Jesus says, pressing into the brethren in love and fellowship, and seeking the lost regardless of the hurt that may come, the Comforter is with you. We are to build His Church. Not doing as Christ commands allows a spirit of fear, which is not of God (2 Timothy 1:7), to enter among the brethren and even to cause antichristian behavior.

How often have you heard church teaching about the disciples fleeing (Mark 14:50) with only John and the women at the cross, yet the American church withdrew at the mere whiff of persecution? The whole point of Christianity is to convert the Nations, making them Christian. In America, the churches utterly failed the first test, and it’s not over; more trouble is brewing, even now.

It’s unnatural to forsake your own safety, but serving Christ is as normal as can be because you love Him and keep His commandments, regardless of the consequences. Genuine Christian fellowship and support, coupled with the indwelling Comforter in service of our great King, is how you will not falter again. Peace is not an outward state of men; with God, it’s inward. Peace is in Christ Jesus by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Together, read John 14:10-11, and 14:16-17, and John 15:1-10. Here, we have a clear picture of the operation of God in us and through us for the purpose of bearing much fruit. Without Christ, ye can do nothing (John 15:5).

It seems that Christ has so few true friends (John 15:14). The people in American churches don’t genuinely believe in God. At least not how Christ described and the apostles carried it into the world. The people of God are fractured into single units, but according to Christ, it ought not to be this way. Upon being ordered to cease gathering, your church should have rallied around each other, rejected the kings of this world, and served in the hope of a better home with Him.

In American churches, the folks see each other occasionally; they’re not bonded in the unity of service if they benefit Christ at all. The American church looks like any other organization of common interest instead of an army organized for battle to wield the word. Most of church life is centered on the worldly pursuits of men instead of training men to take Christ’s domains. For these reasons, the church is generally failing, and particularly under the recent persecution. The Church in Europe, if it exists at all, is useless.

Americans must stop intellectualizing the Bible and instead put the instruction into action. Imagine if the apostles, after the ascension (Acts 1:8-9), had said, Well, that was an interesting three years; guess I’ll merely personalize it, internalize it, intellectualize it, and go back to my life and do nothing for God. You know what? One of them did, but Christ came and got him (John 21). How often has Jesus tried to tell you to follow Him in service?

The Church of Jesus Christ should have grown during the shutdowns; that’s what persecution does to Christ’s body: makes it more robust and extensive (Acts, entire book). Until His return, there will be tribulation; even as the Kingdom of God has its historical setbacks, it will continue to grow, but the kings of this world will not go quietly.

Complete peace on earth is a distant dream. The Kingdom of God is designed for spiritual warfare. And by the Comforter coupled with mutual support in fellowship and love with the brethren is the peace of God to attack the darkness, even to assault the very gates of hell (Matthew 16:18) with the truth of the Gospel. In Christ, we overcome the world and the devil; without Him, we fall. Fear not; keep His commandments and be of good cheer; Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” – Revelation 12:11

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” – Ephesians 4:32

The last phrase of that final verse of Ephesians four is astounding and so very plain. It truly can only be arrived at through childlike faith. If reading along in your bible, it’s easy to miss as you finish the chapter and close the book, but this truth is at the centrality of the doctrine of soul salvation. Of course, the context of the later part of Ephesians four, from verse 20 onward to 32, is critical instruction for the Christian believer, discussing personal effort, putting off your former self, and allowing the Lord to continue His sanctification of you. A man born afresh by the Spirit of God ought to recompense to the brethren all these duties mentioned and more. Give no place to evil speaking or doing. Grieve not the Holy Spirit, verse 30 says.

But found so simple and proper are those few words toward initial faith in Christ at the end of verse 32. Don’t miss it; God did not save you because of you, or because of anything about you, or because of anything you’ve done, said, promised, confessed, nor anyplace you’ve joined in whichever ceremonies or rites you may partake; God, for Christ’s sake alone, because He loves His son, is the sole reason the Father has granted you reprieve and given you to His only begotten.

Salvation is not about you; it’s not for you, and it’s not because of you; it’s all for Jesus Christ.

Oh, the unmerited favor of God who, by grace in salvation, calls men to Christ. God forgave you for Christ’s sake, giving you to Jesus as His Church, the body, for He loves His Christ. Not because of you; what is a man such as you to God and Christ? But God gave you to be the bride of His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. You are the inheritance of Jesus Christ, for His own good pleasure; not for your sake, but entirely by miracle has your faith arrived unto conversion that Christ be magnified among men, hallowed in the highest to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. The degree to which you are blessed by God to be converted for His purposes, chosen in Him, is immeasurable.

On the verge of tears, there’s no way to adequately describe the depths of God’s mercy to be numbered among those forgiven. The complete degree is unknowable; who can reconcile such an act, that God would glorify His Son, and you being what, a hapless stranger alienated from the commonwealth of God, struggling in the toil of daily grind full of labor when God out of heaven called you to His Son. Who are we to complain or object or refuse anything He asks, now living in the freedom of Christ as the gift of His Father? To sound the depths of this blessing is impossible; it’s much too far for a man to understand what it is to be pardoned because he is given to Christ.

God made man in the first place for His own great purposes; male and female created He them; and blessed them. And He formed you, and breathed into your nostrils the breath of life; and you became a living soul, sentient, aware of Him. But the world is filled with liars telling men to be their own gods, the center of it all; humanism is a contagious viral cancer consuming the West and profoundly damaging the Church. Is He the holy Creator, owner of all that is, sovereign in the purposes of His actions and will, knowing and ordering the beginning from the end of all things, or is He less than a man?

The feast is polluted, soiled, and having spots; a plague of leprosy is among us. Most Christians are trained to think of God as their cosmic butler. Manpleasers, false teachers have beguiled us, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Biblical Christianity requires a logically consistent world-life view and a conformable understanding of who God is. The fact is that you are a slave to Christ and not your own, but bought with a price in blood to bring glory to Him, and for no other purpose at all do you now draw breath.

The Lord would tuck you under His wings, cover you with His feathers, be your shield and buckler; “how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” The river runs its course, yet the ocean is not overflowing; the wind on her circuit returns all things, bringing a whirlwind, yet you still have not. When will God’s people stop asking for worldly gain and stuff but again cry unto God; quicken me for thy name’s sake, for thy righteousness, here am I God; send me.

When the twoedged sword of conviction by the Spirit arrives, it convinces us of our unrighteousness and the totality of the perfect righteousness that is Christ our Lord. Righteousness is the quality or state of being morally correct and justifiable – without guilt or sin. Born in sin, you were not and are not righteous, but Christ was, is, and will forever be the sinless Holy One. In Christ is the only place of uprightness for the sinner.

Not because of your righteousness: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” – Romans 3:10. And again: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” – Isaiah 64:6.

Not by any measure of your own works: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” – Titus 3:5

Not by the keeping of any religious rules or law, which only condemn for sin: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” – Romans 3:20.

Not by your religion, for a million blood sacrifices to God over millennia were still not enough: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” – Hebrews 10:4

But the only hope of men is the offering of the Lamb of God to die on the cross that He might receive those who, by faith, Father God has given. And Jesus rose from the grave, ascending to the Father, preparing His bride over generations for His return to claim what is rightfully His. Holy Father, God gave those whom Christ would convert through faith at His will, not for your sake, but for Christ’s. By no deserving acts of your own, the full measure of the miracle of soul salvation is unknowable to the mind of man. It truly is a grant that you, not of your power, but that God would use you to bless His faithful Son, Jesus Christ.

No man shall boast; salvation is a gift of God. Only Jesus Christ is righteous: love God and have mercy on the brethren, even as God, for Christ’s sake, hath forgiven you.

Ezekiel 22:23-31

In chapter 22 of Ezekiel, he is commissioned as a judge to show Jerusalem her abominations, to pronounce the determinations of God against Jerusalem (Verses 1-2), calling it the bloody city (Verse 2) defiled by idols (Verse 4).

Verses 5-12 are a catalog of sins from which the charges against them are cited. Making a complete list of America’s sins would be impossible; time and space are limited, but some instances will be applied.

Verses 13-22 are the pronouncement of judgment, but within those verses, note that verses 17 through 22 discuss the necessity of the refining process they must undergo. Many types of metal and alloys are mentioned denoting that the purification of this refining will affect everyone; none shall escape the ire of God. Being purified and having the dross of sin skimmed can be painful for a man. But praise the Lord, put through the fire with sin purged, the end is sweet as honey, for we come out as a son of God after chastisement which yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11).

Then, in our text, holy God calls out a roster to Ezekiel of the specific groups and their sinful actions; the prophets, priests, princes, and the people. The chapter concludes with verses 30 and 31; God could find no just man, a leader among the people that would give Him reason to forestall His wrath.

As background, Deuteronomy 19 is the Law of Innocent Blood. And in Proverbs chapter 6, cataloged among the things God hates are hands that shed innocent blood. “A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood” – Proverbs 6:17. Also, see Matthew 27:3-4, carefully considering the ends of men and the demise of empires that shed the innocent blood.

Some application for today is needed from the section starting in verse 23 to the end of the chapter. We’ll look at their situation and similarities today to understand why judgment is arriving in the West and what repentance should be if only we would.

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“23 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 24 Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.”

Verse 24 is not a pronouncement of drought but an indication that the land and people were not being cleansed, having no refreshing of God’s mercies due to their wickedness. Water is often a picture of the Spirit of God or, particularly, the person of the Holy Spirit. Jesus offered the woman at the well living water (John 4:14). Christ places the Spirit of God in a man’s soul, born again by the Spirit, making all who would believe “a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” Also, see Revelation 22:1.

In Ezekiel chapter 22, the Spirit of God was being withdrawn, a horrifying thought indeed, for in the absence of God, darkness prevails, sin abounds, wickedness multiplies throughout the land, and the people suffer. What is outer darkness, but the absence of inner Light? It’s reasonably apparent that an exit from faith in God has been crossed for America and the West.

There is an Old Testament distinction between priests and prophets; verses 25 and 26 list them separately. Some thoroughly understand the Old Testament structure of roles and modes of worship, days of observance, purposes of the offices, and various sacrifices, but this writer has a weakness. Firmly planted in the New Covenant, the history is of interest but the application rules.

The prophets are most noted when God calls them and declares judgment on the people by them. The prophets had a separate school; in 2 Kings 6, they needed a more extensive training and living facility. We think today of a prophet as a man of old who foretold the future at the word of the Lord and did great miracles. But most often in the Bible, a prophet is a teacher (John 3:2) or a messenger of God. Though He was a prophet, but not only a prophet, billions of people today do err, thinking that Jesus was just another visionary. But Jesus rose from the grave. Everything Jesus said is coming true, and we serve in hope while awaiting His return to finish our course. Be sure Christ dwells in your heart by faith, making you rooted and grounded in love.

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“25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.”

Deuteronomy 18:15-22 details the creation of the office of the prophet; note carefully in verses 21 and 22 how to identify a false prophet. The modern prophecy movement today is run by the devil himself. Only God knows the future, but it’s plain to read what becomes of a people when their state is such as ours.

The prophets then, as today, were divining lies for personal gains, like a roaring lion ravening the prey, which sounds remarkably like the description of the devil in 1 Peter 5:8. The making of many widows refers to the false declaration to the king(s) about the authority of God to go to war, which is detailed further in verses 27 and 28 below.

Today false prophets further devour souls by selling the self-righteousness of works salvation, declaring rites, rituals, and ceremonies as equal to the grace of God that comes only through faith in the sacrifice of His own Son. They steal the foundation of the Gospel truth (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) and simplicity that is in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:3), filling men with the pride of their own achievements, which are wood, hay, and stubble (1 Corinthians 3:10-13), the filthy rags of men’s own righteousnesses (Isaiah 64:6), all of which, every last thing, will burn up in the final conflagration at the judgment of Christ (2 Peter 3:10-12).

How many false health and wealth movement prophets today have taken treasure and precious things?

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“26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.”

As background, the book of Leviticus outlines the Old Covenant law of the priesthood. We worship today, or we should, under the New Covenant in Christ.

First, profane can mean anything not ordained of God, not necessarily wicked, but even the ordinary. God is holy; nothing about Him or the worship He demands is common. There certainly are very profane things, wickedness and evil of all types, but taking the things not ordained of God and including them in worship, claiming them to be godly or holy, is a problem that leads to idolatry.

Unrepentant sinners abound among Christians, some even teaching in the churches, women “priests,” and many other examples come to mind today. But none of those churches started by having, for instance, sodomite preachers. Somewhere in the history of those churches, they allowed the profane. Perhaps the problem started before the current membership was alive: the leadership let some things slide, and just a few “little sins” began to creep in. Righteousness begets righteousness, and evil is forced to flee. So too, sin produces even more corruption by eroding the holy, just, wholesome, and clean, making God see all that worship as profane.

The application of verse 26 to today is rather apparent, or it should be. The priests are allowing all manner of sins, which is a violation of God’s holy law. The churches have put no difference between the holy and the mundane, let alone rejecting sin among them.

In Acts, the body of Christ met and worshipped daily and from house to house (Acts 2:46-47, 5:42), and God grew it mightily for their faith. I attend church on Sunday: it’s the right day under the New Covenant. I’m not telling you when to gather together, but you must do it; it’s a commandment (Hebrews 10:25). I know the churches are messed up. Even the good ones are messed up, for they’re full of sinners.

America’s churches are full of professional liars, teaching you to obey the god-government and how to get along by successfully integrating your family into a secular evil society while pretending it’s not all sin, debauchery, and unclean.

But you have to go to church. Go to every church within miles until you find one that obeys Christ’s command in Matthew 22:37-40. And John 13:35 is how you know who are His disciples. Most folks who won’t attend church today don’t go because they see how bad they are. Without you in some assembly, how can they stay right with God? Christianity isn’t a consumer activity in which you choose your favorite; it’s sometimes very formidable work to be obedient and please the Lord personally and as a group.

You can do this even in the face of what church leaders are doing. Show yourself to Holy God, one repentant sinner, desiring to be consecrated in the Lord, a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) worthy to be reckoned as belonging to the Most Holy. Then take charge of your family, purge all sin from among you, seeking God’s favor that you might be bathed in the blood of Christ, sanctified by the Holy Spirit of God. Next, your local church body; cleanse it of all sin, remove the unrepentant, and present it to God in like manner. “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” This isn’t somebody else’s job; it’s yours.

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“27 Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.”

It’s just too many sins today to list; frankly, I don’t even care what our leaders do anymore. We deserve them. The issue in the text is the shedding of blood for gain.

It’s difficult to understand why anybody of sound mind would join the armed forces of America or NATO countries. Without going on a tirade against the evil rulers of America, the West, and the global Oligarchy, I’ll point out that America has been at war my entire lifetime and doing it for fun, profit, and one world order. Waring for a few men’s pleasure and gain establishing a global central banking cartel is not a righteous endeavor; have no part in it. The bloody city, Washington D.C., has its due coming, along with all those who shed innocent blood to our ruin.

And what about abortion? America has princes in many states ravenous for the innocent blood of babies. Horrors undertaken too difficult to bear for a man not owned spirit of antichrist occur daily. Healthcare and healing have been turned into sickcare and a death mill. What else could come of a people who don’t value the next generations of their people?

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“28 And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.”

“untempered morter” seems to be a metaphor for patching up the rulers with lies, making feel and look good.

In verses 27 and 28, the prophets have sanctioned unjust wars. What was happening in Ezekiel’s day is happing here. The mainline Christians love war, and presidents take to themselves false prophets who divine “peace peace” lying through their teeth. See Jeremiah (a contemporary of Ezekiel) 6:14, 23:16-17.

As a young voter, politicians would promise a continuation of the “largest peacetime expansion” of the economy in history (but by flagrant usury debt to our children, a part they would omit) and, in the next breath, tell us who they were going to bomb back to the stone age. Take heart; I fell for it, too, even offering myself for military service. God has seen these lies! Presidents have had wicked men and women “spiritual advisors” and many famous professional fake Christian “men of God.” God has seen these lies, too, and the dual citizens they really serve.

“Even those who profess themselves to be my prophets, have been unfaithful in the discharge of their office; have soothed the people in their sins, and pretended to have oracles of peace and safety when I had not spoken to them.” – Adam Clarke on verses 27 and 28.

Separate yourself from the evil of Babylon as much as possible. Escape from her any way you can but run to the Lord God!

“My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD.” – Jeremiah 51:45

“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” – Revelation 18:4

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“29 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.”

It’s so bad in America that just about everybody has decided to “get mine” while the gettin’ is good. Dishonesty in business, whether with customers or employees, repressive wages, and much more, is now standard, while government mandates acceptance of the New Religion in all affairs of life. Welfare and insurance/disability fraud are rampant. People just accept sin as a way of life and that everybody does it. God also sees these lies. Christians are supposed to be different; be ye separate (2 Corinthians 6:17).

And don’t let liars and false Christians abuse this verse where it mentions oppressing the stranger. God required Israel to apply the entire law to the strangers and sojourners among them (Exodus 12:49) and requires the same of us today (Acts 10:34, Romans 2:11). Verse 29 is not Christ’s license to import a billion heathens and destroy your civilization through 501c3, Soros funded “refugee resettlement!” Notwithstanding, do good to whom God has said in the New Testament.

But not every one of us has turned to evil. There are those among you, come what may; we’ll try as God allows us to endeavor for what is right. Lord, have mercy on us.

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“30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. 31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.”

And finally, we arrive at the fury of God Almighty in the indignation of His wrath, having determined fiery vengeance to recompense those men for their evil. This same God is the only one that can save our civilization now, and it starts with you. It’s not justice you need; it’s the mercy of God’s forgiveness.

This is where every man stands, born into sin, helpless before the power of God’s holy throne, condemned already to hell’s eternal depths for your sin. The law can’t save you; no amount of religion or good deeds can appease God, for there is only one just atonement.

“For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.” – Ezekiel 18:32

Though you deserve it, God takes no pleasure in your soul’s eternal demise. He offers life if you would turn unto Him and live. Without Him, judgment is at the door.

Look back at verse 30; regrettably, there is none righteous, no, not one. It’s horrifying to hear in the day of Ezekiel that God searched out among all men one who could stand before Him, a hedge, a man to fill the gap between sin and the peace that lies at heaven’s gate, and there was none to be found.

But God, in His mercy, has given a man, His only begotten Son, a righteous hedge, a Mediator, a daysman betwixt you and God’s anger. Jesus fulfilled the Scripture according to the prophets and the law when He was crucified for your sins to pay the debt in total that you never could. He was buried and rose again the third day, triumphant over sin, death, hell, and the grave, now seated at the right hand of God the Father. Christ lives to make intercession for you.

“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” – Hebrews 7:25

Saved to the uttermost, it sounds like a perfect offer; go ahead and take it. He’s making intercession to God for you; call upon Christ Jesus, understanding you are a sinner, and whatever evils come our way, without Christ, you will surely perish in the fire of God’s wrath. But God loves you, and hell doesn’t have to be your home. Believe in your heart that the resurrected Christ, Jesus, is the way to life eternal and a life of service to the good of God that He would bless you now and into eternity. It will get worse here in the coming days; show yourself to God as belonging to Jesus Christ, ask for forgiveness for your sins, and offer yourself before the mercies of God’s courts.

This video provides an excellent exposition of Romans 1, which starts at about the twenty-four-minute mark. Where I agree wholesale is that all of civilization hangs in the balance. Dr. Baldwin excels in doing expository teaching as here. The beginning of the video is also good; he starts in Genesis 1, briefly setting God’s revealed purpose for His pinnacle creation. Dr. Baldwin’s continual use of the term Natural Law is somewhat distracting, but he explains it well in the context of the verses.

However, there is nothing to so-called natural law that is not written in revealed law. We’ve covered this section and verse 20 similarly; in our nature, made in God’s image, we can see His creation in us and all around us and therefore have a sense of what nature demands as right and wrong for men and women.

Romans 2:14-15 shows again what Dr. Baldwin calls natural as being revealed law written in God’s holy law. Natural Law is not unique or additional revelatory knowledge of God apart from His Law-word. And Dr. Baldwin also states that he doesn’t think the State should be in people’s bedrooms, but don’t tell him Jefferson’s Virginia criminally (not civil law) forbade such acts in the Commonwealth. This remained true as recently as my lifetime when I lived there.

This video is not available on Youtube because it violates the blasphemy laws of the New Religion. But it’s available on Libertyfellowshipmt dot com and Bitchute if this won’t run for you.

Psalm 15

The context of Psalm 15, with the application, is in verse 1. It’s about the man who is worthy to live in the Lord’s house, to dwell in heaven with Him, for His dwelling place has always been His throne on high.

“In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.” – Psalm 15:4

Something stands out in verse four. It’s an odd statement, seemingly unfit for a Christian to accept. “He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.” A man who is suited for heaven’s holy hill in the presence of God as His train fills the throneroom is a man who makes his covenant and keeps it, even if it hurts. God’s men don’t choose the comfort of sin in the world, knowing the eternity that awaits.

The notion behind that statement in the Psalm is entirely foreign to modern Christianity in the West. The easy path is that of least resistance and is most often chosen. But what is the covenant, and what does it mean that we ought to do?

The covenant is that which is in the blood of Christ who died for your sins and called you to serve Him. Christ found you as a bondslave on the auction block caught between two masters, and Jesus Christ won the war, making you His purchased possession through love. Indeed you are freed if you are His, and though His burden light and yoke easy, especially by comparison to the sin and death that ruled over you, you remain a bondslave nonetheless, and that to Holy God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

You’re on the right side, but it’s no playground. The war between good and evil rages, and as the ever-accelerating arrival of the judgment of God upon Western Civilization arrives, Psalm 15 has some straightforward questions as to who is God’s anointed people. As we’ve said several times: simple doesn’t mean something that’s necessarily easy. The choices coming are immense; war or peace; famine, pestilence, and death loom.

The information war is becoming intense. With AI-driven narratives and false news, it’s become impossible to know for sure what’s real; this is not a mistake. Our God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). That old liar and a murderer from the start, the serpent himself, the devil, will take you captive at his will if he gets the chance. Boundaries here are critical. If you belong to Christ, birthed anew, secure in the power of His resurrection unto life eternal, in Him your final destination is set, but here we are, trouble brewing on every side.

Keeping that last sentence from Psalm 15:4 in mind, another verse that’s worth examination comes to mind. This is a favorite about wisdom.

“And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” – Job 28:28

When you see Behold in the KJV Bible, as in this verse, or verily (sometimes emphatically, twice – see John 3:3, 6:47), it means to pay attention and get this right.

But what does God say of wisdom herself? It is fear of the Lord: reverence, love, and obedience.

It’s always interesting to see a concept struggled with and defined by the godless. Some definitions of wisdom at Webster’s are the exact opposite of what wisdom truly is. But, as every Christian ought, we take our world-life view not from men or the world’s understanding but from the Almighty. Wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and when rightly applied and acted upon, a man will flee the evil that is without and purge that evil which is within. Note the action in the last clause; just like faith, wisdom is nothing, useless, if it’s not applied. And what does God say is the right action in wisdom? Departing from evil shows our understanding of the wisdom reached through fear of the Lord.

Behold, fear God; get away from evil and purify yourself within, removing corruption so that you might not sin against Him. We have a covenant in Christ’s blood and the commandments to live without sin (1 Peter 1:16). And there is the duty to fear God, keeping His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13), and the charge in Psalm 15:4 to keep your covenant even to your own hurt: not submitting to evil, standing for Christ, by His power, we must possess our bond to God.

Being a public Christian is critical before persecution ramps up. As things get worse, it will seem necessary to do evil in the sight of the Lord. You can get all the money you want if you’re willing to sin a little on the job. You can cut a thousand corners in life thinking you’re better off, but God’s line measures by another standard. In every area, challenges are coming. Sin is easy, even fun for a time, but Moses chose not to belong to the empire enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season (Hebrews 11:24-25), but rightly regarded his future and that of his people as more consequential.

Steady in the face of the fight. Jesus doesn’t call the strong but strengthens the weak and weakens the strong so that He might be our power, persevering until the end in reliance upon Him.

If you’re not a public Christian, the likelihood that you will deny Christ at a pressing juncture of testing increases significantly. When you swore your covenant to Christ, you made your place with Him as His bride; for better or for worse, changeth not. Should evil or blessings reign down, even to your own hurt, depart from evil, for in this is the fear of the Lord brought to bear through a man who belongs by faith to Christ Jesus.

Compromise with evil is a killer, but the way of Psalm 15 is that of life for God’s glory. In times of arriving adversity, you can be numbered among those that changed not, set upon the infallible foundation which is the Rock our King; the man that does these things shall never be moved.

“LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? 2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. 3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. 4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. 5 He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.” – Psalm 15

John 17

What a divinely beautiful prayer from our Lord in this chapter. None of us will ever pray with such a lovely heart toward Holy Father God, but we must try to attain the same purposes.

John 17 is a righteous prayer in the will of God, evidence of a life dedicated to the mission that Christ Jesus completed in service of the Father to bring glory to Him as His Son. There’s no better example than Jesus of obedience for a young man today toward his father or for a disciple toward his heavenly Father; the latter will be addressed.

Some of the things Jesus speaks to the Father about in this chapter are unique to Him and their specific relationship. But we’re also heirs, left with this prayer that we might know Christ, His purposes, and His mind toward us; we can draw many direct applications for us today and should.

Jesus, in verses one and two, knows His purpose, so He starts in prayer to the Father, seeking to fulfill that purpose in the will of the Father, asking above all for Father to be glorified, that He would receive glory in the Son. Through Christ’s example, we ought to pray both in the will of the Father and to fulfill the will of the Father. You can pray for your own choices and be perpetually unhappy for your lack of worldly goods. Or, you can pray for the Father’s will above all and be blessed with the measure of fullness just by knowing Him.

“As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” – John 17:2

Jesus came to give eternal life to as many as the Father has given Him, but for an express purpose; to bring glory to the Almighty. This is an unspeakable gift. We oughtn’t to be puffed up as though any deserve it; selfish-mindedness about this purpose of Christ is misplaced. Jesus came to make for Himself the inheritance that Holy Father God promised Him before eternity began. “…ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Jesus did all things well so that His heavenly Father might be sufficiently pleased with Him, receiving glory and honor and blessings.

“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” – Romans 8:17

“Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” – Isaiah 43:7

Having been formed by God from the dust of the earth, raised to an age of understanding, and if you would by faith in Christ, reformed by a new birth through the Holy Spirit, in Christ, called by His name, God has made you for His own glory.

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” – John 17:3

There is no more a submissive act than to hand your life and will to God and ask that He do with you what He desires. For He made you from the start and remade you anew, and His Son bought you with a terrible price in blood to be His own; you are not your own, therefore bring glory to God through faithful doing of the word.

If the thought scares you some, good, you know there is a will of God for you and that you have already accepted His station far above you, but coming to grips with our place in the Kingdom of God is a lofty height of thin air indeed. It’s an unknown, unpredictable, and that’s why it’s called walking by faith.

And the greatest of unknowns could be your end, for you could be martyred, or destitute, or lead a congregation to which you’re wholly unfit (hint: none are), or called before the courts of magistrates to account for your faith having been charged as a criminal. God could bring you into dangerous and remote territory, the name of which you can’t pronounce. You might have to push yourself forward, Bible in hand, to confront your enemies with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Or, although entirely within your rights not to, reconcile your broken family.

It’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God; being Christian, and living in the Kingdom of God, serving our King to bring Him all honor and glory isn’t for the weak of faith. Jesus said, concluding a short parable of a servant and his master: “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” – Luke 17:10

Pitiful are the churches today that don’t lay out the mission of a disciple plainly by showing Christ’s commands, pointing to no other purpose but the duty to our Master, and declaring, go ye now and do it! Jesus, in John 17, shows singleness of mind to fulfill His mission to the Master, and He prays that His disciples meet their duty likewise.

Today there is one problem in the Kingdom, and it is just one fundamental problem at the root of all; the modern American church simply will not do what the Bible says. There are many reasons for this, some of which we’ve lamented over these pages, but they are all excuses at the individual level in the sight of God. To say nobody else was serving will not pass muster on the great and notable day of the Lord. To say nobody told you will not fly, for He left us His holy word with thorough instructions.

One cannot be Christian and a herd follower; it’s, as plainly as we can say, not possible. You must turn and confront the King on your knees and be anointed for the fight in righteousness, equipped also with a sword, helmet, shoes, and shield, and sent into battle against impossible odds. Christians, genuine converts, are outnumbered what, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty to one on this planet? Yet, there is no service that is not reasonable to accomplish for our Lord.

God will put you out there, hanging by one thin thread to test your faith, and regardless of the results, He’ll get the glory; look to Christ. But you see, if you won’t serve in faith, there’s nothing to test. And I’ll tell you, brethren, a little secret of those who seek the will of God, He’ll find your point where you turn back, He’ll see your limit, and you will know, in that day, He is God, and you are but sinful man, weak in the flesh. But, perhaps this is wrong; just maybe, you would go all the way to an actual cross.

A wise man once related something so simple yet profound God often brings it to mind. A worker of wickedness was testing college students at gunpoint, letting those go who denied Christ. I was discussing the faith of those young men and women who wouldn’t deny Christ and died for Him, taking a bullet to the head in front of their classmates. But this gentleman asked me, sure, you may be prepared to die for Christ in the moment, but are you willing to live your life for Him now?

Selected Notes.

“3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

What better thing in all of history for any man than that you might have occasion to eternal life and to know the one true God through Jesus Christ? There is no rational explanation that God would speak out of eternity, His Spirit moving upon the face of darkness surrounding your sin-stained mortal soul, pointing you to His Son. There is no answer but the love of God that He shined the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ into your heart, for no man ever deserved anything but the torment of hell. And sadly, if you do nothing of usefulness, you perpetuate the dead condition in which God found you, visiting a profound injustice upon Jesus; having received the truth, accepted it, and called upon Christ unto life and life eternal, not man ought to remain idle. Bring glory, therefore, to God.

What did Christ do? He did the will of the Father always, finishing the work that God gave Him to accomplish (John 6:38). No disciple is like his master except He does as his Master instructs (Luke 6:40). Finish the work ever keeping your eye on the One who is prized above all (Philippians 3:14). And if you haven’t started, well, begin today or begin anew, as Christ our Saviour has shown, in prayer, laying up before the throne your hunger to do as the Father would have, forsaking your life and the desires of the flesh for no other reason than to bring to Him the glory that is His. It’s His glory; why do you withhold it, robbing God through sloth or disobedience?

“10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.”

Christ did that which satisfied God’s purposes. We see men who took the ministry given to them and followed after Christ to the glory of God the Father (2 Timothy 4:7, 2 Peter 1:14-15); faithful servants to the end, knowing their time had come, they did not boast, but knew they had done what their Master had asked. In faith, steadfast, by the will of the Father, they, belonging to no man, didn’t follow the herd. All belonging to Christ are the Fathers, and we are one in Christ Jesus to the glory of God.

Eternal life is a gift. Men ought not to shrink from the war for His Kingdom. If you knew the half of some men’s story, tried seven times, purified through fire, made a suitable vessel, sanctified by the Spirit; spiritual tests and earthly battles and battles against the lust-filled flesh, contesting with evil spirits, constantly warring that they might fulfill the call. Having endured many a hardship of every nature, for the express purpose of pleasing our Lord and in humility still, offering no other explanation but that they remain unprofitable servants. You can be humble or uselessly unprofitable, but you can’t be both.

What need has the Captain of our salvation for soldiers who will not fight? The more challenging the battle, the more we need His command, lending yet more glory to Him from us through our dependence upon Him alone; the more satisfying will be the final day of approaching union in Him.

“17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.”

All those in Christ are His. God has sanctified you in the faith by His word; read it, study it, learn the truth, and do it. You ought to approach this with fear and sound purpose of heart, for you were made for God and are given to Christ for carrying out the will of God, having been rebirthed and sent into the world to bring glory to the Father as did Christ.

The young must be instructed daily, and the young in Christ must be trained with the express intent to grow them all in the confidence, fear, and admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ to trust and obey Him. His word, as a sword, is the tool for this self-same purpose to bring all men to trust Christ, setting them apart for God, training and encouraging them to be sent by God also into the field, some near and some far, some unto significant burdens lifted, some unto splendid duties added, but all to bring honor publicly to our Father God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

“20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.”

Jesus prayed to do that which He was commanded. That’s plain to say, sometimes tough for us to do, but what of Christ? He gave Himself to the cross with the express purpose of doing the will of the Father. Where has any Christian man found an excuse that doesn’t point directly to Calvary’s hill, leaving him bereft of options but to follow Christ?

Jesus saw His seed on the cross (Isaiah 53:10), those who would be born again, and having endured unto the end, He glimpsed His faithful bride-to-be, knowing He alone could pay the redemption price upon your head. He prayed for you, knowing you would be His own into eternity. Through the ages, disciples have shared the Gospel, doing as Christ did, to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10) so you might believe through the word and be saved. And you owe them also, your forebearers in the faith.

We should never leave Jesus as a type of widower by our faithlessness to follow after. Thousands of years ago, Jesus prayed for you that you would receive and accept the report given by the word of his disciples. Read John 17, understand it, pray, believe, and follow after Christ in faith.

The All-Prevailing Plea – A Prayer, by Charles Spurgeon (Date not included in the original)

O LORD God! the Fountain of all fullness, we, who are nothing but emptiness, come unto Thee for all supplies, nor shall we come in vain, since we bear with us a plea which is all prevalent. Since we come commanded by Thy Word, encouraged by Thy promise, and preceded by Christ Jesus, our great High Priest, we know that whatsoever we shall ask in prayer, believing, we shall receive. Only do Thou help us now to ask right things and may the utterances of our mouth be acceptable in Thy sight, O God our Strength and our Redeemer.

We would first adore Thy blessed and ever-to-be-beloved Name. “All the earth doth worship Thee, the Father everlasting.” Heaven is full of Thy glory. Oh! that men’s hearts were filled therewith, that the noblest creatures Thou hast made, whom Thou didst set in the Paradise of God, for whom the Savior shed His blood, loved Thee with all their hearts.

The faithful, chosen, called, and separated, join in the everlasting song. All Thy redeemed praise Thee, O God! As the God of our election, we extol Thee for Thine everlasting and immutable love. As the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we bless Thee for that unspeakable gift, the offering of Thine Only-begotten. Words are but air, and tongues but clay, and Thy compassion is divine, therefore it is not possible that any words of ours should “reach the height of this great argument” or sound forth Thy worthy praise for this superlative deed of grace.

We bless Thee, also, divine Son of God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, that Thou didst not disdain to be born of the Virgin, and that, being found in fashion like a man, thou didst not refuse to be obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Let Thy brows be girt with something better than thorns. Let the eternal diadem forever glitter there. Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood. Unto Thee be glory, and honor, and power, and majesty, and dominion, and might, forever and ever!

And equally, most blessed Spirit, Thou who didst brood over chaos and bring it into order, Thou who didst beget the Son of God’s body of flesh, Thou who didst quicken us to spiritual life, by whose divine energy we are sanctified and hope to be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, unto Thee, also, be hallelujahs, world without end!

O Lord! our soul longeth for words of fire, but we cannot reach them! Oh! when shall we drop this clay which now is so uncongenial to our song? When shall we be able with wings to mount upward to Thy throne, and having learned some flaming sonnets that have once been sung by cherubim above, we shall praise Thee forever?

Yet even these are not rich enough for Thy glory. We would sing unto Thee a new song. We will, when we reach the heavenly shore, become leaders of the eternal music. “Day without night” will we “circle God’s throne rejoicing,“ and count it the fulness of our glory, our bliss, our heaven, to wave the palm, and cast our crowns with our songs at Thy feet forever and ever!

Our Father, which art in heaven, next to this we would offer prayer for those who never think of Thee, who, though created by Thee, are strangers to Thee, who are fed by Thy bounty and yet never lift their voices to Thee, but live for self, for the world, for Satan, for sin. Father, these cannot pray for themselves for they are dead. Thy quickened children pray for them. These will not come to Thee, for, like sheep, they are lost, but do Thou seek them, Father, and bring them back.

Oh! our glorious Lord, Thou hast taught us to pray for others, for the grace which could have met with such undeserving sinners as we are must be able to meet with the vilest of the vile. Oh! we cannot boast of what we are. We cannot boast of what we have been by nature. Had we our doom, we had now been in hell. Had we this day our proper, natural, and deserved position, we should still have been in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. ‘Tis Thy rich, free, sovereign, distinguishing grace which has brought us up out of the miry clay and set our feet upon a rock. And shall we even refuse to pray for others? Shall we leave a stone unturned for their conversion? Shall we not weep for those who have no tears and cry for those who have no prayers? Father, we must and we will.

“Fain our pity would reclaim,
And snatch the fire-brands from the flame.”

There are those who are utterly careless about divine things. Wilt Thou impress them! May some stray shot reach their conscience! Oh! that they may be led solemnly to consider their position and their latter end! May thoughts of death and of eternity dash like some mighty waves, irresistibly against their souls! Oh! may heaven’s light shine into their conscience! May they begin to ask themselves, where they are, and what they are, and may they be turned unto the Lord with full purpose of heart.

There are others who are concerned, but they are halting between two opinions. There are some that we love in the flesh who have not yet decided for God. Behold it trembles in the balance! Cast in Thy cross, O Jesus, and turn the scale! Oh! Love irresistible, come forth and carry by blessed storm the hearts which have not yet yielded to all the attacks of the law! Oh! that some who never could be melted, even by the furnace of Sinai, may be dissolved by the beams of love from the tearful eyes of Jesus!

Lord, Lord, if there be a heart that is saying, “Now, behold I yield. Lo! at Thy feet rebellion’s weapons I lay down and cease to be Thy foe, Thou King of kings”—if there be one who is saying, “I am willing to be espoused unto Christ, to be washed in His blood, to be called in His righteousness”—bring that willing sinner in now! May there be no longer delay, but may this be the time when, once for all, the great transaction shall be done and they shall be their Lord’s and He shall be theirs.

Oh! that we could pour out our soul in prayer for the unconverted! Thou knowest where they will all be in a few years! Oh! by Thy wrath, we pray Thee, let them not endure it! By the flames of hell, be pleased to ransom them from going down into the pit! By everything that is dreadful in the wrath to come, we do argue with Thee to have mercy upon these sons of men, even upon those who have no mercy upon themselves. Father, hast Thou not promised Thy Son to see of His soul’s travail? We point Thee to the ransom paid. We point Thee once again to the groans of Thy Son, to His agony, and bloody sweat! Turn, turn Thy glorious eyes thither, and then look on sinners and speak the word and bid them live. Righteous Father, refresh every corner of the vineyard and on every branch of the vine let the dew of heaven rest. Oh! that Thou wouldest bless Thy Church throughout the world! Let visible union be established, or if not that, yet let the invisible union which has always existed be better recognised by believers. Wilt Thou repair our schisms? Wilt Thou repair the breaches which have been made in the walls of Zion? Oh! that Thou wouldest purge us of everything unscriptural, till all Christians shall come to the law and to the testimony, and still keep the ordinances and the doctrines as they were committed to the apostles by Christ!

Remember our land in this time of need. Do Thou be pleased by some means to relieve the distress prevalent. Quicken the wheels of commerce that the many who are out of employment in this city may no longer be crying for work and bread. Oh! that Thou wouldest make wars to cease to the ends of the earth, or when they break out, break Thou the slave’s fetters thereby, and though desperate be the evil, yet grant that Satan may cast out Satan and may his kingdom be divided and so fall.

Above all, Thou long-expected Messiah, do Thou come! Thine ancient people who despised Thee once are waiting for Thee in Thy second coming, and we, the Gentiles, who knew Thee not, neither regarded Thee, we too are watching for Thine advent. Make no tarrying, O Jesus! May Thy feet soon stand again on Olivet! Thou shalt not have this time there to sweat great drops of blood, but Thou shall come to proclaim the year of vengeance for Thy foes and the year of acceptance for Thy people.

“When wilt thou the heavens rend,
In majesty come down?”

Earth travails for Thy coming. The whole creation groaneth in pain together until now. Thine own expect Thee. We are longing till we are weary for Thy coming. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen and Amen.