Category Archives: Unteachable / Foolish

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Guide, Heaven and Hell, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus (hearing from God), Obeying God, Repenting from Sin, Salvation, Study the Word, Teachable, Unteachable / Foolish

Who Is Truly Living (And Dying) In Obedience To Christ?

Those who truly submit to Yeshua and accept Him as Lord, who accept His sacrifice for our sins and declare Him Lord rightly have hope for life beyond this world. This can also give us comfort for the loss of loved ones who have “fallen asleep in Jesus”. It can also give us hope for ourselves as we face hardship and death in this world.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Those Who Died in Christ

      13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words.

We should take care, however, not to fall into the trap that everyone who claims Christ or goes to church is living in obedience and right relationship with Yeshua. Many claim His name, but the fruit of their lives is disobedience rather than obedience… revealing they are not truly submitted to Him. Do not grow complacent in our own lives of the lives of others. Those who truly love Yeshua will continue to become more and more like Him and will bear fruit.

Matthew 7:15-23

      15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.

      21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Let our efforts not be selfishly about “getting to heaven” or doing the minimum to “check the box” with Yeshua. Let us realize that we are called to repent, to turn back our lives to His ways, to the instructions and the law which He followed and He taught. Do not overlook verse 23… ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlesslness.”

Churches continually teach against YHWH’s law and instructions as obsolete, claiming “Christian freedom” out of context and letting it be an excuse to basically do whatever they want rather than obeying what Yeshua taught and lived. The words of Yeshua call out those who practice lawlessness as those whom He does not know, despite their claiming His name.

Take time to reflect and pray on this subject. The law still have meaning for believers today. Seek to understand it and test what you have been taught against scripture.

For more, read Understanding the Law – What Does It Mean Today? 

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Discipline / Guidance From God, Loving / Kind, Offering Sacrifices, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Protector / Deliverer, Thankfulness, Unteachable / Foolish

Give Thanks To The Lord For He Is Good!

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Psalm 107

BOOK 5

The LORD Delivers Men from Manifold Troubles.

      1Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

      2Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary

      3And gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.

      4They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region;
They did not find a way to an inhabited city.

      5They were hungry and thirsty;
Their soul fainted within them.

      6Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;
He delivered them out of their distresses.

      7He led them also by a straight way,
To go to an inhabited city.

      8Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!

      9For He has satisfied the thirsty soul,
And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

      10There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Prisoners in misery and chains,

      11Because they had rebelled against the words of God
And spurned the counsel of the Most High.

      12Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;
They stumbled and there was none to help.

      13Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.

      14He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death
And broke their bands apart.

      15Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!

      16For He has shattered gates of bronze
And cut bars of iron asunder.

      17Fools, because of their rebellious way,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.

      18Their soul abhorred all kinds of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.

      19Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.

      20He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.

      21Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!

      22Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And tell of His works with joyful singing.

      23Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;

      24They have seen the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.

      25For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,
Which lifted up the waves of the sea.

      26They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
Their soul melted away in their misery.

      27They reeled and staggered like a drunken man,
And were at their wits’ end.

      28Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.

      29He caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves of the sea were hushed.

      30Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired haven.

      31Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!

      32Let them extol Him also in the congregation of the people,
And praise Him at the seat of the elders.

      33He changes rivers into a wilderness
And springs of water into a thirsty ground;

      34A fruitful land into a salt waste,
Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

      35He changes a wilderness into a pool of water
And a dry land into springs of water;

      36And there He makes the hungry to dwell,
So that they may establish an inhabited city,

      37And sow fields and plant vineyards,
And gather a fruitful harvest.

      38Also He blesses them and they multiply greatly,
And He does not let their cattle decrease.

      39When they are diminished and bowed down
Through oppression, misery and sorrow,

      40He pours contempt upon princes
And makes them wander in a pathless waste.

      41But He sets the needy securely on high away from affliction,
And makes his families like a flock.

      42The upright see it and are glad;
But all unrighteousness shuts its mouth.

      43Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things,
And consider the lovingkindnesses of the LORD.

Indeed, reflect on how YHWH has delivered you in your life as well as how He has delivered those recorded in Biblical history. Perhaps, also, you can reflect on times of difficulty that perhaps He brought on you or allowed in response to your rejection of Him and His word. He is loving and kind and gracious to those who seek Him and cry out to Him for deliverance.

Let us give Him thanks and praise!

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Money / Finances / Wealth, Seeking God, Unteachable / Foolish

Yeshua Can Not Be Tricked, But Beware Not To Trick Yourself

The scribes and the chief priests of Israel wanted to kill Yeshua. He spoke truth against them… against the established ways of religion and man. It upset them greatly. However, Yeshua had great standing amongst the people. They tried to trick Him so as to have a reason to accuse and arrest Him.

Yeshua can not be fooled. However, the chief priests and scribes indeed tricked themselves in rejecting Yeshua as He stood right before their eyes. They were blinded by their own bias and had their mind made up before ever considering the evidence before them.

Luke 20:19-26

Tribute to Caesar

     19The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them. 20So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor. 21They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. 22“Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 23But He detected their trickery and said to them, 24“Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 26And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.

On the surface we can pay attention to the teaching about paying taxes… give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. Let us not only walk away with this knowing we should pay what taxes are due to government, but let us also recognize that we should give to God what is His. All that we are and all that we have belongs to God. Let us hold nothing back.

We should take care not to fool ourselves, for we surely can not fool Yeshua. Let us commit our lives fully to YHWH without excuses and without holding anything back. There is no good reason why any part of our life needs to be or should be outside of our submission to YHWH.

And for any who, like the chief priests and scribes, wish to find some fatal flaw in Christ or Christianity… you will not find it if you look thoroughly and genuinely enough, following the evidence and studying the scriptures and praying for the Spirit to guide you. You will find many flaws in people who claim Christianity and you will find many flaws in the Christianity which is taught in churches, but there are no flaws in Christ Himself and the Word of God is perfect, if properly understood. If you do go on this journey, do so with clear intent to follow the evidence in unbiased manner. If you go in, like so many, already with your mind made up that Christ is not God, or that God does not exist, you may find the answer you desire through your own bias. Follow the evidence in an unbiased way, not your opinions or those of the world.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Heaven and Hell, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Obeying God, Parables, Peace / Rest, Purposeful / Intentional, Salvation, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

The Dinner Invitation

YHWH has created a metaphorical feast for His people. It is an offer of forgiveness, grace, mercy, hope, love, joy, peace and more that we may partake in through accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. He made the feast for His chosen people, Israel, but they in large part rejected Him and turned down the offer. Then He offered it to the gentiles.

Today we are all invited. Do not let yourself pass on this invitation to receive Christ as Lord and savior of your life. It has implications for our lives even today, missing out on His best for us, but it has everlasting, eternal implications for you as well. Choose wisely and find joy and peace. Choose poorly and find eternal separation from God on this earth and in hell to follow, which Christ warns us repeatedly will be like being in a pit of fire.

Luke 14:16-24

Parable of the Dinner

     16But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; 17and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ 18“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ 19“Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ 20“Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ 21“And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22“And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23“And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24‘For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’”

Let us not offend our Creator by rejecting His invitation to come into His feast. Let us not delay coming, but come at once and be fully committed.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Heaven and Hell, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Jesus (hearing from God), Purposeful / Intentional, Repenting from Sin, Salvation, Seeking God, Study the Word, Teachable, Unteachable / Foolish, Worldliness

Strive To Enter Through The Narrow Door; Many Will Seek To Enter And Will Not Be Able

Many reject Christ. Many others think they have accepted and follow Him, but He knows them not. They have been fooled by “religion”. They may go to church, donate money, and say “God bless you”, but do not truly submit their lives to Christ. Tragically, when they meet the Lord they will be devastated…

Luke 13:26-28

26“Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; 27and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’ 28“In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.

Truly seek the Lord in prayer, Bible study, worship, and quiet time with Him. Do not just go about busy chasing the day to day activities or going through some sort of religious checklist. Look to take the road less traveled in your pursuit of God… the one that appears harder… that requires personal change in your life… requires you to be different than most of those around you in order to be more devoted to Christ.

We are invited to have a personal relationship with our Creator. Don’t miss it!

Luke 13:22-35

Teaching in the Villages

     22And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. 23And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, 24“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25“Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ 26“Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; 27and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’ 28“In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. 29“And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. 30“And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”

      31Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” 32And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ 33“Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem. 34“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! 35“Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’”

Strive to enter through the narrow door; many will seek to enter and will not be able.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Purposeful / Intentional, Repenting from Sin, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Why Do You Not Make An Effort To Settle With Him?

On the surface, in Luke 12, Yeshua seems to be speaking about settling our legal affairs without going before a magistrate. Paul speaks about lawsuits within the church in 1 Corinthians 6. We may be tempted to assume it is the same or similar  message.

Luke 12:57-59

      57“And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? 58“For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59“I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent.”

It is not the same message. We must look to context of the preceding verses.

Luke 12:49-56

      49“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! 50“But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! 51“Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53“They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

      54And He was also saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. 55“And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way. 56“You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?

      57“And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? 58“For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59“I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent.”

Looking a little earlier still in Luke 12 we see Yeshua teaching about readiness. He is speaking a parable about how important it is for us to be ready for the coming of the Lord. We should be actively prepared and looking for His return. Then He speaks about how He did not come to bring peace, but division. You can not have peace among the worldly and the wicked and stand firm on the righteous instruction of the Lord. They reject it and reject you for sharing it.

As He points out that He knows there will be division, He also criticizes the people who do not recognize who He is based on the signs. They know to predict the weather… they are smart enough to settle a case where they may be guilty before they come in front of a magistrate. They settle to avoid punishment that will be severe.

Those who are familiar with the instruction of the Lord should similarly have enough knowledge to recognize the coming of Messiah. They should be rushing to settle accounts with Him before they are judged before YHWH* where there may be severe punishment. They should be repenting, not plotting to kill Messiah.

It is easy to dismiss the Pharisees and Sadducees, callously assuming we would do better. But truly reflect on your life and ask the Spirit to convict you of sin and rebellion in your life. We each should take care to judge our lives based upon the Father’s word and not our cultural norms.

Are we repentant and submitted to the Lord, standing proudly and loudly for Him even in conflict? or are we blending with society and culture of the worldly and wicked in order to have peace?

Do we justify that we are “better than most” or “good enough”? or do we humbly and desperately throw ourselves upon the mercy of YHWH offered us through Christ our Savior?

It is important that we recognize and discern the reality of our situation and ask forgiveness before our Lord before we face judgment. Take time now in prayer before the Lord to evaluate your life and ask for Him to show you areas where He wants you to change and ask for His grace and power to enable you to change. It is through His grace and power, not our own effort, that we will ultimately succeed in becoming more like Yeshua.

*Note: YHWH is the four letter name of God in the Bible derived from the Hebrew. Because the Hebrew did not record vowel sounds, we no longer know how to pronounce it for sure. It is often pronounced Yehovah or Yahweh today. Interesting history if you want to study it. Try an internet search.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Guide, Heaven and Hell, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Loving / Kind, Peace / Rest, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Satan, Share the Good News, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Do You Suppose Jesus Came To Grant Peace On Earth?

We are often overconfident in ourselves and our ability to understand and predict what will happen. We think we are wise in predicting the weather or who will win the Super Bowl or the NCAA basketball tournament. Yet how dramatically we fall short in our understanding of important concerns. Often we do not even put as much time toward trying to get the bigger concerns right… such as who is Christ and why did He come.

Yes, as Christians, I hope we can all answer with an appropriate high level answer such as “He came to provide forgiveness for our sins”.  But how often we get off track on how to apply the details in our lives. Satan is a tricky foe. He is the father of lies. If he can not convince us to reject God entirely, he tries to trick us into redefining God.

God is love. Satan would convince us that this means that God wants for us to accept everyone as they are, in all their sin with no need to change or repent. But God is also holy and just. If we encourage people to remain in their sin, unrepentant, they will be separated from God now and for eternity. If we take Satan’s deception, we neglect and abandon those who need our help and guidance. To love them is to lead them to repentance. They must admit they are sinners in need of a savior, submit to Jesus as savior, and repent of their sin.

Similarly, Satan would have us believe that Jesus came to bring peace and that we as His followers should value peace above all things as a way of demonstrating our Christ like nature. Again, Satan tells us that means accepting everyone how they with no repentance from sin or admission that they are sinners… because peace is the goal… right?

What did Jesus say? Did He come to bring peace?

Luke 12:49-56

Christ Divides Men

     49“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! 50“But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! 51“Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53“They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

      54And He was also saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. 55“And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way. 56“You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?

Jesus came to cause division. We must separate from the world and its ways in order to serve and follow Him. We can not serve both man and God. When we stand up for Christ and His ways, His values, we often find ourselves standing apart from the world. Others will come against us. We must stand up for what is right and wrong if we are to serve Him.  Silence is not service to Christ. Tolerance of sin in our culture or normalizing it as acceptable “choices” is not service to Christ. We do no one a favor by helping them feel comfortable in their unrepentant sin.

Jesus came to save the world. He did so by being comfortable standing and presenting what is right and what is wrong. He did not come to “make friends”. He created and was comfortable in stressful conflict situations. He did so with a purpose, strategy, and willful intent.  If He came and faded in the background to avoid making waves and focused on peace as His mission… would more people be saved? or more be separated from God for eternity? He showed love by creating conflict to help guide people to repentance and submission to God.

Are you willing to cause division for the sake of Christ? Or is peace and conflict avoidance more important to you than our Savior and His message? Will you put even your family above Christ? or Christ above all others? Only one can be the top priority. Only one can be Lord.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross

Am I on the path?, Consequences of Sin, Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Purposeful / Intentional, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil, Wise, Worldliness, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Live Prepared to Meet The Master At Any Time

Those of us who know and commit to serving the Lord must do so as if He may return at any moment. Recognize that whether He returns literally or not during our lifetime, He knows all about how we live our lives and we will each stand before Him when we die for judgement. Those who lived faithfully will be rewarded. Those who lived unfaithfully will be punished.

The more we knew and understood His will, the “higher the stakes”. If we know Him, His expectations are even higher for us.

From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more. (Luke 12:48b)

 

Luke 12:35-48

Be in Readiness

     35“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36“Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37“Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38“Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

      39“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40“You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

      41Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” 42And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? 43“Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 44“Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45“But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; 46the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47“And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, 48but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Purposeful / Intentional, Righteous, Righteousness / Serving God, Selfishness, Sin Nature, Teachable, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Let There Be Light Rather Than Darkness In You

Yeshua is the light of the world. He shown brightly as He walked this earth and taught people about the kingdom of God. He taught truth. He called out evil for what it is and did so directly. Many unbelieving people rejected Him. They could not see the truth of Christ as Messiah right before their eyes. God did not hide Christ but raised Him up publically for the light to shine brightly.

The truth of Christ is still with us today and available to lead us through the historical record of the Bible and through the Spirit of God who dwells amongst believers. Pray that the Lord would open your eyes so you could see clearly the truth of Christ… that your eye would be clear and thus your whole body full of light. We must first accept Christ and then we can, with the help of the Spirit, transform our hearts and minds to His service rather than our own desires.

In this way we become a light as well. Let us not hide our light, our faith in Christ, under a lampstand. Even if we must face adversity, let us shine forth for all to see. If we accept the world’s view of truth, we will be filled with darkness rather than light. Pray for the Spirit to lead and guide you and help you see clearly and understand the truth of God’s word and build relationship with Him.

Luke 11:29-36

   29As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. 30“For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31“The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32“The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

    33“No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34“The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35“Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness. 36“If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays.”

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Miracles, Mockers, Share the Good News, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil

Demanding A Sign From Heaven

Those who truly do not want to believe in Christ will ignore any sign He provides. Luke 11 documents an example where Jesus was literally expelling a demon such that a man who was mute, could now speak. Obviously some were amazed and their eyes were opened by the grace of God to seek after Christ. Others, who had already decided that Christ could not be God, look for all sorts of crazy, irrational ways to reject Him. Imagine accepting that the man was mute because of a demon and then saying that Jesus cast the demon out by Satan’s power? How foolish a logic is this… by Satan’s power someone casts out Satan’s minions? It is absurd.

They had just witnessed a sign, casting out a demon, and then some demanded… yes… a sign from heaven.  As they ignore one sign, they demand another. These men had surely already decided that Christ could not be God and they were not about to be persuaded otherwise, no matter what sign may be presented.

Jesus clearly articulates that only one stronger than Satan, namely God Himself, could overpower the demons and cast them out.

Luke 11:14-23

Pharisees’ Blasphemy

     14And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed. 15But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 16Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. 17But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. 18“If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19“And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. 20“But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. 22“But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. 23“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.

As you go about your daily walk and engage people for Christ, try not to be discouraged that there will be some, many, who reject the message of Christ. Many rejected Christ even as He demonstrated miracles. These same type of people will reject Christ as we present Him to them. Our role is to present the truth to others, God will have to open their eyes to accept it.

We should also take care not to overlook verse 23. Jesus highlights that there is no middle ground. You are either with Him, or against Him. You can not “sit on the fence” or be “neutral”.    With that said, let us pray the Spirit gives us the courage to engage people boldly for the sake of Christ.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.