Many Mansions
John 14:1-6
“In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2)
Where was Jesus going? To Calvary! Of course He was going to Heaven, but Calvary was where he provided a mansion for us. You see, the mansions already exist (v. 2 speaks of present tense), they are already waiting for us, and only God knows the number of them. A virtual Holy city--a city full of individual mansions, which are the proper dwelling for royalty! Jesus, in all actuality, prepared us for the mansion--He prepared a place for us in a mansion in Heaven. We must meet Him at Calvary first though before we can meet Him in Heaven; this refers us back to verse one: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” That is How we meet Jesus at Calvary. Until Christ died on the cross, we had no place in Heaven--no eternal life; Jesus had to go and prepare the way for us, and He is the Way; the “preparation“ is Calvary. (John 14:6).
If He goes (and He did go) he will doubtless come again to deliver us to our mansion--to take us to heaven to be with Him (v.3). The way has been prepared already. We know the way; we know that it is through Jesus that we will go to heaven and receive our mansion, because He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father” but by Him (v. 6).
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
The Bible
“What a Book is the Bible in the mere matter of variety of contents! Everything seems to be in it . . . poem, narrative, intelligence, judgment, battle, prayer, song, anathema, and benediction.”
“It might be added that it deals with themes moral, philosophical, astronomical, biological, ethical, legal, dramatic, prophetic, historic, poetic, and romantic.
“Continuing this line of thought I am reminded of an unknown writer's contribution which is very comprehensive. He says, in the Bible we read of the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, and the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.
“Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.
“Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.
“It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.
“It is the traveler’s map; the pilgrim's staff; the pilot's compass; the soldier's sword; and the Christian's charter.
“Here heaven is opened and the gates of Hell disclosed.
“Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end.
“It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.
“Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully.
“It is a mine of wealth, health to the soul, and a river of pleasure.
“It is given to you here in this life, will be opened at the judgment, and will be established forever.
“It involves the highest responsibility, and will reward the greatest labor, and condemn all who trifle with its contents.”
--anonymous
“It might be added that it deals with themes moral, philosophical, astronomical, biological, ethical, legal, dramatic, prophetic, historic, poetic, and romantic.
“Continuing this line of thought I am reminded of an unknown writer's contribution which is very comprehensive. He says, in the Bible we read of the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, and the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.
“Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.
“Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.
“It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.
“It is the traveler’s map; the pilgrim's staff; the pilot's compass; the soldier's sword; and the Christian's charter.
“Here heaven is opened and the gates of Hell disclosed.
“Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end.
“It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.
“Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully.
“It is a mine of wealth, health to the soul, and a river of pleasure.
“It is given to you here in this life, will be opened at the judgment, and will be established forever.
“It involves the highest responsibility, and will reward the greatest labor, and condemn all who trifle with its contents.”
--anonymous
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Withered Fruit
Withered Fruit?
(The Word series)
Mat 21:19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
Jesus spoke to a tree! His Word was affective in rebuking the fruitlessness of it, and will do the same toward us. If we fail to bear fruit unto the Lord, He may just speak the Word, and we will dry up forever! Oh what a curse that would be. Thank God that He is longsuffering, and we may never see the day that He has to rebuke us in such a way, but the power of His Word is able to do so. God’s Word is good, but it is not wise for us to take advantage of it, and to have a presumptuous attitude toward it--it is always better to obey, and to do what the Lord expects of us. My friend, you are a tree of life because of Christ, is there fruit growing on you? As we are commissioned to bring real life to others through the Gospel, we need to be sure that we are bearing fruit unto the Lord. Nothing less will do. Just as easily as the Lord condemns the withered fruit, He can restore it to productivity. Our God is an altogether amazing God.
(The Word series)
Mat 21:19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
Jesus spoke to a tree! His Word was affective in rebuking the fruitlessness of it, and will do the same toward us. If we fail to bear fruit unto the Lord, He may just speak the Word, and we will dry up forever! Oh what a curse that would be. Thank God that He is longsuffering, and we may never see the day that He has to rebuke us in such a way, but the power of His Word is able to do so. God’s Word is good, but it is not wise for us to take advantage of it, and to have a presumptuous attitude toward it--it is always better to obey, and to do what the Lord expects of us. My friend, you are a tree of life because of Christ, is there fruit growing on you? As we are commissioned to bring real life to others through the Gospel, we need to be sure that we are bearing fruit unto the Lord. Nothing less will do. Just as easily as the Lord condemns the withered fruit, He can restore it to productivity. Our God is an altogether amazing God.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
“What reason ye in your hearts?”
What reason ye…?
“What reason ye in your hearts?”
This was the question Jesus asked the Scribes and Pharisee’s in Luke 5:22, yet it is a good question for each one us to ponder. When we meditate on the Truths of the Scripture, we need to ask ourselves “What reason ye in your heart?” what do you think of Jesus and the Bible? If we do not accept His Word, as it is written, can we really say we believe it? Remember, it is “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (Mt. 12:34, in part). It is important that we get the Word of God in our hearts, and not merely in our heads. Though it enters the head first, there must be an acceptance of that which we hear, and then it can be mixed with faith. It is the hearing of the Word, and the acceptance of the heart that brings us to Calvary. So, the question remains, “What think ye of Christ?” or as stated here, “What reason ye in your hearts?”
“What reason ye in your hearts?”
This was the question Jesus asked the Scribes and Pharisee’s in Luke 5:22, yet it is a good question for each one us to ponder. When we meditate on the Truths of the Scripture, we need to ask ourselves “What reason ye in your heart?” what do you think of Jesus and the Bible? If we do not accept His Word, as it is written, can we really say we believe it? Remember, it is “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (Mt. 12:34, in part). It is important that we get the Word of God in our hearts, and not merely in our heads. Though it enters the head first, there must be an acceptance of that which we hear, and then it can be mixed with faith. It is the hearing of the Word, and the acceptance of the heart that brings us to Calvary. So, the question remains, “What think ye of Christ?” or as stated here, “What reason ye in your hearts?”
Monday, September 12, 2011
Truth From Error
Telling Truth From Error
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)
Imagine the problem a judge might have today determining who is telling the truth, and who is not. He has no real guidelines for truth, and yet he must determine it for another person. His hands are tied on the matter. So, how does one recognize the truth and the error of a matter? Even a “lie detector” can be wrong at times. There is often too much at stake to allow error to slip in, and yet, they are only human. We must measure the truth with the Word of God, and that is the ONLY way we will be able to discern who is right, and who is wrong. In fact, it is the only way to determine truth from error in our lives too; you must have a measuring line, a standard with which to compare the two. Truth and error, both expose the other. If you determine one, the other is revealed; that cuts the job in half! What we need to do is learn the truth, and allow it to expose the error in our lives. We need not spend time learning about cults, or about the heinous acts that men commit, just learn truth, that is all we need. If we will consume the Word of God and soak it up as a sponge, it will reveal everything we need to know, and show us the right way to do things. Use your time wisely, and study and meditate on the Word, and leave off that time you spend searching the erroneous doctrines of men, and it will benefit you far more than you ever imagined.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)
Imagine the problem a judge might have today determining who is telling the truth, and who is not. He has no real guidelines for truth, and yet he must determine it for another person. His hands are tied on the matter. So, how does one recognize the truth and the error of a matter? Even a “lie detector” can be wrong at times. There is often too much at stake to allow error to slip in, and yet, they are only human. We must measure the truth with the Word of God, and that is the ONLY way we will be able to discern who is right, and who is wrong. In fact, it is the only way to determine truth from error in our lives too; you must have a measuring line, a standard with which to compare the two. Truth and error, both expose the other. If you determine one, the other is revealed; that cuts the job in half! What we need to do is learn the truth, and allow it to expose the error in our lives. We need not spend time learning about cults, or about the heinous acts that men commit, just learn truth, that is all we need. If we will consume the Word of God and soak it up as a sponge, it will reveal everything we need to know, and show us the right way to do things. Use your time wisely, and study and meditate on the Word, and leave off that time you spend searching the erroneous doctrines of men, and it will benefit you far more than you ever imagined.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The Water of the Word
The Water of the Word
(The Word series)
“That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,” (Eph. 5:26)
Did you ever really think about water, and the importance of it? Every living plant or creature needs water to survive. Some creatures can go long periods of time without drinking, but every living thing needs water. Water then, becomes a staple of life. Bread is also a staple of life, in fact, Jesus spoke of both of these many times in the Bible. Bread and water are our life source for the flesh, while the Word of God is the life source for the spirit. When it comes right down to it, we desperately need both to live, in the spiritual sense as well as in the physical sense. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
It is said that man is composed of 80% water, the rest is, no doubt, hot air! Actually I believe it is even higher than 80%, I’m being conservative, but the point is that water is very important in our lives. Where would we be without water? Dead! It is easy then, to see that the Water of the Word is important too, so much so that the Lord often refers to water in the scriptures. Just as our bodies need water to survive, so doe our spirit--spiritual water that is. We cannot continue in the grace of the Lord without the Water of the Word. Jesus is called the “fount of living water”. This refers to John 7:38 where we read “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”
The woman at the well in John 4 found the “Living Water” that sates the thirst of the soul.
Joh 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
This Living Water is all that we will ever need, it is a wellspring unto eternal life. The Word gives us Life; it is as refreshing as a cold drink of water is to the weary traveler’ it is the very life of the soul.
(The Word series)
“That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,” (Eph. 5:26)
Did you ever really think about water, and the importance of it? Every living plant or creature needs water to survive. Some creatures can go long periods of time without drinking, but every living thing needs water. Water then, becomes a staple of life. Bread is also a staple of life, in fact, Jesus spoke of both of these many times in the Bible. Bread and water are our life source for the flesh, while the Word of God is the life source for the spirit. When it comes right down to it, we desperately need both to live, in the spiritual sense as well as in the physical sense. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
It is said that man is composed of 80% water, the rest is, no doubt, hot air! Actually I believe it is even higher than 80%, I’m being conservative, but the point is that water is very important in our lives. Where would we be without water? Dead! It is easy then, to see that the Water of the Word is important too, so much so that the Lord often refers to water in the scriptures. Just as our bodies need water to survive, so doe our spirit--spiritual water that is. We cannot continue in the grace of the Lord without the Water of the Word. Jesus is called the “fount of living water”. This refers to John 7:38 where we read “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”
The woman at the well in John 4 found the “Living Water” that sates the thirst of the soul.
Joh 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
This Living Water is all that we will ever need, it is a wellspring unto eternal life. The Word gives us Life; it is as refreshing as a cold drink of water is to the weary traveler’ it is the very life of the soul.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
The Root of Evil
The Bible says that “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10); let’s look at this verse very closely, and consider the implications of it.
When I see the word “root” I often think of plants, and how beautiful some have become. A flower, for instance is a desirable plant, and we often like to display it in our homes and gardens, but it seems that no one likes to display the roots! The roots are ugly, they are undesirable, while the tree or plant does not at all resemble the root. Every plant has a base, and we call that base the “root”. The root remains though underground, and out of sight, while the product of the root is visible, and often desirable; though we do not see the root, we know that it exists, and is crucial to the health of the flower or plant. So it is with sin, as the root cause is often hidden deep in the soil of the heart, the product may look good, and even desirable to the human eye; the enticement then is not the root, but the plant! Every sin has a root, and the Bible says that the root of evil has to do with the “love of money”, though we cannot always see the connection, it is there, and the root nourishes the sin. Just as the root sustains and nourishes the plant (flower), so does the love of money nourish the sin. We must sink our roots deeply beneath the soil of love--specifically, God’s love, so that the flower will be a blessing to others, and the root remain under the soil of true love apart from the love of money.
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