The Cleansing Word
(The Word series)
Mar 5:8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
The Word of God is cleansing. Jesus commands the devils and they must obey; only He can cleanse the sin-wrecked soul, and change the heart of man. Remember Psalm 119:9? “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” What can take a sin-filled life, and completely change it around? The Word of God; what changed the maniac of Gadara, and restored him to a normal man? The Word of God. It restores as well as cleanses. It shows us the Way, as a map in the wilderness, and leads us in paths of righteousness. Further cleansing is always needed by the pure water of the Word. Consider:
“Eze 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.”
We could hardly find a text more clear than that. Though the “clean water” was not what actually cleansed the soul, as some might claim (baptism), it becomes a type of the water of the Word, which is able to cleanse us from the evils of Idols; rather, I should say, the Word becomes like clear, clean water in its cleansing ability and effectiveness.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The Blood
Psa 78:39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
We are “but flesh”; one cannot expect too much out of flesh. We are rotting flesh, rotting from the day of birth, and the only thing that slows the deterioration is the blood in our veins. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11), and so it is with the spirit! The life of the spirit is in the blood—the blood of Christ, that is! Yes, the only thing keeping our flesh from rotting in decay is the life-blood that flows in our veins, and the only thing that keeps us alive in the spirit is the precious blood of Christ, shed for the sins of the world.
We are made of corruptible material; flesh rots away eventually, and goes back into the ground, as most things do nowadays. How can we trust in that which is corrupt? Yet we do. Only the pure blood of Christ is sufficient; only His blood is incorruptible and reliable, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” (Heb. 9:22).
Some say that there was not much blood shed at Calvary, but what they fail to see is that it is not the quantity, but the quality of the blood that counts! One drop of pure, untainted blood from the veins of our Savior is sufficient to wipe away all sin--forever! What glorious power there is in the blood of Christ!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
The Stormy Seas
The Stormy Seas
Mar 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
There is great comfort in the Word of God. When the waves were boisterous, and the shipped tossed upon the crest of the waves, Jesus calmed the sea with a few words. His Word is soothing; it comforts us when the storms come, and we need to seek it daily. It was a light thing for our Savior to calm the troubled sea, but it was a fearful thing for man to see the raging waves. The closer we are to Jesus, the more assurance we have that there will be peace--everything will be alright with Jesus around. Though He was asleep in the nether part of the ship, His presence made a difference. It always does. The storm cannot go beyond the confines of grace, and it could not phase our Savior in His time of rest. Though the sea is raging, it is calm within the heart, with the full assurance that Jesus is there. Men are given so easily to panic, when all we need to do is trust.
Our God is peace for the troubled soul. His Word gives us peace and rest when trials come our way, because it is a peace that passes all understanding--a peace like no other can give us (See Phil 4:7). He speaks the Word and it is done. We have that same Word that Jesus spoke written for us in the Bible, God’s Precious Word; it is a great blessing, “a great calm” to our troubled souls, and we can depend on it to see us through the storms.
Mar 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
There is great comfort in the Word of God. When the waves were boisterous, and the shipped tossed upon the crest of the waves, Jesus calmed the sea with a few words. His Word is soothing; it comforts us when the storms come, and we need to seek it daily. It was a light thing for our Savior to calm the troubled sea, but it was a fearful thing for man to see the raging waves. The closer we are to Jesus, the more assurance we have that there will be peace--everything will be alright with Jesus around. Though He was asleep in the nether part of the ship, His presence made a difference. It always does. The storm cannot go beyond the confines of grace, and it could not phase our Savior in His time of rest. Though the sea is raging, it is calm within the heart, with the full assurance that Jesus is there. Men are given so easily to panic, when all we need to do is trust.
Our God is peace for the troubled soul. His Word gives us peace and rest when trials come our way, because it is a peace that passes all understanding--a peace like no other can give us (See Phil 4:7). He speaks the Word and it is done. We have that same Word that Jesus spoke written for us in the Bible, God’s Precious Word; it is a great blessing, “a great calm” to our troubled souls, and we can depend on it to see us through the storms.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Forsaken?
Forsaken?
“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
(Mk. 15:34)
Jesus’ cry form the cross was a cry of desperation! Yes, Jesus had a time of desperation; a time when He desperately and earnestly called out unto His God, and anguished over the loneliness of sin. You see, God had never forsaken Christ before; He was with Jesus every moment of every day, and the fullness of His Spirit was upon Him. Until the weight of sin had been placed upon His back, Jesus had never walked alone on this earth; He never had even a moment of confusion or anxiety because His Father was with Him all the way. Now, at the time of this cry unto God, He is left to Himself—with the sin of the world upon Him—a feeling He had never known before. Can you see the intensity of His cry, the anguish of His soul? Who would have thought that the Father would ever turn His back on the Son?—and yet He did. The price of sin is great; it separates us from God.
Notice first that Jesus had always referred to God as “Father”, but Here He calls Him “God”! He no longer knows the Father-Son relationship that He had all His life and all during His ministry; He no longer had that closeness with the Father that a son ought to have; sin had come between them. If sin is vile enough to separate the Father from the Son, what do you think it would do with us? Never underestimate the power of sin.
Secondly, and perhaps most important, sin breaks fellowship with even the mightiest of men. The word “forsake” means to “abandon altogether” with no hope of return in the mind of one that is leaving. It is a very strong word, as opposed to “leaving”—leaving leaves the door open for return, or reconciliation, but forsaking has no thought of ever returning again. Hebrews 13:5b tells us that our Lord will “Never leave us nor forsake us” two different depths of separation; He will not leave us for a moment, nor abandon us altogether, but that promise is only for His children. That is how God sees sin—serious enough to abandon the Son when sin was placed upon Him. Sin, which He had never known before, had separated the Son from the Father, and Jesus had to cry unto God, just as we do, for mercy and grace. Until the sin was atoned for, God had to forsake His Son, His only begotten, and leave Him to the suffering and torment of Calvary.
“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
(Mk. 15:34)
Jesus’ cry form the cross was a cry of desperation! Yes, Jesus had a time of desperation; a time when He desperately and earnestly called out unto His God, and anguished over the loneliness of sin. You see, God had never forsaken Christ before; He was with Jesus every moment of every day, and the fullness of His Spirit was upon Him. Until the weight of sin had been placed upon His back, Jesus had never walked alone on this earth; He never had even a moment of confusion or anxiety because His Father was with Him all the way. Now, at the time of this cry unto God, He is left to Himself—with the sin of the world upon Him—a feeling He had never known before. Can you see the intensity of His cry, the anguish of His soul? Who would have thought that the Father would ever turn His back on the Son?—and yet He did. The price of sin is great; it separates us from God.
Notice first that Jesus had always referred to God as “Father”, but Here He calls Him “God”! He no longer knows the Father-Son relationship that He had all His life and all during His ministry; He no longer had that closeness with the Father that a son ought to have; sin had come between them. If sin is vile enough to separate the Father from the Son, what do you think it would do with us? Never underestimate the power of sin.
Secondly, and perhaps most important, sin breaks fellowship with even the mightiest of men. The word “forsake” means to “abandon altogether” with no hope of return in the mind of one that is leaving. It is a very strong word, as opposed to “leaving”—leaving leaves the door open for return, or reconciliation, but forsaking has no thought of ever returning again. Hebrews 13:5b tells us that our Lord will “Never leave us nor forsake us” two different depths of separation; He will not leave us for a moment, nor abandon us altogether, but that promise is only for His children. That is how God sees sin—serious enough to abandon the Son when sin was placed upon Him. Sin, which He had never known before, had separated the Son from the Father, and Jesus had to cry unto God, just as we do, for mercy and grace. Until the sin was atoned for, God had to forsake His Son, His only begotten, and leave Him to the suffering and torment of Calvary.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Truth
A Man of Truth
Friends, in spite of the world’s ideas, and philosophies, Truth still prevails; in spite of how things look to the eye of flesh, and how dire life seems to be at times, Truth prevails. A man of truth will be respected whether he knows it or not. The world is not going to often tell you “I respect you”, but they will because every man is in a search for Truth, though many have a distorted view if what real Truth is. Every man desires truth to some extent, and every man respects the truth. The world needs men of truth; it needs leaders that are not afraid to venture out and lead others into the paths of Truth. Will you, dear reader, be that man?
Walk in Truth. Walk in the favor of man and God, and be a man of truth. God also desires Truth in us:
Psa 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Jesus is Truth; (Jn. 14:6) He is truth incarnate, and the epitome of Truth in Spirit. As he prevails, so Truth prevails; as he is , so is Truth.
Friends, in spite of the world’s ideas, and philosophies, Truth still prevails; in spite of how things look to the eye of flesh, and how dire life seems to be at times, Truth prevails. A man of truth will be respected whether he knows it or not. The world is not going to often tell you “I respect you”, but they will because every man is in a search for Truth, though many have a distorted view if what real Truth is. Every man desires truth to some extent, and every man respects the truth. The world needs men of truth; it needs leaders that are not afraid to venture out and lead others into the paths of Truth. Will you, dear reader, be that man?
Walk in Truth. Walk in the favor of man and God, and be a man of truth. God also desires Truth in us:
Psa 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Jesus is Truth; (Jn. 14:6) He is truth incarnate, and the epitome of Truth in Spirit. As he prevails, so Truth prevails; as he is , so is Truth.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Answered Prayer
Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. Dan. 10:12
Sometimes the answer to prayer is a long time coming. We are a very impatient people, and often become agitated because of the long wait that, many times, accompanies the answer to prayer. It took twenty-one days for Daniel to see the answer to his urgent prayer, because the answer had to pass through enemy territory! (Dan. 10:13). I believe that sometimes, this is the reason for the delay in our prayer answers also. We have no idea of the warfare that is waged in our behalf. As God receives our legitimate requests, the answer is assured, but the timing is not always according to our desires. Imagine, God sends the answer back to us, and all the way down the line it is attacked by unseen forces. Depending on the particular request, and the importance of it to the glorification of the Lord, the attack can be very fierce, and takes much effort on the part of the delivering angel. Be patient, God promises to answer our prayers, and remember, prayer is not an option, it is a necessity.
Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. Dan. 10:12
Sometimes the answer to prayer is a long time coming. We are a very impatient people, and often become agitated because of the long wait that, many times, accompanies the answer to prayer. It took twenty-one days for Daniel to see the answer to his urgent prayer, because the answer had to pass through enemy territory! (Dan. 10:13). I believe that sometimes, this is the reason for the delay in our prayer answers also. We have no idea of the warfare that is waged in our behalf. As God receives our legitimate requests, the answer is assured, but the timing is not always according to our desires. Imagine, God sends the answer back to us, and all the way down the line it is attacked by unseen forces. Depending on the particular request, and the importance of it to the glorification of the Lord, the attack can be very fierce, and takes much effort on the part of the delivering angel. Be patient, God promises to answer our prayers, and remember, prayer is not an option, it is a necessity.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Gifts
“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” (Eph. 4:8)
“Gave gifts”--the greatest of these at Calvary.
God’s gifts are “forever” gifts (Rom. 11:29)
They are not repented of.
Our God does not give grudgingly; he does not give to get.
A gift is paid for by the giver, not the recipient. Every gift has a price, but not necessarily of the recipient.
Many come bearing gifts, as the wise men came to the manger, but the Lord does not demand a gift, He requires us to give Him our hearts.
“When He ascended” He left this world, and left the gift of eternal life for mankind.
There is no greater gift than this.
He also left gifts for us to use in the church and on the street;
He gave us supernatural gifts--the gift of faith, love, mercy, etc. These are to be used by us for our betterment, and shared with others for their benefit.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Contentions
“Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.” (Prov. 13:10)
I find great truth in that old adage that when we point a finger at another, three more are pointing back at us. I cannot recall how many times I noticed that those who contended with me, and especially when they accused me, were in fact, guilty of that which they condemned me for! We are so fickle. I have had people tell me that I think I am right and no one else is, but the fact is, they think they are right too, or there would be no disagreement! In the factory where I worked for thirty years, many men told me that “religion doesn’t belong here” when I would “preach” to them, but they seemed to think that drinking and foul language did belong there! Everyone had there own agenda, and when we accuse others of any wrong doing, it is a result of pride in us. “Only by pride…” and no other reason is given for contentions. This pride puffs us up so that we wish to become the dominant one in conversation and in testimony, although we ought to desire it to be that way, and sometimes it is cloaked with the guise of “truth”. Our pride declares that we are better than others, although our mouths say differently in a mock humility. Often we wish to exercise the privilege of condemning another, and yet secretly wish we had the nerve to do what they did! Our self righteousness is pride; our self confidence is pride; anything aimed at self is pride, and we are chock full of it. We are prideful in appearance (under the guise of “testimony” to justify it); we are proud of our homes, our lawns, our automobiles, etc. and we tend to look down, to some degree, at those who are not like us. We work out to keep our bodies in shape, (for the testimony of the Lord, of course) so that we will “look good”, and that is an ostentatious display of pride. If we will be honest, we care about our public appearance way too much to the extent that we prim and pamper ourselves before we even step out the door! Oh that we would see ourselves as the wretches we really are. Most of the time our accusations against others come right back home to us; we gossip about so and so being a gossip; we criticize so and so for something when we would do the same thing or worse under their circumstances. (See Mt. 7:1-5 and Rom. 2: 1-3) We even criticize those that are critical!
I find great truth in that old adage that when we point a finger at another, three more are pointing back at us. I cannot recall how many times I noticed that those who contended with me, and especially when they accused me, were in fact, guilty of that which they condemned me for! We are so fickle. I have had people tell me that I think I am right and no one else is, but the fact is, they think they are right too, or there would be no disagreement! In the factory where I worked for thirty years, many men told me that “religion doesn’t belong here” when I would “preach” to them, but they seemed to think that drinking and foul language did belong there! Everyone had there own agenda, and when we accuse others of any wrong doing, it is a result of pride in us. “Only by pride…” and no other reason is given for contentions. This pride puffs us up so that we wish to become the dominant one in conversation and in testimony, although we ought to desire it to be that way, and sometimes it is cloaked with the guise of “truth”. Our pride declares that we are better than others, although our mouths say differently in a mock humility. Often we wish to exercise the privilege of condemning another, and yet secretly wish we had the nerve to do what they did! Our self righteousness is pride; our self confidence is pride; anything aimed at self is pride, and we are chock full of it. We are prideful in appearance (under the guise of “testimony” to justify it); we are proud of our homes, our lawns, our automobiles, etc. and we tend to look down, to some degree, at those who are not like us. We work out to keep our bodies in shape, (for the testimony of the Lord, of course) so that we will “look good”, and that is an ostentatious display of pride. If we will be honest, we care about our public appearance way too much to the extent that we prim and pamper ourselves before we even step out the door! Oh that we would see ourselves as the wretches we really are. Most of the time our accusations against others come right back home to us; we gossip about so and so being a gossip; we criticize so and so for something when we would do the same thing or worse under their circumstances. (See Mt. 7:1-5 and Rom. 2: 1-3) We even criticize those that are critical!
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