Published December 31, 2011 | 
Friends,
I really do wish all my readers a wonderful 2012.
As for 2011, it was terrific year for Betty and me. We celebrated out 48th anniversary. Took our anniversary cruise to the Bahamas with several of our friends.
Perhaps the greatest thrill of our heart has been to watch the ministry that we parented in 1976, Christian Challenge International, continue to grow stronger and stronger under the guidance of our son Nathan.
It has been awesome to see the caliber of people the Lord has gathered to us, and to consider the strong leadership that the Lord has given to Christian Challenge.
Words could never express how so very much we are thankful for. But to give my readers a true feeling for all that we wish for your 2012, please enjoy these marvelous pictures. They can say more than I can as for our wishes for your 2012.
I do hope you have a sense of humor along with a laughing heart.
(Thanks Doug for the pictures.)
Always in Christ,
Buddy
Published August 27, 2011 | “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.” (Heb 7:25-27)
Journal,
The point of no return can be applied to various situations, and especially in the work of redemption it has a place. I decided to draw on this term from my experience as a radioman in the Navy.
I was stationed in the Philippine Islands during the early years of the Vietnam War. (1960-62) As a radioman on a Navy Marlin-Martin P5M (Seaplane), it was our job to check on Chinese and Vietnamese shipping in the South China Sea. We flew low while taking pictures of the shipping. Was never shot at to my knowledge.
When we reached a certain point between our home base in Sangley Point and a forward safety area, I would send a secret morse code message stating, “We have reached the point of no return.” That code meant that if we were in trouble, we could not look back at our home port for help.
There was no turning back. In the event of a problem, we had to go forward to the closest safety port.
Points of No Return
There are noted ‘points of no return’ in the Scriptures. One such point of no return involves a last judgement.
Forget reincarnation or transmigration of the soul or any other such nonsense. There are no second chances after death.
“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” (Heb 9:27-28)
Take note that the judgment is for those who have rejected Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. True believers do not have to be judged. Their judgment took place at the cross.
“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (Joh 3:18)
The apostle adds to this ‘no damning judgement’ for a believer when he says,
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” (Rom 8:1-2)
The Biblical term for condemnation is the word ‘katakrima’ (kat-ak’ree-mah). It speaks of a judicial damnatory sentence. The reason there can never be a damming sentence against the believer is because his life has been placed in Christ. To condemn a believer, Christ would have to be condemned.
The tenses in the Greek speak in this way: ‘There is not now nor can there ever be a damnatory sentence against anyone who is in Christ Jesus.’
All of this wraps around God’s plan of redemption from the beginning. It involves the mystery of the cross in how the Father would place each believer in His Son. It is in this way that no believer could ever be separated from God’s redemption love.
Paul said it this way:
“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:37-39)
It all has to do with the cross.
The Cross is God’s Covenant of No Return
The defining point of redemption history is found in the message of the cross. The new covenant is a covenant of creation. It is not the covenant of Moses made better. The new covenant addresses a new humanity. This new humanity is made up of ‘in Christ’ believers.
The Lord said to this Jewish leader,
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (Joh 3:6-7)
The Greek term for ‘born again’ is, ‘gennao anothen.’ ‘Anothen’ means, ‘from above.’ ’Anothen‘ is a Greek modifier. It includes the idea of ‘from the beginning.’
Thus the lost man must have a heavenly rebirth that gives him a new beginning. But it is a birth that has its origin from the beginning. This is where the idea of ‘heavenly‘ comes in. The birth from above is divine in origin. It is from above.
The apostle alludes to this, when he says,
“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the kind intention of His will.” (Eph 1:4,5)
God spoke through the prophet Isaiah in setting forth a new humanity made up of sons and daughters -
“Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: ‘Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons, and you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.’” (Isa 45:11)
Paul is drawing on this in describing God’s new creation in Christ.
“The first man [Adam] is from the earth, earthy; the second man [Christ] is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.” (1Co 15:47-49)
The Centerpiece of the New Covenant
A key issue of the new covenant is that God’s new creation people are not only hidden in Christ, but they are also given the spiritual nature of Christ. Peter makes reference to our new nature -
“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2 Peter 1:4)
One day we will fully enjoy the total of our spiritual inheritance, but for now we are the heavenly children of God in earthly bodies.
It is important to understand this. The apostles never discounted the fact of our being in earthly bodies. Believers are still subject to issues in this present life. We struggle with temptations and with our own fleshly weaknesses at times. Yet within every believer is the source of life that helps us to overcome those things that we are confronted with.
Jesus describes this divine source of life in terms of an overflowing heart. In speaking with the woman at the well, He said,
“… but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (Joh 4:14)
One of the most powerful lessons that a believer can ever learn is the lesson of learning to draw from the deep of their own inward spiritual fountain.
The prophet of old tells us how this works. Listen carefully with your heart. This is something every believer should make part of their victory language. -
“’Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.’ Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.” (Isa 12:2-3)
And it all has to do with…
The Children of the Covenant
John said,
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” (1Jn 3:1-2)
We belong to a kingdom that is not of this world. It is a kingdom of sons and daughters. It is a kingdom of freedom. It is a kingdom where each child is treated as part of the royal family. And even when the Father brings discipline into our lives, it is always the discipline of a loving Father designed to help the child learn how to live in righteousness.
Jesus said,
“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36)
So, once again we hear that Jesus did not come to give us a new religion. Nor did He come to give us a visible structure by which we can find ourselves. We must learn to find ourselves with the Jerusalem from above. The kingdom we serve is invisible to the eye. No one can say, “Lo, Christ is here.” Or, “Lo, Christ is there.”
Does this mean that we should not flock ourselves together as believer. Not at all. Actually it is just the opposite. The Lord places each child in the body as it pleases Him. There will always be a proper flock for each believer to associate himself with.
Let’s look at one more issue. It has to do with …
Unique Traits of God’s ‘No Return’ People
There is identifiable traits of God’s new Adam race in Christ. Every person who is born from above has direct access to God Himself. It is this fact alone that does away a need for an intermediary ministry in the new covenant.
No single believer has more access to the divine counsels of God than does another believer. Lots of folk don’t like to hear this, but it is Biblical.
One noted weakness that can be found with many believers today is in their attempt to live the new covenant, on an old covenant level. This is why they continue to look for a prophet who can give them a word from the Lord. Any attempt to live on that level is an open door for disaster.
Listen very carefully to how Jesus describes His new covenant people;
“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one Shepherd.” (John 10:16)
Note the Lord’s emphasis on His ‘Voice.’
In the former covenant, the prophets served as the voice of God. In God’s new humanity, each person born from above, has the Voice of the Shepherd speaking into his or her life.
This is not to say that new covenant believers have no need of mature counsel. Quite the contrary. Mature guidance is especially crucial for the immature believer. But the guidance given must be only from what God has given us to say in the Scriptures.
Then we have another unique trait found in God’s new humanity. Inside each and every believer is found the ‘authorship‘ of heaven. This means that the believer carries a seal over his or her heart. And in this seal is the very presence of heaven. That is what the Spirit of Jesus is all about.
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Eph 1:13-14)
It is this presence of heaven in our hearts that creates our homesickness. Every true believer knows intuitively that they are only pilgrims and strangers in this life. We know that our true home is glorious beyond words. We also know that we will have a new heavenly body and that there is nothing in this world to compare to the life that awaits us.
Listen to these Scriptures. See where they fit in your life –
“But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.” (Gal 4:26)
“For he [Abraham] was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Heb 11:10)
“But as it is, they [Old Testament believers] desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” (Heb 11:16)
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Php 3:20-21)
“For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven…” (2Co 5:1-2)
Here is a song for your meditation. If you have not surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus, now is the time. Let this song be your prayer.
In Christ always,
Buddy
Published July 25, 2011 | 
Eternal Covenant of Christ
“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations [goy ‘Gentiles’.] He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street.
“A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice [Judgment of the cross]. He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice [Judgment of the cross] in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law [Doctrines of Christ - Not the law of Moses.]
“Thus says God the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it, ‘I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You,
“’And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations [goy ‘Gentiles’], to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.” (Isa 42:1-7)
Journal,
The new covenant is an eternal covenant made in heaven and contracted on earth. The only way a person can experience the grace and blessings of the new covenant is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ Himself is the new covenant. When you receive Christ you receive the new covenant. This is the law of the cross.
Let’s look at an incident where the Lord sets forth the new covenant in prophetic picture-language. During the feast of tabernacles as the priestly procession goes to the pool of Siloam to bring back water to pour on the altar, Jesus stops the procession.
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37-39)
Where Jesus speaks of the outflow of living water, He is describing the new covenant life experience. The new covenant is about life. God’s new covenant people are made alive with
the life of Christ Himself.
Where it says, “the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified,” the word “given” is not in the text. What John said was, “The Spirit was not yet.” The question is, “How can this be? All the prophets had the Spirit. John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit while in his mother’s womb!”
The new covenant is unlike any covenant ever given to man. The Holy Spirit in the new covenant ministers the finished work of the cross in believers. No person before the cross could have the Holy Spirit in that sense. Why is this?
“Because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
What distinguishes the new covenant from all the former covenants is that at the moment of receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit enters the heart of the believing one as the Spirit of the resurrected, ascended, and glorified Jesus Christ. Every believer is a Christ possessed person. (Cf. Col 1:26,27)
The Divine Imprint
Paul wrote the Galatian Christians, and said,
“My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you.” (Gal4:19)
Paul’s concern was for their inability to know and recognize the Lord at work in their lives. It was an issue of spiritual maturity
Because the Galatians believers were still immature in their walk with the Lord, they were being pulled back and forth. They were a young group. Paul said a similar thing to the Ephesian Christians. He said,
“We are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects INTO HIM…” (Eph4:14)
It happens today. The immature believe is easily moved by his emotions. They tend to be restless and unbalanced. This is why young believers need a great deal of help in this area. They are easily misled.
Again this is one reason the Lord raises up pastors as servant-ministers. A pastor’s greatest job is to tenderly care for a flock. If a young believer is not under the kind of teaching that will lead him to believe deeply in his salvation and in God’s love, he will manifest a spiritual unrest.
So keep in mind that in the new covenant we have the Holy Spirit to parent us into the processes of the covenant. And it is God’s Spirit who imprints us to the Lord. Yet the Lord does use men and women to help believers make necessary spiritual transitions.
A Personal Walk With God
What does being a Christ-possessed person mean? It means that each person born of the Spirit can now judge for himself/herself that which is of God and that which is not of God. It is this discerning and judging of all things by the Spirit that allows the believer to understand the issue of life itself. This is essentially was spiritual maturity is about.
In the old covenant if you wanted to hear from God, you went to the prophet. In the new covenant there is no need for a certain body of prophets or ‘special’ spokesmen to represent God in the earth. Yes, God does place in the body certain God-called servants, but these servants have a purpose in helping believers come to a full maturity in Christ. These servant-ministers are to ever take the place of a believers personal walk with Jesus.
John explained it this way -
“As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides (permanently indwells), and you have no need for anyone* (Greek word ’tis’ means a special single someone, or a guru) to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, YOU ABIDE IN HIM.” (1John2:24-27 Please read the reference.)
Where John speaks of the believer’s ‘indwelling anointing’ he is addressing the life of Christ that abides permanently in each believer.
Paul spoke of it this way:
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal 2:20)
Does this mean we should not listen to others? Absolutely not. God can and does speak to us through others. What it means is that every believer can discern truth for himself. The term ‘truth’ in the New Testaments speaks of knowing the reality behind an appearance. (Recognizing the things of God.)
A Covenant of Eternal Life
I Love You Jesus
Jesus said that He came to give us life and life in full measure. Eternal life addresses eternity. It addresses a life that cannot be lost. But it also speaks of a spiritual quality of life that can can only be found in the Son of God.
Not only is Jesus the Son of God, Jesus is the very Life of God. I realize this concept is difficult to grasp. The apostles themselves walked with the life of God. They even touched the life of God. They listened to the life of God.
Listen to how John explains it -
“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life– and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—“ (1Jn 1:1-2)
Can you feel John’s excitement? They walked with Eternity! They walk with the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. They walked with God.
The story does not end there. John’s excitement continues to build as he writes his letters about the life of God. Listen with your heart -
“The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.
“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
“He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1Jn 5:10-13)
Only a couple of questions left -
Do you have the Son of God, or do you have religion?
What do you talk about, Jesus Christ or your religion?
Think about it.
Let this song will explain what true Christianity is all about. Lord I Lift Your Name on High.
In God’s Grace,
Buddy
Posted in Bible Insights | 
eternal covenant, eternal security, Jesus Christ, path of life, Voice of GodPublished April 19, 2011 |
“One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
“In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.” (Psa 27:4-6)
Journal,
David speaks of God’s secret place, of God’s hiding place, and the place of God’s shelter. Often when he uses these terms, David is referring to the holiest of holies in which only the high priest was allowed to enter but once a year. But behind the symbol lies the reality.
So, why would David say that the secret place is where God hides His people? And David isn’t the only one who speaks of this secret dwelling place.
Listen to Moses:
“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Psa 90:1-2)
All the prophets shared insights into the wonders of redemption. Their full understanding had limitations. Some things were kept in store for the times of Messiah.
Note the apostle Peter:
“As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know
what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
“It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven
“–things into which angels long to look.” (1Pe 1:10-12)
God’s blue print of redemption
Between the angels and over the mercy seat was a Light. In the Light was a form. The form was Jesus Himself. God spoke to Miriam and Aaron, concerning the form:
“With [Moses] I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?” (Num12:8
Now Paul:
“… who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant … ” (Phil2:6,7)
The blue print of our redemption is in the Old Testament tabernacle plan. The holiest of holies was the most sacred part of the tabernacle. It represented heaven and the throne of God. No one was allowed to entered there except the high priest, and that only once a year. He carried over his breast the tribes of Israel.
In the holiest of holies was the Ark of the Covenant. On each side of the lid were two angels. Their gaze was fixed on the mercy-seat.
This is what Peter is calling attention to. The angels speak of the wonder of heaven about the incarnation of the Son of God, and in His work of redemption. The Light over the mercy-seat was the same Light that blinded Paul on the road to Damascus.
But the angels saw something else. In looking at the mercy of redemption they saw the children of God, seated with Christ in the heavenly places. This is their wonderment.
Our secret hiddenness
David often breaks forth into praise when he speaks God’s love for His people.
“How great is Your goodness, which You have stored for those who fear You, which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, before the sons of men! You hide them in the secret place of Your presence, from the conspiracies of man; You keep them in the shelter from the strife of tongues.” (Psalm 31:19,20 nasb.)
The lives of all believers are hidden with God in Christ.
David could speak of the holiest of holies as the hiding place for God’s people because he saw passed the veil, and into God’s redemption plan that stretched from eternity past to eternity future.
David saw the Lord Jesus. In fact, David called Jesus, his Lord. (Ask me if you don’t know where this is.)
The secret place of God would take in all His people from ancient time on. The tabernacle was a picture-perfect symbol of God’s eternal purpose for all His people.
The ever-present One
Even the Old Testament saints knew in their hearts that the Lord was their ever-present security in life. The Psalmist Asaph speaks of God’s people as His ‘treasured ones.’ He writes,
“They make shrewd plans against Your people, and conspire together against Your treasured ones [tsaw-fan'].” (Ps83:3)
These treasured ones are God’s people of the ages. The Hebrew for ‘treasured ones’ speaks of that which is covered by God, or, that which is hidden, or, that which is kept secret. It especially speaks of the secret of one’s heart. God’s treasured ones are the secret love of His heart.
All who are ever going to be saved have their names already recorded in God’s book of redemption. Their point of salvation in this life is determined in Christ. Jesus said that everyone the Father gives to Him, will come to Him. He also said that all who come to Him, He will raise up on the last day.
Such a mystery this.
The psalmist puts things together when he writes,
“For in the day of trouble He will conceal [tsaw-fan'] me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock [the Rock is Christ]. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.” (Psalm 27:5,6)
Sealed and concealed for eternity
The Hebrew for ‘conceal‘ [tsaw-fan']is the same Hebrew word used for God’s ‘treasured ones’. God’s people are His treasures in the earth and for all eternity. This allows us to have a better understanding of a kingdom parable about a treasure. Jesus said,
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field [world], which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matt13:44)
The story is the story of the cross. Jesus Christ gave His life for the hidden treasure. Jesus came to seek that which was lost. Now the treasure is hidden again, but this time it is hidden in Christ.
Paul said,
“For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” (Col3:3,4)
Being hidden in Christ means that every believer is eternally secured from the power of darkness. We can never be separated from God’s love. Our life is placed in the Light of God’s very being. Peter said that our calling was into “His marvelous light.”
Secured eternally
Our place in Christ was secured at the cross. We have already been raised up and seated with Him in the heavenly places. We are to live out our present life with the knowledge of our eternal
placement. God gives us heavenly life as a foretaste of eternity. Heavenly life is God’s oversight of our lives. Heavenly life is also the working of heaven in our hearts.
God never takes His eyes off any who belong to Him. Listen to this conversation between David and the Lord:
[David] “You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.”
[Lord] “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” (Ps27:7,8)
Jesus said,
“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. … This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:37,39,40)
What say ye Christians? Is your heart in tune with heaven. Are you looking and longing for you final redemption?
Take time to listen once again to this song.
In Christ always,
Buddy
Think about it.
Published March 22, 2011 | 
“For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.” (Mar 13:8)
“… and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world …
“…when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:11, 25-28)
Journal,
Jesus is describing the events that lead up His second coming. The rapture will be the major keynote that precedes the great tribulation. When the rapture occurs the planet will undergo horrors that have never been known. Jesus said…
“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” (Mat 24:21-22)
In a study of the end times it is important to distinguish between the 1st and 2nd coming of Jesus. It is also important to differentiate the rapture from the
Lord’s actual return to the earth. While I remain pre-trib in my beliefs I don’t take an exception with other views. Who knows it all anyway?
So, whether a person is pre-trib, mid-trib, or end of tribulation view, the evidence is overwhelming that we are in that place in time that precedes the return of Jesus Christ.
In addition to the beginning Scriptures here are other Scripture indicators that figure the end-time era of redemption history. Take time to study these Scriptures. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill in the blanks. (This is a good guide for anyone doing a Bible study.)
Place your cursor over the Scripture reference and it will appear.
- Can a land be born in one day? Cf. Isa66:8. (Compare this to the ‘beginning of birth pangs’ of Mark 13:8 Also see Acts 1:6, 7.)
- The things of Daniel 12:1-4. (Leads to the great tribulation and the final judgment.)
- As in the days of Noah. Cf. Luke 17:24-30; 1Pet1:18-22; Gen6:1-5.
- Corruptions of the race. Cf. Rom1:25-32; 2Tim3:1-5.
- The focus of Jerusalem. Cf. Zech12:1,2,9,10; 13:1-6 (Wounds? – Psa22:16); John19:37.
- Placement of God’s people. Cf. Eph2:1-9; 4:30-32; Col3:1-4; Hosea 6:1-3.
- The rapture. Cf. 2Th2:1-13; 1Th4:14-18; 1Co15:51-58.
- 2nd coming. Cf. Mat24:29-37. (Parable of fig tree is Israel. Cf. Mat21:9-20; Luke13:34-25)
- Final prayer of God’s people. Cf. Rev22:17-21; 2Tim4:7,8 — Do you love his appearing?
What does all this mean to God’s people? I’m glad you asked. Let’s talk a bit about…
The Covenant of the Spirit
What distinguishes the new covenant from all the former covenants is that at the moment of believing in and receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit enters the heart of the believing one. Every believer thereby becomes a Christ possessed person.
“… the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col 1:26-27)
This means that in our walk with the Lord each believer can learn to judge for himself or herself that which is of God and that which is not of God. It is this discerning and judging of all things by the Spirit that develops in the believer over time. This is crucial when it comes to end time happenings.
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” (1Co 2:12-13)
The issue is that in the new covenant while the Lord does place us in a body of believers according to His will and purpose, yet He does not deal with us as groups. In the new covenant there is no need for a certain body of prophets or ‘special’ spokesmen to represent God in the earth.
All the apostles emphasized this. John says,
“As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides (permanently), and you have no need for anyone* (Greek word ’tis’ means a special single someone, or a guru) to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.” (1John2:24-27 Please read the reference.)
John’s point is that God’s new covenant people are never to be in bondage to anyone, and especially to someone who sets himself up as the spokesman for God. Does this mean we should not listen to others? It doesn’t mean that at all. God gives us pastors for a purpose.
My main point is that new covenant believers should never become movement chasers, prophet chasers, or group chasers. Listen to the Lord with your heart. Do your own praying. Study for yourself. The new covenant walk opens up in a powerful way when we get personal with the Lord. (The Lord is much more involved in your life than you realize.)
Yes, these can be scary times but not so for the child of God. Our instructions will never change. Listen to the Lord:
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” (Joh 14:1-3)
The apostle Paul said that the Lord was coming after a people who ‘love His appearing.’ Do you love His appearing? Do you long for His appearing? This is one of the preeminent signs of a true believer.
Jesus said it this way:
“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” (Joh 12:25-26)
Here is your song. Take time to listen to, ‘How Great is Our God.’
Always in love with Jesus,
Buddy
Published August 13, 2010 |
“But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’” (1Co 15:54-55 NASB)
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Journal,
If the fact be told, Christianity is the only religion that sets aside death and judgment for her believers. Every other religion leaves humankind in a state of uncertainty and often even in hopelessness. In this entry I want to deal with that most crucial issue in the human experience, death and judgment.
As a beginning place I’ll share words from three men who represent the best that their religion had to offer; Rabbi Saccai of Judaism, Mohammed of Islam, and the Apostle Paul of Christianity. Each man speaks to what their religious world offered with respect to death and judgment.
Let’s begin with Saccai. Rabbi Saccai lived before and after the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. His full name was Rabbi Yochanan ben Saccai. [Yochanan is Hebrew for John.] Some scholars believe that Rabbi Saccai was the ‘John’ who sat in judgment of the apostles and possibly participated in the trial of Jesus.
If that is the case here is the Scripture reference that may apply to Rabbi Saccai:
“On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. When they had placed them [Peter and John] in the center, they began to inquire, ‘By what power, or in what name, have you done this?’…
“[After the council had deliberated] And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” (Act 4:5-7,18 NASB)
Yochanan ben Saccai was so well known and revered in Judaism that when anyone spoke of John of the Sanhedrin, no futher identification was needed. He was so highly regarded in Judaism that he had the title, ‘the light of Israel, the right pillar of the Temple, and its mighty hammer.’
[The Jews loved titles as do many among Christians today. Jesus warned believers against the use of titles. That's why I have little for those who like to be called 'apostle' or 'prophet' so and so. To me it reeks of pride.]
As for Rabbi Saccai, this man was the major influencing factor in giving shape to Talmudic Judaism after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 a.d.. But did he deserve the title, ‘light of Israel’? I’m afraid not. That title belongs to one Person alone, the Messiah.
Here is the Saccai’s death bed testimony as recorded in the Talmud:
Rabbi Saccai’s deathbed testimony
“When dying, his disciples came to see him. He burst into tears. Ask, ‘Why?’ ‘If I were now to be brought before an earthly king, who lives today and dies tomorrow, whose wrath and whose bonds are not
everlasting, and whose sentence of death, even, is not that to everlasting death, who can be assuaged by arguments, or perhaps bought off by money I should tremble and weep; …
“…how much more reason have I for it, when about to be led before the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be he, who liveth and abideth for ever, whose chains are chains for evermore, and whose sentence of death killeth for ever, whom I cannot assuage with words, nor bribe by money! …
“…And not only so, but there are before me two ways, one to paradise and the other to hell, and I know not which of the two ways I shall have to go whether to paradise or to hell: how, then, shall I not shed tears?”
Think about Yochanan ben Saccah’s death bed testimony. Does it sound like he had any assurance in that which was to come?
Then we have this statement from the writings of Islam, concerning Muhammed’s own insecurity.
How Muhammad looked at death
“Muhammad said: ‘By Allah, though I am the Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me.’” (hadith 5:266) - In Islam the only guaranteed way to enter heaven is by martyrdom. This is the driving force of suicide bombers.
Now compare these statements to Paul;
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The testimony of the apostle
“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain…But I am hard pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.” (Phil1:21-24)
Paul carried in his heart what old timers called ‘divine assurance.’ Every true believer carries this assurance.
Can we carry this further? How about the Hindu religion? It is the same. They preach ‘another’ Jesus. He is one of the many reincarnations of God, called an Avatar.
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How about superstitions…
It doesn’t matter how many crosses a rock star may hang around his neck, this has nothing to do with Jesus of the gospels. The cross is not some amulet to wear to give good luck. The only cross that saves is the message of the cross. Paul said this message is, “foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.“ (1Co1:18)
What then is the point? The point is that there is only one Jesus Christ. He Himself is in the message of the cross. And when Jesus Christ is preached, and received, and accepted as the atonement of our sins, and as Redeemer and Savior, for the believing one there is a seal placed upon their heart.
This seal carries in it the testimony of divine assurance. The seal carries in it the very life that Jesus came to give us. The seal contains the presence of heaven as a continual reminder that we are simply pilgrims on a journey.
And the seal carries in it that the believer has already been judged in Christ and that heaven is the believer’s assured destiny. Christian believers are the very children of the throne.
Consider:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.“ Joh 5:24
Follow through with these Scriptures.
“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” (Heb 2:14-15 NASB)
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Php 3:20-21 NASB)
” [God] and raised us up with Him [Jesus}, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph 2:6-9 NASB)
Yes, Jesus laid death and judgment in the grave
This is why there is no such thing as a person not knowing if they are saved or not. You either believe in and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, or you don't. There is no middle ground. If you truly trust in Jesus as Lord of your life, this means you have left the world of darkness, that you have turned from your sins, and that you now carry in your heart a divine seal of salvation.
Paul adds to this in saying,
"For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." (Rom8:14)
And again,
"The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ..." (Rom 8:16,17)
John the beloved adds to the record by saying,
"The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself ... and the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life..." (1John5:10)
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Now we know why...
...Rabbi Jochanan ben Saccai faced death with tears and dread. and why Mohammed did not know what Allah would do with him. And we also understand why true believers have no dread of death or fear of eternity. It is because God's 'seal' of the heart carries with it the very essence of our heavenly home.
God's children all carry in themselves a heavenly consciousness. We know that this world is not our home. We share in the testimony of Jesus Christ.
"And He was saying to them [Pharisees], “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.” (Joh 8:23)
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” (Joh 15:19)
“[Father] I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they [all true believers] are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” (Joh 17:14)
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The simplicity of faith in Jesus
God’s divine seal of assurance goes much much deeper than our emotions. It is a thing of the heart. Paul said that with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. What he is saying is that the confession is an automatic response to what has happened in the person’s heart. We speak what is in our hearts. If Jesus Christ is our Lord, we will certainly let people know it.
The apostle also warns against believers following after strange teachings and following after things that may not be of God:
“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.“ (2Co 11:3NASB)
to Jesus Christ. Don’t be led astray from the simplicity and purity of your devotion to Jesus Christ. It is the simple message of faith in Jesus Christ, and in the finished work of the cross that we must preach and tell the world. If we are preaching anything else, there can be no work of salvation. The apostle quoted Isaiah, in saying,
“Lord, who has believed our report [message]?” He then says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Cf. Rom10)
Christ Himself actually speaks to the hearts of men and women in the preaching of the cross. This is what makes preaching so powerful. Paul says it plain enough when he said to the Corinthians,
“For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1Co2:2)
He then explained why this was the only message he preached;
“So that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” (Cf. 1Co2:5)
With all this in mind, let me share just a bit about…
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The Jordan message…
Crossing the Jordan is a figure of speech that believers use for our passage into the eternal kingdom of God. As a long time minister of the gospel it has been my great honor to attend to the going home of so many of God’s children. It is as the Psalmist said,
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.” (Psalm 116:15 nasb)
The Lord called me to preach the gospel of His Son when I was twenty-four years old. I will soon be seventy. But the Lord did something a bit extra on my behalf. He has also allowed me to sing the gospel in the form of songs that He has given me.
Some years ago the Lord gave me a song to share about the believer’s journey into His eternal kingdom. The song is entitled, ‘At the Crossing of the Jordan.’
There is nothing professional about the song, but it does carry with it a message from heaven. Take a moment to listen to ‘At the Crossing of the Jordan.’ Its me on the guitar with help from some dear friends and family. The song speaks to our journey home. Let it speak to your heart.
That’s it for now.
May the Lord be gracious to you,
Buddy
Published August 5, 2010 | “Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it.” (Psa 37:3-5 NASB)
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Journal, 
The single most important factor that will affect a believer’s walk with the Lord has to do with coming to realize the very character and nature of God.
I have loved the Lord deeply the greater part of my life. In fact I answered my call to the ministry at age 24. This month I will turn 70.
Even though I loved Jesus fervently from my heart, I didn’t always understand that much about God’s character. Most of the preaching I had heard was filled with passion but short on teaching on the ways of the Lord, or on discovering the very heart of God. My ministry was molded around what I had heard.
In 1971, I left the full time ministry. The drain was just too much. So, for the next three years I devoted myself to serious spiritual adjustments. Sure, I preached out and continued my ministry of winning souls to the kingdom, but I also went into business. In my mind being in full time ministry was a thing of the past.
Those three years became a mile stone in my walk with the Lord. It was during that time that I began to experience the Lord on a level that I never knew existed. What had been a mixed struggle and a strain in my walk of faith, was now becoming a joyful walk filled with stability and grace. The Lord was teaching me His heart. A whole new world was opening up.
It is hard to find a single beginning point for this great turn around in my life. There was so much the Lord was showing me, so much about His nature that I was coming to understand.
But let me draw attention to an incident that sort of set the state. It had to do with what I will call…
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God’s Psalm of Life
Here is how it went…
Psalm 37 is what can be called ‘a fullness Psalm.’ It has to do with God’s wisdom for life. Psalm 37 is designed to help shape our faith walk. The essence of this Psalm is that we need to learn to trust the Lord in every circumstance of life. I point to Psalm 37 because it had a major place in reshaping my faith walk those thirty-six years ago.
Here is the story:
It Happened in My Morning Devotion
With my first cup of coffee in place I’m into my morning devotion. That day my devotion brought me to Psalm 37. When I come to verse 4, I read, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
I had to pause. It was like a divine moment was in place. As I sat there looking at that verse, I said a prayer in my heart, ‘Lord, did you mean that?’ That was when I heard in my heart, ‘Try Me and see.’ It was like God had given me an invitation to ask of Him anything that I wanted.
I quietly responded in my heart, ‘Lord, I thank you for my sons. I would like to have a daughter.’ Almost in the twinkling of an eye, I heard once again in my heart, ‘She’s yours.’ That was it. Business had been conducted with the throne of God.
At the time Betty was expecting our fourth child. We had no idea what our next child was to be. The Lord had already blessed us with three sons.
I shared with Betty what the Lord said. Then when I shared this with some of the church members, they gave me this kindly smile, sort of like, ‘Yeah. We’ll see.’ Someone even challenged me on what I shared. It made no difference. I had heard from the Lord.
Well, see we did. The nurse walked down the corridor towards the window where I was standing behind the glass pane. She mouthed to me, ‘It’s a girl.’ The tears of happiness rolled down my face. My heart overflowed with joy. Once again the Lord had shown Himself faithful.
But my happiness was not limited to the fact that we now had a daughter. My happiness wrapped itself around a promise that the Lord had given me. The Lord had given me His Word.
For some reason this learning experience was different this time. The Lord had often shown me things. I’ve had dreams and visions. I’ve had the Lord put in my heart things that were going to happen. And they did. So what made this event so different? This time there was a direct connection with a promise written in God’s sacred Word. The Lord said that if I would delight in Him, that He would give me the desires of my heart.
What was the great lesson I was learning? I was learning that you cannot separate God from His Word, and that a life of faith must have an anchor. The anchor for our faith journey is to be based entirely upon the promises of God.
I was learning that everything I would ever need in life, to live by and to accomplish God’s work had already been provided. God even put His provision in written form, the Bible. My entire faith journey was to be an outworking of God’s promises. The Bible is a book of living words.
Jesus Himself said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
Did the Lord stop dealing with me by dreams and visions and other directives in my heart? Not at all. What I had now was a deeper appreciation for God’s holy book. I found that the Bible is given to us as a guidebook that God uses to instill His promises into the deep of a believer’s heart.
Oh yes, the Bible is much more than a book of facts where we can collect information and argue doctrine. When the Holy Spirit moves on God’s Word and begins ministering to our heart, it then becomes a living book.
And this, my friend is the essence of the new covenant. Listen carefully to how God’s prophet describes the covenant of Christ:
“’Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
“… not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the LORD.
“‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will put My law [Torah means 'instructions'] within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
“They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,’ declares the LORD,
“‘…for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’” (Jer 31:31-34 NASB)
I broke the afore Scriptures into paragraph portions because I wanted you to read each segment on its own. God writes His instructions upon our heart.
And so not long afterwards, the Lord open the gate to miracle land for me and my family.
We walked through the Gate right into of Miracle Land 
Do you remember what the Lord said about the gate and the narrow? Listen:
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Mat 7:13-14 NASB)
I’m not sure the Lord was simply referring to salvation itself. Salvation is not that hard a matter. It reduces itself down to a matter of repentance and calling upon the name of the Lord. No, it seems to me that the Lord is speaking of how we can learn to live in the life that He has for us.
In our case one more step was needed. At the end of my three years of spiritual adjustment, I made a contract with God. My heart was filled with the things of heaven. But there was something that I needed to do. I realized this sounds strange but the Lord Himself had drawn me to this place.
I made a contract with God
This was my contract – I told the Lord that I would go anywhere He wanted me to go, and I would do anything He wanted me to do, that my life was no longer mine to direct. But there were two things that I wanted from Him. 1st, I ask the Lord to tell me personally what He wanted me to do and not send someone else to tell me. And, 2nd, I must have my wife.
In such a short time the Lord opened to us the gate to miracle land. He had accepted my contract. Betty and I, along with our sons and our new daughter were back into full time gospel ministry. That was 1975.
Oh yes, there were many more lessons to learn, but into miracle land we ventured. Now we had the answer to every need, to every trial, to every circumstance that would come our way. We were experiencing God’s character, God’s heart, and God’s faithfulness.
I wish I had time and space to share more on our journey into miracle land. But alas, the story is still being written.
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Now let’s hear from Peter:
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (everything has already been provided for.)
“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2Pe 1:2-4 NASB)
Did you catch it? Living by faith is nothing less than living on His precious and magnificent promises. The land of faith is also called the land of promise. You don’t earn the promises. You are an heir of the promises.
Listen to how Paul adds to this:
“For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us–by me and Silvanus and Timothy–was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.” (2Co 1:19-20 NASB)
The Lord God has laid out before us great and mighty promises. We are the heirs of those promises.
Here’s the problem. How can you live by the promises of God if you don’t know what they are? Living by faith is not living by our feelings, or emotions, or ‘I hope so’, or, some esoteric experience, and so on and on. Living by faith has to have an anchor. It has to have a divine connection with the Lord Jesus Himself.
The anchor of the faith walk will always center on the Word of God. We are to believe in, and live from the promises of God. We are the very heirs of God and of all the Christ promises.
What more can I say. I shared just a bit of my walk down memory lane. I’ve had so many people ask me to write a book about the things I learned. But how can I do that. The book has already been written.
Have you made your full surrender? Here is a song. Let it speak to your heart.
Think about it.
Always your servant in Christ,
Buddy
Published July 23, 2010 | “And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’”
(Rev 19:16 NASB)
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Readers,
David often spoke of the Lord as his God and as his King. He also identified the coming Messiah in terms of a King, and also as Lord and God.
Consider just a few statements from David:
“Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Psa 2:12 NASB) — This Psalm is quoted from by the apostles in Acts 4, with regard to Jesus as the anointed King. –
“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’ The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of Your enemies.’” (Psa 110:1-2 NASB) — Quoted by Peter with a view to Jesus being exalted to the Father as King –
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows.” (Psa 45:5-7 NASB) – Quoted in the book of Hebrews with regard to the exaltation of Jesus. –
“Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.” (Psa 24:8-10 NASB) – With a view to the second coming of Jesus as the King of glory –
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A King is exactly who Jesus is
While we readily acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we must always keep before us that He is a King and has a kingdom. A King is exactly what Jesus is. And in order for a king to rule, he must have a kingdom.
The term kingdom (basileia) in Greek speaks of sovereignty, or power. In an abstract sense it refers to the power exercised by a king. So the kingdom of God refers to God’s direct ruling power. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of great power.
Now we turn to Jesus. Follow carefully the conversation between Pilate and Jesus. In questioning Jesus, Pilate becomes frustrated. His wife had had a dream about Jesus and warned Pilate not to do Him any harm.
Pilate says,
“Are you the King of the Jews?”
Some think that Pilate asked this in jest. I don’t believe this is the case. Pilate is too disturbed to be joking around.
The Lord responds,
“Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”
Pilate is confused. He responds,
“I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”
It is here that Jesus begins to explain His kingdom. Listen carefully;
“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
Jesus says His kingdom is not an arrangement or an adornment to be seen with the eyes. It is not a worldly kingdom.
Then the Lord adds,
‘My kingdom is not of this realm.’
The word ’enteuthen’ (realm) means His kingdom is not from here, or, on this side.
Pilate responds,
“So You are a king?”
What Jesus says next puts His kingdom rule into its spiritual essence.
“You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (Cf. John 18:33-37)
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A kingdom not of this world
Now we come to the crux of the matter. If the kingdom of Jesus Christ is not of this world,
then His subjects must not be of this world.
The Lord points out that only His subjects are able to hear His voice.
And the Lord says His kingdom is all about truth.
Now we have all the elements that describe the Lord’s kingdom.
(1) His kingdom is not of this world.
(2) His subjects are not of this world.
(3) Only His subjects hear His voice.
(4) His subjects do not fight. (Not in the sense of worldly kingdoms. Their weaponry is not of the flesh.)
(5) His kingdom is about Truth.
What does this tell us up front? It tells us that the kingdom of Jesus Christ cannot be put in religious terms. Religion is what man does. Relationship and reality is what God does for us in Christ.
Hence the dilemma —
If His kingdom is not of this world, and His subjects are not of this world, and only His subjects can hear His voice, and His kingdom is about Truth, and His subjects do not fight, how can we ever expect to recognize His kingdom? How can anyone find it? How can anyone enter into it?
Every born again person knows the answer to this or they would not be born again. The only way to enter into what Paul calls ‘the kingdom of His Beloved Son,’ is to have a personal invitation from the King. And the only way to be born again is to take to yourself Jesus Christ as your own Lord and Savior and King.
Thus we have the gospel message. Many people are not aware of just how powerful the gospel really is. The gospel is an official message from God’s heavenly kingdom and in the gospel is a personal invitation from the King to His kingdom. The gospel carries in it the voice of the King.
I Have a Message from the King
We were on our way to a village in Honduras near the border of Guatemala. As we were nearing the village, I asked the Lord what He wanted me especially say to the people. He placed on my heart to begin my message by saying, ‘I come to you as an ambassador of the kingdom of God, and I have a message for you from the King.’ That was the first thing that came out of my mouth. A stillness settled over the crowded building. I began sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then it happened – An old Indian stood up and began to make his way towards me. Once again I stood amazed at the power of the gospel. The old Indian heard the voice of the King. He was making his way to accept God’s invitation to enter the kingdom of His beloved Son. He was ready to give his heart to Jesus.
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This brings us to the blood of the King
To enter into the kingdom of the beloved Son, you must have an invitation. This is the job of the servant of God and of the Holy Spirit. The invitation is sent through God’s servants in the gospel message.
Jesus said,
“And He [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” (Joh 16:8 NASB)
“…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1Pe 1:2-5 NASB)
Our salvation is in accordance with God’s divine plan and foreknowledge. The Holy Spirit separates us apart to Jesus. The moment we gazed upon Jesus with our heart, the moment we hear Him calling to us, the moment we respond and acknowledge Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and King, at that very moment the Holy Spirit takes of the divine blood of Jesus, sprinkles it on our heart, and we through this sprinkling become born-from-above people who are not of this world. We become the born-of-the-blood children of God, blood bought, blood sprinkled, blood sealed, and forever under the presence of the blood of the King. This is why Peter said that we are of a royal priestly. (Kingly priests are a family of royalty.) Paul said that the one joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” (Heb 12:22-24 NASB)
Abel’s blood cried our for vengeance against his brother Cain. The blood of Jesus speaks from the finished work of the cross. It speaks of mercy and truth and grace and forgiveness and love and acceptance.‘What can take away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.’
John says,
“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:11,12)
The word ‘receive’ in Greek, is ‘paralambano.’ It means to take someone to yourself or to your heart. We get the idea from the wedding vow, where the minister says, “Do you, Bill, take Susan to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, etc.”
The minister is asking Bill if he will take Susan to his heart and life in holy union. This is what receiving Jesus means. It is a thing of the heart. It is a thing of union. It does require a confession of faith. It has to be stated. This is why the early Christians were known as, ‘The people of the great confession.’
It is important to understand what John says about believing. Our salvation is not based on some emotional experience. It is based on an open declaration of faith in Jesus Christ. Believing in the Bible is something you do with your heart and nut just with your mind.
John says,
“Even to those who believe in His name.”
The Greek word for believe, that is, ‘pisteuo’, means to put faith in a person, to rely on, to trust in, to adhere to. (It is the Greek word that we get our English word ‘glue’.) To believe in His name means to accept who Jesus really is, that is, to believe in the full message of the gospel, and in His authority. We actually believe into life.
What happens when a person takes to themself Jesus Christ? They are born into the kingdom of God’s Son. Paul says a kingdom transfer takes place;
“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (Col 1:13)
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What about the truth part and the voice part?
Well, I’ve covered this quite a bit. The gospel is a message from heaven. It carries all the authority and power that is needed to cause a person to be born again. This is why Paul said,
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
(Word, or rhema, speaks of a living voice.)
The word ‘Truth’ in Greek, speaks of the reality that is behind an appearance. To realize truth is to become fully cognizant of the Person and Presence of Jesus Christ. Jesus said,
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.”
When a person is born from above, that birth brings a new spiritual reality into their life. The realness does not go away. It will be there from day, to day, to day.
His voice also speaks of the Lord’s Kingly ministry. The issue of Jesus being our King is very real to a believer. And hearing His voice is also very real. Jesus explained it this way;
“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”
And again,
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (Cf. John 10)
Where do we go from here?
How about a song. I always love to finish each of my entries with a special song.
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Much love,
Buddy
Published July 20, 2010 | 
“But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. Amen.” (Gal6:14-16)
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Readers,
I want to draw attention to the essential issue of the new covenant. The cross of Christ resulted in a new creation. Every person of the new creation is sealed in Christ with the seal of redemption. That seal can only broken by God and this He will not do. Paul says that we cannot be separated from God’s love. All who belong to Christ have an eternal seal.
When Paul says, “But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,” he is giving a summation of true Biblical Christianity.
I like the way it is translated in the NLT:
“As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.” (Gal 6:14 NLT)
The summing up of those who have been to the cross is two fold:
(1) Our interest in the world has been crucified.
(2) The world’s interest in us has died.
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That City on Mount Zion
This is why so many of our Christian songs are about the cross and about heaven. We sing as pilgrims on a journey. We sing with longings in our heart for the city of God.
Our confession is that we are not of this world. And with the saints of old we are reaching forward to what lies ahead.
We bear witness in our heart to the cross.
Paul was a pilgrim. Abraham was a pilgrim. David was a pilgrim. Buddy Martin is a pilgrim. How about you. Are you a pilgrim?
Hear what the Bible says about God’s pilgrims:
“…they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” (Heb 11:16 NASB)
Before reading any further take a moment to listen to one of our pilgrim songs. It is titled, ‘When I Reach That City’.
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The Seal of Eternity
The new creation has been sealed in Christ for eternity. This is why the Bible accords our salvation as an eternal redemption. The Bible speaks of salvation as eternal life.
Paul addresses our redemption in Christ:
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Eph 1:13-14 NASB)
Did you notice that heaven’s seal is based on one premise alone? It is the premise of
believing in Jesus Christ. The word ‘believe’ in the Bible involves a heart connection that cannot be broken. It is with our hearts that we connect with Jesus.
“Having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.”
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The covenant of Christ…
The covenant of Christ supersedes and does away with the Law of Moses. The new covenant is for a distinct people.
The Jews outside of Christ based their salvation upon two things: being lineal descendants of Abraham, which leaves much to be desired, and doing the works of the Law, which no one ever did or could do or can do.
You can’t just pick one part of the law that you want to keep and leave the rest untouched. The Law carried a requirement and a curse. The requirement pertained to keeping the whole law. Failure to do so places one under the curse of the law.
The Judaisers followed behind Paul wherever he went, attempting to destroy his gospel message of grace. This is what Paul is referring to when he called for a curse upon those who preach a gospel other than that which the apostles had been given to preach, that is, the gospel of grace. If you don’t know for certain what the apostles actually preached, then note these Scriptures:
“But what does it say? ‘The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’–that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom 10:8-9 NASB)
“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” (Gal 1:8 NASB)
Did you make the connection?
The Judaisers of Paul’s day were telling Gentile believers that they had keep the law of Moses, which essentially meant they must become Jews through circumcision in order to be saved. They were distorting God’s grace message to the world.
Grace is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us God
There is no way under God’s blue heaven than a person can merit salvation. The apostles made this very plain. The prophets made this very plain. The apostle says,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph2:8,9)
Isaiah said,
“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (64:6)
This brings us to the cross.
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Listen to those awful words.
“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” (My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”)
Finally we hear in the final gasp of the Lord,
“It is finished!”
Those words made heaven and earth tremble. The skies darkened. The curtain in the temple ripped in two. The sins of the whole world were now laid on Jesus.
What was finished? The cross fulfilled God’s work of redemption. The sacrifice was offered! From the cross they carried Jesus to the tomb. From the tomb He resurrected and ascended into glory. Out of this would come our completed salvation. This is true gospel.
This is our completed salvation. God made no mistakes. He has saved forever all who have come to faith in Jesus. No one can be any more saved that what the Scriptures tell us.
Listen with your heart:
‘But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:4-6 NASB)
Here is another ‘did you catch it’?
- Even when we were dead in our transgressions…
- He made us alive together with Christ.
- (By grace you have been saved)
- And raised us up together with Him
- And seated us with Him in the heavenly places.
Notice that all of this is past tense. Believers are not merely going to be saved. We are already as saved as saved can be. This is what ‘seated with Him in the heavenly places’ means.
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God is at work
And this is why the term ‘new creation’ is the center piece of God’s new covenant in Christ. It is all God’s work. The new creation has already been raised up. We are a heavenly people, adorned in earthly bodies. One day all that will change.
Now take note of how the book of Hebrews begins its closure:
“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, *working in us* that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Heb13:20,21)
Notice who is doing the works in the believer? God works in us that which is pleasing in His sight. God Himself equips us to do His will. This is why it is so important to give your brother and sister breathing room to do what the Lord has for them to do.
And this is where we must be careful with our language, our accusations, or our condemnations. No one can condemn those for whom Christ died. Paul said we are to walk by this rule.
Remember the rule?
“For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision (religious works), but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them.”
Paul’s point is that a person is either born from above as part of God’s new creation, or they are not part of God’s new creation. If they are part of God’s new creation, then you will see heaven’s influence in this person. When Paul says, “Neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision,” he is stating that the former covenant has no jurisdiction over anyone in the new covenant.
The reason for this great change is that in the new covenant every born again person is given the nature of Christ. God deals directly with our nature. Certainly believers can sin, but sin is contrary to their nature. When we sin, we have this grieving in our spirit. What is it that grieves in us. It is the Holy Spirit, by whom we were sealed for the day of redemption.
The work of the cross is to remove believers from their former state of being, to place them into a new state of being, and to cause believers to know the Lord personally.
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Are you carrying the imprint of the cross — 
True believers cannot give up their testimony of faith. We are His witnesses. Our life began at the cross. We are a new creation. There is no witness on earth greater than this, and Satan knows it. We bear witness to the power of the cross.
So I guess the only questions left are these —
Has your interest in the world been crucified?
Has the world’s interest in you died.
Just something to think about.
Always in Christ,
Buddy
Published July 13, 2010 | “…it is impossible for God to lie … This hope we have as an 
anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil…” (Heb 6:18-19 NASB)
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Journal,
One of the greatest changes in my walk with the Lord can be traced to a decision I made in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in 1971. Without going into detail as to why I made this decision, it is enough to say that a decision needed to be made.
I decided that if the Scriptures were absolutely true then no person or institution had the right to make them mean something that they don’t mean. From that moment on I would take God’s Word fully as my guide. I made a covenant with my heart to find out for myself what God’s Word had to say about whatever, and that I would do my best with God’s help to order my life accordingly. It was that decision that put me on the high ground of a faith journey far beyond anything I had ever known. That was almost forty years ago. And yes, I can truly say with David,
“For it is You who blesses the Righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12)
It is amazing how a quality decision concerning God’s Word can absolutely revolutionize a person’s life. From the moment of that decision I found myself entering into a new spiritual domain of adventures and vistas. I also discovered what it meant to have an Abraham-type walk with the Lord. (One-on-one; wholly separated and consecrated to the Lord.)
Yes, I had found the key to life. Jesus said that many will not find it. But it really isn’t that hard to discover. The issue is in application. The key involves the full Lordship of Jesus and in learning to live from the mouth of God.
This was the great lesson behind Israel’s wilderness wanderings. All their trials had a single focus. It is this same focus that God has been trying to teach His people in ages gone by.
Listen carefully and see if you can pick up on the key of life:
“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.” (Deu 8:3 NASB)
So let’s began with...
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Instructions from God
The one thing Satan must do to disrupt a Christian’s life is to cast doubt on God’s Word. This is ‘bottom-line’ spiritual warfare. You will find it in play in the garden of Eden. Notice the issue that Satan challenged Eve on —
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORDGod had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Indeed, has God said, “You shall not eat from any tree of the garden”‘?” (Gen 3:1 NASB)
Did you catch it? Has God said?
Satan begins by putting a twist on God’s Word. His goal is to undermine the truth of God. He does this by twisting and turning, by adding to and by taking away, by distorting and by making crooked the straight ways of the Lord.
This is Satan’s primary footing for deception. Satan is called in the Scriptures both a liar and a deceiver. Eve was deceived!
Satan is the source behind sorcery. Sorcery is spiritual rebellion against God by the use of occultic forces. Sorcerers are spiritualists or mediums who work under the false anointing of demons. This very much includes the false prophet. Little do some realize that sorcery includes astrology and other forms of fortune telling, or anything else that seeks to govern our lives aside from faithfully trusting in Jesus Christ.
Sorcery is about control. It is strongly linked to prideful flesh. Paul brings this out when Elymas the magician tries to turn a governing official away from the message of the gospel.
Notice:
“But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, and said, ‘You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?’” (Act 13:9-10 NASB)
“Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down…
“…for it is written, “He will command His angels concerning You; and “on their hands they will bear You up, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.”‘” (Mat 4:5-6 NASB)
However, there is a distinct difference. With Eve there was no written Words. Just the direct instructions from the Lord. Over time the Lord gave us His written Word as an added protection in our walk of faith. It is also in the written Word that we become better acquainted with the Shepherd’s voice. Christian maturity has much to do with learning to hear from God for yourself.
The point is that God has given us words to live by. Join the book to Jesus and you have
the keys to living a victorious Christian life. We find this in Paul’s instructions to Timothy:
“…and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2Ti 3:15-17 NASB)
And this brings us to a closer look at…
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Distinctions on the Bible
The Bible is a book of redemption but it is also a living book. Genesis actually answers all the fundamental questions concerning God and man. It opens with, “In the beginning [absolute beginning of created things] God created the heavens and the earth.”
The Hebrew word for create is bara. It is never used in any way other than with divine activity. Genesis tells us about God, about the origin of universe, about the creation of man, and the origin of soul. It introduces the issue of sin, and gives us the promise of salvation.
It sets forth the out-calling of Israel and tells of the Messiah who will be the Savior of all mankind. Genesis is the source book from which all the Scriptures flow.
What about Revelations? This book completes God’s holy writ. If you take away Genesis you lose all explanation of heaven, the first earth, the first Adam and the fall. Take away Revelations you lose the completed truth, which is the new heaven, the new earth, man redeemed, and the last Adam.
This is why the book of Revelations concludes with,
“And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.”
The Bible is a living book. It is the only book on this planet that can prove it is from God. It is the only book that records history before it happens. It is the only book that sets forth thousands of prophecies and allows man to see those prophecies fulfilled. It names nations that will rise and fall. It proves its origin in the millions of lives that are radically changed.
Note the following:
“Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’” (Isa 46:9-10 NASB)
“He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.” (Eph 1:9-11 NASB)
“On that day the deaf will hear words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the LORD, and the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa 29:18-19 NASB)
So, what do we have left? It all has to do with…
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The Believing
The most important thing a person can do in life is to take the message of the Bible to heart. There are many voices clamoring for our faith. The voice we must listen to is the same voice that dictated what was to be placed in the written Word. Paul tells us to learn to never exceed what is written.
If we believe wrong, we will receive for the wrong of our beliefs. Destruction always begins where the Word of God is rejected. The prophet said,
“For when the earth experiences Your judgments the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” [Isa26:9]
What we are to believe has been clearly defined in God’s written Word. Interestingly enough, the written Word can be likened to a path that leads to God’s living Word, which is Jesus Christ Himself.
Just some things to think about. Here is a song that will speak to the deep of your heart. Take time to listen to ‘Glorious Impossible.’
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In love with Jesus,
Buddy
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