Make his paths straight

Mark 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Mark 1:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Mark 1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

A messenger was sent before Jesus to prepare the way before him. What needs preparation? Isn't it our hearts? We must acknowledge our sin before a righteous God and repent, turn another way, the way of seeking God to please him. A straight path is made for the coming messiah. Some make the path full of obstacles. The way to Jesus is the way to God. Come to him by faith, turn from your sins and allow God to change you with a new heart and a new life of serving God through Jesus his Son. The messenger was John the Baptist, preaching and baptizing people for repentance of sins.

Mark 1:7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
Mark 1:8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

One greater than John was to come, Jesus the Son of God and the eternal king after the lineage of King David. John baptized with water, but Jesus will baptize you with the Holy Ghost. Salvation brings the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit to connect us with God the Father. We are become the adopted children of God. Keep the path to Jesus clear of religious obstacles, repent of your sins and receive him by faith. There are no works to do in the path way of salvation. It is a straight path of receiving his invitation to be born again of his spirit through the remission of our sins, by faith in the name of Jesus.

King of the beasts

I finished reading through Job in the New Living Testament. It was good to read and easier in this version until I got to the section describing Leviathan. The LORD was speaking to Job from a whirlwind.

Job 41:1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?

In the NLT they used crocodile as a substitute for Leviathan. Does this sound like a crocodile?

Job 41:18 "When it sneezes, it flashes light! Its eyes are like the red of dawn.

19 Fire and sparks leap from its mouth.

20 Smoke streams from its nostrils like steam from a boiling pot on a fire of dry rushes.

21 Yes, its breath would kindle coals, for flames shoot from its mouth.

22 "The tremendous strength in its neck strikes terror wherever it goes.

23 Its flesh is hard and firm, not soft and fat.

24 Its heart is as hard as rock, as hard as a millstone.

25 When it rises, the mighty are afraid, gripped by terror.

26 No sword can stop it, nor spear nor dart nor pointed shaft.

This is no crocodile. It describes a dragon, like the Chinese draw in their drawings. He is described as the king of beasts.

Job41:34 Of all the creatures, it is the proudest. It is the king of beasts."

Some have thought that this was a spiritual beast. Who is proud in the spirit? Who is the king of the beasts? The antichrist is described as the king, inhabited by satan. He is the beast from the sea of humanity. He has a heart of stone and is indestructible by the efforts of man.

One man, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of Lords has defeated the dragon, taking away his power from the children of God. Leviathan is king of the mass of humanity, those not yet made the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.

Leviathan is mentioned in Isaiah.

Isa 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
Isa 26:21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

Isa 27:1 In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Satan will be bound during the Millennium and loosed at the end to deceive many.

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Finally he will be thrown into the Lake of Fire by the LORD.

Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

 We can overcome the dragon in our lives because we are in Christ Jesus. Do not fight him in the flesh, but by the word of God.  We overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimonies. There will be no more Dragon and no more satan, but those who trust in the Lord shall live forever.

Justice

Mat 27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. 

Mat 27:36 And sitting down they watched him there; 

Mat 27:37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 

Mat 27:38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. 

Mat 27:39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 

Mat 27:40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 

Mat 27:41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 

Mat 27:42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 

Mat 27:43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. 

Mat 27:44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

All there mocked Jesus and said evil things to him. He was a public spectacle as they sat and watched him, looking up at him shouting evil words. One thief repented and was saved. The other people continued in cruel unbelief crucifying the Son of God. They still mock him in the public chat rooms and on street corners when a man preaches the gospel message. Come down from the cross, then we will believe you, they said. No, they would not. He was raised from the dead and they still didn't believe in him. Their time would come to meet the righteous King of Kings who will be their judge.

Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 

Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Other people like those who crucified Jesus, who are mockers and who despise him will look up and wish that they could hide from him when he returns with his angels.

Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 

Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Rev 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Each person will receive righteous Judgment.

Ask

I came close to being in an automobile accident this morning, but by the grace of God I swerved at the last moment. This is the third time I was almost in an accident coming or returning from our morning Bible study breakfast. I had no time to speak but swerved just in time. Two other times I spoke the name of Jesus to come within inches of colliding with trucks who pulled out or were stalled in the rain. There is a supposed Bible saying " The LORD helps those who help themselves". Well, there are times when we cannot help ourselves and for a Christian, we are never to help ourselves apart from God's grace. We can do all things through God who gives us grace. We may help ourselves into sin, but anything good comes from the LORD. Now then knowing all good comes from God and knowing that there are many things only possible because God who is our help, we can see the importance of asking in prayer.

Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

If you are going to ask of God, ask in faith believing. If we are going to "help ourselves" why ask? We ask for things beyond our abilities. We ask for wisdom and guidance from above. We ask knowing that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. We ask in Jesus' name. He wants us to ask and he wants us to thank him, for we are his through Jesus Christ by grace, not of ourselves. Sometimes we have no words, so the Holy Spirit hears our groanings and delivers our message to the throne of God.

Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Rom 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

In times of emergency we can speak JESUS! and he hears and sends his angels. Thank you my Lord and my Savior for hearing me.

Faithful Job

Job was a man of faith who never turned against the LORD in spite of his afflictions from the devil. Afflictions can remove feelings of being right with God; it takes more than feelings when the body is plagued by boils and suffering great pain and distress. You must have conviction based on true faith in the living God and be a person who has lived a life doing the good work that is pleasing to God. Job was being tested and I believe all those of faith will have their faith tested. From his sufferings Job spoke gems of spiritual truth. I have selected three of his statements from one on the oldest books of the Bible. The first statement is an encouragement for the new year.

Job 17:9 The righteous will move onward and forward, and those with pure hearts will become stronger and stronger.

This emphasizes the importance of holiness and purity in a believers heart and life. The world is sinking deeper in evil lusts and demonic sins. If we are to move forward we must by faith move onward and forward in the will of God and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Read the word, the water of the word cleanses our hearts and we become stronger and stronger in our soul and spirit.

Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Job 19:27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

Job understood that his redeemer lived even back before Abraham. Did he know the story from Genesis of a righteous seed, a redeemer?

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Now we know the seed, the redeemer as the Lord Jesus Christ who redeemed us from the serpent, the devil, by his shed blood on the cross. The redeemer lived in Jobs time and the eternal Redeemer lives today to intercede for the Children of God. We shall see him.

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 

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

True wisdom starts with the fear of the LORD who made us and decides our eternal future. David repeated these words in the Psalms and Solomon in Proverbs.

Psa 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

It was through sufferings that Job brought to us wisdom from God, tried in the fire. It was the sufferings of King David that the LORD used to bring forth the comforting Psalms. Paul encouraged us as he approached his execution with these words. 

2Ti 4:5  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 

2Ti 4:6  For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 

Thank God for these men who did not give up but who overcame by faith. Their words are given to us to strengthen us as we move onward and forward, and those with pure hearts will become stronger and stronger.

I have heard the Lord say to preach the word and this is why I send these messages to you. We do not preach in a closet, but for people to see or hear the word. To God be the glory in all that is said and done.

Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

Mat 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

Mat 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Mat 13:26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Mat 13:27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Mat 13:28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Mat 13:29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Mat 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;


Both the wheat and the tares are in church and are not easily distinguished. The devil is a copier of what is good, only his copies work for evil. Where would his tares do the most harm in the church? I believe that many of the tares are in leadership. They are pastors, teachers, elders and in other positions of authority. They do not preach the whole word of God, but only things that do not offend. They leave out the scriptures about sin, repentance and eternal damnation. They water the wheat and tares with feel good messages and this way they attract many people and appear to be successful and prosperous.


How important is the whole word of God?


Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.


We need the conviction of God through his word and the working of his spirit. Our lives should show the fruit of the spirit and not the fruit of the accuser. Some false teachers and prophets are quick to accuse a person of God who may be a threat to them. The religious leaders accused Jesus and he gave them a rebuke.


John 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
John 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
John 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.


Are we the wheat or the tares? Do you love the truth? Do you love the LORD? Does your life bring forth good fruit of the Holy Spirit or the works of the devil? Are you an encourager bringing unity and peace or a divider and a strife maker. The angels know who God's people are. They will gather the good wheat unto God and the tares will be thrown into the fire.


Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.


A final thought. We should leave the tares alone if they are not aggressively serving satan. Perhaps as sinners they will be convicted by God through his faithful servants who preach his word and are led by his spirit. We must be careful who we weed out, because in the past many of the best people of God were burned at the stake and martyred by the leaders who were serving satan blindedly. Lord give us your eyes, your mind and your heart to serve you wisely in these last days, to choose what is eternally good and to bring others to your saving grace. In Jesus' name, amen.

Wisdom's Children

Mat 11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
Mat 11:19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

The Pharisees were proud of the way they kept the laws and ceremonies, but they were selfish, thinking they knew all about what God required. When John came dressed in repentance garments, they accused him of having a devil. They saw no need for personal repentance, for they were proud of their outward observance of the laws. God looks on the hearts and indeed their hearts needed to repent. Their perception of what was of God was not accepting what their eyes saw, so they rejected John and they would reject Jesus.

They did not like the freedom and liberty that they saw in Jesus. So they accused him of being a drunk who associated with sinners. They would use their perception of the law to condemn Jesus. Their evil hearts twisted the laws and misapplied them to condemn Jesus. Jesus broke no laws, but he did not fit their view; too many were giving him praise and they were jealous. Wisdom is justified of her children. The wisdom of the Pharisees was tainted by envy and malice. They brought forth the death of their Messiah. The wisdom of God flowed from Jesus, bringing life and mercy and healing. The children of the fruit of Jesus become the children of God. Through the ages those who repent and receive Jesus by faith, became the children of God. The wisdom of God brought Jesus Christ our savior and millions of children are born again into the kingdom of God.

Are we wise? Wisdom comes from God. The wise come to Jesus and are given his spirit of truth. What kind of fruit do we have? Our children justify our wisdom. Have we spiritual fruit? Or are we making little selfish Pharisees?