Cheating

We see unfair justice. The picture of lady justice blind folded with a balance scale represents justice, however often the scales are weighted to favor a political party. The news is slanted. false witnesses are brought against one party and truth is ignored for the other. A president is elected by a wrong measure of votes. God sees this and does not like it.

Deu 25:15  A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. 

Deu 25:16  For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the LORD your God. 

Yesterday I met a lady from our Bible study group in the libraty to practice for the DMV car test on the computer. She had taken the tests three times and each time had failed by missing seven questions. Taking the practice test, she again missed seven questions. A man who was on another computer came over to us and said that if we take the drivers test on the computer, that there is a way to find the answers. We listened to him and then responded," but that is cheating." How many people gain by cheating? They say, the end justifies the means. Well fellow American, God sees and you will not be in his favor. When we cheat, we are following the devil. Is it worth it? If we want God to bless our nation then we will need to repent from cheating in all of it's forms. Lord God help us to be honest people. We need for you to help us as we submit to you. Come to Jesus, repent of your sins and start a new life in his way.

The Humble will be Restored

1Pe 5:5  In a similar way, you young people must submit to the elders. All of you must clothe yourselves with humility for the sake of each other, because: "God opposes the arrogant, but gives grace to the humble." 

1Pe 5:6  Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you. 

1Pe 5:7  Throw all your worry on him, because he cares for you. 

1Pe 5:8  Be clear-minded and alert. Your opponent, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 

1Pe 5:9  Resist him and be firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. 

1Pe 5:10  After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you by the Messiah Jesus to his eternal glory, will restore you, establish you, strengthen you, and support you. 

The Fulfilling of the Law

 Rom 13:8  Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 

Rom 13:9  For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

Rom 13:10  Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 

We fail to keep the laws and we love imperfectly. Only Jesus fulfilled all the law and loved perfectly.

Mat 5:17  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 

Mat 5:18  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 

We come to Jesus to fulfill all the law and to be forgiven our sins.

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

Love in Truth

 Rom 12:9  Your love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 

Our God loves us. We are to love God with all of our being . This love that we receive we are to give to others. The Bible says that if we truly love that we have met all the requirements of the law. This love from God is not fake love, nor pretend love. i Corinthians 13 speaks to us of  what love is. 

1Co 13:4  Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 

1Co 13:5  Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. 

1Co 13:6  Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. 

1Co 13:7  Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. 

We are to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. Do not grab hold of evil things.  We are to love God and those things that are good.

 Philipians 4:8  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

Love is real and love is eternal with God. It is the truth of God, lkeeping us from evil.

Joh 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

Jesus loved us so much that he died to remove evil from us. Believe in Jesus and walk in love. Do not let politics or any other spirit take the love of God from you. Do all things with truth and love, seeking the good things of God.

Transformed

Yesterday we saw a flowering plant with many butterflies swarming around it. These lovely Monarch butterflies were once creepy caterpillars. They were transformed from an egg to a larva and then a cocoon Finally there is the finished creation of a lovely butterfly. We call this metamorphis. 

The Bible uses this Greek word: metamorphoō, to illustrate a change of a person into another form. The word used for metamorphoo in Romans 12:2 is "transformed".

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

A Christian must learn to think the good things of God, the spirit of  truth. The old corrupt thinking is changed and the mind is transformed into the obedience of the will of God.

Another word used for matamorphoo is the word "transfigured" as on the mount of transfiguration where he showed his glorified self as the Son of God.

Mark 9:2  And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 

Mar 9:3  And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 

Mar 9:4  And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 

One more word used for metamorphoo is "changed."

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

Jesus is our example, we are to be his disciples. Our highest aim is to be like him and to glorify God.

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. 

1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 

The Zamummites and Giants

The sons of God, perhaps fallen angels, mated with women in Genesis 6. Giants resulted from this. God saw that all was defiled and evil except Noah and his family. The flood came to destroy the offspring of the angels called the Nephilim.  Apparently after the flood there were still Nephilim, giants in the land of Canaan. This is probably why God commanded that all be killed when Israel entered the land of Canaan. There were giants called the Emites, Anakites,Rephaites and the Zamummites.

 Deu 2:9  "The LORD said to me, 'Don't bother the Moabites. Don't start a war against them. I will not give you any of their land. They are the descendants of Lot, and I gave them the city of Ar.'" 

Deu 2:10  (In the past, the Emites lived in Ar. They were strong people, and there were many of them. They were very tall, like the Anakites. 

Deu 2:11  The Anakites were part of the Rephaites. People thought the Emites were also Rephaites, but the people of Moab called them Emites. 

Deu 2:12  The Horites also lived in Seir in the past. Then Esau's people destroyed the Horites, took their land, and settled there, just as the Israelites did to the people in the land that the LORD gave them.) 

Deu 2:19  You will be just across from the Ammonites. Don't bother them or fight with them, because I will not give you their land. They are descendants of Lot, and I have given that land to them.'" 

Deu 2:20  (That country is also known as the Land of Rephaim. The Rephaites lived there in the past. The people of Ammon called them the Zamzummites. 

Deu 2:21  There were many Rephaites, and they were very strong and tall like the Anakites. But the LORD helped the Ammonites destroy them. The Ammonites took that land and live there now.   

Forty Years earlier, the people of Israel refused to enter the promise land because they saw the Nephilim giants there.  

Num 13:33  We saw the giant Nephilim people there! (The descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim.) We felt like little grasshoppers. Yes, we were like grasshoppers to them!" 

They feared the giants more than they trusted God to give them the victory over them. Do you trust God more than the giant problem you might have?

Power in the name of Jesus

A crippled beggar was brought to the gate of the temple to beg for alms. Peter and John were passing by and said to him "... Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk". Immediately the beggar jumped up walking and leaping and praising God. Peter spoke that by faith in the name of Jesus this man was healed. The Jewish rulers did not want them to testify about Jesus.

Act 4:14  And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 

Act 4:15  But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 

Act 4:16  Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. 

Act 4:17  But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. 

Act 4:18  And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 

Act 4:19  But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 

Act 4:20  For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. 

Act 4:21  So when they had further threatened them, they let them go,finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done. 

There will be a time when obeying God will mean to be in conflict with worldly powers.

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Trust God

We can get all full of self pity over someones lack of kindness to us. We can focus on negative things and not thank God for our many blessings. The LORD has been good to us. We should be thankful and loving towards Him and others. God had enough of his complaining people as they journeyed from Egypt to their promised land. A whole generation was to die in the wilderness because they complained and did not believe and obey God. Only Caleb and Joshua would enter the promised land with the children of an unbelieving generation.

Deu 1:27  You murmured in your tents, 'The LORD hates us. He brought us out of the land of Egypt in order to deliver us to the Amorites so he could destroy us. 

Deu 1:28  Where can we go? Our brothers discouraged us when they said that the people are bigger and taller than we are. Their cities are tall and fortified to the sky, and we also saw the Anakim there.' 

Deu 1:29  "Then I told you, 'Don't be terrified or afraid of them. 

Deu 1:30  The LORD your God is the One who will be going ahead of you. He'll fight for you just as he did in Egypt before your eyes. 

Deu 1:31  In the desert you saw that the LORD carried you like a man carries his son, on every road you traveled until you reached this place.' 

Deu 1:32  But despite this, you didn't trust in the LORD your God, 

Thank God that he gives us another chance. Come to Jesus who God has provided to us to receive forgiveness and eternal life, Confess your sins and follow him by faith. Our life is one of faith. Have faith in God who knows tomorrow and who loves you more than you love yourself.

What Shall We Do?

The Apostle Peter in his own strength was unable to be a witness for Jesus. He denied Jesus three times and was ashamed of himself , knowing that he had failed his promise to always be faithful.  Things changed on the day of Pentacost. The Holy Spirit came to the 120 who were praying and waiting on God. They spoke in diverse languages to the crowd of people from many nations and languges so that all understood in their own language. Peter with new Holy Spirit boldness spoke to the crowd, witnessing for Jesus. The crowd asked "what shall we do?"

Act 2:36  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 

Act 2:37  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 

Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

Act 2:39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 

Act 2:40  And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 

Act 2:41  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 

Rom 10:9  ... if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

Do you hear the call of God? Repent, turn to Jesus and ask him to forgive you of your sins and to be the Lord of your life. Baptism follows as a testimony of obedience to him.

The Ascensiom

Jesus has finished the work that he was sent to do. He was fully human  and fully God whose power as a man was from the Holy Spirit of God. After Jesus shed his blood as payment for our sins and he showed that he had power over death. It was necessary that he return to God, His Father in heaven where he always was in glory. He promised his disciples that he would send to them the Holy Spirit, the power of God to do the will of God and to be their teacher of all truth.

 Act 1:6  So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 

Act 1:7  He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 

Act 1:8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 

Act 1:9  And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 

Act 1:10  And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 

Act 1:11  and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” 

Jesus went up in a cloud and he will return at the same place in a cloud.  He had given his disciples a work to accomplish. By the power of thhe Holy Spirit they  are to be witnesses of Jesus throughout the whole world. The time of his return is not known, but the season we will know. Are you ready for his return? Do you receive Jesus as your savior? Are you cleansed by the power of God of all sin?   Are you sharing that Jesus is the way to heaven?