Holiness

I was going to do a lesson on the holiness of God, and then Google had changed my account name and I was unable to make the blog. After my efforts that made things worse, I called to my daughter for help. There was a new button added to the blog program that I needed to push to make a new blog enttry. By this time I am not feeling holy at all, but God remains holy and there is a lesson in that.  The only holiness we can have comes through our salvation in Jesus Christ. In him we are holy people, not as holy as God who is forever holy and so much above his creation. I grumble and complain and get frustrated.  He asks us to wait upon him, to listen to his inner voice. I called on my daughter for help.

Isa 6:1  In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 

Isa 6:2  Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 

Isa 6:3  And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 

Isa 6:4  And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 

Isa 6:5  And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” 

1Sa 2:2  “There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. 

1Pe 1:15  but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 

1Pe 1:16   since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 

God is holy and righteous, unchangable in his glory. The only holiness we may have is in our connection to God by his spirit. Jesus was sent to be our. substitute sacrifice for sins. We are through his power to become more like him.

The Grace of God

 The human race had little chance to escape the separation from God because of our sins. Nothing we could do of good works would remove our sins and separation from a holy God. God knew that we were but dust and he himself gave grace to those who would be saved. Grace is unearned favor. God's grace is the favor and power of God given to a person by the will of God. Do you want to be free of sin and in the favor of God? Then he is drawing you to himself by his grace. The justice of God and the grace of God come from the finished work of Jesus. He had no sin and was our substitute sacrifice for sin. By faith in him we receive the grace of God.  All by God's power and not our own. This should humble us before the Almighty God.

Rom 3:23  All have sinned and are not good enough to share God's divine greatness. 

Rom 3:24  They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ. 

Rom 3:25  God gave Jesus as a way to forgive people's sins through their faith in him. God can forgive them because the blood sacrifice of Jesus pays for their sins. God gave Jesus to show that he always does what is right and fair. He was right in the past when he was patient and did not punish people for their sins. And in our own time he still does what is right. God worked all this out in a way that allows him to judge people fairly and still make right any person who has faith in Jesus. 

Rom 3:27  So do we have any reason to boast about ourselves? No reason at all. And why not? Because we are depending on the way of faith, not on what we have done in following the law. 

Rom 3:28  I mean we are made right with God through faith, not through what we have done to follow the law. This is what we believe. 

2Pe 1:3  His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 

God gives us grace to have faith in Jesus Christ and through his Spirit we have grace to accomplish his will for us to do.

God is Good and evil is punished

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel is a good God . He is the standard of goodness and being good he cannot abide evil.  Christians often assume that God is good like a heavenly Santa Claus and that he winks at evil. Where is the fear of God? God knew that sinful people would be punished so he sent his Son Jesus Christ to shed his blood as payment for our sins.  Jesus is the only way to God. We cannot earn forgiveness by our good deeds. No one is good enough to be forgiven of sins. We should fear God and run to Jesus. In Jesus we receive His righteousness, the goodness of God. 

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. 

Psa 25:8  Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. 

Removing the teaching of God from our schools and the nation results in a great increase of evil.

Psa 27:13  I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 

Psa 27:14  Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. 

Psa 33:4  For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. 

Psa 33:5  He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. 

Psa 33:6  By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 

Psa 103:13  As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. 

Psa 103:14  For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 

Nah 1:7  The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. 

God knowing that we could not save ourselves, provided Jesus to be our substitute taking our punishment for sins upon himself.  This is the new covenant in his blood. All who believe in God and trust in Jesus will be under the goodness of God and receive eternal life with him. That is our good God who loves us that much.

Eternal God

 I am doing a study on the attributes of God.  He is eternal, so he can offer eternal life to us through Jesus his son. Jesus died to pay for our sins and is alive forever more.  He promises those who have turned from their sins and trusted in him that we too may have eternal life.

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. 

Joh 3:17  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 

Heb 13:8  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 

...“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 

Joh 17:2  since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 

Joh 17:3  And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 

Psa 102:11  My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass. 

Psa 102:12  But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations. 

Dust to dust goes our body, but our soul is made alive and lives forever.  We shall have new glorified bodies and see Jesus as he is. Thank you Lord God for you have chosen your people from everlasting to everlasting. Because you live, we shall live with you. 

Right and Wrong

 It seems that everyone is demanding their rights. The highest standard for rights seems to be human rights. Animal rights people may disagree with that. Is abortion a right? Many argue that it is. Listen now if you will. There are true rights and wrongs. Just as there is one God and the devil.  When we allow what the devil considers right to be a right, then we open up darkness and confusion. The devil seeks to kill and to destroy. He is a liar and the father of lies.  God is all good just and righteous. What God says is good in the Holy Bible is good. His right is right indeed. In the last days on earth, what is evil is being being called good and what is good is being called evil. 

Isa 5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 

 A recent facebook post said the best of two 

worlds is to sin and to not feel it is wrong. When we lose our feelings for what is wrong, then how shall we know what is right?

David after being convicted of the sin of adultery with Bathsheba, he called out to God in Psalm 51.

Psa 51:1  To the director: A song of David written when Nathan the prophet came to him after David's sin with Bathsheba. God, be merciful to me because of your faithful love. Because of your great compassion, erase all the wrongs I have done. 

Psa 51:2  Scrub away my guilt. Wash me clean from my sin. 

Psa 51:3  I know I have done wrong. I remember that sin all the time. 

Psa 51:4  I did what you said is wrong. You are the one I have sinned against. I say this so that people will know that I am wrong and you are right. What you decided is fair. 

Hear this now. The devil does not care about you. He wants you to sin and be in hell. God loves you. He cares about your soul. He even gave his son to die in your place for the sins that you are sorry for.The right way is to the cross where God offers you a new life in him. The wrong way is to follow the devil into eternal remorse. God will forgive you if you are truly sorry for wrongs. Do what is right and allow God to receive you and to change your heart.

Count Your Blessings

Our human nature tends to grumble when things go wrong. We may be suffering in a sickness or are experiencing an emptiness in our soul. Take a step back and consider all that you have in Christ Jesus. If you are not sure then turn towards Jesus, repent of your sins and walk in his blessings. We are a most blessed people.. 

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 

Eph 1:4  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 

Eph 1:5  he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 

Eph 1:6  to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 

Eph 1:7  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 

Eph 1:8  which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 

Eph 1:9  making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 

Eph 1:10  as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.