King David's Heir, Jesus Christ

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),

Luke 1:68-70 NIV

In direct lineage from King David through both His father (earthly, not biological) and His mother, Jesus of Nazareth, called the Christ and Messiah came into the world for one purpose - to seek and to save those who are lost (in sin).

When something is lost but found by someone else, to get the item restored to the original owner, it must be redeemed, or bought back. Man lost his way through sinning (breaking God's specific law) and was claimed by Satan, God's and our arch enemy. The price to redeem us to God was paid by God. He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, as the price for our redemption.

The only substance of sufficient value to pay this price was the blood of Jesus. Because the life is in the blood His unique blood was priceless and therefore would cover the cost of redeeming all of mankind.

This was the fulfillment of God's promise to David and to Israel. But it was not just for them, it was also for the Gentiles (all the rest of the nations of the Earth). He promised and He delivered.  Just believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

FEARLESS FRIDAY

Today is Friday the 15th of December and the word for today is "Fearless".

"Why fearless", you might ask, because this is Sabbath evening. This is the day of preparation for Jewish people all over the world. That is, preparation for worship and keeping the Sabbath holy.

When this is done as Moses taught, then the people had nothing to fear for God would be with them and would provide protection for them. They could anticipate joy and reassurance that their lives were safe in God. No matter what circumstances were to be faced, they could have confidence in God to make a way for them - keeping them through anything.

Did this mean they would never face trouble? No. It only meant God would make a way for them to endure what had to be endured and have faith He would turn it to their good.

But, you might ask, what of the persecutions they faced and the Holocast they went through? Even in these things, God promised to turn it to their good, if not here, then in the hereafter.

When you know you will live for eternity with God in peace and provision, you can be fearless while facing even certain destruction.

Christians have a similar hope and can face anything without fear because of the promises of God. He will keep us through every trial and trouble. He will cause us to stand firm in prosperity. He will enable us to gain through every season because He promised in 

Romans 8:28 (New International Version (NIV))

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

So, if we meet this simple criteria: love Him and follow His purpose, then His promise is to work for our good. This is to be "in all things". No exception. 

So why should we fear? If God be for us, who can be against us? 

Romans 8:31

[ More Than Conquerors ] What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Not only should we have fearless Friday's, but we should be fearless EVERY day of the week. 

CHRISTMAS OR XMAS?

In today's world, the traditions of yesteryear are being set aside in favor of "politically correct" forms of expression.

Take, for example, the traditional name for the birthday of Jesus Christ. It originally was a reminder to go to church and celebrate a Christ Mass or service especially dedicated to the birthing day of Jesus who is called the Christ or the Anointed One and the Jewish Messiah.

When our nation was predominately Christian there was no question as to the importance of this time for worship, thankfulness and sharing, but as fewer and fewer real Christians stand up for this ancient truth, more people are rejecting the Christ part and are just celebrating a holiday from work or school while expanding the gift giving part as an excuse to spend lots of money and even go into debt. This latter part is against the teaching of Jesus who said we should 'owe no man anything, but love'.

The fact of Christ's birth is indisputable. The question of who he really was is where the problem comes. He is either who He says He is or one of the greatest liars who ever lived and the Bible the greatest fabrication of even more lies.

There is a distinct difference between those who believe Jesus is our Savior and those who don't. So for believers, this is one of the holiest times of our calendar year. While for others, it is an offence to believe we even need a savior. After all humanism teaches that all men are gods so who needs God.

Because of this latter stance, the merchant world devised an 'inoffensive' (to their way of thinking) way to express the holiday, changing "Christmas" to "Xmas". While effectively taking Christ out of Christmas, the substitution of "X" would leave the individual to choose what to put in its place (kind of like algebra where "x" is the unknown quantity).

It is obvious, to me at least, that this really reveals the condition of the person's heart. By not declaring they are FOR Christ by saying Christmas, they are declaring themselves AGAINST Christ by using "X" in its place.

To hide behind the "politically correct" stance is to say people's opinion matters more than God's. Any parent worth his or her salt counts the birthday of their child as special and they would be very upset to hear anyone belittle its celebration. God, the Eternal Father, sets the example for all fathers and mothers residing on Earth - He wants everyone to not only honor His Son, but to enjoy the time of loving and sharing it provides.

Without Christ, Christmas is just an empty holiday. With Christ it is a joyous celebration of "peace and good will to all men".

So, do you choose Christ or X? Your participation in this holiday will reflect your faith or the lack of it.

Just Thinkin'

Today is one of those high windy days we have in the southwest corner of Iowa. Gusts up to 50+ mph; trash being relocated from neighbors yards to mine and vice versa; pups rush out to do their business and then right back in like they're afraid they will be blown away (who knows, but why take a chance?!); just a good day to do some thinking in my easy chair or on the computer.

Wonder what God does on windy days?

The Psalmist says, "I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest." (Psalm 55:8)

Sounds like good advice.  Must be God built that into the animals and us to protect us from harm.  Of course mankind does not listen to good advice.  We just 'brave' the storm because what we have to do is of such high importance?! Right?

Oh well, moving on to other items  of interest, such as: Isn't it interesting when your neighbor's trash does blow into your yard? You find out all kinds of things, like what kind of toilet paper they use because the wrapper showed up in your shrubs. Or, that someone just got a new shop vac. One of my neighbors had shrimp for a meal this week. Another likes Tide laundry soap. And then there are personal items we won't mention.

The wind reveals many things. And then there is the wind of God - the Holy Spirit. When He showed up on Pentecost in AD 33, He revealed God's awesome power to change ordinary people into extraordinary powerful witnesses of His greatness and empowered them to tell it in 17 different languages, astounding the city of Jerusalem and enabling Peter (an ignorant fisherman) to challenge thousands so effectively that 3,000 joined the Church in one day.

That Wind has continued to blow until today there are multiplied millions who follow Jesus' teaching and hope for eternity.

If you want to know more about that windy day, look at the book of Acts, chapter two, in the Bible. If it gets your interest up, just continue reading for an unfolding story of the early Church.

Just thinkin'.

NEW BLOG FORMAT STARTING TODAY

HI FRIENDS, in this new format I will be sharing a variety of things Christian. If you do not like this format, please don't get nasty, just move on.  This is a free service from an experienced pastor, teacher, author and general knowledge Bible hound.

I hope to discuss topics that will be of great interest to those seeking to know more about Christ and those who have questions of genuine concern for their growth in Christian service.

We will also look at some things from prophetic words given during our church services.

From time to time I will share perspectives from noted Bible teachers & pastors .

Today I will just share one scripture portion, 2 Corinthians 9:8Amplified Bible (AMP)

 And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him], and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity.

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

The above passage, if taken by faith, that is, believing without doubting, will assure more than enough of whatever you need. I do realize that some skeptics will say,"I tried that and it didn't work." Their statement merely underlines the fact of their unbelief.  

How long did they trust God before giving in to their doubt?  How long did they hold fast to their faith? What were they asking for and expecting? Were they following God's laws of provision? Had they renounced sin and embraced holiness? Did they count Jesus as Lord of their lives?

These and many more questions should be asked before quitting believing. In fact, one should NEVER quit believing because God does NOT fail to keep His Word.

You might think that is a simplistic position but I affirm that is what God's Word says He will do and what we should do - believe only.

Don't just "try" it. Do it. You will see, Jesus never fails.