Showing posts with label judgment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label judgment. Show all posts

July 11, 2012

The Lost Mandate of Heaven, Part 1E [Ideas Series, #5]

Genesis 3:23-24
"Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."


If God threw Adam out of Eden on account of one sin, how can you expect to get into the Heavenly paradise with ten thousand? If someone out there says, "I haven't got anything to repent of." If you are  like the Pharisees, then I can tell you that this message will not reach your heart.

In I John 1:8, 10, the Bible states -

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us...If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

Alas, some people say, "I believe in the mercy of God; I don't believe God will send anyone to hell. I believe everyone will get to Heaven."

Or, "I believe that they are many paths to Heaven."

Look at those antediluvians. Do you think God swept all those sinners, all those men and women who were too wicked to live on earth - do you believe He swept them all into Heaven, and left the only righteous man to wade through the flood and its aftermath? Do you really hold to this notion, Reader?

And yet many men believe all will go into Heaven. Oh, Friend, don't believe the lie that comes from the mouth of the Devil himself! 

The day will come when you will wake up and know that you have been deceived by Satan. No unrepentant sinner will ever get into Heaven. Unless they forsake their sin they cannot enter there. The law of God is very plain on this point: "Except a man repent." That's the language of Scripture. And when this is so plainly set down, why is it that men fold their arms and say, "God will take me into Heaven anyway."

I can imagine some of you are saying now, Am I to repent today?"  The answer is a resounding Yes! My Friends, there are only two parties in the world. It's not the Republicans and the Democrats. Or, the Conservatives and the Liberals. Or, the 1% and the 99%. Indeed, there  is a great battle going on for your mind here today. And, yes, there are only two sides. Now, there are two parties in this world - those for Christ and those against Him, and to change to Christ's party is only moving from the old party to the new. You know that the old party is bad, and the new one is good, and yet you don't change. You don't have to wait for Election Day. Today's your day to vote, Friend. What's keeping you from casting the right vote?

If a man is not repentant his face is turned away from God, and the moment his face is turned toward God peace and joy follow. There are a great many people hunting after joy, after peace. Dear friends, if you want to find it today. Just turn to God, and you will get it.


Here's a final thought by Charles Spurgeon, "He who looks sinward has his back to God—he who looks Godward has his back to sin."

I can't put more plainer than this: Turn or Burn. What's it going to be? Cast your vote now.

I Choose to Turn This Day!


May 05, 2012

The Excusers & The Accuser

Luke 14:16-20
"Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:  And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come."

No sooner does anyone begin to preach the Gospel than men and women begin “to make excuses.” It is an old, old story. There is not an unsaved person here but has got some excuse. If I were to go to each of you and ask why you do not accept God’s invitation to the Gospel feast - after reading post after post about the majesty of His love and the miracle of His mercy - you would have an excuse ready on the end of your tongue; and if you had not one ready, the devil would be there to help you to make one. And if the excuse could be answered he is ready to make new ones. He has had six thousand years’ experience, and he is very good at it; he can give you as many as you want.

Do you know the origin of excuses? You will find it away back in Eden. Read all about it in Genesis 3.

When Adam had sinned, he tried to excuse himself. “The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” Not only did Adam blame the woman, but he also had the chutzpah to try and lay the blame on God. Talk about biting the Hand that feeds you!

And, little ol' Eve tried to lay it on the serpent; and down to the present time, men and women, with one consent, begin to make excuses.

Finally, the old serpent has no one to blame, so he accuses. He accuses the elect (that is, the believers) all day and night (Rev. 12:10).

Here's the thing: On that Great Day, YOU - and no one else - will stand before God and give an account for your life (Rom 14:12). At the Great White Throne, the unsaved will stand before the Righteous Judge (Rev. 20:11-15)  and face the wrath appointed to the unbelievers (John 3:36).

Where will you stand on that Day, Reader? As one of the saved? Or, on the precipice of eternal damnation?

The choice is yours to make today. On that Great Day, there will be no excuses. None.

So, Friend, what's holding you back? After all, you're being invited to a Feast of all feasts! The admission has been paid already. All you have to do is RSVP.

Read what Jesus Christ did for you at Calvary: I Want to Get Right With God Today!

Oh, for the wonderful love He has promised—
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon—
Pardon for you and for me!

Come home! come home!
Ye who are weary, come home!
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing—
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, death-beds are coming—
Coming for you and for me!

Come home! come home!
Ye who are weary, come home!
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!


April 23, 2012

If I Wanted America to Fail

Proverbs 29:18
"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."

Another dire warning to Americans. I cannot think of a more critical presidential election than the one we'll be facing in November 2012. Please pray for this great Nation!

Psalm 1:1-2, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

Psalm 106:3, "Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times."




Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.


In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us let us die to make men free
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.


April 01, 2012

Seasons of the Tree

Psalm 1:3
"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."


There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, twisted and empty of any value.

The second son said, No. It was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed, saying it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son took issue with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are - and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life - can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

The moral of the story is that if you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

In Psalm 30:5b, God promises, "...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

Furthermore in Isaiah 61:3, there is more encouragement: "...to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."

Even though the Lord is speaking to the children of Israel, there's a Biblical principle that applies to Christians as well. To wit, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, in John 16:20 declares:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy."

What more comfort do you need than from Christ's own promise? I want to encourage someone out there today to not give up, to not despair and worry. Press forward toward the prize. The travail you're passing through will be nothing compared to the glory that awaits you in heaven if you faint not.

You might be thinking: But, what about right now? I need something now! All I can share with you is God's word. Paul pleaded, prayed and begged God to remove his thorn in the flesh. Let's read what happened next in II Corinthians 12:8-9,

"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

And for the rest of you who like to point fingers and tsk-tsk at others' predictaments, beware! As Christ warns in Matthew 7:1-5 -

"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."

So,  let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not! (Gal. 6:9)

To find out more about Jesus Christ, click here: Jesus Christ, the Hope of Glory!

February 26, 2012

Say Nothing, Do Nothing

Romans 2:13
"I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth."

I can't help but think of the terrible price President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad & the mullahs will pay at the Great White Throne for killing one of God's children (Rev. 20:11-15). As for Pastor Yousef, he'll be in glory if the Iranian government follows through with the hanging.

In the meantime, I came across this op-ed piece by Peter Bella. I hope it causes some of you out there to pray for the Nadarkani Family. Maybe the Lord will move you to do more. I don't know. But, please be prayerful.

*********************************************************************************

CHICAGO, February 26, 2012— Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani is facing execution in Iran. His crimes? He is an apostate who abandoned Islam.

He was convicted of practicing Christianity, trying to register home churches, and questioning the mandatory Islamic religious education of his children.

The pastor was given an option. Recant his faith and he can live. His faith is his life. He refused. He is condemned to be lynched.

There has been quite a bit of “concerned” diplomatic palavering over this case. So far our President has not made any strong public comments or apologies. Neither have the Secretary of State or any other high government official.

No books were burned so why condemn something as insignificant as a mere human life? The life of a many who chose Chirstianity over the violence of Islam.

Granted it is no one but the Pastor's fault that he will not save his own life by recanting. There is no reason to get upset about it. It is not like a book, even a Koran, was burned, cartoons published, movies made, or other kinds of freedom expressed.

Those must be condemned, strongly discouraged, apologized for continuously, people held accountable, or in the case of our so-called brave nation, never happen.

So it must be that Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani killed. But even then, he is not some famous celebrity murderer on death row who must be saved by international protests, marches, and tearful pleadings from the beautiful, and liberal, people.

He is just a Christian. If he is willing to die for his faith, why bother? Let him die.

There is something else not happening. Christians around the world are not rioting, loudly protesting at mosques or burning them. They are not fomenting other violent acts or killing Muslims.

There aren’t even any mass protests.

There is no or very little condemnation of Muslim theocracies or autocracies. There are no scathing fiery editorials in our so-called free press condemning Iran or radical Islam for this gross violation of human rights.

There are no preachers in their pulpits spewing hell, fire, and brimstone. There are only statements of “concern”.

No one is creating phony terms like Christianophobia, and accusing Iran, or other nations of practicing that. No one is starting fake civil rights organizations. No one is demanding our president say something, or do something.

Every one is being oh so very polite, “concerned” and diplomatic. Islamophilia has taken hold in America and our government. We are silent witless enablers in the face of murder and persecution. It is the right thing to do. It is the politically correct thing to do. It is the multi-cultural thing to do. It is the civilized thing to do.

It is cowardly thing to do.

Burn some books, publish cartoons, make films, or in any way insult the so-called religion of peace or their prophet and there are riots, violence, terrorism, and murder.

It is a perfectly acceptable response, proper conduct and worthy of apologies and promises of accountability from high public officials. We must understand and respect their feelings and excuse the violence, murder, and terrorism, or threat thereof.

Insult the Pope, religious symbols, icons, or any other major religious figure; there is no harm, no foul. Burn some Bibles; oh those are just a bunch of books, no harm, no foul. Murder, execute, and violently persecute Christians, Jews, or people of other faiths, no harm, no foul.

Insult the Prophet and you better apologize toute de suite or else.

So when Iran lynches Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani you can feel proud you did and said nothing. When they take his life you can feel good that you were a the model of a politically correct poltroon.

When his family grieves, if they are not arrested and murdered too, you can pat yourself on the back for being the epitome of a multi-cultural buffoon. You were a perfectly civilized cretin.

Your self esteem will be rewarded because you are not uncouth, illiterate, and uneducated. You acted in a civilized manner while a man was brutally lynched for his faith by an uncivilized nation.
Yes, you. The media, our governments, our high profile preachers, our bobble headed activist celebrities, our pastors, and, well, all of us.

This is why evil regimes like Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia, will win in end. This is why radicals and extremists will be victorious. They do what they want, let their people do what they want, and snub their noses at the world.

When they demand apologies, groveling, and prostration, we apologize, grovel, and prostrate.

Western civilization has turned into cowardly apologists for radical and extremist insanity. We bow down to the whims of violence; hoping against hope, it stops. We cave in.

We are the Kumbaya civilization. Unlike the fanatical extremist Muslims, we sit around the campfire in ecumenical love and brotherhood. They kill. We chant. They murder. We apologize. They terrorize we grovel.

Whether Yousef Nadarkhani lives, dies, or is coerced and tortured into recanting his faith, our diplomatic, civilized, and polite silence is testimony to the world that we just give lip service to freedom and human rights.

One more thing. This is not the first time America, the West, their media, and their governments were silent cowards. We were silent in the 1930s and 40s in the face of genocide.

Six million Jews were murdered before anyone spoke up.

And as the famous poem goes, who is going to stand up for you.

Peter V. Bella is a retired Chicago Police Officer, freelance writer and photographer, cook, and raconteur. He likes to be the sharp stick that pokes, prods, and annoys. His opinions are his and his alone.

This article is the copyrighted property of the writer and Communities @ WashingtonTimes.com.

February 22, 2012

Sign of the Times, Pt. 1

Matthew 24:7

"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places."

I'm not a doomsayer or a soothsayer. If anything, I'm just saying what the Bible prophecies state will happen in the last days. There's more in Matthew 24, but for now I'll focus on earthquakes.

The prophetic Biblical reference in verse 7 is not about the increase of the earthquakes' magnitude or frequency in the last days. It is indicating that there shall be earthquakes in "divers places". The Greek word, kata (Strong's # 2596), means among other things, throughout. That is to say, earthquakes will occur in various places. In my humble opinion, it points to places never thought of being prone to earthquakes.
  
Case in point #1:

Swarm of Quakes Have Experts Concerned

Reported by: Brooke Boone
Published: 6/23/2011 4:03 pm
Updated: 7/04/2011 12:39 pm

Hawthorne, Nev. -- Nevada Seismologists are keeping a close eye on an area southwest of Hawthorne, Nevada where hundreds of earthquakes have been detected since Sunday.

"It's a little bit concerning in a since. The largest earthquakes in these sequences are pretty large in size." Graham Kent is Director of Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada Reno.

He says there have been hundreds of earthquakes southwest of Hawthorne over the past few days. The largest-- recorded at a 4.4 in size.

"These are the biggest in a sequence we've seen at least in the last couple of years." Kent says unlike the 2008 quakes in Somersett that damaged so many homes, these earthquakes are fortunately not underneath a community.

Size is not the only reason Kent says they are watching the swarm of quakes closely. The location of these quakes is on top of a fault that has until now remained unknown or has not been active.

See rest of the story here: Swarm of Quakes Have Experts Concerned

Case in point #2:

Missouri Earthquake Shakes Nine States

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Just days after the 200th anniversary of a series of massive earthquakes in southeast Missouri, residents woke up Tuesday to a rumbling reminder that they live in one of the continent's most active seismic areas.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of a magnitude-4.0 earthquake at 3:58 a.m. was located near the town of East Prairie, Mo., roughly midway between St. Louis and Memphis. Several people in five states — Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee — felt the quake, along with scattered people in four others, as far away as North Carolina and Georgia, according to responses to the U.S. Geological Survey website.
See rest of the story here: Missouri Earthquake Shakes Nine States



Case in point #3:

Here's a news story that strikes closer to home for us Yakimites/Yakimanians?

Newly Discovered Earthquake Fault Lines Mean Valley Is on Shakier Ground than Originally Thought
By Mike Faulk
Yakima Herald-Republic
Posted on Sunday, January 08, 2012

YAKIMA, Wash. — The scenic ridges that line the Yakima Valley and much of Central Washington have long been admired and touted as part of the region's charm.

Turns out they come with a potential price.

"Every one of those mountains has a fault or two associated with them," said Brian Sherrod, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey studying Central Washington faults. "And almost all of them haven't had much work done on them yet."

They include everything from the Yakima, Manastash, Umtanum and Toppenish ridges to Heaven Hills and Saddle and Rattlesnake mountains near Hanford. The information being gathered on them by Sherrod and other geologists is not only helping people understand the likelihood of an earthquake in our region, it's showing just how connected the state's tectonics really are.

Sherrod said recently geologists have been able to map a series of fault lines stretching across the Cascades -- including a group of faults along ridges between Yakima and Ellensburg that connect to faults as far away as Vancouver Island. Their discoveries are changing the way geologists see the relationships between earthquakes on different sides of the state.

Here's the rest of the article: Newly Discovered Earthquake Fault Lines in Yakima Valley

I hope you're prepared to deal with the ramifications of your decision to either accept or reject Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour.

"That 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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."     Romans 10:9-10

Finally, Romans 13:12 warns: "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light."

July 26, 2007

From Gabbatha to Golgotha: The Awful Sentence at The Pavement



John 19:13

I became interested in the passage in John 19:13 after watching the movie, The Gospel of John (Buena Vista Home Entertainment/Disney, 2005). In the movie scene, Pontius Pilate is in the courtyard sitting in the judgment seat as Jesus is brought out to him and the angry crowd. It is here that Christ was sentenced as Pilate had already made his politically expeditious judgment in the inner chambers of his palace.

Gabbatha is an Aramaic word that means elevated, or platform. In the Hebrew, it was also called "Pavement," where the judgment-seat (or bema) was placed, from which Pilate delivered our Lord to death. It was a place paved with a mosaic of colored stones and stood on an eminence, so that the judge sitting on his throne might be seen and heard by a considerable number of people. The modern-day bema is the judge’s bench, which is typically elevated and located at the head of the courtroom.

Interestingly, for hundreds of years, scholars used the “myth” of Gabbatha to reject John’s record of Jesus and the trial by Pilate, because there was no historical record of a court called Gabbatha or “The Pavement” in Jerusalem. However, famous archaeologist William Albright revealed that this place was in fact the court of the Tower of Antonia, which was destroyed by the Romans in 66-70 AD. It was left buried when Jerusalem was rebuilt in the time of Hadrian, but it was uncovered during excavations there [William Albright, The Archaeology of Palestine, Penguin Books, 1960].

So, when Pilate had sat down in the judgment seat, in the place that is called the pavement, the decision had been made. All that was necessary was to make it official. It may have been the seat of judgment, but it was not the seat of justice. It may have seemed expedient to hand down the sentence but it was certainly not the seat of equity. There is often no justice and equity in the judgments of men.

And bearing His cross, Jesus went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha. The skull has been a symbol of death. This spot was outside of the gates of the city on the side of a hill, which has the appearance of a skull. It was a sad but needful reality: Had not Christ been rejected of men, we would have been forever rejected of God. So, Jesus was delivered into the hands of wicked and unreasonable men and nailed to the cross as the necessary Sacrifice to reconcile men to God.

Consider the cross from five viewpoints:

1. From the viewpoint of God, the cross was the propitiation for sin. There the full holiness and justice of God was satisfied. Now God can forgive man’s sin without violating His justice.

2. From the viewpoint of Jesus, it was an act of obedience unto the will of the Father. Becoming a sin offering and giving Himself as a sacrifice for man's sin.

3. From the standpoint of the believer, it was substitution. He was there in my place, dying the death that I deserved.

4. From the standpoint of Satan, it was a "victory" as he bruised the seed of the woman, but it also became his ultimate defeat as through Christ's death, He destroyed him that had power over death.

5. As far as the world is concerned, it was an unjust, brutal murder.

Christ’s death means life, eternal life for you (John 3:16)! Gabbatha, the Stone Pavement, is a Place of Decision. It is a place mentioned in the Bible where Pontius Pilate judged Jesus. Gabbatha is where the question was first asked and it is the the one Question we must all ask ourselves, "What will I do with this Jesus, called the Christ?"

January 11, 2007

A Token of Innocence


Matthew 27:24

This morning my little girl came down the stairs to use the bathroom. I could tell it was my four year old because my two other daughters – the seven year old and nine year old – come galloping down the steps like runaway horses. In contrast, my four year old shuffles softly down the stairs. It’s amazing how in the stillness of the morning every sound is magnified: the creaking of the house, the muffled voices and laughter in the children’s rooms, the hum of the heater and the calibrated ticking of the clock. So, it was as I worked on the computer that I heard my little girl go potty, flush the toilet and click the bathroom light off. But, I didn’t hear the distinctive sound of water splashing that comes from hand washing. I called her into the study and asked her if she had washed her hands. She said no. I explained to her that it was the germs that got us sick and that the way to get rid of the germs was to wash our hands with soap because the soap made the germs slide off the hands. She nodded and went back to the bathroom to wash her hands. After she was done, my daughter padded up the stairs and resumed her play.

That’s when I began thinking of Pontius Pilate’s infamous line, “I am innocent of this man's blood. It is your responsibility!" as he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd (Matthew 27:24).

What a true politician! Talk about a logic that’s twisted as a pretzel! Pilate’s futile attempt to exonerate himself was to wash his hands and deliver up the guiltless One to the will of His enemies. At the same time, Pilate declared that he found no fault in Jesus. The final insult by Pilate was to release to the Jews a man guilty of sedition and murder: Barabbas. After all, Barabbas was the expression of the spirit of Satan who was a murderer from the beginning, and of rebellion against the authority, which ironically, Pilate was there to maintain.

The multitudes and the throngs chose the world, rather than the Son of God. In their blindness, they claimed to see. In their ignorance, they professed to know. In their flesh, they chose flesh over Spirit.

Pilate had decided to compromise by giving the crowd the choice. When that didn’t work, he then tried to elude the responsibility by ordering a basin of water to be brought to him and, before the crowd, washed his hands declaring his innocence of this man's blood. Unlike washing off something unpleasant, this one thing, i.e. the consequence of Pilate’s choice, could not be washed away.

Not only did Pilate know that Jesus was innocent and that justice demand-ed that the innocent man go free, but he also knew that the charges being made against Jesus were false. Yet, Pilate acquiesced. Isn’t that some-thing? Many times the pressure of the crowd is more than we can bare, and we find ourselves doing things we really do not want to do. Even when our hearts are telling us what is right.

And so, we arrive at the question "What shall I do with this Man Jesus who is called the Messiah?" This is the question of the ages. It is one that cannot be evaded. Neither can you wash your hands from the res-ponsibility of the consequences for the decision that you make about Jesus Christ. Though the question was asked by a Roman procurator almost 2000 years ago, it is a question that you must deal with and answer for yourself today. You can receive Him as your Lord. Or you can reject His lordship over your life.

Consider this Scriptural passage –

“They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good (Titus 1:16).”

I say again: What you can't do is ignore Him. You cannot wash your hands of this man, Jesus. Not to receive Him is to reject Him. Not to believe in Him is to disbelieve in Him. Not to confess Him is to deny Him. Have you already taken your position? Are you satisfied with it? Here’s a final sobering thought:

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whore mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)”

What say you?

December 25, 2006

Birthday of the Unconquered Son


Luke 2:13-14

No one really knows when Jesus Christ was born. Some say in the fall; others, in spring. What is known is that Christ was indeed born. Certain groups of people who are anti-theistic (I refuse to call them atheists because God doesn’t believe in atheists) like to point out Christmas is celebrated on a pagan holiday and that the Christians are really partici-pating in a cultish festival.

In 336 A.D., Christian leaders set the date of Christ’s birth to December 25th in an attempt to eclipse a popular pagan holiday in Rome known as Saturnalia, that celebrated Natalis Solis Invincti, or "Birthday of the Un-conquered Sun." It was, therefore, the day the Sun proved itself to be "unconquered" despite the shortening of daylight hours.Along with honoring the god Saturn, the use of the title Sol Invincti allowed several solar dieties to be worshipped collectively, including Elah-Gabal, a Syrian sun god; Sol, the god of Emperor Aurelian (AD 270-274); and Mithras, a soldiers' god of Persian origin.

So, Saturnalia was a time of general relaxation, feasting, merry-making, and a cessation of formal rules. There was drinking, gambling, and singing, and even public nudity. It was the "best of days," according to the poet Catullus.

While it may be true that no one on earth knows when exactly Christ was born, I encourage all of you who believe in Jesus Christ to hold this day holy because of He who made the heavens, the stars and all underneath it. Celebrate it because it was the advent of our salvation. It brought forth a Savior in a world too dark and too busy with itself to make room for Him on that special, holy night. His arrival brought great promise: peace to all the world. As Prince of Peace, Christ brought the only lasting peace—not with the world, but with God. Celebrate it because in Him there is hope, peace, love and redemption that were purchased with His blood.

During this Christmas season, remember that a young Jewish virgin woman cradled the biggest news of all: the birth of the Savior, who would become our Lord and Savior, whose birthday continues to be celebrated thousands of years later because of His redeeming work at the cross and because He conquered death.

That's the heart and soul of the Christmas message. Back then, there weren't many worshipers around the original manger; only a handful of shepherds. They were considered lowly because of their work. But, they were the first ones to see Christ. They saw and believed and humbled themselves before Him. Over two thousand years later, there are those who refuse to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God. But one day every knee will bow before Him, and every tongue will confess He is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11). Those who doubt Him, those who are His enemies, those who merely ignore Him, all will one day bow, too, even if it be in judgment.

I pray that God grants you the life-changing spiritual experiences that only Christ can bring. I pray God gives you an ongoing attitude of joy, thankful-ness, and responsiveness that causes you to tell others that you, too, have seen Christ the Lord. And that He dwells in your heart. Truly, we celebrate the birthday of the Unconquered Son: Jesus Christ!


Jesus is the greatest gift you could share with anyone this season!
Spread the Good News and Merry Christmas!