There are a large number of subjects that come out of the subject of the sanctuary and as we look at these subjects, they continue to expand in their subject matter. Each point and truth becomes broader and wider. The sanctuary in heaven which God built and not man, unfolds truths that get deeper and deeper.

Ezekiel 47:1 Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house [stood toward] the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south [side] of the altar.

 47:2 Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.

 47:3 And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters [were] to the ankles.

 47:4 Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters [were] to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters [were] to the loins.

 47:5 Afterward he measured a thousand; [and it was] a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.

 47:6 And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen [this]? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.

 47:7 Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river [were] very many trees on the one side and on the other.

 47:8 Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: [which being] brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.

 47:9 And it shall come to pass, [that] every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.

Here is the sanctuary and from under the door of the sanctuary comes forth flowing water which as it proceeds becomes deeper and deeper until it flows in great depth into the sea.

Ezekiel 47:12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

The Water of Life

Where des the water proceed out of? The sanctuary which has things flowing out of it. Here in symbol are waters that flow out of the sanctuary. The heavenly sanctuary pours forth a living stream;

Revelation 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

In the heavenly sanctuary from Gods throne proceeds a river of water of life. This is the river of Ezekiel 47. The waters are issued to the east country and to the desert and sea and the waters that they run into it are healed. A great multitude of fish that live in these waters, shall be healed and everything shall live where the river comes to. From Gods throne proceed waters for healing. The trees growing by the side of the river are benefited so they produce fruit and the leaves for medicine. This is a picture of healing that comes from the sanctuary. All who drink deeply taking hold of Gods outpouring from His throne and Gods ways in the sanctuary, find healing.

Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I [am] the LORD that healeth thee.

From the Lord proceeds healing, He is the Lord that healeth, comfort is found.

Deuteronomy 7:15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all [them] that hate thee.

What is God saying here? I will take away from thee all sickness. Notice the condition mentioned if we will take hold of all Gods ways. The ways that come from the sanctuary if we heed and obey them, if we give them diligent attention, the Lord can heal us from all our diseases.

Psalms 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, [bless] his holy name.

 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

 103:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

We want to take God’s Word as it reads. God has said to us that we should not be careless about this and not to forget it because if we do we will probably not find healing. The fountain of healing comes from the throne in the sanctuary. It comes from God and the lamb and the product of what comes from Him is healing. The water starts off from the throne and it runs and gets deeper and deeper.

Zechariah 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

A fountain for the healing of the nations of sins and impurities.

Christ came as the Great Physician to heal the wounds that sin has made in the human family; {6T 227.2}

There is a fountain opened to the house of David for sin and uncleanness to heal the wounds of sin. Disease comes as a consequence of sin.

…and His Spirit, working through His servants, imparts to sin-sick, suffering human beings a mighty healing power that is efficacious for the body and the soul. “In that day,” says the Scriptures, “there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” Zechariah 13:1. The waters of this fountain contain medicinal properties that will heal both physical and spiritual infirmities. {6T 227.2}

God’s way of healing relates to that which proceeds from his throne. On the earth made new is a living stream that runs from the throne in reality but there is something else for us to study as to what proceeds from His throne. Jesus said to the woman at the well that He who would drink of the water would become a living stream. It relates to His Word. His Word is the living water. The sanctuary in heaven and the earthly sanctuary had a message to convey in reference to this healing water.

Leviticus 13:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying,

 13:2 When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh [like] the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests:

 13:3 And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and [when] the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight [be] deeper than the skin of his flesh, it [is] a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.

14:4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive [and] clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:

 14:5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water:

 14:6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird [that was] killed over the running water:

 14:7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.

 14:8 And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.

This is another symbolic picture in reference to sin, uncleanness and disease.

The wonderful symbol of the living bird dipped in the blood of the bird slain and then set free to its joyous life, is to us the symbol of the atonement. There were death and life blended, presenting to the searcher for truth the hidden treasure, the union of the pardoning blood with the resurrection and life of our Redeemer. The bird slain was over living water; that flowing stream was a symbol of the ever flowing, ever cleansing efficacy of the blood of Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, the fountain that was open for Judah and Jerusalem, wherein they may wash and be clean from every stain of sin. We are to have free access to the atoning blood of Christ. {1BC 1111.4}

Here is the message symbolised from the sanctuary, the flowing stream and the blood of Jesus and then the freedom of the bird free to fly.

This we must regard as the most precious privilege, the greatest blessing, ever granted to sinful man. And how little is made of this great gift! How deep, how wide and continuous is this stream! To every soul thirsting after holiness there is repose, there is rest, there is the quickening influence of the Holy Spirit, and then the holy, happy, peaceful walk and precious communion with Christ. Then, oh, then, can we intelligently say with John, “Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world” (Letter 87, 1894). {1BC 1111.4}

Do you see what is available to us? We are to embrace and believe the beautiful flow of saving truth from the sanctuary. It has to do with believing and taking hold of and drinking the beautiful holiness imparted to us through Jesus Christ. Are you thirsting for holiness in the beautiful clear water of life that we can drink, wash and believe in? As we are imbued with truth we sometimes concentrate on the negatives and sinfulness of our life and we do not concentrate on the part that we are released by.

Yes we are sinful and abhor ourselves but no matter how leprous and sinful we are, if we plunge into that river, there is healing and the Lord can heal us from all our sickness. We must plunge into that and believe and enjoy it otherwise it doesn’t happen. The symbolism of the sanctuary is for us to embrace and understand in reality. For us to find healing as the leper had to in symbol in the New Testament reality, where are we to go when we are ill and sick?

James 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Here is the New Testament display of the Old Testament symbolism. We are to call the priest and the elders of the church to pray over us but this praying is continued.

James 5:16 Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

What is connected if you diligently heed the counsel of the Lord and we obey all his directions so that we will be healed from all our sickness? Our faults and sins need to be repented of. Not healed by magical prayer, but by following Gods instructions. As we embrace the message of Christ our righteousness and bathe our soul in this river of life, the Lord said we do not need to remain ill both spiritually and bodily. Our illness is healed but I must plunge into that healing water.

The God of Ekron

There is an example of failing to go to the Lord for healing in the Old Testament. There was a king of Israel who went for healing to the God of Ekron and not to the Lord. He went there for a prognosis and for an answer to heal. A prognosis is where the doctor tells you the length of time for your disease.

2 Kings 1:2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that [was] in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baalzebub the God of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.

 1:3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, [Is it] not because [there is] not a God in Israel, [that] ye go to inquire of Baalzebub the God of Ekron?

He went where? He went to the Gods of Baal. If God says I am the one that healeth thee, I am the doctor and I can heal you of all your sins and diseases, what is the lesson for us?

Ahaziah sent his servants to inquire of Baal-zebub, at Ekron; but instead of a message from the idol, he heard the awful denunciation from the God of Israel: “Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.” It was Christ that bade Elijah speak these words to the apostate king. Jehovah Immanuel had cause to be greatly displeased at Ahaziah’s impiety. What had Christ not done to win the hearts of sinners and to inspire them with unwavering confidence in Himself? For ages He had visited His people with manifestations of the most condescending kindness and unexampled love. From the times of the patriarchs He had shown how His “delights were with the sons of men.” He had been a very present help to all who sought Him in sincerity. {5T 195.3}

This is packed with what is to occupy our mind when we are not well. That we will repose in the utter joy and comfort in the healing that comes from God as Jesus has shed His blood and we may enjoy a total relief from all stresses within ourselves. God has given so much evidence.

“In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them.” Yet Israel had revolted from God and turned for help to the Lord’s worst enemy. {5T 195.3}

The Hebrews were the only nation favored with a knowledge of the true God. When the king of Israel sent to inquire of a pagan oracle, he proclaimed to the heathen that he had more confidence in their idols than in the God of his people, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. In the same manner do those who profess to have a knowledge of God’s word dishonor Him when they turn from the Source of strength and wisdom to ask help or counsel from the powers of darkness. If God’s wrath was kindled by such a course on the part of a wicked, idolatrous king, how can He regard a similar course pursued by those who profess to be His servants? {5T 196.1}

Why is it that men are so unwilling to trust Him who created man, and who can by a touch, a word, a look, heal all manner of disease? Who is more worthy of our confidence than the One who made so great a sacrifice for our redemption? Our Lord has given us definite instruction through the apostle James as to our duty in case of sickness. When human help fails, God will be the helper of His people. “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.” If the professed followers of Christ would, with purity of heart, exercise as much faith in the promises of God as they repose in satanic agencies, they would realize in soul and body the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. {5T 196.2}

There is a power of healing as we embrace the water of God’s Word to our soul and do whatever God’s Word declares and let Him have us totally for His healing work. The Israelites did not turn anymore to the Lord and went to the physicians of Ekron. The statements in Testimonies Volume 5 are in reference to consulting spiritualist physicians. Today they are rampant. They use methods of the occult. Drugs come from the occult. The doctors of today have the Hippocratic Oath. Hippocrates was a Greek pagan worshipper. He was a physician and he is the one who even the doctors of today are making their oath upon.

This is all connected. For us to find healing, if we turn to the drug world of the doctors we are turning to the God of Ekron. We follow a careful path as we continue to proceed. Our safety for healing of our diseases is in following all Gods directions. They are found not only in mind healing form the Word of God but His counsels as gained form the sanctuary practised by true Godly physicians.

 The subject of the sanctuary was the key which unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844. It opened to view a complete system of truth, connected and harmonious, showing that God’s hand had directed the great advent movement and revealing present duty as it brought to light the position and work of His people. {GC 423.1}

It opened to view the river, a whole system of truth.

Light was to be given, directing their minds to the temple of God in heaven; and as they should by faith follow their High Priest in His ministration there, new duties would be revealed. Another message of warning and instruction was to be given to the church. {GC 424.4}

From the time of the exposition of the sanctuary message as it unlocked the confusion of the early Advent believers in 1844 that there was a heavenly sanctuary and Jesus moving from the holy to the most holy and all it embraced, it laid out all the duties of Gods people to be ready for Jesus to come. What was given for all who were under the sanctuary message the true Adventist people back there?

Ezekiel’s Vision

 Such a river of life and healing God designs that, by His power working through them, our sanitariums shall be. {6T 228.1}

This was the river of life and healing in Ezekiel 47 that God designed to take place through those duties revealed to the Adventists at that time.

 Our sanitariums are to show forth to the world the benevolence of heaven; and though Christ’s visible presence is not discerned in the building, yet the workers may claim the promise: “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” {6T 228.2}

The establishment of these health centres were based upon Gods direction and related to that river that went deeper and deeper and healed all it touched. This opens to us the true understanding and balance of what we are going to be benefitted by. Everything that God wants to benefit us by is so that we can go along the path the pioneers had established in their methods of healing work.

The Remedies of God Verses the Remedies of Ekron

There are many ways of practicing the healing art, but there is only one way that Heaven approves. God’s remedies are the simple agencies of nature that will not tax or debilitate the system through their powerful properties. Pure air and water, cleanliness, a proper diet, purity of life, and a firm trust in God are remedies for the want of which thousands are dying; Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 443 (1885). {2SM 287.3}

Can you see the river of water? It is the instruction that comes from God that the healing properties he has put into activity will heal us as those rivers of water that are written of in Ezekiel.

…yet these remedies are going out of date because their skillful use requires work that the people do not appreciate. Fresh air, exercise, pure water, and clean, sweet premises are within the reach of all with but little expense; but drugs are expensive, both in the outlay of means and in the effect produced upon the system.–Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 443 (1885). {2SM 287.3}

Here is the river of life which in today’s society people don’t go to. It is no different. That which Adventists should have been doing with their sanitariums has been totally perverted with the drugs and all their practises today. They are going back to the God of Ekron. There are few institutions that can be the river of life as per Ezekiel. We have to learn quickly how to do these things so the Lord can do the rest. In the sanitariums at that time there were physicians and surgeons. Some think that if God will heal me, I don’t have to worry about such a thing as an operation. They will even die where God could have helped them through an operation.

It is our privilege to use every God-appointed means in correspondence with our faith, and then trust in God, when we have urged the promise. If there is need of a surgical operation, and the physician is willing to undertake the case, it is not a denial of faith to have the operation performed. After the patient has committed his will to the will of God, let him trust, drawing nigh to the Great Physician, the Mighty Healer, and giving himself up in perfect trust. {2SM 284.4}

That applies to every measure of Gods healing to follow God’s directive and Gods appointed means.

The Lord will honor his faith in the very manner He sees is for His own name’s glory. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:3, 4).–Manuscript 67, 1899 (General Manuscript). {2SM 284.4}

In a critical operation the angels are there.

Who has been by your side as you have performed these critical operations? Who has kept you calm and self-possessed in the crisis, giving you quick, sharp discernment, clear eyesight, steady nerves, and skillful precision? The Lord Jesus has sent His angel to your side to tell you what to do. A hand has been laid upon your hand. Jesus, and not you, has guided the movements of your instrument. At times you have realized this, and a wonderful calmness has come over you. You dared not hurry, and yet you worked rapidly, knowing that there was not a moment to lose. The Lord has greatly blessed you.– Testimonies, vol. 8, pp. 187, 188 (To the medical superintendent of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, 1899). {2SM 285.1}

It is in Gods order if an operation is needed that He will direct the hands of a surgeon. That is part of all of Gods order.

-Before performing a critical operation, let the physician ask for the aid of the Great Physician. Let him assure the suffering one that God can bring him safely through the ordeal, that in all times of distress He is a sure refuge for those who trust in Him. –Ministry of Healing, p. 118 (1905). {2SM 284.2}

  The Saviour is present in the sickroom, in the operating room; and His power for His name’s glory accomplishes great things.–Manuscript 159, 1899 (Manuscript, “The Privileges and Duties of a Christian Physician”). {2SM 284.3}

This is the testimony of Jesus in reference to the balanced appreciation of Gods flowing healing methods. We read it plainly that it had to do with fresh air and pure water and with the elements of total trust in the Lord and such things as cleanliness. When disease takes a course where it needs to be treated with other things like natural herbs, vitamins and minerals, this is all in Gods order. If there is something very serious that needs an operation, it’s sometimes necessary. It is all in Gods order. We have a very important understanding to be gained as some say no I just want Jesus and the elders to heal me and I’m just going to rely on that because Jesus did it and I believe He can do the same thing today.

 The way in which Christ worked was to preach the Word, and to relieve suffering by miraculous works of healing. But I am instructed that we cannot now work in this way, for Satan will exercise his power by working miracles. God’s servants today could not work by means of miracles, because spurious works of healing, claiming to be divine, will be wrought. {2SM 54.2}

  For this reason the Lord has marked out a way in which His people are to carry forward a work of physical healing, combined with the teaching of the Word. Sanitariums are to be established, and with these institutions are to be connected workers who will carry forward genuine medical missionary work. Thus a guarding influence is thrown around those who come to the sanitariums for treatment. {2SM 54.3}

  This is the provision the Lord has made whereby gospel medical missionary work is to be done for many souls.–Letter 53, 1904. {2SM 54.4}

This is the miracle working activities of Gods people in the last days through the avenues of the river of life, the instruction that God gives and He instructs us what to do. He gives us the messages of truth that help us trust Him implicitly. There are diseases that He will take away through natural cures and if need be in a crisis through operations. The fountain of life is all embracing. It has to do with drinking deeply and trusting what the Lord has communicated to us and plunging ourselves into that Word and basking in it and letting it bubble forth inside of us to benefit others.

The Woman at the Well

Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman at David’s well.

John 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Here is an understanding why the river that comes from under His throne gets deeper and deeper. All the people who take hold of that water, their own selves become a fountain and as the fountain comes from all believers of God, the river gets deeper and deeper.

  Wonderful is the work which God designs to accomplish through His servants, that His name may be glorified. God made Joseph a fountain of life to the Egyptian nation. Through Joseph the life of that whole people was preserved. Through Daniel God saved the life of all the wise men of Babylon. And these deliverances were as object lessons; they illustrated to the people the spiritual blessings offered them through connection with the God whom Joseph and Daniel worshiped. So through His people today God desires to bring blessings to the world. Every worker in whose heart Christ abides, everyone who will show forth His love to the world, is a worker together with God for the blessing of humanity. As he receives from the Saviour grace to impart to others, from his whole being flows forth the tide of spiritual life. {6T 227.2}

Christ came as the great physician and He works through His servants.

Christ came as the Great Physician to heal the wounds that sin has made in the human family; and His Spirit, working through His servants, imparts to sin-sick, suffering human beings a mighty healing power that is efficacious for the body and the soul. “In that day,” says the Scriptures, “there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” Zechariah 13:1. The waters of this fountain contain medicinal properties that will heal both physical and spiritual infirmities. {6T 227.2}

In the world there are many who are sick from their stressed out life. The truth as it is in Jesus is meant to take away this stress to bring the people into joy, calmness and peace. The beautiful repose found in these messages as we are released from these stresses and we rely on God’s instructions, He will heal us from our disease. There is no disease He won’t heal us from. I ask myself many times over, why something hasn’t healed when God has promised? Do you know why? We don’t repose entirely, we still carry stress.

The gospel of Jesus, the beautiful picture of those birds is to communicate to us that we can fly as a free as a bird and we don’t need to be under stress anymore and we are to give over and the Lord will heal us of all our stress related diseases. As we have the physical consequences of stress, we use the natural remedies for the diseases that have so heavily entrenched themselves upon us. We need some extra help. God grant us that we use we can pick up on this beautiful story of Ezekiel 37 and pick up every Word that comes from the sanctuary so we will be free from the diseases around us in Egypt.

Amen.

My Nonno (The name I call my Italian grandfather) told me tales of the Avagliano family, and thus told me tales of my past.

Hyperbole probably adequately describes much of what I have been told, but it doesn’t matter; the boy who was enthralled by the noble, glorious past of his ancestors has become a man who desires to be worthy of it. In the end, I know that my ancestors – the former counts of Salerno before the declaration of the Republic of Italy in the 40′s – are not the shining spectres that I was brought up to see them as, but it doesn’t matter; every person who has ever lived bar one has been flawed, falling short of what they could be. Those men and women are my past, and a spur to live as well as I can in the future.

The writers of Hebrews understood this, for he wrote;

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Hebrews 12:1-2

When this verse is quoted, it is often – and rightly – associated with the here and now; as Christians, we need the spur of other Christians around us, encouraging us to run this race and keep the faith. But the writer of Hebrews had another, equally true, meaning in mind, which the context makes clear. In the chapter preceding these verses, he speaks of faith and the great heroes of faith that had gone before them; of Abraham and Abel, Moses and Gideon and Samuel and many others.

The men and women of the bible continue to inspire us with their faith today, whenever we read their stories in scripture. But we are incredibly lucky, because we have many more stories now than the writer of Hebrews did; almost two thousand years have passed, and in that time we have collated the thoughts, beliefs, hopes and fears, sufferings, trials and deaths of countless millions of people who held their faith in Christ. We can find them in books, in stories, in their writings, even in liturgies and prayers, traditions and precepts.

I have included tradition and liturgies here intentionally, because these things were birthed from people’s beliefs; what some people deride as “religion” – usually when they talk of “dusty and old” prayers and liturgies and writings we have from the last two thousand years of Christianity – are in fact there to spur us on. But tradition need not be old or dusty; even now, we are making traditions and things our spiritual descendants in the faith will have to hand. Tradition can be lively, can be timely and – ultimately – can inspire.

These men and women who have filled our history books, suffered and died for their faith. Many of them were mocked, many more tortured, many died for Christ. Yet, through all of this, their faith remained intact, even stronger than it was before, even in the face of death. These men and women deserve remembrance; their stories can help us through even the darkest times, because they convey a deep truth; Christ is worth giving up everything for, and He is worth even the harshest of punishments.

Their stories, and all they have left behind, are an inspiration for us as Christians today, to live all the more for Christ.And that is what I feel the writer of Hebrews is getting at; we have a cloud of witnesses, both past and present, there to encourage us, to cheer us on, to show us how they did it, to inspire us to do great things.

I know that these spiritual ancestors of ours are not perfect; no one bar one has ever been so. They will have been flawed, sinful humans, just like the rest of us, but their faith none the less inspires, and their stories none the less enthrals. Knowing of these glorious examples in our past has made me desire and strive to run this race worthily, to keep the faith and live it well. If you have not done so, I commend looking up the stories our faith has to share, the prayers and liturgies that have grown over the years.

Because the men and women who lived through those stories, who breathed those prayers and grew our traditions for us, who suffered and died for what they – and we – hold true…they are our past, where we have come from, as it were. My hope and prayer is that they are also a spur for us to love Christ, run the race and keep the faith in the future.

We want to be able to survive through the future and many people are losing their love. It is a love so filled with the beauty of the glory of the Lord that it is willing. There are all sorts of things in the world today that make you sad. One thing today is family dysfunction. There is global disaster where ever you look. There are many social disappointments even in the church. When we have looked for something to satisfy our selfish desires we become disappointed. Your own desires of relationships don’t work out as hoped. The wars in the world destroy natural and social events. There is a great amount of social insecurity. Where do these things come from? What is the source of these disasters and disappointments? The curse causeless does not come.

Cause to Effect

2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Men being lovers of their own selves is the cause of the misery. Here is the cause that brings the curse. You can trace all our problems along this path. If you wonder why things aren’t working out as you would like, here is your answer. Why are these perilous times coming? Lovers of their own selves, it’s a cause for problems. They are covetous. These are the beginnings of strife and problems.

2 Timothy 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

Have you ever been accused for something you didn’t do? It means you are falsely accused. People today also can’t control themselves. Instead of rejoicing in the goodness of people, they despise them.

2 Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

These people are at the same time following a form of godliness. Here is the grand swell of final day madness we have to meet. What you sow you shall also have to reap. Is there anything that can help you to be happy in all that when things don’t go your way? Is there anything that can give you joy? Is there much to be enjoying now? How can you find anything encouraging? Jesus gives us a beautiful introduction in regards to the joy possible when you head into negativity. We are looking for something that is going to bring me true comfort and joy. It looks so hopeless, I can’t find it. As we think about this and try to understand, where is it going to come from? Jesus comes in with a beautiful instruction. If you wonder why things aren’t working out as you would like, here is the answer. What a man soweth he shall also reap. You can’t just say be happy. I have to have something intelligent to make me happy.

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

This is an answer opposite to what we think can bring joy. The thing that makes people happy today is to go shopping. Jesus says the exact opposite. Take no thought for what you shall eat, drink and put on. If you are looking for something to lift you, something to fill you with internal joy, don’t look for it where most people look for in what you shall eat, drink or put on. Life is more than that.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Here we have the guidelines. Jesus says if you want to find true joy and fulfilment to be able to survive through all these dark patches, here is where you will find it. Seeking first the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

Why do you think that clothing is going to make you happy?

Matthew 6:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Jesus directs your mind to somebody who looked for happiness who had far more wealth than us and he was never satisfied.

Does Shopping Make You Happy?

What is the case today with society? People say go shopping and today and there are so many clothing shops and they are full of clothes for people to go and spend money to make themselves feel good about the clothing they put on. Jesus says why do you take thought about clothing? Look at lilies of the field. If you think clothing is going to make you happy, look at Solomon. Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Jesus points us to Solomon who had all the wealth in the world who could dress himself up and find fulfilment in his beautiful garments and Jesus says the lilies are dressed better than that. Would you like to have all the money Solomon had to dress yourself and lift up your spirit? What did Jesus say about Solomon? In all his glory he was not as attractive as the lilies.

Matthew 6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith?

Clothing is ridiculous to look upon to make yourself look good. Look at Solomon and what he tried to tell us after he had all that. God wants to bless us with something far greater than the joy of display of look at me, I feel really good about myself. He points us to Solomon. What is there that he was pointing at? Why does he mention Solomon? Because Solomon became a preacher who came to show us the futility of all that glory. Jesus pointed to Solomon as the one we can learn from.

Ecclesiastes 1:1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all [is] vanity.

He speaks in a very disheartened manner. Everything is in vain and it is full of self-glory but it is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 1:12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

He was the wisest of all the kings and he used his wisdom to seek to understand. Solomon saw it all and he had all the wealth in the world. You can take good counsel from Solomon. Look at his description of it. He was someone who could have anything he wanted.

Ecclesiastes
1:13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all [things] that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

1:14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.

If you want to find lasting value when everything falls down around you that you can still have joy, listen to Solomon because he said, I have had it all, I have had everything, I have seen all works done under the sun. All the nations came to him as he had something better than them and he said whatever I have had was vexation of spirit. He was pointing to what man is looking to for fulfilment and he said don’t, it’s all vexation.

Ecclesiastes 2:1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also [is] vanity.

That’s what people say, lets laugh and crack some jokes.

Ecclesiastes 2:2 I said of laughter, [It is] mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

When he was laughing when something was stirring his spirit of mirth, he said it was mad. When people crack jokes and have something to laugh about, it is stupid, its mad. Solomon tried to make people laugh.

Ecclesiastes 2:3 I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what [was] that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.

Most people when they drink they lose their wisdom but Solomon said I will drink wisely and think carefully about it. They say go be merry, drink and sing. Even though he would drink and get tipsy, he would still think about it rather than be blind about it. What was he trying to find out? The good. We want to find the good, the things of nature to enjoy and he was looking at it in all others places. What did he find?

Ecclesiastes 2:4 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:

2:5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all [kind of] fruits:

2:6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:

What else did he do? He built big houses. He made big dams and all sorts of things to enjoy himself. He looked for true satisfaction in all these things. Is there anything of lasting value in all of this?

Ecclesiastes 2:7 I got [me] servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:

He was greater than all the kings before him. He had more than they had.

Ecclesiastes
2:8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, [as] musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

Solomon must have got his wealth from vast areas way out of his reach. He was gathering gold and silver from the Americas it has been suggested. That together with the laughter and drinking, he was exploring it all.

Ecclesiastes 2:9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. As he was going through all these pleasures, his wisdom was operating in himself looking for the real meaning.

2:10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.

He rejoiced in all he was doing.

Ecclesiastes 2:11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all [was] vanity and vexation of spirit, and [there was] no profit under the sun.

When God made the world he looked at everything He made and He said it was very good. Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived and he looked for happiness in every channel and said, all is vanity. There was not another person on earth that had as much as he had. He was rejoicing himself in all his labour but as he looked back what has he declared?

Ecclesiastes 217 Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun [is] grievous unto me: for all [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.

We are not as wealthy as Solomon and while we’re enjoying the things we do, it was just pittance to him. I am trying to find joy and happiness in my pittance and I have to labour to get it. He didn’t have to work that hard. He had servants to do it for him. After he had the lot and trying to find it, he looks back at it all and he says I hate it, there is nothing in it me for me. According to intelligent rational, Jesus identified what Solomon was trying to say. He said, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Then when you have that, the other things are not vanity, they will be added unto you but the kingdom of God and His righteousness is what Jesus was pointing to and true fulfilment. The king is telling us that if you think you are going to get joy pursuing these things, you will end up like him. There is lots of laughter and happiness for a while but if you ask some young people today they say they hate life. According to the intelligent being Solomon was, was there any worthwhile pursuit? Jesus says, what did Solomon say? I looked at all things and I hated life.

Jesus says if you never have the things you want, you will have internal companionship and joy. Why is this so? What is it? What is in the kingdom of heaven that is much better than all the wealth that people exercise to find that joy? What is there in the kingdom of heaven? The following scripture connects us with the verse about the lilies that were dressed better than Solomon and his earthly array. If you we are looking for external beauty, it is all going to wither away, it is of no value.

1 Peter 1:24 For all flesh [is] as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

All these other things wither. The glory of Solomon while he was in the prime of his glory was all sweet but then it withered. It doesn’t give you lasting joy. What does? That which does not pass away, the word of the Lord that endures forever. If you want something that will last forever and will keep you joyful all the time, it is the word of God which deals with the kingdom of heaven. There is something that intelligently lets you know that there is a joy worthy of pursuing. That is something that does not pass away. The glory of God doesn’t pass away.

1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The word of God abides forever and he who does the word of God abides forever. Why? There is something in the word that regenerates continually. It never dies. I can testify I have now studied the word of God since the age of 12 and I have continued to enlarge it through till now and I’ve gone over the same subjects again and again and they get more bright and joyful. There is no withering. They say children get toys and they grow tired of them. That is what Solomon did. He had plenty of toys and grew tired of them. Many men today have toys. Here is something that never loses glamour, the joy of something that never goes dry.

Even if you live in a tent for the rest of your life, it is joy. Why would you want to come and live in the bush; because you are close to the heart of God in nature. Nature has a tongue. There is joy in the most unhappy circumstances that surrounds us in the world today, there is still a joy. It is found in doing the will of God. That is where the bubbly joy comes from. It is something that never withers. It’s real and true. If you are connected with the word that abides forever, you have that true satisfaction. There is something in the word that causes you to have light. You may be with Jesus like Judas was, but you need to do more than just being with the light. You need to walk with it. The everlasting benefit found in an experience of the knowledge of the word is a relationship. The word of God abides forever and he that does the will of God abides forever.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

What is the eternal joy and value? It is has to do with knowing God. Not just having something to thrill you with lovely clothing and an attractive experience but the internal experience of knowing God. All the others can be added but you are not looking at them. There is nothing wrong with having nice clothing but the wrong is that you want to gain happiness by clothing. That is the problem. Jesus didn’t denounce Solomon for being well dressed. He said in all his dress there was something he was missing out on. There is something to know that will give you eternal joy and that is to know God. This kind of joy is similar to the joy of marriage that people are looking for. When a couple have real joy together in a marital fellowship, the Bible clarifies that as knowing someone for it says, Adam knew Eve. This is the knowledge to know God in an intimate entwinement which is lasting value. That is not vanity. That is an eternal joy to know God and Jesus Christ. Look at what it means to know him.

1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

What is it that we know when we know God? It is love. Is this not what everyone is looking for? All society around us is craving for love. They look for it in somebody giving them lovely clothes and in affections from someone and yet they are shattered as they are looking for it as they can’t find true love but when you know God, what do you know? God is love. It is not just God who tells you about love, He is love itself and if you want to have true love, you must come to know God and you will cHme to know God and dwell in love. That is what love is. God and a knowledge of Him. Why is the knowledge of God and doing the will of God everlasting life? Love never fails, it is eternal, it never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether [there be] prophecies, they shall fail; whether [there be] tongues, they shall cease; whether [there be] knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Just to know intellectual things and to know Jesus as Judas knew Him, he knew Him quite closely, he was looking at Jesus according to his perspective and he was lost. You can have all knowledge of prophecy and be very smug about the knowledge you have and teach everybody everything but all that is of a character of Solomon’s great knowledge and wisdom. He was wise, but did he find true satisfaction in all his wisdom? What did he need? Love. He was looking for it with how many wives and concubines? Fascinating isn’t it. There is something for us individually to pursue and find. That’s why Jesus says if you find me, you will find happiness. We have been looking for Him and we could feel Him in nature around us. You can sense something in nature around you that is true inward joy and satisfaction. It is in nature that has a voice and communicates these things. To know Hhim is to experience the intimacy of true love which only he is the source of.

Through the goodness of God we have been surrounded with innumerable blessings. There are tokens of His love on every hand. Nature seems to be rejoicing before us. The beautiful things in heaven and earth express the love and favor of the Lord of hosts toward the inhabitants of the world. The sunshine and the rain fall on the evil and the good. The hills and seas and plains are all speaking eloquently to the soul of man of the Creator’s love. It is God who brings the bud to bloom, the flower to fruit, and it is He who supplies our daily needs. Not a sparrow falls to the ground without the Father’s notice. Our minds should go up in gratitude and adoration to the Giver of every good and perfect gift. {TMK 145.2}

When you are cold and you sit in the sun, you can feel the warmth of Gods love. That is a love token from God. That is God’s love and also letting rain fall on the evil and good. Are you looking for love? Just go and explore it. What is the colour blue a representation of? Christs righteousness and the law. Look up, what is enveloping us? It is Christ’s righteousness. It is right around the planet. Christ’s righteousness is enveloping us, the creators love. As you look at a bud that is opening up into a beautiful flower that is a demonstration of God’s love. Go to a peach tree and pick the fruit and eat it, it is a token of God’s love. You want to get to know God? Communicate with Him through nature and the word and you will experience God surrounding you. You want to be embraced? You want to have an emotional time? Go to God, it is there. He will embrace you.

We should teach our children to consider the works of God. They should be instructed on His love and the provision He has made for their salvation. Lead them to give their young hearts as a grateful offering, fragrant with love, to Him who has died for them. Point out the attractive loveliness of the earth, and tell them of the world that is to come that shall never know the blight of sin and death, where the face of nature will no more wear the shadow of the curse. Lead their young minds to contemplate the glories of the reward that awaits the children of God. Cultivate their imaginative powers by picturing the splendor of the new earth and the city of God; and when they are charmed with the prospect, tell them it will be more glorious than their brightest imagination can portray. . . . {TMK 145.3}

God is trying to instruct children as they get older so they don’t make the same foolish decisions Solomon did. As we get along in life we think, what am I pursuing here? We are looking for love and there is only one source. At the moment this earth has the blight of sin and death. The blue is the righteousness of Christ and the green in nature is life. As you look, you see plenty of death but from the death comes life and so the life of God is continually exercising itself to renew from death. It is all around us the knowledge of God by experience. We are looking to the time where there will be a new heavens and earth where there is no more blight of death. Take time to think and contemplate. There is much written about the city of God and the new earth. Is there a true satisfaction in pursuing the world?

The poet and the naturalist have many things to say about nature, but it is the Christian who enjoys the beauty of the earth with the highest appreciation, because he recognizes his Father’s handiwork and perceives His love in flower and shrub and tree. No one can fully appreciate the significance of hill and vale, river and sea, who does not look upon them as an expression of the love of God to man. {TMK 145.4}

This is what it means to know God and this love that you see in nature. If a fire goes through, you see trees and they are black and then new life shoots out of them. No matter what destructive forces there are, the power of God over rules. If you are really listening and opening your mind, you yearn for that and you pursue that. As you work through the day, it is something worthwhile earning money for so you can spend your time in Gods kingdom. It will supply you because there is only one thing that you want, the kingdom of God and his righteousness because you do need food and garments but only for one purpose, you are pursing this higher thing. Here is this hope. The knowledge of God that you gained as a living engagement is a knowledge of an intimacy like marriage. Marital intimacy is only symbol of this higher thing. People who have had a marriage torn apart are looking for love but there is something that is more powerful than a marriage partner.

John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

The unity that exists in marriage is a symbol of the unity that exists of the Godhead and the people that enter into communion with that love. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is love. We may be part of that.

John 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

What’s that? The glory that God gave Jesus the Godhead glory.

John 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

The love that exists between Father and Son is the love, the glory which Jesus wants us to be in.

This request of Christ has no limit to its fulness. He desires that his followers shall reveal to the world his spirit of unity and love. But before this unity can exist among them, there must be a genuine renovation of every heart; there must be a vital connection with God; the character must be formed after the divine similitude. {RH, November 3, 1896 par. 3}

It is real, it is lasting, it is infinite. There is no time where there is an end to it. There must be a vital connection with God. This is what we have been trying to get hold of, a vital connection with God. Each one must get it for themselves. As much as I have been trying my utmost to help my listeners to get hold of it, I can’t give it to you. There is a propriety of Christianity that has a love that is deeper than what we crave for with human beings, it is only in Christ. We must find it for ourselves. What did the five wise virgins say? We can’t give it to you, you have to get it for yourself.

John 17:25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

17:26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare [it]: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

God is love and he that dwells in love, dwells in God and God in him. In this we see that once you discover what we are trying to pursue in sensing God’s closeness in nature and understanding it through the word, you will find such pleasure, such inward fulfilment, that you will never look for pleasure and fulfilment anywhere else. You won’t go shopping to find clothing for pleasure. You will only go there to cover yourself according to Gods counsel (dress reform). You won’t go in the shops to satisfy your appetite apart from buying food to live. In some people’s sense of loneliness when they have found true harmony with God, you will find what is recorded here;

Psalms 16:11 Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.

That is fulfilment when you are in the presence of God. You are not looking for a mansion to find satisfaction, you can live in a hovel, you can be happy as you are dwelling in love in God and that is all you are looking for and that is what will satisfy you. In His presence there is joy and fulfilment forever more. This is an intelligent pleasure that is higher than the pleasure that Solomon was trying to build on. In the light of all this, if any of us are still hanging onto the remnants of our earthly fleshy natures, we will be in danger of missing out on this. This world passes away but this will never pass away he who keeps Gods will.

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

If you want that love, you can’t share it with the other love, it doesn’t work. Why?

2:16 For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh [Babylonish garments], and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Doing the love of God is the will of God and if you have any segments, even little relics that the world provides for your flesh in terms of satisfaction, the love of the Father is not there. You are wasting your money and attention on that. We have these beautiful communication links in nature and we are to look at that. You can take pleasure in that, it is God’s gift and the products of that. The flowers, green grass, the fruit on the trees are all a connective link to the love of God. You have the light, you are in the light, walk in it. Make it practically yours.

Amen.

But I was listening to a Phil Wickham song yesterday that really helped me gain a bit of perspective on this whole issue. It’s called ‘All of me’, and you can tell straight from the title that this is his ‘Lord, I’m giving my life to You’ song. Yet I found the lyrics to this one particularly helpful. The first verse says:

Take these hands
I know they’re empty
But with You they can
Be used for beauty
In Your perfect plan
All I am is Yours

You can have a listen to the song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXBr5W27pao.

What really struck me was the acknowledgement that, actually, I don’t really have anything to ‘surrender’ because I already belong to God; all I am is already His. An Owl City song uses 2 Corinthians 5:17 as a basis to say, ‘I am not my own, for I have been made new’ (Meteor Shower). It’s such a glorious but challenging truth at the same time. It’s glorious because we have been made by and for a powerful God who loves us and wants the best for us. It’s challenging because we’re selfish and want to keep in control of what we do. But it’s a truth nonetheless: all that we are already belongs to God.

Of course, this still requires an active response; we can still ‘give’ ourselves to God. But this only comes through an appreciation and acknowledgement of the fact that we are already His possession. He created us, He paid for our salvation so that we could enjoy a relationship with Him, He has a perfect plan for our lives that is obviously far better than any plans we may have for ourselves.

I still remember the first time it clicked in me what Jesus was talking about when He said, having been asked about paying taxes to Caesar, ‘Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s’ (Matthew 22:21). For a while I had thought that this just meant that you ought to give God offerings and tithes and all that stuff, which wasn’t really a very exciting interpretation to me! But Jesus had asked those who had questioned Him, ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this [on the coin]?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they had replied. However, when you ask that question about us, ‘Whose image and inscription do we bear?’ clearly the answer is, ‘God’s.’ We bear His image, so we are His. We ought to give Him our lives because they are rightfully His. I don’t know why I forget this so readily (well, I guess I can think of several reasons, but it stills seems a bit ridiculous to ignore such a fundamental aspect of my identity!), but it’s so important to remember this if we truly want to give ‘all we are’ to God.

Galatians 2:20 says, ‘I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.’ Let us remember that it is Christ who lives in us. Though our hands are empty, with Him they can be used for beauty. Though our feet stumble, He can use the weak. Let’s offer our lives to God and His purposes for us, remembering that our lives are already His, and let’s see what amazing things God does through us when we don’t try to do it ourselves!

Instead of explaining why and preaching this out to you, instead I shall quote to you the beautitudes; modernized for easier reading. These words are very loving and correctful, yet can also be incredibly judging and eternally damning. To put this text into context, Jesus was speaking into a very religious and legalistic culture- they thought that they could save themselves. As we can see here, Jesus bluntly lays out the extent of what they must do not to sin, and the standard is incredibly high indeed.

Whilst reading these teachings, let us take them in and take them seriously, but also be greatful and thankful that Jesus Christ died and rose for our sins- so that we will not be judged if we slip up even once; we can always say sorry and turn back to God.

Blessed are those who realise that they are poor, for they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are those who feel pain, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are those who are humble, for the humble shall inherit the Earth.

Blessed are those who yearn for justice, for their yearnings shall be satisfied.

Blessed are those who are merciful, for they will have mercy shown to them.

Blessed are those who are pure, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of the living God.

Blessed are those who are hunted down for doing the right thing, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

God blesses you when people beat you, spit on you, joke about you, hate you and lie about you etc. etc. just because you are my followers. Be cheerful about it! Be incredibly happy! For a great reward waits for you in heaven. And don’t forget, the people who spoke up for God and followed him in the past suffered exactly the same things, be not afraid!

You are oxygen throughout the earth. But what good would it be if that oxygen loses its density, filtered into the atmosphere? It would be hard to get it concentrated as it once was before. It will be left to loss, and new oxygen will be used to take its place.

You are fire in a cold world- like a campfire in the middle of nowhere, where everybody can see it. No one lights a fire and then doesn’t use it; that would be stupid. Instead, the fire is lit for a specific purpose- to keep you warm. In the same way as this, let your good deeds and rightful actions burn for the warmth of others, so that everyone will respect your heavenly Father.

The law asks of us not to murder each other. But let me tell you this- even if you are just angry with someone, you are subject to judgement! If you call someone an idiot in an act of contempt, you will be in danger of being brought to the courtroom. But if you curse someone in your anger, you are in danger of the fire and flames of hell.

So, if you are doing a good deed in the name of God, or going to worship Him, and you remember that someone has something against you, stop what you are doing. Go and reconcile and be reconciled, then go ahead and do what you were doing for God.

When you are on the way to court as a defence, try to settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, you accuser might hand you over to the judge, who will sentence you and throw you into prison. And if that happens, you won’t be freed until you served every single day of your sentence.

We all know that having an affair is wrong. But I say, anyone who even lusts over a man or a woman has already had an affair within their own heart. So if your eyes cause you to lust, gouge them out. It is much better for you to enter heaven blind than to be thrown into hell with 20/20 vision. And if your hands make you sin too, you might as well cut those off before you do. It is much better for you to enter heaven limbless than it is to be thrown into hell with your whole body intact.

Don’t make empty promises, or swear on anything. Don’t swear on your mother’s grave, because that is disrespectful. Don’t swear on your life, for your life is sacred in God’s eyes. Don’t swear by the dust of the earth, because it belongs to God, not you. Simply just say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, anything beyond that is pointless and evil.

It is always feels right to take just retaliation for another’s actions, right? But let me say this to you- don’t resist an evil person! If he knocks you to the ground, get back up again. If he sues you for your house, laugh at him as you sign away the deed in trial. If a government decides to murder you in cold blood, pray forgiveness over them as they do it. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.

We all think it is right to love your friends and families and to hate your enemies, right? But let me turn this on its own head- I want you to love your enemies too. Pray for them as they mock you and spit on you. You will be acting as true kids to your heavenly Father by doing so. Remember, he gives his own sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he send down rain on just and unjust alike. If you only love those who love you back, what good is that? Even notorious drug dealers do that. If you are only kind to your friends, how are you different to anybody else? Even terrorists do that. You are to be perfect, because your Father in heaven is perfect.

Watch it! Don’t make a big deal about your good deeds, to be admired by others, for you will get nothing from your heavenly Father in doing so. When you give to someone in need, don’t be a hypocrite and blow trumpets over it! Don’t call attention to your good charity! They have received any recognition they shall ever get. When you give to someone in need, do it unassumingly; in secret if you can. If possible, give your gift in private- you Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

When you pray, don’t big yourself up and make a show out of it. Whoever does this has already got the reward that they deserve. But I tell you this- when you pray, go away by yourself, in private, and pray to your heavenly Dad. Then he, who sees everything, will reward you.

When you pray, don’t waffle on as the religious do- there is no point (and it is boring!) Also, don’t keep repeating a prayer over and over again, thinking that God hears better the tenth time! Don’t be like them; your Father knows exactly what you need before you even ask him! Pray like this:

Our heavenly Father,

Your name be adored.

Bring your kingdom and will,

Onto Earth as it is in heaven.

Please provide for us today,

And forgive us our sins,

As we forgive those who sin against us,

Please keep us from temptation,

But rescue us from evil.

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive, your Father will not forgive you.

And when you fast, don’t make it obvious- unless you like being called a hypocrite. They try to look miserable and unhealthy so people will admire what they are doing. To be honest, their admiration is the only reward they will ever have. But, when you fast, look sharp. Comb your hair and wash your face. Make no deal of it, and no one will notice you fasting, except for your heavenly Father. And he, who sees everything, will reward you.

Don’t store up treasure here on earth, for inflation and time will make them worthless, they will rot away. Instead, store up treasure in heaven, where there is no inflation and time, where nothing rots away. Home is where the heart is, in the same way that your treasures will also be where your heart is.

Your eye allows you to see. If your eye is good, you will see very clearly. But if your eye is bad, you will be blind. And if you think you can see when you are blind, how blind are you!

You can’t serve two masters. You will find that you love one, and hate the other; all your time will be in one and nothing but contempt for the other. You can’t serve both God and money!

I’ll also tell you that you shouldn’t worry about today- where your next meal comes from, if you have clothes to wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than what you wear? Look at the birds. They don’t go shopping, and your heavenly Father feeds them. How much more valuable are you than they? Can any worry add a minute to your life?

And why worry about what you are wearing? Look at a rose- it doesn’t have to go buy new clothes and put them on to look beautiful. Even the best Dolce and Gabanna suit doesn’t beat nature. If God cares so much about roses which are here one day but not the next, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have little faith?

So don’t worry about what you will eat, what you will drink, what you will wear. These things dominate the non-believer’s thoughts, but your heavenly Father already knows exactly what you need. Hunt the Kingdom of God above everything, and live righteously, and he will give you what you need.

So don’t worry about tomorrow; tomorrow brings its own worries. Today’s problems are enough for today.

Don’t judge others, and you won’t be judged. You’ll be treated how you treat other people. You get what you give, pay for what you ask for, judged in the same way that you judge!

And why worry about the dirt on your friend’s hand when your hands are covered in mud? How can you even think of saying ‘I can wash those hands for you,’ when your hands are covered in mud? Hypocrite! Wash your own hands first, then your hands will be clean enough to wash your friend’s hands.

Don’t give righteous gems to someone who isn’t righteous. Don’t throw your money to thieves, for they will take your money without remorse, and turn to attack you for whatever is left!

Just keep asking, and you will get it. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks will gain. Everyone who searches will find. Everyone who knocks will have the door opened to them.

Parents- if your kid asks you for money, do you give them a stone? Or if they ask you for some pasta, do you give them poison? Course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your kids, how much more will your heavenly Father know how to give great gifts to those who ask him?

If you don’t take anything away from this, take this: do to others whatever you would like them to do for you. This is the most important notion I could teach on.

The entrance to God’s kingdom is a narrow door. The door to hell is a lot bigger, its hinges wide for all who choose that way. But the door to life is very narrow and hard to find; beyond a long and narrow road. Only a few ever find it.

Beware of false prophets who pretend to be one of my own sheep, but are actually vicious wolfs- ready and waiting to tear apart their next victim. You can tell them from their fruits, by the way that they act. Can weeds ever make grapes? Can ferns ever make apples? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is weeded out, or chopped down, ready to be thrown into the fire. So, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

Not every man or woman who calls out to me “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgement day, there will be many who say to me “Lord! Lord! We performed miracles in your name, taught the truth and prophesised,” and I will say to them “Well, I never actually knew you! Get away from me, for you are lawbreakers.”

Anyone who listens to what I teach and follows it is wise, like a builder who builds their house on a solid foundation. As the rain and the floods and the winds strike the house, it won’t collapse because of its foundation. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is an idiot, like a rogue trader who builds there house without a good and solid foundation. As the rain and the floods and the winds strike the house, it will collapse because of its foundation.

Merry Christmas everyone, and a happy new year!

Related articles

• He Gave up the Glory of Heaven (rosierambleson.wordpress.com)
• What Was Different About Jesus’ Blood? (seashoremary.wordpress.com)
• Christmas – To Celebrate or Not That Seems To Be The Question (snowwhitedove.wordpress.com)
• Christmas hope for a lifetime (examiner.com)
• Forgiveness: Loving the Unlovely (pathtogod.wordpress.com)

But the bible is a complex book, trying to convey to us the knowledge of a complex, infinite God who cannot – as much as we don’t want to admit it – be fully conveyed by finite words. Not all of His actions in some places can be easily reconciled to the idea of an all loving God. Throughout the bible, He has decreed death and destruction to many cities and nations through His prophets, and often it seems like He deals with some hatefully.

I know some Christians who would at the notion of even considering that God hates anyone; verses such as John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world…”) and 1 John 4:8 (“God is Love”) state He is loving. Thus God is a loving God, right?

But then Malachi comes along, and wallops us with this;

“‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have you loved us?’ ‘Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ declares the Lord. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.’” – Malachi 1:2 (ESV)

Now, I can guess what you are thinking; this verse is from the old testament, before Jesus’ death and resurrection. That little bit of thinking I have encountered in a lot of people, myself included. For reasons I cannot comprehend, it seems to be deep seated within Christian thought, even if there is little evidence to suggest it; when confronted with verses like this, we slip into the thought process that the OT = angry God and the NT = loving God. We often disavow this thinking aloud, but I know that I sometimes slip into this thinking, even though I see so much in the OT and NT to contest this simple idea.

And then a verse like this comes to throw a spanner even into that thought;

“Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.’” – Luke 14:25-27

I could spend forever scrawling through scripture to find every documented mention of God and hatred in the same verse, but for time’s sake I am going to stick with these two verses about God hating; one from the Old, one from the New.

We are forced to ask the question, from these verses, as to whether God hates people, and whether Jesus actually commanded us to hate our own flesh and blood.
These are uncomfortable questions, especially since I truly believe that God is Love, as the bible says He is. It’s all the more reason to ask such a question.

On the surface of it, we are faced with a seeming contradiction; a God of Love and Him hating, even telling others to hate. The first we question we must ask is what the word truly means; the bible is, after all, a translated text. Every language will have nuances and words that do not translate well into others, and some scriptural evidence would suggest that the word translated as ‘hate’ in the verses above may be the latter.

Leah the less-loved

In Genesis chapter 29 it is written that Jacob worked and toiled for seven years in order to marry Rachel, the woman he loved from the moment he laid eyes on her. Laban, Rachel’s father, screwed Jacob over, giving him Rachel’s older sister – Leah – to him on his wedding night. Angry, but determined, Jacob worked another seven years in order to marry Leah as well.

Soap opera-esque antics aside, two verses in this chapter grants us a lot of insight into the true meaning of the word ‘hate’ in the scriptures. For, in verse 30, it says -

So Jacob went into Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years

Rachel was loved more than Leah; Leah was the less-loved. It seems like I am repeating the point over and over that Leah was less loved, but it is important to note, for the next verse says -

When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

Within a verse, Leah has gone from being less loved to being hated. This seems incongruous if we hold to the English definition of hate, but biblically – if this verse is to be taken at face value – it is possible that hate does not meant hate at all, but rather “to love less”. This utterly transforms the meanings of otherwise-difficult verses, and highlights the danger of blindly trusting a translation (even a good translation) on the meanings behind the words used. For instance, Jesus’ words from Luke 14, with this idea in mind, suddenly become much easier to understand (and are much more in line with the character, attributes and actions he has/does in the gospels):

“Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, ‘If anyone comes to me and does not love less his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.’”

The word hate in the bible, whenever used, does not have the same meaning as it does in normal, everyday usage. But such a question of translation only lays the groundwork for the actual question; does God actually hate anyone?

Throughout scripture, God is shown destroying, chastising, crushing and undermining many who fly in the face of his commands to – in the words of Micah – live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. From Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis), to the plagues upon Egypt (Exodus), all the way through to the numerous sackings of Jerusalem and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah (1&2 Kings), and even the sudden death of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts), a pattern emerges that can, from a certain point of view, argue that yes; God hates.

Personally, however, I believe it highlights another important point when discussing this topic; the need to distinguish between hate and wrath.

The wrath of God

The doctrine of the wrath of God is often forgotten in modern Christian thinking. I’m sure there are many infinitely more correct explanations as to why this has happened than my own opinion, but I cannot help but wonder whether it has been sidelined in order to make God more “accessible”, more “gentle”, and more “loving” (i.e. much like hate above, loving here has a different meaning; in my experience, it has tended to mean “permissive”). Yes, the bible does describe God as our loving Father, that God is Love, and so on. But it also calls Him the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, our righteous Judge, and the King of Kings. As is often true of God, being both All Loving (i.e. Omni-benevolent) and the justly wrathful King and Judge of all seems, at first, a contradiction. Yet, looking at scripture, I personally find it harder and harder to separate the two; often, it seems, these two polar roles come intertwined in the way God deals with humanity. This passage from Jeremiah chapter 5 sums up what I seem to find a lot quite well;

Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts: “Because you have spoken this word,
behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them. Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, declares the LORD. It is an enduring nation; it is an ancient nation,
a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. Their quiver is like an open tomb; they are all mighty warriors. They shall eat up your harvest and your food; they shall eat up your sons and your daughters; they shall eat up your flocks and your herds; they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; your fortified cities in which you trust they shall beat down with the sword. But even in those days, declares the LORD, I will not make a full end of you. And when your people say, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.’” Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah:

“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes, but see not,
who have ears, but hear not.
Do you not fear me? declares the LORD.
Do you not tremble before me?
I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea,
a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass;
though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;
though they roar, they cannot pass over it.
But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
they have turned aside and gone away.
They do not say in their hearts,
‘Let us fear the LORD our God,
who gives the rain in its season,
the autumn rain and the spring rain,
and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.’
Your iniquities have turned these away,
and your sins have kept good from you.
For wicked men are found among my people;
they lurk like fowlers lying in wait.
They set a trap; they catch men.
Like a cage full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;
therefore they have become great and rich;
they have grown fat and sleek.
They know no bounds in deeds of evil;
they judge not with justice
the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper,
and they do not defend the rights of the needy.
Shall I not punish them for these things?
declares the LORD,
and shall I not avenge myself
on a nation such as this?”

Just in case it wasn’t abundantly clear; that was God speaking to Israel, His own chosen and covenanted people. This text is full of wrath, but the love of God can also be seen; He is sending destruction upon Israel because they were committing evil by oppressing the poor, needy and fatherless. God was coming to the defence of human being who He loves, by unleashing His wrath upon those who dared to oppress them. The righteous, wrathful Judge and the God of Love; both aspects of God’s character are present in this text.

Does God hate anyone? My personal opinion is that no, He doesn’t. Throughout scripture, God is shown repeatedly to bring wrath upon those who oppress and destroy, yet is shown as willing to forgive them as well (the story of Israel’s relationship with God is testament to that). He metes out mercy to those who deserve mercy, and wrath to those who deserves wrath.

Ultimately, however, you should read through the scriptures, listen to sermons on it, and decide yourself.

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob,

He who formed you, O Israel:

Fear not, for I have redeemed you,

I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

For I am (Hebrew: Ani) the Lord your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.

I give Egypt as your ransom,

Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

Because you are precious in my eyes,

and honoured, and I love you.

I give men in return for you,

peoples in exchange for your life;

I will bring your offspring from the east,

and from the west I will gather you.

I will say to the north, Give up,

and to the south,  Do not withhold;

bring my sons from afar

and my daughters from the end of the earth,

everyone who is called by my name,

whom I created for my glory,

whom I formed and made.

Isaiah 43:1-7

Like I mentioned in my previous post, this is another hope-promise I (re)discovered when I took to heart my good friend Trev’s exhortation in his post Part 4: Hope Unseen  for us Christians (and even those that aren’t!) to read through the Bible and found the promises – upon which we can hope – of God that the whole of His Word are brimming with. This one, though, has always spoken to me, from the time when I was first decided to memorise it voluntarily. There’s just so much certain LOVE and how palpable a surety we have in Christ is in that passage, but the words that leave me breathless are the ones most intensely direct, most intensely personal – “I have called you by name, you are mine.”

“You.Are.Mine.” What a promise! What love God has for us that he should save us purling, weak, sinful little humans and with the “adoption of sons” (Romans 8:23) that will one day ultimately happen on the Second Coming, but for right now we have a glorious hope: God knows our name, and He has called us by it. Tis true, He calls me by name, one that originates from another well-beloved verse from Isaiah, and I adore it when I hear the Spirit calling me by that name – I know then that I am “precious in his eyes” and “honoured” and that He LOVES me so much He has His own name for me!

Another promise inherent in this passage, delineated with clarity, is that no matter how many trials we undergo, how much pain we may have to suffer, how often we may confused or lost or alone when life throws curve-balls our way, striking us again and again, leaving us vulnerable and scared, how often fears haunt us as sudden realisation forces us to comprehend how immensely temporal and will 0′the wisp life is – there are no real certainties but one  God is there with us. He will be there. Not only that, He.Is. There.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.”

Isaiah 43:2 (ESV)

This promise that God tells the forgetful Children of Israel of in Isaiah 43:1-7 is also a reminder for the Hebrews – and us of the modern day – that He has been with them (and us) before. Verse 2 of Isaiah 43-17 is a direct reference to when God lead his Children to safety and freedom and eventually, “good success” (Josh 1:8) twice earlier in the their history: once with Moses at the Red Sea in Exodus 14, again with Joshua (“Salvation”) in his titular book in Joshua 3 with the crossing of the river Jordan.

These references would not have been lost on the Hebrews, who as a people would have been well-studied in their history, especially the stories of the times when the God they followed has proven Himself worthy and faithful to them – and what would have been a more potent set of object lessons than these two for the Hebrews to remember?

They would not only have been just mere stories, relics of the past, but vivid examples of God’s faithfulness to them and how very present He has always been during their tribulations, even when their own sin towards Him brought them into exile or disfavour – God never left them through it all, and even as He sends prophets warning of what will befall them if they keep turning away from Him and worshiping Baal, He always included an earnest appeal for the Children of Israel to return to Him, and even when He sent the prophets, His heart behind it was in utter grief – since as my constant refrain has been, He LOVES us!

And the extent of that LOVE, that LOVE that no matter what adjective is employed to just attempt to describe it falls short – especially when one stands before the majesty and solemnity of the Cross, the most perfect expression of that LOVE.

An awesome (as in “awe-inspiring”) LOVE that show how truly God does love us because at the Cross, the great God of the universe did the unthinkable – his LOVE for us is so deep, great, rich and true that he suffered for us. No other religion of humanity has at its focal point the cornerstone that Christ took our sin and our suffering upon himself, taking our place on the Cross in the same way a lover might die to rescue his beloved from the same fate, so amazing is his love for her.

This is the reason why the promise sent forth in Isaiah rings true for us, today. And why do  these words ring so true for us during dark times? Because they prove how ultimate God’s love – his hesed is for us – even going so far to humble himself and take upon himself the punishment and suffering and agony the Cross would have meant for us instead. Interestingly, the LOVE of Christ is often defined in the New Testament in Greek with the word agape which essentially implies self-sacrificial love, whereas hesed is the Hebraic counterpart as we have seen in this passage of Isaiah 43:1-7.

This love as exemplified in Isaiah 43: 1-7 is the richest Gift-Love (as termed such by noted apologist and writer C.S. Lewis) the world has ever known and one we can cling to in times of darkness and one that speaks of the promise that whatever trial we might endure, God is enduring it with us, holding us by the hand the entire course, and He will bring us safely home.

It is my hope that this post will will encouragement to everyone who reads it, and for you all to remember that even in your darkest days, God is there with you through it.

May God be with everyone who reads this, I hope and pray.

Cue scene; the Island of Patmos- AD 97. John must have been at least 75 by now; and he is in jail (again). Whilst he is worshipping God though, something extraordinary happens. This is now what scholars call the Apocalypse of John AKA Revelation.

This book brings alot of debate and divide between Christians; in which many don’t even have a chance in beginning to comprehend or understand what it says (none of us have). All that I know is that there is an interesting bit in the beginning; after Jesus turns up. Jesus gets John to write 7 brief letters; I am going to go through 3 of them with you, as they are most relevant to us today (and I believe Jesus would have known that and deliberately aimed at the people like us as a target audience).

The Message to the Church in Laodicea

¹⁴ “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginningof God’s new creation:

¹⁵ “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! ¹⁶ But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!

¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. ¹⁸ So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. ¹⁹ I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

²⁰ “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. ²¹ Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. ²² “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

I absolutely love this; don’t you get it? It’s almost as if Jesus is talking directly to the modern day church; full of its riches and falsehoods. And what is the biggest lie moving around the Church at the moment? Yup, the prosperity Gospel folks. The false teaching that we deserve to be blessed; no matter what the situation and circumstance is. And unlike any good lie, it is based in truth; which makes it’s sting even deadlier. God does honour and bless his followers, his children. But it is rarely through money; and even if it is, he expects us to give it away every time. This is a consumeristic lie; one where we come to believe that we deserve more and more, as long as we give into it. This is the biggest spiritual con affecting the church at the moment; one of give freely so you will be blessed even more.

As we have seen in the last two articles, false teachings bring death as they aren’t from God. Jesus addresses himself in each rather short and concise letter he writes to the seven churches; note the adressing here- “the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation,”. He hits it right on the spot; he preaches truth, he preaches life. He is the beginning of God’s new creation, the faithful and true witness.

What the Church is seeing nowadays is full of falsehoods; full of death. Now, let us see what Jesus says about the situation as to how to redeem it:

¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. ¹⁸ So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. ¹⁹ I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

He puts it bluntly; invest in him, buy righteous garments from him and open your eyes to the truth. As always, Jesus leaves no middle ground “Be diligent and turn from your indifference,” is his cry; if you aren’t for God, then you are surely against him!

²⁰ “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. ²¹ Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. ²² “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

The biggest irony of all; the most over-used verse for evangelism is aimed at the Church! He knew that there would be many people around nowadays who aren’t from God but would associate with him; we can all see it. It’s just if we admit it or not which divides us. If you give into Christ‘s demands, he will come into your heart; your mind, your very life, and a share a meal with you as friends would. He goes on to say those who are within him (the victorious ons) will sit with him on his throne!  The irony is the followers of God who care nothing except for the God that made him and his will for them will inherit power far beyond imagination! Blessed are the humble, for they shall inherit the earth indeed.

And now, to move on to another letter that Christ briefly wrote; to the Church in Sardis. Let’s see if you guess who this is aimed at nowadays:

The Message to the Church in Sardis

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spiritof God and the seven stars:

“I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. ² Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. ³ Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.

⁴ “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine. ⁶ “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

So before we were combatting pride and lacking in honesty and truth; now we are combatting in spiritual deafness and deadness. It is rather obvious by reading The Bible and The Apostle’s teachings that it is not by our own strength that we live the Christian life; it is through God. Without God, we are dead.

Now, the stars represent the angels of the seven churches; who happen to be the seven lampstands (Rev 1: 17-20). By him saying “who has the sevenfold Spirit of God,” he is basically saying that he has The Holy Spirit working powerfully within him; like every other genuine believer on the planet. He is basically saying that the Church of Sardis has all of the elements of a Christ- believing church on the outside; but it is dead on the inside- there is no substance there, lacking indwelling of The Holy Spirit.

This is exactly why he demands the church wake up- they have no guide, no Spirit within them. This means that they might as well be asleep; they are innefective, nothing to behold eternally. If they don’t wake up, they won’t be at one with God- they won’t be part of his body, his church. This is why he says “You do not meet the requirements of my God”, because without God with them; The Holy Spirit in this case; they are just another religion- they aren’t Bible believing Christians, they are dead. They may heal some, sometimes they may even prophesy, but they forgot to do the most important part of the Christian faith; commit their lives to Christ. If they did, then they wouldn’t be having this problem, wouldn’t they?

⁴“Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine

Even for this Church, there is still some hope. Note soiling their clothes with evil- it is because they have the Spirit within them, The Holy Spirit, that they have not soiled their clothes with evil. It is only through God that we get the redemptive qualities that we need so desperately, not out of our own works and power.

Being clothed in white goes hand in hand with being righteous. God is righteous. Basically it is saying all of those whom are clothed in white are as righteous as God is- this only possible through the redemptive power that Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for all of mankind had on the cross for us. It is only through God that we can get to this stage, never by any work or application we try to do ourselves.

And now, last but not at all least, onto the last letter- to the Church of Philadelphia- the true Church/ bride.

The Message to the Church in Philadelphia

⁷“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.

This is the message from the one who is holy and true,       the one who has the key of David.    What he opens, no one can close;       and what he closes, no one can open:

⁸ “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. ⁹ Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.

¹⁰ “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.

¹¹ I am coming soon.Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.

¹² All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name. ¹³ “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

This letter is a thing of beauty- you see no condemnation here. You see a slight criticism (although you are weak), but you can just see God’s love emanate throughout this writing; it is obviously pointed towards the genuine an true Church- with all of its humanity and flaw. But, as we know, those flaws don’t matter in The Lord’s eyes; because he died to erase them out. Because this Church genuinelly and truly believed without fault (not a hard thing to do); they are redeemed and “obeyed my command to perservere”. If you want to see what God would say to the true spiritual Church of today, infilled by the power of The Holy Spirit to bring every member of the body life, here it is.

I hope these words are inspiring for you as much as they are for me- they really do encourage me to keep going with my faith and never to falter or let go of it ever. To finish off, let’s see if Paul has anything to say on this subject of redemption:

The Wisdom of God

¹⁸ The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. ¹⁹As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise       and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”

²⁰ So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. ²¹ Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. ²² It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. ²³So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

²⁴ But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

²⁶ Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy^[g] when God called you. ²⁷ Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. ²⁸ God chose things despised by the world,^[h] things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. ²⁹As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

³⁰ God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. ³¹ Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”

a- Revelation 2-3, b- 1 Corinthians 1: 18-31

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Last time, I left alot of things up in the air rather inconclusively; but it was for a reason. Now I can explain why the Church is the way it is now. Why are there so many frauds, so many fakes? Why are there so many hypocrites and liars? Why was Jesus’ spiritual army on the World seemingly be attested to some of the worst attrocities in history? Ironically, it wasn’t him- to put the long story in short.

What does Jesus have to say about the religious leaders of his time, The Pharisees? I think he paints an inconically beautiful picture of religious people are like; the ones who try and reach God out of their own strength:

⁷ But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? ⁸ Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. ⁹ Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. (a)

Jesus, who has ironically been the patriarch to most man-made religion, hated it. When the religious leaders of the time came to watch the moves of God in their man-made righteousness, Jesus opens his mouth and says “You brood of snakes!” He might as well have been calling them the armies within the leagues of Satan; they would have known Genesis back to front. They would have known that it was a snake, a serpent, who tempted Eve in the first place.

So, in recap to last time, we could basically deduce that we who are from God will have life wellin deep within us- through the Spirit of God within us. We also deduced that the flesh, are very bodies, are so corrupt that we have to fight against our natural instincts and urges daily to follow the will God has for us. What does this have to say about ones who don’t have the Spirit of God within them; but strive to be part of the Godhead in one twisted way or another?

Let’s look deeper into what The Bible has to say on the subject. Peter states that:

²I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.

³ Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. ⁴They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”

⁵ They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. ⁶ Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. ⁷ And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed. (b)

It’s interesting to note that Peter’s words are just as damning as Jesus’ words; except for this time he is mentioning scoffers and unbelievers. The interesting thing to note here is that if you put the statements together, it is almost as if they suffer from the same thing; they suffer from being dead to sin and following their earthly desires in all that they do.

It’s either for God or against God; there is no middle ground. What I’m trying to say is that this sin pandemic, this corrupted and incorruptible perturbation of flesh, kills. Maybe not literally, but spiritually. We are dead without God. Because of our sin, all that we do is meaningless; it all comes from the same evil well of desires. If the root cause isn’t addressed and adjusted, then there will be no salvation.

The regenerate spirit of a man (the belief that the Holy Spirit pretty much begins to revitalize us into what God calls us to be once we become Christ believing) is the opposite of the flesh that he is living in. Not necessarily because flesh is evil- remember that God himself became flesh for us. No, only because the flesh itself is corrupt; it has sin embedded into this very knowledge and programming. It is within our very nature to sin, and there is nothing we can do about that out of our own skin.

And, my friends, this is why both Jesus’ and Peter’s words were equally damning; the corrupt is the equal opposite to what is holy; they are on two opposite sides of the coin. Although there is a paradox in that God currently provides us holiness within an earthly body; as a gold treasure hidden within a dirty jar of clay, that isn’t the problem here. The problem here is without God, anyone can be in leagues with Satan; who caused sin in the first place to come ino the World.

Don’t get me wrong, I won’t be using analogies of The Matrix any time soon- it is so last decade! But, now that I think of it, it fits perfectly; the ones still stuck within the program are prone to fall at a whim to it, like an agent overtaking a man still plugged in to the system.

Why am I compounding my point time and time again? Because I want to show you that there is no grey; grey is an illusion. There are currently many shades of black and white; in some places more than other. Now back to the Church; what does Paul say on the subject?

Living as Children of Light

¹⁷ With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. ¹⁸ Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. ¹⁹They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

²⁰ But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. ²¹ Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, ²² throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. ²³ Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. ²⁴Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

²⁵ So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. ²⁶ And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

²⁸ If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. ²⁹Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

³⁰ And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. ³² Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. (c)

The thing Paul is drilling in here is following God’s will which happens to be good, true and perfect. What Paul is getting at is although we are still in our old flesh, filled with lust, envy, pride, arrogance as well as other sins, we need to start following God in all we do; in which God provides us the power to do so. Through Jesus, the Lord perfectly understands where we are at- although are very essence, our very souls, have been washed clean of any sin, our very bodies are still the same as they were before. We still live within our corruptible flesh, and we need to act to kill it (not in a literal sense, but in a way that our lives mirror the ways in which Christ lived his).

This all comes back down to this sin pandemic- sin kills. Without God, we are full of sin. With God, we have been set free from which held us back before- we have no need to follow the desires which powerlessly controlled us before. Now, saying that, we still live in our current bodies; the corrupted flesh, so although we are forgiven and free, we still have to flee from our Earthly desires as well as standing firm against Satan and his temptations. If we leave a door open, all hell breaks loose literally. If we close everything which shouldn’t be open in the first place, we shall get a taste of Heaven on Earth right here right now; what Jesus used to call The Kingdom of Heaven when he was alive here on Earth:

Parable of the Wheat and Weeds

²⁴ Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. ²⁵ But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. ²⁶When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

²⁷“The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

²⁸“‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.

“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

²⁹ “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

Parable of the Mustard Seed

³¹ Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. ³² It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.” (d)

In a previous article, I talked about the false being in the midst of the good; Jesus shows us the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth is the same. Although the Church may grow and floursih, there will be birds nesting within its branches; weeds among the wheat. So, how do we tell the difference between the truth and the falsehood; the mockery and fakery to God compare to what is true and righteous? Well, it is simple really. A true Christian, even with everythin out to get him (or her), will be made perfect in Spirit; becoming more and more Christlike in character day by day. The fake ones will gradually get more corrupt and get it wrong consistently; we have seen this happen before. The problem was at the time that these people- the wolf in the sheep’s clothing- masquerades as one of us; a Christian (which literally means ’little Christ’ or ‘Christ follower’- it originated as a dig at Christ believers; it ironically became their identity).

² Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, ³now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.

Living Stones for God’s House

⁴You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.

⁵ And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. ⁶As the Scriptures say,

“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,       chosen for great honor,    and anyone who trusts in him       will never be disgraced.”

⁷Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him,

“The stone that the builders rejected       has now become the cornerstone.” (e)

Peter puts it bluntly here; as new creations, we need to crave the pure spiritual milk which comes from God to grow and develop, or we go nowhere. He paints us an encouraging picture of what is to come; one of love and purity, a picture of being part of God’s holy temple as priests. “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced”.

But, on the flipside;

⁸And,

“He is the stone that makes people stumble,       the rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. (f)

It is interesting to note that God’s desire for people who work against him until the end are clear; he makes them stumble, he makes them fall. Because of their insolence to think that they could save themselves, in whatever way that manifests outwardly, they entirely end up falling over God’s cornerstone- Jesus Christ. As we can see from all the verses we have read, there is a rather clear dividing line between God and man; between fallen and saved. One breeds into life in every essence and form, the other breeds into death in every essence and form.

⁹ But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

¹⁰ “Once you had no identity as a people;       now you are God’s people.    Once you received no mercy;       now you have received God’s mercy.”

¹¹ Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. ¹² Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. (g)

This is exactly why Peter is warning us as Christians to live holy lives; it is unnatural for us to do otherwise. Although our bodies in which we live in are still corrupt, we ourselves- the people we are- are not. We need to avoid the temptations which built death and destruction within our hearts before God decided to intervene and save us. This all seems so paradoxical, but through grace it is our duty to follow and glorify God in all that we do as newborn followers of Grace; of Jesus Christ.

a- Matthew 3: 7-9, b- 2 Peter 3: 2-7, c- Ephesians 4: 17-32, d- Matthew 13: 24- 32, e- 1 Peter 2: 2-7, f- 1 Peter 2: 8, g- 1 Peter 2: 9-17

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First things first, before we can explain anything, we have to go back to the beginning of it all. So let’s have a quick peek at Genesis:

¹The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

² “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. ³“It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

⁴ “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. ⁵“God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

⁶ The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. ⁷ At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. (a)

The key denominator here is how the problem started, before we ascribe what the problem actually is. Here we see a serpent sweet talk Eve into going against God’s will; the first sin ever commited. So it started with the serpent; which we can safely assume is a symbolic reference to Satan.

The interesting thing to note before we blame a fallen angel for all our woes is what Eve does next. He gives some to Adam. After she sins, she immediately passes the sin onto another human being; almost like it was a disease or an epidemic of sorts. After they sinned, they hid. They felt shame in their nakedness, in this example, and made the first clothes ever made by a human being to hide it away. On a deeper level, they began to hide from God.

⁸ When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. ⁹Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

¹⁰He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

¹¹“Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”

¹²The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

¹³Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”

“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.” (b)

Note that God didn’t come in all guns blazing to throw judgement upon them- he would have known that they sinned the second they grabbed hold of the fruit and gave into their desire for knowledge. The first thing God does portrays a loving picture of him; he walks up to them and lovingly asks them a few questions within conversation. We have to understand that at this moment they had basically made themselves their own gods, so this would have been really hard to bear to do; even for God.

The first thing humanity starts doing is blaming each other, passing the blame away from themselves. The man blames the woman, and the woman blames the animal here. So we see a cycle of sin that I can picture as this:

Temptation > Surrender > Realisation > Shame > Suffering > Blame

Another thing to note before I move on is that sin seems to be a pandemic; something that affects everyone and moves between human beings like wildfire.

So, what has God got to say about it? Did Jesus mention anything about sin during his teachings here on Earth? Actually, he did:

¹⁷ When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (c)

Note the language he used- he used the metaphor of a doctor. In his mind, it is almost as if sin is an illness; an enchantment which cannot be broken for all time. Unless there was a sacrifice to balance it all back out again:

¹⁴ Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. ¹⁵Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

¹⁶ We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested (d)

Sin‘s power, the “devil’s power, who had the power of death,” was broken by a matching sacrifice which covers the entirety of the human race. To even out our sins, God had to become one of us, live a perfect life and die for us- this is the core belief in the Christian faith. God literally for a brief moment took on the entirety of sin and suffering in the entire world; past, present and future. God created a vaccine for the sin- a cure to stop it from spreading.

But, it is more complicated than that- even if you believe in Christ and have pretty much ressurected with him in mind, body and soul, there is still the problem with the body that you live in. This could not be fixed as you were born within it. This is defined as flesh in the Bible- lets see what Jude has to say about it:

¹⁶ These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want. (e)

To put this into context, Jude is talking about false teachers who still happen to be dead in their sins. I am using this in this context because it gives us a great insight into what the flesh is like; it is selfish.

¹¹The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.

¹² God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. ¹³ And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. ¹⁴ Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. ¹⁵These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

¹⁶ So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.¹⁸ He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. (f)

So, temptations come from our own desires; which in part entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. Basically, if in reading here that God is good and the people of God are trying to follow him, all our temptations come from the flesh; which in the part proves that the flesh is bad. By reaching out and trusting God in everything we drift further and further away from these desires; which in essence means going completely against our nature.

The flesh is corrupt, it is the main precursor to sin (the other one being Satan, but I think some Christians give him too much credit for the amount of sin in the world). Sin leads to death, thus in part following the flesh and its variety of desires puts us to death. If you think this is drastic, look at Michael Jackson or Charlie Sheen. They followed and/or are following their desires, their flesh, and it is safe to say that their very lives were/are corrupt. I feel bad in mentioning this in part, but it is a perfect example of what I am teaching here.

²² The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife.²³The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.

²⁴ These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. ²⁵ And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. ²⁶ But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. ²⁷As Isaiah said,

“Rejoice, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into a joyful shout, you who have never been in labor! For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband!”

²⁸ And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. ²⁹ But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit. (g)

To continue with my argument, let us look at verse 28 and 29 first. The “children of the promise” as Paul so poetically puts it here, are people birthed from the Spirit. The child born by human effort tried to persecute the child born of the Spirit. In the same way, false teachers and believers who are still worldly, or even the very flesh and bones of the true & genuine believer, is completely and utterly against the Spirit. This is because it is, in part, corrupt; as soon as the sin pandemic began to spread from Eve in the garden many years ago, only God himself could come down to break the power of it.

If we look at verse 22, we get some more insight; as we can see here, God uses situations to explain to us in terms we understand- in the Gospels these are called parables. Right, what we see here above is the unbeliever and the believer or even the flesh of humanity and the spirit of humanity. Don’t get me wrong, Jesus’ flesh was perfect; but he was born of the Spirit from day one- his conception was incorruptible. He had no sin in him, no corruption, no trace of the pandemic which affects the rest of us during the day to day.

I know that I have left this completely wide open; but that is what parts 2 and 3 are for. To summarise what I have said here, all human problem forms from this pandemic called sin; only God within his perfection had the power to break it, and everything that is in God is sinless and everything that is corruptible is not. This may sound oh so very mystical and a bit blase, but read on and it will all make sense.

a- Genesis 3: 1-7, b- Genesis 3: 8-13, c- Mark 2:17, d- Hebrews 2: 14-18, e- Jude 1: 16, f- James 1: 11-18, g- Galatians 4: 22-29

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