Sunday 020225
Don’t let me or my writings influence or scare you in any way, instead, allow me to be used as a vessel to open the Word, just a little bit, and hopefully, together we are going to read and study His Word, and let God teach us what He wants us to hear.
Since the beginning of this study, our vision has been that we are ONLY going to follow what is found in the Holy Bible, that pertains to us, and we realize that it’s ONLY from our own effort that we put into this study, that we’re going to take anything away for our own use.
The verses we are going to study tonight:
Exodus 1:1-6; Matthew 9:29; Mark 5:34; Luke 18:42; Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrew 11:1; Matthew 22:37-39; Mark 12:31; John 13:31, 35; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; 1 Timothy 2:5-7.
After finishing the book of Genesis, I had my Bible opened at Exodus 1, and I began to read:
Exodus 1
vs1 ‘…Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob…’
vs2 ‘…Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah…’
vs3 ‘…Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin…’
vs4 ‘…Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher…’
vs5 ‘…And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already…’
vs6 ‘…And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
I had to ask myself, is this not life? In life, people get married, children are born, they grow up and live their lives and then one day, we die, and we’re gone.
Our lives today have been filled with so many half-truths that we never end up hearing an entire story anymore, it seems so much is left for our imagination to complete a sentence, and it is this imagination that is getting so many in this world in trouble.
The other day, my wife and I were traveling in the car spending an afternoon together, when over the radio I hear a man speaking about how great a song is, and paraphrasing, the words to the song were something like ‘Jesus loves you all the time.’
I spoke up to my wife and I said, its such a shame that the artist stopped after just saying ‘half the truth’ and not finishing with the entire truth.
My wife asked me what I meant, you might be asking the same thing, but it should be a ‘GIMMIE,’ it should be something that we should ALL already know.
Jesus loves us, we should ALL know that … but that alone and by itself, doesn’t really do anything for us to make us complete.
Listen, we know we don’t have to jump through any hoops or ring any bells, for us to earn Jesus’ love, but what we do need to do is BELIEVE in Jesus Christ and what the Word tells us about Him.
Jesus ‘PRIMARILY’ came to this earth for the House of Israel; but Jesus also came to teach ALL the world about FAITH and how we were going to need it in our future.
Matthew 9:29 ‘…Then He touched their eyes, saying, it shall be done for you according to your faith…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Mark 5:34 ‘…And He said to her, daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be cured of your disease…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Luke 18:42‘…And Jesus said to him, regain your sight; your faith has made you well…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Ephesians 2:8-9 ‘…For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it…’ GNT (Good News Translation)
Hebrews 11:1 ‘…Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Jesus LOVES Every One of us, but we need to BELIEVE that He loves us. We MUST BELIEVE that Jesus died for our sins to give us LIFE. We MUST BELIEVE that Jesus is God, and we MUST BELIEVE that God can do whatever He tells us that He can do.
If we don’t BELIEVE it ALL, then what good is only believing part of it going to do for us, I mean really?
When we read that Jesus came to this earth, to die on a cross for our Salvation, if we don’t BELIEVE in it, what have we gained?
What did Jesus gain if we don’t believe in Him?
Jesus came to this earth to die on a cross for us, He gave up His life, for our Salvation; but if we don’t believe it, then nothing is going to happen for us.
Everything is based on our FAITH. We MUST BELIEVE for it to be so.
Jesus did come to this earth and die on a cross for our Salvation, we MUST believe that for us to gain from Jesus’ sufferings on that cross.
It is when you don’t believe, the fact is still going to remain the same that Jesus DID die on that cross for our Salvation, except, because you didn’t believe, there will be no salvation for you … one day, you eventually are going to die and after your life has ended, your future will be, everlasting torment.
In our man-made churches that exist all around us today, when the end comes, can you just sense what evil is going to fall onto their shoulders.
Jesus is going to ask them ‘why didn’t you teach them to ‘Follow Me?’
What could they answer … ‘I taught them to love’ … ‘I taught them John 3:16’ … ‘we sang good music’ … ‘we held our services on tv every week.’
It is so hard for me to sit back and watch newly formed, neighborhood churches prey on an area over earthly monetary values. I was in a church that was just starting up and all they focused on was what was the average annual income for the homeowners, what were the family sizes in a neighborhood, where they needed to build for the most bang for their buck.
I don’t remember reading about that anywhere in the Bible, where we’ve been directed to place our focus on that type of attack to teaching ‘HIS’ flock.
What happened to teaching the world around us about the Gospel of Jesus Christ? What happened to spreading the Good News to every soul within our reach?
Where do these churches find this hate among themselves that would make any person want to seek out such evil instead of teaching the truth?
Jesus came to teach us all about love, how we were to love our fellow man.
Matthew 22
vs37 ‘…And He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…’
vs38 ‘…This is the great and foremost commandment…’
vs39 ‘…The second is like it; You shall love your neighbor as yourself…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Mark 12:31 ‘…The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
John 13
vs31 ‘…I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another…’
vs35 ‘…By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
1 John 2
vs15 ‘…Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him…’
vs16 ‘…For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world…’
vs17 ‘…The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
How can anyone argue that they love others, more than they love themselves, when they’re only interested in the earthly monetary gain when setting up a new church?
Are these man-made churches interested in anything other than money?
Listen, all of you out there reading this article, shout at the top of your lungs to those around you, tell them to open the Word for themselves and read about what God has given us. Tell them to learn the Word for themselves and learn what is right and what is wrong. Tell those around you they need the Word in their lives, not a neighborhood church.
Jesus hated religion when He came to this earth to save us. He didn’t die on the cross just so a church could get started in a neighborhood. He died on that cross for you and me. He dies so that we could live out Eternity in heaven with Him.
2 Corinthians 5
vs14 ‘…We are ruled by the love of Christ, now that we recognize that one man died for everyone, which means that they all share in his death…’
vs15 ‘…He died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but only for him who died and was raised to life for their sake…’ GNT (Good News Translation)
The important One here is Jesus. He is the only One that matters.
He is the One that should be preached on Sunday mornings. We shouldn’t be noticing how comfortable the pews are. We shouldn’t be talking how great a sermon our pastor gave. We shouldn’t be talking about how good the coffee was in the church’s break room.
Our time in church should be ALL about Jesus. Instead of us having 60-minutes of Bible study and then a 60-minute church service we should have two hours of Bible study. We should study and read the Word all day long.
Man, whether he’s a pastor, a deacon, a bishop, a priest, a pope, whatever, none of the prior are anything but a simple, ordinary ‘man.’ They’re not going to get you into heaven, they’re not going to get you Everlasting Life, they’re not Jesus, they aren’t standing in for Him while He’s away, they’re nothing but a ‘MAN.’ Jesus is the ONLY way.
1 Timothy 2
vs5 ‘…For there is one God, and there is one who brings God and human beings together, the man Christ Jesus…’
vs6 ‘…who gave himself to redeem the whole human race. That was the proof at the right time that God wants everyone to be saved…’
vs7 ‘…and that is why I was sent as an apostle and teacher of the Gentiles, to proclaim the message of faith and truth. I am not lying; I am telling the truth…’ GNT (Good News Translation)
Keep your Bibles open and keep your nose in the
Word. Study as much as you can. Share what you read with those around you.
I love y’all.
Jesus, I pray that those ears and eyes, either listening or seeing this message today would be opened to the very fullest and allow Your love to come inside their lives and comfort them. Teach us Jesus. Protect us. We love You. Amen.
InHIM. ><)))o>