Wednesday 012925
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:
Mark 5:34; Luke 17:19, 18:42; Hebrews 11:1; Matthew 7:13-14; Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 12:2-4; John 14:6.
So, we should ask ourselves, after we die, which way are we going to go, up to heaven or down to hell?
Jesus seen His future, in front of Him, because He is God and time has no control over Him, whereas we today, we are not God and we are unable to control time but, what we have been given, is the opportunity to read the Word and listen to what God has prepared for us, so that we are able to guide ourselves in the way that we have determined to go.
It is inside the Word that will reveal to us the mysteries that will determine our future and show us which way we are about to turn.
There is a time coming, which is right around the corner and staged in front of us; it’s too late for us to run away, get on a boat heading towards Spain and hide as if our heads are buried in the sand and flea from reality the way Jonah tried to escape from the presence of God.
It’s time that we reach for His robe and grab onto the safety that is held securely in His hands of Grace.
Your churches are not going to save you, and denominations are only going to fail the fools that won’t accept the inevitable truth.
The day is coming when our FAITH will give us the strength as we walk into that city, the city that’s in front for ALL of us to see, waiting for time, as we know it, to come to an end.
When Jesus walked this earth, during the three-years of His ministry, He taught His followers of the ‘Kingdom,’ but more importantly for us today in the 21st century, He taught of the importance of FAITH.
There are so many verses written in the Bible where Jesus told those in front of Him, that it was their FAITH that would save them and make them well.
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 17:19 ‘…And He said to him, stand up and go; your faith has made you well…’ 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)
The one lesson that we are shown, over and over again throughout the Word, is meant for you and me to understand the importance of FAITH.
The closest that our Bible comes to offering an exact definition of the word FAITH is found in Hebrews 11:1.
Hebrew 11:1
‘…Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…’ KJV (King James Version)
‘…Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
‘…To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see…’ GNT (Good News Translation)
‘…This is what it means to trust God: We will be sure about the things that we hope for. We will be sure in our minds about things that we cannot even see…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
Let’s begin by knowing that one day, this world is going to come to an end and we’re going to leave this life that we’ve been living.
This is where we have been given the opportunity to determine whether or not we will go left or go to the right, will we go up or we will go down. We have come to that ‘Y’ in the road.
We are given two choices.
Matthew 7
vs13 ‘…Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it…’
vs14 ‘…For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Now many times I’ve taught that NOT all Scripture has been written for us to FOLLOW. But ALL Scripture has been written for us to learn from.
These verses in Matthew have been written to show us that we have been given the opportunity to decide which way we want to go; we’ve been given the opportunity to choose.
We can FOLLOW the crowd and go through the wide gate, or we can choose to ENTER through the narrow gate and be saved.
Our lives are filled with choices.
We can do what’s RIGHT, or we can choose to do what’s wrong.
I’ve tried to teach one step further. This life we are living in is filled with so many choices: white, wheat or rye; steak, fish or vegetables; Sunday morning, Saturday night or Wednesday night; private, public or home; soup, salad or breadsticks; flat, satin or gloss; capri, straight of flared; Catholic, Methodist or Baptist. The list is unending.
None of the above choices have an influence on our future with God; all of the above are all man-made choices to choose from.
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)
We here are confronted with a choice:
We can choose to accept God’s GIFT and be saved because of our FAITH, all because of God’s GRACE or we could be like so many and determine that God is fake, the Bible is nothing more than a bunch of lies and follow the crowd and take the wide road that will lead to an Everlasting promise of torment and death away from the presence of God.
Again, two choices: LIFE or DEATH.
I am going to choose LIFE.
It is MY Faith, and I Believe. I am going to ACCEPT God’s Gift of Grace and grab onto my Gift of Everlasting Life with Jesus.
We each have the opportunity to choose for ourselves. Here may be a powerful lesson, there is only two choices: LIFE or DEATH.
There is only ONE way if we choose LIFE and that is through Jesus Christ, our FAITH that is in in Him.
But there are endless ways if we were to choose death.
We could choose to depend on our favorite pastor, our favorite church or our favorite denomination.
We could choose to believe in what a teacher or a professor may have taught us when we were in school.
We could believe in what our spouse or other family members might be telling us.
We could believe in what we read on our fortune cookie after last night’s meal.
Once again, this list is endless, it could go on for ever and ever until the end of time.
But if we were to return to the only way for LIFE is through Jesus Christ, we should keep our focus and our eyes on Him.
Hebrews 12
vs2 ‘…Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God’s throne…’
vs3 ‘…Think of what he went through; how he put up with so much hatred from sinners! So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up…’
vs4 ‘…For in your struggle against sin you have not yet had to resist to the point of being killed…’ GNT (Good News Translation)
Our first sentence as we began tonight’s lesson …
As He got onto the back of that donkey, knowing what was about to happen in His very near future, Jesus sat up straight and without shame or embarrassment, He entered into that city.
We read in vs2 ‘…He did not give up because of the cross…’
Jesus knew as He mounted that donkey what was in front of Him.
Continuing in vs2 ‘…on the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God’s throne…’
Jesus KNEW!!!
Think back at what you did yesterday. You would almost, minute by minute be able to repeat your day as it happened.
Jesus was capable of looking forward and able to see His day, minute by minute before it had happened to Him.
JESUS KNEW!!!
This is where we MUST keep our focus. This is who we MUST keep our FAITH in.
The only way we are going to get into heaven is through Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 ‘…Jesus answered him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me…’ GNT (Good News Translation)
We are told these things in the Bible. This is why we should be inside the Bible every day.
I didn’t say this because it was my belief like a professor in college.
I didn’t threaten that the only way you would get a passing grade was if you believed what I told you.
Your future is not based on what you think of what I say?
Your future depends on what YOU believe. Keep your Bibles opened and study as much and as often as you can.
I love ALL of you. Remember that Jesus loves each one of us even that much more.
After you’ve read and heard about what is offered to you through the Word, it is your Gift to share that Word to others so that they too might have the opportunity to see more.
Those I’ve known earlier, know that I struggle with your decision. Know that I think of you every day. Know that I see your faces and also know that I pray and ask that you be given another chance to help clarify any question that may be your largest struggle.
I ask that the hurdle in front of you come lower so you could easily step over that and continue down His path of LIFE.
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>