MY INTERPRETATION OF THE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING

Matthew 22:1-14 (King James Version) 

[1] And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
[2] The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
[3] And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
[4] Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
[5] But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
[6] And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
[7] But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
[8] Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
[9] Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
[10] So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
[11] And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
[12] And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
[13] Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
[14] For many are called, but few are chosen.

Matthew 22:1-14 (Skip's Lighthouse Version)

[1] And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables, and said,
[2] The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain King (The Father), Who made a marriage for His Son (Jesus),
[3] And He (The Father) sent forth His servants (the Prophets of Israel) to call those who were invited to the wedding (Israel):  and they would not come.
[4] Again, He sent forth more servants (Jesus' disciples), saying, Tell them who are invited, Behold, I have prepared My dinner:  My oxen and My fatlings are killed, and all things are ready:  come to the marriage.
[5] But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
[6] And the remnant took His servants, and treated them cruelly, and killed them.
[7] But when the King heard this, He was filled with wrath:  and He sent forth His armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city (He used the armies of Rome).
[8] Then He said to His servants (Christ's Disciples), The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
[9] Therefore, go into the highways (to the ends of the earth), and as many as you shall find (from every people, tongue, and nation), invite them to the marriage.
[10] So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all,  as many as they found, both bad and good:  and the wedding was furnished with guests.
[11] And when the King came in to see the guests, He saw there a man who did not have on the wedding garment (the robes of righteousness dipped in the blood of Jesus 2 Cor. 5:21; Rev. 19:13; etc.) which the King had provided:
[12] And He said to him, Friend, how is it that you refused to wear a wedding garment?  And he was speechless.
[13] Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
[14] For many are called (all of mankind), but few are chosen (Israel).

THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES

*  Mark 3:35 - "For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother."
*  Acts 13:36 - "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption...."
*  Romans 1:10 - "Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you."
*  Romans 8:27 - "And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God."
*  Romans 15:32 - "That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed."
*  1 Corinthians 1:1 - "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother...."
*  2 Corinthians 1:1 - "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia...."
*  2 Corinthians 8:5 - "And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God."
*  Galatians 1:4 - "Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father...."
*  Ephesians 1:1 - "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus...."
*  Ephesians 6:6 - "Not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart...."
*  Colossians 1:1 - "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother...."
*  Colossians 4:12 - "Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God."
*  1 Thessalonians 4:3 - "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication...."
*  1 Thessalonians 5:18 - "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
*  2 Timothy 1:1 - "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus...."
*  Hebrews 10:36 - "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise."
*  1 Peter 2:15 - "For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men...."
*  1 Peter 3:17 - "For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."
*  1 Peter 4:2 - "That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God."
*  1 Peter 4:19 - "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."
*  1 John 2:17 - "And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."

 

GOD IS NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH - TRUST HIM!

ONLY THE PERFECT GO TO HEAVEN

OUR PROBLEM:  NONE OF US IS RIGHTEOUS ENOUGH TO GO TO HEAVEN

*  Isaiah 64:6 - "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
*  Romans 3:10 - "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one."
*  Romans 10:3 - "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."

 

GOD'S SOLUTION:  GOD OFFERS US HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS

*  Genesis 15:6 - "And Abraham believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness."
*  Matthew 6:33 - "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
*  Romans 3:22 - "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe...."
*  Romans 4:3 - "For what saith the Scripture?  Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
*  Romans 5:17-19 - "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ.  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous."
*  Romans 9:30 - "What shall we say then?  That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith."
*  Romans 10:9-10 - "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
*  2 Corinthians 5:21 - "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
*  Galatians 2:21 - "I do not frustrate the grace of God:  for if righteousness come by the Law, then Christ is dead in vain."
*  Philippians 1:11 - "Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."
*  Philippians 3:9 - "And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith."
*  Titus 3:5 - "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."
*  Hebrews 11:7 - "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."
*  James 2:23 - "And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness:  and he was called the Friend of God."
*  Revelation 19:8 - "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."

 

ONE IS EITHER RIGHTEOUS (PERFECT), OR HE IS UNRIGHTEOUS (IMPERFECT)!

GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS IS HIS GIFT TO ALL WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS!

DANIEL NINE, VERSES TWENTY-FOUR TO TWENTY-SEVEN

[24] Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
[25] Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
[26] And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
[27] And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

 

Verse 24 - Seventy weeks = seventy periods of seven or a total of 490 years.  The "commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem" was given by Artaxerxes (465 BC to 424 BC) in the twentieth year of his reign, to Nehemiah (Neh. 2:1-11).

Verse 25 - Seven weeks = seven periods of seven or 49 years.

Verses 25-26 - Three score and two weeks = sixty-two periods of seven or 434 years.  Total from verses 25-26 = 483 years.  That leaves one "week" yet to be fulfilled.  It will be known as "Daniel's Seventieth Week" (Dan. 9:27), "The Time of Jacob's Trouble" (Jer. 30:7), and "The Tribulation" (Mt. 24:1-29; Rev. Ch. 6-19).

Verse 27 - This last period of seven =  is seven years. This "week" is divided "in the midst" making two halves of 3 1/2 years each.  To prove the "weeks" are years, these two halves are defined as being 1260 days long (Rev. 11:3; 12:6); 42 months long (Rev. 11:2; 13:5); "a time, times, and a half a time," with a "time" being one year long (Dan. 7:25; 12:7).

 

Between Daniel's Sixty-ninth Week and his "Seventieth Week," is a parenthetical period of time, known as the Church Age.  The Church, a mystery to the nation of Israel (Rom. 11:25; 16:25; Eph. 5:32; Col. 1:26-27) was "born" on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-47), and will continue until Christ returns for us (Jn. 14:1-6; 1 Cor. 15:48-54; 1 Th. 4:13-18; etc.).  Following the removal of the Church by means of the Rapture (the Church being "caught-up" or better yet, "snatched-up"), the Beast of Revelation 13 (the Antichrist) will agree with Israel to enforce a seven-year covenant.  Thank God, the Church will be in heaven with Jesus during what the Word calls the "day of God's wrath" (Rom. 2:5; 1 Th. 5:9; and the absence of the Church being mentioned between Rev. 4-19)!

 

Maranatha!  Come Lord Jesus!

 

 

THE RAPTURE AND THE SECOND COMING

THE RAPTURE OF BORN AGAIN BELIEVERS

*  1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 - "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so those also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.  For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:  and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:  and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words....But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you.  For yourselves know perfectly that the Day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night.  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction will come upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.  But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.  You are all the children of light, and the children of the day:  we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  For those who sleep, sleep in the night; and those who are drunk, are drunk in the night.  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.  For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we are awake or we are asleep, we should live together with Him.  Wherefore, comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as you also have been doing."  [Note:  See also John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:48-54]

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

*  Matthew 24:27-30 - "For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:  and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:  and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." 
*  2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 - "For the mystery of iniquity is already at work: only He who now allows it,  will continue to allow it, until He is taken out of the way.  And then shall that Wicked One be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming."
*  Revelation 1:7 - "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also who pierced Him:  and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen."  [Note:  All Scripture is SLV (Skip's Lighthouse Version)]

HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING THE NEWS LATELY?

THE WORLD WAS FILLED WITH WICKEDNESS

*  Genesis 6:5-7 (TLB) - "When the Lord God saw the extent of human wickedness, and that the trend and direction of men’s lives were only towards evil, He was sorry He had made them.  It broke His heart.  And He said, I will blot out from the face of the earth all mankind that I created.  Yes, and the animals too, and the reptiles and the birds.  For I am sorry I made them."

THE WORLD IS AGAIN FILLED WITH WICKEDNESS

*  Luke 17:26-30 (TLB) - "When I return, the world will be as indifferent to the things of God as the people were in Noah’s day.  They ate and drank and married—everything just as usual right up to the day when Noah went into the ark and the Flood came and destroyed them all.  And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot:  people went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—until the morning Lot left Sodom.  Then fire and brimstone rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.  Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the hour of My return."

HOW DID THE WORLD GET THIS WAY?

*  Romans 1:18-30 (TLB) - "But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, evil men who push away the truth from them.  For the truth about God is known to them instinctively; God has put this knowledge in their hearts.  Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made, and have known of His existence and great eternal power.  So they will have no excuse when they stand before God at Judgment Day.  Yes, they knew about Him all right, but they wouldn’t admit it or worship Him or even thank Him for all His daily care.  And after a while they began to think up silly ideas of what God was like and what He wanted them to do.  The result was that their foolish minds became dark and confused.  Claiming themselves to be wise without God, they became utter fools instead.  And then, instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they took wood and stone and made idols for themselves, carving them to look like mere birds and animals and snakes and puny men.
     So God let them go ahead into every sort of sex sin, and do whatever they wanted to—yes, vile and sinful things with each other’s bodies.  Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies.  So they prayed to the things God made, but wouldn’t obey the blessed God who made these things.
     That is why God let go of them and let them do all these evil things, so that even their women turned against God’s natural plan for them and indulged in sex sin with each other.  And the men, instead of having normal sex relationships with women, burned with lust for each other, men doing shameful things with other men and, as a result, getting paid within their own souls with the penalty they so richly deserved.
     So it was that when they gave God up and would not even acknowledge him, God gave them up to doing everything their evil minds could think of.  Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness and sin, of greed and hate, envy, murder, fighting, lying, bitterness, and gossip.  They were backbiters, haters of God, insolent, proud, braggarts, always thinking of new ways of sinning and continually being disobedient to their parents.  They tried to misunderstand, broke their promises, and were heartless—without pity.  They were fully aware of God’s death penalty for these crimes, yet they went right ahead and did them anyway and encouraged others to do them, too."

DOES THIS SOUND ALL TOO FAMILIAR?

*  2 Timothy 3:1-5 (TLB) - "You may as well know this too, Timothy, that in the last days it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian.  For people will love only themselves and their money; they will be proud and boastful, sneering at God, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful to them, and thoroughly bad.  They will be hardheaded and never give in to others; they will be constant liars and troublemakers and will think nothing of immorality. They will be rough and cruel, and sneer at those who try to be good.  They will betray their friends; they will be hotheaded, puffed up with pride, and prefer good times to worshiping God.  They will go to church, yes, but they won’t really believe anything they hear. Don’t be taken in by people like that."

GOD REMOVES HIS OWN FIRST....

*  Genesis 5:24 / Hebrews 11:5 - "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him (up)....By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him:  for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."

*  Genesis 7:17 - "And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and lifted up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth."

*  Genesis 19:30 - "And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters."

*  2 Kings 2:11 - "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."

*  John 14:1-3 / Acts 1:9-11 - "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions:  if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also....And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.  And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?  This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."

*  1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 - "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.  For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep.  For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:  and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:  and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

 

God takes up His own, before He brings judgment upon those who reject Him!

JOHN NINE: FROM JUST A MAN, TO THE VERY SON OF GOD

"And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from his birth.  And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?  Jesus answered, Not because of this man's sins, nor those of his parents:  but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (v. 1-3)

"When He had finished speaking, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, 'Sent').  He went his way therefore, and washed, and could see.  The neighbors therefore, and they which before had seen that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?  Some said, This is he:  others said, He is like him:  but he said, yes I am.  Therefore they said unto him, How were your eyes opened?  He answered and said, A MAN Who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight." (v. 6-11)

"Then they said unto the blind man again, What do you say of Him, that He has opened your eyes? He said, He is A PROPHET." (v. 17)

"And they asked his parents, saying, Is this your son, who you say was born blind?  How then does he now see?  His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:  but by what means he now sees, we know not; or who has opened his eyes, we know not:  he is of age; ask him:  he shall speak for himself.  [His parents feared the Jews:  for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that Jesus was THE CHRIST, he should be put out of the synagogue.] Therefore his parents said, He is of age; ask him. (v. 19-23)

"Then they asked him again, What did He to do to thee?  How did He open your eyes?  He answered them, I have told you already, and you did not listen:  wherefore would you want to hear it again?  Will ye also become His disciples? - - - When Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said unto him, Do you believe on THE SON OF GOD?  He answered and said, Who is He, LORD, that I might believe In him?  And Jesus said unto him, You have both seen Him, and it is He Who is talking to you.  And he said, LORD, I believe.  AND HE WORSHIPPED HIM." (v.26-27; 35-38)  [All Scripture is from the "Skip's Lighthouse Version]

 

ALL WHO TRULY BELIEVE IN JESUS, WORSHIP HIM!

THANKS IS BEST EXPRESSED WITH PRAISE

*  Psalm 69:30-34 - "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.  This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.  The humble shall see this, and be glad:  and your heart shall live that seek God.  For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not His prisoners.  Let the heaven and earth praise Him, the seas, and everything that moveth therein."

Psalm 95:1-7 - "O come, let us sing unto the LORD:  let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation.  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.  For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.  In His hand are the deep places of the earth:  the strength of the hills is His also.  The sea is His, and He made it:  and His hands formed the dry land.  O come, let us worship and bow down:  let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.  For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand."

*  Psalm 100:1-5 - "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.  Serve the LORD with gladness:  come before His presence with singing.  Know ye that the LORD, He is God:  it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise:  be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.  For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations."

*  Psalm 147:1-12 - "Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.  The LORD doth build up Jerusalem:  He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.  He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.  He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names.  Great is our Lord, and of great power:  His understanding is infinite.  The LORD lifteth up the meek:  He casteth the wicked down to the ground.  Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:  Who covereth the heaven with clouds, Who prepareth rain for the earth, Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.  He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.  He delighteth not in the strength of the horse:  He taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.  The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy.  Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion."

*  Psalm 150:1-6 - "Praise ye the LORD.  Praise God in His sanctuary:  praise Him in the firmament of His power.  Praise Him for His mighty acts:  praise Him according to His excellent greatness.  Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet:  praise Him with the psaltery and harp.  Praise Him with the timbrel and dance:  praise Him with stringed instruments and organs.  Praise Him upon the loud cymbals:  praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals.  Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD.  Praise ye the LORD."

 

GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART!

SALVATION ACCORDING TO LUKE'S WRITINGS

*  Luke 1:76-77 - (Spoken of John, the Baptizer) - "And you, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest:  for you shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways; to give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins."

*  Luke 2:28-32 - (Spoken of Simeon) - "Then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace, according to Your Word:  for my eyes have seen Your salvation, Whom You have prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel."

*  Luke 19:9-10 - "And Jesus said to him....I have come to seek and to provide salvation to those who are lost."

*  Acts 4:10-12 - (Peter speaking) - "Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom you crucified, Whom God raised from the dead, even by Him does this man stand here before you made whole.  Jesus is the Stone Who was rejected by you builders, Who is now become the Chief Cornerstone.  Neither is there salvation in any other:  for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby one can be saved."

*  Acts 13:46-47 - "Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold, and said, It was necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you:  but seeing you have rejected it, and have judged yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.  For so has the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set you to be a light of the Gentiles, that you should proclaim salvation unto the ends of the earth."

*  Acts 28:28-31 - (Paul speaking) - "Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.  And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.  And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all who visited him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, and no one interfered with him."

 

These passages are from Skip's Lighthouse Version, and are faithful to both spirit and context.

NOW ARE WE THE CHILDREN OF GOD

*  Matthew 5:9 - "Blessed are the peacemakers:  for they shall be called the children of God.

*  Luke 20:35-36 - "But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:  neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection."

*  John 1:11-13 - "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.  But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

*  John 11:51-52 - "And this spake he not of himself:  but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad."

*  Romans 8:14-16 - "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God.  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.  The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God."

*  Galatians 3:26 - "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."

*  Titus 3:5-7 - "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Whom He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs (children of God) according to the hope of eternal life."

*  1 John 3:1-2 - "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.  Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is."

*  1 John 3:10 - "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil:  whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."

*  1 John 5:2 - "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments."

THE FATHER IN MATTHEW (SLV)

THE SPIRIT AND CONTEXT OF THE FATHER AS PRESENTED IN MATTHEW

*  Matthew 5:16 - "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in heaven."
*  Matthew 6:8 - "...your Father knows what things you need, before you ask Him."
*  Matthew 7:21 - "Not every one that says unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father Who is in heaven." (See Jn. 6:29).
*  Matthew 10:19-20 - "But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what you shall speak: for it shall be given to you in that same hour what you shall speak.  For it is not you that speaks, but the Spirit of your Father Who speaks through you."

*  Matthew 10:32-33 - "Whosoever shall confess faith in Me before men, I will acknowledge him before My Father Who is in heaven.  But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father in heaven."

*  Matthew 11:27 - "All things are delivered unto Me from My Father:  and no man knows the Son, but the Father; neither knows any man the Father, except the Son, and him to whom the Son will reveal Him."

*  Matthew 16:16-17 - "And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  And Jesus answered and said unto him, you are Blessed, Simon Barjona:  for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven has revealed it to you."

*  Matthew 18:10, 14 - "Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven, their angels do always behold the face of My Father Who is in heaven....Even so it is not the will of your Father Who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."

*  Matthew 23:9 - "And call no man your father upon the earth:  for One is your Father, Who is in heaven."

*  Matthew 24:30, 36 - "And then shall appear My sign in heaven:  and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see Me coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory....But no man knows the day and hour, nor do the angels of heaven, but only My Father knows when I will return."

*  Matthew 26:39 - "And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me:  nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done."

*  Matthew 28:18-20 - "And Jesus came and said to them, All power is given unto Me in heaven and on earth.  Therefore, go and teach all nations (about Me), and baptize (those who believe in Me) in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of this world. Amen."

 

(SLV = Skip's Lighthouse Version)  A focus based upon the spirit and context of Scripture.

WAKE UP

Do you want to know why the whole world seems to have gone mad?  Here is what the Bible says:

AS IT WAS THEN, SO IS IT NOW!

THEN/NOW:  Luke 17:26 (KJV) - "And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man."
THEN:  Genesis 6:5-8 (KJV) - "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.  And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repent Me that I have made them.  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
NOW:  2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NLT) - "You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.  For people will love only themselves and their money.  They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful.  They will consider nothing sacred.  They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.  They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.  They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
NOW:  2 Peter 3:3-10 (NLT) - "Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.  They 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.  They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the Word of His command, and He brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water.  Then He used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood.  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.  But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends:  A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.  The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think.  No, He is being patient for your sake.  He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.  But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief.  Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment."

THE FUTURE

The Word of God says that God is fully aware of man's ways.  The Apostle Paul wrote:  "Be not deceived; God is not mocked:  for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7 KJV).  In other words, God can tell those who belong to Him, by the way they treat others:
AT THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD:  Matthew 25:31-46 (SLV) - "When Jesus returns in His glory, and His holy angels with Him, He shall sit upon His glorious throne:  and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats:  and He shall set His sheep to His right, but the goats to His left.  Then He shall say unto those on His right, Come, you who have been blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry, and you fed Me:  when I was thirsty, you gave me a drink:  as a stranger, you took Me in:  when I was naked, and you clothed Me:  when I was sick, you visited Me:  and when I was in prison, you came to see Me.  Then those He declared to be righteous shall answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we do those things?  And the King shall say, because you have done it to one of these, My brethren, you have done it unto Me!"
"Then He shall say to those on His left, Depart from Me, you cursed ones into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry, and you did not feed Me: I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink:  I was a stranger, and you would not take Me in: I was naked, and you gave me nothing to wear:  I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.  Then shall they say, Lord, when did we see You hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto You?  Then shall He tell you, Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to Me.  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment:  but to those He declared to be righteous into life eternal."

 

THIS MAY BE YOUR LAST "WAKE-UP" CALL!

PREJEDICE AND RACISM: THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE

GOD'S SENSE OF HUMOR IN BLACK AND WHITE

*  Numbers 12:1, 9-11 - "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married:  for he had married an Ethiopian woman."  [Note:  A Cushite - Black - see also Song of Solomon 1:5; Jeremiah 13:23 for other examples].  "And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and He departed.  And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.  And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned."  [Note:  Doesn't it seem ironic that the punishment for their prejudice against the dark-skinned woman was to turn Miriam as "white as snow?!"].

 

GOD LOVES ALL:  "RED," "YELLOW," "BLACK," AND "WHITE!"

*  Acts 10:34-35 - "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:  but in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him."
*  Acts 17:26 - God "...hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth...."
*  Galatians 3:28 - "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."
*  Revelation 5:9-10 - "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation...."
*  Revelation 7:9 - "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands...."

 

IN ORDER TO LOVE GOD, YOU MUST LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

*  Luke 10:27 - "And He answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself."
*  Romans 13:8-10 - "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law.  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  Love worketh no ill to his neighbor:  therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."
*  Galatians 5:13-14 - "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.  For all the Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

 

THERE IS ONLY ONE RACE:  THE HUMAN RACE FOR WHOM CHRIST DIED!

SO MANY QUESTIONS AND HE HAS THE ANSWERS

Have you ever thought about what the Bible means when it describes Jesus as the "Author and Finisher of our faith?"  Hebrews 12:1-2 says:  "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

I would like to suggest that, as the Author, Jesus wrote the "Lamb's Book of Life," in which are the names of all who will trust in Him throughout time.  These verses speak of His book:

*  Philippians 4:3 - "And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which labored with me in the Gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow-laborers, whose names are in the  Book of Life."
*  Revelation 3:5 - "He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the  Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels."
*  Revelation 13:8 - "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship Him, whose names are not written in the  Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
*  Revelation 17:8 - "The beast that thou saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is."
*  Revelation 20:12 - "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the  Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."
*  Revelation 20:15 - "And whosoever was not found written in the  Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."
*  Revelation 21:27 - "And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie:  but they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life."
*  Revelation 22:19 - "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the  Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

On the other hand, it is quite possible that those two words state the same idea as the "Alpha and Omega,"; the "First and the Last"; and the "Beginning and the End?"  I am sure there are many who could answer my question, but I kind of want to wait until Jesus explains it to me!  Soon, very soon, I hope and pray!  Maranatha!  Come Lord Jesus!

 

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: 

now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."

PERFECTION IS UNACHIEVABLE IN THIS LIFE

There is no perfect Church.  Why?  Because there are no perfect Christians. The reason?  Because we will not be like Jesus until we meet Him face-to-face.  The Apostle John wrote:
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be:  but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is" (1 Jn. 3:2).

The Apostle Paul wrote that we do not deserve to be God's children, but that Christians are saved by grace (unmerited favor) and not by our worthiness through doing good.  He wrote:
"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:  it is the gift of God:  not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9).

Paul tells us that our ultimate Christ-likeness will be completed by the One Who gives us our "new birth":
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that He Who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:3-6).

In the mean time, like Paul, we struggle with our efforts to live for Christ and to serve our fellow man; he described our inward battle (note that he is speaking in the present tense):
"For we know that the Law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.  For that which I do I allow not:  for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the Law that it is good.  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing:  for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.  For I delight in the Law of God after the inward man:  but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  O wretched man that I am!  Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, with the mind I myself serve the Law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin" (Rom. 7:14-25).

 

Be patient with yourself and with others; God is not finished with us yet!

TRUE SALVATION RESULTS IN A LIFE OF PRAISE AND OBEDIENCE

*   Revelation 1:1-6 - "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John:  Who bare record of the Word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.  Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keeps those things which are written therein:  for the time is at hand.  John to the seven churches which are in Asia:  Grace be unto you, and peace, from Him Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth.  Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, And has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen."

*   Revelation 4:10-11 - "The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou has created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created."

*   Revelation 5:11-13 - "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever."

*   Revelation 7:9-12 - "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.  And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen:  Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen."

*   Revelation 19:1-9 - "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God:  For true and righteous are His judgments:  for He has judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.  And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up forever and ever.  And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.  And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, both small and great.  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia:  for the Lord God omnipotent reigns.  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him:  for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.  And he said unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me, These are the true sayings of God."

HE SPOKE AS ONE HAVING AUTHORITY

OLD TESTAMENT PRAYER - PSALM 23

[1] The LORD is MY Shepherd; I shall not want.
[2] He maketh ME to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth ME beside the still waters.
[3] He restoreth MY soul: He leadeth ME in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
[4] Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with ME; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort ME.
[5] Thou preparest a table before ME in the presence of MINE enemies:  Thou anointest MY head with oil; MY cup runneth over.
[6] Surely goodness and mercy shall follow ME all the days of MY life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

 

NEW TESTAMENT PRAYER - MATTHEW 6:9-13

[9]After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.
[10] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
[11] Give US this day OUR daily bread.
[12] And forgive US OUR debts, as WE forgive OUR debtors.
[13] And lead US not into temptation, but deliver US from evil:  For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE LETTER OF THE LAW

AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW!  MATTHEW 5

[21] Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
[22] But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:  and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council:  but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
[27] Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
[28] But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
[38] Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
[39] But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil:  but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
[43] Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
[44] But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you....

 

IS IT ANY WONDER THAT ISRAEL WAS AMAZED AT JESUS' TEACHINGS?

THE UNPARDONABLE SIN

JESUS LED AND EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

*   Luke 4:1, 14 - "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, and Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of Him through all the region round about."
*   John 3:34 - "For He Whom God has sent speaks the words of God:  for God gives not the Spirit by measure unto Him."
*   Acts 10:38 - "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him."
*   Hebrews 9:14 - "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!"

 

THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT IS TO BRING THE LOST TO CHRIST

*   John 16:8-11, 14 - "And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  Of sin, because they believe not on Me; Of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged....He shall glorify Me:  for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you."

 

DENYING THE SPIRIT'S "EVIDENCE," IS BLASPHEMY OF THE HOLY GHOST

*   Matthew 12:22, 24-28, 32, 37 - "Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spoke and saw....But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow does not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.  And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:  And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?  And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you....And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him:  but whosoever speaks against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come....For by your words you shalt be justified, and by your words you shalt be condemned."

 

BELIEVING THE SPIRIT'S EVIDENCE RESULTS IN SALVATION

*   Romans 10:9-11 - "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.  For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture says, Whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed."

 

WE ARE SAVED BY BELIEVING THE SPIRIT'S EVIDENCE!

TWELVE REASONS TO REJOICE

When persecuted:  "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:  for great is your reward in heaven:  for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (Mt. 5:12).

When God chooses you:  "And Mary said, My soul does magnify the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior" (Lk. 1:46-47).

When you know you are His:  "...rejoice, because your names are written in heaven" (Lk. 10:20).

When you see God in action:  "...the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen" (Lk. 19:37).

When thinking of Christ being with the Father:  "...If ye loved Me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for My Father is greater than I" (Jn. 14:28).

When you see others being blessed:  "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep" (Rom. 12:15).

When others are being honored:  "...one member be honored, all the members rejoice..." (1 Cor. 12:26).

When the truth prevails:  "Rejoice not in iniquity, but rejoice in the truth" (1 Cor. 13:6).

When others are faithful:  "I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things" (2 Cor. 7:16).

When Christ is preached:  "...Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice" (Phil. 1:18).

When?  Always!:  "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice"  "Rejoice evermore" (Phil 4:4; 1 Th. 5:6).

When thinking of your relationship with Christ:  "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready" (Rev. 19:7).

"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them!"

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

Christians have become so focused upon the fact that "salvation is not of works, but by grace through faith," (Eph. 2:8-9) that some of us forget that God's grace calls us to surrender to the Lordship of Christ!  Salvation involves two factors:  Remission - Christ paid the penalty for my sins; and Repentance - my acknowledgement of my need for His salvation, and that I am being called to follow Him as my Shepherd, my Lord (Lk. 24:47)!  As a result, millions of people have believed that they are Christians because they believe the Gospel.  They believe that Jesus died for their sins, that He was buried, and that He rose from the dead according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4), but they fail to comprehend that Jesus' death made Him Savior, but He was raised to be LORD.  Philippians 2:5-11 says:

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name:  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father."

You see, man needs salvation because we disobey God.  When true salvation occurs, one is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and He leads us to obey our Lord (Jn. 14:17; 16:13)!  Yes, true salvation results in a desire to obey Jesus Christ as our Lord!  Here are a few verses written to believers:

*   Acts 5:29-32 - "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, Whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.  Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.  And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, Whom God hath given to them that obey Him."
*   2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 - "...the LORD Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them...that obey not the Gospel of our LORD Jesus Christ."
*   2 Thessalonians 3:14 - "And if any man obey not our Word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed."
*   Hebrews 1:9 - "And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him."

When a person believes the Gospel, he finds not problem in understanding the words of Jesus:

 



"Ye call Me MASTER and LORD: and ye say well; for I AM" (Jn. 13:13).

IDENTIFYING OUR ENEMY

In this world of chaos and hatred, we often become focused upon the "soldiers" of our true enemy, instead of the spirit that has deceived them.  Terrorists, rioters, looters, murderers, rapists, thieves, etc., etc., etc., are those men and women who have rejected Jesus and His message of love.  Instead, they have listened to the very enemy of God!  In Romans 1:24, 26, 28, we are told that because of their rebellion against Him and His message of love, God has given them over to a reprobate mind.  So who are they following if they are opposed to God? Their leader has many names:

Abaddon -  Revelation 9:11.
Accuser - Revelation 12:10.
Adversary. - 1 Peter 5:8.
Angel of light - 2 Corinthians 11:14.
Angel of the bottomless pit - Revelation 9:11.
Anointed covering cherub - Ezekiel 28:14.
Apollyon - Revelation 9:11.
Beelzebub - Matthew 12:24.
Belial - 2 Corinthians 6:15.
Deceiver - Revelation 12:9.
Devil - 1 John 3:8.
Dragon - Revelation 12:9.
Enemy - Matthew 13:39.
Evil one - John 17:15.
Fallen star - Revelation 9:1.
Father of lies - John 8:44.
God of this age - 2 Corinthians 4:4.
King of the bottomless pit - Revelation 9:11.
King of Tyre - Ezekiel 28:12.
Lucifer - Isaiah 14:12.
Murderer - John 8:44.
Power of darkness - Colossians 1:13.
Prince of the power of the air - Ephesians 2:2.
Roaring lion - 1 Peter 5:8.
Ruler of demons - Luke 11:15.
Ruler of this world - John 12:31.
Satan - Mark 1:13.
Serpent of old - Revelation 12:9.
Tempter - Matthew 4:3.
Thief - John 10:10.
Wicked one - Ephesians 6:16.

But be of good cheer; Jesus has overcome Satan, and has him on a leash.  Whatever he does to us, the Lord has allowed, and the result will ultimately work together for our good and His glory (Rom. 8:28)!  According to Ephesians 6:11-12, our job is to "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." 

BOTTOM LINE:  WE WIN!

WARNING: TIME IS EXTREMELY SHORT!

If you are reading this today, and have never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ,  it is not too late to do so!  Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and He was buried, and He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures!  Our world has gone completely mad!  Because Jesus knew what would happen in the last days, He gave this warning:

Luke 19:26-29 - "And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all."

Genesis 6:5-8 - "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.  And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them.  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD."

Genesis 19:15-19 - "And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.  And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.  And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.  And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:  Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life...."

God wants to show your mercy; He wants to save you by His incomprehensible grace!  Paul wrote that God wants to "show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:7-9)!

 

CALL UPON JESUS TO BE YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR - NOW!

YOUR SALVATION IS BY FAITH IN JESUS AS YOUR LORD!

John 1:11-13 - "Jesus came unto His own people, and His own people received Him not.  But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Romans 8:14-25 - "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:  and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  For the earnest expectation of the creature waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him Who has subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.  And not only they, but ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is, the redemption of our body.  For we are saved by hope:  but hope that is seen is not hope:  for what a man sees, why does he yet hope for it?  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."

Philippians 2:13-15 - "For it is God Who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.  Do all things without murmuring and disputing:  that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."

1 John 3:1-3 - "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:  therefore the world knows us not, because it knew Him not.  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be:  but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.  And every man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as He is pure."

 

My prayer is that all my family would surrender their lives to the Lord, Jesus Christ!

Note:  All Scripture is from the Skip's Lighthouse Version.

WE ARE ALL KNOWN BY OUR FRUIT

*  Matthew 7:15-20 (SLV) - "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly, they are ravening wolves.  You shall know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  No!  Likewise, every good tree produces good fruit; but a corrupt tree produces evil fruit.  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  So, by their fruits you shall know them."

*  John 12:23-25 (SLV) - "And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone:  but if it dies, it shall bring forth an abundance of fruit.  He who loves his life in this world, shall lose it; and he who hates his life, in this world, will find that he has eternal life."

*  Romans 6:20-23 (SLV) - "For when you were slaves to sin, you were free from righteousness.  What fruit did you gain from those things, of which you are now ashamed?  For the end of those things is death.  But now, being made free from sin and become servants to God, you have the fruit of holiness, and the end of those things everlasting life.  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

*  Galatians 5:13-23 (SLV) - "For, brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love, serve one another.  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.  But if ye bite and devour one another, be warned that you may also be consumed by others.  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary to one another: so that you cannot do the things that you want to.  But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law.  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:  which I told you before, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

YOU SAY YOU LOVE GOD? SHOW ME!

The definition of "iniquity," is "a lack of righteousness, of justice; sin!"  People who say they are believers and yet, continue a life of sin, are not born again, and are no better than the Pharisees!  God disciplines His children, and He will not allow us to continue in sin (Heb. 12:5-8)!  Therefore, let all who name the name of Christ, depart from iniquity!

*  Matthew 7:23 (SLV) - "And then will I say unto them, I never knew you:  depart from Me, you who do the works of  iniquity."

*  Matthew 13:41 (SLV) - "The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who do the works of  iniquity."

*  Matthew 23:28 (SLV) - "Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

*  Matthew 24:12 (SLV) - "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall become cold."

*  Luke 13:27 (SLV) - "But He shall say, I tell you, I do not know you; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity."

*  Acts 1:18 (SLV) - "Now Judas Iscariot purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; (after he hung himself - Mt. 27:3-5) his body fell headlong, and his body burst open, and all of his bowels gushed out."

*  Romans 6:19 (SLV) - "I speak after the manner of men because of the weakness of your flesh: for as you have yielded your body to uncleanness and to iniquity; even so, today, yield your body as servants to righteousness. to holiness."

*  1 Corinthians 13:6 (SLV) - "Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth."

*  2 Timothy 2:19 (SLV) - "Nevertheless, the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows those who are His.  And, Let every one that says they believe in Christ, depart from iniquity."

*  Titus 2:13-14 (SLV) - "We are looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, so that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself, a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

 

IF YOU SAY YOU LOVE GOD, YOUR LIFE SHOULD SHOW IT!

HAVE NO FELLOWSHIP WITH DARKNESS

2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (KING JAMES VERSION)

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:  from such turn away."

 

2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (NEW LIVING TRANSLATION)

"You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.  For people will love only themselves and their money.  They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful.  They will consider nothing sacred.  They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.  They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.  They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.  Stay away from people like that!"

 

2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (EASY-TO-READ VERSION)

"Remember this:  There are some terrible times coming in the last days.  People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud and boast about themselves. They will abuse others with insults.  They will not obey their parents.  They will be ungrateful and against all that is pleasing to God.  They will have no love for others and will refuse to forgive anyone.  They will talk about others to hurt them and will have no self-control.  They will be cruel and hate what is good.  People will turn against their friends.  They will do foolish things without thinking and will be so proud of themselves.  Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure.  They will go on pretending to be devoted to God, but they will refuse to let that 'devotion' change the way they live.  Stay away from these people!"

 

2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION)

"Remember that there will be difficult times in the last days.  People will be selfish, greedy, boastful, and conceited; they will be insulting, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and irreligious; they will be unkind, merciless, slanderers, violent, and fierce; they will hate the good; they will be treacherous, reckless, and swollen with pride; they will love pleasure rather than God; they will hold to the outward form of our religion, but reject its real power. Keep away from such people."

 

2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (THE LIVING BIBLE)

"You may as well know this too, Timothy, that in the last days it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian.  For people will love only themselves and their money; they will be proud and boastful, sneering at God, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful to them, and thoroughly bad.  They will be hardheaded and never give in to others; they will be constant liars and troublemakers and will think nothing of immorality. They will be rough and cruel, and sneer at those who try to be good.  They will betray their friends; they will be hotheaded, puffed up with pride, and prefer good times to worshiping God.  They will go to church, yes, but they won’t really believe anything they hear.  Don’t be taken in by people like that."

THEY WILL KNOW YOU ARE CHRISTIANS IF YOU SHOW THEM LOVE!

*  Matthew 5:42-45 (SLV) - "Give to him who asks you, and from him who would borrow from you, do not turn away.  You have heard it said, you should love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless them who curse you, do good to them who hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you, and persecute you; so that you may demonstrate that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven...."

*  Matthew 22:36-40 (SLV) - "Master, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?  Jesus said unto him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  That is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

*  John 13:33-35 (SLV) - "Little children, My time with you is short.  You shall seek Me:  and as I said unto the Jews, where I go, you cannot yet come; so now I say to you.  A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another.  As I have loved you, you also love one another.  By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another."

*  John 15:12-17 (SLV) - "This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  You show that you are My friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant does not know what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father, I have made known unto you.  You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:  that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you.  These things I command you, that you love one another."

*  Romans 13:8-10 (SLV) - "Owe no man anything, but to love one another:  for he that loves others has fulfilled the Law.  For this:  You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shalt not bear false witness, You shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.  Love works no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law."

*  Galatians 5:13-14 (SLV) - "For, brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.  For all the Law is fulfilled in one commandment, even in this; You shall love your neighbor as yourself!"

 

YOU SAY YOU LOVE GOD?  I'M FROM MISSOURI!  SHOW ME!