Archive for the ‘General Post’ Category
God’s Purpose In Election
- that the purpose of God according to election might stand,
- to show His power
- to make His power known
- make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy
A number of Christian religions do not like to speak about the doctrine of election, because this doctrine takes man’s will out of the equation of whom will be saved; for man cannot save himself.
The following verses, and more throughout the New Testament, makes it clear that God saves whom He wills to save for the reasons listed above. It is by God’s will that man becomes saved and not by man’s choosing of his own will whether he wants to be saved.
If God had not predestinated before time began (Ephesians 1: 3-6), who would be saved, and then save them, no one would ever be saved. Because man, of his own will is not able to save himself (John 1: 13) (Titus 3: 5).
Read these versus and see for yourself the reason God saves as He wills.
Rom 9:11 (For being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil,that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Rom 9:14 What shall we say then? unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Rom 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16 So then not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Rom 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Rom 9:19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Rom 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed him, Why hast thou made me thus?
Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
Rom 9:22 if God, willing to shew wrath, and to make his power known,endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Rom 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
It has been said many times, “but what if there is someone who wants to be saved but is not among the elect, what then?”
From Romans we read:
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Even of his own will man will never seek after God.
In addition, in John 6 we read:
Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Man is so mired in his own sinfulness that unless God works a miracle in him he would never choose, of his own will, to believe on Jesus and to confess Him to be Lord.
This is why God predestinated those whom He wills to be saved: to show His mercy, and to display His power and love on mankind by choosing to save a people for His own even though no one deserves to be saved and cannot save themselves.
What about you, do you know where you stand? Do you want to be saved? If not, then why do you care, but if you do want to be saved read this from Romans 10:
Rom 10:9 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.
Rom_10:13 (KJV) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved
Is this what you want? Do you really want to be saved according to God’s mercy? Can you confess that Jesus is Lord? Do you feel the desire to call out to God for forgiveness? Will you come to God on His terms and not yours? Only by God’s will can anyone do these things, and only they whom God has chosen to be saved will ever confess by the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus is Lord.
God’s power may be at work in you at this very moment. Maybe your heart, as it is being made new, fills you with a desire to come to Jesus. Instinctively you want to know Him, to follow Him, to love Him. Whoever you are, may you be saved by God this very hour.
Why My Prayers Failed
Prayer was never easy. In fact, it was very hard because most of my prayers never got answered; at least not in the way that I wanted. So, what was wrong with me?
In Mar 11:24 we read the following comment by Jesus:
“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.”
On this was what I had based all of my prayers. I prayed for what I desired, believed that I would receive them but I never did get them. That was a real downer.
Have you ever felt that way? Have all of your prayers been answered?
Maybe, I thought, I did not have enough faith in either my praying or in God answering them. I mean, I was once told that my faith was not strong enough to “move God” by my prayers. So, how strong does faith have to be?
Then again, it could have been that I wavered in my belief that I would get my prayers answered in the way that I wanted.
Eventually my prayer life began to dwindle. If I could not pray effectively enough to get God to give me for what I was asking, why pray at all.
I still kept reading the Bible on a fairly regular basis, even if I did not do much in the way of praying, and one day while reading from 1John I read a scripture verse that set off a light bulb. To this day I believe that this was God working in me to see something very important about prayer. In chapter 5 I read the following verses:
1Jn 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jn 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Do you see it? Do you see the reason for why my prayers were not being answered in the way that I wanted?
Read verse 5:14 again… If we ask anything “according to His will”… That was it. Here is why my prayers were not being answered, why I failed at praying. I was not praying in a manor according to the will of God.
You see, I was asking for what I wanted, according to my will, and not for what God wanted, according to His will. Even Jesus knew how important this was by reading what Jesus said in Mark 4:36 the night before He was to face a most horrible crucifixion and death.
Mar 14:36 And he (Jesus) said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what you will.
Jesus knew how bad things were going to be for Him yet He still prayed for God’s will to be done and not His. How much more should we do the same?
If you would like to have an effective prayer life here are three things you can do.
1. Acknowledge that God is sovereign and His will is always accomplished. In Daniel 4:35 we read the following:
Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What is it that you do?
2. Speak to God in prayer. Let Him know what are your concerns, worries and needs. Speak from your heart and tell God why you are presenting to Him your petitions. For instance, in Phillipians 4: 6-8 we read this:
Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
3. Do no more than Jesus when praying to our Father. Pray your heart felt supplication and why you are making this request, then acknowledge that God is sovereign over all. As we read in Ephesians 1:
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
By reading the New Testament on a regular basis, we can learn what God’s will might be for many areas of our life, and during those times we can know that we are praying according to God’s will and be assured that our prayers will be heard and be answered in a way that we wanted.
In addition, when we realize that our prayers may not always be according to Gods will, not knowing what it is that God is going to do, we can acknowledge that we will accept God’s answer to our prayer.
During those times when we do not know the reason for what God is doing, or why, we can still have peace in our hearts with the answer that God gives.
Knowing that God is sovereign and it is He Who works all things after the counsel of his own will, we, too, will be able to say, as Jesus said, “nevertheless not what I will, but what you will.”
If prayer is not being answered in your life you might begin to start all of your prayers, being reminded of God’s will, with the beginning of the model prayer that Jesus gave to all of us. As Jesus says in Matthew 6:
Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray like this: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
The Faith of Our Salvation Was Written By Jesus
Our salvation is not of our works. We know this by scripture, especially one that is written in Ephesians 2: 8, 9. Here is what it says.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
It is by grace, and not by our works, that we are saved, and we are given this gift of faith with which we believe on the Lord Jesus, and this gift of faith comes from God. The question is this. Whose faith is given to us through which we believe?
The answer is given to us in Hebrews 12:2
Heb 12:2 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.
The faith through which we believe was created by Jesus. He wrote our faith by His obedience to the Father while He was here on earth. Only Jesus lived a life in perfect obedience to God and, in doing so, He did for us what we could not do for ourselves.
The faith, through which we believe is given to us, after being saved by grace, and it is through the perfect faith of Jesus by which we are justified. The proof of this is our believing in Jesus as Lord through this faith given to us for one specific purpose – our Salvation.
Jesus created our faith; He authored it and finished it through His perfect obedience. Without His faith given to us we would not, and could not, be saved.
Gal_2:16 (KJV) Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Truly, Jesus wrote the faith of our salvation. Praise God that He did.
I cannot imagine my imperfect faith, that I would work up, satisfying God’s justice and being forgiven for my sinful and imperfect life. It just would not be good enough.
How Will They Believe?
For more than ten years this Journal has been has been publishing monthly essays based on the premise that Jesus is God and that by Him, and Him alone, will anyone be forgiven for their sins and by Him be given entrance into Heaven, and there to spend eternity with God.
However, unless a person hears about Jesus how will they believe and be saved? For we read in Romans 10 this:
Rom 10:9 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.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved
Believing that Jesus is Lord, and by calling upon Him to be Lord over you, and believing that He was raised from the dead is at the root of salvation for anyone. How, then, can anyone believe in something about which they have not heard?
To believe in anything is something about which you first must be told. If you do not know about it how will you be able to make an informed decision one way or another on whether or not it is something in which you will believe.
To believe in Jesus you first must hear about Him. Second, it is only by hearing about Jesus that you will receive the faith with which to believe in Him. In Romans 10 again we read these verses:
Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Believing on anything comes only by gaining faith from what you have heard. In this case, faith about Jesus will only come by hearing from the word of God. That is why every essay posted in this journal is backed up by the Scriptures – God’s Word.
God’s Word must prove what is written or it is not presented in any of the essay’s you will find in this monthly journal.
This is the reason for this Journal. It is to present Jesus to the public through its writings in hopes that God, through the Scriptures that are presented here, will bring faith to someone. So that by this faith they will believe in Jesus, call upon Him and to proclaim Jesus to be Lord of their life, and by that to find out that they have are forgiven for their sins and are saved from the wrath to come upon all who reject Jesus.
Jesus is God, and to everyone who confesses Him to be Lord, to believe that He has been raised from the dead and will proclaim Him as such, has the proof in their heart already of their salvation. Only they who believe can openly make this confession about Jesus.
How about you, do you believe?
The Christian’s Day Of Independence!
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Thus begins the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, the unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America starting on their fight to obtain freedom from tyranny. Eventually they did become a free and independent nation.
I am a citizen of a bigger and better nation that is not of this world. That nation is the Kingdom of God.
At one time I, like everyone else – like you – was a servant to my sin nature, and that sin nature was taking me down the road to face God’s wrath on Judgement day. On that day if I were to be found guilty of my sins, I would be sentenced to spend all eternity in the Lake of Fire with Satan and all of the fallen angels that followed him.
However, God intervened on my behalf and according to His will, and for His glory – being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His own will: that we should be to the praise of His glory, by grace God set me free from my sins and set me on a path of righteousness.
From Romans 6 we read these verses:
Rom 6:17 But God be thanked, that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Rom 6:18 Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness.
Rom 6:22 But now being made free from sin, you have become servants to God,
God has a Declaration of Independence day for all of His people whom He has chosen from before the foundation of the world. On the day that He has set for each of us, He brings freedom to us by setting us free from being a servant to our sin nature and that we may be to the praise of His glory.
Now, having been set free from sin, we have become servants of God, to serve Him and Him alone. All of His chosen people are truly created equal, that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, according to God’s will.
The result is we have been forgiven of our sins, and made alive in our spirit, all because of what Jesus, our great God and Savior, has done for us, and we have been adopted into the family of God.
The children of God have a true and an everlasting Declaration of Independence day. One not given by man, but by God Himself to set us free to serve Him and to know His love, unto the praise of His glory.
To our great God and Savior.
Christianity Is Not About Politics
Christianity is not about politics. Christians are neither Republicans nor Democrats. The job of Christians is not to directly influence the way to govern a country. It is the Christians duty to obey God.
In 2 Timothy 2 the Apostle Paul writes the following:
2Ti 2:3 You therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 2:4 No man that wars entangles himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who has chosen him to be a soldier.
Politics: Noun
The activities of the government, members of law-making organizations, or people who try to influence the way to govern a country.
God, being sovereign, has power over all things that He has created, to do what He wills, and there is no one who can question Him, change Him or stop Him from doing as He wills. God puts people and governments in power as He chooses to accomplish what He ordains.
As we read in Daniel 2: 20, 21, it is God who rules over governments and people.
Dan 2:20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
Dan 2:21 And he changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
In addition, in Romans 13: 1 Paul says this in writing about governments…
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
In every country, city and town, God puts in charge whomever He wishes. He does this for a reason and most likely, we will never know why. However, even though we may not like whoever it is that God has put in charge, even if we cast a vote, our faith in God’s sovereignty should be enough for us to trust that God’s will is always best.
As Christians, then, the most important thing that we are to do, that will have more influence on governments and individuals alike, than direct intervention, is to be obedient to the command that Jesus gave to His disciples:
Mar_16:15 (KJV) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.
The one thing that God wants for us to do, outside the Church universal, is to share the Good News of Jesus to all whom God directs us to meet.
God ordains governments and directs them to do His will. That is not for Christians to do. Politics is God’s business, not ours.
For it is God who rises up and takes down governments, and it is by His hands that governments do according to His will and purpose. If we do not trust in God for how to administer governments, what makes us believe that we can do better?
Only God can bring about what is to be, and it is by His power and might that governments do what He has ordained for them. Our trust is to be in Him and not in any work that we may do to influence any government.
In this world, it is God Who rules over governments and not His children.
Christians Should Not Worry About Elections – IF
If you think of yourself as being a Christian and that you are a true disciple of Jesus, then you should have no worries at all about any elections. However, this is only true “IF” you wholly believe in the sovereignty of God. Here is why.
If God is sovereign over everyone, and over all things upon the earth and in the heavens, then there is nothing or no one who can stop or keep God from bringing into our realm what He decrees to be done.
For instance, in Daniel 4: 34, 35 we read…
Dan 4:34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that lives forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
In addition, in Ephesians 1: 11 we read…
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His own will:
God, being sovereign, has power over all things that He has created, to do what He wills, and there is no one who can question Him, change Him or stop Him from doing as He wills.
Therefore, with that in mind, what about putting people and governments in power as He wills to accomplish what He desires to be done.
In Daniel 2: 20, 21 we read this…
Dan 2:20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
Dan 2:21 And he changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
In addition, in Romans 13: 1, 2 Paul says this in writing about governments…
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
In every country, city and town, God puts in charge whomever He wishes. He does this for a reason and mostly likely, we will never know why.
However, just knowing this, even though we may not like whoever it is that God has put in charge, because of our faith in God’s sovereignty our trust should be such that God’s will is always best; though we may never know the reason why He has done as He has.
This is why I state that Christians should not worry about elections, any elections, “IF” we truly believe in, and trust in, God’s sovereignty over all that He has created.
Apostle Describes Meeting With Jesus
Back in the 70’s I had started a newsletter called “The Christian Layman”(Insights from a Layman’s Journal). The following was the first article in that newsletter.
_____________
Apostle Describes Meeting With Jesus
I was soaking wet, having waded ashore from the boat. The others, I had left on board, were guiding its rough underbelly onto the cool sand that had been chilled by the night air.
As I sat down, the damp sand crumpled under my weight, and I became conscious of how cold were my clothes, but I did not care. For there, sitting beside the warm fire that He had just made, was my Master – Jesus.
It had been a few days since we last met, and now we were sharing a breakfast of bread and fish. Where the food had come from I did not know and I did not care. Nothing mattered except that Jesus was alive and He was with us once again. I felt great.
We finished off the last of the fish and I turned toward Jesus; He was looking at me. It was as if He was looking into my very soul, the very heart of my existence.
“….. Do you love me?”
The words stung.
“Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Two more times he asked me the same question; three times in all. Twice I said “yes.” The third time…
“Lord, You know all things; You know that I love you.”
Feed my sheep.”
I had denied Him three times on the night before He was crucified.
Now, three times He made me tell Him that I loved Him, even though He knew I did before saying so. But, more important, He had said,
“Feed my sheep.”
For three years, He had fed us, not just food but something more. He had told us that man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
We are not to worry about what we are going to eat and drink. We are not to worry about whether or not everyone has physical or material comfort.
No, we are to provide His sheep with the bread that gives eternal life – Jesus.
He knows His sheep we do not. So in order for us to follow His command, we must bring the bread of life to everyone we meet. We must present Jesus to everyone, every time, all of the time. Anything else and we fail.
How about you? Have you been placed in the position of feeding His sheep? When you see Him face to face will He be able to say…
“Well done thou good and faithful servant.”
Have You Heard The Gospel Call of Your Salvation
Into the woods though dark & deep, I look for a place where I might sleep.
Through fog & wind amongst the trees, I find myself upon my knees.
A sword swings high above my head, but I awake peacefully and in my bed.
Then out of the shadows Lord Jesus came.
Your salvations’ secured for I have called you by name.
Dead in your sins you could not answer the call, so I made you alive to hear it all.
Not of your own will have you behaved, for by My Grace have you been saved.
Because of My choice do you I forgive, and with me will you eternally live.
1. Romans 8: 30
2. Ephesians 2: 1
3. Ephesians 2: 5
4. Ephesians 2: 8 – 10
5. Ephesians 1: 4, 5
5. John 10; 28, 29
Being Truly Set Free
On July 4, 1776, a country, consisting of thirteen states, began the task of becoming a free and sovereign Nation after declaring its independence. It happened because men wanted to be free and were willing to fight for that freedom. They did and the United States was born.
Ever since time began, man has wanted freedom and to get that freedom he was willing to do whatever it took to secure that freedom. Was there a time when man did not know there was a freedom that he needed; one to which his own self-righteousness made him blind? The answer is yes.
Since man sinned in the Garden of Eden, and fell from grace with God, he has needed to be set free from being a slave to his own sin and self-righteousness. In Romans, we read the following:
Rom 6:20 For when you were the slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.
Therein is the problem. As slaves to sin, we know it not, and since we do not know we need to be set free from this enslavement, we do not seek this freedom. We trust in our own self-righteousness not knowing that we have none of our own. That is where Jesus comes in.
In the Gospel of John Jesus tells us this:
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is the slave of sin.”
Not only does He tell us our problem but He also gives us the answer as to how we are set free from being slaves to sin. Especially since we do not know, we are such slaves. Only Jesus can set us free.
Joh 8:36 Jesus says, “ If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Freedom from sin comes not from our own will to be free. No, it comes from the desire and will of Jesus to set us free, and all those whom the Father draws to Him will be set free and saved from our own self-righteousness (sin’s slavery).
Only until Jesus sets us free we will ever know the truth of our sins enslavement.
Man loves his freedom, but this is one freedom, being a slave to sin, about which man knows nothing. Thank God, that Jesus knows and that in Him only, will we be set free.
The question that you now face is this. Have you been set free from being a slave to sin, from your own self-righteousness?
Whoever will confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God has raised Him from the dead will have been set free by the Son of God, and they will know that they are free indeed.
Riff's Christian Journal 