JESUS CAME TO SEEK AND TO SAVE

BY Pastor Mike Taylor

44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46.)

Many within God’s church read the parables spoken by Jesus in this chapter, which are parables pertaining to the Kingdom of God.  In this chapter of Matthew, Jesus gives several examples pertaining to this coming Kingdom. The two parables speak about a man who finds treasure in a field hidden or a pearl of great price:


The traditional view of most believing Christians is that Jesus is speaking of the newly converted Christian, that when he believes in Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, that he gives up all that he has to obtain salvation from the Lord Jesus….Understandably, we who are chosen by God, give up much of the life we were living to become new creatures in Christ Jesus and are commanded to turn away from the evil of this world and follow Jesus Christ, taking up our cross daily and following Him. But is that what Jesus was talking about when He was talking about the treasure in the field, or the pearl of great price? Let’s see.
8 “ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians2:8-9)

We  know that it is not anything that we have done, or could have done that deserves forgiveness of sin. No amount of tithing, church attendance, charity to the poor, or any other good works we can think of can rid us of the stain of human sin. Only Jesus can do that.

3:4 “ But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,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 Spirit;3:6  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;3:7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)

Jesus taught in parables and to a lot of folks they are hard to understand. Parables are an analogy. They are in story form, and they illustrate a truth drawn from the natural, material world to testify of a spiritual and eternal truth. It can teach eternal truth only because a unity exists between the material and spiritual. If the material had no similarities with the spiritual, it could not convey truth about the spiritual realities. Remember, "parable" suggests a side-by-side comparison. An earthly truth is the similitude of a heavenly one. Biblical parables thus show that the external, visible material world is a mirror through which we may understand the eternal, invisible spiritual realm.

Many times, the disciples came to Jesus to ask for the interpretation of the meaning of the parables He had just spoken to the people:

“And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" He answered and said to them,"Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand."(Matthew 13:10-13)

But do we, as Christians understand what Jesus was talking about? Only the Holy Spirit can reveal truths to you, not the traditions of men, as traditions can, even in good intentions, lead a person to believe in something that is not true. Like good works can save the sinner…not so, my reader. Remember what Jesus told the Pharisees.
9 “And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.

12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” (Mark 7:9-13)

We as Christians must look to the deeper meaning of Jesus was talking about in the parables He spoke of….This is an example of the traditions of men concerning the hidden treasure in the field and the Pearl of Great Price and not discerning what the Lord was driving at.
6  “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.7  And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.”(Isaiah 64:6-7)

The idea of our righteousness being as a filthy rag is interpreted to mean a woman's discard menstrual cloth, a very unclean item in God's eyes and hardly what can be used to buy something so precious.

10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:

16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:

17 And the way of peace have they not known:

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.”(Romans 3:10-18)

Paul speaks that we are at enmity with God.

“ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”(Romans 8:7-8)

We do not search for God, He searches for us….not the other way around.

So how can we buy this hidden treasure in a field, or this “Pearl of Great Price” if we have nothing to purchase it with? Did you purchase your salvation through your many good deeds and charitable giving? Of course, we did not!! We have nothing to offer our God that would allow Him to pardon us for sins committed against His Holy name.

Then who does the merchant represent? Obviously, it can’t be us, as we naturally do not seek God or His kingdom, so how can we purchase something so valuable?

Jesus said in  Luke “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."(Luke 19:9-10)
And again in:
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. ” (John 6:44-45)

Have you figured it out yet? Who is this merchant who gave up everything to buy this “hidden field” or the “pearl of great price’?

This merchant is seriously and deliberately searching this world to secure the best and costliest gems and treasures. It is his livelihood, and he is diligent to travel extensively because he knows his efforts will be rewarded when he finds the best and purchases them. Since Christ is the One who seeks the sinner, noted in Luke 19, and John 6 above,  the merchant cannot represent the sinner giving up all he has to follow Jesus Christ.  The Shepherd seeks the sheep, not vice versa.
4 “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”(Isaiah 53:4-6)

.”
JESUS IS THE MERCHANT WHO SEEKS US

The use of the word "seeking" we quoted in Matthew 13, v. 45, helps identify the merchant as Christ, as it means "to depart from one place and arrive at another." Jesus did this Himself to pay the hidden field cost and the price for the pearl. He departed from heaven and arrived on earth to complete His mission
“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”. (Philippians 2:6-8)

And again in 2nd Corinthians, Paul speaks what Jesus did for us:

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich”. (2^nd Corinthians 8:9)

Jesus our Lord,  gave up everything—He sold all—to possess us! He emptied Himself of the glory of heaven, His position beside God the Father, and took on the form of a servant, a man like you and I. He was born to die……………..for you and for me!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.(John 3:16-18)

Can you understand the depths of God the Father's love that He would give up the most important thing in all of eternity, His only Son for something so unworthy, so unrighteous, an unclean thing in His sight? How can this be?
6 “ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.7  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”(Romans 5:6-8)

It comes down to one complete description of God’s Love…….AMAZING GRACE!

When John Newton wrote that beloved hymn, he summed it up when God called each of us because of His mercy and grace..

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but NOW I’m found, was blind, but now I see.”

My reader, Jesus paid it all….gave up all…came from glory in heaven to pay the price for your redemption. Jesus came to pay the ultimate price for our salvation by giving His life on the cross and His ultimate resurrection to life three days later and sits at God's right Hand making intercession for each of us that call upon His Name...He loves each of us that much.

6 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”(Romans 5:6-10)

You and I and all who believe are the treasure in a hidden field and the Pearl of Great Price. He lived, He died and rose again, that you might have eternal life. Not for anything you did, but for His unfathomable love and AMAZING GRACE. Won’t you accept His free gift…? It’s already bought and paid for. All you have to do is say “Yes, Lord, I believe”. Then internalize this great gift from God, by becoming a new creature. Not anything we can do, but what He can do in us. Although we are a lost and dying creation, God loved us, even when we were His enemies.

Jesus has for nigh 2000 years through God's Holy Spirit has been searching for those lost sheep and that sheep could be you, as it was I in times past:

4 “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”(Luke 15:4-7)

Jesus seeks that one lost sheep although He has many brethren. His mercy is boundless. You see, we didn't deserve so great a mercy, that God would give up everything He possessed (even His life), to redeem each of us that were so unworthy.

4” What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” (Psalms 8:4-9)

He came to save all who would follow Him by faith, love,  and obedience to become His treasure and His Pearl of Great Price. It was solely for our redemption and according to His unfathomable, matchless love. That love is for you, and for me.

8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

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.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(Romans 10:8-13)

“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2^nd Corinthians 6:2)

My reader, Jesus is seeking the lost sheep of this world and He came for that one purpose, to save the lost soul from their sins and eternal death and separation from Almighty God. Won't you heed His voice and accept what has already been sought after and paid for with His very life? If you have not done so, may the Holy Spirit call you now.

This is pastor Mike Taylor praying for each of you that will hear the voice of God and make that decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. If there is anything that I can help you with, pray with you, or just to listen, drop me a line to pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com. Or visit me online for more biblical messages from the Word of Go at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com, . God bless you all,

Till we meet at Jesus feet. 

THE WISE SHALL UNDERSTAND

 By Pete Garcia -

 "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase". (Daniel 12:4 )

Imagine if you will that one-day scientists abandon the flawed and completely illogical theory of Darwinian Evolution. Imagine all that science could accomplish without having that biased monkey hanging on their neck like a dead albatross? For many of these men and women, it would revolutionize the way they analyze a problem. Rapid advances in our civilization came because men like Isaac Newton, Nicolai Tesla, and Albert Einstein did not follow the status quo. Like the harnessing of electricity, or the invention of the printing press...mankind's great leaps forward in time propelled understanding to a new level. A new paradigm opens up and thus spins off subsequent discoveries like an endless Fibonacci Spiral. What has largely kept men at bay was our own preconceived notions about what was logical, feasible, and possible. Because of that reason, knowledge was often bottlenecked at various points throughout the course of human history. A great discovery is made, and there is an explosion of new ideas that spiral out from that one and continue until it reaches a point when further progress becomes frustrated or stifled. And whether that roadblock comes in the form of a government, a church, or just our preconceived notions about how to do something. It would seem that man's capacity for increased knowledge comes in brilliant, brief flashes...followed by long periods of darkness. A great example of this is in our understanding of the prophetic scriptures, or in how we have come to know what we know. Most of the Early Church Fathers (ECF) believed in a literal return of Christ and a literal kingdom that He would establish one day in the end times. (Daniel 2:44-45, Isaiah 65:17-25, Revelation 20). I imagine we would have had considerable more information about what their thoughts on the prophetic texts were, but the ECF soon became valiantly engaged in battling the Gnostics, Judaizers, pagans, and skeptics for the better part of 250 years against them making inroads into the Church. They fought just to keep the basic tenets of Christianity intact. They were able to do all that, and still face ten periods of intense persecution by a pagan Roman Empire. (Smyrna) 

The Sealing

 However, beginning in the year 313, Constantine legalized Christianity with the Edict of Milan. Christianity went from being persecuted and fringe, to being accepted and legal. Over the course of the rest of that century, instead of Christianity going out into the world, the world would come into Christianity. (Pergamum) As Christianity became more acceptable to the establishment (Roman Empire), political correctness got its toe in the door of the church. I imagine it was not very popular to be preaching that Christ would soon return and destroy all the kings and kingdoms of the world, while under the watchful eye of an Emperor. Allegorizing scriptures provided a way for priests and bishops to remain politically correct and still keep their jobs. This had begun in earnest by an early "Christian" mystic named Origen in the 3rd Century. A century later, a Christian priest named Jerome was commissioned to translate the Bible into Latin, finishing around the year 405 A.D. Around that same time, a Christian theologian named Augustine of Hippo (who had been influenced by Origen), had begun applying that same method of allegorizing the scriptures to all of his interpretations of the Bible. This type of hermeneutics would create a new strain in Eschatology called 'Amillennialism'. Like Darwinian Evolution, Amillennialism (a= negative) clung around the neck of that Middle-Ages church like dead weight. For centuries, Amillennialism stifled the prophetic understanding of the Scriptures by dissuading the literal interpretation of the prophetic texts. It denied that Christ would literally return to earth, but that the Kingdom was spiritual and ever-present. Since Augustine was in large part, the 'doctrinal-father' for the Roman Catholic Church (RCC), 'Amillennialism' became THE eschatology for most of Christendom. Moreover, as the RCC gained power and authority, they retained their clerical power by making the Latin Vulgate the only legal and acceptable translation of the Bible. The only people still able to read and speak Latin were the clergy within the RCC, which ensured that they would have a monopoly on anything that was called "Christian" for the better part of 1,000 years. (Thyatira) 

Removing the Veil

 However, the times they were a changing. A scholar named John Wycliffe in the 1380's had handwritten a new translation in English. He quickly came under the ire of the Roman Catholic Church. After his death, his works were burned and he was declared a heretic. Another man followed Wycliffe not long after named John Hus who also began handwriting Bibles in English. He did not fair so well as he was arrested and burned at the stake in Germany. The first printing press was invented around 1450 (Guttenberg) and the first book to ever be printed was the Guttenberg Bible in 1455 (in Latin). (The first English Bible ever printed was the Tyndale Bible [1526]) Now that the Bible was becoming more accessible, and eventually available in something other than Latin, there was an explosion of interest into Christianity. For the first time in over a millennia, people could finally read the Bible in their own language. They did not have to rely on a priest to tell them what a Bible said. The early 1500s brought about a long overdue desire for change within Roman Catholicism. The Reformation began as a protest-movement led by a Catholic monk named Martin Luther who was sick of how corrupted the system had become. With the selling of indulgences for the absolution of sins, the "good-works" salvation system, and the abuses by RCC clergy, Luther had finally had enough. On October 31st, 1517, he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church in Wittenberg, Germany. The rest as they say is history. Protestant groups began popping up all over Europe as the word was put into the vernacular of the common-man. Although the "protesters" may have corrected many of the doctrinal abuses on orthodox Christianity by the RCC, their major failing was that they kept the Catholic Eschatological view point of Amillennialism. (Sardis) The First Great Awakening occurred toward the end of the 1700's, and Protestant Missionaries were being sent out around the world to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. An evangelistic movement broke out in Ireland in the early-1800s called the 'Plymouth Brethren'. They came together and began to study their Bibles in a literal manner shaking off the confines of dead denominationalism altogether. Just as Martin Luther rediscovered the soteriological doctrine of salvation by grace through faith, so too did these Plymouth Brethren rediscover some long, lost truths. The result of returning to a literal understanding of the entire Bible, led them to the conclusion that the Bible is a) dispensational, b) Pre-Millennial, and c) that they were somewhere near the end times. Therefore, it wasn't that John N. Darby and company created Pre-Millennial Eschatology out of thin air, but really, only rediscovered what had been hidden in plain sight for almost 2,000 years. (Philadelphia) "About the Time of the End, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the Prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation, in the midst of much clamor and opposition" Sir Isaac Newton

 

Precept upon Precept

 Sir Isaac Newton wrote more about biblical prophecy than he did on any other topic. He was particularly fascinated by the books of Daniel and Revelation. Nevertheless, even with all his mental genius and boundless energy to write and study the prophetic word, he remained largely "ignorant" of prophetic events that even the average Bible prophecy student today takes for granted. Back when I was at the Omega Letter where I had written for a number of years, many of us had looked (and still do) up to Jack Kinsella as not only a pastor, but also a mentor. He provided a straightforward and simple understanding of not only Bible Prophecy, but of what it means to be a Christian living in these last days. Jack's mentor was Hal Lindsey. Hal's mentors were most likely men like Lewis Sperry Chaffer, Cyrus Scofield, and Clarence Larkin. Larkin and Scofield picked up on what the Plymouth Brethren had been doing decades earlier, which was simply returning to a literal understanding of the Bible. Thanks to those men, we know that we are in that last church age that precedes the coming of our Lord. (Laodicea) Each group or generation of men learned from the previous, and that knowledge was passed on, built upon, and measured against the current events of that day. So we here today, are the recipients of over a 150 years of accumulated learning and study. This learning has been greatly accelerated by the use of the Internet, study bibles, commentaries and teachings. What had been hidden to many in Christianity only a century ago, has come to light with the return of national Israel to their ancestral homeland. But even as early as 1919, Cyrus Scofield noted in his Scofield Study Bible, that Israel HAD to become a nation again because a literal reading of Ezekiel 36-37 demanded it. I imagine he caught a lot of grief for including that in his Bible back then...that was...until 1948. However, we only know what we know today, because we have stood on the shoulders of giants. Not only do we benefit from their diligent study and willingness to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, but also we have accumulated more history then them. We have had the privilege to see Israel become a nation again. We have seen the formation of revived Roman Empire via the Europe Union, coming together into a single political and economic body. We have seen the collapse of the Soviet Union and the reemergence of Russia. We are now seeing Red China rising and the US declining. We are seeing the push for a New World Order that will one day lead to a one-world currency, religion, and political body. We are seeing the signs of increasing natural disasters in both frequency and intensity. We are seeing technology moving at a frightening pace that allows men to play god and computers to become like men. Communications have become global with an instantaneous reach. Artificial intelligence is leaving the realms of science fiction and becoming reality. There is in increased fascination with the supernatural, occultic, and unexplainable. 

Closing Thoughts

 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, "My lord, what shall be the end of these things?" And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. Daniel 12:8-10 Once again we are reaching that point in time where the prophetic text has been studied, preached, taught, and dissected so many ways...by so many great teachers, that it seems impossible that we could still pull any new information out of what we already know. Any study, about any verse of the Bible is available many times over in either written, audio, or video formats. I do not know what else can be brought out of the most intensely studied book in the history of the world. These are indeed exciting times, but the watchmen can grow very weary in seeing how rapidly the world is sinking into spiritual and moral depravity. It weighs heavy on our hearts. We are instructed to be ready, to watch, and to lift our heads up when these things begin to happen. Nevertheless, there is one other thing I do know, and that is we will have the privilege of seeing what the prophets, apostles, early church fathers, and those godly men of old, longed to see. If we are patient, and watching, we will be that generation in the not too distant future who hears the shout, the voice of the Archangel, and the Trump of God calling us home. "Let not your heart be troubled; you 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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1-3 Even so, Come Lord Jesus!

THE DEVILS ALSO BELIEVE, AND TREMBLE

By Pastor Mike Taylor

19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19)

"The United States was founded upon Christian principles". I have heard that said many times in my 65+ years on this earth and have to agree in part. It is true that we were founded on principles of Judeo-Christian traditions found in our bibles. But in the past 200 plus years of this nation’s existence and rise to be the lone super-power in the world, can we still say that? I recall the past “POTUS” the “usurper in chief” proclaiming that we are no longer a Christian nation, but a mixture of all religions, with Islam a major contributor? OH, Really?? I looked up what percentage of the American people identify with the Christian religion, or claim to believe in a higher power than ourselves.

When I did an online search of Christianity in America, I find these results via Wikipedia:
“Religion in the United States is characterized by both a wide diversity in religious beliefs and practices, and by a high adherence level. According to recent surveys, 83 percent of Americans claim to belong to a religious denomination, 40 percent claim to attend services nearly every week or more, and 58 percent claim to pray at least weekly. A majority of Americans report that religion plays a "very important" role in their lives, a proportion unusual among developed nations.”

That’s impressive on the surface, but I would like to dissect what it means to be a Christian. Are we still a Christian country, or has that changed? By the statistics, it appears that many attend a local church, some regularly, but does that identify what a Christian is? Many belong to that church, but does that identify who is Christian and who is not? What about tithing, or prayer, and how about reading the Words of God found in their bibles? How many put into practice what the words found in your bible say into their daily lives? Do these same folks put in an hour on Sunday because it’s fashionable and then depart to do whatever it is they wish to be doing for the rest of the week? In other words, they give an obligatory hour of being present before God, once a week. What do they do the other 6 twenty four hour periods, or for that matter, the rest of the day on Sunday? Or are they members of a modern “social club”?
FALSELY BELIEVING IN AN ORGANIZATIONAL CHURCH

Many people feel that if they attend services on Sunday, (some rarely, if ever) except on Easter or Christmas, or give a few bucks into the offering plate, or be a good person, then they are right with God, or their definition of God. But during the time that they are in front of the rest of the world, they exhibit none of the fruits of the Spirit. Paul speaks of this in Romans shows fruit as a product in both a bad and good sense:

"What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness and the end, everlasting life."(Romans 6:21-22)

What is that fruit Paul speaks of?

5:22  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."(Galatians 5:22-25)

As a plum tree produces plums and not some other crop like hedge apples, these are the fruits that come from the true Christian that believes in their heart. Those that are playing the Christian role in name only, they produce maybe the aforementioned hedge apples, not of plums and the fruits of the spirit, but instead the fruits of the flesh.  Then all the while they are professing a different Jesus Christ, not the One of the bible. They believe they are saved. Are they?

5:19  "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."(Galatians 5:19-21)

As a people, on either side of this equation of good and bad fruit, do we battle these? If you live in this world, you bet you do. But the glory of the Christian who has faith and relies on the Holy Spirit for strength and comfort, they are the ones who persevere and in the end, will win. For the truly called out Christian, plunged beneath the blood of Calvary is “BORN TO WIN” for the glory of God the Father.

Some would have you believe that being a Christian is an emotional experience. You are told about Jesus Christ and express elation that you understand that Jesus Christ is the  Son of  God. You get excited, express joy and forget about it all in a few days. Is that all there is to being a Christian? I get pretty excited when the the Missouri Tigers win an invitation to the SEC championships to play against the opposing team,  and it truly is emotional and exciting, but that knowledge does not save me. Head knowledge of Jesus Christ or the Missouri Tigers at Columbia being a good football team will last only a short while in this day and age. Let me explain.

There is a difference between believing with your head, (your brain) and believing with your heart, (internalizing His sacrifice on the cross). And how do we internalize that we have believed in the Only Begotten Son of God? A brother of mine, proposed on our forum, “Church of the Living God”, what do you say to the  young child who accepts Jesus in their mind, by repeating the sinner’s  prayer and then falls back into the worldly living as an adult? Are they still saved?  What do you say to someone who has made a profession of believing Jesus is God, but lives an ungodly life, thereafter?  James said it best in James chapter 2:

2:14 " What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
2:15  If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
2:16  And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
2:17  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
2:18  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
2:19  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
2:20  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"(James 2:14-20)
GRACE VS. WORKS

Let me make one thing perfectly clear to all who have read thus far. Works by themselves will not save you. This is not one thing you can do in this life by keeping every aspect of the Law of God, although imperfectly,  and think you are saved. Let’s look at what Paul said in Ephesians:

2:8 " For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast."(Ephesians 2:8-9)

A lot of Christians, and I hope you’re not one of them, stop right there and say, see, all you need is Jesus. Truer words were ever spoken, but what do the next verses say?

2:10  "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."(Ephesians 2:10-13)

JESUS BROKE DOWN ALL WALLS

In Old Testament times, there was a wall separating the Jews from the Gentiles in the Temple courtyard, but now Jesus has broken down that wall that all may come to Him. We are His workmanship and we have been bought with a price, namely His blood and broken body. As anyone that comes into an exclusive club will tell you, there are certain requirements of entering into that club. This is an exclusive organism, called the Kingdom of God and has its requirements of entering in. But in coming to Him, He has a high expectation of what you are in this life, and what you will become. And what is that?
OUR INHERITANCE

When  Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, he asked the same questions that I ask you. How can a person be born again?

3:3  "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
3:4  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
3:5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
3:8  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."(John 3:3-8)

What was Jesus saying here? It appears almost in conflict until you understand the message that Jesus was conveying here. There is an old saying in Christian circles that you must be “born again.” So true it is. Being born of the water and of the Spirit, there are different interpretations, but what does this mean? In the first part, Jesus speaks of water. He is speaking of baptismal waters as He was also baptized. The act of being immersed into the water is a symbol of the grave. By doing so, in our hearts we are to understand that. We are buried with Jesus Christ and raised to newness of life, hence the term “born again” is applicable here, but it goes much further in it’s description that Jesus told Nicodemus. Paul explains this concept in Romans:

6:4 " Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
6:7  For he that is dead is freed from sin."(Romans 6:4-7)

We who have been immersed in baptismal waters, solely out of obedience to the command of Jesus Christ, is an act of total understanding and surrender to the power of God and leaving this sinful life we had behind us, as humanly possible. We follow a new Master, a new Teacher who showed us how to live a sinless life. It does not mean that we will never sin again, but the Power of God will make our sins less and less as we grow in faith and obedience to Him who first loved us.

What about the second part of what Jesus said in John 3? Born of the Spirit? As you are reading this message from scripture, can you walk into the Kingdom of God as you are, as a mortal? He says flesh cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. What is Jesus saying here? Let me let Paul explain it to you, as he is a better teacher than I. Again, let’s go to Ephesians:

1:7  "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
1:8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
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:
1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,
1:14  Which is the earnest (translated deposit) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."(Ephesians 1:7-14)

We, as believers in Jesus Christ were given a deposit of that future inheritance. As a example, I envision it as a seed of God delivered to the womb of a mother, which grows into a fully developed baby ready to BE BORN. We are now, as children of God growing in the womb of God’s Heavenly Jerusalem that awaits our full adoption upon our birth into the Kingdom of God. When will this happen? When Jesus calls us out of our graves, or changes us in the twinkling of an eye, then we will be changed into spiritual beings that come and go, much as the wind does in the trees. Reread Jesus explanation to Nicodemus. Ponder that for a moment and turn with me to 1 John 3:

3:2 " Beloved, now are we the sons 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.
3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."(1^st John 3:2-3)


Jesus gave us the perfect example of what it is to be called a Christian. What example was that? His life was the example. From explaining what it meant in His Sermon on the  Mount of the intent of the Law He wrote with His own finger on Mt. Sinai, to the acts of love and mercy to all His fellow men, to teachings of righteous living based on His own life and the intent of His commandments in their spiritual application. Jesus kept the Law that He wrote perfectly all of His years on earth, but God in His infinite wisdom knew that man could not. So God became a man born of woman, fully man, and fully God to do what man could not….save himself. God in the form of Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice of His death on a cross and the emptying of the blood from His body on the altar of sacrifice.:

3:16  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."(John 3:16-18)

But remember what I said in the beginning of this message?. Even the demons believe that Jesus is God, but they are not saved or saints. Head knowledge must be heart knowledge. This is where the seed is planted. The Spirit of God mingles with your own. It is not implanted in your head that a person forgets in a few days and the excitement wears off. No, reader it begins in your spiritual heart. It’s the first day of the rest of your eternal life and you become a new creature. As Paul wrote by Holy Spirit inspiration of in 2^nd Corinthians :

5:18  "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
5:19  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."(2^nd Corinthians 5:18-20)

Then if reconciled to God, we have a job to do, out of sheer obedience as Paul speaks of in Ephesians:

4:25  "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
4:26  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
4:27  Neither give place to the devil.
4:28  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
4:29  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
4:31  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."(Ephesians 4:25-32)

NOW LET US RETURN TO AMERICA

Now that we have given a summary of what a Christian is, what we should be doing, and what the future is in store for those truly "born again", let’s return to the 83% of American citizens that call themselves “Christians.” Look around this nation. Does the landscape look like we are a Christian nation? Is the “old time religion” still reigning in our land, namely Jesus Christ and Him crucified? Do the principles that made this country great still exist? Nobody wants to take responsibility for what is going on in this country and in the majority, it may well be so. You can make a difference in your own life and reach out to others to help them find out what a Christian really is. Ask yourself these further questions, do you fit the definition of the negative side of this equation, of what is a Christian in name only? Do you stand in the light of a true Christian, washed in the blood of the Lamb working hard to be obedient to the One who gave you eternal life?

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the trappings of organized religion will do anything for your spiritual condition, just by belonging to organized religion or the latest emotional false prophet or pied piper who leads away men and women to their destruction by following their false doctrines. You can’t buy your way into heaven, you can’t be good enough, and you can’t rely on anyone, but yourself and the answering the conviction given by the Holy Spirit:

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.
6:45  It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me."(John 6:44-45)

Paul reinforced this in Philippians:

2:12  "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."(Philippians 2:12)

You just might be part of that skewed statistic that tells you, hey, I’m alright. I said the “sinner’s prayer" and all will be well. Just because I live in America and “Hey, this is a godly nation”. Really?

Many are beginning to believe that it is just not so and the nation that became the superpower in this world is destined, in my humble opinion, for a very hard fall. Many are beginning to worry about revolution in this country, as they look at what the last “president” led this nation to and wanting us to be a One World Government and do away with our sovereignty. Not to mention NSA wiretappings, predator drones, and laws designed to take away your God given rights of free speech, assembly, and to bear arms. Can you see this nation becoming so caught up in its anger at our former way of life and capitalism that made this country grow rich beyond our wildest dreams and wish to pitch it out the window, because of evil bankers and wall street lobbyist? OH, I know I can...I'll bet you can, too. I’ve even read comments of how the beginning of the Russian revolution started, and worse, the bloody French Revolution that spared almost no one.  Heaven help us, but the winds of unrest are brewing. All it will take is for evil to be unfettered by the removal of the good in this country. Only thing that is keeping a lid on this brewing pot of sinful lust are true Christians (I quantify that by meaning true, born again, washed in the blood Christians) still present on this earth. What will be the result when even that hindrance is removed? I speak of God's people who actually believe with their heart and have God's Holy Spirit residing within them.

2:7  "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."(2^nd Thessalonians 2:7-10)

When He, (speaking of the Holy Spirit), that letteth will let, until HE be taken out of the way, is the only thing that is keeping the lid on the brewing kettle of sin and debauchery being God Himself and the presence of His Spirit in His people. When that hindrance is removed, it won’t be the 83% that professes their recipe of being a “luke-warm Christian”in name only, that will be taken. No, my friend, I fear that number will be much, much smaller. I fear it will be but a remnant of those who truly profess Jesus Christ and believe in their hearts and live like He’s coming today or tomorrow. If Jesus would come on any Sunday morning, I envision half of the congregation being left behind, as they have only been warming a pew for most of their lives.

WHAT ABOUT YOU ???

Will you be caught in the snare of an evil generation that lives only for pleasure? Will you delude yourself to think that the statistics listed in the first part of this message makes you ready to meet Almighty God? Will you be deluded to think that you once said the “sinner’s prayer" as a child and all is good, even though you live like the devil? Only the things of God will stand. Everything else will be burned up by fire. There is a time coming when Satan will cover this earth with his forces of demon spirits to unleash his anger for he has been thrown from the halls of heaven. In other words, the devil has come down to Georgia, and the devil must be paid. He wants your life, he wants your soul, and he wants you to spend eternity with him……………..in torment:

12:7  "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
12:8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12:12  Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."(Revelation 12:7-12)

Whoever belonged to Jesus Christ will be with Him for all eternity and the hordes of demons commanded by Satan will destroy all who remain if allowed. If you are of the number who rely on your church, your priest, your shaman, or God forbid yourself , or anything else besides a true relationship with Jesus Christ and cannot wholeheartedly embrace the description of a believer, A TRUE BELIEVER,  in Jesus Christ, then get ready for a sudden thrust into an environment that beckons to the fires of Hell on earth. Because my friend, in all honesty, it ain’t head knowledge that will save you, but heart knowledge.
PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD



This is Pastor Mike Taylor praying for your salvation and God’s mercy on your life. If there is anything I can pray with you about, counsel you on, or share scripture of God’s plan for man, then drop me a line at my new email address, pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com,  or for more biblical instructions to prepare you for the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ visit my blog at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com,. God bless you all,

till we meet at Jesus Feet.