Wonderful Jesus!

Tag: God

• His Mission in Life!

  Posted at 4:05 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on April 2, 2020

  Luke 19:9-10 – “And Jesus said to him, “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.” NKJV

  If you read my blog on yesterday, you know that Jesus had much to say about who He is: teacher, prophet, Messiah, Son of God, to name a few. But today I want to share why He came. According to our verse for today, one of His primary reasons for coming was to “seek and to save” the lost. It’s one of the church’s primary mission to do the same. But in His own words, He came for so much more and I would like to share the other reasons in this blog:

  Jesus said that He came:

  • To establish His kingdom- Mark 1:14
  • To fulfill the law-Matthew 5:17
  • To forgive sins-Matthew 9:6
  • To call sinners to repentance-Matthew 9:13
  • To die on the cross-Matthew 16:21
  • To rise from the dead-Matthew 16:21
  • To bear witness to the truth-John 18:37
  • To preach the gospel to the poor-Luke 4:18
  • To heal the broken-hearted -Luke 4:18
  • To set the captive free-Luke 4:18
  • To give sight to the blind -Luke 4:18
  • To send fire on the earth-Luke 12:49
  • To bring division-Luke 12:52
  • From God-John 8:42
  • That we might have life, and that more abundantly-John 10:10

  Again, this may not be an exhaustive list. There may be other places in the gospels where Jesus talks of all He came to accomplish while in His body, but these are the ones that I found in my search.

  Why am I even blogging on who Jesus is and what He came for? During these troubled times of the world’s focus on COVID-19, I thought it would be good to take the time and focus on Jesus. Who He is to you and what He came to do in your life. When looking at Him, everything else grows dim.

  My girlfriend, and talented psalmist, wrote a song years ago: “Focus on Jesus”. In the chorus she wrote: Focus on Jesus, He’s the One who cares! No one cares for us like Jesus does. No one loves us like Jesus does. None can provide like Him. Don’t let this pandemic overtake your every thought and activity, keep your focus on Jesus!

  Some of these statements Jesus made seem to be a little hard to swallow, but that’s out of context. In context, He demonstrates over and over again that He is a loving Savior, who expresses the heart of God, through the tenderness of the Holy Spirit in all that He does.

  Years ago, I was invited to share with a group of college students during their weekly Bible study. My prayer before I went there was to show them the heart of God, the love of Jesus. As I was teaching, all I wanted was for them to fall in love with my Jesus! All I want through my blogs is for you to fall madly in love with Jesus because He is madly in love with you.

  There’s no way I can blog almost every day and “hit the spot” every time. But if every time you click on, you see how much I love Jesus and I can convey to you how much He loves you, then my mission has been accomplished. It’s why I am blogging, it’s what I want my life to display.

  Last night, Don Lemon, interviewed a pastor out of Florida. I was a little nervous to hear what he would say, seeing that some of them are refusing to honor the stay at home order. This particular pastor shared that he was honoring the order because he felt the necessity of honor the civil law. He also expressed how he didn’t want to see his people get sick or to carry sickness to their families. But then he said an amazing thing: He said that this didn’t mean that he and his congregation was afraid of COVID-19, because they are not. He and his congregation stand ready to assist anyone in need at this time, even at the risk of contracting the virus and potentially dying. I sensed his love for the Savior, and his desire to demonstrate that love. God’s people can be pretty amazing when called upon.

  If during this time you are presented with an opportunity, yours truly included, to demonstrate His love in a practical way, do so! The world is waiting to see Jesus do what He came to do! And they will see it through us! Wonderful Jesus!!

  Posted in Jesus, love of God | 2 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, coronavirus, encouragement, Forgiveness, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, love, provision

• What Does Jesus Say About Himself?

  Posted at 5:16 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on April 1, 2020

  John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”’NKJV

  In my previous post I asked the question, What will you say when someone asks you “who are you?” I mentioned that because we wear many hats in life it is typical to identify ourselves by those different hats. Well, today, I wanted to post those things that Jesus says about Himself. I may not have gotten them all, but I think that I was pretty thorough. Here they are for you:

  Jesus said:

  * I am the bread of life.” John 6:35

  * I am the light of the world.” John 8:12

  * I am the door of the sheep.” John 10:7

  * I am the resurrection and the life.” John 11:25

  * I am the good shepherd.” John 10:11

  * I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6

  * I am the true vine.” John 15:1

  * I am the Son of Man-Matthew 16:13

  * I am the Son of God-Matthew 16:17; Luke 22:70

  * I am God-John 8:58

  * I am the Messiah-John 4:26

  * I am the Stone that the builders rejected-Matthew 21:42

  * I am the chief cornerstone-Matthew 21:42

  * I am the bridegroom-Mark 2:19-20

  * I am willing-Matthew 8:3

  * I am gentle and lowly in heart-Matthew 11:29

  * I am with you always, even until the ends of the world-Matthew 28:20

  * I am Teacher and Lord-John 13:13

  * I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me-John 14:20

  * I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last-Revelation 1:11

  * I am He who lives, and was dead, and I am alive forevermore-Revelation 1:18

  * I am the Root and the Offspring of David-Revelation 22:16

  * I am the Bright and Morning Star-Revelation 22:16

  If by now you are not thoroughly rejoicing over who Jesus is, I challenge you to read every reference in context and then you certainly will be rejoicing! As a matter of fact, I challenge you to begin thanking Him for all that He has revealed to us about who He is, and see if that doesn’t get you excited. You can simply say, ‘Jesus, I am so thankful that you are the bread of life…” It kept me awake last night thinking about it, and I was so excited this morning as I begin searching the Scriptures. He is so amazingly wonderful to me. Tomorrow’s blog will share what Jesus came to the Earth to accomplish! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Jesus | 0 Comments | Tagged God, I Am, Jesus

• There Is A Name!

  Posted at 1:09 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 17, 2020

  Ephesians 1:21 – “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” NKJV

  The News is buzzing every day, all day, on every channel about the coronavirus. I get that we need to be kept informed of all that is happening and am personally watching the news and listening for any changes that are taking place in the world. But there comes a point when we have to shut out all of the negative news and remind ourselves of the truth of God’s word!

  This morning, as I was waking up, a song popped in my head, “There Is a Name” by Byron Cage. (I just finished listening to it for the fourth or fifth time today!) I’ve not been able to shake it from my spirit and so I knew I just had to remind you, as the Lord reminded me today, there is a Name, Jesus!

  Paul wrote in Ephesians regarding Jesus, that He is seated in heavenly places far above all principality, power, might, and dominion, and above every name that is named! Coronavirus is a name, and He is above the name of coronavirus!!

  Today, we have officially began our “at home” stay because of the coronavirus with the expectation of returning to work/school at the end of the month. However, before leaving the school today, the President gave a press conference in which he stated that this may go on til July! That is mind boggling!

  We can accept all that he and the scientists of the world say as truth, or we can accept what God has said is truth. Jesus is the Name above every name. At His Name, every knee must bow! We can become afraid of coronavirus or we can command it to bow to the Name of Jesus! I believe that we can take a stand against this diabolical attack against our world in Jesus’ Name and command this virus to dry up and dissipate!

  You might be asking, “What makes you think that it will be any different for America, then it was for the other nations?” I have an answer! Remember Sennacherib’s messenger to Hezekiah, and how he asked Hezekiah the same thing? Well, I do! He told Hezekiah that things didn’t work out too well for those other countries and so there was no point in him thinking that they would work out differently for Judah. But Hezekiah dared to believe that God was still keeping covenant with His people and cried out to Him. And God delivered him and Judah from Sennacherib!

  I say to you tonight, stop focusing on the bad reports! Should you take precautions? I think you should! Should you honor the quarantine? I plan to because I believe it is the right thing to do. But am I planning on sitting back waiting to be struck down, or waiting for those I know and love to be struck down? I don’t think so!

  We have what the world needs right now! This is our time to show that we are serving the One and True Living God and that we are readily placing our trust in Him! Jesus doesn’t have the answer to the coronavirus, Jesus is the Answer! His Name is above coronavirus, meaning that His Name has greater authority than the name of coronavirus.

  As we were preparing to leave our class today I mentioned the coronavirus to my students. I wanted to make sure they understood why we were leaving school for the next two weeks. One of my students said, we need to pray about this! I wish I could’ve stopped and prayed right there on the spot with him but since he made an observation and not a request, I agreed and kept it moving!

  Church of God….we need to pray! And we need to keep praying and speaking words of life over ourselves, our loved ones, our friends, and our nations! We’ve been given the Name that can counter what coronavirus is doing. Let’s use it in faith, knowing…there is a Name!!! And it hasn’t lost it’s power! Wonderful, wonderful Jesus!!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, coronavirus, Healing | 1 Comment | Tagged Believer, Christian, Ephesians 1, God, hard times, Healing, Hezekiah, Jesus, Prayer, Sennacherib

• What Do You Want?

  Posted at 3:30 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 6, 2020

  Matthew 20:32 – So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” NKJV

  Jesus was leaving Jericho on this particular day, and of course He was surrounded by people. As He walked along the street there were two blind men sitting on the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing they cried out to Him for mercy. Some in the crowd told them to be quiet, but they got louder and cried out again for mercy.

  How many times have you prayed for God’s mercy when what you needed was finances, or healing, or some other thing? God’s mercy is His compassion towards mankind. The Hebrew word for mercy is eleéō, and means “to compassionate (by word or deed, specially, by divine grace) (The Blue Bible). I personally believe that all of God’s responses to us is because of His compassion towards us. But His compassion or mercy is so endless that we need to refine our request for results that matter.

  All too often when we pray we are general and have a tendency of being repetitive and full of religious sayings. We go through life wondering how we can be so faithful in praying and yet we lack results in our prayers being answered. We can get loud and emotional, we clap and stomp and say “Father God! In the Name of Jesus, and other phrases to fill our prayer time, and leave tired from the activity with no assurance of our prayers being answered. Jesus said that when we pray, we are not to use vain repetitions. Matthew 6:7- “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” When I read this verse, it helped me to see that I really did need to listen to make some changes in the way that I was praying.

  In our scripture we have these two men, crying out for mercy. When Jesus stops and asks them what do they want Him to do for them they don’t ask for mercy! Isn’t that surprising that they have been yelling for mercy, but now that they have His attention, they are no longer asking for mercy? No! They ask for their eyes to be opened! And Jesus opened their eyes! He showed them mercy when He opened their eyes, but He could have shown them mercy without ever opening their eyes. They were specific in what they wanted and they got exactly what they wanted.

  Our verse for today, share an important ingredient in praying effectively. That simple truth is this, that we are to be specific in our prayers. In dealing with my children when they were small, I often had to try and figure out what they wanted. My second born was a fast talker when she was a toddler and some times she would talk so fast I couldn’t understand what she was saying. On one occasion she was going at it and I kept asking her what did she want. Finally, her big sister said to me that she wanted some water. I said that she was not asking for water. Then my oldest turned to her and asked, “Didn’t you say you wanted water?” She said yes with her head bobbing enthusiastically. To this day, I still think that she just agreed with her because it was her big sister, but the point is that I couldn’t help her until I knew what she wanted.

  1 John 5:14-15 – Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

  It’s also important to ask. This word for petition is aiteo in the Greek. It means to be adamant in requesting and even demanding assistance in meeting tangible needs. This doesn’t mean being disrespectful to the Lord, but it does mean that you can respectfully ask God for what you want, and when you are specific in your request that is based on the word of God, you can boldly ask and expect that you will receive what you want from the Lord.

  This type of praying is known as petition praying and it’s all about being specific in our request. The Greek word aitema is a form of the word ask, and it means specific, exact, explicit, precise, and detailed request. This request is so thorough that there is no misunderstanding of what is being asked and expected. This picture of prayer is so detailed that it is a bona fide petition that has been submitted to the Father.

  Some in the Body teach that we should write down our prayers and be specific about what we want so that we can recognize when we get the answer. I am really bad at that and am working to get better, but the really important things are hard to forget.

  Over the years I have learned two very important things about praying. The first is to ask! Jesus won’t always ask you what do you want! But He is always available to hear our requests! The second is to be specific. If you want to be healed of something, be specific about that. If you want finances for something, tell Him what you need. You might ask, “Doesn’t He already know what you want or need! Yes, He does. But asking is part of the receiving. Until next time! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Matthew 20:32, Prayer | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, God, Jesus, Matthew 20:32, petition, Prayer

• God’s Excited About You!

  Posted at 7:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 3, 2020

  Isaiah 62:5 – As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. NIV

  This scripture leaped in my heart yesterday. When that happens, I blog about it!

  The very first time I heard this scripture I heard it referred to in the context of our salvation. I still believe this is true. Especially since Jesus mentions a marriage of the Bride, Paul mentions a marriage, and John mentions a marriage in Revelation! Let’s take a look:

  As a young man marries a you woman, so will your Builder marry you! In the YLT, the Builder is referred to in this verse, also. Jesus is the Builder! So how does a young man marry a virgin? Generally speaking, through a covenant. And how do we become saved or born again? Spiritually speaking, through the Blood Covenant of the Lamb.

  Now this is what I heard in my spirit. People try to act like living for God is so difficult to do, they even say they don’t know how. This is not altogether true. When a man marries a woman, whether they have been schooled or not, they know basic things and when people get saved, they also have a sense of some basic things.

  When people get married, they understand that they have come together in covenant as a man and a wife and that there are to be no others. They understand that the sanctity of marriage is part of the package. Now, rather they keep it or not, it isn’t because of ignorance, because when you marry someone you are saying that you are no longer available to the single population. People truly understand that they can’t go out with old boyfriends to dinner, have dates with the opposite sex, or get involved in physical intimacies outside of their marriage. Whether you have seen a good marriage or not, whether you have studied the institution of marriage or not, whether you understand all the ins and outs of the relationship or not, you understand these basic things.

  The same is true for salvation. When people get saved, it’s good to have a teacher, (make sure you find a good one), but rather you have one or not, you understand that coming together with God means this is to be a decision to live holy. You really don’t need anyone to tell you that after you get saved that you need to go to church and to go on a regular basis, yet people have to be hounded to attend church and to do so faithfully. You pretty much understand that even if you don’t know all the types of prayers and how to pray them all, that you should be praying. It’s pretty much a given that if you are going to be a Christian, rather you understand what you are reading or not, you are to read the Bible. People can act as crazy as they want to, but we all come with a sense of knowledge even when we don’t know how or why we know it. We don’t generally live in a bubble. With the exception of those who are not exposed to any form of religion, or church, we live in a community of people and have some pretty good ideas of what church is about. I know sinners who can give a good rundown on the Christian disciplines. So we are without excuse in our relationship with the Lord!

  As a young man marries a virgin! The Christian faith is entered into in much the same way as a couple getting married. You make an exchange at the altar of rings to denote your unity and your commitment to one another. With your mouth you confess that you will give yourself to one another and no others with the intent to spend the rest of your lives together. When I got married it was for better or for worst, for good times, and through bad, for richer and for poorer, for the rest of our lives, til death do we part. A lifelong commitment! We understood that. And when we give our lives to the Lord, that’s the same type of covenant commitment that we are to make to Him. Yet too often, we break the marriage covenant and the covenant of salvation with God as if it’s no big deal.

  But for those of us, who hang in there, we get to enjoy a wonderful honeymoon, so to speak, with the Savior. The rest of that verse lets us know that as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so the Lord rejoices over us! That’s an encouraging thought! The picture of God the Father rejoicing over us because He is so glad to be a part of us and to have us be a part of Him. Can you imagine Him treating Himself wrongly? No! Can you imagine Him denying Himself anything? No! Can you imagine Him being lax in His responsibilities towards you? No! So stop acting like it! He’s rejoicing over you!

  My husband is a really good man. He’s been that way since we met. He has been generous with money and attention all of our 33 years. He takes really good care of me and our daughters. Without me asking for things, he will provided them. Without me being concerned about things, he takes care of them. He’s a keeper! But you know what? God is even better to me! I can’t imagine Him letting my husband take better care of me than He takes of me. Not happening. I can’t imagine Him withholding things from me to teach me a lesson, when He loves me so much. It’s unthinkable. And I can’t imagine Him not being there for me, when He has already promised me that He would never leave me. He’s more committed to this covenant relationship than we could ever be! And more importantly, He’s excited about it, and He’s excited about you!

  We make salvation so complicated, when it really isn’t that complicated. God hasn’t saved us to keep things from us, but to give us every spiritual blessing and some natural ones thrown on top for good measure. His aim is to love us so much that we would have no thoughts of another lover. He has given His all for us and will spare no expense to show His adoration for us. He is just that good! (See my previous post!)

  When we first married, my husband used to say often, “I can’t believe we are married!” He was just so happy about it! And I would respond, “Well, you better!” Sometimes I think, “WOW, God! I can hardly believe that I am your child! I am so thankful, so happy to be a part of your family, your kingdom!” And I can hear Him saying, “You better believe it!” Because I can only access and achieve that which I believe is available to me! And the same goes for you!

  God’s great salvation is the best He has to offer. There’s no better “deal” out there. No greater Savior! No greater Husband! No greater Provider! No need to wait to see what any other religion has to offer you, for they can never offer you access and relationship with the Living God. If you have not accepted this great salvation, please do so now, so your honeymoon can begin! And if you do it right, it never has to end! Wonderful Jesus!

  Note on salvation: If you have not asked Jesus to be your Savior and Lord, please do so today! It’s really easy! Just tell Him how much you need Him and want Him to be a part of your life. Tell Him that you realize that you won’t begin living until He becomes your life! Tell Him how much you really, really need this love of His that He offers so freely. And don’t forget to tell Him that only He can save you and free you from the clutches of sin. Then ask Him to do it! I promise you that He will! If you do, leave me a comment so that I can rejoice with you over receiving this great Savior and His great salvation!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Jesus, Salvation, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, God, Isaiah 62:5, Jesus, love, provision, Salvation

• Don’t Count Yourself Out!

  Posted at 3:38 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 21, 2020

  “2 Chronicles 32:8 -With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. NKJV

  As I mentioned in my previous post, a lot is going on in this battle. I have already mentioned that Hezekiah was a righteous king, doing all that he could to restore the statutes of the Lord in Israel. He tore down everything that was contrary to the Lord, and rebuilt all that was destroyed in an attempt to stomp Him out.

  I like what verse 1 in this chapter of the Bible let’s us know. “After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah…” I wrote about this in my last post, but here we see in the word that the attack came after his righteous stand. Just like it does with us today! And at first he compromises with the enemy to try and get him to back off from the battle, but verse two lets us know that Sennacherib had come with a purpose to make war against Jerusalem.

  Each telling of the battle has some really interesting points, but tonight I want to deal with what happened after the compromise. According to verses 3-8, Hezekiah came up with a plan. That plan was not to give in and let Sennacherib totally destroy all that he had accomplished, but to prepare for battle!

  First, Hezekiah realizes that the Assyrians came to battle and he consults with his leaders and commanders. Can I stop for a moment and say that Hezekiah was wise enough to know that he didn’t know everything, or that he could accomplish far more with his team alongside him? Too many leaders in the church and in the world have a complex about what greatness looks like. For some reason they feel that because they are the leader, they know better than anybody else what to do. They need to go back to the school of feet washing so that they can understand that in His kingdom we are to be servants first. I have known a lot of bad leaders and only a few really good leaders. I tip my hat to them! Can I also point out that he recognized that the Assyrians came to battle. It’s time we recognize that every time the devil shows up, he comes prepared to do so battle. So we need to make sure that we are prepared, also.

  Together they decided three things: to shut off the water supply, to rebuild the walls, and to rebuild and equip their forces. There were springs near Jerusalem and a brook that ran nearby. All of this was stopped up to keep the Assyrians from having an ample water supply. They rebuilt the walls, and even built an extra wall outside of that one. Archaeologists have discovered a portion of wall that they think is from this time frame that was strong enough to withstand the battering rams and enclosed a reservoir of water. And lastly, they made weapons and shields to fight the battle.

  But the most important thing that happened was that Hezekiah took courage and talked to his military commanders. He encouraged them to be strong and courageous; to not be afraid, nor to be discouraged. Then he reminds them that the One who was with them, was greater than the one coming against them, and that He would be with them.

  Now how does this help us in the battles of life? After you compromise with the devil, the enemy wants you to think that it’s over for you. You gave up on God, or trusted in your flesh, or your money, or whatever, and now you are on your own. But Hezekiah realized that he was about to face a serious battle and he needed help from God! And so will you!

  One thing that you can do to get ready for war is to get over yourself. You messed up, now get up, repent and prepare for battle!

  Then, you shut off anything that will aid the enemy’s attack on you. That could be an ungodly relationship, or unforgiveness, or idolatry, hatred or selfish ambitions, or drunkenness to name a few. Just shut the door to those things, that the enemy will not have a place to get comfortable and habitat in your life.

  Rebuild the walls. Fix whatever is broken. Get things in order. Repent and recommit your life to Jesus. Get re-established in your church. Let go of ungodly soul ties. Restore godly relationships! Move in the direction that encourages a healthy life in Christ!

  Lastly, get those weapons ready! You have weapons of warfare that are mighty in God (2 Corinthians 4:10)! Those weapons include praise, the name of Jesus, the Blood of the Lamb, the living word of God, and prayer. You will not win this in the flesh. That’s what Hezekiah said that Sennacherib had, the arm of the flesh, but he and Judah had the Lord! So do you!! So see yourself as a winner, and not as a loser.

  And after you have done all of that, you stand! Stand knowing that greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world! (1 John 4:4) Stand knowing that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it. (Philippians 1:6). Stand because the word said, and having done all, you stand! (Ephesians 6:13). Don’t let the devil ever convince you that it is impossible to regain your place with God. In some cases, things could actually get better because you could actually be more committed than you were before having gone through a bad experience. Keep your head up and don’t count yourself out! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Battle plans, Believers, Christian, Victorious Living | 2 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, Faith, God, hard times, Hezekiah, Judah, Prayer, Sennacherib, Spiritual warfare, Victorious Living, victory

• Torn Between Two Worlds-Part 2

  Posted at 1:00 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on January 28, 2020

  Romans 7:15 – “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

  Paul begins his discourse in chapter 7 referencing the jurisdiction of the law over a person for as long as he lives. He uses the example of a wife’s commitment to her husband until his departure as an example of the legal binding of the law. He continues by reminding the readers that if a wife was to become involved with a man while her husband is alive, she will be an adulteress. This principle is still in affect today!

  In verse 4, Paul tells the believers in the Roman church that they died to the Law through the crucified body of Christ, so that they might belong to Him and bear fruit for God. In verse 5, Paul tells them that when we were living in the flesh, (not our physical bodies, but our spiritually dead state), we were trapped in sinful passions, a fact that the Law made known to us. And because we were in that state, we were separated from God and our sinful ways led to our being spiritually dead.

  When we read verse 6, Paul reminds the Roman believers that we have been released from the Law and the penalty of the Law, to which we had been held captive, so that we could now serve God in the newness of the Spirit. Paul is warming up to his subject. He is getting ready to make a point, and in doing so, he is laying the ground work. Since he is probably talking to Jewish converts, (because he mentioned that they knew the Law) he is using that which they already understand, to help them to understand something equally as important. Their freedom in Christ Jesus!

  Looking at verse 7, Paul asks the question, “Is the Law sin?” Then, he answers it by stating, “Certainly not!” Paul goes on to tell the Roman believers that without the Law we wouldn’t know what sin is. In the Law we learned coveting was sin, because the Law told us not to covet that which belongs to another. In the law we learned that we are not to lie, to steal, or commit murder because it is sin, and therefore, when we do these things we sin. The Law taught us this! However, Paul states, that sin found an opportunity to make itself known by stirring up every sinful desire that the Law spoke against. Before the Law was given, we didn’t even know or recognize sin because it was dead to us; but once we understood the law, we died to it because it became alive in us.

  In verse 10, Paul again writes and says that the Law which was intended to bring life, actually proved to bring us death. Still, in answering his question, “Is the Law sin?,” Paul lets us know that the Law is holy, righteous and good! And that through the Law sin is revealed as sinful! Paul is making the point that he is not trying to say that Law is sinful, because it is not, but that the Law revealed that mankind by nature, is sinful.

  Now let’s just stop a minute and think about all of this. In order for any of us to become saved, redeemed, born again, or a child of God (pick your term), we must come to grips with the nature of sin that is within all of us before Christ. In verses 1-13, Paul is just breaking down for us the nature of sin as revealed through the Law. We understand that the Law is God’s word to mankind and as such is holy, righteous, and good. Yet, we also understand that before He gave the law and revealed what sin was, there was no accountability between man and God for that sin.

  Through the Law, God established a system, whereby His people were now made accountable of the things that they did or did not do. When they wronged another it was sin. When they lied, it was sinned. When they worked on the Sabbath, it was sin. When they worshipped another God, again, it was sin. Even today, before we can lead anyone to the cross for salvation, we have to help them to understand that their life prior to God was a life filled with sin. That God Himself declared that it was a life a sin, separated from Him, and that if we died in this sin, we would live a Christ-less eternity. All of this that Paul is teaching, would be a lesson or sermon taught to even new believers to help them to understand theologically their salvation.

  And with all of this revelation of what sin was came an understanding that we must pay for sin. God’s judgment is that the payment was death! Something or someone was to shed blood to cover the sin. Therefore, in the Law, where God revealed sin, He also revealed the method of dealing with sin. If you murdered someone, you had to die. If you stole, you had to repay. If you sinned against Him, you had to provide a sacrifice. All of this teaching that Paul is giving to the Roman believers is leading to a point. Join me next time, as I bring the point home. Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, God, Romans 7:15, Sin, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, consequences, God, holy, Jesus, John 15:7, Salvation, Sin, word of God

• A Royal Priesthood!

  Posted at 2:41 am by wonderfuljesus8, on November 19, 2019

  1 Peter 2:9 – But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

  What does it mean to be a royal priesthood? Most of us sing about it and even quote this scripture, but we don’t really give it much thought. I’d like to explore it a little bit with you today.

  Let’s look at the term royal. The Hebrew word “basileios” is rendered “a king” in this verse and is not the word “basilikos” which means “belonging to a king, or royal”. So it is more fitting to say that Peter was saying that we are “a kingly priesthood” or a priesthood made of kings. In Revelation, John said that He made us “kings and priests…” Both had a revelation from God the Father of the marvelous truths of what became our inheritance in Christ! This is deeper than I have time or space to cover. Just wetting your appetite!

  Then there is priesthood! Without going too much into historical detail, Aaron began the priesthood. He and his descendants served as priests in Israel, ministering in the Tabernacle of the Wilderness until the first temple was constructed. Their primary function was to serve as mediators between God and man, and to offer up offerings and sacrifices to God. Are you getting excited yet?

  As believers we actually can go to God and be mediators for others. When you lead someone to the Lord, you are a mediator between the sinner and the Father. Of course, we know and understand that Jesus is the Ultimate Mediator for all of us, but He allows us to mediate on others behalf. When we pray for others, our intercession is an act of mediation. We are given the awesome responsibility of going to God and asking Him to move in the life, situation, or circumstance of another individual. And because we are priests, we don’t have to go to a priest, pastor, prophet or anyone else to get God’s attention! I am not knocking the wonderful men and women of God who stand in the ministry gifts, I’ve been truly blessed by many of them, but I don’t have to have them go to God for me, because I have access to go on my own. And so do you! But then, I am pretty sure you understand that already!

  Then there is the responsibility of sacrifices. What kinds of sacrifices are we responsible for as priests. A few come immediately to my mind. First, we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him, holy and acceptable (Romans 12:1)! And then there is the sacrifice of praise that we are to offer to Him (Hebrews 13:15). Another sacrifice is offerings to the Lord! Did you know sacrifice and offerings are paired together frequently in the Word, especially in the Old Testament? We are to give offerings to the Lord as part of our priestly duties. Have you ever made the connection before between offerings, praise, worship, and a life submitted to the Lord as priestly? Well, it is! And if you are already doing these things, keep up the good work!! And if you are not, get busy king-priest, your assignment is waiting for you!

  One last thing about the priesthood. In verse 5 of the same chapter, Peter refers to a holy priesthood. So the priesthood of kings is to be holy before the Lord. As a holy priesthood we offer spiritual sacrifices before the Lord, but as a royal priesthood we show forth the Lord’s excellence. I once heard Joel Osteen share a testimony about a king. He said that a certain king enjoyed playing golf and had invited a celebrity golfer (don’t remember the name) to play golf with him in his kingdom. They played golf together and it was an enjoyable experience for both. Then the king told the golfer he wanted to do something for him. Well, the golfer was thinking that maybe the king would buy him a new set of golf clubs, but the king purchased him an entire golf club! The place, not the sticks!! The point, if we are kings, we need to start thinking like kings!!! Our King is great and greatly to be praised. There is none like Him. He’s no wimp and He doesn’t think small!!

  Both the Old and the New Testaments reveal the position that God desires of His people. We’ve fallen short of who we are, and just like the Israelites we have shunned our position of king priests and allowed others to stand in our place! Shout, “No more, Father! I am willing accept to accept the call to king priesthood!” I know I am! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in 1 Peter 2:9, Christian, Jesus, Victorious Living | 6 Comments | Tagged 1 Peter 2:9, God, Jesus, king, praise, priest, Victorious Living, victory

• The Immutable God!

  Posted at 3:29 am by wonderfuljesus8, on October 30, 2019

  Hebrews 13:8- “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

  I have a friend and sister in Christ who loves to talk about our God as the “immutable God.” It thrills her to no end, so I thought tonight I would blog about the immutable God.

  Immutable means “unchanging over time or unable to be changed”. That’s our text in a nutshell. Jesus has not changed and is unable to change. As He was, so is He and always will be. In Malachi, God said, “For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” In other words, the proof that He does not change is in the truth that Israel is still a nation of people. He’s so amazing!

  Many feel that because we are in the new millennium that the gospel needs to change in order to reach the “millenniums” and the younger generation. The gospel will never change, because of the immutability of the One who the gospel proclaim. The methods may change, but the gospel can never change! Not ever!

  We can’t afford to take this message of Jesus and make it palatable for this generation. There was a time when they took the Blood out of the gospel messages to make it less frightening for children. Then they took hell out of the gospel to make it more tolerable. And we can see how ineffective all of that was!

  What should we take out of the gospel for this generation? The cross? The truth that the soul that sins shall die? Maybe we should remove the absolutes of the word? The truth that homosexuality truly is an abomination to the Lord our God? Or maybe we should remove the truth that we are a to be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, set apart for the Master’s use!?

  You see, since God is synonymous with His word, if we try and change any of what His word says to appeal to anyone, then we in fact are trying to change God. And He cannot change and will not adapt to any generation.

  He truly is the same today as He has always been. He still saves the lost, they are precious to Him in every generation. He will run through a troop and leap over a wall to save them, but He won’t change for them.

  He still loves the sinner, but He still hates the sin! Always has, and He always will. There’s no changing that or Him. None of us will escape the penalty of sin if we die in our sins. None of us, although He truly love us!

  He cannot lie! It isn’t in His nature! He still says what He means and means what He says. You can trust Him just as surely as Moses could. You can trust Him just as surely as Abraham did! You can trust Him just as surely as Paul did for He cannot and will not mislead you into believing something that He will not do!!

  This isn’t what I had in mind when I thought of this topic, but this is what has appeared on the blog! Rev. Schambach used to sing it like this, “I know God is God, and God don’t never change! I know God is God and He always will be God!” He hasn’t lost His power! He hasn’t lost His sovereignty, He hasn’t lost control over the devil, or the universe, and He hasn’t forgotten how to be God!

  He still heals! He still delivers! He still sets the captive free! He still makes a way in the wilderness! He is still the Great I Am! He is still the Alpha and the Omega! He is still the Prince of Peace! He is still Almighty! He is still the only true God! There is still no one like Him! There is no other God besides Him!

  He was sufficient for the children of Israel! He was sufficient to handle Pharaoh! He was sufficient to handle King Nebuchadnezzar! He was sufficient to handle the devil! He was sufficient to handle every single thing in the past and He is capable of handling every single thing in the present and that which is yet to come!

  He is the immutable God. Incapable of changing over time, and incapable of being changed! This generation, my generation, your generation and our children’s generation all have to humble themselves before the One who doesn’t change. Each and every one of us have to line up to Him and His way, not Him to us! He has nothing to prove and nothing to lose! Stop fooling yourself or allowing the devil to tell you that this generation needs something different than we needed. Sin is sin! Salvation is salvation! Holiness is holiness! God is God! Always has been and always will be! Wonderful Jesus!!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, encouragement, God, Jesus, milleniums, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, God, immutable, Jesus, millenniums

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