Wonderful Jesus!

Tag: Salvation

• The Lord Has Need of It!

  Posted at 3:54 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on April 6, 2020

  Luke 19:30-31- “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. 31 And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’ ”

  Palm Sunday, for centuries, has been considered by the church world, the beginning of Holy Week. Since, Holy Week, is predominantly a Catholic term, it’s not a phrase I heard until I had was a little older in life and the faith. But many Christians, the world over, celebrate Palm Sunday, as as a precursor to the observance of Easter Sunday.

  The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is told in every gospel, just as the crucifixion is. Today, I would like to just point out some things that are interesting about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem that we celebrate on Palm Sunday.

  Jesus, knowing that the Jewish authorities had plans to kill Him, knowing that His hour had come, did not go into Jerusalem through the back door. He made a grand entrance. Every student of the word knows that He was fulfilling Bible prophecy, but still He showed great strength and courage.

  Before entering Jerusalem, Jesus instructs two of His disciples to go into the village and get a donkey. Either He was operating in a word of knowledge, or He had a dream, or God just led Him by His Spirit, for He was able to tell them that the colt would be tied to the post and that it had never been ridden. He goes on to say that if anyone was to ask why they were loosing the colt that they were to respond that the Lord has need of it.

  How did the owners know? Quite possibly through a dream. The only important detail for me, is that the owners did know and that they were glad to release the colt to the disciples for Jesus’ use.

  The disciples place their garments on the colt, like one would place a saddle, and then they placed Jesus on the donkey. We know from reading the Bible, that Jesus was quite the walker, He and His disciples. But there’s something different about going to Jerusalem this time. Not only is Jesus riding a colt, but as He enters the city, people begin throwing their garments on the road, creating a “red carpet” effect for the donkey to walk on. They also begin throwing branches, (John’s gospel say they are palm branches) on the ground, all while rejoicing and praising God for His mighty works. (Quite possibly they have heard of the raising of Lazarus from the dead).

  Zechariah 9:9- “Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” This could have easily been one of those situations where Jesus said that the scriptures were being fulfilled, for it happened just as Zechariah prophesied.

  Just some things to note: Kings usually rode on horses, but this King came on a colt, signifying that He is the Prince of peace and is not coming as a warrior. As He enters into the city in this prophetic manner, the citizens began to rejoice that they could now welcome Him as Messiah, as King. In Matthew and Mark, the crowd is noted as saying, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” But, in Luke and John’s gospels they add King. Whether they shouted it or not, their actions of throwing the garments down and throwing the branches down were actions acknowledging Him as King.

  Why palm branches? Palm branches were symbolic of a victory and of a king. In tossing palm branches before Jesus as He entered Jerusalem, they were acknowledging Him as their victorious King! He had come! The Messiah was here!

  They were also shouting Hosanna. We use it as a term of worship or praise, but it’s literal meaning is “save now”. It’s interesting to me, that this crowd was “caught up” in the Spirit and didn’t even know it. They were fulfilling or participating in the fulfillment of prophecy and yet they missed the very event they proclaimed. Their King had come!

  I want to return to my verse. Jesus was in need of the colt to fulfill His entry into Jerusalem. My thought today is “what do I have that Jesus is in need of to fulfill His kingdom plans today?” I know the things that I am willing to give to Him, but is there something that He is asking me for that I have not “loosed” into His capable hands of yet? I sincerely hope not!

  Jesus simply rode the colt of the owners, but once He reached His destination, He was finished with the colt. And yet, the colt was a vital part of the prophesy. What He is asking you for may seem insignificant from your lens and from mine, but this got me to thinking that from His perspective, it is needed and it is not insignificant.

  In today’s culture, people would have been fighting over that colt, offering thousands of dollars to the owners for the colt; just so they could say they owned the colt that carried Jesus. There’s no telling what benefits the owners received from having given the colt to Jesus that day. What we can be sure of is that when Jesus asks us for anything, it is not to bring loss into our lives, but to bring increase!

  What do you have that the Lord has need of? It could be your talents, your money, your home, your life, your all. What ever it is, if you give it to Him, you will be the better for doing so! Just loose it and trust it to the King! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Jesus, Palm Sunday, Resurrection Sunday | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, blessings, Easter, Jesus, king, Palm Sunday, Resurrection Sunday, Salvation, trust in God, victory

• Sometimes It’s Hard!

  Posted at 7:21 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on April 3, 2020

  John 12:27 – “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. NKJV

  I have been purposefully focusing on Jesus! Although, every blog should reflect Him directly or indirectly, He is my current focus!

  Jesus knew that it was time to sacrifice His life on the cross. He knew that was His ultimate purpose for coming, that He might redeem us to Himself. In Revelation, Jesus is referred to as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (13:8) He was very much aware of what would happen because from heaven’s point of view it had already happened.

  Although He knew He would be scourged, spit upon, and ridiculed from the very beginning, He never got off course. I have co-taught on the book of John on more than one occasion ,and it never ceases to amaze me to see how purposefully He lived even as His time drew near. Jesus, very much the Son of God and the Son of Man found that He wasn’t “really” looking forward to the cross.

  When Jesus healed the blind man in chapter 9, He knew that He had signed His “death warrant” so to speak. It is from that moment that things heat up more aggressively in Jerusalem towards our Lord. Then He had the “nerve” to raise Lazarus from the dead! Hallelujah Jesus!

  But this didn’t cause the people to be excited. Some of them actually left the “resurrection” party and went and “told on Jesus” to the Pharisees. Caiaphas, the high priest, prophesied that it was expedient that one man should die for the people and not that the whole nation should perish. He didn’t realize it was a prophetic word that he spoke, but it was one nevertheless. And from that moment they plotted to put Him to death.

  I want to look at the word “troubled” for a minute. The Greek word for troubled is “tarasso,” and it is rendered, “to cause one inward commotion, take away his calmness of mind, disturb his equanimity”. When we think of Jesus, we think of Him as always exhibiting peace because He was peace. But here He admits that He is troubled, that He is having an inward commotion of His will. He even asks, should He request to be delivered from what is ahead? And then He replies that this is why He came. God’s will, will prevail over His troubled state of mind.

  Sometimes we are faced with difficult realities. Things that will change the course of our lives, the course of a nation, the course of a family, and we have to make the tough decisions because they are the right decisions to make. That’s what Jesus did here. He could have thought about the cross, seen what would happen, and said, “not for this bunch!” They were so fickle that one day they lauded and applauded Him and the next they yelled, “crucify Him.” And throughout the centuries since that time, we have done the same things.

  Some people can’t “stay” saved because it’s too hard to say no to that individual they have been sleeping with or living with who they are not married to. Some people find it too hard to “stay” saved because they enjoy some other type of sin that they are involved in. Some people find it hard to “stay” saved or get saved because, because, because! And yet the cost that Jesus paid, the thing that troubled Him, wasn’t enough to keep Him from the cross. Thank you Jesus!

  I am so grateful for my salvation. I am so grateful for Jesus. I thank God that He did the hard thing to save you and me. I am so thankful that He didn’t call those legions of angels to rescue Him. I have no animosity in my heart towards the actual people who betrayed Him, yelled “crucify Him” or hung Him on the cross, because I know that He did it just for me. No one took His life, He gave it. It wasn’t easy for Him, but it was necessary for our salvation.

  Some times in this walk with the Father, we have to do some hard things. We have to say “no”to some people in our lives because they don’t love our Jesus. We have to say “no” to some things on our job because they won’t glorify Jesus. We have to say no to some things in our church, yes, even there, because every good thing is not a God thing! But we should never find ourselves saying “no” to Him; because even when it was hard for Him, He said “yes” that we might have eternal life. Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Jesus, Salvation | 0 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Believer, Jesus, love, Salvation

• Be Very Sure!

  Posted at 9:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 25, 2020

  2 Corinthians 5:1 – “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” NKJV

  This morning I awoke to a song in my heart, and as I was singing it I felt an urgency in my spirit to reach out to people I know about their salvation; then I felt an urgency to blog. As I was thinking about what I could say in this blog, I thought that I would look up the history behind the hymn. There were several blogs from years ago with a similar theme that I am writing about. Don’t know if I can say this any better than it has already been said, but I will just obey the Lord!

  In times like these, you need a Savior, in times like these, you need an anchor; be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

  CHORUS: This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He’s the One. This Rock is Jesus, the only One. Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds, and grips the Solid Rock.

  In times like these, you need the Bible, in times like these, O be not idle! Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock. (Chorus)

  In times like these, I have a Savior, in times like these, I have an anchor; I’m very sure, I’m very sure, my anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock. (Chorus)

  How appropriate are these words today! It is said that Ruth Caye Jones, the author of this song was a pastor’s wife, and they ministered in Pennsylvania. She wrote this during WWII. My family loves history and watching documentaries of the wars is a favorite past time of my husband and oldest daughter.

  Recently, during dinner, they were watching a documentary of Normandy, and of course, I watched it too. I can still see the men rushing to the beach, knowing that they would probably die as the hundreds before them had died. But they just kept going and going until they breached the German defenses. I’m looking in the past, but I can well imagine the horror of the many Americans who lost loved ones during that invasion, during the entire war, knowing that this happened. Surely, they thought the end was near!

  Mrs. Jones, it is said, was reading 2 Timothy 3:1, that states, “In the last days perilous times shall come,” when the words to this song came to her spirit. So she wrote them down and at the same time she got the melody. The rest as we say, is history! I learned this hymn in my denominational church and have loved it through the years; but it isn’t a song sung in my circles anymore. So when it came to me today with a sense of urgency, I just sat down to write what He gave me.

  Almost a century later, these words ring true today! In times like these, when people are dying daily from COVID-19, and others are being hospitalized all around the world, we need a savior! Just this week, I heard a brother in the Lord died from the coronavirus. My heart is saddened with the news. Especially for the family and all this means to them. But I take great comfort in knowing that he left here assured of his eternity in the heavens, as his family does, and we’ll all see him again. I’m not trying to draw on your emotions, but this was so sudden as it is with so many people right now, and we can’t afford to just wake up and eat and drink and go to bed as if we aren’t in the middle of a worldwide crisis. Last week’s numbers for the virus in the US was around 6,000, but today, they are over 50,000 cases! That’s a serious jump!

  The time is short! Jesus is coming back soon! And even if He tarries, in this environment, we must truly understand that we need a savior to navigate us through this time in our lives.

  I urge you today, that if you are not sure, get sure! Your prayer doesn’t have to be long, just heartfelt. Tell the Father that you believe in Him and accept His method of salvation, through the Son who loved you and died for you. Tell Him you need Jesus as Savior and you need Him as Lord. Bow your heart and get real with God; then receive His grace as you become a new creation. Make a decision today! Not to escape hell’s fire, but to embrace a living, loving God! Then you will be able to say with Paul “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Evangelism, Salvation | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, Evangelism, hard times, Jesus, Salvation, trust in God

• The Miracle Worker

  Posted at 12:18 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 15, 2020

  Luke 23:8 -Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. NKJV

  In 1962, a movie was released called “The Miracle Worker”. This movie was based on Helen Keller’s life, a child who became both blind and deaf after a bout with a high fever in her infancy. When she became a young child, her parents were encouraged to institutionalize her, but they decided to try a tutor from a school for the blind as a last resort. As you know, if you have heard the story or seen the movie, Anne Sullivan, dubbed “the miracle worker” became Helen’s teacher and lifelong friend, after being able to reach through the deadness of her mind, teaching her to communicate through ASL and Braille. A life that was spiraling out of control became a great testament to the power of love and having the right teacher.

  Isaiah 9:6- “For unto us a child was born”…, and He became the greatest teacher of all, the true miracle worker. In less than four years of earthly ministry, He did so many miracles that John said there were not enough books to contain it all. But in God’s word, we get a real insight into who this great miracle worker was and is, and we are left knowing that with a powerful love and an amazing ability to teach, He changed the course of mankind forever!

  Herod was so excited to finally see Jesus. He had heard about Him from others, but now he would see Him for himself. The scripture tells us that Herod wanted to see Jesus because he was hoping to see Jesus perform a miracle: maybe He would open some blind eyes, or open some ears, or create a new limb, it didn’t matter, he just wanted to see something happen. But Jesus did not perform a miracle for Herod that day, leaving Herod disappointed, somewhat disillusioned, and even angry!

  People have not changed today. They still want to see the Miracle Worker. They still want to see a performance or be awed, or even entertained by some great feat, some wondrous occurrence. Some chase around the world, others run from church to church, still others, chase behind an individual to glimpse the miracle worker, and when He won’t perform for them, they too walk away disillusioned, disappointed and even angry.

  But can I tell you what Herod missed, that others are still missing today? Jesus was and is the Miracle! To have an opportunity to see Him, to hear of Him, to discover that you are loved of Him is a miracle. Herod didn’t realize that the One who came to save him from an eternity spent in hell was before him and he was looking for entertainment. He didn’t understand that knowing Him was far better than seeing Him do any kind of feat, and he was about to miss his moment of visitation. But that’s exactly what happened, he missed out on a relationship with the Living God because he was looking for the wrong thing, a performance!

  Even in the church world, we are looking for a performance. We think that if we can do this, then God will do that! If we can get there, then God will perform that. We believers, and even those in the world, are still looking for the Miracle Worker to perform for us, when He is still waiting for us to just want Him!

  I am one who believe in miracles. I look forward to hearing about the miracles people have received and those done through God’s people. I love the environment in a service when God moves on someone’s behalf and grant them a miracle. And I just love watching Him do Him and be Him. But a long time ago I met the Miracle Worker. He was more awesome than Anne Sullivan and still is. She pales in comparison! Jesus, the real miracle worker, reached through the deadness of my soul and, although I was blind, He didn’t teach me to operate in my blindness, but He gave me sight to see that I was in need of a savior, Him! I was deaf, and He didn’t teach me to hear with my senses, but He taught me to hear with my spirit what He has to say to me through His word! He took my life of chaos and dysfunction and turned it into a life of productivity filled with love, hope, and opportunities! And through the power of love and great teaching He has transformed my life and the lives of so many others. Isn’t that miraculous?!

  At this critical time, when our world needs untold miracles to get us to the other side of this pandemic, I want to say that we serve the Miracle Worker! It’s not enough to come to Him for a divine intervention in this pandemic, although He should be your first point of contact; but you must come to Him because He is the only One who can bring you hope in the midst of so much turmoil! He doesn’t want to be known by you as one who seeks Him only for what He can do for you, for what He can show you, for what He can perform for you, no more than He was interested in performing for Herod. But He can and will do miracles, great things, amazing things for those who are seeking to know Him, the only true Miracle Worker, for who He is!

  At this time of great panic and deep concerns for the well being of our world, seek the Miracle Worker! He can save you! He can heal you! He can set you free! And the greatest news of all is, He will! If you can believe! You may already be disappointed, disillusioned, and even angry over this pandemic, but I encourage you to turn you heart to Jesus, the only real Miracle Worker and watch Him move on your behalf and in your situation changing your heart and mind as He has done for so many others! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, coronavirus, encouragement | 4 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, Faith, Healing, Health, Jesus, Jesus as teacher, love, miracle worker, miraculous, Salvation, transformation

• 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

• Free From Bondage

  Posted at 2:43 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 3, 2020

  Romans 8:3 – For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh” NKJV

  I thought that I had concluded the matter on being torn between living for God and not quite living for God. I thought I had made the point clear that Paul was not struggling in his flesh. Nor was he writing to say that he understood that we would have struggles in the flesh and that was to be expected. But I may not have been as clear as I originally thought. Or maybe I just feel like I need to say one more thing!

  If we look at Romans 8, reading it without seeing the chapter and verses, we will clearly see that Paul is continuing his thinking from chapter 7. As I have read and reread these chapters I’ve added to my thinking. And I am thinking that maybe, just maybe, Paul addressed this issue in 6-8 because some of them were struggling in their walk with the Lord. Probably some of these Roman Christians had the same problems that some Christians we know seem to have. An inability to live a life of victory!

  So Paul has taken time to explain in Romans 6 that sin should not reign in our lives, for the wages of sin is death. That since we have died to sin, and have been raised to newness of life, that we should no longer live in sin. In Romans 7, Paul shared how before we came to Christ, our life was a struggle because sin had control over us. Even when we wanted to do right, because of our sinful nature, we were powerless to do right. But then he concludes chapter 7, (as we know it) saying that God, through Jesus Christ, broke the power of sin by giving us a new nature! His nature! And sin should no longer have this same hold over our lives that it had prior to us coming to know Jesus as our personal Savior!

  In the first verse of chapter 8, Paul tells us that there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus when we are walking according to the Spirit; but if we are walking according to the flesh, then condemnation is obviously our constant friend. It’s not too often I bring a lot of scriptures in to play because I want to make a quick point, but today I will refer to just a couple other scriptures.

  In Galatians 5:19-22, Paul mentions the works of the flesh: adultery, fornication, idolatry, hatred, jealousies, selfish ambitions, drunkenness (to name a few). And it is easy to see that these are unfamiliar sins, but sins that some of us could easily identify with. But Paul is informing us that when we are doing these things, we are in our flesh, and operating as if our nature has not been changed. And when we do it repeatedly, it’s difficult for us to believe that grace has been given to us, and we feel condemned. And to make sure we are thinking alike, the type of condemnation I am referring to is a feeling that someone strongly disapproves of what you do. So in this case, you should feel condemnation. God strongly disapproves of His people acting as if the crucifixion and the Blood of Jesus was a small thing. As if it wasn’t enough! But I can assure that it was!

  However, the word condemnation in verse 1, is the Greek word, “katakrima”, and it means that a sentence has been pronounced and you are judged. But there is no judgment against the people who are walking after the Spirit, only those walking after the flesh! And since that judgment was paid in full by Christ Jesus, Paul is reminding us that His Blood still works!

  Galatians 5:1, a personal favorite of mine, states: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Paul is the author of these words. In writing to the Galatians he tells them that Christ made them free and they should stand in that freedom and not get tangled again in the bondage of sin. Getting tangled in the bondage of sin again is a choice! Getting set free is a privilege. And all too often Christians are found living beneath their privileges!

  This verse brings us right back to Romans 8, verse 2: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Again, reminding us that we are free from the dictates of sin and death through Christ Jesus! That’s why verse 3 basically refers to chapter 7 when it says, “For what the law could no do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

  Many people believe that they can’t live free from sin. This must disappoint the heart of God because His blood is sufficient for us to live free. We just have to believe that we can live free and trust Him to assist us in doing it! You are free if you are a Christian! You just have to take God at His word that you can live it!

  Charle Finney, in his autobiography, wrote about his salvation experience. He was first interested in the Bible because he was studying law and many of the laws referred to the Bible. Then he started attending church and a prayer meeting. But much to his dismay, he was not impressed, for it seemed that the people prayed, but without much expectation to seeing their prayers answered. He discovered that what was in the Bible and what Christians actually lived was not the same. But one day he decide that the Bible would be his point of reference and sought the Lord for salvation. When he received salvation, he was made completely free of his sin. He never looked back. Does God free some and not others? I think He frees all who believe! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Acts 8:3, Believers, Christian, Romans 7:15, Victorious Living | 4 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, condemnation, freedom, Galatians, Jesus, Paul, Romans 7:15, Romans 8:3, Salvation, Sin, Victorious Living

• Who Will Deliver Me?

  Posted at 1:00 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on January 30, 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. NIV

  Today, I want to actually delve into my key text. Paul wrote, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” And traditionally, it is believed that Paul was confessing to having struggles in his life as a Christian that he couldn’t overcome. Nothing could be farther from the truth!

  Paul begins talking about the flesh. Actually, he talks about the spirit and the flesh throughout the book, and we will look at this word today. The Greek word for flesh is “sarx”. In the book of Romans, Paul uses this word frequently. Sarx was used literally to mean our physical body, it was rendered “according to the flesh”, and it was also used to mean “from a human point of view.” But in Romans 7, Paul used it in reference to us being “in the flesh”. In this reference he is actually referring to our sinful human nature, apart from Christ.

  It is to this nature that Paul is referring as he writes in verse 14 (but I am a creature of the flesh, sold into slavery to sin) because it is in our state before Christ that we are slaves to sin. When he gets to verse 15 and states, “I do not understand what. For what I want to do I do not do but what I hate I do,” it is because when we are bound in sin, we do things that God knows we don’t always want to do. Some of those things we hate, but we find ourselves yielding to them again and again.

  How many people do you know, who are bound in their sin, often crying afterwards because deep down in their heart they don’t like the way they are living? They feel as if they have no escape from this desperate and hopeless state that their lives are in and want out of it, by any means necessary! This is what Paul is referring to! Our Pastor likes to say that sin will take you farther than you wanted to go and keep you longer than you wanted to stay. How? Because you are in bondage to sin! Sin is your master!

  Paul states that as a sinner, as an unbeliever, in his sinful state, there was nothing good that lived in him; because even when he was willing to do good, it was not always what he did. And in fact, it wasn’t so much him, as it was his sin nature which dominated his thinking, his actions, his behavior, and basically the way he lived. Before Christ! After all, when he was known as Saul, he was known as a persecutor of the believers, and was in agreement with Stephen being stoned to death. That surely qualifies as no good thing!

  Paul tells the believers in Rome that he discovered that a law was at work in him, a law that evil was present in him when he was trying to do good. Paul, as a Jewish rabbi loved the law, but he saw a lack in his life that the law could not fulfill. He found that even though the law was wonderful, it didn’t have the power to influence his actions and to keep sin at bay. And neither will anyone else’s sins be kept at bay outside of Jesus! He forgives them, then He casts them into the sea of forgetfulness! Glory to God!

  That’s when Paul makes the statement that he is a wretched man and asks, “Who will deliver me from this state of sin, this spiritual death?” People are still asking this question. And it’s a necessary one, because it’s this question that opens a heart to the gospel of Jesus Christ. But again, I believe that Paul is not speaking in a present tense of his state, but more in a reflective sense of where he was at before his Damascus Road experience and how he got to where he was after it!

  Really, in all honest, chapter 8 breaks it down further and makes it clearer that Paul was not speaking as a believer who struggled with his flesh. He actually answers his own question by saying, “Thanks be to God (for my deliverance) through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (AMP)

  Paul was giving God praise for delivering him from that state of warring in his soul: trying to be good when in actuality what he did was evil. There are many today who think that because they do good, that is an entrance way to God, but your righteous or good deeds are as filthy rags before the Father and therefore unacceptable. Basically, that was Paul’s message in chapter 7. The law, even though it is spiritual cannot and will not save you from your sin nature. It only has the power to reveal your sin, the penalty of sin, and a loving Father who says, you can’t do enough in the flesh to be free from sin.

  When I read this chapter, I understand that without chapters 6 and 8, it could easily sound like Paul had a hard time being a Christian. However, if you read the rest of the New Testament, there is no evidence that Paul struggled with his flesh, incapable of living the life that Jesus required of him. Of us all! This is Paul who emphatically stated that he was ready to die for the cause of Christ. A man with this type of dedication isn’t flaky with his lifestyle. He isn’t struggling day in and day out to live for God!

  But here’s the most profound part of it all! If you believe that this chapter is actually about Paul struggling as a believer and therefore, of course you will; then you have bought into the lie of the devil that you can’t live a holy life for God. And that’s the biggest tragedy of the lie! Because the answer to “who can deliver you” is the same for you as it was for Paul, “Jesus!” His blood is sufficient to redeem you! His blood is sufficient to free you! And His blood is sufficient to keep you! There’s so much more than I can say, but I will end here with this parting word: He is well able to deliver you! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, freedom, Romans 7:15, Satan, Victorious Living | 4 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, freedom, hard times, Jesus, righteousness, Romans 7:15, Salvation, Sin, Sinner, 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

• Torn Between Two Worlds?

  Posted at 6:15 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on January 25, 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.

  I’ve been contemplating this chapter for years, as have many. And for some reason, when I read chapter 7, I walk away with an entirely different point of view than many Christians. As a matter of fact, I have often heard people use this passage (verses 14-25) to justify their inability to live the Christian life.

  These individuals explain, quite passionately, that if Paul, the great Apostle, struggled in his flesh, well, all the more reason they should struggle! Well, I don’t believe this is what Paul was saying at all! And it’s impossible to go into depth about all he did say with a blog, but I will do my best!

  Let me remind you that Paul was indeed writing a letter to the Roman believers, actually to the church in Rome. When I looked up the history of the book of Romans, (bible.org) I read these words and liked what the author had to say:

  “Romans is placed first among Paul’s letters in the New Testament not only because it is his longest work, but because it also furnishes a massive and basic theological frame-work for the whole collection of the apostle’s writings.”

  Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that we understand the theological principles set forth in the book of Romans and especially, in my opinion, in Romans 7. It lays a real groundwork for our belief system. And this book, one of my personal favorites, is where Paul takes time to break down the theology of Christianity.

  Keeping Romans 7 in context, when chapters 6 and 8 are read along with it, there’s no way to walk away thinking that Paul was saying that he was struggling in his flesh as a Christian, and that it was simply the way of life. If you read the entire New Testament, there is no other place where you can find scripture and verse to show Paul as such, a struggling believer. As a matter of fact, after reading the New Testament, most people I know walk away feeling that Paul was over the top in his faith and relationship with Jesus, and in a league of his own! So not a struggler!

  Romans 6 ends with Paul making a foundational point about redemption. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And in making this point, he continues in chapter 7 to express the power of sin, and our inability outside of Christ to get the victory over sin. Furthermore, in the outline on Bible.org, this chapter is listed under the section of sanctification and titled, “Freedom in the New Life.” Now that doesn’t sound like an individual who can’t live for Jesus because his flesh is too strong. God forbid! Then in chapter 8 he writes of the power of walking after the Spirit! Paul is talking, not about a defeated life of dealing with the weaknesses of our flesh, but the Spirit’s ability to deliver us and to lead us in a life of victory!

  So for now, I just want to say to you, if you have been struggling in your walk with the Lord, and you have been using this chapter as your crutch, in the next couple of blogs I am snatching that crutch away! God’s heart for us is not that we live life between two worlds. He has not redeemed us from sin that sin may still reign in our mortal bodies. Paul mentions this in chapter 6, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” Proof positive that we are not to continually struggle over sin. The battle over sin was won at Calvary, and the Holy Spirit is at work in us to maintain that victory! But we have to stop seeing ourselves as wretched, struggling sinners, and begin to see ourselves as Christ sees us!

  Join me for the next few blogs as I endeavor to explain some of what is being addressed in this chapter. I believe the devil likes it when we think that sin is more power than the cross of Calvary. And that’s just not true! Jesus defeated Satan and the power of sin, once and for all, and it was that we might live life free of the power of sin! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, freedom, Romans 7:15, Sin | 4 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Romans 7:15, Salvation, Sin, Sinner, Victorious Living, victory

• From Darkness to Light!

  Posted at 3:36 am by wonderfuljesus8, on December 8, 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.”

  All good things must come to an end, and tonight I am going to end my study on 1 Peter 2:9. I trust you have enjoyed it as much as I have. I’ve written about who we are: a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a treasured possession, and about proclaiming His praises. In this blog, I will end with being called out of darkness into His marvelous Light!

  Skotos! A place of spiritual and moral darkness. Sounds like the world in which we currently live although Peter wrote this about the society in which he lived. We have been called out of skotos, or out of spiritual and moral darkness.

  I don’t need to elaborate on the state of society today, where right has become wrong and wrong has become right in our world. But I could! Neither do I have to point out that the things associated with Jesus and the Word of God have become unpopular in this day and time while we laud and applaud and are entertained by the things that represent darkness. It’s a well known fact!

  But what I do want to bring out is this: salvation through Jesus Christ is a spiritual translation that cannot be duplicated in any other “religion”. This translation from darkness to light, from being a people who have not obtained the mercy of God, to becoming a people who have experienced His mercy is parallel to none.

  Once, many years ago, I experienced a translation. I was riding in a station wagon, with my young niece in the car, and it was pouring down raining. There were two problems to this scenario. First, the car I was driving didn’t have windshield wipers and second, it was dark and the roads were constantly curving in the hilly terrain. We were both frightened and I truly could not see. I had unknowingly placed our lives in a dangerous situation because I knew the windshield wipers didn’t work, but I had no sense about weather patterns and this was prior to weather apps and even cell phones.

  It got so bad that I finally said to the Lord, “Father, I may as well close my eyes and drive for all the good they are doing for me in this situation.” Immediately, I was in my parking space in front of my apartment with the car in park. What happened? We were translated out of that life threatening situation into a place of safety. Out of the blinding rain wrapped in darkness into the a lit parking lot with a drizzle of rain. We looked at each and said something like, “How did we get here?” Neither one of us knew how it had happened, but we realized that God had done it. We took off running into the apartment and fell on our knees and prayed. We never talked about it. She could even be reading this now and be remembering that night. But we never spoke of it because it was not something we thought anyone would believe. But it happened!

  Salvation is just like that! You are heading down a road that you have no idea how you got on it. You feel like things are out of control and you are hopeless to do anything about it. You see your life spinning out of control, and darkness is all around you. No way to survive it. You are going through the motions. Then you cry out to God! You acknowledge that there is absolutely no way of you surviving the darkness, you can’t see, and you give up trying! You acknowledge that you need help from another source, One bigger than you, more capable than you! One who operates in the miraculous and you hope He has one more miracle left with your name on it! And guess what? He does! For you, for many others!

  Then Light explodes on the scene, pushing away the darkness! Bringing clarity to your life, hope to your soul, purpose to your today and your tomorrow. You’ve been translated. You don’t know all that has happened, but you know God did it! You know you were translated out of darkness into His kingdom of light, of salvation. And you fall before Him in worship! In absolute heartfelt gratitude for what He has done!

  Peter understood the magnitude of a changed life, a changed heart, a changed destiny. He understood what translation was and how it felt. Miraculous! Supernatural! Impactful! That’s the kind of experience we are to have. Not just saying words after someone, but having an impactful, meaningful, translation out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. Wonderful Jesus!!!

  When that part is taken care of, experiencing the first part is much easier. What a wonderful and loving God we serve! Nothing is small, mediocre, irrelevant or unimportant in Him! He does Big things! Marvelous things! Earth shaking things! And He does it that we might tell others about His glorious acts on our behalf, that they too might experience the glory of His grace! If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness into His marvelous light, then I know you have much you can add to this! But if you have not, don’t wait another minute! Bow your heart, your will, your life to Him and allow Him to translate you out of darkness into the light! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in 1 Peter 2:9, Believers, Christian, Salvation, Victorious Living | 6 Comments | Tagged 1 Peter 2:9, Believer, Christian, encouragement, Jesus, miraculous, Salvation

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