Salvation

 

God’s voice to me this morning:

Hebrews 2

“How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation”

Such is the fulness of salvation through God’s Son, it grants forgiveness, access to the throne of God in prayer, hope in this life and the next, and a place in that heavenly place where the Son (Jesus Christ) is seated at the right hand of God. How?

I quote a Bible verse

“ The Lord Jesus Christ gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us and to make us His very own people totally committed to doing what is right”  Titus 2

Escape damnation - only by faith in Jesus Christ, God's Son

johnmckee@internode.on.net

@avoiceinthewilderness-r7z

God in action

 

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Please let me explain. There is only one true and living God, creator of all, to whom all humanity is accountable. Although He is very great, His personal interest in this world, is very active. He is not so much interested in the world systems, but rather the people He created for connection with Himself.

          Something went wrong and most of the people of the earth live in disconnect from God. Judgement would justly invoke punishment, but God chose to present His final remedy – not in the law given by Moses, nor the voice of the godly prophets or the faltering kings. No. God has spoken finally in the visible, tangible presence of His Son Jesus the Christ.  The Son perfectly represents God the Father.

Jesus did much more than teach. He chose to live in real humanity.

Only one person could be described as ‘the only begotten Son’ – Jesus. It means – existing before He was born of Mary, abiding in the bosom of the Father, coming forth to uniquely show what God is like.

 “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world”

He came more than 2000 years ago – some received Him, many rejected Him.

God announced from heaven “This is my Beloved Son, listen to Him” (Mark 9:7)

          Then and now, the vital element for connecting with God is to receive His Son, believe in Him, trust Him. Faith focused on Him is the means to forgiveness, justification, sanctification, eternal life. Believing in Him produces behaviour that pleases Him – born from above into the family of God!

‘Whosoever ‘ means everyone. The promise given is sure for all who believe on the Son , our Lord Jesus Christ.

‘Believeth’ is present continuous tense – continuing to live by faith in Him.

‘Should not’ is in old English quite definite, not doubtful.

‘Perish’ – more than a wasted life. The consequences of sin and unbelief are severe and eternal. Not loss of being, but rather loss of well being.

‘Eternal life’ – more than a good life now. God’s design is for each believer  is to be in His family, in his home (Heaven) with joyful connection to God forever.

          A nurse I know, sat beside a dying unbeliever. As he passed away his face was contorted with extreme horror. The same nurse sat beside a dying unconscious believer. He awoke for a moment, his face beamed with delight and then he was gone.

 

          What have you done with the greatest expression of God’s love? Will you receive “the Son” and be assured of the promise of eternal life?

 

Another promise describes the extent of God’s love:

“God showed His love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  ( Romans 5:8)

 

“ This is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT)

Crucifiction

 

RI yesterday – a question from a thinking child.

“Why did the people hate Jesus and cry out “crucify Him?””

That’s a good question when we remember Him as a good man doing good things.

Let the Lord Jesus answer for Himself:

“It does hate me because I accuse it of sin and evil” (John 7:7)

 

For example:

“Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired” (Matthew 6)

“ Don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly”

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth.”

“Stop judging others”

“ Don’t worry about tomorrow”

 

Some of this makes one feel uncomfortable and for the leaders, who were lovers of money and fame, instead of repenting, they sought to destroy Jesus.

But more than His teaching – He who was known as the ‘carpenter’s son from Nazareth’ had gained many followers. The leaders became very jealous of His popularity.

 

Finally , the unbelieving leaders refused to accept the great claim of Jesus :- that He was the Son of God, the Messiah. They chose rather to accuse Him of blasphemy  and condemned Him to death. (Mark 14)  The wise men knew better – they bowed down and worshiped the child Jesus.

     And so it happened that the voice of the misguided crowd prevailed and the Roman governor sent Jesus out to be crucified.

 

By human terms a tragedy, but under the sovereign working of the LORD God, a triumph – the tomb is empty!

Terrifying verse

 

The words of Jesus  I tremble to publish but true love insists.

A most terrifying Bible verse:

From the sermon on the mount, Jesus speaking:

“On judgement day, many will tell Me –“Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name, and performed miracles in your name.” – but I will reply “ I never knew you. Go away, the things you did were not authorized.””    Matthew 7:22

 

How could it be?

I let the Lord answer: “ Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to Me as Lord, but they still won’t enter the kingdom of heaven.  The decisive issue is whether they obey My Father in heaven.”        ( Matthew 7)

      Gathered in His audience were very religious men like Pharisees who studied hard the Torah and traditions so as to keep the law precisely. Also the scribes who constantly copied the scriptures. There were so many following the Jews religion but not Jesus.

So few accepted the teaching of Jesus as authorized by God the Father. So few were willing to take the humble place and do the will of God revealed by Jesus the Christ. Most importantly, so few believed on Jesus for who He claimed to be – the Messiah, the Saviour, the King, the Son of God.

             They didn’t know HIM, or rather He didn’t know them as sheep counted into His fold.  (John 10 “ I am the door, by Me if anyone enter in he will be saved………  My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow Me. I give unto them eternal life….).

   How tragic this end, to have lived in religion, thinking activity there was enough to gain eternal life, then to discover (too late) that it was all empty.

 

Dare I repeat the words of Jesus Christ:

Luke 13:25     “ When once the master of the house has risen up and shut to the door, and you begin to stand without and knock …. He will answer ‘I know you not whence you are…. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth’ “

 

 Do I get pleasure publishing such negative warnings – no – but genuine love says I must. I don’t want anyone to hear such tragic words from the lips of Jesus the final judge – “I never knew you”.

 

How then can we be sure?  His promises are sure and as quoted above – He is the once dead, now living Shepherd. Entrusting ourselves completely to Him (enter and follow), He promises to take us in, and give us the gift of eternal life. His words change from the threat of damnation, to the hope of eternal glory.

As you read the Bible, what does  it mean to you? Is your faith valid, are you activities authorized by Him?

Bible

 

For those people new to the Bible I write:

This book begins with God making the world. God made all things very good.

After that, humans rebelled and sin (attitudes and actions against God), has caused trouble for thousands of years.

The Bible is a history of God the LORD seeking to connect with people. Many responded – Noah, Abraham, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Daniel…

After many years God the Father sent His Son, Jesus into the world. This part of Bible history is called the New Testament.

Jesus spoke God’s words to the people, but also showed them what God was like.

He rebuked sin (like selfish greed). This showed people the holiness of God.

His compassion and healing for so many showed the undeserved favour of God (grace).

As you read the Old Testament and the New, you will notice how often it mentions sacrifices for sins, so that people could be friends with God again. Jesus stated clearly that this was the greatest purpose of His mission. He died, as recorded, for a purpose. This purpose is clearly explained by His Apostles in their writings at the end of the Bible. (He died and rose again to bring forgiveness and acceptance with God).

For many this large book is too big to read through (especially those learning English). Remember it is 66 different books written at different times.

My advise :- Read the history of humanity, enjoy the prayers and songs (Psalms), read slowly the four biographies of Jesus and search carefully the teachings of the Apostles (New Testament).

For those searching with a sincere heart, God by the Holy Spirit promises true enlightenment and understanding.

Confession that leads to forgiveness

 

Meditation from Isaiah 64,65

I enjoy the good promises from the Bible, but here, like other places we have words of confession of sin. Even the gracious Lord Jesus exposed sin as a root problem in all humanity – Mark 7:21

Isaiah 64:5

“But we are not godly. We are constant sinners, so Your anger Lord is heavy upon us. How can people like us be saved? We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away. Yet no one calls on your name, or pleads with you for mercy. Therefore You have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins.”

Then the prophet takes the humble place “We are the clay,  You are the potter….”

Then the LORD says (Chapter 65) : “People who never before inquired about Me are asking about Me. I am being found by people who were not looking for Me. To them I have said “I am here”.

I opened my arms to My own people but……………”

And so the good news for repentant sinner holds true:

‘Whoever will call upon the Name of the LORD will be saved ‘ (Romans 10:13) . 

 Let us take time to confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1) .

It is not the purpose of God for us to live in morbid introspection, but it is healthy to humble ourselves and see the situation as by the holy vision of the Lord.

Peter wrote “God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble.” 

   (1 Peter 5)

Bible rejected

 

Why then is the Bible so hated ?

If this book promotes freedom to choose, encourages education and so much of social progress – why is it neglected, despised and rejected in so many hearts and places around the world?

   For one most significant reason. It presents the extreme claims of Jesus Christ as Lord of all.  His short solitary life has conquered so many. His claims to deity put every ither religion on notice – God has appeared and we all should worship  Him alone.

His exposure of hypocrisy and greed has put politicians and warmongers on notice – instead of war and plunder should be humility and generosity.

His claims to kingship leaves no room for rivals, only subjects. Human pride refuses to give Him such honour.

His exposure of sin and the need for forgiveness by sacrifice runs counter to the tales of the devil. So people choose lies rather than repent .  They prefer to go their own way.

So it almost seems like a mistake that God gave humans the freedom to choose!  Under the tutoring of the devil so many choose to reject Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

But God is not defeated. The Bible continues as a hammer, as a mirror, as light divine, as the seed of life, as  the voice of God! The ‘YouVersion’  Bible app has been downloaded 700 million times in the last 15 years! And millions more are hungry for God’s word.

And millions have been and are being blessed to know Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord through the Bible.

But I missed something – many people dissent from the Bible  because they don’t like the concept of final accountability.  Jesus claimed that He would be the judge on judgement day. I am so glad – He can be trusted to judge with justice, and make grace triumph for all those who truly love HIM.

In conclusion – The Bible is a book about a person. Through Him, Jesus Christ our Lord,  so much  good has come to  mankind. How ungrateful to take for granted the good and reject the giver!

Peter put it so well for me :- “whom having not seen ye love……..”1Peter 1.

Let the words of Christ dwell in you richly, and you will discover more than essential principles for our society,  you will find a friend who  will be closer than a brother.

Why the bible

 

The Bible

What makes the Bible so different to other religious books?

There are many differences – I would like to highlight one.

In contrast to the many religious books that are revered and recited, the Bible is a collection of 66 books written over a period of 1500 years by many different people. Instantly that means a variety of contexts, variety of languages, variety of meanings, variety of circumstances which need to be investigated to achieve clarity. For example the writing of Daniel is different to the story of Abraham. A casual reading of the Bible will clarify the historical narrative covering many years.

    More than textual investigation, the Bible invites meditation. Not meditation that empties the mind of reason, but rather taking time to understand the meaning of it’s teaching. Some is moral teaching about how to live, some spiritual teaching about connecting with God. Other sections encourage people to investigate the natural world around us – to look up into the starry sky, to study the animals and learn from their ways. Thus science pursues the wonder of what God has made.

Again the Bible encourages education – reading , writing, mathematics, science, music, agriculture. More than just repetitive existence (doing what forebears did) , the Bible inspires people to rise to a deeper understanding of what life is all about.

Jesus described the Old Testament and His teaching as the Word of God. He described the best response to hearing it, like seed that falls into the good soil and with sunshine and moisture, springs up into a multiplying plant. He explained it Himself  - “this represents good hearted people who hear God’s message and understand it”. (Matthew 13). Why did I emphasize ‘understand’ – because I have met so many people reciting, reciting, reciting without understanding.

In fact the whole period of  Jesus teaching was filled with questions to HIM and from HIM. He wanted the faith of the people to be rooted in understanding – not just memorising, reciting or revering.

And so the directive was given to young Timothy – “ Study”.

I become very stressed by the cultures I interact with, where questions are our of order, investigation is forbidden and education is denied . 

I encourage all to use the opportunity to search the Holy Scripture and discover the Lord God revealed in the unique person of Jesus Christ the Lord.

Bible are available free from  johnmckee@internode.on.net

The Bible

 

Reading the Bible

Many, many people are afraid to read the Bible, and for many reasons.

For those who choose to read it, but find it a daunting project, let me give some advice.

It is a library of books, not one long narrative.

It is written in various forms – History, law, songs, prophecy, biography, instruction.

It is best to read from the Old section along with reading from the New Testament as the old is explained by the new.

The song/poetry books in the centre give helpful insight into the varying experience of life. They can lift the despondent soul to heights of praise.

Many of the prophecies seem irrelevant to us, but hidden in them are significant statements about Jesus (like Isaiah 53).

Those who read the Bible to understand everything will be frustrated. Those who read it to criticise it will miss the blessing. Those who read it to justify themselves and to teach others can be marred by conceit. But those who let the Bible speak for itself , then the Holy Spirit will bring blessings eternal.

 

If you are finding the Bible boring, I suggest you double check if you are really a child of God with the Holy Spirit leading you in knowing God. If you are unsure, seek the Lord God today. Turn away from sin, self and the world to find forgiveness, peace and eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord. His promises have been proven true:

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31)

“You heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, and you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit”  (Ephesians 1:13)

The Bible will become a joy to read (sometimes humiliating). A book of praise to cheer each day. The guide of life to walk with Christ. The hope for tomorrow derived from the great and precious promises. The assurance of peace with God for eternity.

 

If you do not have a Bible, I have spares to distribute.

johnmckee@internode.on.net

Jesus Christ as Lord

 

The words of the Lord Jesus Christ in Luke 6 have humiliated me. Then to make the final point He says “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, when you won’t obey me?” (Luke 6:46).

He exposes the hypocrisy of hollow words and the final destruction of sham profession.

We may theorise, teach, explain away or ignore the teachings of the Lord, but He insists that in the final count down, it is obeying His word that will be as solid rock.

And those who build their lives on anything else will finally be a house in a heap of ruins.

How fitting that the Apostle Paul says : ”Let the words of Christ dwell in you richly.” (Colossians 3:16)

The Lord Jesus Christ calls for genuine commitment, for unfailing faith in Him and love that expressive of the love of God the Father.

johnmckee@internode.on.net

How precious

 

Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise.

Use His words to teach and counsel each other.

 Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

Bible – Colossians 3:16

The helper - the Holy Spirit

 

The Holy Spirit

Some of my  readers may well be asking “What is this Holy Spirit?”  -  some invisible being?

God is great, majestic and infinite. How can we begin to understand such a being? Many have tried to represent God by images and idols. God is a spirit (invisible yet a real personality), and He reveals Himself by the Holy Spirit. God sometimes speaks with a voice, sometimes through people, sometimes through writing, but best of all through Jesus Christ.

The Bible is the Lord God writing through the pen of people, they being moved by the Holy Spirit to write.  It is a daunting book – so much history, law, songs, prophecy, directions, biographies, revelations! How can we understand it?  - By the help of the Holy Spirit. This is a major difference to most other religions where reciting their scriptures is more important than understanding them. The Bible invites research and understanding. It has been and still is the chief medium of God speaking to humans.

Are you open minded enough to let the Holy Spirit lead you into all truth? Take a Bible and ask the Lord to show Himself. He will interact with your spirit (mind). Take time to declutter your mind and concentrate. Most times He speaks in a still small voice.

Best if you can read the Bible in your heart language. If you don’t have one to read, please let me know.

johnmckee@internode.on...net

The Shepherds voice

 

Morning meditation.

“My sheep hear my voice and I know them”

I have thought about the continuing hunger for Bibles. For example, Asia Harvest print more than a million Bibles each year for the people of China, and yet they want more! At our market stall we distribute 10-20 Bibles on each occasion. Why the hunger for this book?

It is not so much the history or the commandments. Rather it is the innate longing to hear the voice of God – and hear the voice of God we can. God still speaks to those who take the time to listen!

Unbelief despises the book, but for those with an open mind and open heart, it is a living book, made real by the Holy Spirit. From beginning to end, one can hear the shepherds voice.

The Great Shepherd says, “I know them and they follow Me”.  What a joy it is, instead of sailing alone, to enter the door of the fold and become one of His sheep. His protection, His provision, His promises, His fellowship, His pledge of eternal life all by grace through knowing Him.”

Following the Shepherd is not a matter of duty, rather it is the natural response of love. Many things seek to distract us, but His voice, His seeking love calls us to Himself.

Bibles are available, in many languages.

johnmckee@internode.on.net

Speak up

 

Our God is a speaking God!

God’s children are speaking children. For those who are born of the Holy Spirit, it will be normal to be speaking about the wonderful things that God has done. (Acts 2).

      Some of us have difficulty with spoken words (like Moses), so we write or use Christian literature – especially Bibles. Others communicate God’s love by actions of generosity in Jesus name.

The Lord Jesus said:

“you are the light of the world  …. Glowing in the night for all to see.”   (Matthew 5:14)

Paul said:

“The Word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere” (1 Thessalonians 1:8)

Peter said:

“If you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain. You must do this in a gentle and respectful way.” (1Peter 3.15)

Soon the Lord Jesus will appear with this title :

“The Word of God” (Revelation 19.13)

We could turn the world upside down if all Christians would “herald the Word of the LORD”. It has happened before (Acts 8.4). And the means to do so are more abundant than ever before! Seems to me that something is missing? How seldom I hear the message in the public square!

Let us rise up and follow the Master who went from village to village to declare the Word of God.

A Christian for real?

 

Becoming a Christian

The experience of conversion varies from person to person. But the two basic truths involved are important. The Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul preached "repentance toward God and Faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ".

All of humanity are born with the problem of sin – the inclination to go our own way without God. This may vary from simple selfishness to rebellious evil. Many are told that they are in themselves good and that they just need Jesus to go through life with them. Well, God has a different conclusion. From His perspective, we are all Adam's children – lost. More than that, God sees our independence and self directed ways as sin. Things that are often obscure to us, like pride, hypocrisy and devotion to other things are like idolatry to God.

When we remember that we were made for God, then it is appropriate that Jesus said "Repent". Repent means to recognize that we have sinned, failed to give God the honour due to Him, then to turn from our own way to Him with true heart surrender – "Yes Lord  you are right, I have been wrong".

For those who seek the Lord, there is a very definite solution to the problem of our disconnection from God. Repentance is good, but not enough. Faith in Jesus Christ, is God's universal solution. Keeping the law and commandments will not work. Doing one's best is insufficient. The only way to forgiveness and acceptance with God is by His way. His way is by Faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. Faith means to believe that God the Father sent His  Son into the world as Jesus. Faith understands the need to be saved by someone greater than ourselves and looks to the perfect person, Jesus Christ. Faith is to trust HIM to reconnect us with God.

The Jews and the Romans did not understand the events of crucifixion of Jesus . The Lord Jesus explained it many times.  He said He was as the Good Shepherd, giving His life for the sheep. Again, He was paying the ransom price to set guilty sinners free.

He said, after He rose to life again, that now through faith in Him, forgiveness of sins is freely available.

 

Faith in Him is to trust Him and His sacrifice, to make us right with God.

Faith also believes that He who died, rose again and is now seated in the place of highest honour at God's right hand.

 

This repentance of self and sin may seem crushing. But this faith in such a wonderful person enables us to be so much better than our best selves. To be 'in Christ' gives eternal security and everlasting blessedness. Gods' actions for us , in us , lead to the abundant life of being in the safe keeping of the great shepherd who said "My sheep hear my voice and they follow Me. I give unto the eternal life and they shall never perish"  John 10

 

God by the Holy Spirit interacts with each person individually but the principles of conversion remain the same – repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

I trust that my readers are definitely connected to God, not hoping for heaven by some other way. Feel good gospel is no gospel. Religious observance will not do. Good living will not measure up.

I  encourage all to take the Bible and read through the letter of the Romans, there discovering the Gospel from God's vantage point.

The Word of God

 

It was our recent privilege to distribute Bibles to many enthusiastic children in the schools in our area. We pray that many children will find peace with God through searching the Holy Scriptures.

The Bible is more than a book of words, more than historical records about Israel and more than wisdom from human experiences. It is clearly a record of God reaching out to humans. God has been interested in individuals and much of the Old Testament is about God’s interactions with the Israelites.

When Jesus came, the emphasis in the New Testament was on personal connection with God. The book of the Acts initially focused on The Lord  calling Jewish people to turn back to God through the risen Messiah. The  book also records the Lord God reaching out to the Gentile people outside of the Jewish religion. Paul wrote many parts of the New Testament, explaining the blessing God gives to  the peoples of every nation. The treatise called Romans, is particularly significant in explaining how God chooses to reconcile people that are most unworthy. God has planned that by the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, guilty people can be forgiven and given a new life by the Holy Spirit. This good news makes disconnected people of all nations part of the family of God. By faith in Jesus the Lord, all believers are forever connected with the wonderful love of God.

I quote the purpose of God’s kindness:

So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will make you happy and full of peace as you believe in Him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 15:13

My prayer for those reading those Bibles and for all reading this article is the same.

If you do not have a Bible please email  johnmckee@internode.on.net

Really saved?

 

I was recently asked to speak on the topic –"Are you really saved?"

1^st question – saved from what? In Bible terms it means to be saved from sin. Forgiven by God, freedom from bad habits and saved from Hell.

2^nd question – can we be sure? Yes, as sure as the promises of God!

I found a good answer in the Bible section called 1 John. This was written after Jesus had returned to heaven. The purpose of the writing is stated:

"That you may know that you have eternal life"  1 John 5:13

Read on as I summarise the apostle's teaching.

Chapter 1: Jesus Christ was a real person, and to really know Him is to have eternal life.

Some people claim to walk in the light but continue with secret sins – living a lie – they are not saved. For those who step into the light, theirs sins are cleansed away by the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son.

Other people claim to have no sin. This contradicts God's conclusion – "All have sinned" (Romans 3.23)

God understood the damage and destiny of sinners, so He provided the solution. The Lord Jesus Christ who never sinned, became the propitiation, that is, the mercy-seat where God so holy could be reconciled to mankind, so unholy.

Anyone who comes to God through Him, will change from sinful behaviour to live like Jesus lived. This means to love instead of hate.

God's desire for believers is presented – forgiven, to know Him, to overcome evil, to know the Father, to know the Son, to be strong, with God's word abiding in them so as to overcome the evil one. – read 2:12-14.

Next John deals with our environment. The world we live in and the responses inside us tend to distract us from the Lord God. If a person is preoccupied with these things (good or bad), then the love of 'the Father is not in him'. The Lord Jesus made it clear that love for God must be first.

The writing changes to the person of Jesus. By the Holy Spirit we can know that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah promised in the Old Testament). He is the Son of God. (Son, not child). To deny this, John writes, is to be a liar!

Chapter three is about God's kind of love. God's plan is for all believers to be His children, to be like Jesus, to live pure lives, to live in love.

The warning is clear:

"Whoever makes a practice of sin is of the devil"

"Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer."

LOVE is then explained:

Love is much more real in action than in words.

Love is understood best by the action of the Lord Jesus – He laid down His life for unworthy ones like us.

Love is commanded as the motive of a Christian life.

"Anyone who does not love, does not know God"  4:8

Chapter four identifies Jesus to be a real man. The Gnostics had all sorts of antichrist ideas. The Spirit of truth is that Jesus was a real man, and the Son of God at the same time. To deny this is to make God a liar. God spoke from heaven when Jesus was baptised – "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased". (Matthew 3.17). God has given eternal life and this life is in His Son.

The Apostle John concludes his writings in chapter 5:18

1  A person born of God does not keep on sinning.

2  The world is directed by the evil one.

3   We know the Son of God has come.

4   The believer is IN Him, IN His Son Jesus Christ.

5  He is the true God and eternal life.

The final warning – "Dear children, keep away from anything that .might take God's place in your hearts."

Well we should respond:

"We love HIM because He first loved us"

Now read through 1 John for yourself and check if you are saved!

Deception

 

Satan's lies.

One of his first lies can be summarised:

 'Disobeying God's command doesn't matter'

Or in the Bible record:"Did God really say you must not eat of the fruit of the garden?"  - after sowing seeds of doubt, the lie is more direct: 'You won't die, God knows that your eyes will be opened....when you eat you will become just like God ..'  (Genesis 3)

We today suffer the consequences of Adam and Eve disobeying God!

Jesus Christ said of the Devil:

"There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character, for he is a liar and the father of lies."   (John 8)

John the apostle is more specific about the command that affects us directly:

"This is His commandment – we must believe in the Name of His Son, Jesus Christ and love one another."   (1 John 3)

The lie given to our generation is that Jesus is just a man, and at best a prophet.

The angel Gabriel and God the Father declared that Jesus was and is the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. Believing the lie of satan will take a person to satan's destiny – the lake of fire.

Comments to johnmckee@internode.on.net

Temptation

 

Response to temptation

After forty days of fasting, the Lord Jesus was tempted. His answers to the tempter are most enlightening . Let me quote them.

1    "people need more than bread for life " Luke 4 NLT

We are more than physical. We are spirit, soul and body in that order. The passions and needs of the body are very real, but the spirit is most important . The body connects us with earth. The spirit connects us with heaven.

 

2    "You must worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve"

The distractions of this world are very real. They become demanding, entwining and ultimately idolatrous. Be it religious, political, wealth, education, social status or self interest,,  anything that displaces God the  Almighty, God as priority, God as provident – such robs God of His rightful glory and is sin. 

 

3   " Do not test the Lord your God"

Trusting God's applicable promises is not sin. Seeking a sign is not sin. But doing or saying something that presumes upon the miraculous is tempting God. To pray 'Lord keep me' , then to drive dangerously is tempting God. If I pray 'deliver us from temptation', then choose to read the wrong, or watch the wrong things is testing God.

The Lord Jesus did not fall for the temptation. Let us watch and pray.

Lord keep my heart,.............

I need Thee every hour

Most gracious Lord

No tender voice like Thine

Can peace afford.

I need Thee every hour

Stay Thou nearby

Temptations lose their power

When Thou art nigh

Love that changes us from the inside

 

God so loved the world that He gave His only Son

So that everyone who believes in Him

will not perish

but have eternal life

John 3:16

In a world of confusion and violence, people need the love of God. So many forget God. Others are against God. Yet God still loves all of humanity.

God's love does not give us what we want. Rather, He is wise enough to give us freely what we need. More than food and clothes, we need inner peace and hope for the future.

            Our lack of peace is due to our disconnect from God. Our uncertainty about the future is because we are short-sighted, trusting in our own strength,  or the achievements of other people.

God's promise of peace is achieved through Jesus Christ the Lord. Millions of people have confessed their sins as the cause of angst with God. God by Jesus Christ His Son (once crucified and now alive again), gives forgiveness, acceptance, reconciliation, fatherly love.

God's purposes for those who believe Him, are not only for our lifetime, but beyond this life. It is the purpose of God for all to have a family relationship with Him forever – Eternal life!

Be warned of danger.

Be wise, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son,  today.

 

johnmckee@internode.on.net