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Master, Thou hast well said

4/30/2018

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And He said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son? And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, Till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. David therefore calleth Him Lord, how is He then his son? Then in the audience of all the people He said unto His disciples, Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation. (Luke 20:41-47)
     Having been challenged on a question of the resurrection by the Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection, Jesus not only responded well with the state of those in the next life but also that God is a God of the living not the dead. He further responded with a question concerning the Father and the Son and David’s psalms unto them. They could not answer Him and Jesus turned to His disciples and warned them to avoid those religious leaders who make a pretense of piousness and religiosity all the while taking from the people they are supposed to love and serve. The showy church folk who are not truly a part of God’s Kingdom will receive their reward for their hypocrisy.
 
     The Father sent the Son who became a man after the flesh and is therefore both God and man. The Son of God who is God the Son, one with the Father and the Spirit, descended from David’s line according to the flesh and is both Lord of Creation and our Kinsman-Redeemer. When the Father exalted Him after His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary, Jesus sat down on the right hand of the Father until the Father sends Him to consummate His plan and all His enemies are defeated. Those who make a great show of church and religion without the relationship with God by faith through grace which God requires will not be with God when He returns but will face Him as Judge. While there condemnation may be greater, God requires all who are not born again by the Spirit of God to repent and submit to Him on His terms unto Salvation. Great religion, or any perceived good works will not save, for the righteousness apart from God is filthy rags and only worthy to be cast out. The true religion which God desires is not about doing for Him but a relationship with the Father through the Spirit because of our faith in the Son which leads to doing for others as He commands.
 
     Because we have been reconciled with the Father through our faith in the Son and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary, we are not to do as the Scribes and Pharisees but take care of those whom God puts in our path. We are His ministers and are to do as He did when He was here. The disciplined followers of the Master are not to do as they will, but to do His will on this earth, to reach the lost, to teach the nations, and to preach the Word, even as we help the helpless, love the unlovable, and touch the untouchable, by the authority of Jesus Christ given to us and as He directs and provides. We are not to make a show of religion while keeping those who are in need from the Kingdom, but welcome all to hear the Good News. Our efforts are not to earn or keep that which God has given to us by grace but because of His love for us and for all, that whosoever will may believe His Word and come to a saving knowledge of Him and the new birth which comes from repentance and faith in Christ. He has left us here, not to work on our own, but as the Spirit of God directs us in missions, discipleship, and ministry, that we may have further opportunities to evangelize whosoever may come to Him.
 
     God has sent those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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The zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up

4/27/2018

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And He went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. And He taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy Him, And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. (Luke 19:45-48)
     When Jesus came once again into the temple He drove out those who obtained dishonest gain at the exchange table and defrauded the people with less than perfect sacrificial animals for sale. Just as He had done at the beginning of His ministry, He drove out the animals and overturned the tables, clearing them of the money most of which went into the Priests coffers. The religious leaders who were all about the show but didn’t worship God in Spirit or in Truth became upset, this last more than the first, and sought to get rid of Him. The people wanted to hear Jesus and what He had to say, so the leadership could not openly remove Him or undermine His Authority.
 
     The zealousness of Jesus Christ for the temple of God was not to promote it as holy in itself, but as the place where the people met God it was holy because it was God’s house. Though God does not dwell in a place made with hands, He had set up the worship and sacrificial system, pointing to His Son, the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world, and because He is worthy of all worship and the only one to be worshiped. All the exchanging and buying and selling not only distracted from the worship but was done so for personal gain by those who did the selling and exchanging of foreign monies which were not allowed in the temple offerings. They had corrupted the sacrificial system and were no longer focused on the one whom the worship was about and Jesus cleared the process once again. The religious leadership, making gain themselves from the activities, sought to remove Jesus even to His death, but the people’s desire to hear Him temporarily restrained them until they could plot in secret and remove the threat to their position and authority.
 
     For the Christian, everything we do when we come together in fellowship and as a congregation is to be about Him for He alone is worthy of our worship and praise. The Father sent the Son to be the sin payment we cannot pay, the Son went willingly in our place that we might be saved, and the Spirit indwells and empowers us as we submit to Him who is our guide. When God’s people gather as the church of God we are to be zealous of His place and purposes in drawing us unto Himself and fitting us into His Church to do His work and not our own. Though the world may oppose us and even plot to remove us, for all who will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, we are to stand strong and act only in the Authority He has given us in His Name to reach those who have not yet put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary unto Salvation. We are to teach the nations all that Jesus has taught us from His Word, especially about repentance and faith in Christ. We are to preach and proclaim God’s Word at every opportunity that those who are not reconciled with the Father through faith in the Son and born again by the Spirit can hear and believe unto Salvation.
 
     God has sent those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD

4/26/2018

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And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as He went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when He was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the Name of the Lord: peace in Heaven, and Glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke Thy disciples. And He answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. (Luke 19:35-40)
     The disciples found the donkey as directed and prepared it for Jesus entry into Jerusalem. As He entered in on the donkey, the disciples and the crowds began to praise Him and worship the King of Heaven. Some of the religious leaders did not like the praise the crowds were giving to Jesus as He came peacefully into the city as the King of Glory. Jesus responded that if the crowds did not render due praise unto the King the very stones would cry out in praise of their Creator.
 
     Jesus presented Himself to Jerusalem and Israel as the peaceful King coming in His Glory on the back of a donkey. The disciples and others began to praise Him and worship Him since He is the triumphant King of Israel entering into the city. He did not come this time as a conquering King but coming peacefully into the city and worshiped. The people welcomed Him as coming in the authority of God as the Messiah. The Pharisees, knowing what was being said, were upset at the praise and worship which the people gave Jesus as He came into the city. Jesus replied that even the rocks would cry out in praise if the people were silent as He is worthy of praise.
 
     The Lord Jesus, though rejected later by the same crowds who praised His entry into the city gave Himself for our sin, to pay for our sins which we cannot do, and to offer Himself to satisfy the wrath of the Father. Whosoever will receive Him by faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary can and will truly say, Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD. Jesus came with the full authority of the Father and willingly offered Himself, the Lamb of God sacrificed from the foundation of the world. All who repent and surrender to Him on His terms are given eternal life and follow Him. Our praise goes to our Creator who made all things for His purposes, our Redeemer who has purchased us out of sin, and our King, who will return in Glory and with victory over His enemies and all those who oppose Him. He came the first time peacefully but the next time He comes it will be in triumph and to conquer, putting His enemies under His feet and establishing His earthly Kingdom.
 
      Until His return, God has sent those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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Today I must abide at thy house

4/25/2018

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And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:8-10)
     A repentance Zacchaeus went far beyond traditional recompense and the requirements of the Law as he demonstrated his reconciliation with God and faith in Christ Jesus. Recognizing his lost condition and having heard and believed that Jesus was the Messiah of God, he turned to God and brought forth works meet for repentance. He offered of that which he had, which he no longer counted as his but either to give as unto the Lord or to restore that which he had gained fraudulently. Jesus recognized his faith unto salvation, proclaiming the good news that Jesus came to find and save those who realize they are in need of a Saviour.
 
     The Son of God who is God the Son came to this earth to save those who recognize their need of Him and put their faith and trust in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary. Zacchaeus had come to faith and gave of his worldly goods, unlike the rich young ruler previously, because he did not trust his riches to save him. He returned to those whom he had defrauded because it was meet to do so, but much more than the law required because he trusted God to provide and care for him. His faith was evident by his works, not to please God or earn his salvation, but because salvation had already come from God.
 
     For those who have met and believed in the risen Saviour, the things which God has provided unto us are to be used for His work. That which Christians have, even the job or career we may hold, ought to be done for His glory. Those that come to Christ in surrender and repentance on His terms recognized that they must be born again to receive the salvation of God. Once saved, the children of God recognize that all that they have is His and want His will to be done with what we temporarily possess. Poverty is not a requirement for salvation nor does a lavish lifestyle necessarily reflect the blessings of God. We are not required to give half or all that we have away unless God leads us there but if we trust in Christ for all our needs we should be willing to give it unto Him. We are required to restore and reconcile with those whom we have hurt or taken from, not for our benefit or to gain favor with God, but because the God we serve has given unto us the ministry of reconciliation, not only to Him but to each other. All of this will flow out of the abundance of the heart for those who are truly His and new creatures in Christ, just as it did for Zacchaeus when Christ came unto him.
 
      God sends those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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The things which are impossible with men are possible with God

4/24/2018

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And a certain ruler asked Him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the Commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, He said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven: and come, follow Me. (Luke 18:18-22)
     What can we do to be saved is the eternal question, and Jesus answered the rich young ruler with the Law that this man would see his need for Christ. Since he trusted his riches and boasted of his character apart from God, Jesus pointed this out and declared the young man’s need to divest himself of earthly treasures and seek eternal riches. The young man could not do so, for that was where his heart was, and so went away sad and lost. All who would be saved must die to self and follow Jesus in faith and repentance.
 
     The Son of God who is God the Son knew the heart of this young man and spoke directly to his need. The man correctly recognized the authority of Jesus as not just another rabbi with religious platitudes, but sent from God. Jesus pointed him to the Law, not that the Law could save him, but because the Law is our schoolmaster to point us to Christ, since we cannot keep the Law. Only God can save and all who would be saved must surrender to Him on His terms and be born again through faith and repentance. When the man boasted of his keeping the Law, when we cannot keep the whole Law apart from God, Jesus pointed out his trust in his riches and his possessions. Since the man’s heart was bound up in all that he had, he could not part from that which he trusted in, and so went away from Jesus as he had come, prideful and self-reliant. Jesus did not follow him and change the requirements or make the Gospel easier to gain the young man, for the man had to want to change and follow Christ.
 
     The people of God must not compromise the Gospel to make it easier to gain the lost for the preaching of the Cross is foolishness to them that perish. We are to take the message of forgiveness and reconciliation to this lost and dying world that those who repent and place their faith in Jesus Christ and His finished and perfect work might be saved, but we cannot change the Gospel whether it is to pad our numbers or to bring in the rich and powerful into our congregations. Only a heart change made by the Spirit of God can give a person eternal life, it is not something that is earned but comes from God. It is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and His Word alone is the authority which reveals Him and all glory belongs to Him alone for that which He does to change those who repent and surrender to Him on His terms. All who are alive have a choice, to receive Jesus or to reject Him, to be born again, redeemed and free from guilt, or die in their sins and remain under judgment and condemnation.
 
      God sends those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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Behold the Kingdom of God cometh

4/23/2018

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For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in His day. But first must He suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. (Luke 17:24-30)
     Just as lightning lights up the whole sky during a storm, so shall the appearance of Jesus Christ when He returns in all His glory light up the world. Just as it was in the days of Noah and Lot, where most of the world was not paying attention to the things of God but doing their own thing, living their life in abysmal ignorance of what was happening and the judgment of God which was coming, so it will be at the Lord's return. The Lord is coming back, having gone to the Cross in our place and been resurrected and glorified, He will return and be revealed as the slain lamb returning as a ruling Lion with vengeance and judgment on all who do not repent.
 
     Jesus will return in power and glory to consummate the redemption of all who are His and to judge all who have rejected Him. When He comes most of the world will not be looking for Him nor expecting His judgment upon them. They are doing all the normal things of life and going about their business with no thought for eternal things, especially their destination under the judgment of a Holy and righteous God. God judged Noah’s world and it was destroyed leaving "billions of dead things, buried under rock layers, laid down by water, all over the earth" (Billions of dead things, Buddy Davis, 2003), because of sin. God judged Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, allowing Lot and his family to escape, first to Zoar and then to the mountains. Lot’s wife looked back and was judged for her desire for the things of this world and not for those eternal and the command of God to flee from the wrath to come. The final wrath is coming, Jesus will judge His people for what they have done in and for Him and judge this world for their sin and rejection of Him who is Creator, Redeemer, and King.
 
     Our Lord is returning and bringing judgment upon all. He will judge His own for their faithfulness, not their sin for that has been forgiven, but for their works to reach the lost, teach the nations, and preach the Word. He will judge those who remain in their trespasses and sins and have rejected Him when He returns in the final battle. We should be looking for His return, ready and watchful, continuing in the work He has for us to do, and being about our Father’s business. Those who are not born again by faith through grace still have time to repent and surrender to Him on His terms as long as they are here, but judgment is coming and all should be warned. We must tell all who will hear that just as sure as the judgment of the flood of Noah’s day and the destruction of Sodom and the surrounding cities, so is the judgment at the consummation of all things by the Lord who is the righteous Judge.
 
      Until His return, God sends those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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Testify unto them lest they also come into this place of torment

4/20/2018

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And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in Hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. (Luke 16:22-26)
     Two men, one well off, the other destitute, both die and their condition is reversed. The beggar is comforted in Abraham’s bosom, the rich man is in Hell and in torments. Across a great gulf between the two, the rich man cried for water which Lazarus could not give. The rich man was receiving the recompense for a lifetime of sins and fleshly pleasures and Lazarus was comforted in his faith as a child of Abraham after a life of poverty and want. Once in their respective places one cannot pass from one to the other and the tormented in Hell will not find relief. The time to believe God’s Word and repent must be before one passes from this world.
 
     All who are alive will one day pass into the next, either in Hell awaiting final judgment and the Lake of Fire, or comfort with Abraham and the saints who are alive in Christ by faith. There is no neutral, nor will anyone earn forgiveness once they have left this world and arrived in the next. Those who have already passed are either with Christ by faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary or they are separated from God because of their sins and awaiting the sentence and judgement of God. The sinful who seem to prosper in this life will be tormented in the fires of Hell and all who live godly in Christ Jesus who suffer persecution now will be comforted in the presence of God when they go Home.
 
     Those who are secure in Christ and have repented of their sins know that our new life in Christ is not just a by-and-by promise of Heaven, but forgiveness of sin and a new walk with God in holiness and righteousness here and now. We are to live for Him and take His Word to all the world that those who hear and believe would receive Him by faith through grace alone and be delivered from the torments of Hell in this life since they cannot be delivered from that judgment once they are there. Jesus taught more on Hell than He did on Heaven and warned all who will hear Him of its torments and judgment. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but must punish sin as an offense against Him and His righteousness. He sacrificed Himself for our sin that we might receive His righteousness by trusting Him, not as a license to sin more, but liberty to live in, thru, and for Him who loved us, and gave Himself for us. He loves everyone so much that He gave His only begotten Son that those who believe in Him and His Word would have eternal life through Him. He came to offer Himself, not to condemn us, for we were condemned already, but that we might be saved.
 
      God sends those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them

4/19/2018

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And He said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. The Law and the Prophets were until John: since that time the Kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the Law to fail. (Luke 16:15-17)
     Jesus directly rebuked the Pharisees who dismissed and disdained His parables and their application as pertaining to the Jews in general and the religious leaders of the Jews in particular. Jesus called out all those who justify themselves and promote their self-righteousness and reminded His listeners that God knows the hearts. The Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, given to the Jews and preserved and complete with the coming of John the Baptist, will not pass away nor fail in any of its Precepts, Commands, and Judgments.
 
     The Pharisees who taught traditions instead of God’s Law and yet did neither themselves, all the while justifying their behavior and positions as the religious leaders of Israel were incensed at the teachings of Jesus and the company He kept. Those who would not a lift a finger to help their neighbor not only did not understand the condemnation they were under from the Law but had made it of none effect by their teachings added to it. Their false sense of their own worthiness and religious approval was filthy rags when compared to God’s righteousness. The righteousness of the Law, which cannot save but is given for our example, should have pointed them to the Messiah who stood before them. The Hebrew Scriptures they had read and studied spoke of Jesus Christ and His coming, yet for all their study, they missed Him when He came. John preached the Kingdom of God and its King which the Law and Prophets, with the Writings, testify of, and not one word of God’s Scriptures will pass away or fail.
 
     God’s people are to do His Word, not just hear it, rightly divided and studied, not just for knowledge which puffs up, but that we may in love edify, encourage, enable, and engage the people around us with His mercy and grace. His Truth, both in the Old and New Testaments of His Holy Word will stand forever, and we need to stand on it, firmly planted in the sufficient and perfect Word of the living God who cannot lie. Those who are born again by faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary know of God and believe because of the testimony of the pure words preserved by God and transmitted unto us that we might have faith and know Him who is Creator, Redeemer, and King. This world will pass away, all that we know will fail and be burned up, but God’s Word will remain and every word will be fulfilled. From Genesis to Revelation, God has spoken through Moses and the Prophets, through the Gospel writers and the Apostles, and revealed Himself to those with an ear to hear what the Spirit saith.
 
      God sends those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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Joy in the presence of the angels of God

4/18/2018

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What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. (Luke 15:4-7)
     When the self-righteous Pharisees murmured about those that came to hear Jesus, Jesus told this parable of searching for a lost sheep. Jesus pointed out that the rest of the sheep did not need rescuing and the one sheep was worth going after. The Shepherd rejoiced that the sheep was found, and Jesus reminded His hearers that all of Heaven rejoices over a sinner who repents of their sin and turns to God more than all those who don’t see their need of salvation.
 
     Jesus in this and the other parables of the lost points out the smug superiority of the scribes and Pharisees who saw themselves as better and more righteous than the publicans and sinners whom they disdained. The Lord pointed out that God cares for all and is not willing that any should perish. He rescues those who are astray, finds the lost, and welcomes the repentant sinner home. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rejoices in repentance and in those who return to Him. There is great joy from our Lord over sinners who repent.
 
     The Lord came to seek and to save sinners, to give His life as a ransom for many, and reconcile whosoever will repent and put their trust in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary with the Father by faith through grace. The equipping of the saints is so that all His people, once lost themselves, will go and reach those who are still lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, teach all nations all that He has commanded, and preach His Word in season and out. The Lord calls sinners unto Himself to repent and be saved and rejoices with great joy in those who do so. God’s people cannot rest in themselves but in the Spirit and power of God are to be about our Father’s business until all who will come have entered into the Kingdom of God.
 
      God sends those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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God also hath highly exalted Him

4/17/2018

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And He put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when He marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke 14:7-11)
     Upon observing the guests jockeying for position and status at the feast He was invited to, he put forth a parable in response. His heavenly story with an earthly meaning explained that those who think too highly of themselves and take the important places may be ashamed when they are relocated, but those who have a more honest opinion and wait for the host to sit them will be honored in the move up. Those whose pride puts them forward and too high will be brought down, but those who allow others to exalt them will be rewarded.
 
     Unlike the Pharisees and other religious leaders who sought the praise of men and promoted themselves, the Lord Jesus extolled His listeners to live humbly and seek the lower seats and await the host to raise them up in honor. Pride and self-promotion will lead to embarrassment in the demotion, but setting ourselves aside and letting others do the promoting will lead to righteous honor.
 
     Jesus knew of what He spoke, for He had humbled Himself, leaving Heaven and His exalted Throne to become a man as we are and for our sin. He abased Himself and was made in the likeness of men, born in the lowest of conditions as the world sees it, and a manger for his first bed, for no one else could pay for the sin of the world. He set aside His Heavenly position, temporarily, to seek and to save the lost, that those who repent and place their trust in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary might have forgiveness and eternal life through Him. He took our sin upon Himself, abased by all that sin is and all that it costs, including death, that we might receive Him and His righteousness. He purchased our redemption from sin and reconciliation with the Father through His willing sacrifice for sin and God has exalted Him and glorified His Name above all others. He alone is worthy for He alone is the way to the Father and our Salvation.
 
      God sends those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.

     God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.


In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
0 Comments
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