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The LORD was with him

5/31/2018

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And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. (1 Sam. 18:6-9)
     David’s triumph over Goliath by the hand of the LORD is praised in song and with instruments. When David, as a young man, is praised for his victories over so many more than Saul, Saul becomes jealous of David and realizes that David has all but the kingdom. Saul was wary of David and kept an eye on him, viewing him no longer as a servant to Saul but as a rival and an enemy. Saul even attempted at one point to slay David with a javelin and though he gave Michal to David for a wife, thinking she might have some influence, Saul did not like the friendship between David and Jonathan. Saul’s jealousy and issues led him to pursue the destruction of the servant of the LORD instead of rejoicing in what God did through David.
 
     Jealousy led to rage as Saul, whether he truly recognized the kingdom was being transferred to David or not, heard the praises of the women of Israel in song. The victories they ascribed to David were so much more that Saul, despite the fact that God had already declared that Israel would be ruled by another, saw David as a threat to his rule. Saul was jealous of David’s popularity with the people, his victories in battle, and his friendship with his son Jonathan. Saul never once praised God for Israel’s victory but attempted to control David through his daughter Michal and to keep him nearby to either diminish his influence or to kill him at any opportunity.
 
     Jealousy and rage have no place in the life and ministry of the believer in Jesus Christ. In the church Christians are to submit one to another, seeking the blessings of God for all ministries and reaching out to those who are lost and do not have a saving relationship with God through faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary. Not only should we decrease personally as Christ in us increases, but our ministries should glorify God and not be a source of envy or contention. That which God brings us to, whether teaching, ministry, missions, or leadership, is not for us to control or for us to brag of what we have and are doing, but that God may be glorified in what He is doing in, thru, and for us, and for those who are lost. He has called His people, not to their own ways, but to follow Him and to be like Him, as we reach the lost with the Good News, teach the nations all that He has commanded, and preach His Word with all longsuffering and doctrine.
 
     Until the Day when He comes for His own, 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 battle is the LORD'S

5/30/2018

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And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the Name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. (1 Sam. 17:39-40, 45-46)
     Israel’s trouble with the Philistines continued and now they faced a giant from Gath who called out for a champion to face him. When David arrived at the camp, though accused of curiosity, stood firm in his confidence over the enemies of God. David tried to take Saul’s armor but could not fight with it since he had spent no time working with the armor and was not used to it. With five stones, Goliath having four brothers whom he might also have to face, David went confident in the strength of the LORD and first declared the victory and then the LORD gave it to him. Having no sword of his own, David cut off the head of the unconscious Goliath with his own sword while the Philistines ran in defeat.
 
     While David may have been curious once he arrived, he had been sent by his father to seek out his brothers and greet king Saul whom David had attended on occasion. The cause of the Philistines once more defying the armies of the LORD was not only an immediate battle facing Israel but also an opportunity for God to show Himself strong on behalf of Israel and whosoever trusted in Him once again. Goliath may have been a giant physically, but God is greater than anything Israel faced. Israel had no need to fear man, or look at the outward appearance, even if this giant was skillful, huge, and well-armed, God was and still is God and God alone and will give victory to His servants who trust in Him for the battle is the LORD’S.
 
     No matter what we face, if we are truly in Christ by faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary, we can have the victory. Victory over sin because God has forgiven us through Jesus Christ and our repentance, not to continue in sin, but to have victory over the temptation which comes our way in His strength. Victory over our enemies and in the spiritual battles we face, not in our own strength or with the weapons of the flesh, but in the strength of the LORD and in the power of prayer and armor of God. We must prove the weapons of our warfare, which are not carnal or of the flesh, but are mighty in God to the pulling down of strongholds of the heart and mind which keep us defeated and discouraged. God has already won the war over sin and death and we have nothing to fear if we rest in Him and do His will. He has called us to reach the lost who do not know Him that they might repent and be reconciled to Him. He has commanded us to teach the nations all that He has commanded from His Word and by His Spirit. He continues to empower His own to preach and proclaim His Word, in season and out, until all have heard or He is done with us. His is the battle and His is the victory for the Lord alone is God, our Creator, Redeemer, and King and His alone is the glory, forever and ever, Amen.
 
     Until the Day when He comes for His own, 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 LORD hath sought Him a man after His own heart

5/29/2018

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But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. (1 Sam. 16:7, 11-13)
     When Samuel went to Bethlehem to anoint one of the sons of Jesse as king, he expected to anoint the older sons. God had determined, however, that David, the youngest son of Jesse, would be the next king of Israel. People judge by what they see, but God, knowing the thoughts and intents of the real person, judges a person according to their true character and integrity. David was not a young boy at this time, just the youngest of the sons of Jesse, and God had chosen him, a man who sought the LORD and whose character reflected Him. Samuel anointed David and sacrificed unto the Lord as the Spirit of God came upon David and he was blessed.
 
     Samuel looked at the grown and capable sons of Jesse with the eyes of the flesh and thought that surely one of them was to be anointed as king. God, knowing their character and knowing David, had chosen the one who would follow after Him and seek Him to be king of Israel. Saul had been rejected as king and God was preparing for the day when he was no longer on the throne of Israel by anointing David and moving David from the sheepfolds where he cared for the sheep to the courtroom where he would eventually care for the people of Israel. The Spirit of the LORD came and blessed David as he would move from a servant of Saul to the king of Israel.
 
     The world looks and acts according to the flesh because they are not born again by faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary. Christians, having the Spirit of God within, follow the leading of the Lord, are not to look at the appearance or the bank accounts, or even the ‘successful’ ministries of men, but look at the character and the integrity of those whom we seek to follow. God will guide those who listen to Him in order to choose Godly men to continue His work of the Kingdom. If we move on our own, or choose according to our ways, we end up with what we thought we wanted, but God is not in it and the ministry of the church suffers. When God’s people, looking to reach the lost and do the work of God, seek God’s ways, He will bring us the person He wants to be in leadership, and we will be blessed, God’s work will increase, and God will be glorified. The church is to be about God’s business of reaching the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, teaching the nations all that He commanded, and preaching the Word of God in season and out, until all have heard and God is done with us.
 
     Until the Day when He comes for His own, 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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Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft

5/25/2018

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And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. Then came the Word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth Me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following Me, and hath not performed My commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. (1 Sam. 15:7-10, 20-22)
     Saul was sent to destroy the Amalekites because of their mistreatment of the Israelites when they journeyed out of Egypt. God had determined their destruction for their rejection of Him and His people and because of their egregious sins. He sent Saul to carry out the complete annihilation of this sinful people with specific orders that nothing was to be spared. Saul, despite the Word of the LORD, saved Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and the best of the livestock, which God had cursed and ordered destroyed because of their sin. Saul’s rebellion in thought and practice was revealed to Samuel who came and confronted Saul. Saul made excuses and denials but was found out by the noise of the sheep. Saul continued his rebellion and excuses and Samuel delivered the news that God had rejected Saul as king because of Saul’s continued disobedience to the LORD.
 
     God says what He means and means what He says. He is serious about the obedience and holiness of His people. The Amalekites were guilty of sin and worthy of death not only because all have sinned against God but because of their rejection of God and His people in their wanderings out of Egypt. God had told Saul to destroy everything, and Saul in rebellion rejected the Word of the LORD and did things his way. His disobedience cost him the kingdom and his legacy. Saul was rejected as king because of his rejection of God and God’s ways of holiness and righteousness before God. Agag was killed, the animals were slaughtered, and the Amalekites annihilated just as God had directed but Saul was not the obedient man of God which accomplished the work of God and so he also was judged by his thoughts, words, and deeds.
 
     We shall all stand before God as Judge, either for our works which cannot save or for that which was done in and for Christ. The Christian will stand at the judgment seat of Christ for his good deeds, not for salvation, for that was given by our faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary, but those things which we have done in and for the Kingdom. Eternal things and that which was obedient to His Word will be rewarded, while disobedience to His will and earthly things will be burned up even as by fire. The person who never repents of their sins and rejects the eternal Salvation of God through Jesus Christ will stand before the Judge of the whole earth and receive the recompense of his sin, the wrath of God upon those who are already judged guilty and worthy of death because of their sin and because they never surrendered to God on His terms. Just as Saul was rejected as king, so will those who never received Jesus by faith and repentance be rejected from eternal life and pass unto eternal damnation as God judges those who rejected Him in rebellion and sin. God will say to those who did not receive Him while they lived, depart from Me, I never knew you, not because God is willing that any should perish, but because they would not repent of their sins and be converted by faith through God’s grace.
 
     Because God loves everyone but must punish sin, 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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Let us draw near hither unto God

5/24/2018

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And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture. Moreover the Hebrews that were with the Philistines before that time, which went up with them into the camp from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan. Likewise all the men of Israel which had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle. So the LORD saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over unto Bethaven. (1 Sam. 14:20-23)
     As Jonathan the son of Saul led a successful incursion against the Philistines, God confused the battle to the point that the Philistines were fighting themselves even as the Israelites began their campaign. Even those Hebrews who had fought with the Philistines separated themselves and returned to the armies of Israel. Those who had fled and hid from the onslaught of the Philistines now returned and joined in as Israel overcame the Philistines with a great victory. God had delivered Israel at the hand of Saul and Jonathan.
 
     Though Saul would later make a mess of this victory, Jonathan began the campaign by infiltrating the camp of the Philistines and relying on the LORD to give him success. The LORD was with him and his initial efforts to overcome the Philistines led to confusion within the camp and the Philistines not only fought with each other but the Hebrews within their camp turned against them even as the Israelites came upon them and gained the victory. God had turned the tide and given Israel the day, allowing them to win over their enemies and once again conquer the land which God had given them. Even the men who had initially fled from the Philistines and their chariots returned and fought hard in the battle.
 
     Those who are born again often see our struggles in this world as overwhelming. Knowing that the LORD has already fought the battle for us and has given us the victory does not seem to be much help when the lost person across from us seems to be losing their battle with their sin and their choices. We must rest in Him and wait for His timing, all the while praying and seeking His counsel, for His Word never returns void, and the harvest will bear fruit according to His will. We should remain faithful, keep doing all that He has called us to do, and stand still and see the hand of the LORD in victory. God will bring about all He has promised in our missions, our ministry, and our discipleship, if we are obedient and faithful to follow Him. When we see Him work, we get in on what He is doing, and press forward, knowing that we shall be strengthened and encouraged along the way, by Him who has already purchased us through His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary. Those who are His people are to stand strong in His might and not our own, even as we continue the work which He has called us to do to reach the lost, teach the nations, and preach the Word until He is done with us. The battle is the Lord's.
 
     Until that day, 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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Obedience is better than sacrifice

5/23/2018

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And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the Commandment of the LORD thy God, which He commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought Him a man after His own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee. (1 Sam. 13:11-14)
     Saul was supposed to wait for Samuel as priest to offer the sacrifices asking for the Lord to bless the army as they prepared to meet the Philistines. Instead, Saul, fearing that the soldiers were beginning to waver and might desert during the long wait, offered the sacrifice himself unto the LORD. As soon as they finished, Samuel arrived and confronted Saul, pronounced his kingdom would be over with him, and proclaimed that the LORD would give the kingdom to one who sought the Lord and would be a man after His own heart instead of Saul. Saul’s impatience and disobedience cost him his legacy.
 
     Saul knew the commandment of the Lord that only the priests were to offer sacrifices unto the LORD, yet his fear and insecurities led him to do that which was not lawful for the king to do. In response God ended his line as king and determined to find another king in Saul’s stead. God did not immediately remove Saul as king but Samuel pronounced that Saul would have not lineage or legacy as kings in Israel. God had told the Israelites what kind of king they would have, but sought a king to lead His people that would follow Him and who would be a man who would seek to obey the principles of God and not his own ways and agenda. Saul practiced the trappings of religion to legitimize his position instead of seeking the Lord to bless His people and equip Saul to lead as God’s man on the throne of Israel.
 
     God wants His people to understand that following Him and resting in Him even as we obey the rightly divided Word of Truth is better than all the sacrifices we make ourselves. He has already made the ultimate sacrifice for sin and those who have trusted in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary in repentance and faith have received forgiveness and eternal life in Christ. Our liberty is not license to sin, to do our own thing, or even do God’s work our way as Saul did, but to live in Christ the life He would have us to live, in obedience and faith. We don’t live our lives, but daily offer ourselves unto Him that He might live in and through us, a holy and surrendered life which glorifies our God. God calls everyone, everywhere, to repent and come to the knowledge of Him who is the only offering worthy of satisfying the wrath of the Father, Jesus Christ. His people are commanded, not to have church, but to be the Church of God, and to serve Him, not just on Sunday, but each and every day, wherever He has placed us to do the work of the LORD. We are to reach the lost with the Good News of forgiveness and reconciliation, teach the nations all that He has commanded, and preach His Word in season and out, until He comes or He calls us Home. If He tarries, as Samuel did, let us be found faithful and obedient, not trying to be what God has not called us to be, or doing what God has not commanded us to do, that God may be glorified in our ministry, our missions, and our discipleship, as His obedient people.
 
     Until He comes or takes us Home, 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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Stand and see this great thing which the LORD will do

5/22/2018

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And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. For the LORD will not forsake His people for His great Name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you His people. Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He hath done for you. But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king. (1 Sam. 12:20-25)
     Samuel addresses the people as Saul is now king and the time of the judges has come to a close. Samuel will still interact with Saul as prophet and priest but will no longer lead the people or deliver them from their oppressors. In his farewell address, Samuel reminds the Israelites of what they have wished for and what they will get, but also tells them, having got a king they are to obey the king even as they obey the LORD. Serving God is still required for the Israelites as a nation and as individuals and the Law is still in place even as their kings will also give commands and orders. Samuel would continue to serve and to pray for the people but the people of Israel would have to forward in obedience to God and in service to the king. Doing otherwise would lead to destruction and judgment.
 
     The people had rejected the Lord as Judge and King and would now have men to rule over them just as the other nations around them. Samuel would no longer lead them in battle or deliver them from those who came against them, for they had their king. The people would still have to obey God and keep His Commandments for even the king was constrained by the Law of God. Disobeying the Law and straying from the statutes of God meant destruction and judgment just as it had under the judges, but even more so as they now had a king who was supposed to lead them in obedience as well as uniting the nation. God warned the people of the consequences of disobedience and rebellion in following any false way. The people of God were to follow the ways of God in all that they did and God would bless them for it, but rebellion would bring destruction from the LORD.
 
     God’s grace means we are not consumed. Our sin separates us from God and only by His mercy can we receive forgiveness through repentance of sin and faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary. The Christian, growing in Christ is to follow the ways of God as revealed in the Scriptures and die to self daily. We are to pray for those who are lost and under the judgment of God that they may repent and surrender to Him on His terms. We are to serve God by ministering to one another and to those not of the faith in order to earn the right to be heard as we reach the lost, teach the nations, and preach His Word. We are not to follow after our own agenda, or hold on to programs because of tradition which God has rejected, nor are we to do God’s work the way the world does its work. God is Holy and demands holiness from His people. He has instilled His righteousness in His people and we are to walk in His ways and go as He commands until He is done with us. The world may reject Him and us because of Him but we are to be obedient and faithful unto Him who has called us into His service and equipped us to engage and enable people to enjoy Jesus Christ.
 
     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 the LORD hath wrought Salvation in Israel

5/21/2018

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Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee. And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel. And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee.
Therefore the men of Jabesh said, To morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you. And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together. (1 Sam. 11:1-3, 10-11)
     Saul’s first battle as king of Israel comes as the men of Jabeshgilead are in desperate need of help from the Ammonites. They sued for peace and desired a covenant truce but the Ammonites instead threatened them with desecration. The elders of Jabesh received a respite that they might seek reinforcements and deliverance from the rest of Israel. Saul gathered the forces of Israel and on the appointed day, having divided the companies of Israel into a three pronged attack force, came against the Ammonites and the Israelites were victorious. It was such a great victory that Saul declared that even those within the kingdom who refused his authority over them would be spared and the kingdom was renewed and celebrated.
 
     This historical account is a record of one of the incursions by the Ammonites, distant relatives of the Israelites as descendants of Lot. The Ammonites came against the citizens of Israel that lived in Jabeshgilead and Saul was called to lead the rest of Israel in defense of their neighbors. Though there was some dissension in the land over Saul as king, the Israelites rose to the occasion and gathered together against a common foe. Saul divided the forces into three companies and came against the Ammonites on the day that the elders had promised to give an answer to their enemies. The Ammonites were overrun and the survivors of the battle were scattered and alone. Saul celebrated the victory which God gave the Israelites by forgiving those who had opposed him as king and renewing the kingdom, rejoicing greatly in the LORD.
 
     While many in and out of the church may oppose us, as the people of God we must understand that our battle is not with flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of the darkness of this world. The prince of the power of the air, disguising himself as an angel of light attempts to deceive, to discourage, and to distract us from the call of God to persevere and to overcome that God may be glorified in and through us. He has called us to reach the lost with the Good News of forgiveness of sin through repentance and eternal life through faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary. We are to teach the nations all that He has commanded us that they might know their sin and surrender to Him on His terms. We are to preach and proclaim the Word of God, in season and out, until all have heard and He is done with us. Just as Saul delivered the people of Jabesh, so Christ has won our victory and delivered us from sin, from the bondage of the enemy, and translated us from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of His dear Son. We do not celebrate over the lost, but weep over those who will not submit to Christ in repentance and faith and we celebrate His great Salvation and the victory which He offers to whosoever will receive it.
 
     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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He prophesied among the prophets

5/18/2018

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And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee. And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do. And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. (1 Sam. 10:6-10)
     Samuel instructed Saul in what was going to happen and how he should respond as he prepared Saul to be anointed king of Israel. As Israel moved into the era of the kings, God chose Saul to be the first of Israel’s kings. Along the way, Saul would also prophecy of all that God was doing as the Spirit of God moved him to speak the Words of God.
 
     The Spirit of God moved Saul to speak the words and to give Saul a new heart, at least temporarily, as he prepared to become the first king of Israel. Samuel spoke of all God would do to select and anoint Saul and as Saul prepared himself God demonstrated that He was with Saul and that Saul was the man God had chosen. Not being a son of a prophet many were surprised at the prophesying of Saul. Saul’s donkeys were found but now Saul had a people to lead as a nation and before the Lord their God.
 
     Circumstances may overwhelm us for a time if we are not looking for the hand of God in them, but God is there and Christians have the one advantage which Saul would not retain, we have the Spirit of God permanently within us to guide and teach us of His ways, His Word, and His will. Those of us who are born again not only proclaim His Word that lost people might repent and surrender to God on His terms but also so that our brethren may be equipped, encouraged, and enabled to enjoy Jesus Christ as they grow in Him and in the knowledge of His Word. We are commanded not only to go forth and tell of all He is doing, but also to reach the lost who are separated from God because of their sin with the Good News of forgiveness, teach all nations the Commandments of our Lord, and to preach His Word at every opportunity until He is done with us.
 
     Until that day, 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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Stand thou still a while that I may shew thee the Word of God

5/17/2018

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Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over My people Israel, that he may save My people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon My people, because their cry is come unto Me. And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over My people. Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is. And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart. (1 Sam. 9:15-19)
     Even before Saul came to Samuel God knew that he would be Israel’s first king. Israel desired a king like the other nations and God had determined that Saul the son of Kish would be that king. God told Samuel he was coming and that Samuel was to anoint him as the king and captain over the people, to deliver them from the Philistines who plagued Israel and oppressed them. Saul, trying to recover his lost livestock was looking for the seer and prophet, and God directed Samuel to Saul that Saul would be consecrated as king of Israel.
 
     God had a plan and a purpose even in selecting Saul, a man who stood out from the crowd, as the king of Israel. Saul was not the most imposing of men despite his stature and was more worried about his father’s donkeys than pursuing political power or royal authority. Samuel followed the Word of the LORD and anointed Saul, the man God had selected to be the king of Israel. Saul was looking for supernatural help from the prophet and seer while Samuel was looking for supernatural help from God in finding a king. Though Saul got more than he desired, both heard from God and both received from God that which God wanted to do in their lives and in the nation of Israel.
 
     We often do not see the hand of the Lord in our circumstances, yet He is always there. He allows many things in this broken world to occur, like lost animals or inconvenient weather, but can and often does not only direct events, but use events which occur to direct His children and to speak to us. We may be looking in the wrong place like Saul or hearing from God like Samuel, but either way our Sovereign God will accomplish that which He has determined to do, in, thru, and for His servants. God desires that all should repent of their sins and come to Him on His terms of humility and childlike faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary for salvation and reconciliation with the God who made us and wants us to be with Him. Christians are to be seeking Him, hearing from Him, and doing His will as He reigns in the lives we live in and for Him who is our God; our Creator, our Redeemer, and our King.
 
     While we are here, 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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