All the rules and directives which the Pharisees had instituted to ensure that people kept the Law they couldn't keep, and the Pharisees didn't keep it either, had made such a mess of GOD'S Law that they were actually breaking both the letter and the spirit of the Law through their "law around the law". Their unbelieving lip-service to GOD while ignoring the intent of the Law to show them their need of GOD for Salvation, while also ignoring the true righteousness of GOD which the Law could never give, was true hypocrisy and Jesus rightfully spoke to the heart of the issue. Their hearts were not right, for without faith in GOD they looked to themselves and their religion for salvation, worshiped a god of their own making, and pridefully held to their own ideas of what the Law was for and to grant them their own righteousness.

      Self righteousness will not get anybody anywhere with a Holy and righteous GOD who demands, and He has every right to as our Creator, His people to come to Him on His terms and not their own. But, knowing that in our sin we cannot measure up, no matter how careful we are to the Laws and Statutes of GOD, He has given us the only sacrifice that will truly pay for our sin. He has provided Himself, when He humbled Himself and took our place on that cruel Roman cross that we might have life, His righteousness, and be reconciled to GOD through repentance and faith in His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary. The Law by itself cannot save or make any one righteous, but Christ has fulfilled the Law, and He who is our rest, makes us righteous in the eyes of GOD, new creatures in Christ, dead to the Law, to sIn, and to ourselves, to live in Him the life we are meant to live.

       As His righteous servants, not in our own righteousness which is as filthy rags, but through the washing of the Word of GOD, we minister to those around us who are hurting and in need, with the Word of righteousness and reconciliation, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they might see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. As His righteous people, the Church of GOD, holy and without blemish by the blood of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, we are to love one another as members in particular, and disciple one another in the Word of GOD that we might grow thereby. As His righteous army, not with weapons of this world or of the flesh, but with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the armour of GOD, we go where the Holy Spirit which is within us sends us, and as we go, we 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.

     For GOD is not willing that any should perish, but that all would 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 trust Him and what He has already done for you 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

During this 'most wonderful time of the year' let us put aside any controversy about the time or the date or the traditions.

Let us remember JESUS.

Let us not be like Zacharias and have doubts.
Let us not be like the inn too busy and too full for HIM.
Let us not be like Herod and Jerusalem intolerant and troubled by HIS Kingship.
Let us not be like the Priests and Scribes knowing the scriptures but indifferent to the Messiah.

Instead, let us join with Gabriel and announce HIS Coming.
Let us join with Mary and surrender to HIS will, pondering all things.
Let us join HIS cousin John and leap for joy.
Let us join the Angel host and proclaim HIS praises.
Let us join the shepherds and find HIM, telling all who will hear of WHOM we have found.
Let us join the wise men and worship CHRIST, presenting ourselves and our gifts to HIM.


AMEN

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

Jefferson, Glenda, Abigail, and David

The Sweets

      The iniquity and false philosophies of those who oppose GOD and His Truth are always at work, to deceive and being deceived. Since Adam sinned there have always been those who twist GOD's Word to their own destruction, living lives of unrighteousness even while claiming truth. Those who are not on the Lord's side, even while claiming His Name, are working for our adversary, the accuser of the brethren, the enemy of our souls. There continue to be those that promote religion, and add their traditions, thoughts, opinions, and vain imaginations to the Truth of GOD and lead others astray from the Salvation that GOD has already paid for.

     From the men of renown in Noah's day that had corrupted the whole world to the point of judgment and destruction, to the false teachers and prophets in Israel that led the people in idol worship, to the Pharisees of Jesus' day who had nullified the Word of GOD and had become disobedient in their legalism, to the cults and organized religions of today who have turned the Gospel of reconciliation by faith through grace to a system of works and bondage, to that final GOD hating world dictator who will call himself god and the messiah, there will always be resistance, ridicule, and rebellion on the part of those who hate GOD and His righteousness which comes by Jesus Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary.

     We don't look for the lawless one, that man of sin, but we look for the return of our Lord to take us Home to be with Him. While we are here, the Spirit which indwells us, will continue to lead and guide us through His Word, directing us about our Father's business, on mission for Him. We minister to those who are hurting and in need, speaking the Truth in love, and giving as GOD provides, that they may know our Lord Jesus as we know Him. We disciple one another in the Word of GOD, growing in grace, and loving one another as we experience GOD together as His body, His temple, and His family. We witness to those without, that they may know the Truth, and receive Jesus Christ by faith in Him and His Gospel and know forgiveness through repentance and the Good News of reconciliation with the Father and have life in His Name.

     For GOD is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance and the knowledge of the 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 trust Him and what He has already done for you 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

    The Word of GOD, when mixed with faith that cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of GOD, leads to life. Jesus Christ, the Son of GOD who is GOD the Son, who was from the beginning, who spoke all the worlds into being by the Word of His power, is the Word made flesh, which dwelt among us, always doing the work and will of the Father. He testified to these unbelieving Jewish religious 'authorities' who had rejected His righteousness and Law for their own self-righteousness and tradition, and rejected their unrighteous religion. He calls all to repent of their sIn and to believe, receiving Him by faith, for forgiveness and reconciliation with GOD.

    He came that all may have life and that they might have it more abundantly, but those that receive it must do so by faith, and in repentance and surrender to Him on His terms that they may be born again. The great I AM, Jehovah Joshua, the GOD who Saves, became a man and offered Himself in our place, to pay our sIn debt, and provide us the only way to the Father. Our sIn separates us from GOD, but GOD commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, the just for the unjust that He might bring us to GOD. GOD in the flesh, put to death the flesh, but was quickened by the Spirit, that we should live in Him and in His righteousness being reconciled to the Father through Him and Him alone.

    We are reconciled that we might serve Him, and do His will and work here in this sinful and broken world. We are to minister, as His ambassadors, to those around us who are hurting and in need. We are called as His ministers of reconciliation to represent the Kingdom of GOD, unspotted from this present world. We are commanded to love one another as Christ loves us, that all may know we are His disciples. We are commissioned by our Lord, who has all authority, to go and tell the Good News, and as we go, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that those who hear and believe may repent and by faith, receive eternal life in His Name.

    For GOD is not willing that any should perish, but that all would 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 trust Him and what He has already done for you to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with GOD with forgiveness 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

    There are only two kinds of people on this earth, one human race divided into those that are enemies of GOD, and opposed to Him because of their sIn, or those who are born again because they have repented of their sin and put their trust in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary. Jesus called out those who hid behind their religious trappings and tradition, but were unregenerated and unrepentant, having faith in themselves and their practices, but not in GOD. They had plenty of self-righteousness, but not Holiness or Godliness, without which no man shall see the Lord. They trusted themselves and their religion, but had made the Word of GOD of none effect by their tradition and their word.

    The Word of GOD exposes falsehood by its Truth. We should know it so well by the hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, meditating, and applying of the inerrant, infallible, inspired Word, to the life we live in, through, and for Christ that we can spot falsehood, even when those that speak them misquote, or misapply, the Scriptures, because of their agenda, or because they have not rightly divided the Word of Truth.

    While we who know GOD and His Son, Jesus Christ, hear His voice through the pages of Scripture, those who are not born again cannot hear from the Father, except the Spirit draw Him, because the things of the Spirit are spiritually discerned. We are to speak Truth in love, proclaiming not only the love of GOD, but also the justice and judgment of GOD on all those who do not believe and repent. Sinners who refuse to surrender to GOD on His terms and turn to GOD for forgiveness and grace, being already under the judgment of guilt for sIn are condemned already and must receive Him by faith unto eternal life.

    We are called to minister to those around us who are hurting that they may see their need of Him and call on the Name of the Lord for Salvation. We are commanded to love one another and to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour through the Word of GOD so that we can give an answer to every man  that asketh us a reason of the hope that is in us, with meekness and fear. We are commissioned to preach the Word, to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to all who will hear, so that those who believe the Gospel and repent in faith might have life in His Name.

    For GOD is not willing that any should perish, but that all would 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 trust Him and what He has already done for you to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with GOD with forgiveness 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