Sunday, September 19th, 2021
"As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after you, O God!" (Psalm 42:1) Let this be deep within us! The Lord our God has truly loved us. "For we love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). We want to love Him with all our heart, with all our soul.
We will reach this perfect Love that also allows us to love our brothers and sisters. "Having purified your souls by obeying the truth to have sincere brotherly love, love one another ardently with all your heart, since you have been regenerated, not by corruptible seed, but by incorruptible seed, by the living and abiding word of God." (1 Peter 1:22-23) This is only possible if we have gone through the new birth. The new birth is a real experience that takes away your heart and gives you a new heart and a new spirit. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Love comes with a new heart. The thing that was impossible, He has made possible.
Under the law, we were told, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who abuse and persecute you" (Matthew 5:43-44). God has said and He has done. He fulfilled it on the day of Pentecost. "Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27) "For I live, and ye shall live also." (John 14: 19) Nothing is impossible. You can love your enemy. In you, there can no longer be hatred, evil thoughts, suspicions because God has washed you clean: this is sanctification. When God rebukes you, accept! Do not be one of those who murmur. The Holy Spirit in you continues His work. Don't forget that we are going somewhere where God has invited us. Heaven is His throne. We have to respond to its demands. You can be angry with God, but no one can defeat God. We don't want to become worse but we want to become better. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, And my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9) So let us beg the Lord for His grace.
The eaglet in the chicken coop couldn't see that he was an eaglet because the others were his reflection, but his inside was different. But one day, mother eagle came looking for her eaglet. She let out a cry. God comes for those who are His. He comes for those who were already in Him. When Christ died on the Cross, you were not unknown to Him. He paid the price for your redemption. "When I was a shapeless mass, your eyes saw me; and in your book were all the days written for me, before any of them were. (Psalm 139:16) The Lord died being sure and certain that you were on the list. Those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. He is the Lamb. No one can take you and bring you back into slavery. "And my people shall never again be in confusion." (Joel 2:27) This is an eternal redemption. We must be armed to fight against demons. "Your God commands you to be mighty" (Psalm 68:28) You must know who you are. Your God is alive. No matter how healthy or sick, my Jesus is alive. I have faith, He will act. Love this Jesus, accept the correction, it is for your own good. We are the light of the world. It is the world that must copy us. The world must look at you and change. It is this Word that sanctifies you, that washes you. This world is going to perdition but God has given you the Jesus of the Bible.
God is good and He is patient. Even in the days of Noah, He was patient. He gave time to be able to accept. "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27) "They will not follow a stranger, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." (John 10:5) Many claim to be of God, but when you come with the Word of God, you see their true nature. When the Word of God, which sanctifies and washes, takes you back, you change your face. The Word comes out, if you are a son of God, you listen. You are not forced, but because you love your God and want to please Him, you submit and obey. "But since he who called you is holy, you also must be holy in all your conduct" (1 Peter 1:15).
Luke 19:41-44
Asking questions is not bad if it is to seek to know the truth, but if it is to seek quarrel then it is bad. They had all seen how Jesus came on the scene, how John the Baptist had introduced Jesus. I," he said, "am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as Isaiah the prophet said." (John 1:23) John was not of the group of Pharisees, but people were coming to Him. John was contrary to them. You must have the right view, not what men think but what God thinks. Avoid the influences of others. Never let yourself be influenced by a man. It makes God to be your advisor, your guide, for that you must have a deep relationship with Him. "I will hold your word in my heart, that I may not sin against you. (Psalm 119:11) "Your commandments are my delight, they are my counselors." (Psalm 119:24) "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path." (Psalm 119: 105) "If you will obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping and doing all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will give you dominion over all the nations of the earth." (Deuteronomy 28:1) Today, Jesus is outside the churches, but He is still speaking. We must meet Him outside the camp. We are outside the systems to walk with Him. We need to get out of religion, to be cleansed. That's what God did with Israel in the desert. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4) "Listen, Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) They saw that God was the Almighty. They saw Him at work. As long as you walk with this God, anything is possible for you. They crossed the red sea on dry land. What god has ever done that? No one, He is the One. We must set our eyes on Jesus. "But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear!" (Matthew 13:16) Do you see today? Let's stick to the Scriptures. When God says, there is no government that can do otherwise. They will do as God says to fulfill the Word. We are in the time of the woman, but this has been prophesied for a long time. When Israel forsook God to serve Baal and others, God sent them into exile. The prophet Jeremiah prophesied. At that time, Hananiah also rose to prophesy.
Jeremiah 28
Jeremiah had prophesied 70 years of captivity for Israel. When God chooses a man, He knows his position. He does not tremble in the face of adversity because He knows who He is standing on! People who are not led by God are really so bold to impress others. When God chooses a man, a son of God will always recognize him. Depth calls for depth.
Ezra 1:1-3 / Daniel 9:1-2
When God does something, He does it through men. Cyrus had to say exactly what God wanted. After Cyrus, Darius came. The governors sent a letter to Darius but God watched. After Cyrus, it continued with Darius. Men can do what they want, but when God's time comes, God is able to seize kings to fulfill His plan.
"Seek peace with all men, and sanctification, without which no man shall see the Lord." (Hebrews 12:14) John cried out in the wilderness to announce the coming of the Lord. It was a special time.
Luke 20:1-8 / Luke 19:41-42
Malachi had already spoken about this. They should have understood that if John is on stage then the Messiah is already there. John had to diminish so that Jesus could grow. Knowing Jesus is a special grace. "This is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29) All the prophets longed to experience this moment. When sin is taken away, there is no more sin. It is because of sin that fellowship with God has been cut off, but if sin is removed then fellowship is restored.
Jesus has a particular way of doing things. He asked a question, then He let it go. He stood still. These men knew the answer because they had seen what John had done. They were so into their tradition that they did not see the work of Jesus Christ. Do not be influenced by men but by the Holy Spirit. "When the Comforter comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13).
"Who do they say that I am, the Son of Man? They said, "Some say you are John the Baptist, some say you are Elijah, and some say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets. And he said to them, "Who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:13-16) Don't go that way because hell is not for you. "Jesus said to him, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me. When the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had great possessions. Jesus said to his disciples: I tell you the truth, a rich man will hardly enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
"(Matthew 19:21-24) The young man did not want to give up what he had. Jesus wants to offer you eternal life, what is worth more than that? And you, are you going to give up everything for Jesus Christ? "How long will you stumble on both sides?" (1 Kings 18:21) "And you, will you not also go away? Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And we have believed and known that you are the Christ, the Holy One of God. (John 6: 67-69)
Luke 19:42-44
"Verily, verily, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw miracles, but because you ate bread and were filled." (John 6:26) God is needed for miracles, for what He does. If you love Him for that, then you are wasting your time! "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." (Matthew 15:8) "I counsel you to buy from me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white raiment, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness may not appear; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see." (Revelation 3:18) The hour is so late! You have no more freedom, you are forced. The time to sleep is over. The devil is at work, open your eyes! We must be vigilant. "When you see Jerusalem taken over by armies, then know that its desolation is near. (Luke 21:20) We must see the way God wants us to see. When Titus came with his army, the people of Israel were used to seeing the Romans. But for the disciples, there was something different. For everyone else it was normal but the Holy Spirit woke up the disciples. God came and you didn't recognize Him. They could not escape it. You have difficulty taking a stand for the Word of God. You hear the Word but you still remain the same. What is most important is what God is doing in us. Let us seek to please God rather than the world. When Lazarus died, even his sisters did not want to come near, but Jesus did. Even when you are rotten, He will come near you. "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? (John 11:40) The world will reject you one day, but Jesus never will. "If you also, at least in this day that is given to you, would know the things that belong to your peace!" (Luke 19:42) "...because they have not received the love of the truth in order to be saved. Therefore God sends them power to deceive, that they may believe a lie" (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11) While there is still time, it is necessary to examine yourself and make the right decision. "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 3:15)